Star Wars: Episode I Journal - Darth Maul

Star Wars: Journals

by Jude Watson

Provides an indepth "biography" of the powerful Sith Lord who fought the Jedi in Episode 1. Original.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Fantasy, Space

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[Lexu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pre retcon writing of Maul meant for kids, neatly wrapped with a lesson to remember. Read this after reading Episode 1 and before "End Game", by James Luceno, if chronology is important to you. Best line of the book: "Send someone to remove the traces of your presence here". Repeat that with the words dripping with disgust, say it to a cretinous coward. Did you find their reaction comedic and take pleasure in it? Congrats, your sadism is on par with that of a Dark Lord Of The Sith.

[Meadow Frisbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one when I was little, so I don't really remember much about it. But the idea of him keeping a journal was kind of funny!

[Jurgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More interesting then the other two journals, but if you are reading all the books according to the timeline, again there will not be a lot of new information.
But for some reason it's just more fun to read about the sith then the jedi...

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars: Episode I Journal - Darth Maul by Jude Watson

Challenging, dark, mysterious, sad, and tense.

Fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0 Stars

Out of these Journals, this is the one that added the most to the story. In The Phantom Menace, we get very little information about Darth Maul. In fact, it wasn't till the animated series...where we got to know him the most.

In reading this journal, you get to see how sadistic Darth Sidious is, and how sad a life that Darth Maul actually had (up to this point).

Weakness is exploited and used against a Dark Force user. No compasion or care, but only pushing them to yeild to the Dark Side and ONLY work hard (without safety barriers). Go big or go home.

This philosophy eventually works against Darth Maul. Instead of being open with his Master, he is "taught" to hold things back, and not show his real self...in fear of retribution for being weak and failing in his mission.

When reading this story, you see NOT how to mentor someone that you love. Whatever they did, DO the opposite. Got it.

I do have to say, that this journal was enlightening, in seeing behid the curtain of the Dark Side.

[Shini Kami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge Star Wars fan and have been since I was a kid and so I recently decided to read (and reread in some cases) the Star Wars legends and canon books in chronological order.
I’m not keen on episodes 1,2 and 3 of the movies but I still like to give the books a shot as I have ocd and need to read them all.
By reading the books you understand the characters and their motivations much better and it actually makes for a good read, and this book was no different.
In this book you are able to get a more in depth look at the character and motivations of Darth Maul, and you learn just how good he is. You get some inner thoughts from him and get to see just how he thinks and even what he thinks of his master.
I would definitely recommend this book as it’s written great and you like the character better than when you had previously seen him in the movies. Well worth it and will get you even more hooked on the Star Wars books.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explains the time before, in-between, and ending of Darth Maul from Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Even if you didn't like the movie, the Expanded Universe material on him is very interesting, since he died at the end of the movie... supposedly.

It explains his training, his relationship with his master, his plans to end the Jedi, his birth planet and how Lord Sidious snatched him (but not the complete picture... see the novel called Darth Plagueis,) how he got his double-bladed lightsaber, his dealings with the Neimoidians, their resourcefulness in tracking down the Queen and her Jedi, h the brawls involved in getting close enough to attempt to assassinate the Jedi and the Queen, how he didn't defeat Qui Gonn Jinn from the first encounter on Tatooine,the explanation of the final battle between the two Jedi and himself told through his Master's vision, and his Master's plot to ascend to the Chancellorship of the Galactic Republic.

Lord Sidious ends the journal entry by finding the journal, reading it, and completing it with a summary of the basic plots of the movie, what he wrote in his journal, and his untimely death.

[Sable Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. It allowed for more creative scenes throughout as Maul was not heavily featured in the movies.
The book is written from a current perspective, but it fits better than other Journal type books as it's stated it's being written as events happen/finish instead of waiting until what would be the end of the movie to reminisce on previous events. It details parts of Maul's Sith training in between events featured and not featured on screen.
Does a good job of detailing the ruthlessness of the Sith in a relatively easy to understand while not overly graphical and gorey in description.

[Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't feel like a journal to me, and also felt like it summarized too much. So I guess it felt somewhere between a journal and a novel, and it just didn't work out for me. There's another Darth Maul book that clearly used a lot of this book as it's basis. That one's really good. So If you're interested in seeing things more from Darth Maul's view I suggest checking that one out instead. It is "The Wrath of Darth Maul" by Ryder Windham

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again this journal details what happens in the "Phantom Menace" from this character's point of view. This book is perhaps more interesting than the others, as Darth Maul does not play a bit part in the main story, but is more of a shock weapon.

Having said that, he also dies in the story (not great spoiler) so the story is finished by Darth Sidious.

[Matthew Juffs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, providing more background to Maul. The other two journals are literally retellings of The Phantom Menace from different points of view, but due to Maul not having much screen time, this one is able to flesh out his background more. All Maul stories to date have been great, showing how fearless and menacing he is. He's the true Phantom.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this "journal" as much. It doesn't read like an actual journal, though it does still have the Jude Watson shine. Additional scenes aren't just there to add pages - they actually add to Maul's characterisation. I will also admit to being disappointed that the pages are normal paper, not the pretty ones seen in the previous journals.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, of getting The Phantom Menace from Maul's perspective, especially since he barely gets to speak in the movie. I think this one probably gave the most new stuff out of the three Journals (Amidala, Anakin and Maul), for that reason.

[William Sariego · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published by the Scholastic Book Club it was obviously meant for a young audience. If I were an adolescent I would probably rate it a 4. The writing is so basic I want to cringe, but I like Maul as a character so I'll give it a 3 rather than a 2 rating.

[Sarah Colter]

I can't give this a real review because I read this initially after watching Episode One for the first time as a kid, then came across the listing today and was reminded that yes, I have been obsessed for over two decades with a character who has only two lines.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read. I bought this back in 2000 when it came out. Re-reading it in prep for the 3-D release of Episode I in theaters.

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Jude Watson does a good job writing. This book is a great perspective on Episode I and Darth Maul. It was a stroke of genius to have Emperor Palpatine finish the journal.

[Kane Fedde · Rating 1 out of 5]

At least the other two were about something

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a fabulous view into the mind of Darth Maul and Sidious during TPM. It was dark and bloody which honestly surprised me. It was deliciously evil. I enjoyed it very much!!

[Hang Mangpahang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so great, Darth Maul.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is silly but also entertaining. Another in my long line of "reading all the Star Wars books I can find," Darth Maul's Journal is one I remember reading as a child just after Episode I came out. And for a kid, it's great! The prose is simple without being simplistic, and Maul tells a pretty entertaining story that actually goes outside the realm of the film and gives us some cool scenes of him fighting pirates and his growth as a Sith apprentice. It also underscores just how much of a dick Palpatine is, but we all knew that. Anyway, this probably won't be very interesting to an adult, but a kid just discovering Star Wars? Absolutely. Particularly if this kid is into the Sith Lords more than the Jedi.

[Shawn Fairweather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very much of a stretch of the imagination here. Not only am I to believe that Darth Maul, one of the most menacing advisories of the SW universe has enough down time between all of his training and punishments handed down by Darth Sidious his master, that he has enough free time to write a journal by the minute of all of his actions, but I'm also to believe that Sidious would complete the journal for him after he dies? Thats as bad as the concept of having a trained killer being the focal point of a kids book...oh wait.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

i kinda just skimmed though this book, there was nothing interesting to read in it. the only thing i remember is that maul fought some student and got a leg injory, and the rest was really boring, and at the end the emporer finished the jornal because darth maul was dead. hey, i was only seven, give me a break.

[J.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this solely because of the author ~ she wrote the Jedi Apprentice series, which is just amazing, and even though I'm not a Darth Maul fan, I thought I'd give this a try. I have to say, the book really gives depth and meaning to a character otherwise relegated to two dimensions in the first movie.

[JP · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this my son recommended it, and then added that Darth Maul reminded him of an extreme version of me. Darth Maul trains constantly and pushes himself at every opportunity. Ultimately, his undoing was his solitary focus on revenge, which kept him from seeing an attack. I hope it's only the attitude toward self-improvement my son was seeing.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was much better than the other two journals about Amidala and Anakin, because there was a lot of information aside from what you see in the movie. But still... it does not deserve to be called "good".

[Jeneé · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite out of the journals from episode 1. I think I liked this one so much because Darth Maul is such a mysterious character, nothing is really known about him or his backgroud. His personality in this book is surprising.

[Darryl Dobbs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Again. These journals were a bad idea.
And the thought of Darth Maul sitting down and filling out a journal is absurd. Thankfully I didn’t waste more than 90 to 120 minutes on each of these journals.

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Rory Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, very good insight into the dark side of the force

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides an interesting insight into Darth Maul's character and his training under Darth Sidious.