Star Wars: Dark Disciple

When I was just a few chapters into this book, I was worried. The premise is a dark one, and I wasn't sure it was being handled with the awareness it required. Without giving away too much, in this book, the Jedi Order essentially assigns one of its members to assassinate someone. In the initial chapters of the book, this is handled pretty lightly, without anyone conscientiously objecting or even being really horrified by what's happening all around them. I decided to reserve judgement and keep reading before I let that artificially color my perception of the book into the negative, and I'm glad I did.

The plot of this book is like a whirlwind. It's not trying to branch out into multiple different directions -- Christie Golden makes the wise choice of not trying to be Timothy Zahn, though she takes obvious inspiration from him with every mention of the snap-hiss noise lightsabers make -- and the plot is fairly linear. However, the book is totally aware of how one person's actions affect everyone in a galaxy far, far away, and it never shies away from that. The galaxy is at war, and this book looks at the affect that has on people, and their principals. Again and again the book reinforces the theme that you can never really realize how far you've come until it's too late. Can you come back from the edge? That's what this book is about.

This book is also about two rather minor characters in the grand scheme of things, especially now that the old EU has been discontinued and Quinlan Vos' old backstory has been erased. This book seeks to reinvigorate the character, who in the new Disney canon only really has one canonical appearance in The Clone Wars cartoon series (and, yeah, that bit where he's technically a background extra in The Phantom Menace, but he doesn't actually have any lines there, okay?). The book also serves to explain Ventress' actions, look at her motivations, and really look at them in the context of the war and the events who made her who she is. Do our actions, even under duress, define us? What does it mean to give up our principals in a time of war and stress? Can you remake yourself after that? Can you heal? The book asks the characters all of these questions to great effect, and more besides. I think it serves as excellent development for everyone involved.

So, if you like Quinlan Vos (or want to know more about him, the new Disney canon him), this is a book you should read. If you like Asajj Ventress, this is a book you should read. It does a brilliant job by both characters, keeping their actions believable within the context of their previous appearances while expanding them in new and interesting ways that nonetheless feel consistent and earned. It also does well by other characters, especially Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose roll in the novel isn't small. It's a bit harsh on Mace Windu, but I think that characterization is fair with how we see him in Revenge of the Sith, and even serves to display how someone so peaceful in the early Clone Wars could become so aggressive and emotionally shut off. Shatterpoint is no longer canon, but it doesn't have to be, when a long, drawn-out war can have a similar affect on a soldier's psyche. Yoda is, in my opinion, let off a little light compared to Windu, but then, I'm not a big fan of Yoda, so I'm probably biased. Boba Fett makes a surprising and delightful appearance as well, but I won't spoil it more than that.

Overall, I think the book is overwhelmingly successful in what it sets out to do. It wants to talk about how far the Jedi Order has come, and if it's ultimately done so in the right direction. It uses Vos' journey through the book to do that, and mirrors it with Ventress' past, and her potential for change in an equal but opposite direction. I'm trying not to spoil too much, but suffice to say the book makes all their fates intertwined in a fascinating and thought-provoking way. Ultimately, I think the ending of this book will be controversial among fans, but I don't really think that's a bad thing. If this book stimulates discussion, all the better.

The book isn't perfect, of course. The issues it deals with are things that require a deft hand and a fair amount of subtlety, though that subtlety is never really felt in the novel itself. As a result, some of the parallels and themes, as well as motivations and actions of characters, can feel a bit thudding and rushed. I think this is due to the fact that the book has a rushed pace in general. It's no secret that this book was based off unused scripts for unfinished episodes of the prematurely canceled Clone Wars series, and I think that caused a slight strain that shows in places. This book was supposed to have eight episodes of action and character development, all compressed into a single book that likely had page length restrictions imposed upon it from its editors. It's a good novel, and does the best it can within those limitations. The pace feels a bit breakneck at times, but it's a matter of opinion whether that's an exciting feature or a dizzying bug.

In the end, though, the book is a great success, and a must-read for fans of the series. I'm not sure how someone who isn't already invested in Vos, Ventress, or the Star Wars universe (as specifically presented in the Clone Wars cartoon series) will feel about the book. It's not interested in getting people up to speed with unfamiliar concepts, characters and events. That's not necessarily a bad thing; a Star Wars tie-in novel marketed toward adults based around the actions of two minor characters was never going to have wide-ranging appeal beyond a very select target audience. With that in mind, it's almost surprising the book was published at all, but I'm glad it was. It does an excellent job accomplishing what it sets out to do: flesh out its two main characters, give a fascinating moral and emotional backdrop to a setting torn apart by war, and provide an entertaining and exciting adventure. I highly recommend it for fans of the series.

I was sent a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.