Expanded Universe Round-Up #7

​The Captive Temple ​(Jedi Apprentice #7)

This book perfectly captures the balance between what it is to be a Jedi - and what it is to be a teenager struggling with his emotions and insecurities. That's a pretty impressive achievement, given the page count and all the characters competing for space therein. Watson did a fantastic job of making sure everyone was used effectively. Xanatos continues to intrigue me... I think I'll be sorry to see him go in the next one!
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​The Day of Reckoning ​(Jedi Apprentice #8)

And so the Xanatos storyline finally ends, with a death that is in no way ambiguous - thank goodness (this is the kind of thing that you appreciate after years of missing bodies turning up unexpectedly in fiction). As a child, I was delighted by the comeuppance of any villain that dared to harm the environment. So of course I loved this book! I still do, actually. Den and Andra are my favourite guest characters - happily, they do reappear in a special instalment.

Honestly, this is such a good climax that I wouldn't have minded if the series had ended here. But yay, there are more for me to revisit.
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The Fight for Truth ​(Jedi Apprentice #9)

This self-contained story isn't bad per se, it's jus a bit of a letdown after the Xanatos arc. I did find Kegan and the Keganites to be somewhat annoying, though I enjoyed the prophetic hints about the darkness that will come from the Jedi. For me, the book was saved by Obi-Wan's interactions with Siri Tachi, who I've always remembered quite fondly over the decades since she was introduced to me by this series. I actually shrieked with delight when she reappeared in the Disney canon novel I was reading last year.

This book had a hard act to follow and unfortunately didn't follow it very well. An average instalment.
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The Shattered Peace ​(Jedi Apprentice #10)

There's really nothing of note in this instalment, which is more filler than anything else. Neither Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon enjoy any character development and the story just wasn't that interesting. If I didn't know what was coming, I'd think that the series was on its last legs - frankly, how can it possibly recover from losing its main villain? Standalone stories don't fare well in this series.

The Shattered Peace is best left unread. I hope I remember that the next time I decide to revisit my Legends books!
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Deceptions (JA Special Edition #1)

Special Editions were fairly standard for young reader series back in the day, so I wasn't confused or surprised by this one appearing at the bookstore. I was, however, extremely excited to see how the repercussions of Bruck's death would affect Obi-Wan's journey as an apprentice - and a Master! It's a really solid book. Both parts (representing two timelines) are equally intriguing and it's also interesting to see how Anakin reacts to this part of Obi-Wan's past. And hey, I loved Den in The Day of Reckoning. It was good to see him again - honestly, he was the star of this book.

You will note that I have chosen to read this series in chronological order, not publication order. It makes more sense to read about Obi-Wan being questioned over Bruck's death when the event itself is still relevant and fresh in the mind of the reader.

The Deadly Hunter (Jedi Apprentice #11)

At last, another multi-book story arc to follow. At last, another decent instalment. Fast pacing, a cool bounty hunter with an even cooler weapon, new guest characters who I instantly like, and a mystery that isn't yet solved. I remember being so shocked by the cliffhanger - I wasn't expecting another arc after the previous two standalones - and the wait for the next book was downright torturous.

That said, I do think the truncated length of this one (roughly 10-20 pages shorter than usual) hurt the climax by making it feel too sudden.
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The Evil Experiment ​(Jedi Apprentice #12)

I can see why I was so dismayed to find myself confronted with another cliffhanger when I was a kid, but now I can appreciate how well it was done. Whereas a lack of pages hurt the previous instalment's climax, the extra pages in this book helped it deliver a much better one - and I enjoyed seeing Obi-Wan get his chance to shine as the main investigator trying to solve the mystery. It shows how much his character has grown throughout the series to this point.

As always, Watson introduces yet more likeable guest characters in this book. Astri remains a highlight.