Expanded Universe Round-up #5

  

The Dark Side ​(Jedi Vol 1)

A prequel to the Jedi Apprentice series that ended 10 years before this TPB hit shelves. The timing was strange, perhaps to entice readers who had since grown up. I was one of those and like any JA fan I was excited to finally see the fall of Xanatos. That excitement was short-lived. The story is a mess and the art is even messier... and it's clear the writer failed to understand why Xanatos was so intriguing as a villain.

How odd that a comic series aimed at adults lacks the maturity and character development of the YA books it drew inspiration from. This was obviously intended to continue with some sort of "Qui-Gon on a quest" arc, but I'm grateful to Disney for stopping it in its tracks.

​Jedi Apprentice (1999-2002)

Back in 1999, I would venture into the "Teen" section at Borders (few stores had such a clear distinction between kids books and older books - YA as a label did exist, but didn't seem to be widely used) and imagine my delight when I discovered the Jedi Apprentice series. Thanks to these books, I feel like I grew up with Obi-Wan. I will always love them. And I will always remember how shocking it was back then, to discover that Obi-Wan's future as a Jedi was in jeopardy

The Rising Force (Jedi Apprentice #1)

This was the second JA book I ever read, having got my hands on book #2 first. Someone gave me another copy for my birthday and Mum, having kept the receipt, duly went and exchanged it for me. I remember the anxious wait in the car. And then she returned - with book #1! It was worth the wait. I enjoyed re-reading it today, all these years later, because though Wolverton didn't write the whole series, he did a damn good job of introducing it to us all.

Even now, I am impressed at how perfectly paced this book is, and how well the characters and their motivations are introduced, despite its length. That ending in the afterword is simply brilliant. Sure, I would have preferred it to be longer...but the days of meatier YA tales were still to come.

This remains one of my favourite books.

(PS: Yes, I did use my ancient cardboard JA bookmark while reading it...)