Darkest Knight

Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights #5

by Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta

Visiting their friend Lowbacca on the Wookie home world to help him prepare his younger sister for a terrifying rite of passage, Jedi twins Jacen and Jaina confront dark Jedi student Zekk, who is raiding the Wookie computer center

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

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Yes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.

I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.

I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.

My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.

Reviews

[CS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

3 or 4 stars…it’s not as bad as The Lost Ones, but there’s enough silliness, especially after The Lightsabers, that 4 stars almost feels too bloated. Maybe I’ll get a better idea in the morning.

Full Review:

The threat of the Shadow Academy and the 7000th version of the Empire is imminent - so that makes a perfect time for Lowbacca to return home to Kashyyyk and aid his sister, Sirrakuk, in her “coming of age” event - basically when Wookiee teens head to the underbelly of Kashyyyk to grab threads from a dangerous Syren plant to prove they are adults. Sirra’s best friend disappeared during hers so Lowie is concerned about his own sister. Naturally, Jaina, Jacen and Tenel Ka tag along.

This book has me a bit stumped; coming after the fantastic “Lightsabers” probably doomed this book to mediocrity, because I don’t think you could go anywhere but down after “Lightsabers”. That said, this isn’t as meaningless and irritating as “The Lost Ones”, so I am left agonizing between those damn 3 and 4 stars.

The plot of this book is fairly tenuous; I struggle to understand why now, just before a major battle, is the time for us to get to know Lowbacca’s background more. And also how convenient the timing is - the young Jedi happen to be on Kashyyyk at the exact time of Zekk’s attack. I get that Kashyyyk has always been established as a hub for computer parts but nonetheless, the coincidences bends willing suspension of disbelief.

And honestly, I don’t think this book does a good job at either task at hand - it doesn’t do nearly as good a job at building Lowbacca’s character as “Lightsabers” did for Tenel Ka and as for moving the Shadow Academy plot, it really just tread water - it’s obvious the authors were waiting for the next book to give us the actual conflict. Even though the twins see Zekk again, nothing of any substance happens, can happen, because this isn’t the book where the battle can happen. Instead, we have chase scenes and a LOT of our teens killing various characters (for the first time!) with no issue! I know in the previous book, the were attacked by a hive mind, but somehow, I interpreted that attack as akin to one by assassin droids - in this book, these are sentient beings and no one seems to care that they killed anyone! Zekk showed more remorse in the last book and he’s supposedly a bad guy! It’s very similar to how in the Disney trilogy, Finn has no trouble blasting fellow stormtrooper after fellow stormtrooper - weren’t they people like him? Didn’t he have friends amongst them? Oh I forgot, they are stormtroopers and it’s totes OK to kill them with no regard for their lives. Cue eye roll.

And yet with all that complaining, I make this sound absolutely horrible - which it isn’t. I said earlier that it’s not nearly as pointless as “The Lost Ones” and I mean it. Sure, Lowbacca doesn’t get the development of Tenel Ka - but that doesn’t mean what he got is nonexistent or without any merit. The plot is silly and kinda convenient, but it’s not so out there that I couldn’t eventually let it be and just enjoy what was there. It is a kid book after all…and people are constantly telling me I take these books too seriously.

This is a book that would be a solid 3.5 stars - it’s not terrible, but it’s not the best either. I’ll be interested to see how this plot gets resolved as well as rediscovering this entire series to see if it gets better…or nosedives.

[Jess Neuner · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're already very familiar with Jacen and Jaina's family, and we've met Tenel Ka's family in Lightsabers, so now it's Lowbacca's turn. His sister is about to undergo a rather dangerous rite of passage and he's worried that she'll try to do it alone and get herself killed. So, our group of friends take their purloined Shadow Academy shuttle to Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, where we meet Lowie's family. Well, the rest of his family - we already knew his uncle, the famous Chewbacca.

Naturally, this can't just be a nice, family visit. Lowie's sister has her rite of passage coming up, which takes place in the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk and is filled with dangerous animals and plants. And then there's the Shadow Academy up to its usual mischief, sending Zekk on a mission to Kashyyyk to steal some parts they need for something evil and to take out Jacen and Jaina if he can. Since this is book 5 of 14 of a series meant for young adults, it's no spoiler that he doesn't kill off the main characters, but they still have to deal with the fact that their friend has turned to the dark side and is now actively trying to kill them.

I don't much like Zekk. And not just because he chose the dark side. So his friends didn't notise that he could use the Force. They may be powerful, but they're hardly Jedi masters, barely trained in how to use it themselves, so of course they missed his Force abilities. Turning to the dark side and trying to kill them seems a bit of an overreaction to me. I understand wanting to take advantage of newly discovered abilities and to find your own place in the galaxy, but I just can't relate to the way he goes about it. I assume he'll figure out that this path isn't really for him pretty quickly in the next few books. Maybe I'll like him better then?

The underworld of Kashyyyk was definitely interesting. Even without the threat of the Shadow Academy and Lowie's sister's rite of passage, the underworld is exciting and dangerous enough by itself and our Jedi trainees need to use all of their wits and skills to not die when they inevitably head down there. Each of them has their own strengths that are put to the test and they all rise to the challenge, wanting to protect their friends and family. Even Jacen, master of the stupid 'dad' jokes that make no one laugh, let alone serious Tenel Ka, means business when confronted with genuine danger.

We meet the 'Emperor' of the Second Imperium. I'm not sure whether I think he's a clone, or someone disguising themselves as the Emperor, or what, but I'm rather certain that I don't think it's the actual Emperor Palpatine somehow returned. That would be a bit more serious than a teen series warrants, but perhaps I'll find out I'm wrong in the next book, which will probably see Yavin 4 attacked by the Shadow Academy, as per Zekk's warning to Jaina.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bases on the description I had expected more of a confrontation. Not really- there is one but only a brief one.
Still I loved this book. We get to learn a lot more of Lowbacca (FINALLY) and his homeplanet. This was the first S.W. book I read that describes Kashyyk. There is a new fiend in this one. One I thought long dead. Watching Tamith Kai and Zekk together is quite interesting.I liked the light romantic hints and undertones in this one. Not in the traditional sense but in how these characters feel for one another.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm worried my opinion of these Young Jedi Knight books are dependant on what I read around the same time. The first ones I read after The Crystal Star and some other pretty bad books, and I rated them fairly high. This one I read after a string of 5-star reads and I don't have much positive to say about it.

The main thrust of the story is that Lowbacca's sister is coming of age, so the titular Young Jedi Knights, accompanied by Chewbacca, go to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to participate in whatever cultural ritual is involved.

For a 25 year old YA book, Darkest Knight is serviceable at best. What really bothers me is how uninspired Kashyyyk is. It is not what we've seen in the Holiday Special—I understand that piece of media was taboo at the time—nor is it what we see in the yet unreleased Episode III. Instead, it's Coruscant, but trees, but also not. It has that Coruscant deep levels with no sunlight (not entirely unlike the Holiday Special) but the top floor where everyone lives is like big ol pollution belching factories just kind of set on top of the trees. Everything is giant laser batteries and metal facilities (all of which must've been flown in since I don't imagine they do any mining on a planet where they can't get to the ground).

And how do they travel from factory to factory? Not by vine, or a Kashyyyk native beast of burden, or even speeders. No, instead they travel on Bantas (a creature from a desert planet) that are driven by Sullustans (beings from a volcano planet). And they use this mode of transport like three or four times. They could've used something unique and interesting, really used their imagination, but at every chance chose not to.

Also, despite this being a book about Chewbacca's family, this novel doesn't mention any of his family that existed before this series, and instead gives him a sister that's brand new. Itchy and Lumpy and Malla erasure.

Last novel I talked about how these literal children murdered people with Lightsaber without hesitation or second thought. In this book we do a full 180 on that. Lightsabers are referred to once as laser machetes, and that's all they're ever used for. Despite the novel opening with a Lightsaber training session, the YJK never fight with the weapons the whole book through. Not when faced with Stormtroopers, or Night Sisters, or even when the eponymous Darkest Knight shows up and ignites his red saber, no one ever swings at anyone else. It's a real whiplash of a change. There is a moment where a Night Sister gets covered in lube then falls to her death. She cracks her head on a tree branch and it's easily as brutal as if she had simply been cut down.

Some things I do like: the Second Imperium is very intriguing. Qorl is always a fan favorite. Brakiss is very Saturday cartoon villain. Sensory Deprivation Emperor is super interesting. Can't wait to see what hatches from that chrysalis. Zekk is by far the best concept, but sadly the worst execution.

The idea that these literally royal children with magical powers had a street orphan friend that their rich family that controls the Galactic government never supports or rehomes or does anything for this kid, is so wild. Then, when the royal babies leave to go to magic school, the urchin finds out he also has magic powers yet he isn't invited to the good kids school, he has to go to the evil school. That's so compelling. He has more reason to be evil than almost every villain in all of Star Wars, yet he's so conflicted. The worst thing he does is be all like "my friends are gonna shoot up your school next week. You better not be there."

I hope these pick up after this little slump. I like the ideas, I love the characters, I'm just not enthused by the books themselves. I think the strongest bits are the parts at the school itself, and its surroundings.

Anyway, that's my essay on this children's novel from 1996.

[Adam Kiewel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as enticing as the last few entries, but still a good story

[elef · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

such a short and sweet book but genuinely don't understand how these kids have been living with chewbacca for FIFTEEN YEARS but still doesn't understand his language😭😭

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaina/Zekk angst much?

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short and sweet book from the dynamic duo Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.

I don't remember reading this book when I first read through the young jedi knights, but it's ok that I missed it. It sets up the grand finale of "Jedi Under Seige", but for the most part, you could read that book and miss this one.

What this book does well is further establish the relationship between Zekk and Jaina. He was friends with both the twins, but Jaina is really Zekk's good friend and it pains him to have to fight her.

This book also explored Kashyyyk, which was fun. However, the book was so short that the reader couldn't get a full understanding of the planet.

My biggest problem is that this series feels constrained to be between 200-220 pages long. The editors really wanted to hit the target and therefore didn't focus as much on story or worldbuilding as much as page count.

The reason this book only gets 3 stars is that unlike it doesn't have the deep themes like "Lightsabers" did and doesn't have the cool action, drama, and potential that "Lost Ones" and the "Shadow Academy" had. However, I believe it was better crafted and more enjoyable than the first book "Heirs to the Force".

As a whole, ok, but not great. 6.0 out of 10. I really look forward to reading the finale to this series, as I've never read it before.

[Trevor Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Young Jedi Knights series continues to be some of my favorite Star Wars media of the '90s. While some readers seem to bemoan it for one reason or another (in spite of it having been written for children), the series continues to dig into some of the expanded Star Wars lore and root out genuine reactions to the series' central conflicts and philosophical ideas.

That's not to say that Darkest Knight is the deepest of books, but it does present an interesting look at Kashyyyk (which has been explored quite a bit in 1996), and at least confronts some ideas of generational conflict and the conflict between light and dark as regards the Force and its influence on the main characters. The action in this book feels particularly breezy, with some surprising turns and a very swift-moving plot pace.

I still think this series is my favorite of all of the '90s media, even if it may not be the "best" of the saga's books to date. But I have the most fun with these books and this one was no exception.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darkest Knight by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. This is #5 in the Young Jedi Knights middle grade series.

Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel Ka join Lowbacca on a trip to his home planet of Kashyyyk. Lowbacca is making this trip home to support his sister with a decision she needs to make while undergoing the Wookiee rite of passage.
Meanwhile, Zekk, while continuing his Dark Jedi training, has been given a rite of passage of his own.

The story moves quickly and is quite engaging. The main characters are teenagers and sometimes their decisions reflect that, but overall these characters continue to grow as this series goes on.

I really enjoyed reading and learning more about the Wookiee home world of Kashyyyk.
The only very small detractor for me was the chapter pacing. They were anywhere from two to fourteen pages in length; not a huge deal I know, but still noticeable for me.
I really liked this one and would highly recommend it. I gave it 4 stars.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darkest Knight continues where Lightsabers left off, and by that, I mean that this series had finally evolved from a simple YA series to something a little bit more dark and intense.

Obviously it’s still Star Wars and it’s still meant for 5th graders so the violence that this series could embrace is missing, but at least Anderson and Moesta have finally gone from the twins being bumbling new Jedi to actually using their force powers appropriately.

The story has also gotten better as the first story arc begins to wind down. The Shadow Academy is finally a legit threat (even if the few times they’ve done things, they’ve been very mild successes) and it’s looking like the last book of the original 6 (Jedi Under Siege) might be a satisfying conclusion after all. I guess we will have to see...

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 5th Young Jedi Knights book, Lowie is concerned for his sister who is about to undergo a dangerous Wookiee tradition. He, along with his friends Jacen and Jaina Solo, Tenel Ka, and his uncle Chewie head to Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, so that Lowie can reconnect with his sibling at this critical time. But unbeknownst to them, the Shadow Academy is planning an attack on Kashyyyk. An attack that will be lead by Jacen and Jaina's once friend, Zekk.

I am slowly but steadily making my way through this series in German because it's out of print in English but I can still get the ebooks in German. German is not my first language and this particular installment was a little harder for me than previous ones, but I still found the translation accessible overall.

The main strength of the Young Jedi Knights books are their sense of place and that holds true here. Yavin 4 is just about my favorite location in large part due to this series, and this specific installment visits Kashyyyk and gives it the same rich atmospheric treatment.

The pacing is good and it's nice to see Lowie interacting with his culture and family. Another solid installment in this thoroughly enjoyable kid's series.

[Braden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick read. Nothing groundbreaking in this one but I did think it was fun to explore Kashyyyk a little more. The author does well at staying consistent with the characters motivations and interests. It even seems like the books are aging up slightly with the MC’s (though definitely still YA). I do wish it could have had some commentary on the fact that several of our main characters explicitly take someone’s life in this book in some way but they never seem to be bothered by it. I understand the small page count and the intended audience but surely there could have been a mention of some feelings. Overall not a big deal but a thought. I’m interested to see how things wrap up with this arc in the next book.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit underwhelming, but there are some good parts. Banthas being here does feel a bit out of place, and the heavy Wookiee presence places some limitations on what they can do with dialogue. Raises the stakes further with some honestly pretty brutal moments, but a bit of a let-down after how good Lightsabers was.

The Imperium faction isn't particularly captivating still - particularly the Nightsisters - but I guess a lot of them don't really do anything. Zekk is a good foil though, setting things up nicely for the final choice he'll inevitably have to make - even if the 'confrontation' between him and Jaina in this volume is a bit underwhelming.

[Amalia Dillin]

Lightsabers was Tenel Ka's book but this one is Lowie's and I LOVED going back to Kashyyyk and seeing Wookiee civilization. I am LOLing at the fact that they imported Banthas to ride along the wide branches of the Wroshyr trees. Also, I'm not like, mad about it, but the fact that the wookiees don't live exclusively in the treetops in the New Canon is a real missed opportunity imho, so returning to the old canon Kashyyyk was bittersweet, as far as realizing what details of worldbuilding we lost along the way.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another filler episode while the overarching plot takes the back burner. While the first entry in the series captured me with the possibilities posed by the idea of a boarding school type of series based in the Star Wars universe, as the series progresses, I'm having a hard time investing. This feels firmly rooted in the pre-Potter world of young adult lit, and, for as much as that series has its flaws, it's ultimately a much better execution of a very similar concept.

[M I · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute. i like that we have this arcs for the side characters, although I do feel Tenel ka's was done better.

like the setup for the next book.

BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT A DIVA ANAKIN IS??!?! HE LITERALLY EXPLAINED TO TENEL KA HOW TO BRAID HER HAIR AND THEN SHOWED HOW HE HAD DONE IT WITH HER MOTHER. OMG I LOVE HIM PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tacky villains with flimsy motivations as well as character quarks and cheesy catchphrases that have long expired their usefulness - especially Tenel Ka's - belly a genuinely entertaining adventure that winds throughout Kashyyyk from its upper tree branches to its lower Shadowlands

[Patrice Cazeault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lu à voix haute avec Fiston.

J'adore ces moments de lecture. Mon fils à 11 ans et je trouve tellement important de créer cet espace, de partager des univers, d'explorer et d'échanger sur nos impressions.

[little_pangolin · Rating 2 out of 5]

lmao these books are so dumb

but truly the worst part is the fact that all of the conversations between lowie and his sister are described rather than directly translated

i do however love a) zekk and b) brakiss.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for Wookies and Kashyyyk.

Also, Palpatine may or may not be real.

[Ola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helt OK men se till att du har nästa bok i serien redo...

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. I really like Kashyyyk as a setting. Good setup for the final book.

[Jonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun adventure that does what it’s supposed to.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good

[Bridgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is getting better and better!!!

[Kam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3
My least fav out of YJK series so far. Just felt sorta dull and being on Kashyyyk wasn’t too interesting. I prefer when the kids are at the academy.

[Don Minus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story for LowBocca. It was a great adventure. It was a little slow in the middle but it finished on a high note.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kashyyk! Woot!