The Jedi Academy Trilogy
Jedi Search, Dark Apprentice and Champions of the Force; youth novles by Kevin J. Anderson

I approached the reading of these books with the same cautious dread of a man trying to defuse a bomb by randomly cutting a wire. After all they were written by Kevin J. Anderson. Kevin J. Anderson! Everybody hates that guy! And with reason. Except...

It's 2 years after the defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn (remember that?) Leia is now the mother of three Jedi children (who are being safeguarded in a secret location to avoid their corruption by the dark side) and is playing an ever growing role in the workings of the fledgling New Republic. Even Han is roped into diplomatic duties, but as is his way, finds danger and adventure instead.

Luke decides that the time of reacting to crises alone is over and that he needs to invest in the future, so he takes on the mission of single-handedly restoring the Jedi Order by starting an academy. For this, of course, Luke must first find students with Force potential. And with the help of R2D2 and C3PO, he sets forth to identify and enlist candidates.

All sound tame so far? Well, among other things, a Jedi candidate is found with power of a magnitude that has never been seen before; Han is imprisoned on a slave mining planet by an old acquaintance with a long-standing grudge; an Imperial admiral with a penchant for revenge and 4 star destroyers is unleashed unto the cosmos, along with a superweapon that makes the death star seem like a blaster set on stun; Mon Mothma comes down with a mysterious illness that puts even more strain on Leia; and an ancient Jedi master is awakened and seeks to subvert the teachings and lure the new Jedi trainees to the dark side (try saying all that in one breath!).

Want more? Well there is more, but you'll just have to read the books to find out what it is, dammit! (And I never thought I'd say that about anything Kevin J. Anderson wrote.)

Unpleasantness aside (set bitch mode to OFF), these books weren't half bad. The plot had its share of twists and turns to keep the reader interested, and while some of it was painfully obvious from the beginning (causing flashbacks of sitting in the movie theater countless times yelling out "It's him you idiot!!" to arbitrary police detective), it was still written in such a way that I wasn't bored. Kevin J. (I reserve the right to refer to him by his first name after reading so much of his work -- he owes me) also brought some interesting concepts to the Star Wars universe (some of which were sadly neglected, others not so sadly).

Most of the characters were true to form -- although Luke seemed less powerful than he should be after all this time (his students catch up to his level mighty fast) -- and this gives a certain level of authenticity that is crucial when writing into a pre-existing and thriving reality.

So, after this rather short review, the question remains -- do you want to read these books? Ummmm... well, much as it pains me to say it, yes you do. The trilogy in of itself is a good read, and anyone who intends to further delve into the world of Star Wars in print would be well advised to at least familiarize themselves with the general content. The feelings of dread that I mentioned in the first paragraph (sitting, wagging my tail, waiting for a treat from Rach), dissipated quickly as I realized that I had done the author a great disservice over a long period of time. Therefore I find I must, in good conscience, advise the purchase -- or preferably, theft -- of these paperbacks (let's not go overboard. Not many books are worth buying in hardcover.) And I must also apologize to Kevin J. Anderson. But don't think you're getting off easy on any other review, punk!

RE-READ FACTOR: As strange as it seems to me to write this, these books are actually worth a second read. I would suggest, however, holding off on doing that until you've at least read I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole, as much of the plot there takes place inside the Jedi academy during the same timeline.

SEQUEL FACTOR: There were a few nice concepts that were never followed up. It would be nice if somebody did so (check with me first though, cause there were a few ideas that were right up there with... well errr.. really bad ideas! Yeah!)

STRONG CHICK FACTOR: Nothing really worth mentioning. There's a woman Imperial admiral, but her behavior more resembles that of a woman scorned. Add to that her fixation with Grand Moff Tarkin and you've got a character that's about as progressive as Betty Boop (and she can't dance neither!). The use of existing characters such as Leia doesn't count in my book, and Mara Jade was nothing but a footnote here, so all in all, a failing grade.

-- Tal Rosenzweig

The Jedi Academy Trilogy, published by Bantam Spectra, is currently available in paperback and audio cassette.

We welcome your comments on The 11th Hour and this review. Please send letters to: letters@the11thhour.com