Kenobi's Blade

Star Wars: Junior Jedi Knights #6

by Rebecca Moesta

When Anakin's classmate and aspiring Jedi Uldir fears he is not learning fast enough, the discouraged youngster steals the Holocron, a powerful and ancient Jedi treasure, and Obi-Wan's lightsaber. Original."

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Ebooks, Young Adult, Space Opera

118 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Rebecca Moesta is the author of several science fiction books. Although born in Germany, Rebecca was born to American parents and raised in Pasadena, California, where she lived until her early twenties. Rebecca graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Cal State L.A.. and shortly after graduation married a former classmate from Caltech, becoming Rebecca Moesta Cowan.

In 1981, the couple moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where they lived for one year until they moved to Darmstadt, Germany, until 1987. In Germany Rebecca took graduate courses with Boston University and earned a Master of Science degree in Business Administration. During their stay in Germany she gave birth to her son, Jonathan, before moving back to the United States and settling in Livermore, California.

In 1989, Rebecca took a position at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a proof reader and copy editor. There she formed a science fiction club in which she met her future husband Kevin J. Anderson. She divorced her first husband in 1990 and married Anderson in 1991.

The couple started working together writing science fiction novels and to date has written two Titan A.E. young adult novels, two high-tech pop-up books and fourteen Star Wars novels, the Young Jedi Knights series. The couple owns and runs the company Wordfire, and Rebecca is currently working on several new projects, including copy editing her husband's works.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Easily one of the worst Expanded Universe books I've read.

[bookwormland · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Listen to me, I don’t have any family. No one cares if I get sent back home. But there are a lot of people counting on you to be a great Jedi Knight like your uncle. Don’t you see, I didn’t even know what a Jedi was a few weeks ago. It doesn’t matter if I’m returned to Tatooine. I don’t have a destiny to fullfill.”
“What you’re saying isn’t true,” Anakin interrupted her. “It’s true that I would be ashamed if I was sent back home, but we don’t know for sure that will happen. I believe in my heart that I’m meant to be a Jedi Knight. But so are you. Tionne and Uncle Luke wouldn’t have brought you to Yavin 4 if you weren’t strong in the Force. And even if you aren’t that important so the Sand People, you’re important to me. I’m your family now. I care about what happens to you. And there is no way I would let you take the blame for what we did together. We’re a team.”

I finished this series last night and loved it! Everything about it made me sad. Junior Jedi Knights series was really important to me, and I'll tell you a little bit about it. I'm sad because they're beautiful, but that's not enough. I don't think it ever will be. Their first meeting in the book was beautiful. Tahiri and Anakin were very courageous. Luke scared Anakin a little when he explained where his name came from. The fact that his grandfather's name was also Anakin and that he was a Dark Lord became Anakin's greatest fear. The second book, The Lyric World, is wonderful, and I love all the characters. That book really made me wonder about Melodies. Anakin and Tahiri were wonderful in Promises. Learning about Tahiri's past and her decision to stay at the Jedi Academy was wonderful. The last three books were great, too. I read them quickly and enjoyed them. I really liked Uldir, but his determination to become a Jedi was sometimes humorous. Anakin's greatest fear was turning to the dark side like Skywalker, so he wanted to go to Dagobah and take the test. I love Anakin and believe he is much stronger than Skywalker. In the last book, Uldir insists on becoming a Jedi again, which gets the team into trouble. I liked Uldir, too. It was a wonderful series filled with beautiful friendships.😭🤍🤍🤍

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final entry in the Junior Jedi Knights series sees Anakin and Tahiri actually not causing the inciting trouble for once. Their ever increasingly annoying wart of a friend Uldir continues to believe that he can be a Jedi simply by willing it to be. Thus, he takes up Mage Orlok's offer of scholarly Force teachings, thinking he can cut an easy path to Jedihood, and absconds with Kenobi's lightsaber and the Jedi Holorcon (found in the story previous) to the secret space station where Orlok is held up. Just as a quick aside, the entire series seems to be back and forth on what span of time it covers. At moments it seems to say months, at others it seems to suggest a shorter time? Regardless, it's a genuine wonder why Luke has allowed Uldir, the non-Force sensitive who's contributing nothing to the Axiom, to stay for as long as he has. I digress.

Through an overly protracted sequence, the heroes break onto the station and work to locate their wayward friend who's under the tutelage of Mage Orlok. Only Orlok isn't Force sensitive, either. He's using the silver notches on his robe to trigger fake occurrences of the Force to trick Uldir into thinking the boy himself is Force sensitive. Except Orlok has Kenobi's Blade. And the Holocron. So he's doing this for...reasons?

In a way Orlok and Uldir are perfect companions: annoying, tropey, and fraudulent in their own respects. It's at least a boon that Uldir wasn't directly lifted from some stilted caricature of a twentieth century mustachioed villain; that is to say, Orlok is annoying and barely contends a threat as a bad guy. However, Uldir's friends are visibly getting annoyed with his attitudes, especially Tahiri; sentiments that could be easily shared by the reader. If Uldir calls Ikrit "furrball" one more time, I'm going to lose it. He's a multihundred year old Jedi Master, it's as disrespectful as it is just a sheer annoyance.

A further step down from Vader's Fortress and two steps down from Anakin's Quest, Kenobi's Blade offers up a fine enough conclusion to the series and though it is unfortunate to see the fun little group of kids go (minus Uldir), they've been developed to return for bigger and better things soon to come. Something that's certain to be looked forward to.

Five out of ten falsified Force usages.

[T.R. Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the best thing in the world, but I had fun. I would trash some of these to hell if they weren't so short. If I had to read about a flamboyant magician stealing light-sabers for 600 pages I think I'd behead myself. But I can get through these things in no time. And as I've said before, I just really like Anakin and Tahiri, so seeing them go on little popcorn adventures is cool to me. Just thank god some of the crappier ones, like this, are very short.

[Adam Kiewel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book specifically had a pretty good ending, but the earlier parts dragged on a bit with very little happening. The series as a whole was pretty good, with anakin and tahiri being the best part, especially if you know what happens in later books. The problem is, just like the Boba fett scholastic series, the author changes halfway through. The first few books are great, layered and told so that young readers and older both can enjoy them. The last books in the series lose that nuance and become far more simplistic, with the plot and entertainment both suffering for it

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This final chapter in the Junior Jedi Knights series is fine, but it suffers because the story winds up being a Scooby Doo adventure. It winds up feeling more like a pastiche than a serious novel, even for younger readers. It could've gone out on a much better note -- we've had throwbacks to The Empire Strikes Back throughout the series, and it would've been cool to see Moesta use that more to her advantage -- but it winds up feeling weak and lame.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reveal is so thoroughly telegraphed that I remember wanting them to get on with it when I read this as a kid.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the nostalgia trip of this series (more than my recent nostalgia trip through the Jedi Prince series), and I'm really looking forward to seeing these characters show back up in later expanded universe books that will be new to me. Seems like a reasonable recommendation to either those who would be revisiting or for New Jedi Order completists.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the previous book was bad, but this book actually makes it look good in comparison.
Since they introduced the boy with no force potential at all the author seems to have completely forgotten about Anakin and Tahiri completely and instead focused the story in this completely in likeable character.
The only good thing about it is that this is the final book in the series.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uldir's a real shithead, but I guess he learns his lesson (and sets him up for his appearance in Emissary of the Void, so this really is important NJO prep reading.) But yeah, this whole circumstance is just contrived, but as it's a kid's book, I can't say it's actively bad the way certain other novels are.

Anakin and Tahiri's adventures are concluded (for now), onto Jacen and Jaina!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an action packed ending to the Junior Jedi series. I loved rereading this series, even though it is met for a younger age group. It’s so sad that Tahiri and Anakin never did fulfill their full potential together.

[Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. I didn't find the story particularly engaging, though It did pick up toward the end. If it hadn't been so long since I read the other books in the series it might have gone better for me, but I had not.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet ending to the series and Uldir's arc! Anakin and Tahiri, I will always love you <3 I'm excited (but also scared) to see where their stories will go in the future. I can't wait to read Young Jedi Knights and get to know Anakin's siblings!

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

And it comes to an end. It’s a fun series. Nothing spectacular and I prefer Jude Watson, but I’m glad to know little Anakin and Tahiri.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite of the series so far. Some great EU tieins and references here, with some great character development, good action and interesting plot.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still don't like Uldir as a character, but I can say it was interesting and unique to see a non-Force-sensitive character who still *really* wanted to be a Jedi and follow that journey.

[Kneesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice story. Uldir was annoying on the prior book, but he grew so much by the end of this one.. it's a feel good read.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luke is yet again called away for a few weeks, and Tionne and Ikrit are left to do the lessons. Why only those two? Are they solely for Tahiri, Anakin, and Uldir, or are they for the entire Academy? Where are the other adults? And, with that, where are the other students? I understand this is written for children and that Anakin and Tahiri aren’t often on Yavin 4 in this series, but there is no mention of any other Masters or students after the first book. Heck, this is the first one where any other adult working at the Academy is mentioned via the cooks.

*sigh*

The holograph and image Anakin develops sounds beautiful. And I love that Tionne is Tahiri’s surrogate mom, and Tahiri even considers the other as such.
I also like that Tionne invites the kids to join her in exploring the Holocron lessons.

They learn there is a Jedi library on Exis Station in the Teedio System. This is also a place where Count Orloc supposedly resdes.

Asi Krimsan of the Holocron says that her lessons are for Masters to teach to students being instructed in the ways of the Force. So Tionne leaves it be for when Luke comes back.
Uldir, however, is as impatient as any fourteen year old can be, and is irritatingly insistent on the fact that he can indeed use the Force.

The fact that he irritates me means Moesta wrote the young teen well ;)

He’s unwilling to accept the truth and believes Orloc can help him open the Holocron to learn how to use the Force.
Moesta makes it easy for the reader to see through Orloc, which actually makes me less irritated at Uldir.

Something that grated on me was the FUZZY GAMING CUBES that Tionne has that is centuries old.
*sighs again*

Despite the negatives, this was a 4-star book. There is a great lesson at the end about not only following your heart, but listning to people who have truly shown to care for you. It makes one confident in Uldir's future.

[Cyris Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall Series Rating: 3.5/5

I usually rate a series like this as a whole, so the following review considers all 6 novels.

I went in with low expectations because it's a children's series, but was pleasantly surprised! I really loved the characters and thought the adventures they went on were a lot of fun. Some great character development and lessons learned as well. I really like the character Tahiri Veila. Looking forward to seeing her story unfold.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine conclusion to the six-book series. I loved the fact that they took a piece of plot from the movies and expanded on it: I had wondered what became of Obi-Wan's blade left behind on the Death Star. Having retrieved it in book 5, the blade and a holocron are soon stolen and an adventure ensues to find them: their destination, a long-abandoned space station, once home to a Jedi archive. There is much of the same writing as in the previous five volumes and it is a tidy little story.

Having finished the series, now I can finally read the New Jedi Order! Yay! (This was a self-imposed thing for me; I wanted to read the stories in order of publication of course.) I wonder how much Anakin will have grown up by the time NJO starts, and I look forward to seeing him as a young adult and a future hero of the New Republic Jedi Corps.

[Darryl Dobbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for kids aged 6-9, I can't criticize because the books aren't aimed at me. They had the usual plot holes found in children's books, though these seemed to be bigger under the last three books (under Moestra) than the first three. An illusionist tricking two Jedi masters, for example. And then there was the annoying teenaged character who sulks and scoffs through every scene...
But I read them, in my ongoing quest to read all the SWU novels. Onward and upward!

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much to say about this. While the plot worked, it wasn't that great, and the villain was disappointing. The character of Uldir continues to be poorly handled. His friendship with Anakin and Tahiri is told about rather than shown, making the whole plot feel rather weak to me. All in all, this series was better than the Jedi Prince books, but not as good as most other Star Wars fiction.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

i remeber this book wasn't very good either.

[Christa Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun interlude.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should perhaps be titled Uldir's An Idiot, but it is a fine conclusion to Junior Jedi Knights.

Four stars.