As tensions escalate on Tatooine between the farmers and a tribe of Sand People led by a ruthless war chief, Ben finds himself drawn into the fight, endangering the very mission that brought him to the desert planet.
A look into how Obi-Wan Kenobi was known as Ben in Tatooine. He only wants to be left alone (so that nobody realizes he's a Jedi) but he keeps getting tangled into local affairs. It was interesting to get to know a little bit about the sand people and the constant tension with the farmers. It covers a short period of his time there when he basically helps dissolve local grievances. A day in the life of Ben Kenobi.
Oh, this was good... this was a story of Obi Wan, now of course under the name Ben, how he adjusts to life on Tatooine starting mere moments after he gave Luke to the Lars family. He tries to avoid everyone around him - but of course that doesn't go anywhere. He tries to figure out who this Ben Kenobi is, can he shut off being a Jedi and trying to help people, all while trying to not bring any attention to Luke. And it's a great ride to tag along on with him.
A tempting of character possibilities becomes impeded by the slow unfolding boring standard Western genre fare. Hopefully a follow up about the other 19 years that Kenobi spent on Tatooine will be more compelling.
This is an excellent addition to the Star Wars Cannon, as Kenobi struggles with the trials of trying to not be a hero. I heard it described as Star Wars meets Firefly, but that's not quite accurate. While the overtones defiantly have a Western genre theme, it is not quite to the caliber of a Whedon'verse drama, but it does come close.
Not because it was badly written, but because I feel it was presented as something it isn't really. It's called Kenobi and it has a picture of a youngish Obi-Wan on the cover. But it's not actually about him.
Oh he's certainly in the book, and his presence is critical to the events that unfold. But you're not going to learn anything about his character or even much about what he's thinking in this book because we only get a few short passages from his point of view.
Instead what we get is (by author John Jackson Miller's own acknowledgement) Star Wars as a western. And on that level I think it actually works fairly well.
We have a lot of familiar western elements here. Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi plays the role of the stranger who comes into town. We have …
I have to say I was disappointed by this book.
Not because it was badly written, but because I feel it was presented as something it isn't really. It's called Kenobi and it has a picture of a youngish Obi-Wan on the cover. But it's not actually about him.
Oh he's certainly in the book, and his presence is critical to the events that unfold. But you're not going to learn anything about his character or even much about what he's thinking in this book because we only get a few short passages from his point of view.
Instead what we get is (by author John Jackson Miller's own acknowledgement) Star Wars as a western. And on that level I think it actually works fairly well.
We have a lot of familiar western elements here. Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi plays the role of the stranger who comes into town. We have a land-owner with just a bit too much power and influence. We have his spoilt brat kids. Oh and we have the Tusken's in the role of native Americans. It really does work quite nicely. There's even an almost romance for Kenobi.
Admittedly the pacing is a little odd as things build up to an apparent climax in the middle of the book, only to take a new path and build back up again for the real conclusion. That did throw me a little while I was reading, but looking back I quite like it.
There are niggling frustrations though. Since the book is 95% from the point of view of characters who don't know who Kenobi is, we have endless scenes of people wondering how he did something or references to funny noises or a blue strobe. But since the reader knows perfectly well what it is and why, that's just kind of annoying.
And in theory there is a sort of redemption story here for Kenobi, it's just not a very good one and we never really get to feel what he must be feeling. It just feels a bit tacked on. Basically it could have been any Jedi in this book, it really didn't have to be Obi-wan.
But I will admit a significant part of my unhappiness is that I really wanted a book about Obi-wan. A book where he was the focal character and the view point character. He's probably my favorite character from all the movies and he never gets the attention others get. So yeah, I'm a bit biased.
