The Master of Disguise

Star Wars: Jedi Quest #4

by Jude Watson, David Mattingly (Illustrator), Alice Buelow (Illustrator)

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi find themselves caught on a hostile planet... and facing their most ruthless enemy yet, a master of disguise and a student of Sith lore, named Granta Omega.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Fantasy, Middle Grade

139 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of a series that is meant for the younger audience. This does tie in with the previous books so I would not consider this a stand alone novel. In this one, Anakin and Obi-Wan accompany another Jedi master and padawan on a rescue mission to a war ridden planet.

This one might be the weakest one of the series but it is still an likable read. The highlight of this book and of this series is the look into Anakin. I am the opinion that the movies didn't do the best job of the transition from Anakin to Darth Vader. I always felt like something was missing. This book and series is providing that missing piece. This book does a great job at showing how Anakin is prideful in his abilities and how he believes his strength in the force puts him above other padawans. Even though he is stronger it is a thin line between being prideful and arrogance. I also like how this book showcases the antagonist we will be dealing with for the foreseeable future. The weak part of this book was the mission as it fell to a secondary plot.

Even though this entry wasn't the strongest it is still worth a read in a series that I am enjoying. Even though it is meant for the younger audience everyone can enjoy it as it is a terrific look into Anakin Skywalker.

[vicky. · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is the WORST because it shows how easily angry and insecure anakin is willing to trust any adult that treats him with a minimum of kindness WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN WILL PALPATINE.
IT'S EVEN WORSE BECAUSE OBI-WAN CARES ABOUT HIM BUT NEITHER KNOWS HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER I HATE IT HERE!1!1!!!!!

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Master of Disguise by Jude Watson - Fourth book within the Jedi Quest series

Challenging, emotional, informative, reflective,
sad, and tense.

Fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are t by e main focus? Yes

4.0 Stars

This Star Wars: Legends book was a lot of fun to read. it had stakes, a hidden enemy, and the wonderful banter between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The main story is the growth of Anakin Skywalker, along with his struggles with the antagonist. 

I loved how Obi-Wan taught Anakin, and how Anakin listened and watched his master dealt with things that did not go their way.

The antagonist is slippery and stealthy, which will continue on within this series.

I'm having fun with the Jedi Quest series, but I'm also looking forward to just reading adult novels, instead of these middle grade novellas. 

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set in 25BBY

No. Just no.

[Cress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why did a grown adult grab Anakin and basically tell him he'd never be a good Jedi? Gee, no wonder he fell to the dark side, I would, too, after that. 😭

3.5/5

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, Anakin. Anakin is faced with a desire to protect his friends and the belief that he is more qualified to defend them than they are to defend themselves. Trouble is, this isn't always true, and acting on this instinct causes some problems. Anakin's ego is under attack in this book, and Soara Antana is the one to do it. And she sees his problems with anger. She shows him his flaws, and he understands with his head, but he knows how much harder it is to put into practice. Unfortunately, I know he never really does. This book isn't so much of a self-contained plot as the previous books in the series. It furthers Anakin's journey (which isn't exactly a good thing) and really sets off things regarding Granta Omega. Omega by his nature causes lessons about discernment to enter the book. Wolves in sheep's clothing are hard to spot and even more dangerous for that.

There's a little more about the Force here, which isn't always completely compatible with Christianity, but you expect that out of Star Wars. And honestly, Jude Watson's books do less in the way of Force lessons than the movies. But it's still there.

And Darra. She's my favorite Expanded Universe character. I love her sense of humor. She's in this book, though not enough, IMO. I'm glad to see her again, though. I finally understand some of the references in The Final Showdown.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enemy from their past seeks to corner a valuable medical market. As their investigation continues, Master Kenobi and Anakin discover that a Sith cult threatens the Republic.

In 'The Master of Disguise', Watson continues to explore the shadows inside Anakin Skywalker and begins to paint the signposts that inevitably lead to Darth Vader.

[Teri Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoosh! Swoop! Splat!!

While reading this book I strongly recommend you remember to breathe. I have chewed my tongue and the inside of my mouth. Not gonna tell you who is who, but don't trust anyone.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book is a complete mess.

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obi-Wan: Anakin is so talented and tries so hard but he has no friends :(

Everyone else who ever gets close to Anakin: Sweet FORCE this kid is going to kill us all one day.

So. Now we know that Granta Omega is a Sith cultist, desperately trying to attract Palpatine's attention. What a weirdo.

The most interesting part of this book was seeing Anakin train with another master, and the exercises she put him through. And the conclusion she reached, that he is dangerous.

Anakin is just a teenage boy, and if you didn't know his future, you could imagine that his frustration and anger are just typical of being a teenage boy. But normal teenage boys don't have the ability to harness the life force of the universe, I guess. Being well-adjusted is a matter of life and death for the Jedi.

[rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. Easy three stars. It didn’t stick out to me like the others. A lot of people are calling this the weakest book of the series and I can see where they’re coming from. Everyone is dissing Anakin for being too trusting but I feel like a lotta people forget he’s a kid in these books and trusted Palpatine when he was like 22, and we know how well that turned out.

This book was just like a slice of foreshadowing. It’s a glimpse of Anakin being too trusting and then proceeding to not learn his lesson and trust Palpatine for being kind further down the line. It’s just ironic that people are dogging on Anakin now for this book but are more lenient with him later down the line because Palpatine had more time to manipulate Anakin.

Regardless, getting too much into it. This book was just ‘ok.’ Nothing stuck out but nothing was awful.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

In their search for Granta, Obi-Wan and Anakin split up, with Anakin staying behind at the temple. Obi-Wan follows up some leads.
While at the temple, Anakin receives training from another Jedi Master and it's through this training that we start to see the Dark Side manifest in Anakin. That was the awesome part of the story.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Jedi Quest novel (sans Dana Carvey cameos, thankfully) that introduces a new villain. Everything fans have come to love about Jude Watson's Star Wars novels is once again contained in The Master of Disguise.

[TheGeeksAttic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off with action right away. A rescue mission with hostilities close behind. I quickly grew concerned with this one. While it started out good, it started to disappoint about half way through. Yet, the story picked back up toward the end. The story wasn't bad at all, I didn't care for some of the things that Anakin went through. In this story he's depressed, dissatisfied with himself.
Anakin also struggles with betrayal. Kenobi fears for the connection that Anakin briefly had with the enemy, making him fear this enemy even more.

This book ties in pretty good with book two, the Trail of the Jedi. It's neat that the books in this series (at least so far) aren't just one story telling a singular plot, obviously the series is going to be connected, but having the different adventures with different plots, has been nice (so far).

One thing I didn't care for was the way the Jedi Council felt about the situation of *Omeega, the villain in this tale. They really didn't care to do anything about him. Mace Windu was even open to the idea of letting the guy fulfill his desire in becoming so wealthy that the Sith would seek him out. In turn the Jedi would learn who the Sith is.

So do I recommend the forth Jedi Quest book? Yes!

RATING
I give Jedi Quest: The Master of Disguises, a B+.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Master of Deception is, I think, the turning point for this series. The first 3 books were set up novels to get to this point. And honestly, I like where Watson is taking Jedi Quest. Chronicling Anakin’s struggle with his training, throwing in a threat to the Jedi Order, and turning the story into something a bit more dark than typical “YA” fare of the time this was written, makes for a surprisingly fun, albeit short, read.

This series isn’t exactly perfect and it has many of the cliches and issues that these kind of books have, but, overall, I can’t complain.

Watson has a real grasp of what makes Star Wars so great and it’s really begun to show in the Jedi Quest series. Of course, having read the entirety of The Last of the Jedi series, I knew Watson is criminally underrated (because of her target audience), but it’s nice to see that those Last of the Jedi books weren’t a fluke. It’s also nice to see a Star Wars novel free of the political correctness and stupid “contemporary” issues that’s have plagued the new “adult” canon stuff.

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5!

The Master of Disguise continues Anakin and Obi-Wan's story, and this time they are dealing with an old enemy (good old Granta Omega ) and a planet torn by a bloody civil war. Anakin is forced to face one of his biggest flaws, his overconfidence in his abilities and his belief that he is better than the other padawans around him, when something goes semi-severely wrong on a mission. This was a good addition to the series and I liked all the stuff with the villain.

I also liked seeing Anakin learn about evilness and darkness, and how sometimes it's not easy to tell if a person is good or not, not even if you have the Force. The combination of evil and charisma is something Anakin will fall for later on (*cough* Palpatine *cough*) but in this book he is only learning that not all evil or bad people come wrapped in dark cloaks and cackling evil-y.

It was great to have Darra and Soara Antana back again. I like them both a lot, especially Darra, so I am always very happy to be reading about them. Soara especially was given a lot more time in this book and through his interactions with Darra and Anakin, a softer, warmer side to her was shown.

[Roz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like these books (both the Jedi Apprentice series and the Jedi Quest series) just prove that the Jedi don't know how to teach children/teens in a healthy manner. The way that Soara just refused to continue teaching Anakin after he used anger when fighting Ferus was so frustrating. You don't just label a child a failure and a danger after you see them fuck up once. Like no wonder Anakin was such a hot mess in AotC if this is how he's being taught to manage his emotions and how adults are responding to his missteps. I've always hated the fact that Jedi only accept toddlers, because it means not a single one of them learned how to handle and respond to personal injustices and difficulties as opposed to more impersonal social injustices that don't involve them. Basically, Anakin was done dirty and the Order straight up set him up to fail because they were too rigid and narrow-minded in their teaching.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dangerous Master of Disguise & Worthy Opponent

This book is the fourth entry in the Jedi Quest series. We continue to delve deeper into Anakin Skywalker's padawan training and his relationship with Obi-Wan, fellow padawans and other masters. I love how Jude Watson interweaves other padawans, both friend and foes, continually in the stories. Here Anakin receives an unexpected taste of the dark side in the return of a charismatic foe, and trains with another master for a while. The villain is worthy of being added to the films. A Moriarty like being who hates the Jedi, but is find of Anakin. This admiration confuses the young padawan. A great chase tale that is not easily solved. We will be hearing from this foe again. An exciting, fast paced read.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books about young Anakin tend to bring up moments where it is clear that his emotions are in the way, and it's something that is regularly noted and then forgotten about by other Jedi. Maybe not so much forgotten, but thought of as we're working on it perhaps. Anakin seems to have a lot of leeway because of his strength in the force, when really he should probably have less. That is of course from the jedi's standpoint. Not from a person one. It just seems really weird to me that he didn't get pulled aside and taught by someone else for a while or simply kicked out of the order like others have been.

Anyway, I enjoyed the book. Just when the Jedi turn a blind eye to Anakin's anger it always drags me out of the story a bit.

[Jeremiah Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average story, but great characters

The story was nothing special. It wasn't bad, just average. Overall, it was nothing we haven't read previously. It did set up some plot points for future novels, so hopefully those will pan out well.
The characters were very well done however. Jude has a gift for writing Anakin. The turmoil and conflict inside him is very interesting.
The villain in the story is also very likable. He is a much better bad guy than Xanatos was in the Jedi Apprentice series.

[Shiloh Peacemaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how they show how Anakin is struggling with Obi-Wan as a padawan. I love how it shows how torn and confused he is Padawan. He wants to be accepted so badly by Obi-Wan, and know he is doing well. I love this series!

I realized I hadn't read this book yet, but it was in my library bag. I overlooked it. So I read it on my day off.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, the more I read about how the different Jedi masters interact with Anakin, the more his fall to the dark side makes sense. Anakin has a difficult personality, and is put in a difficult position as the 'chosen one'. But the way that others interact with him only makes things worse.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the ongoing series "Jedi Quest".

With a title of "The Master of Disguise" you just know that one of the characters is going to be unmasked, Scooby-Doo like by the end of the book, and sure enough it happens.
Obi-Wan and Anakin are trying to stop a civil war on a planet whilst still searching for Granta Omega. Yes these two things overlap. Good short read in the series.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. That first chapter is chilling and haunting. The rest of the book never quite hits the same level of eerie and nightmarish horror. I enjoyed getting more of Jocasta Nu. Anakin gets some good character development. Grants Omega is a very interesting villain. I like that this series is showing that not all villains look or sound evil when you meet them. They can masquerade as good guys.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one I’m pretty sure I read as a kid and wasn’t really vibing with it so much back then. Having just read it again, I still feel the same way. Doesn’t quite grab me the way the first three books did. There’s not really a morale I gravitated toward like in the others. Also funny how this came out the same year as the Master of Disguise film.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book that sets up a new antagonist. The parts with Anakin's training and Obi Wan's investigations are highlights, but at the end this one feels a bit repetitive taking too many tropes and elements from the previous books in the series.

[Kat V · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is interesting to me how many of these missions involve multiple teams of Jedi instead of just one. I appreciate the return of Granta Omega and look forward to his return in other books as well. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5, definitely worth a reread.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started quite strongly, with us readers thrown straight into the action on a world beset with civil war, but things went downhill during the Granta Omega investigation. That should have been exciting. Alas, no. Even the shorter length didn't ease my frustration with the storyline.

[Samuel Saul Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand that Anakin was allowed to begin training because of Qui-Gon but the more I read about him the more red flags become glaringly obvious and I don't understand why nothing was done about it.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

フォースに強い興味をもつグランタ・オメガの正体をつかもうと調査しまくるオビワンとええひとに違いないと信じてたらオメガに騙されたことにショックをウケるアナキン。

英語多読のためといいながら読む速度がガクーンと落ちている。
反省。

このオメガがクワイガン殺害の背後にいたとか云々設定に「そーだっけ？あら？？？」とかなりつつそうかレジェンドだからしょうがないのか的な。

オメガよりも他のジェダイマスターに失望されてしまったことの方がなんというかアナキン的にはピンチなような。