Lit Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest Series Are they any good ?

So I have seen the Jedi Apprentice and Quest Series'es by Jude Watson.
Now Iv not read them so I have to ask people on here :
A ) Can Adults read them or are they just for children only ?
B) Regardless whether they are for Adults or not I have to ask are they any good ?

I would love people's opinions on these thanks

 

I would say definitely. Both series are kind of a unique thing in the prequel era. Taking place before the clone wars and the separatist crisis, it's more about the everyday life of the Jedi, solving crisis of smaller scales, like helping planetary governments or helping out the CSF in Coruscant. But overall there is also a continued story in all the books, including the Last of the Jedi series. Covering so many years, you follow characters grow and change throughout their lives, obviously Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Anakin, and the books give a HUGE emotional context and background for the prequel movies, but also a lot of original characters have a lot of predominance, and you see them going from 13 or 14 year old padawans to knights with padawans of their own, and the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Anakin lineage has parallels in other Jedi. I think the whole emotional journey of all the books is very well done.


In terms of being 'children books' I would say that they are more on the adult-friendly side, closer to Claudia Gray or E.K Johnston YA books than Daniel Jose Older or Cavan Scott YA books (not that there is anything wrong with either side). The books follow the pattern of a lot of children series: As the audience grows through the years, also the characters and their points of view grow more adult. A lot of interesting stuff in the senate happens in the Jedi Quest books. And the Last of the Jedi series doesn't feel like a YA series at all.

 

The books do a great job of giving Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Anakin contemporaries. Like, especially by Quest there is a real since of legacy and continuity between the different Jedi Generations.

It's also like the only media that ever dived deep into that for Anakin. We got some for Obi-Wan with Vos and such in the comics, but for Anakin without the Quest books you would think he spent his entire life as a Jedi without a single friend his age

 

Jedi Apprentice is great. It's really one of the only series to portray "everyday" Jedi adventures - going to a planet and resolving some local diplomatic crisis and the like - rather than big galaxy-spanning threats and Sith wars (not that there aren't story arcs that get hyped up). I really wish there'd been more stuff like it, although I feel like some of the High Republic stuff has gone in a similar direction.

That said, while it's been a long time, I don't recall being a fan of Jedi Quest. As I remember, it falls into the pretty common trap of having Anakin be a bit too drawn to darkness right from the start, and opinions I've seen elsewhere on Lit seem to second that opinion.

 

I feel like you can't go wrong with at least the first eight books in the series; you can decide whether or not to continue after that. If you like Qui-Gon and/or Obi-Wan, they're essential reading. They're pretty well written for a YA series from that era and deal with trauma, memory, identity, and loss in interesting ways. I haven't read a ton of the current Star Wars YA stuff, but I feel like the current books are probably better written for one off installments, but you really can't beat Jedi Apprentice as a long running, addictive, entertaining saga. Threads run though not just Jedi Quest but the series Last of the Jedi and Rebel Force as well, though you may not want to take it quite that far.

If you do end up getting really into the weeds I'd also highly recommend the Jedi Quest comic (an adaptation of the first, hardcover book in the series) and the comic Jedi--The Dark Side, an adaptation of the events preceding the Jedi Apprentice series. (I'd recommend reading it well after the books, however, as the two versions of events don't entirely line up.)

 

Also the books Legacy of the Jedi and Secrets of the Jedi by Watson. They aren't technically part of any of the series, but they are definitely part of the larger story.

 

They kinda ruin TCW as Siri has much more chemistry with Obi Wan than Satine...

But seriously they are very good.

 

Thank you for the responses I'll check them out

 

The Jedi Apprentice series is among my fave “upper middle grade+” series ever.
I actually started Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray today, despite having had it in my audiobook, queue almost since it came out. I felt a lot of trepidation about it even despite the rave reviews on this site. Got bored and started it up and just 13% through and I am enjoying it, particularly because it gives me JA vibes.

 

They're not for adults lol, at all
But I have reread them recently mostly for nostalgia value because I read them as a kid
Anyway I think they are pretty good for what they are

 

They are awesome. Rare stories, slice of jedi life, that are also really interesting and well written.

But they are written for younger readers.

 

Is very Good if you want to know more about Qui Gon and Pre Clone Wars Anakin and my favorite character was Siri Tachi Obi Wan true love

 

I will though It'll be awhile as I'm currently reading The Terror By Dan Simmons and that's huge but fascinating

 

The Terror was pretty good. BBC ran a series based on the book awhile back. It wasn't bad.

 

Iv seen the TV series , the book is slightly different. Ciran Hines definitely plays Franklin more sympathetic in the series than in the book. Otoh the Creature hunting them is better in the book than in the TV series where its Man Bear look could've been done better

 

I did watch the series but I prefer the book.

 

You should read the Star Wars Jedi the Dark Side Comic First its like a Prequel to the Jedi Apprentice Novels and is about Xanatos when he was still Qui Gon Padawan

 

I've read the first four and I loved them. Reading this thread makes me want to dig back into them!

 

Padawan Anakin and Young Obi Wan are Underrated the New Canon should Expand this Era in that Universe

 

I haven't read Apprentice, but the Quest series is outstanding, and a much better dive into Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship than any of the "adult" novels set in that time period. Jude Watson is like a top 5 Star Wars writer for me, and I just read these for the first time a couple of years ago, so I'm not biased due to nostalgia. Very underrated.

 

Iv not read them yet