Goody’s Publication Audit: A Review of Star Wars: Dark Disciple

Goody’s Publication Audit: A Review of Star Wars: Dark Disciple

REDEMPTION……. If I had to describe this latest book review in one word. Sorry for the delay in getting this one out folks. My poor puter took a massive poo and had to be fixed.

Any who, back to my audit. Besides the obvious redemption of one character (ooh, guess which one!), there are so many other aspects that achieved their individual levels of redemption, some deserved and some not in my opinion. So, with that quick wink wink, nudge nudge, let’s get this party started!

Let me first say this….. I LOVED IT!! This coming from the dude who’s being very critical of the new storylines (because I’m an old Star Wars fan who’s read just about ALL of the “old canon” and yes, that was a ton of cash spent on books) but I’m getting side tracked…. I need stimulus (Dr. Pepper) and a fresh mouth full of cracked pepper Spitz sunflower seeds….. Ok, good to go. Now, for those of you who read my audit of Star Wars: Lords of the Sith, you really read how much I loved that one. Hell, I even daydreamed about it being turned into a feature movie. Well fellow nerds and bookworms (had to tip my bowler to fellow reviewer Hannah Heath here), this one was even better! I did question a couple of details and plot lines along the way, but they didn’t ruin the experience for me.

First off, Asajj Ventress, ASAJJ FREAKING VENTRESS!! I loved this character from her first conception, and I know a lot of you did too! Here we had a sexy Sith warrior, former Jedi apprentice, and former Nightsister from Dathomir. This chic rocked dual wielding lightsabers all the while holding her own against the likes of Master Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. I knew deep down (and yes, I prayed) that we hadn’t seen the last of her in the Clone Wars series, and I was thrilled when they announced this book. Which by the way, who doesn’t miss that series? LOVED IT! I’ve said it before, whoever is working on the development team from Disney, Lucas film, and Delray is really doing a superb job of tying in existing canon to these new stories.

A little backstory is needed here. Way back when they were still developing and writing for the TV series The Clone Wars they enlisted the aspiring writer Katie Lucas. Yes, daughter of the man himself, THE CREATOR, George Lucas. It could be said here that she had more than enough qualifications for the job. Just growing up and being exposed to the mastermind himself while he was developing and producing at least a portion of the saga is enough. So, she wrote eight episodes that were unfortunately unaired, but were expertly adapted from to form this book. After reading this book I can only imagine how bad ass these episodes would have looked. I also thought it showed great respect to allow Katie Lucas to write the forward in the book, it was very touching and set the correct mood for the read.

With that being said, this book was emotional, and I think that if it had been written differently it would have tanked. There’s no other way to have experienced this story. It wasn’t just in the way it is portrayed to the reader but which characters were used. All the right players were involved, and their different levels of emotional commitment shine throughout the book.

The basic plot goes like this….. A Jedi Master is tasked with convincing Asajj Ventress to partner up with him to assassinate Count Dooku and in the process they “get close” and of course the figurative poo hits the fan. Yes, I wrote assassinate. You wanna know more? Good, go read the book. I’m not giving all the cool plot details away; it would ruin your reading experience and my awesome review.

So, when I mentioned that they used the right “Dramatis Personae” earlier let me explain. The Jedi Master who’s placed on this mission is Quinlan Vos. Quinlan makes an appearance in the Clone Wars and if you paid close attention when you watched Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace he could be seen in a background shot on Tatooine. He’s a bit of a smart ass who is usually working undercover projects for the Jedi Order, kind of like the equivalent of Miami Vice. In order the train properly for the mission with Ventress he has to skim the edges of the Dark Side of the Force. He’s probably the only only Jedi Master capable of doing so. Kenobi couldn’t have done it, he’s too goody goody two shoes for it (anyone get that reference?). Anakin couldn’t have done it, well he could have, but I feel it would have turned him far sooner than he actually did and that of course wouldn’t fit in with the canon time line, lol.

The team up of Vos and Ventress is nothing short of pure sexiness. The sexual tension between the two is powerful and they complement each other’s abilities perfectly in so many ways, and I’m not just talking Force abilities. Ok, get your minds out of the gutter, I’m talking about personalities. They truly brought out the best of one another and forced each other to broaden their horizons in regards to how they think. It’s their differences that made them bond and work so damn well together.

Another great addition to the novel was Fett!! Yep, that’s right, Boba and his “Syndicate” make a funny but yet great return. For those of you who don’t know, the last time that Boba and Asajj saw each other they didn’t exactly leave on great terms. Asajj had double crossed Boba and left him pretty humiliated in an episode of the Clone Wars. Anything with Boba Fett in it is a winner for me any which way you look at it. I liked how he was written here and of course I liked the fact that he and Bossk were still working together. I know a certain friend of mine (Shark) who loves the Trandoshan bounty hunter. The syndicates return is brief but well deserved, and it also ties into the whole theme of redemption.

The author and maybe even initially Katie Lucas paint a different picture and perspective of the Jedi Council. The story line even supports the theories and comments made within the different canon that the Jedi should not have been in charge of the war as much as they were. Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers within the galaxy, not generals. We certainly see a different side of some of the Jedi Masters, especially Master Windu. Mace Windu comes off a bit hot headed and in my opinion flirts with the dark side of the force a bit. Now, this could be debatable here, but I always thought he came off this way even in the movies, like he had a chip on his shoulder. Maybe when you’re the sole master of a style of lightsaber combat called Vaapad, which by the way the user skirts dangerously close to the dark side without giving into it and by actually enjoying the fight and the thrill of victory, then maybe you just might have that chip on your shoulder, lol. Overall, I thought the council was strong but over stepped some boundaries that they too had to find redemption from.

My assessment…. It’s a great book. If I gave a rating system for my reviews it would be two thumbs up, five gold stars, or something along those lines. It was emotional, which I know I stated before, but I think it works so damn well here. Emotions drive us on a daily basis and we see certain factions and people succumbing to those raw emotions throughout the book. Pick this one up folks, you won’t regret it. Once again, let me know what you all think. Hit me up, drop me a line, leave a comment and let’s discuss! Cheers to you all!