I, Jedi (Star Wars) [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael A. Stackpole (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Wars | Publication Date: June 1, 1999

New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole presents a stirring new tale set in the Star Wars® universe: the dramatic story of a heroic X-wing pilot on the razor's edge between the Force--and the dark side.

Corran Horn has distinguished himself as one of the best and brightest of Rogue Squadron's elite fighting force. Then his wife, Mirax, vanishes on a covert mission for the New Republic, and Corran vows to find her. To do so, he knows he must develop the latent Force powers inherited from his grandfather, a legendary Jedi hero. He joins Luke Skywalker's famed Jedi academy to begin training, only to quit in frustration at Skywalker's methods. Now Corran is on his own. Using his Corellian undercover experience, he must infiltrate, sabotage, and destroy a ruthless organization in order to find his wife. But to succeed, Corran will have to come to terms with his Jedi heritage--and make a terrible choice: surrender to the dark side...or die.


© 1999 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM
All rights reserved. Used under authorization.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Corran Horn, hero of Rogue Squadron and former Corellian Security Force officer, has a problem: his wife, Mirax, has disappeared while on a secret mission. In his struggle to rescue his wife, Horn joins Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy as a charter recruit, befriends Mara Jade, tangles with a 4,000-year-old Sith lord, and goes undercover to infiltrate a notorious band of pirates. But what will he do when he finds himself faced with a dilemma--surrender to the dark side of the force or risk losing Mirax forever?

This abridgment (though approved by the licensor) causes some serious gaps in the story--major events are merely mentioned in passing, while others are described in great detail--but fans may be placated by sound effects and John Williams's music from the original Star Wars Trilogy. Tony Award-nominee Anthony Heald performs with his usual aplomb, providing distinctive voices for a wide range of characters and heightening the tension when necessary. (Running time: three hours, two cassettes) --C.B. Delaney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The author of the popular Star Wars X-Wing series breaks into hardcover with this lavish novel, which takes place when Han and Leia's twins are about three years old. Corran Horn, a former Corellian police officer turned Rogue Squadron pilot, learns that he has a Jedi inheritance and Force abilities. He also learns that his wife has been kidnapped while trying to infiltrate the operations of the piratical ex-Imperial Admiral Tavira. So it is not without inner conflicts that he goes to the newly established Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, where he encounters both his own limitations and the ghost of the Dark Jedi Exar Kun. At last he decides to return to use his Force powers in his original profession, to rescue his wife and dissolve Admiral Tavira's piratical band. By telling two stories between one set of covers, Stackpole has come up with one of the longest Star Wars novels yet, and also one of the best. Corran Horn is a more complex protagonist than many, formidably competent but with believable limitations. He also provides us with a minor player's perspective on superstars like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (whom this ex-policeman still thinks of as an ex-criminal). Stackpole adds many engaging details and minor characters of his own to the Star Wars universe and puts his skill at telling a fluid action story on full display here. This novel will play well among the loyal fans and can be enjoyed even by non-fans with a taste for star-faring swashbucklers. Major ad/promo; simultaneous BDD Audio.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; Reissue edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553578731
• ISBN-13: 978-0553578737
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (283 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael A. Stackpole is the New York Times bestselling author of over 40 novels, including I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron. He's won awards in the realms of podcasting, game designer, computer game design, screenwriting, editing, graphic novel writing and novel writing. He lives in Arizona and frequently travels the United States attending conventions and teaching writing workshops. His website is www.stormwolf.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Star Wars novel written, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I, Jedi (Star Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

Fellow Readers, I have read nearly all the Star Wars novels and though many are forgetable, and a few downright awful, "I, Jedi" stands out as probably the best single Star Wars written book to date. The only books that come close are others written by Mike Stackpole, Timothy Zahn or Aaron Allston. The difference is that they are all part of a series, while this novel stands on its own. "I, Jedi", written in the first person, follows a fighter pilot (Corran Horn) who has recently discovered he has the potential to be a Jedi Knight. The sudden disappearance of his wife spurs him to embark on a journey to start his training under Master Luke Skywalker at his new training academy and use his abilities to rescue her. Unlike most books of this type, character development is included in spades as Corran is torn between his strong law enforcement background, his new Jedi instruction at the hand of an unsteady teacher and his desire to search for his wife rewgardless to his level of preparation. His journey has him seeking out his father's past and then infiltrating a band of mercenaries to gain information and access to his wife's captors. Expect personal reflection, detailed action and even some humor. While this book is excellent on its own, it alludes to events which happen in the deeply disappointing "Jedi Academy" trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson. Reading "I, Jedi" without the previous three books will probably leave the reader wondering about the outcomes of plots resolved in the trilogy. The only thing I disliked about the book was that it ended somewhat abruptly and all too soon. Enjoy!

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Uniquely Written Star Wars Novel, April 13, 2003

By 

Bryan DEmilio (Reading, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I, Jedi (Star Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

The timeframe for I, Jedi surrounds the timeframe of the Jedi Academy Trilogy. Though the novel focuses around the poorly written Jedi Academy Trilogy, the book, I Jedi, is wonderful in its narrative and well developed characters. The novel also answers many of the questions that the Jedi Academy Trilogy does not answer.

The novel is told in the first person point of view through the Rogue Squadron pilot and Jedi descendant, Corran Horn. At the beginning the novel he finds that his wife has been taken prisoner and the only way for him to save her is through developing his Jedi powers. The narrative focuses on Corran's experiences at the Jedi Academy and the teachings of Luke Skywalker. It is interesting to see what Corran's opinion on Luke's training techniques and the way he views how a Jedi should act.

The novel's pace really picks up when Corran leaves the Jedi to find his wife. At that point in the novel, the character Taviria is introduced in great detail. Through her actions and views on situations, the characterization of the Imperial female commander, Taviria, is done so well that she becomes one of the most believable characters in the novel.

What also makes this novel unique is that the author does not rely on most of the usual characters (Han and Leia) in this book. What the author effectively does is use the major Star Wars figures as a backdrop to the storyline. Only Luke is used as a major character with a lot of dialog.

I, Jedi by Micheal Stackpole provides a unique look at how a Jedi is trained. Anyone interested in that aspect of the Star Wars universe would love this novel. This book is very well written, and I recommend it to anyone.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Corran Horn, Jedi Knight, July 10, 2000

By 

Mark Hills "Nobody gets me, I'm the wind, baby!" (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I, Jedi (Star Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

I liked this book for a number of reasons. First, it's written well in the first person, which is sometimes hard to do. Second, it centers on a character who wasn't in the movies, former X-Wing pilot, Corran Horn. And this is probably the big reason why I went through this book so quickly, Star Wars is suffering from this sort of malaise that has crept into it whereby the only stories we get are about the primary characters. It was very refreshing to have a new character to explore with, what is more, Corran Horn, while larger than life and heroic, is still very human and ultimately likeable. I must admit that I was ignorant of the fact that he was basically one of the stars of the X-Wings, most of which were written by Stackpole, though I will read those as well.

`I, Jedi' deals with just what it means to actually become a Jedi. Barring Lucas' foolishness of, unless you're a newborn, you're just too old to become a Jedi, Stackpole does an excellent job of chronicling not only Horn's stint at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV, but the problems he encounters- both moral and physical. Mr. Horn is a married man, and yet he is deeply attracted to a female Jedi trainee by the name of Tionne, and must reconcile his feelings for her while remembering that it is because of his wife, (Mirax), that he is finally undergoing the training. It is also revealed that he has no aptitude for telekinesis, and thus cannot hurl objects or leap great distances. Stackpole constructs an elegant training program that tests Luke Skywalker's students. He also brings up what appear to be the author's own opinions on what it takes to be a Jedi.

Corran Horn has come to Yavin to complete his Jedi training under Luke Skywalker to better aid him in his search for his wife, Mirax, who has gone missing while she was looking for rare artifacts to purchase. I was very pleased to find a male character who was so completely in love with his wife that he was willing to undergo a very dramatic transformation just for her. And still human enough to get the serious warmies for Tionne, the beautiful elf-like Padawan-learner. Like a child Corran questions everything, even Skywalker, and while the two are close friends it is obvious that Horn doesn't agree with the way Luke is leading the academy, but has the courage to tell Luke this then draw him into discussions on how to change things.

There are several cameos by the main characters, even Star Wars fandom's beloved Mara Jade, whom as I have said elsewhere, is handled by Stackpole marvelously. As well, Stackpole finally gives Luke Skywalker his due - in the Zhan novels, Luke really was a wimp, he couldn't even take a clone of himself let alone the clone of an 80 year old man. In `I, Jedi' Corran sees just how competent the Jedi Master is in a fight with six Dark Force Adepts, all armed with lightsabers. This book pleased me to no end and I plan to read it again. I was hoping the Corran Horn would become the next hero for the Star Wars universe, but unfortunately the time line marches on and by `The New Jedi Order', he's obviously old guard and on the way out. Too bad, the New Republic could use more heroes like him.