Jedi Quest #9

This is a very decent JQ book. Basically, thisd is the book in which we really see Palps take Annie under his wing. THe book is full of Palps coaching Annie, filling his mind with his own corrupt ideas, sowing seeds of disgruntlement with the Council, putting pro-dictatorship ideas in his head--and all with ignorant OB1's blessing!

A great character development story for Anakin featuring Palpatine as a very important chjaracter, not just someone who gives mission briefings

With a glimpse of Falleen, this story also features Bog Divinian, most of the major JQ villains, Didi, Astri, Dexter Jettster, Siri...what more you askin' for?

Interestingly, Yoda is not in the story, he is in a mission to Kashyyyk...I wonder wehat this allude to?

 

It's mentioned in HoloNet News. Yoda is attempting to make peace between the Trandoshans and the Wookiees.

TC

 

Is this out now???

 

I bought it at Hastings yesterday.

 

How old is Anakin in this one?

 

I just read it.

*SPOILERS*

Honestly, I think its the best of the Jedi Quest books. The presence of Palpatine makes this story rip itself from its pages and vault itself into the higher areas of Star Wars literature.

The evil of the Dark Lord of the Sith throughout the book is fantastic and its amusing how he causally is bringing down the republic while Anakin and Obi Wan are chasing tiny fish.

It's a powerful moment in the book when Anakin catches one flash of anger from Palpatine. Not because Palpatine is mad at the Jedi or anything like that....

But because the Jedi Quest villains, stupid and barely sinister in comparison, are potentially going to disrupt some of HIS plans.

Jude just NAILS Palpatine's personality at its most evil and the genius of letting the Jedi do their own dirty work while thugs like Sarro dirty their hands and embarrass themselves. Palpatine does more to prepare for the extermination of the Jedi by being their friend than the mudslinging could do in a century.

Furthemore, Stuff HAPPENS in this book. While the lack of a satisfying death of dozens of enemies in the book exists that would make it Star Wars (kill a villain or two now and then-the Vader series is sadly lacking these) the scene in the Senate is a MASSIVE action that really explains the political climate of the Senate

No wonder people are tossing the President so many powers....nearly the entire Senate was killed.

Anakin is also at some of his best here. Instead of being a whiny cry-baby Anakin is mature, self assured, and frustrated with the Bureaucracy even as he finds himself mastering it. It's weird but Palpatine makes Anakin more "jedi like" by his presence with just the fewest words.

He really is a better teacher than Obi Wan could ever be.

 

An amazing novel. I read it in one sitting.

Spoilers



















This book is low on action until the end but that's okay because there is plenty of politicla intrigue to make up for it. I loved the fact that droids were going to kill Palpatine but he didn't care because he knew he could take care of them if he had to.
As always Watson gets that characterization down. Funny how this book is better and more complex tahn the recent adult novel. An excellent book.

 

Yoda is attempting to make peace between the Trandoshans and the Wookiees.

Oy, luck be with him.

I find it interesting that this is getting such praise from so many since the YR books usually are overlooked. I've been holding off on this series so I can read it when it's entirely finished, which is what I did with the JA books as well, but I'm really looking forward to reading this series (and the Boba one as well, despite what I've heard about it).

 

It's brilliantly written.

Palpatine is like Mad Cow Disease. He gets past all the defenses Anakin has by bypassing them!
It chilled me when I read about Obi-wan getting the life drain when he touched Palpatine!

Anakin is so used by Palps. he makes Anakin doubt himself and twists his head. Esp when he did n't get some sort of reward at the end. Poor Ani!

 

Meh I wasn't so pleased with this one, I think the whole Granta Omega storyline has been stretched beyond belief and the whole thing with the Senate is stupid.

Frankly I don't think Anakin and Obi-Wan wasted their time during films doing this.

Also I don't care how good she did Palpatine's meddling with Anakin its TOO DAMN LATE! Palpatine must have been messing with this kid far earlier than when he was what 16/17 as they have him here.
I sure hope Lucas contradicts this rubbish and shows Palpatine has been Anakin's friend/extra mentor for a longer time.

I'll give Watson some credit she did do Palpatine well and how he messed with Anakin's mind was excellent, my only problem is that Anakin doesn't "gush" over Palpatine as he should and at the end well he should be more interested in staying and listening to Palpatine's insights than going off with Obi-Wan.

Watson hasn't got the Anakin-Obi-Wan dynamic right at all, these two are odds with each other supposedly, and she has to make Obi-Wan the one at fault for not believing in Anakin enough. She has to write Obi-Wan as seeing all of Anakin's strengths as faults and not understanding Anakin's Force connection (The greatest example in AOTC for her to take this from is when Anakin doesn't follow Zam but instead gets ahead of her and waits for her to arrive to him, Obi-Wan thinks they lost her but in fact they're just waiting for her: therefore he mistakes foresight and intuition for impulsiveness and arrogance).
She makes Anakin out to be wrong ALL the damn time and Obi-Wan as the typical saint *sigh* which I'm sad to say is what the majority of authors do these days.

Mind you she did admit she didnt like writing Anakin (then why was she given this series may I ask?).

 

I can't believe all the cowards that are afraid of writing Anakin. Thank god Stover got the novelization of EPIII. He has the cajones to do Anakin justice.

 

Huh? How did Obi-Wan get life drain by touch Palpatine?

 

He grabbed him by the arm, to warn him of an assassination plot. As soon as OW touches Palps arm, he gets sick, confused, and cold. Obi-wan is feeling weak and disoriented, but can't figure out why.

 

This book was good. Check my sig - this line by Palpatine gave me chills....

Palpatine was absolutely slimy in this one.

I agree T_F, so many writers are scared of writing Anakin (he is Lucas' baby though, maybe that's why). I'm glad that Matt Stover has the novelization. He won't do the sappy black and white, Anakin=evil and Obi-Wan=saint thing, that's just not his style.

 

To Watson's credit, Anakin is usually right. Obi Wan just rips into him for the slightest thing.

 

True. She does make Anakin more pragmatic in most cases. She writes him as unsure of himself, and that's good. I think she just has to work at writing him because the character is so intense and gray (meaning not black and white). I like books that don't have him going to the darkside in everybook.

My only problem with these books is Ferus is so damn annoying. I want to shoot sith lightening at him in every book. Poor, poor Ferus.

 

Thanks, Tiershon Fett. But as chilly as that sounds . . . seriously, how couldn't Obi-Wan have not picked up on that fact. Are prequel Jedi really that clueless?

He touched Palps, and got a strong immediate affect from it!

 

I don't think its cluelessness. I think the jedi are so focused on the Sith being an external threat that their minds can't comprehend that he would be working behind the scenes.

Remember, before Bane's order, the Sith way to destroy the Republic was not subtle...

Naga Sadow: Bang! Kapow! Take that Republic!

Exar Kun: Bang! Kapow! Take that Republic!

Darth Revan: Bang! Kapow! Take that Republic!

Kaan: Bang! Kapow! Take that Republic!