Rogue Planet

Star Wars Legends: Novels

by Greg Bear

MASTER AND APPRENTICE

The Force is strong in twelve-year-old Anakin Skywalker . . . so strong that the Jedi Council, despite misgivings, entrusted young Obi-Wan Kenobi with the mission of training him to become a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan, like his slain Master Qui-Gon, believes Anakin may be the chosen one, the Jedi destined to bring balance to the Force. But first Obi-Wan must help his undisciplined apprentice, who still bears the scars of slavery, find his own balance.

Dispatched to the mysterious planet of Zonama Sekot, source of the fastest ships in the galaxy, Obi-Wan and Anakin are swept up in a swirl of deadly intrigue and betrayal. They sense a disturbance in the Force unlike any they have encountered before. It seems there are more secrets on Zonama Sekot than meet the eye. But the search for those secrets will threaten the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin . . . and bring the troubled young apprentice face-to-face with his deepest fear--and his darkest destiny.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy, Novels

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Greg Bear was an American writer and illustrator best known for science fiction. His work covered themes of galactic conflict (Forge of God books), parallel universes (The Way series), consciousness and cultural practices (Queen of Angels), and accelerated evolution (Blood Music, Darwin’s Radio, and Darwin’s Children). His last work was the 2021 novel The Unfinished Land. Greg Bear wrote over 50 books in total.

(For a more complete biography, see Wikipedia.)

Reviews

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I don't know what to say about this book's plotline. It's fine, but it seems like it could be described as "things just happening to Obi-Wan and Anakin." For the main overarching story they are supposed to be investigating the disappearance of a Jedi, but it seems like they mostly just chill on Zonoma Sekot and wait for answers to be revealed to them.

Also several things toe the line between "wow a unique imaginative idea" and "okay that's Too Weird." The thing with Sienar and Tarkin was also somewhat difficult to follow: namely, what even was Tarkin's deal? What was he even trying to do? It seemed like he really just wanted to destroy Zonoma Sekot for kicks.

However... do I care about these things? Not really.

I have more important things on my mind, such as GREG BEAR'S INCREDIBLY STRONG CHARACTERIZATION GAME. This book understands Obi-Wan and Anakin better than any (official) Star Wars media I have ever seen, with the possible exception of Stover's ROTS novelization. Every chapter with them was a mile-a-minute thrill of OF COURSE OBI WAN WOULD SAY THAT. OF COURSE THAT'S HOW ANAKIN THINKS. (For me this is what passes for mile-a-minute thrills.)

I was so hyped for their every single interaction that having to go back to Sienar and Tarkin every other chapter was a severe disappointment. Anakin is my twelve-year-old son whom I have raised these many years, and whom I adore. Obi-Wan is at his youngest and most uptight, and I love him more than my own life.

Some things:

• "Is the Chosen One not in his room?" Apparently Anakin is just casually referred to as the Chosen One around the Jedi Temple.

• Is this book hinting at the Yuuzhan Vong? Because I have never read the Yuuzhan Vong series, but I couldn't think of anyone else qualified to be the "Far Outsiders" besides maybe the Chiss, and it was pretty obvious it wasn't the Chiss.

• BPD Anakin Skywalker

• Obi-Wan is so tired. He's like, Do we have to almost die 5 times before breakfast for no reason, Anakin? We're not even on a mission, we're AT HOME. Anakin's like, YES. WE DO. And Obi-Wan's just like, Okay then. He's so tired.

• So, when Anakin met Tarkin again during "The Citadel" arc of TCW, does he recognize him as the same guy who took him prisoner as a twelve-year-old? I'm thinking probably not, but you can BET that Tarkin knew exactly who he was talking to the whole time. No wonder their later relationship was Tarkin "holding Vader's leash." Tarkin has been playing Anakin Skywalker since he was 12.

• Obi-Wan using Qui-Gon's lightsaber. 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

• THRACIA CHO LEEM. First of all... I am confused. She's married several times? She has many children? She's a Jedi Master the whole Council loves and respects? How do these things go together...? Was marriage not actually considered a violation of Jedi vows? Also, she leaves the Order as a master... but is not counted as one of the Lost 20? What on earth is happening.

• "I dreamed I was with Qui-Gon. He said to tell you hello. He said you're so hard to talk to."

• I love the portrayal of the Council in this.

• "Personally, Obi-Wan found ritual a bore." NOBODY ELSE HAS BALANCED OBI-WAN KENOBI'S MANY CONTRADICTIONS THIS WELL EXCEPT RUTH BAULDING. I AM HOLLERING. There are like ten other awesome points of Obi-Wan characterization, but I'm not going to include them all here because you have to just read the book.

• Anakin liquidizes some guy's innards with his mind in a fit of rage.

• "If there's some sort of airship race here, can we try it?" " 'We'?" "Sure, you'd be great. You learn fast, but you've gotta be more confident." No offense but I have never read anything better than this in my life.

[Iset · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always seen Rogue Planet as a bit of an oddball entry into the Expanded Universe. It’s a standalone plot that isn’t part of a trilogy, and yet it draws on and references The Phantom Menace and also the Yuuzhan Vong plotline. And yet it’s not essential to either. If you skipped reading this one, you would be able to understand the Vong series later on perfectly well. In fact the Vong series is so much further down the line from Rogue Planet that the references here are really little more than easter eggs, despite the fact that most of the plot is centred around them.

I think a lot of what makes this book so kooky is when it was written. It’s got a publication date of 2000, and we follow a young Anakin and Obi-Wan some three years after The Phantom Menace. It’s also around this time that the Vong series was being written, but was still a ways off completion, and it was before we had any idea what Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith would be like. As a result, the book references heavily from TPM and the Vong series, and uses pre-Ep II Expanded Universe lore about the years in between. So Raith Sienar and Wilhuff Tarkin are described here as the first two people to push for the Death Star design, even though this is never mentioned in AOTC and had to be later retconned to shove the two ideas together (and as for the supposed ‘new canon’, just throw everything out of the window). Rogue Planet also has Sekot weirdly referring to itself as only newly achieving sentient consciousness… but by the end of the Vong series we knew that Sekot had exiled the Vong long ago. See how it doesn’t quite match up? And sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. Sometimes re-reading this book feels like you’re in a slightly different alternate Star Wars universe where nothing is quite right. Sometimes, especially for classic original trilogy and Expanded Universe fans, it feels like coming home when all the rise of the Empire ideas come out of the woodwork that the EU had before the prequels were made – and as one of those people who actually liked those ideas and thought the prequels’ vision of the Clone Wars didn’t make nearly as much sense, I find this to be welcome.

Rogue Planet seems at times to be remarkably well-written, but at other times distinctly less so. The world-building in the beginning is great. The garbage pit race, the Jedi Temple, Charza Kwinn, the arrival at Zonama Sekot – they all feel like interesting new material but more importantly that they slot neatly inside the established universe. The story holds my attention well during the first half, and for sure the language has excellent fluidity and flair. It reads smoothly and engagingly – it’s not amateurish or pedestrian or functional; I can’t stand that kind of tedious language in my reading choices. The language quality holds throughout, but the storytelling quality dips in the second half if you ask me. Obi-Wan and Anakin spend an awful lot of time on the planet just going along with things and not investigating what they’re supposed to be investigating. It wasn’t frustrating from a patience point of view, but because it was one of those things where it could all be solved in fifteen minutes if only the characters would come out and have an honest conversation. And the climax of the story is a super-chaotic skirmish during which I’m not entirely sure what happens. Just to be clear – I have read and re-read this book probably more than five, less than ten times over the years; but I am still unclear on what Sienar was assigned to do, what Tarkin wants to do, and the general chaos of the final skirmish.

As a result of all of the above, I’m never quite sure how to rate Rogue Planet, or even whether I should keep it in my True Canon Ultimate Cut. It’s genuinely interesting and enjoyable at times, but its conclusion is confusingly chaotic. It draws upon classic pre-prequel notions about the rise of the Empire, but doesn’t mesh well with the ending of the Vong series or the actual AOTC and ROTS. It heavily references and draws upon other stories… but it really isn’t essential to any of them.

6 out of 10

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not the best the Expanded Universe has to offer. A dull plot, too much wasted space, elements that feel out of place in Star Wars...yeah, readers can do much better.

[CS · Rating 3 out of 5]

"They love their secrets"
Obi-Wan and Anakin are in the rocky part of their relationship, trying to figure out the Master and Apprentice thing when Mace Windu sends both on a mission to find the missing Jedi Knight, Vergere. Vergere had left for the "rogue planet" Zonoma Sekot over a year ago and hasn't made contact since then. Meanwhile, Tarkin and Raith Sienar have plans to advance their station and secure a niche for the future.
NOTE: Based on audibook and novel.

I Liked:
Greg Bear really does a fine job penetrating the minds of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is perhaps the absolute best part of the novel: the exploration of who both is and how they behave to each other. At the beginning, Anakin has a thirst for thrills and a yearning to eradicate the pain and dreams he experiences. Obi-Wan frets about how he treats his Padawan. Is he too harsh? Too lenient? Anakin is so talented...but why then does he act so immature? We also have hints about Qui-Gon speaking to them, something revisited in later movies/materials, which is always neat.
The second great thing about this book is how it really ties in with NJO. I enjoyed reading about Vergere, the beginnings of the Farsiders (the Yuuzhan Vong) and the mind planet (which was a weird concept, but it makes sense with the Yuuzhan Vong). Greg Bear did a superb job with intertwining it, so kudos to him.
Lastly, Bear did me a great favor and put our favorite Imperial, Tarkin, in the spotlight. I love how weasley he is and how, even at this time, he is big into driving people to fear him. And then, how Raith Sienar contrasted with him. Very nicely done.

I Didn't Like:
Anakin doesn't act anywhere near twelve. He acts probably about 18. I didn't like how at this age he started having all these uber creepy, demonic dreams. Honestly, it really lessens the blow when we hear it in Attack of the Clones. I mean, if Anakin has been having bad dreams since 12, when Anakin reveals it in Clones, Obi-Wan's response would be like, "So?" All in all, I am not a big fan of every novelist going, "Ooh, Anakin becomes Darth Vader, let's throw in some darkness randomly so people can see it as foreshadowing!" Lame.
Some people really liked the beginning action sequence. For me, it felt out of place. Anakin randomly decides to garbage pit race, a race barely described and highly confusing, just for the thrill. And then Obi-Wan follows him because...? Can we say, "Out of character"? And excuse me, but where did Anakin get the money for the wings? Jedi give allowances now?
Every single alien is brand new from Charza to the Blood Carver. This isn't a bad thing, but couldn't we have at least one tie-in that isn't a stereotyped alien (e.g. Twi'Lek slave girl, Rodian bounty hunter, Hutt crimelord, Wookie soldier, etc.)?
I also felt that Bear spent way too much time on the minor subplot of creating the seedship and not enough on the real reason that Anakin and Obi-Wan were on Zonoma Sekot in the first place (to find Vergere, remember?). They don't do any real investigating, even after their hosts realize they are Jedi. Instead, they are all "wizard" over making a super-fast ship that is going to be destroyed by the end of the book anyway. And when they do learn what happened to Vergere, it is basically handed to them on a silver platter, no investigating necessary. Geesh, what a let down!
Speaking of endings, this had to be the oddest one, with the coda portion. It felt out of place and non-Star Wars.
In fact, much of the novel felt decidedly non-Star Wars. I mean, there were good parts (the shipbuilding WAS interesting, even if it served no purpose to the main plot, the planet WAS interesting, etc.).
I loathed the character of Thracia. I mean, she can leave the Jedi Order, marry, have kids, return, and then jibe Mace Windu, calling him an idiot and becoming the 13th member of the Jedi Council? Can we say...Mary Sue? (Thank God she's not in the book too much.)
And what was the deal with the Blood Carver trying to kill Anakin? Did I miss it or forget?

Overall:
Greg Bear is noteworthy for his hard scifi. This fact makes it extremely odd that he would have written Star Wars, one of the softest of soft scifi franchises. Bear writes some memorable scenes with Anakin and Obi-Wan, explores their relationship, and truly has some intriguing ideas, but I think he just is writing outside his area of expertise. The novel just doesn't feel like Star Wars. Good author, but not the best book I've ever read.

[Marly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set three years after the events of The Phantom Menace, Rogue Planet sees Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker sent to the mysterious world of Zonama Sekot to discover the truth about the planet and the disappearance two years before of the Jedi Knight Vergere.

This is Anakin's first novel appearance since TPM, and he is now 12 years old with 3 years of Jedi training under his belt. Bear's characterization of him was almost perfect--he's adventurous, affectionate, bold, impetuous, instinctively aware of his deep connection to the Force and how it makes him different from other Jedi, both proud and wary of that, and overwhelmed by his power, love and longing for his mother, and his upbringing as a slave. There are glimmers of the impatience, sullenness, and lack of control that will haunt Anakin and eventually help him down the path to the dark side in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but here, he's a typical 12-year-old and one who strongly resembles the cheerful, good-natured boy from TPM.

I didn't love everything about Anakin's portrayal, though. Both he and Obi-Wan sense that he will face a trial on Zonama Sekot, and when Anakin is taken hostage, we have these lines from Obi-Wan's POV:

His sense of the future was as clouded as the sky. Anakin's fate was pushed up against a knot, a fistula in the pathways to different futures. What struck Obi-Wan most was the terrifying connections between so many futures that bunched up in these next few hours. So many events whirled around his Padawan, so many interconnected lives.

Even as a child, Anakin can never escape the pressure and responsibility of being the chosen one. Every decision he makes has the potential to be galaxy-changing, and judging by this passage, his choices might not even matter:

The seeds were afraid but did not move under their burden of embers and flame. Theirs was courage, and also an awareness of fate or destiny.

The seeds were not nearly as intelligent as a human--they did not really think for themselves--but inside of each was the potential for awareness and intelligence. The fire was bringing that awareness to the fore.

This will happen to you.

Anakin gasped. He wasn't dreaming.

This is your destiny, your fate.

That's clearly referring to the duel on Mustafar, when Obi-Wan maims Anakin and leaves him to burn to death, something that won't happen for another 11 years. If it's Anakin's destiny to fall the dark side and become Darth Vader no matter, everything that happens to him and every choice he makes is a farce. It also flies in the face of "always in motion, the future is," not to mention Obi-Wan's thoughts in the very same book (see above), and I don't like it.

I also wasn't crazy about Anakin's first kill. Besides being somewhat ambiguous (he Force-crushed Ke Daiv's internal organs?) , he's tapping into the dark side at an awfully young age. Not that that's impossible, of course, but it contradicts the idea that his slaughter of the Tusken Raiders in AotC was the first time that Anakin gave in to the dark side and set him on his path to becoming Darth Vader. He's obviously arrogant and troubled in AotC, but he's also an immature 19-year-old prodigy, and he doesn't do anything dark until he kills the Tuskens. Unless you count Rogue Planet, when he kills with the dark side at 12. At least it was clear that Anakin couldn't control himself and was frightened and was consciously trying to stop himself. He just wasn't emotionally equipped to handle his situation and the abilities given to him by his connection to the Force.

The depiction of Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship is fascinating. Their bond and affection for each other is obvious, but Obi-Wan is clearly strained by the responsibility of training the chosen one. His background is vastly different from Anakin's, and he doesn't have Anakin's open, affectionate manner or the same level of sensitivity and intuitive connection to the Force. He doesn't understand Anakin, in many ways can't really connect with him, and ultimately fails him. (I'm not blaming Anakin's fall on Obi-Wan, at least not completely; though the Jedi failed him and Sidious carefully groomed and manipulated him for 13 years, Anakin ultimately made his own choices. But I digress.)

While on Zonama Sekot, both Anakin and Obi-Wan hear Qui-Gon speaking to them. Anakin accepts this at face value, while Obi-Wan convinces himself that it's just his own subconscious speaking to him in Qui-Gon's voice. The following passage highlights the difference between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and how ill-equipped Obi-Wan is to be Anakin's Master:

At last you know the spirit of adventure!

Obi-Wan closed his eyes tightly, as if to ward off the voice. He missed his Master intensely, but he would not let a vagrant fantasy besmirch Qui-Gon's memory.

"Adventure," Anakin said. The boy rode beside Obi-Wan on a carapod. Vagno was taking them across the valley, around several of the tall, river-carved pillars, toward a narrower and darker cleft on the southern side. "Is adventure the same as danger?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, a little too sharply. "Adventure is lack of planning, failure of training."

"Qui-Gon didn't think so. He said adventure is growth, surprise is the gift of awareness of limits."

For an instant, Obi-Wan wanted to lash out at the boy, strike him across the face for his blasphemy. That would have been the end of their relationship as Master and apprentice. He wanted it to end. He did not want the responsibility, or in truth to be so near one so sensitive, so capable of blithely echoing what lay deepest inside him.

Qui-Gon had once told Obi-Wan these very things, and he had since forgotten them.

Obi-Wan loves Anakin, and he does his best, but his best isn't good enough. The biggest tragedy of TPM is Qui-Gon's death, because Qui-Gon is the only Jedi who would have been capable of truly understanding and training Anakin.

It probably seems like I have a lot of complaints, but I really don't. Or at least if I do, they don't interfere with my love for this book. I think it's fantastic, easily one of the best in the EU, and I appreciate how it ties into the New Jedi Order and illuminates some of the events of the latter half of that series.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a return for me to the SW universe, once upon a time I had quite a few SW books which were considered legends after the Disney cooperation bought the place. I did sell them all not because out of protest but simply I was never going to read them a second time, so why not offer somebody else the chance.

Anyhow I borrowed this particular book from my daughters' collection, she is the biggest SW fan in our household easily, and I buy her the occasional 2nd hand hardcover I find and this one turned out to be a double.
Anyhow I was interested how a real scifi writer like Greg Bear would do something best called SCIFI fantasy and I did enjoy the story about a twelve year old Anakin who is send together with Obi Wan Kenobi to a place where a Jedi Master got lost. So padawan and master enter together in this endeavour and will come out much wiser and more grownup.
Bear does create a beautiful setting that is feeling like less of the regular SW universe and more an idea from the mind of a scifi writer who has done a lot of original work.
He does let you enjoy a Jedi growing up and the feelings of Jedi master that is not sure he has the right stuff to teach. Kenobi & Skywalker have more than decent characterisations and they both feel much more complete than anything Lucas himself ever managed to do.

A decent read an return to the SW universe for me.

[XΛVIΣЯ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely my least favorite Star Wars adult novel so far. The story COULD have been interesting if done right, but it was done so poorly I was completely distracted.

The pacing is terrible (he dedicates a 30+ page chapter to some bizarre garbage chute race that is unimportant to the rest of the story), the adherence to lore is ruined by the fact that this was written before AotC came out yet takes place 3 years after TPM (thereby involving bold predictions for dynamics that end up being wrong), and the limited omniscient narrator style (a chapter involving Tarkin and Sienar, for example, will give us insight into both character’s thoughts) just made for a confusing read.

I plan on blocking this from my memory and moving on to better writing, to be honest.

[Steve Holm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rogue Planet was not very high on my priority reading list, but the events of this book was heavily referenced in books I have read that are way later in the Timeline and a certain Planet also shows up. So I decided why not?

And it was ok. I enjoyed reading about the early days of the Anakin/Obi-Wan partnership (honestly the period between Episode 1 and 2 seems very underexplored, there has to be more cool stories to tell of the beginning of their partnership). I liked the story even though I already knew much about how it would unfold.

Didn’t like the structure of the book, I dont like constant chapter jumping with very few pages in each chapter.

Overall this was just an OK Star Wars book, not bad, not good and probably best enjoyed after discovering the events from the books way later down the timeline.

A 3 is probably generous.

[Joshua Bishop · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just an okay read in my opinion. While it wasn't a young adult genre, it certainly read like one which detracted from the read a little bit. Other than introducing some characters that will appear in other books ine NJO series, I don't feel that this is wholly a necessary read by any stretch. Much of the book felt very choppy, lent in part to frequent chapter/POV shifts in three pages or less. The ending was a little exciting but couldn't make up for a lackluster start.

[Caleb Likes Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant surprise. This is one of those Legends books that I’d heard very little about, so I assumed it would be pretty forgettable—however, I quite enjoyed it.

The thing that really pulled me in with this book was Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship. Rogue Planet takes place between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, a period I’ve been wanting to see more explored (in regards to these characters, anyway) for a while. I really loved the dynamic between these two, and how the book went a little deeper into each of them psychologically. There was also some cool worldbuilding here. Anakin and Obi-Wan end up on the titular “rogue planet” called Zonama Sekot, which is quite an interesting and unique place. I also loved the ties to other Star Wars works. I read this book because I’d been told it connects to later books in the New Jedi Order, which I’m also currently reading; at least some of those connections are quite clear here, such as direct references to the Yuuzhan Vong and Anakin and Obi-Wan trying to track down Vergere.

As for negatives, I do think the plot was a little weak at times. I found the first half quite interesting, and while the second half still had plenty of good moments, it did lose me at times. But this is also a very short novel, so at least it didn’t drag. I also didn’t find the characters besides Anakin and Obi-Wan terribly memorable.

Overall, this was a solid book and a bit better than I expected. Given its status as a standalone that doesn’t get much recognition, I figured it would just be okay at best, but it was pretty enjoyable.

Rating: 8/10

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done.

Deeper and richer than typical fan fiction, Rogue planet almost transcends the Star Wars constraints. Obviously, a story starring Young Anakin and Obi-Wan has certain constraints. But set as it is in the decade between Episodes One and Two, Rogue planet fleshes both characters while giving us a rousing SF story.

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You have never lied to others. But even worse is to lie to oneself."

This was mostly fine. I just don't feel like much happened, and things got jumbled and confusing really quickly. I'm not really sure what everyone was after, and the ending didn't really feel like it wrapped anything up.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

AAH! I FOUND IT! I've been looking for this book forever. I read it when it first came out in 2000 (mind you I was 10) and I remember liking it a lot. Wow. I love Goodreads.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

greg bear broke into my home and held me at knifepoint and told me all his headcanons about the anakin/obi-wan relationship and i THANKED him!!

[Lance Shadow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hello there! And Happy New Year! Here's to 2023 and more *mostly* Star Wars book and comic reviews!
But.... wow what a lousy start. I've been on a hiatus with my journey to read the New Jedi Order book series after reading 7 books in a row and feeling burnt out. I figured that I might as well read a standalone book that explicitly ties into that series as something light and easily digestible before going back to complete the final third of the NJO.

THE STORY: It's a couple of years (3 I think?) after the events of The Phantom Menace. Obi Wan Kenobi and his padawan, young Anakin Skywalker, are tasked with figuring out was behind the disappearance of Vergere, a young jedi padawan. Their adventure takes them to Zonama Sekot- a living world that produces some of the fastest ships in the entire galaxy.

THE BAD: This novel had all the right ingredients to be an excellent addition to the original Star Wars Expanded Universe- you got young Obi Wan and Anakin where their still pretty firmly in their Phantom Menace characterizations. It features what is still to this day one of the most unique planets in the entire Star Wars universe. It also talks about the character of Vergere, who would eventually go on to become a fan favorite after Matthew Stover's New Jedi Order novel, Traitor. On top of that, it uses the iconic Wilhuff Tarkin and deep cut reference Raith Seinar as villains. And it came out in May of 2000- not long after the release of The Phantom Menace in theaters but before Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial came out, when Vergere would be introduced in the New Jedi Order.
So with all of those promising ingredients... why the KRIFF is this novel so. Painfully. BORING?

I think it all comes down to Greg Bear's writing. I don't know if its a case of me not being able to get into this style of writing or it just isn't a good fit for the Star Wars franchise. That, or maybe this is simply a misfire for the author. But... UGH. He squanders every single potentially good idea that this story could have offered.
The worst part of Greg Bear's writing style is the chapter lengths. Usually I don't notice this in a book, but the chapters in this novel are so short that it makes scene transitions awkward. The pacing and flow of Rogue Planet is TERRIBLE. Somehow this book manages to fit 67 chapters into 330 pages. What was Greg Bear even THINKING with this choice?
It's not just the pacing that suffers from Bear's awkward writing, the characters all end up being ridiculously bland. I don't remember a single character in this book outside of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Tarkin; and those three I only remember at all because of the movies. Tarkin fails to be a cunning villain here, and Obi Wan and Anakin do not grow and develop either as individuals or as a master-padawan pair by the end of this book. I only know Raith Seinar is supposed to be a businessman because I read wookieepedia and the essential guidebooks from the 2000s because his name is part of the model name for the TIE Fighter. I know who Vergere is because I have read 2/3 of the New Jedi Order books as of right now but this book doesn't offer any hints as to how she went from Jedi to more gray in the force than Kreia from KOTOR 2- so I'm just left here feeling more confused than rewarded in that regard. As for everyone else... yeah I'm already struggling to remember their names.
The plot is almost entirely predictable to the point of boredom. There's one moment that I may not have predicted if I didn't read all the lore in the essential guidebooks already where Jabitha dies and Anakin doesn't get a ship faster than the Millenium Falcon , but again, Greg Bear's clunky writing sucks out all the emotion the scene could have. The rest... opening action sequence (which is boring, because Greg Bear isn't good at writing action), exposition for mission, go to new planet, explore planet, big final battle, then go back to the status quo to make sure nothing is contradicted for Attack of the Clones.

THE GOOD: There's only a couple of mildly redeeming qualities that I can point out in this book.
First, Zonama Sekot is such a cool concept for a planet that not even Greg Bear's writing can completely ruin it. I honestly look forward to seeing how it's going to be portrayed in the last third of the New Jedi Order. Even if it ends up not working there either, the idea is just so interesting that it peaks my curiosity. And to be fair, it had that effect early in the book when they first visit the planet and learn the basics.
Second, is that on a basic level, Greg Bear did get the characterization of Obi-Wan and Anakin right. Anakin still feels like the young, optimistic boy that we met in The Phantom Menace, and Obi Wan is compelling as a jedi who is trying his best as a teacher for the boy that the jedi believe is the chosen one. These two characters legitimately feel like the same characters that were portrayed by Ewan McGregor and Jake Lloyd in Episode 1. I just wish the book did anything more than the bare minimum.

THE CONCLUSION: Final rating is 1 star.
I haven't really heard this book be talked about as one of the best in the legends timeline, so I wasn't expecting a mindblowing masterpiece or anything. But... holy KRIFF, this book was DULL. It completely fails to add any building blocks for the bridge between The Phantom Menace and Attack of The Clones when it comes to the master-padawan relationship between Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. It completely missed the mark when introducing such a unique planet in Zonama Sekot. It even fails to tie in to the New Jedi Order in an interesting way with the extra backstory it provides on Vergere.
I want to be clear that Rogue Planet does not actively ruin any stories, characters, or EU lore by existing. It didn't actively make me angry while reading it- I hate this book because of how excruciatingly bland and boring it was.
If any of the ideas I have presented in this review intrigue you, go right ahead and give Greg Bear's Rogue Planet a chance. But I warn you to leave any of your hopes in the airlock.

Do you want to read this as tie-in prep for the New Jedi Order? You'll be skimming 95% of this borefest.
Do you want an intriguing adventure that strengthens the bond between a young Obi-Wan and Anakin? You'll fall asleep before you get anything close to that.
Do you want a fun star wars adventure in an exciting new setting? Again, you'll fall asleep.

And lastly... do you just want a good Star Wars book? I'm going to suggest to you right now- turn back and just revisit one of your favorites. Rogue Planet is not worth your time.

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this a 2.5 if you read this book as a standalone. However, if you've read all the New Jedi Order books, you may like this even more and rate it 3.5. So, the average is 3 stars.

The reason for the low rating has to do with long-time problems I've seen with much of the post-Heir to the Empire Star Wars material.

1. It contains a huge amount of irrelevant "fluff" that is neither interesting nor necessary to the story, especially if you haven't read or seen the other related material.

2. It assumes you've read all the related books and are reading this to sorta "backfill" that material.

If you've read all the New Jedi Order (as well as Outbound Flight and other books), you may find this interesting. It tells of the earliest days of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. Back then, they were called the "Far Outsiders." Here, you learn more about Zonama Sekot and how the planet "works."

The story takes place about 2 years before the events of Outbound Flight (which should be your next book after this one if you haven't read it). Vergere, a Jedi Knight, has disappeared, and Obi-Wan and Anikan are sent to find her. They were also sent to procure a "living ship" from the planet. Much of the story is about how different and special Anakin is and how much he really, really, really wants that ship.

Oh, and there's some garbage side story about Tarkin, blah blah blah.

The problem for me, personally, is that I haven't read all the New Jedi Order books. I read Outbound Flight several years ago. I had to go back and look things up from that book to understand what this book is about. I actually liked the book more as I went along and understood what the author was trying to say.

Whatever you do, don't read this as your first Legends book or without knowing a lot about the Vong wars.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 29BBY

Young Obi-Wan and little Anakin go into one of their earliest adventures together. Had its moments, but mostly we get the relationship between Master and Padawan. We get too much of the council constantly reminding us how little Ani is not ready which gets old fast.

But overall was a nice quest for the two with Anakin still thinking about his life as a slave, and trying to help anyone in any way he can.

“Self-knowledge is the most difficult of our many journeys.” - Thracia

[Ben Briles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was never that excited to read this book, but I decided to do so now before I jump into The Unifying Force (because obviously) and now I feel stupid for waiting for so long. The plot itself is pretty standard Star Wars fare (not that that's a bad thing), but getting to experience things from the point of view of 12-year-old Anakin really pushed this book over the top for me. Specifically his relationship with Obi-Wan and the other Jedi as well as his own relationship to the Force. The little bits about Vergere and "the Far Outsiders" were delicious too, and I find myself wanting to know more about this sect of Jedi that believed in whatever the Potentium is. It sounds like nonsense, but INTERESTING nonsense. Zonama Sekot is such an interesting planet and every little tidbit I can scrounge up about it just makes me want to know more. I guess now it's onto The Unifying Force, even though I'm not even kind of ready for the New Jedi Order to be over (and that's at least partly because I know what happens next 😭).

[ipek · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is pretty bad but i love reading about obi-wan and anakin (and the characterization was, mostly, on point)

[Eric Sullenberger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I listened to the abridged audio edition of this book most recently and have listened to that edition a couple of other times, I have also read the print book once [although it took more than one time checking it out of the library to force myself through it].
The last line there should give you a pretty good idea about my thoughts on this book. In fact, I remember specifically reading the full book hoping that maybe something that was cut in the abridgment of it that would make it more enjoyable or understandable, but no- there is a pretty big jump between the middle and the end where things fall to pieces without making much sense.
Even as I re-read it this time I found myself wondering if maybe my mind had wandered too much during my prior readings of it because it wasn't that bad until the end, but once again I was surprised at what a bad turn it took. In fact, maybe that is why I don't like it as much, because it strings you along for a pretty enjoyable ride and then turns on you.
This book was written to be a prequel to the New Jedi Order series with its Yuuzhan Vong invasion. It was interesting, although confusing, to see Vergere and "the far outsiders". It was also interesting to see bio-ships again [this was also done as a lengthy, and disconnected, side plot in The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy with Lando, Lobot and the droids exploring the Teljkon Vagabond]. A moving, living planet gives a little more credence to the barely believable construction of the Corellian system from the Corellian Trilogy. My biggest complaint, and this will be a theme through all of my reviews of the prequel/"Rise of the Empire" era novels is that every author wants to foreshadow the downfall of Anakin, and this just becomes unbelievable. For someone to be this terrible throughout, it makes it even less believable that no one saw this coming, or that everyone just turned a blind eye. In addition to that, unfortunately we don't get to see Obi-Wan be the confident Master in this book, although that is probably reasonable at this point in the timeline. Also, a common theme in the pre-prequel [real-world chronology] novels is that everyone wants to claim creation of the Death Star plans which became so convoluted, with Tarkin, Bevel Lemelisk, Qui Xux, Poggle the Lesser, and probably others that I missed all given credit at one point for creating it, that eventually a whole novel was commissioned just to retcon the whole mess. To me, it seems obvious, that authors should have just stepped away from some things and let certain stories be left alone for the movies to address, but often times these extras were written about and it makes little sense. And in the authors' defense, there have been times where they have been directed to do certain things, so maybe this was outside of their control, but it still seems short-sighted. Having said that, this book does a better job than any other in the Legends EU series giving Tarkin some depth of character and background, which was quite revealing to see.
This book isn't the worst in the Star Wars [Legends] Expanded Universe, that honor used to belong to Barbara Hambly, but now I think Joe Schreiber has taken that title away from her with his two horror books, but it comes right up against them.

[Mike Jozic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rogue Planet is a perfect example of when a good writer turns a perfectly decent science-fiction idea into a Star Wars novel. It just doesn't work. There's usually something off about them tonally and they generally feel wholly unlike a proper 'untold' Saga installment.

This particular adventure feels like a weird cross between Star Wars and Farscape with living ships and rogue planets and other wild ideas. To be fair to Greg Bear, a very competent sf writer, he got the character interplay of Obi-wan and Anakin down pretty good and that's ultimately what makes this a readable SW book. Unfortunately, as one of the earliest expanded universe books, Rogue Planet is riddled with continuity issues on top of its already questionable plot. I have enjoyed many EU stories with continuity issues in the past, massaging events in my mind to make it work or just outright ignoring others. Here, everything from communicating with Qui-gon to Obi-wan using a green laser sword and Tarkin playing a key role are just too big to sluff off.

Rogue Planet remains an early curiosity in the EU, and apparently acts as a prelude to the nineteen book New Jedi Order series that followed, but that's about it.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm no fan of the prequel era, and certainly no fan of the adventures of young (and irritating) Anakin Skywalker. Yet this novel does the unthinkable. Not only is it an honest-to-goodness SF story that just happens to be set in the "Star Wars" universe, it crafts the most incredibly powerful, authentic and emotional connection between the young Obi-Wan and the even younger Anakin. This is beyond anything else I've ever read or watched in the Lucasverse, and it's a great pity that it was never followed up with such beauty and skill. In spite of all my dislike of this corner of the "Star Wars" universe, the relationship between Master & Padawan is the best material I've ever read involving these two characters. My only reason to not award this novel five stars is the secondary plot involving Tarkin: it's perfectly well written, but always feels like an unnecessary distraction away from the compelling Obi-Wan/Anakin story.

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as bad as people are saying it is, guess it comes down to personal taste of the author

[Meggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For 2021, I decided to reread Del Rey’s first attempt at a multi-author book series in the Star Wars universe: The New Jedi Order, which was published between 1999 and 2003. This shakes out to 19 novels, two eBook novellas, three short stories, and a tangentially-related prequel era novel.

This week’s focus: the first post-The Phantom Menace novel, Rogue Planet by Greg Bear.

SOME HISTORY:

Before the release of Attack of the Clones in 2002, prequel-era novels for adult audiences were few and far between: one novel in 2002 (The Approaching Storm), two in 2001 (Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter and Cloak of Deception, both of which were set prior to The Phantom Menace), with only Rogue Planet released in the year 2000. Demand for more information about the prequel era was high, but Lucasfilm was definitely keeping their cards close to their chest. Rogue Planet made it to number nine on the New York Times bestseller list for two straight weeks--from the week of May 21 to May 28, 2000--and was on the NYT list for five weeks.

MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people..., but it’s Anakin.

That’s it, that’s all I remembered. (And it’s not particularly accurate either!)

A BRIEF SUMMARY:

Dispatched to the mysterious planet of Zonama Sekot, Obi-Wan and Anakin are swept up in a deadly case of intrigue and betrayal. There are more secrets on Zonama Sekot than meet the eye. But the search for those secrets will bring the troubled young apprentice face-to-face with his deepest fear.

THE AUTHOR:

I find Greg Bear an unexpected choice to write a Star Wars book. He’s well-known as an author of hard science fiction filled with scientific details (and he’s won five Nebula Awards and two Hugo Awards). On the hard science front, rogue planets actually exist, and our Milky Way may contain billions of planetary-mass objects that do not orbit a star directly. Star Wars, however, is a lot closer to fantasy than Bear’s other works, but we’ll put a pin in that thought for now.

THE CHARACTERS:

I struggled a bit with Bear's portrayal of a twelve-year-old Anakin: he's so bright and eager, yet his eventual Dark Side fall felt too heavily lampshaded. Anakin has been a Jedi apprentice for three years, but he is still dealing with the trauma from his childhood as a slave on Tatooine. There's still a lot of the nine-year-old child from TPM present in his characterization. He says that things are "rugged" or "wizard;" he's excited to encounter new places and people; and he's absolutely absorbed in the beautiful ships and mysterious elements of Zonama Sekot.

But at the same time, the darker elements of Anakin's plot were harder for me to swallow. Anakin is having terrible nightmares, and the anger within him is like a dark force that he can't control. And in a pivotal scene near the end, he kills the Blood Carver who's been following him from the beginning. Anakin gives in to the Dark Side and crushes the alien--he doesn't mean to, he's super remorseful, but the Blood Carver still dies. Both of these developments don't mesh well with what happened in Attack of the Clones, three years later, but let’s put a pin in that.

On the other hand, I loved how Bear depicted Obi-Wan. He's struggling to teach Anakin and connect with him, and it felt very clear that 1) there's not enough age and maturity between the two, so Obi-Wan can't fulfill the same paternal teacher role that Qui-Gon Jinn might have been able to assume, and 2) part of Obi-Wan's difficulties arise from the fact that he's essentially "the permanent substitute." Obi-Wan is young, yes, but he has no experience dealing with children at all. He wants to do right by Anakin and train him properly, but he's in over his head, particularly given Anakin's background.

Bear also captured some great nuances of Obi-Wan's character. He hates ritual; he'd rather meditate than sleep and wonders if it's possible to completely forego the latter; he was obsessed with spaceships and tech as a boy, but now feels much more leery of them.

Thracia Cho Leem and Vergere are much less fleshed out (and in the case of Vergere, we never actually meet her). Thracia is an oddball within the Jedi Order, and really doesn’t fit within their Code (she has many children, she married multiple times, she left the Order but isn’t counted as one of the Lost Twenty). Let’s put another pin in that. She’s kind, though, and understands Anakin a lot better than Obi-Wan does. Vergere is highly-trained, and leaves the Far Outsiders to understand them better and stop hostilities against Sekot--it’s less of an introduction than what Hero's Trial will provide, though.

We meet a number of new aliens, both on Zonama Sekot and elsewhere. The native Sekotans are Ferroan and Langhesi, who are blue and red near-humans respectively. They follow the teachings of an expelled Jedi named Leor Hall called the Potentium, the main aspect being that the Force is only composed of the light side. They're interesting. We also meet a worm-like alien, Charza Kwinn, who serves as a go-between for the Jedi and other parties. He has a complicated ecosystem on board his ship, and while Obi-Wan doesn't question it, Anakin is very concerned about potential misuse.

The Yuuzhan Vong appear as the "Far Outsiders", but as with Vergere's character, they're only mentioned after the fact. They exist only as names; do not pick up this book expecting to learn anything more about the Yuuzhan Vong. They arrived, they destroyed huge chunks of Zonama Sekot, and Vergere was able to convince them to halt hostilities and take her with them. We don't learn anything that wasn't already apparent in Vector Prime.

So our true villains end up being Tarkin and Raith Sienar. They’re both from aristocratic families, they’re both cordial with each other, but Tarkin is focused on brute force while Sienar wants knowledge and information. I believe this is the only book that Sienar appeared in, but he’s referenced a lot in other Legends materials. Tarkin maneuvers him into attacking Zonama Sekot; Sienar, meanwhile, just wants an organic ship of his own to dissect and analyze. Neither of them are successful in the end: Sienar because the Blood Carver fails, and Tarkin because Zonama Sekot makes a great escape.

ISSUES:

There is no set rule that “a book must be 300 pages and feature twenty chapters,” but I’m conflicted about Bear’s stylistic choices here. Rogue Planet is broken up into sixty-seven chapters, and while the first chapter is 29 pages long, most of the subsequent chapters are far shorter. Whereas normally you might expect to jump to another POV after a scene break, Bear immediately switches over to a new chapter. This means some chapters are two pages at most, which made for a somewhat choppy read.

Obi-Wan and Anakin’s plotline became hyper-focused on building their ship, but they were sent to Zonama Sekot for a very specific mission! They did essentially no investigating (Obi-Wan kept telling Anakin that it wasn’t the time to ask about Vergere), and the revelation of her fate felt like a complete throw-away. Also the fact that both Vergere and Obi-Wan & Anakin were separately given billions of credits to spend on a custom ship, no questions asked--do the Jedi reimburse everything on travel expense accounts??

The end sequence became super chaotic and hard to follow. Anakin has been kidnapped by the Blood Carver; Obi-Wan is following him; Tarkin is attacking Zonama Sekot. There’s bombs everywhere, and droid starfighters, and revelations about Vergere and Zonama Sekot, and it gets a bit confusing. The actual ending itself happens pretty abruptly, and I wanted a little more resolution.

So to circle around to all my pins: manuscripts are usually turned in months before the book’s publication date, so it makes sense that there are loads of references to The Phantom Menace but little fleshing out of the prequel era. (George Lucas and Jonathan Hales didn’t even have a completed draft of the Attack of the Clones screenplay until June 2000! Bear’s ideas re: Anakin and the Jedi conflict with AotC simply because the latter didn’t exist yet.) The hints of the “Far Outsiders'' are likewise vague and in keeping with the little snippets we learned from Vector Prime. (Even the history of Zonama Sekot will be overwritten by the time we get to the Force Heretic trilogy in 2003.) We get new aliens and novel concepts, but it largely stands alone in the timeline. Rogue Planet reminds me of the books from the Bantam era, in that we have some cool ideas, but little cohesion as a whole.

IN CONCLUSION:

Rogue Planet is a strange short book. We learn very little about Anakin’s training or the state of the galaxy after The Phantom Menace, and while there are a number of connections to the New Jedi Order series, they’re more like Easter Eggs than essential information you need to continue. I like Bear’s characterization of Obi-Wan and, to a lesser extent, Anakin, but there’s a fair bit of weirdness here.


Next up: the second book in the Dark Tide duology by Michael A. Stackpole, Dark Tide II: Ruin.

My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/JeGmsicXybs

[Magpie6493 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this was a bit of a nothing book, I still did really end up enjoying myself because of certain character moments being so good.

As much as I did enjoy myself, however, there are a few problems with this book.

One that's pretty obvious and I find it really funny that I didn't notice it until later, (since it's on the cover) but Obi wans lightsaber is depicted as green in this book for some reason despite the fact that obi wan Canonnically doesn't ever have a green lightsaber. However, upon reflexion and referring to a friend, I figured out a plausible explanation as to why that may be the case. This book was published in 2000 before the attack of the clones was released. Menajng that when obi wan defeats Darth Maul with Qui gonns lightsaber that is green at the end of the phantom menace the author may have just made the incorrect assumption that Obi wan kept it and started using it as his lightsaber after that instead of his own. Given that I'm also not sure how much established lore there was around how jedi make or get a hold of their lightsabers at the point when this book was made it's a somewhat understandable mistake to make. It did, however, end up undercutting a pretty epic entrance towards the end on obi wans part as my autistic Obi wan loving brain went wait a second, and I was pulled right out of the scene lol. There's also a funny inaccuracy of Tarkin and some random dude apparently coming up with the idea with the deathstar. However, again, as attack of the clones hadn't happened yet, I don't think it's entirely fair to be too mad about this as maybe the geonosians and their link to it hadn't been revealed yet.

This book was incredibly slow. However, the characters just existing at an often unexplored point in the lives of both obi Wan and Anakin were interesting. Due to the chapters being so short, getting through the slow middle section of this book wasn't as bad as it otherwise could have been.

The only real thing that I have as an issue with this book that actually bugs me is how much of the mysteries being built up in this book is just not explained or elaborated on at all. If I did not know from the same friend that I referred to earlier what the Yuzhen Voong (no idea if I'm spelling that right I tried) were than I wpuld be entirely list through almost this entire book. I get the attempts at foreshadowing that have been done about those guys in various legends books but it's in my opinion a bit ridiculous to have so much of the book depending on and eluding to that mystery when you're not going to have your own moment explaining it. Like even an epilogue or a couple of chapters would have been enough. Instead, even the descriptions of even the aftermath come from characters who, even while giving that explanation, are still extremely evasive about it.

All that ranting said and done, there are some character moments that I'll think about for a good long while. As much as I want to flood this review with an equal amount of positive, I do t exactly want to ruin those moments for anyone that does want to put the effort into reading this.

I will say, though, that even though I'm just the opening parts of this book, you get such a good idea of how much anxiety Obi Wan went through in having Anakin as his Padawan. That and you get some genuinely sweet moments between Anakin and Obi Wan of kid Anakin really seeing Obi wan as a semi looking up to him and Obi Wan having a very parental like protectiveness.

Anyways, all of that is to say that although this is a bit of a mixed bag of a book, I'd still recommend it of you're looking for a quick read or really enjoy these characters this could easily be a book you'd enjoy. I, however, would absolutely not recommend it to a casual reader who hasn't had a lot of experience with either Star Wars or even the books in the legends cannon.

[Nick Antonoglu · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10
A pleasant surprise, much like Dark Journey! In fact, I think I feel the exact same way about these 2 books. There are similar problems, and similar strengths. I’ll get more specific.

Yes, this book is technically a part of the NJO, but you really can read it on its own. Nothing super important here for the overarching story, aside from explaining what Zonoma Sekot is. The one caveat to this is Vergere, who ends up being a rather unresolved part of this story without the added context in the NJO. Since I’ve read through Destiny’s Way, however, I was satisfied.

The biggest strength here is without a doubt the characterization of Obi Wan and Anakin. Their writing is genuinely Stover Revenge of the Sith levels. Anakin is given lots of depth here, and this book succeeds at making his eventual fall to the dark side more convincing, rather than the charming boy in episode 1. His scene with Ke Daiv at the end is truly great, and an excellent character moment. His relationship with the seed ship, Sekot, and Jabitha all paint a detailed and very believable painting of Anakin. Obi-Wan is also great here, he just isn’t the focus. I really like how he struggles with his insecurities as a master, often comparing himself to Qui-Gon and the other masters. Him and Anakin have a really heartwarming relationship, and it makes me want to see them succeed here despite the underlying tragedy of the future.

I really liked Greg Bear’s play with Star Wars. A lot of authors tend to stick to the same type of aliens and the same type of planets, but Bear just goes all out and makes it his own. Charza Kwin is one of my favorite characters simply because of how strange and offputting he is. He is something so unique to Star Wars yet he totally fits in with the universe. Same with Zonoma Sekot, one of my new favorite planets in the series. Bear’s writing does a really great job at painting the ethereal environments well, lending an otherworldly nature to a world meant to feel more alien than anything else in Star Wars.

I really loved the last 100 pages. This book’s plot is very slow (I’ll talk about that in a second) but the ending almost makes up for it in my opinion. Anakin’s struggle and encounter with Ke Daiv and Sekot are great, and supremely mystical encounters that show off how great the fantasy side of Star Wars can be. Tarkin and Sienar (finally) have something compelling to do (kinda) and the connections to the NJO and Vergere are great. The ending is very bittersweet, and I honestly really cared about that damn ship. Love that thing.

Now for the negatives. My biggest problem with this book are the antagonists. Not the supremely interesting “Far Outsiders” (Yuuzhan Vong), who I wish played a bigger role here than a glorified ad for the NJO, but Tarkin and Sienar. Yeah, some of the scenes where they try to outwit each other and Ke Daiv are fun but most of them are REALLY BORING and kind of pointless in the grand scheme of things. Whenever I saw their names pop up in a chapter I groaned, because it was a distraction from the far better Anakin/Obi-wan/Zonoma Sekot plot. They don’t do anything of note until the climax, which even then is vague and anticlimactic. I see what Bear was going for, but something needed to change with how the villain plot line was set up. Ke Daiv, on the other hand, I really liked. His relationship with Anakin is interesting, albeit rather rushed towards the end. His inevitable fate is tragic and fitting, and what better death for a Star Wars villain?

I also thought the actual plot was downplayed heavy here. I wish this book was 100 pages longer, just to spend more time explaining what happened with Vergere and the Far Outsiders. I know you’re just supposed to read the NJO, and for that reason I didn’t mind it, but without that context stakes are missing here. I got excited when I read about the Far Outsiders, but people who just want to read an Anakin and Obi-wan story are going to feel dissatisfied. This is a personal taste, but I overall liked the calm and reflective journey this story takes, supplanting typical Star Wars melodrama and action with worldbuilding and character work. But, it’s definitely not for everyone.

I think this book is definitely worth a read, but you really need to be deep in the Star Wars trenches to get anything worthwhile out of it. This is not a beginner Star Wars book, as lots of the emotional stakes and context around characters and events are pulled from other sources. Do I think you need to read up to Destiny’s Way in the NJO to enjoy this? No, but you should really enjoy Anakin and Obi-wan’s relationship at a minimum to be satisfied. At the very minimum, this is a phenomenal Anakin-Obi-wan story, but if you want it to be more, you do have to do some homework. And the very chill tone will not be for everyone. Most of this book is just reflection and exploration, which I personally love, but it did drag a little towards the end. I recommend it for sure, but do your research before picking this one up. Decide if it’s worth your time before reading.

I’m hoping to get back into the NJO here to finish up the last leg. I had to take a break after my disappointment with Destiny’s Way, but I’m ready again, and I’m very glad I enjoyed this one as much as I did! Onto the Force Heretic trilogy.

[Zuzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 12-year-old Anakin is restless and seeks cheap thrills like garbage pit races on Coruscant. After surviving an attempt on his life by a Blood Carver Ke Daiv, he's summoned in front of the Jedi Council to face the music. Thracia Cho Leem, an ancient Jedi Master, sways the Council and Anakin is surprisingly rewarded with a mission to Zonama Sekot, a mysterious planet of excellent shipbuilders. Anakin and Obi-Wan are to commission a Sekotian ship and find out what happened to Vergere, a Jedi Knight who failed to return from her mission to the planet about a year ago.

On the second plane of the story, frenemies Tarkin and Raith Sienar, have their own designs on the planet and its "shipyards".

There are little things that don't line up with the rest of the prequels. And no wonder, it had been released two years before Episode II. The author very likely didn't have access to the script.

Cho Leem references taking sabbaticals from the Order and having many kids on different planets. Anakin muses that Jedi do not often (!) marry. Young Anakin's personality is different from the rest of Legends - he's difficult in a strange way, almost like a genius neurodivergent child, hyperfocused on getting the Sekotian ship to the exclusion of common sense in other areas (e.g. repeatedly dropping Vergere's name despite being warned off by Obi-Wan to keep quiet). Obi-Wan uses Qui-Gon's lightsaber - hence the book cover. There are other small divergences.

At one point, the Potentium "rebellion" is dated 100 years in the past. In another passage, the author forgets and states that Qui-Gon and Mace Windu (personally) dealt with the Jedi Apprentices partaking in the movement.

This book is a prequel to the New Jedi Order series. The Far Outsiders refer to the Yuuzhan Vong. They attacked Zonama Sekot a year before Anakin and Obi-Wan showed up. Vergere negotiated their retreat in exchange for going with them as their captive (?).

I could tell that Greg Bear is a hard sci-fi writer. He was more interested in Sekot, their ships, and how the living technology worked than other aspects of the story.

2.5 stars. Not great, but passable.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. Not many Star Wars novels could fit the category of Hard SF. Greg Bear being notably adept at writing hard SF novels does a great job of melding the two together here. As for story content. Being published before Attack of the Clones it is a strikingly accurate portrayal of what Obi-Wan and Anakin must have been like. That Blood Carver also reminded me of what would become Geonosians. Though seriously it is two years after Ep1 and Obi Wan still hasn't built a new blade for himself? The downsides are centered around the Tarkin related plot and politics. While cool and interesting the whole Sienar/Tarkin task force just doesn't make all that much sense with the wider universe. And feels a little like "The Phantom Menace returns" in planet attacking similarity. Conclusion: pretty solid for a Legends continuity novel.

[szara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
I decided to read this novel because I sought out content about Knight Obi-Wan and kid Anakin – on this account the book delivered very well. Unfortunately, the writing style was very much not up my alley. The pacing and development of the plot made me feel like there weren't really any stakes, I had to make myself go on, holding on to hope that I will finally get hooked soon. I didn't get hooked. I really liked the overall ideas of this book but the execution didn't personally speak to me.

[abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok realistically this is a 3 star but the court has ruled i can do what i want. I am…unwell. could not tell you what happened in this but literally none of it matters because of how gut-wrenchingly tenderly anakin & obiwan’s relationship is handled and their characterizations. I will be promptly flinging myself into the sun. whoever said “star wars is about dads” ruined my life and yes I would like to talk about it.