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Star Wars: The Last of the Jedi #7
Secret Weapon
The latest installment in the bestselling Star Wars series!
Ferus Olin is playing a dangerous game. The Emperor wants to contain him. Darth Vader wants to destroy him. And the fate of the galaxy might hang in the balance.
Ferus Olin is playing a dangerous game. The Emperor wants to contain him. Darth Vader wants to destroy him. And the fate of the galaxy might hang in the balance.
149 pages, Library Binding
First published April 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 28, 2015
No full review, as I didn't do it for the previous ones.
Good for kids, but I feel Watson is starting to run out of steam/ideas. Things got silly in places - sillier than you would expect from her caliper of middle grade.
I do love how her characters have reappeared from Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest.
Good for kids, but I feel Watson is starting to run out of steam/ideas. Things got silly in places - sillier than you would expect from her caliper of middle grade.
I do love how her characters have reappeared from Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest.
March 3, 2023
Absolutely devastating. I hate it. I can't wait to read more.
March 10, 2025
Star Wars: Legends: The Last of the Jedi 07 Secret Weapon by Jude Watson
challenging emotional reflective sad tense
Fast-paced
Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.75 Stars
Reading Star Wars: Legends books within the Trump administration, is like witnessing the growth of the Empire...and seeking a Rebel unit to align myself to them.
Ferus Olin is in delusion. He believes that he can curry favour with the Emperor, while working for Darth Vader...and still be a agent for the Rebellion. When will the compromises be too much. It looks like this time it might have been too much, but maybe not. Ugh. Seeing a good person being corrupted right in front of your very eyes. Look at our own Congress in the USA (in the early part of 2025). We are seeing the Empire destroying our Republic right in front of our eyes...and very few are pushing back. So sad.
Hoping Trever can keep his heart in the Rebellion, and not just cave in, under the pressure of defeat, after defeat, after defeat. I feel for you Trever, for we are going through a similar thing in our own galaxy at this very moment.
Next up is Against the Empire. Here we go!
challenging emotional reflective sad tense
Fast-paced
Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.75 Stars
Reading Star Wars: Legends books within the Trump administration, is like witnessing the growth of the Empire...and seeking a Rebel unit to align myself to them.
Ferus Olin is in delusion. He believes that he can curry favour with the Emperor, while working for Darth Vader...and still be a agent for the Rebellion. When will the compromises be too much. It looks like this time it might have been too much, but maybe not. Ugh. Seeing a good person being corrupted right in front of your very eyes. Look at our own Congress in the USA (in the early part of 2025). We are seeing the Empire destroying our Republic right in front of our eyes...and very few are pushing back. So sad.
Hoping Trever can keep his heart in the Rebellion, and not just cave in, under the pressure of defeat, after defeat, after defeat. I feel for you Trever, for we are going through a similar thing in our own galaxy at this very moment.
Next up is Against the Empire. Here we go!
August 3, 2023
YA-aimed Lucasverse novels have a way of surprising me...but I'm afraid this one disappointed me. While it was easy enough to slip into the overall long-term story, I'm afraid I found the (far too many) characters rather thin in the characterization department. I also found the plot of the double-agent Ferus Olin rather implausible. On paper, a former Jedi in hiding, taking an awful risk to work for Vader and the Emperor should be fraught with tension...but this feels like a tea party by comparison. Where are the thrills and chills? I've never seen Vader & the Emperor characterized in such a blasé manner...even in YA fiction. I supposed my disappointment ultimately derives from the fact that this had the potential to be so much more than it is.
March 11, 2021
2.5 stars
This book was boring up until the last few chapters. However, I will say that Watson did her best to allow a relationship between Ferus and Roan and it was sooo apparent in this book, though im sure the publishers weren't going for it back then.
There was almost no action until close to the end of the book. The mystery of finding the "secret" weapon really didn't give us much. Of course fans will know what the secret weapon is, but in this book it just fell flat.
My heartstrings were pulled with the death and it definitely affects Ferus more than it should've if Roan was simply a "friend." Alas, I'm on to the next book.
This book was boring up until the last few chapters. However, I will say that Watson did her best to allow a relationship between Ferus and Roan and it was sooo apparent in this book, though im sure the publishers weren't going for it back then.
There was almost no action until close to the end of the book. The mystery of finding the "secret" weapon really didn't give us much. Of course fans will know what the secret weapon is, but in this book it just fell flat.
My heartstrings were pulled with the death and it definitely affects Ferus more than it should've if Roan was simply a "friend." Alas, I'm on to the next book.
January 9, 2023
In my opinion, these books just keep getting better and better as the plot thickens and the choices surrounding the early stages of the rebellion against the Empire grow more and more complex and Ferus begins to walk that morally gray line between the light and the dark. The ending was devastating and fabulous and I cannot wait to read the next one.
December 9, 2023
I think this is my favourite in the series so far!!
June 21, 2010
In keeping with Jude Watson's previous writing, Last of the Jedi #7 does an excellent job of moving the pace ahead and keeping suspense alive. The highlights of the overall plot included finding a new Jedi (familiar to readers of the Apprentice and Quest series), a return to Ferus' home planet, and the broadening of Ferus' latent Jedi abilities.
I was pleased to see a character list at the beginning of this book. Even if this were an adult series, the number of secondary and tertiary characters is becoming difficult to track.
Ferus' inability to discover Vader's true identity is maddening, but necessary... the question only remains of how this crisis will play out, with Ferus never knowing the secret or learning it but unable to pass it on (probably dying).
Again, as with the others of this and Watson's other series, it is age appropriate for grade schoolers and still fun for all SW fans to pick up yet a little more Expanded Universe knowledge.
I was pleased to see a character list at the beginning of this book. Even if this were an adult series, the number of secondary and tertiary characters is becoming difficult to track.
Ferus' inability to discover Vader's true identity is maddening, but necessary... the question only remains of how this crisis will play out, with Ferus never knowing the secret or learning it but unable to pass it on (probably dying).
Again, as with the others of this and Watson's other series, it is age appropriate for grade schoolers and still fun for all SW fans to pick up yet a little more Expanded Universe knowledge.
December 28, 2015
Holy goodness, what a story! This group of novellas follow Fenris Olin, a former Jedi Padawan who left shortly before the Clone Wars, and as such was sparred in Order 66. His rage at the Empire and pain at the loss of the Jedi who had raised and taught him for the first 18 years of his life fueled his rise as a rebel leader.
Now int he 7th installment he's deep undercover and doesn't have any backup. His real goals known only two a few (we're talking less than 10 people in the galaxy) pretty much everyone thinks he's turned traitor.
I had no clue where this book would lead, and what would happen. Each of these books get more and more unpredictable, and I had to just power through this book and devour every plot twist and turn. And where it leaves! I don't think I've read such a tricky situation so far in Jude Watson's Star Wars universe. I'm dying to get my hands on book 8 and find out how it's going to wrap up in just 3 more novellas!!!
Now int he 7th installment he's deep undercover and doesn't have any backup. His real goals known only two a few (we're talking less than 10 people in the galaxy) pretty much everyone thinks he's turned traitor.
I had no clue where this book would lead, and what would happen. Each of these books get more and more unpredictable, and I had to just power through this book and devour every plot twist and turn. And where it leaves! I don't think I've read such a tricky situation so far in Jude Watson's Star Wars universe. I'm dying to get my hands on book 8 and find out how it's going to wrap up in just 3 more novellas!!!
July 22, 2018
After the so-so Return of the Darkside I’m glad to see this series get back on track.
The stakes are higher and a lot of the lose ends from Darkside are beginning to get all tied together. The entire story is starting to really come together too, making all these books weave together in an epic tale. Add in more Vader, hints at the Death Star and the killing of a main character and Secret Weapon makes for one of the better stories in the series.
Watson’s Last of the Jedi series has consistently been a lot of fun to read and Secret Weapon continues with that excellent track record.
The stakes are higher and a lot of the lose ends from Darkside are beginning to get all tied together. The entire story is starting to really come together too, making all these books weave together in an epic tale. Add in more Vader, hints at the Death Star and the killing of a main character and Secret Weapon makes for one of the better stories in the series.
Watson’s Last of the Jedi series has consistently been a lot of fun to read and Secret Weapon continues with that excellent track record.
September 13, 2017
I am still nervous because I have all of these theories of how the last books are going to go down and I don't know how I feel.
Again - this is a middle grade book. I should not be this nervous...
Recommended 9+ for Star Wars violence.
Again - this is a middle grade book. I should not be this nervous...
Recommended 9+ for Star Wars violence.
January 6, 2019
Star Wars Legends Project #188
Background: Secret Weapon was written by Jude Watson and published in March 2007. It is the seventh book of the Last of the Jedi series, following Return of the Dark Side (my review).
Secret Weapon is set shortly after Return of the Dark Side, 18 years before the Battle of Yavin. The main characters are Ferus and Trever. All of the surviving supporting characters from the series so far (quite a few by this point) also appear, along with the Jedi Ry-Gaul. Darth Vader plays a major role, and Grand Moff Tarkin makes an appearance. Most of the action is set on Bellassa and Coruscant.
Summary: After his efforts on Samaria ended in disaster for the whole system, even Ferus's closest friends have questions about his allegiance. Now, he faces an even more difficult test when the Emperor wants him to return to his homeworld, a place where he is known as a symbol of successful resistance, and help convince his people to allow the Empire to take over their factories. Now reviled by many as a traitor, Ferus continues to try to sabotage the Empire's plans without revealing himself. And this time, the stakes couldn't be higher.
Review: The titular secret weapon is the Death Star, and this is never explicitly stated, though it is tangentially significant to the plot. I just want to make that clear from the outset. I know you probably suspected as much from the picture of Tarkin on the cover. You were correct. I really like the way Watson handles this. It's the perfect balance between laying some groundwork for future important Star Wars elements without leaning too heavily into it. We're still almost two decades out from a fully operational Death Star, and it would be absurd to know too much or progress too far at this point.
After the unexpectedly grim conclusion of the last book, Watson turns the head up considerably here. This is very early days for what will one day be a full-fledged Rebellion against the Empire, and things are not going well. There are a lot of major threads still to be resolved at this point, but this book does some very heavy lifting along that road and does it well.
This is also a novel (just, incidentally) that makes explicit (at least as explicit as you're going to get in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe) that Ferus Olin is one of the first, if not the first, openly gay characters in Star Wars. I really liked the way Watson handled this, and yay for representation! This adds just one more layer to Ferus's already fantastic character, and I love it.
I want to mention a brief complaint here, and this isn't really directed just at Watson because a lot of Star Wars authors do it and they need to knock it off. Behold this sentence: "It wasn't exactly a day in the space park when you had to stay and take it." Okay, look. If you're going to use Earth idioms in a Star Wars book, that doesn't have to be a big deal. Especially one like this that could still make sense in the Star Wars universe . . . unless you think you have to make it all Star Wars-y. There are two problems here: 1) It draws attention to itself as an adaptation of an idiom that isn't native to Star Wars, which is literally the opposite of what you wanted to do>. 2) What the heck is a space park?! THERE ARE PARKS IN STAR WARS! I think characters in this very book even visit one! But space parks? That's not a thing. Stop this. Stop it now.
One other minor aside, keeping in mind that this paragraph was written in 2007 about Bog Divinian, who does this remind you of: "He prided himself on loyalty, but basically that meant that others had to be loyal to him. He'd failed at every business he'd tried, but he turned out to be a genius at politics. Relying on his wealthy friends, keeping grudges, paying back favors, speaking sentences with all the right words but without any real meaning, he'd succeeded past anyone's expectations." Who knew, a decade on, that a few sentences from a Star Wars YA novel could feel so timely . . .
A-
Background: Secret Weapon was written by Jude Watson and published in March 2007. It is the seventh book of the Last of the Jedi series, following Return of the Dark Side (my review).
Secret Weapon is set shortly after Return of the Dark Side, 18 years before the Battle of Yavin. The main characters are Ferus and Trever. All of the surviving supporting characters from the series so far (quite a few by this point) also appear, along with the Jedi Ry-Gaul. Darth Vader plays a major role, and Grand Moff Tarkin makes an appearance. Most of the action is set on Bellassa and Coruscant.
Summary: After his efforts on Samaria ended in disaster for the whole system, even Ferus's closest friends have questions about his allegiance. Now, he faces an even more difficult test when the Emperor wants him to return to his homeworld, a place where he is known as a symbol of successful resistance, and help convince his people to allow the Empire to take over their factories. Now reviled by many as a traitor, Ferus continues to try to sabotage the Empire's plans without revealing himself. And this time, the stakes couldn't be higher.
Review: The titular secret weapon is the Death Star, and this is never explicitly stated, though it is tangentially significant to the plot. I just want to make that clear from the outset. I know you probably suspected as much from the picture of Tarkin on the cover. You were correct. I really like the way Watson handles this. It's the perfect balance between laying some groundwork for future important Star Wars elements without leaning too heavily into it. We're still almost two decades out from a fully operational Death Star, and it would be absurd to know too much or progress too far at this point.
After the unexpectedly grim conclusion of the last book, Watson turns the head up considerably here. This is very early days for what will one day be a full-fledged Rebellion against the Empire, and things are not going well. There are a lot of major threads still to be resolved at this point, but this book does some very heavy lifting along that road and does it well.
This is also a novel (just, incidentally) that makes explicit (at least as explicit as you're going to get in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe) that Ferus Olin is one of the first, if not the first, openly gay characters in Star Wars. I really liked the way Watson handled this, and yay for representation! This adds just one more layer to Ferus's already fantastic character, and I love it.
I want to mention a brief complaint here, and this isn't really directed just at Watson because a lot of Star Wars authors do it and they need to knock it off. Behold this sentence: "It wasn't exactly a day in the space park when you had to stay and take it." Okay, look. If you're going to use Earth idioms in a Star Wars book, that doesn't have to be a big deal. Especially one like this that could still make sense in the Star Wars universe . . . unless you think you have to make it all Star Wars-y. There are two problems here: 1) It draws attention to itself as an adaptation of an idiom that isn't native to Star Wars, which is literally the opposite of what you wanted to do>. 2) What the heck is a space park?! THERE ARE PARKS IN STAR WARS! I think characters in this very book even visit one! But space parks? That's not a thing. Stop this. Stop it now.
One other minor aside, keeping in mind that this paragraph was written in 2007 about Bog Divinian, who does this remind you of: "He prided himself on loyalty, but basically that meant that others had to be loyal to him. He'd failed at every business he'd tried, but he turned out to be a genius at politics. Relying on his wealthy friends, keeping grudges, paying back favors, speaking sentences with all the right words but without any real meaning, he'd succeeded past anyone's expectations." Who knew, a decade on, that a few sentences from a Star Wars YA novel could feel so timely . . .
A-
June 1, 2018
Fourth choice book Q4
This book was boring. there was almost no action until close to the end of the book. The mystery of finding the "secret" weapon was a plot which was boring. they use vader on the cover but he only appears for one chapter. Ferus should die in one of these books. Ferus is still the god jedi knight he is. The author is still trying to make ferus three dimensional and it fails. The conflict which happens is boring. The searching for jedi idea is almost never used. Most characters are two dimensional. All this book needs to get five stars is have ferus turn to the dark side
This book was boring. there was almost no action until close to the end of the book. The mystery of finding the "secret" weapon was a plot which was boring. they use vader on the cover but he only appears for one chapter. Ferus should die in one of these books. Ferus is still the god jedi knight he is. The author is still trying to make ferus three dimensional and it fails. The conflict which happens is boring. The searching for jedi idea is almost never used. Most characters are two dimensional. All this book needs to get five stars is have ferus turn to the dark side
July 5, 2021
The series continues to get better and more interesting as it goes. The cast of characters gets a bit longer and the road the series is taking could go various directions as the group of rebels begins to scratch the surface of a larger mystery of a major project of the Empire. It seems, however, that Ferus Olin will continue to be in a difficult situation as he plays double agent, for now. Olin does not seem to meditate much, or think much on developing his powers, which is sorely lacking in his character as he makes some questionable decisions that harm others. The author seems more comfortable as she goes. I give it four stars of five.
December 10, 2019
The Secret Weapon is Born
This was a heartbreaking chapter of the saga. Ferus learns what he is really up against and the fledgling resistance suffers major setbacks. Jude Watson created the most interesting twists and turns and takes things in a logical, yet unexpected direction. I personally love how she writes the game of power between Jedi and Sith. It will be interesting to see how things play out. Poor Trevor has loss hit him hard again. A thrilling edition of the series.
This was a heartbreaking chapter of the saga. Ferus learns what he is really up against and the fledgling resistance suffers major setbacks. Jude Watson created the most interesting twists and turns and takes things in a logical, yet unexpected direction. I personally love how she writes the game of power between Jedi and Sith. It will be interesting to see how things play out. Poor Trevor has loss hit him hard again. A thrilling edition of the series.
December 29, 2019
Lune's turn to hold the idiot ball, I guess.
Jude Watson's Twitter: I see them as married.
Ferus in the actual book: Brother
Huh. Ok, then.
Other than that, I feel like this is only half a book. The dun dun DUN moment at the end was predictable but also a relief that the plot is finally getting where it's been going.
Jude Watson's Twitter: I see them as married.
Ferus in the actual book: Brother
Huh. Ok, then.
Other than that, I feel like this is only half a book. The dun dun DUN moment at the end was predictable but also a relief that the plot is finally getting where it's been going.
October 27, 2023
At the start of this book, I was SO prepared to write a review in which I complained about all the pages that were dedicated to characters who aren't Ferus. But Watson made it work. Brilliantly. The ending was all kinds of amazing, too. I'm now trying to decide between getting some sleep and finishing the series tonight lol
January 6, 2018
There are some pretty cool parts in this book, including its ties to the Death Star, a scene with Vader and the last thing said by Ferus but for the most part the book feels like more of a filler..a stepping stone to the next part. It is a good read though. Definitely worth the time and effort.
August 28, 2020
The people in the book do some cool things. The double agent named Ferus Olin looking for any news on the lost Jedi after order 66. He has a friend named Roan Lands and a 13 year old boy named Trever. They help all Jedi that still live after order 66. In the end Roan is killed Darth Vader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2022
A good book with an amazing ending. While it starts slow the entire book is building up to the two separate climaxes, one being the Courscant plot and the other more interesting one being Ferus and his role in the Empire. A great book that builds up to a big finish.
February 2, 2021
I am grieving, I am in mourning
I can't tell you what happens, but I had to read this one 3 times hoping all the bad was just my eyes and mind disagreeing.
I can't tell you what happens, but I had to read this one 3 times hoping all the bad was just my eyes and mind disagreeing.
March 5, 2021
A stunning turn of events! The plot thickens, as they say, and I was on the edge of my seat reading this!
March 9, 2021
Ferus Olin begins to suspect the truth about the mysterious Lord Vader.
Watson pulls readers through another exciting chapter in her saga.
Watson pulls readers through another exciting chapter in her saga.
October 16, 2021
The Rumblings of The DEATH STAR
VADER, SIDIOUS AND TARKIN are in this one. I wish these volumes were much longer.
Ferus is tested like never before....
VADER, SIDIOUS AND TARKIN are in this one. I wish these volumes were much longer.
Ferus is tested like never before....
November 2, 2021
And now we move into the twist. Really interested to see how this all plays out.
December 18, 2021
Not me crying actual tears over a children’s book
May 15, 2022
Wooo, this is getting interesting. Poor Trever. Poor Feris.
October 17, 2024
Well that didn't go as I expected it would... On to the next book, what will happen now!
May 4, 2016
The character guide at the beginning is excellent! It's a great addition to the series.
Rosha's capital city is in flames and Ferus doesn't know if Trever is alive, nor the fates/statuses of his other friends - particularly those on the hidden base. He ends up going into Vader's quarters (as if the Sith wouldn't notice...and he doesn't..which is all sorts of OOC to me) and learns of a plan called Twilight. Additionally, his role as "facilitator" gains him hints and tidbits of work being done on Belassa that points to a large and secret technological project. He's on Belassa because Palpatine wants him to encourage his people to not resist the Empire. All that happens is that fewer trust Ferus.
Something about Flame doesn't ring true to me, on many occasions.
I love that Watson mentions that Solace is human and therefore has "dulled" senses in comparison to other species. As a youth though, Solace understood this and focused on enhancing those senses, particularly her hearing. It was interesting and realistic for a Jedi to do.
Ferus' friends trust he is indeed acting as a double agent and band together to see what they can do to help him.
Rosha's capital city is in flames and Ferus doesn't know if Trever is alive, nor the fates/statuses of his other friends - particularly those on the hidden base. He ends up going into Vader's quarters (as if the Sith wouldn't notice...and he doesn't..which is all sorts of OOC to me) and learns of a plan called Twilight. Additionally, his role as "facilitator" gains him hints and tidbits of work being done on Belassa that points to a large and secret technological project. He's on Belassa because Palpatine wants him to encourage his people to not resist the Empire. All that happens is that fewer trust Ferus.
Something about Flame doesn't ring true to me, on many occasions.
I love that Watson mentions that Solace is human and therefore has "dulled" senses in comparison to other species. As a youth though, Solace understood this and focused on enhancing those senses, particularly her hearing. It was interesting and realistic for a Jedi to do.
Ferus' friends trust he is indeed acting as a double agent and band together to see what they can do to help him.
November 21, 2014
The Empire is building some sort of secret weapon and the Eleven are trying to find out what it is. Ferus is finding his role as double agent even more difficult when he is being sent back to his home planet of Bellassa to overlook the activities, but he is really being used as a symbol to get the citizens of Bellassa demoralised. He is still unable to find out the true identity of Darth Vader and now he has to convince the Eleven that he is still on their side as well. And of course what he really wants to do, is find any Jedi in the Galaxy that managed to survive Order 66.
Another excellent book in this series. It is hard to put down and luckily there is a character list, because the number of names can become confusing at times. In the final pages of the book Palpatine makes Ferus an offer that is quite dangerous, but offers him an opportunity to thwart Darth Vader's intimidations as well. It will be very interesting to find out in the next book what happens when Ferus accepts Palpatine's offer with the words: "I'm ready to learn".
Another excellent book in this series. It is hard to put down and luckily there is a character list, because the number of names can become confusing at times. In the final pages of the book Palpatine makes Ferus an offer that is quite dangerous, but offers him an opportunity to thwart Darth Vader's intimidations as well. It will be very interesting to find out in the next book what happens when Ferus accepts Palpatine's offer with the words: "I'm ready to learn".
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