Title: Outcast
Author: Aaron Allston
Superseries: Star Wars
Series: Fate of the Jedi
Succeeded By: Omen (Christie Golden)
Ratings
Score: 8/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I already have, actually. Expect a review of that in a week or two.
Review
For this review, the 50th on the blog, I decided to review something that I had bought myself, rather than one that someone had requested me to review. And then I got a little carried away and read the second in the series. But to those waiting for reviews, don't worry - after this I shall be back to reviewing those that have been requested of me. But for now, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi - Book One, Outcast:
I approached this book with some trepidation, as I was disappointed with the last book of Legacy of the Force, and was unsure whether I should really be setting out on another nine book journey with the same characters, by two out of the same authors, especially when the one author that was replaced was my favourite of the three. But my desire to read all the Star Wars books overcame my anxiety of being disappointed and I began to read.
And I'm glad I did. It's been a while since I last read (although not posted reviews for) a Star Wars book, and I had almost forgotten the incredible reading experience that the Extended Universe brings. Allston in particular is one of my favourite authors under the Star Wars umbrella, and this book did not disappoint me.
I found myself turning the pages almost before I'd finished reading the page in my haste to fins out what happened next. There was no point that I was left thinking "Yeah, OK, but can something happen now?". That's not to say that it was all action - it wasn't, there was a considerable amount of information about how The Jedi work, and how certain Force techniques work. But there was certain puzzles that needed solving by the characters, and it was interesting to see how they did it. Actually, come to think of it - there wasn't actually a bad guy as such. There is a couple of people not entirely in control of themselves, and an old scholar who perhaps isn't in possesion of all his faculties, but no-one in this book is inherently evil. There is no Sith Lord, no Evil Empire, not even a Bounty Hunter out to get the Heroes. It's about politics and culture.
But that somehow doesn't cause a problem. Well, unless you blame it for the one I'm about to describe. I don't know what the Nine-Book Saga is about. In LotF we had a clear idea from book one that it was about Jacen turning dark set against the backdrop of the Second Galactic War. In this one I have no Idea what it's about. Luke seems to want to know what happened to Jacen on his travels, and the Jedi have a poor public image, but I have no idea how this is going to be spread across nine books.
But I found this book really interesting. It's not as exciting as the first in the LotF series, but the characters are written just as well by Allston as they were then, and I kept turning pages just the same. I'm not going to recommend the series after this one book, but I would probably still read this book again if the rest of them turned out to be terrible.
More Information
Main Protagonist(s): 2 Female, 3 Male
Main Antagonist(s): None
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Science Fiction
Brief Synopsis:
In a shocking move, Chief of State Natasi Daala orders the arrest of Luke Skywalker for failing to prevent Jacen Solo’s turn to the dark side and his subsequent reign of terror as a Sith Lord. But it’s only the first blow in an anti-Jedi backlash fueled by a hostile government and suspicious public. When Jedi Knight Valin Horn, scion of a politically influential family, suffers a mysterious psychotic break and becomes a dangerous fugitive, the Jedi become the target of a media-driven witch hunt. Facing conviction on the damning charges, Luke must strike a bargain with the calculating Daala: his freedom in exchange for his exile from Coruscant and from the Jedi Order.
Though forbidden to intervene in Jedi affairs, Luke is determined to keep history from being repeated. With his son, Ben, at his side, Luke sets out to unravel the shocking truth behind Jacen Solo’s corruption and downfall. But the secrets he uncovers among the enigmatic Force mystics of the distant world Dorin may bring his quest–and life as he knows it–to a sudden end. And all the while, another Jedi Knight, consumed by the same madness as Valin Horn, is headed for Coruscant on a fearsome mission that could doom the Jedi Order . . . and devastate the entire galaxy.
-Amazon
ISBN: 978-0345509062Amazon Link: UK | US
Pages: 336
Published: 24 March 2009
Publisher: Arrow
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