Expanded Universe Round-Up #24

Last of the Jedi by Jude Watson

​#1 - The Desperate Mission

I remember thinking, when I first read this book many years ago, that it must be some kind of sacrilege to have Obi-Wan leave his exile on Tatooine for any reason. Hah. And just this year I watched - and enjoyed - a TV show in which that very thing happened.

The setup for this series is a bit odd. Ferus will be the main character, but that's not evident here. It reads more like a vehicle for Obi-Wan. That weirdness aside, I like the darker edge that Jude Watson wields here - and the pacing is astonishingly good for a book aimed at younger readers. The cliffhanger ending has me reaching for the next instalment already.
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#2 - Dark Warning

Watson is continuing a good storyline here, but the book itself suffers from being an obvious part two. It doesn't feel complete on its own and I recall other instalments in the series managing this just fine. I'll also miss Obi-Wan going forward.
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#3 - Underworld

An exciting instalment that sees Ferus exploring the Jedi Temple post-Order 66. That was very interesting, but not as interesting as Ferus and co's journey through Coruscant's underworld. I'm not sure if what was described even fits the Legends canon, frankly. I just know that when I was younger, I loved stories that dealt with the planet's lower levels. I still enjoy them.
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#4 - Death on Naboo

I'm frankly amazed at how much Watson managed to cram into this book and how much impact it had on me as an adult reader, given that it's intended for much younger eyes. There's some really good stuff here. A prison where people are forced to work in factory, for some mysterious project... well, it's such a great concept that it's also shown up in one of my favourite Disney canon shows. Ha! The chapters set on Naboo are the strongest and most intriguing.
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​#5 - A Tangled Web

A fun read that tended to stretched credulity at times. I was really pleased to see Astri again. Watson is a master at utilising fan favourites from her previous series. And apparently she's a master at creating characters I just love to hate (i.e. Bog and Sauro).
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#6 - ​Return of the Dark Side

Witnessing Ferus' slide further along the dark path is oddly entertaining. I'm not usually a fan of endings where not everything is tied up, but Watson has done it so expertly so many times already that I found I couldn't be mad about this one. I am also appreciative that Vader sounds like Vader. Not all authors in the EU/Legends canon have managed this.
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#7 - ​Secret Weapon

At the start of this book, I was SO prepared to write a review in which I complained about all the pages that were dedicated to characters who aren't Ferus. But Watson made it work. Brilliantly. The ending was all kinds of amazing, too. I'm now trying to decide between getting some sleep and finishing the series tonight lol
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#8 - Against  the Empire

Whoa. I loved these books when I was younger, but I'm still finding myself heavily invested in them. More than I used to be, if I'm honest - and you can find more details about that at the bottom of this review in a rambling draft that I wrote on 4 hours of sleep lol

Watson is juggling a lot of characters and plotlines here - and in such a short run of pages. She makes it look effortless. As for Ferus, damn. He is hurting so much and the fact that I can feel his pain in a kids' book, populated by writing that is deliberately less mature, indicates an incredible amount of skill on Watson's part.
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Written approximately 15 minutes before I passed out in bed last night -

Not finished yet but I'm on page 30 and I'm like "Ferus is reacting like he lost a partner-partner, not a business partner - actually the word 'partner' is being emphasised a lot???". So I checked. Author confirmed. FERUS IS QUEER. FERUSSSSSS ISSSSS QUEEEEEER. I'm so excited. Watson just became even more awesome imo for stealthily writing a queer character into the EU canon, which was famously heteronormative. I mean, I don't like everything Disney has done post-acquisition, but damn at least we get openly queer characters in the books now.

I am crying rainbows rn. And also actual crying, because Ferus lost his HUSBAND. I'm seeing the whole series in an entirely new light.
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#9 - ​Master of Deception

Watson is still delivering the goods in book 9, which is impressive. This time it's a trip to Alderaan and that means an appearance by Bail, a character I have always been fond of. Placing Leia in jeopardy in this time period is a great idea (narratively speaking!). Hmm. Interesting that some of the best bits of this series are also the best bits of certain recent TV shows...
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#10 - ​Reckoning

Gosh. That was devastating. For me, it has always been the most inevitable and most logical way for Ferus' story to reach its conclusion (I'll choose to ignore his future appearances for the moment). But I have an utter disdain for memory wipes, since they're a lazy plot device that shouldn't be needed in the first place (i.e. you shouldn't write yourself into that particular corner). That character's fate aside, it's a solid ending to the series.
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