PT Club Jocasta Nu: We Love Kenobi, How 'Bout You?

Hello Bookclubbers!

We are back with a new book, Kenobi by John Jackson Miller. This book does take place right after the events in Revenge of the Sith. Here is the description from Amazon:

Before we begin, let's lay out some posting guidelines. We are taking a page out of the PT Social Rules here, so:

Newcomers are always welcome here! All we ask is that they be interested in bucking the dominant trend of the internet by:

-- Enjoying the PT (or at least refraining from making snarky remarks about it or in any way putting out veiled insults about the tastes of those who do enjoy it here)

-- Being generally polite, friendly, and considerate of others' feelings

Now that's out of the way, we will be reading Chapters 1-3 this week, and here are some suggested discussion questions:

1. How does this book differ from other Legends books so far? Does this feel like the typical EU and how so?

2. Obi-Wan is settling in to Tatooine. How do you imagine he's feeling trying to balance being a former hero with his new status as an exile?

Also, as always, up for discussion is: 1. Hair and 2. How Obi-Wan's robe still seems to be very dramatic.



Feel free to begin discussing as you get to finishing. My partner in crime cubman987 may also have some discussion points.

 

*sends all the love to Sepra *

I should be able to jump in tomorrow, I hope.

I hope there's a part where he WANTS to swoosh the robe around all dramatically and then has to stop himself like, "No. No. No more showing off. Low profile. Stick to flying your hair around in the wind, Kenobi."

 

I'm going to start posting on the subject of the novel soon but let me just say that you two are the most entertaining Kenobi gushers I've ever come across.

 

Hahaha! Thank you for making me laugh out loud for real. I'm glad you find us entertaining. We have a lot of fun here.

Sepra What can I say? We are pretty damned delightful, aren't we Seps?
[leaves until she can contribute to the actual topic] [sorry for the digression]

 

The "My eyes are large and red because I'm a Duros" moment.

 

Ha, Talos, you should see me with Anakin. I mean, I just study him for science is all. *cough*

We do have a lot of fun.

Oh, good point! Also we should probably discuss the fun droid phobia that pervades Star Wars. From ANH's Tatooine bar where everyone is served except droids to no droids served in refugee ships in AOTC to here where drunk old people are suspicious of aliens that they think are droids. I'd hate to see what droidism comes out at Thanksgiving dinner with that guy!

As an aside, do you think Obi-Wan makes any loose wire jokes in this novel? Can a girl dream?

 

I was mainly thinking of the Cad Bane does he contradict the EU thread in the Literature forums.

 

I love Kenobi. My fav SW character

 

Damn, I literally thought about buying this when ordering from Amazon earlier (Batman vs Superman and the first Malazan book in case you were all wondering).

Figured I had plenty of books.

Wonder if I can change my order?

 

Just get it too.

Also, here are two pertinent quotes so far:

It's nice how Obi-Wan always ensures that whatever light source is around makes him look good.

 

1) It's almost totally isolated from the rest of the galaxy, which is VERY different from most Legends works.

2) I think he could care less about the hero aspect. I think he is trying to reconcile his responsibility for Luke with his guilt for Anakin and having a difficult time doing it.

 

That's kind of a given though. After all, not many people were in his position in the Dark Times Legends canon.

 

Still it's kinda cool to see a different setting like that

 

It is.

 

Valairy Scot, I see you coming around. Want to give your thoughts? It's been awhile...

 

@ Sepra Ordered it, Should arrive in a few days.
(also picked up Battlefront: Twilight Company)

 

Indeed. It's kind of a tease. We seem to only see Obi-Wan from the perspective of other people.

 

That made it hard for me to read TBH - I was like "Where is Kenobi in Kenobi?"

 

My thoughts? The book was great at showing Kenobi as others see (and miss seeing) him. But for a book named for him, our Obi-Wan was strangely under-utilized. He had great impact on events, but we don't really see him in those years.

As the titular character, I would have expected a Kenobi-POV book - and still hope for one.

 

I should finally have a stretch of time longer than 15 minutes to devote to this this evening. I swear, I am going to catch up eventually.

 

Guys I'm on like page three and I already need to laugh-cry at so many things.

 

OK, seriously people: how has no one called out the fact that in this story, Obi-Wan and Day-Old Luke go into a bar and Obi-Wan like, IMMEDIATELY gets involved in a bar fight?! These two were in a bar together TWICE EVER in their lives, and BOTH times Obi-Wan had to throw down?

Also, if we combine the unaired-but-planned final TCW arc, plus ROTS, plus this book, that would make events lay out roughly this way:

Obi-Wan's Approximate Last Week-or-So:

• Fighting in the Clone Wars with Anakin, hard work but whatever we're bros and sometimes I might even smile sometimes
• Finally gonna go to kill Maul thank the damn FORCE, oops, nope, sorry, gonna go save the Chancellor from a self-kidnapping see you later Ahsoka I'm sure everything will be fine for all of us byeee!
• I'm Proud of You Anakin, BRB Gonna Go Kill Grievous Don't Lose Your Damn Mind While I'm Gone
• OK Grievous is dead, time to go fight with my guys from the clone army and clean this place up so I can go home
• WTF why are my own guys trying to kill me, time to sneak away and go back home and figure out what's going on
• Hoooolllly crap everyone's dead here
• OMFG Anakin killed them
• OMFG Palpatine was the damn Sith Lord
• OMFG I have to go kill Anakin
• OMFG Padme's pregnant with Anakin's kid
• YOU WERE MY BROTHER WTF IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
• OMFG Padme's dying
• OMFG she just had TWINS
• Welp, off to the desert with a newborn
• Better stop for directions at this bar
• Oh hey look a bar fight's erupted: here, Total Stranger, take the Chosen One's kid for a sec while I badass it up in here for a minute
• K thanks bye gonna go drop this baby off on some unsuspecting farmers* and then peace out for eons of loneliness

* am I the only person who wonders how THAT conversation went? Did Owen and Beru ever meet Obi-Wan before that? Did he literally roll up and chuck Luke at them like "Hey, your stepbrother who you met that one time is dead, also he was secretly married and he knocked up his wife and she's dead too now, so could you like, watch this guy for the next 18 years or so? No worries I'll be right down the street creepily spying on you all periodically, too. BTW, Ultimate Evil kind of wants me AND the kid dead, so, y'know. Maybe install a security camera or two and stock up on pepper spray."