18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining read, but something is missing., January 28, 2001
This review is from: Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
The Jedi Academy trilogy was the first major effort to follow the outstanding-beyond-words Timothy Zahn trilogy that relaunched the Star Wars frenzy in the early 90s. As such, Kevin Anderson had a VERY tough act to follow and there is inevitably a bit of a let down for readers coming straight from the Zahn books. That said, Anderson is a pretty decent author who does a good job keeping the books exciting with interesting story lines and good action scenes. So if you're looking for an entertaining way to pass some time, read no further - this book is for you.
But unfortunately, Anderson also had to contend with another hurdle other than following in Zahn's footsteps. Lucasfilm has a policy that all Star Wars spinoff literature has to be consistent and not contradict each other. This meant that when Anderson was almost done with his first drafts, he was suddenly informed that he had to make his story fit in with the a comic book just release by Darkhorse - the rediculously implausible "Dark Empire." This means that Anderson had to rewrite into his story crazy stuff like the emperor getting resurrected and Luke turning to the dark side. This has gone on to become a weakness of the whole series - whenever an author makes a mistake and includes something stupid in a book or comic, it becomes canon and every other author has to accept it. Over time the series has less and less like Star Wars and more and more like an independent separate universe.
The Jedi Academy trilogy was the first of these books that didn't quite feel like Star Wars. Zahn was the only one not constrained by these requirements since he was first, and consequently, his original trilogy is the most internally consistent and the most Star Wars in feel. Anderson's books and a few of the later books might be worth reading, but be warned that they may put you on a path to the Dark Side.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Approach with extreme caution !, August 19, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Not something you'd want to read straight after Return of the Jedi.
I have the audacity to call myself a starwarsian, yet I made the fatal mistake of reading this novel before all others; D'OH!
It's not that this is a bad book. Anderson has done a reasonable job. The overall plot is good and the character development (+7yrs RotJ) is realistic. The writing may not be the most scholarly, but it is easy to read and the author doesn't waste any time. Having said all this, there is one colossal, unforgivable flaw:
Right from the word go, Anderson begins and continues to name drop from every book and movie made ahead of this. Now I realise there is continuity in SW novels (and rightly so!), but there was no purpose to these spoilers; they didn't influence this particular story. In turn, this affected my enjoyment of reading other Star Wars; in particular Zahn's Empire trilogy. Also, it took me a year to figure out this resurrected emperor theme and Luke's indulgence in the dark side, which Anderson kept making such a big deal of.
I very strongly recommend that you read all the novels which take place prior to this, including Dark Empire I and II. Then and only then, read this and the ensuing series.
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25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Why Zahn and Daley are Great Authors and Anderson not, December 4, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
After reading Zahn's excellent Thrawn trilogy in the early 90's, I was hungry for more and picked up this book. By the first chapter I knew I wouldn't even read the rest of it. Well, actually I did skim through it and read a few more scenes, but they were just as bad as the first.
Here's an important example...
On page 5 of "Jedi Search," Han and Chewbacca are flying towards a planet when two TIE fighters come up out of the atmosphere, begin shooting, and fly back to the planet. Now they see an old X-wing come up behind them and Han says, "Chewie, contact the X-wing and tell him we'd appreciate whatever help he can give us."
When I read that, I was like, "What? Even I'd know not to trust a strange ship." But Han just keeps looking ahead, gets blasted from behind, and yells, "We've got to get out of here!"
I mean, give me a break. This is C3PO driving the Falcon, not Han.
Now check out Chapter 12 of Zahn's "Heir to the Empire." Here Han is also flying towards a planet, and also sees an X-Wing come up beside him. It has Republic markings, and they even hear Luke's voice over the radio, but while Leia is relieved to see him, Han is still on guard.
"It was Luke's X-wing, all right. Or at least, it looked like Luke's X-wing. `So,' he said casually, swiveling the laser cannons around to target the other. Situated the way it was, the X-wing would have to yaw 90 degrees around before it could fire at them. Unless, of course, it had been modified... Somehow, they needed to make a positive identification, and fast."
He can see it's Luke's own X-wing, and hear his voice, but still doesn't trust it. Is even watching out for an unexpected attack. In short, here's a pilot I'd trust. And an author I trust as well.
Also, check out the language. In Anderson's book, Han says, "Chewie, get over here. I'm taking the laser cannon." Would Han really say that? In Zahn's book he says, "Chewie, take over; I'm going to fire up the quads."
Of course, the best Star Wars action writing is to be found in Brian Daley's Han Solo trilogy. On the very first page of "Han Solo at Star's End," as they're about to be attacked, Han says, "Charge main batteries, Chewie, and shields-all." Quick and to the point - just what a seasoned pilot would say.
And Daley, too, knows well the art of deception in war. In fact, he's a Vietnam veteran from the 11th Armored Cavalry. Here's Han's advice to other pilots before a battle: "`Since we're protecting a ground installation, we'll have to ride our kills. Don't think just because he's nosediving and leaving a vapor trail that he's out of it. That's an old trick. If you get an explosion from him, fine. If you get a flamer, let him go; he's finished. But otherwise you ride your kill all the way down to the cellar.'"
All Anderson's Han is able to say is "Chewie, I think you'd better get our forward deflectors up," and "Turn it around!"
So while I hate to dump on any author, Anderson's book just doesn't make the grade set by Lucas, Daley, and Zahn. If you've read them all and want more, go for it. But there's no need to start here when there's so many better works to enjoy.
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