Star Wars: I, Jedi

Star Wars Legends: Novels

by Michael A. Stackpole

Heroic Jedi warrior Luke Skywalker takes on the training of a young X-Wing pilot, Corran Horn, who is facing the challenge of coming to terms with his Jedi heritage and learning to use the force, without succumbing to the temptation of the dark side.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure

464 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I, Jedi is a strange beast. It's long, twice as long as it should be, since it includes two full story arcs. The baffling part is that the first arc is a bizarre retelling of the events of KJA's Jedi Academy Trilogy, told from the perspective of a character who didn't appear at all in the original story. I can't honestly fathom what made the editors, or even the author, think that overlap was a good idea. Corran is a mega-hero Gary Stu on par with Luke, and so in this telling, he is responsible for unraveling the mystery at the Academy and defeating Exar Kun. All of his main sequences take place away from the main cast, out in the jungle. It's the sort of thing you'd have in a video game, and it seems super bizarre in a book.

I gather the Jedi Academy arc is there to fill out his trinity as a detective, fighter pilot, and Jedi. The whole book is a first-person exegesis of his character development, trying to come to grips with the absurd set of backgrounds and abilities Stackpole burdened him with, without the aid of a personality or friends or even his wife, who is absurdly and unjustly put in the fridge for the entire fucking book.

Speaking of which, it's worth reflecting on the fact that the entire 600 page novel takes place between Mirax's disappearance and rescue. He spends months training as a Jedi and defeating Exar Kun, then goes and infiltrates a pirate organization from the ground up, working his way up the ranks, proving his skill, defeating rivals, earning favor from higher-ups, and wooing the sexy Imperial pirate warlord. It seems like it takes Corran a literal year to rescue Mirax. It needs to be dragged out so that Stackpole can hammer home all these facets of Corran's boring personality and skillset, I guess. It's such a silly thing. Corran occasionally seems to realize that his actions are under the sway of an arbitrary plot device, and comments on the bizarreness of his behavior.

So Mirax exists to develop Corran's character. That's not a super great trope in general (manic pixy dream girl, etc) but what makes it vastly worse here is that Mirax doesn't even get to speak for herself. She develops Corran simply by being a piece of valuable property that was stolen from him. The entire book is just a bunch of situations contrived to make Corran have some tepid moral and self-knowledge realization, each one justified as a step towards getting Mirax back.

Stackpole takes Obi-wan's “true from a certain point of view” and makes it into a founding element of Luke's Jedi philosophy. It's ironic, because Obi-wan just uses it to cover his ass when Luke confronts him by throwing up a philosophical smokescreen. Stackpole, and therefore Luke and Corran, seem totally baffled by what relativist epistemology might actually mean, so they use it to understand how something that appears to conflict with their ideology might actually really make sense to them. This contributes to the broader effort they make to police their strict ideology, confronting and firmly answering questions and doubts about such complicated issues as the temptations of the dark side and the complications of on the fly decision making in high-stakes, violent situations.

Happily, they are always able to conclude that the deaths and collateral damage they incur are morally justifiable. In another of the annoying movie references Stackpole seems so fond of, Luke literally advances the idea that giving enemies a chance to surrender (as he did to Jabba) removes the stain of sin from their subsequent murder, in any context. Other characters become theological case studies for Luke and Corran to debate. Kyp is Saved because he confessed and repented of his sins; Corran doesn't believe the Force is that forgiving, but Luke thinks that any sins can't be washed clean in the light side. The Jensaarai are responsible for many innocent deaths because they aided Tavira's forces, but they aren't evil because they had good intentions.

The worst bit comes when Corran is forced to consider whether it would be okay to have sex with Tavira to rescue his wife. He goes through a tortuous crisis of faith for like a page, an internal monologue that concludes the ends don't justify the means (though they have in several other cases throughout the book), and that if he just has faith, the Plot will provide another, perhaps more difficult but ultimately more righteous, path to victory. I am inclined to think Tavira's character is almost worse than Mirax. Tavira is an absurd caricature, an incarnation of the capricious, lascivious temptress trope who exists only to create this moment of crisis for Corran. Rather than creating a decent personality and dialogue for her, Stackpole simply feeds her cliches and lampshades them at the end.

There are only a few modestly redeeming parts of Stackpole's writing. It isn't offensively bad on a sentence-to-sentence level, and his descriptions of space dogfighting are better than most achieve, though they still aren't really interesting per se. Corran is as boring as they come, and we stay inside his mind the entire 600 page book, with only a few moments of actual interaction with other characters. It's nice to have someone call Luke's opinions into question, but Stackpole rolls this into Corran's general badassery and it just sounds like author mouthpiecing. But Stackpole doesn't have a head for philosophy, unlike Stover, so he really doesn't deserve a mouthpiece. He has nothing of interest to say.

If Corran weren't Gary Stu enough already, Stackpole has him resolve the modestly tense situation at the climax by simply reaching out across space to plant images in Tavira's mind that make her run away. Corran is truly deeply in touch with the Plot. Anyway, I, Jedi is literally 600 pages of internal monologue following Corran through a series of plot devices contrived to achieve a tepid, Christian-archetype character arc. And half of it is literally a retelling of three previously published books? Who let this go to print?

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
Star Wars Reading Guide https://youtu.be/k8WtQMRgCjA

This is easily one of the best Star Wars novels I have read! Told in first person perspective, the narrative was so personal and intimate as our main character grappled with his various identities. I particularly loved the sections involving the Jedi academy training. The ending felt a bit rushed, but otherwise I loved just about everything about this novel. Highly recommend to any Star Wars fan.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, besides everything else, is a stunning example of what the Expanded Universe novelists could do if they paid attention to each other and worked not only to make a good story but make a good story that complements the rest of the EU stories.
Michael Stackpole, the author, is mostly known for his novels in the X-Wing series. I, Jedi manages to combine the awesomeness of those books, along with a lot of Jedi mumbo-jumbo (I say this affectionately), a rescue mission, a character journey, and the entire Jedi Academy trilogy....into one book. Several characters created by other authors, notably Mara Jade and Kyp Durron, make small or large appearances in the book, and Stackpole manages to stay true to their characters while still keeping them sidelined to Corran Horn's story. I knew SOMEONE out there should be able to do it. It seems like the EU is a lot more categorized and boxed-up nowadays. For instance, Troy Denning is only "allowed" to write about bugs and Ewoks, Timothy Zahn keeps to his Chiss, Mara Jade, and Talon Karrde, and Kevin J. Anderson keeps to his Academy. This irritates me. Why shouldn't the EU authors be able to overlap better? Stackpole can.
I had to remind myself several times that this wasn't a big space epic, like the Corellian Trilogy (or the original trilogy, for that matter), it wasn't a adventure story like Outbound Flight. I, Jedi is exactly what it sounds like: a look into a character who is becoming a Jedi, how he gets there and how he deals with the powers and the philosophy. Since it's more about Corran's character journey rather than any particular super-weapon that needs destroying or Dark Lord that needs vanquishing, the storyline does suffer at some points.
But this book does the character-journey line EXCELLENTLY. It reminded me how very much I love Corran Horn. He's a pilot, he's an investigator, and, in this book, he's becoming a Jedi. All awesome powers rolled into one.
The book begins with Corran returning from a Rogue mission to discover that not only is his wife, Mirax, gone, but he can't feel her in the Force, either, other than she's alive. Persuaded by friends that if he goes after her she'll just be put in danger, Corran goes to Luke's shiny new Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to learn freakish powers so he can save his wife.
This is where the JA trilogy comes in. The first half of I, Jedi, chronicles Corran's part in those events, which I thought was a fascinating way to write a book. You get a lot of insight into how the "normal" trainees reacted to all the insanity, and, more importantly (to me) you get out of Luke's head, which got pretty insufferable in that trilogy In My Opinion.
Again, I liked Mara Jade's various appearances in the book. She stayed true to herself, and I liked her silly camaraderie with Corran and her caring for Luke. *hugs Mara Jade*
Elegos' appearance in the later parts of the book was interesting because I thought he was a Timothy Zahn creation. Nope! I, Jedi, was published before Vision of the Future. Again, it shows that some authors can work together and keep the character the same even in different books and by different people. Although, on second thought, I think Stackpole did a better job with hitting the fine line between pacificism and just letting the bad guys do whatever they want: Elegos was prepared to do what was necessary to protect himself and others, but he just prefers not to. Zahn seemed to say that Elegos would always be a passive bystander no matter what.
ANYWAY back to I, Jedi. There were a couple things I didn't like. The fact that Mirax is kidnapped for most of the book means we don't get to see much of her, which is a shame because she's a great character. There was a lot of life when she got back in the game. Ah, well. Also, the climax and ending felt rather tacked-on to me, for various reasons that would be spoiler-ish to mention.
But that was really my only big complaint. Oh, just kidding: I was also mildly annoyed at how Corran is very careful to kill the least amount of people during the whole book, but then at the end with the stormtroopers he's just like trigger-happy. Er, lightsaber-happy. Either it was a cheap shot from Stackpole to make the ending more exciting, or everyone really DOES think stormtroopers are sub-human. Either way, a tad annoying.
Corran really does get the Best Jedi award from me. He always chooses the path that protects the most people and keeps the most people from dying. He has an ego and is sometimes selfish but he works around it. He doesn't rely on JUST the Force but also his piloting ability, his investigative skills, and his heart (to use a cheesy overused phrase). I think just about every other Jedi I've ever "met" could learn a LOT from Corran.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based solely on plot, I thought this book had potential. The general idea was well thought-out and the events in the story exciting. However, none of that could redeem the terrible characterization--I spent a portion of my middle school years reading fanfiction and the main character, Corran/Keiran reeks of self-insert Sue.

Where do I begin? Perhaps the fact that Stackpole finds the need to make Corran the special one. Super rare energy-absorbing Jedi abilities? Check. Special silver lightsaber that can extend to twice its length? Check. Superiority complex that's written off as totally justified? Check. Every time Corran takes a disliking to someone (e.g. Kyp, Remart, Gantoris...) they're the ones who end up betraying him or who turn out to be evil. And where does he feel like he fits in? In a high class bar looking down on the city.

Stackpole also seems to love making every other supposedly competent character suddenly incompetent, but only if it gives Corran an opportunity to show how smart or insightful he is. Booster Terrik is supposedly great at what he does, but Corran ends up saving him from his own stupidity. The great Luke Skywalker who we all have come to love is reduced to an emotional and useless wreck (at one point in the novel, literally so) who fawns over Corran and who oohs and ahhs at all his ideas (which obviously all end up working). Luke, who's supposed to be the instructor, always ends up being lectured by Corran.

Corran is also apparently morally superior to everyone else; he is the only one who shows mercy in a firefight and then acts high-and-mighty about it (then gets promoted even though he's the newbie), and yet he complains that everyone on his side is useless and says that his squadron members who had died were just horrible marksmen. Later on, he beats up someone he doesn't like (Remart), even though they're supposedly on the same side. Yes, he was insulted, and yes, they were rivals, but there was really no need for that sort of disproportionate retribution, which ended up with the victim being killed.

As a final note about my hatred of the main character, I really disliked his promiscuity. Perhaps I don't understand his situation, but what I know is this: Corran is married. He spends the entire book trying to find his wife. And along the way, he ogles nearly every "attractive" woman he comes across, even considering sleeping with one.

The worst part is that Stackpole goes on trying to justify all of these shortcomings. This leads to a lot of boring, wordy explanations that really aren't needed and only make me hate the writing.

Speaking of the writing--have you heard of "show, don't tell"? Well, Stackpole hasn't. When he's not trying to beat a description to death, he's putting out forced, nonsensical similes like "dueling crescent moons." Then there's "got good," strange appearances of present tense, and "/" in the middle of dialogue.

In the end, the bad writing and worse characterization of the main character vastly overshadowed what could have been an interesting story. The first person viewpoint didn't help any, either. Honestly, I'd say skip this installment of the Star Wars expanded universe.

[Josephine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure why people like this book? I found the pace unbearably slow, the writing sub par and the plot very dull. It's mostly just rambling and wandering with the main problem of the story conveniently pushed to the side until the last fifty or so pages where the action really gets going. This book could really be cut in half, or even less. The unwitting Force-sensitive trope is overused to death in Star Wars, and this is just another example. The character to me comes across as rather dull and one sided, and he just wastes so much time that it seems he doesn't really care about the issue at hand, despite repeated protestations otherwise. Corran Horn is just about as mary-sue as it gets. Having just read the Jedi Academy Trilogy, it felt really tiring to read the same story again, just from a different perspective. With a little bit more creativity, the continuity mess could have been sorted. I liked the X-wing books, but this one was just plain horrible, it's just about as bad as the short with the Weequay couple on a cruise, but at least that one was short.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nearly fourteen years ago, I picked this book up from a garage sale and read it soon after; it was my introduction to the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

However, back then, I was in high school, and a big fan of some entertainment entities that I now cringe when anyone mentions them.

So, as an adult, was this as good as I remembered?

In a word...no. The story doesn't work very well, and I didn't care for Corran's narration style. I found myself rather bored, which is not a good feeling, especially in such an action-packed universe.

Still, without this book, I wouldn't have discovered the EU novels that are actually worth reading, such as the Thrawn trilogy.

[Merida · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, we get it, Corran Horn is kickass. But this is blatant sue-ing of an already sue character. Also, the retconning of the Jedi Academy Trilogy is distasteful and very badly done. But it does some neat things, so I wouldn't skip it.

[CS · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you cannot recognize the man in the mirror, it is time to step back and see when you stopped being yourself"
The only first-person view in the Star Wars world to date, I am rereading this one for a Star Wars book of the month club.
About two years after the Thrawn Incident, Corran Horn is still in the Rogue Squadron when he senses that his wife, Mirax Terrick, is gone. Knowing he has Jedi powers, Luke Skywalker convinces Corran that the best way to find her is to cultivate this nascent talent. Corran proceeds to Yavin 4 to train as a Jedi, and Stackpole gives us a first person view of the Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 1). But after Exar Kun's demise, Corran realizes the way of the Jedi won't save his wife, so he leaves to find Mirax by infiltrating the Invids. It is there that he realizes he can't save her unless he knows who he is.

What I Liked:
Michael Stackpole of X-Wing fame is a very good writer, particularly strong when detailing fight scenes or dogfights (and riotous humor--my gosh, between the one liners and the scenes, such as Corran being naked in the street, I wanted to die with laughter!). And this book has a lot of these, especially in the latter half. While a lot of it goes over my head (I am one of those who tries to "see" the movements, so I get a little lost), it is clear that Stackpole spent a lot of time figuring out the maneuvers, visualizing it in his head and planning it carefully. His attention to detail helps make these parts more real and intense (and are much better than the alternative: "And Corran fought a tough battle...").
Another great part of "I, Jedi" is that for the first time the reader can step into the narrator, in this case Corran Horn, seeing what he sees, feeling what he feels, and contemplating what he contemplates. Being able to see Corran in this intimate portrayal brings us closer to Corran and, I think, really helps us understand what is going on in his head at any point of time. We can spend more time on Corran's thoughts, discoveries, and opinions without having to have large chunks of text devoted to Corran speaking with other characters and revealing his thoughts. And the reader gets the opportunity to become Corran, to relive the Jedi training, the dog fights, the careful scheming, and the deliberate planning. This in turn gives us a better picture of who Corran is, what kind of Jedi he will become (if any at all!), what is important to him, and what he values.
Another beautiful thing about the book is the end message: to constantly examine ourselves and see who we are (thus the title of this review). Corran has to determine one important thing in order to save his wife: was he a Jedi, a CorSec agent, a pilot or something more? Likewise, we too need to examine who we are and be that person, instead of trying to be someone else.
Lastly, the Jedi Academy Trilogy written by Kevin J. Anderson has frequently been considered a weak trilogy. As it has been over ten years since I last read it (and when I did, I was but a teenager), I don't have much of an opinion of it. But I will say this: the story Stackpole has weaved intertwines perfectly with the events from Anderson's. From Corran's arrival to Gantoris' death, to Mara Jade's brief stay, to the antics of Exar Kun, Stackpole deftly details Anderson's story from Corran's point of view, clarifying things, but never "stepping on his toes".

What I Did Not Like:
Unlike when I was a teenager, I found several things in "I, Jedi" that aggravated or annoyed me, starting with the villain, Leonia Tavira. Besides some, what I consider, obvious Mary Sue attributes (youngest Moff in the Empire, cunning, clever, diabolical, attractive--no, sexy--violet eyes, petite, etc.), I found it challenging to believe she was dangerous. The reader is beaten over the head with a hydrospanner about how clever and tough she is (along with her extreme youth and incredible sex appeal) with very little showing of her cleverness or toughness. While her appearance in the second half of the book does show her as much tougher, I still could never believe that she was that formidable or that there was ever a doubt who would win (though the latter does come from the fact I know what happens after the events of "I, Jedi").
Just as a side note, why is it whenever a woman is a villain, she must be uber-sexual? Being so sexy that all males within a 200 light year radius immediately want to bed her, being constantly on the prowl for a new "nighttoy", and acting in a ridiculously sexual manner to all males within breathing distance? How many male villains can be described in this way? Why is it that, after all these years, women can only be thought of in a sexual way? I'm sorry, but I'm sick of this sexist characterization. Were Lenoia Tavira a male, then most of Tavira's sexuality would have been omitted.
Since we are talking about Mary Sues, we might as well bring up Corran Horn. There are a million ways in which he can be considered a Marty Stu, some of them being his rugged good looks, his incredible dexterity with the Force that seems to outshine even Luke Skywalker (even considering his inability to employ telekinesis), his "holier than thou" attitude about death and destruction, his nonchalance about sleeping around, his manipulation of the events of the Jedi Academy Trilogy (apparently, Corran Horn was the one really behind Exar Kun's destruction) and the fact that he is able to single-handedly resist the dark lord's advances, something that four other Jedi (including Luke Skywalker if you consider how he was incapacitated) were unable to do. While I enjoyed Corran telling off Luke Skywalker (who has always been shown as far too omnipotent for my taste), I bristled at Corran bragging about taking the high road and not killing, but also having no qualms about committing adultery with Tavira while his wife is captured. Uh, hello? Your wife is gone and all you can think of is getting laid with a child (not really, but the parallels are made constantly)? Mirax seriously needs to reconsider this marriage when she returns.
The next biggest problem is the plot. Yes, it is nice to see Corran at the Jedi Academy, but what man in his right mind will spend 10 weeks training to be a Jedi when his wife has been captured? This is just plain ludicrous; there is no way the staple answer of "training to be a Jedi so I can find my wife" will suffice. It is a lame way for Stackpole to clean up the events from the Jedi Academy trilogy. It makes Corran look like an insensitive twit and distracts from the story. Furthermore, while it is nice to see a Corran's perspective of Jedi training, the first half of the book just drags. The actual Jedi training seemed a little sketchy, thin, and weakly defined. Yes, Stackpole does a good job...when he is actually describing it. But there are many, many pages devoted to Corran's numerous serious talks with everyone from Wedge to Jaina Solo (okay, not true, but close), giving Luke Skywalker advice on how to train (doesn't it seem odd to anyone else that someone who has no Jedi experience is giving tips to the only remaining Jedi Master?), and psycho-analyzing Exar Kun. All together, it seems like disjointed anecdotes thrust together with little overreaching plot to tie the anecdotes or the entire novel together. Only when Corran leaves does the story really pick up and begin to go anywhere.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Star Wars profanities crop up.
The story begins with Mirax trying to convince Corran to have a child (nothing explicit). Leona Tavira's sexual exploits are made constant mention of. Further, once Corran sees her, Corran experiences a sort of sexual attraction and is contemplates sleeping with her at more than one point, even attempting to justify an affair with her.
Corran partakes in a dogfight, several duels, and a threat to the Academy on Yavin 4. At least one person dies.

Overall:
I feel in love with this book when I was a teenager. Now that I'm older, it doesn't quite have the same shine. Yes, it is still an excellent book. Yes, it does a superb job with the first person viewpoint, detailing an intimate portrait of Jedi training, and showing Corran's introspective journey. But there were a few hiccups, namely lame plot, Marty Stu characterization, and a pathetic villain. Solid four stars.

[LOL_BOOKS · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHY DOES SW_MEME HATE I, JEDI?

BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT STACKPOLE'S SELF-INSERT THAT KNOWS SOOOOOO MUCH MOAR THAN EVERYONE ELSE AND KNOWS SO MUCH BETTER ABOUT EVERYTHING AND IS COMPLETELY FUCKING OBNOXIOUS. I APPROVE OF STACKPOLE TRYING TO FIX SOME OF THE MOAR RIDICULOUS SHIT, AND HE HAS THE PROPER VIEW OF THINGS LIKE KYP, BUT OVERALL THE BOOK IS A WANNABE PRETENTIOUS PIECE OF CRAP AND NECKBEARDS FUCKING LOVED IT.

IMAGINE THE SMUGGEST FIX-IT FIC YOU COULD. IMAGINE WRITING IN YOUR MARY SUE SMUGLY TELLING LUKE SKYWALKER OFF ABOUT THE FORCE.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard, as Stackpole attempted, to take a previously told tale (that of the early days of Luke's Jedi Academy) and tell it from a different point of view as part of a different story. Foremost, it doesn't work if readers haven't read the previous work. SW fans have read Kevin Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy or the first half of this book makes little sense. Secondly, the narrative lacks the punch of the first story as our hero is repeatedly absent or passive during critical events of the original story.

Fortunately, our protagonist eventually goes off on his own and his adventure unfolds more conventionally, especially for an SW book.

It's a good story, but it's just to easy; too predictable. Stackpole does a decent job, but the result is still pretty lame.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so yes, I'm in love with Corran Horn. (My husband doesn't mind because even if Corran really existed, he knows Mirax would kick my butt if I made a move on him.)

I also am a fan of this book because it summarizes the events of the Jedi Academy Trilogy (groan) and puts them in a better and more sensible light (hooray!) (The only good thing about the JAT, in my opinion, was "The Little Lost Bantha Cub"-- which rocks.)

Not the best thing to read just entering the SWEU, maybe-- read the original three Zahn books first, then the X-wing books, THEN you'll be ready for this one.

But yay for a whole book about Corran. :D

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my FIRST EVER buddy read with one of my best friends; the wonderful and amazing David Green!








I realized who I was. I saw my reflection in the mirror and heard the wind call to me. I had, since before I could remember remembering, always held as the highest possible ideal a commitment to serving others. My job was to provide others shelter and shade, to be a fortress against all the cruelty and wantonness out there. Selflessness is the only antidote to evil. It provides the light that destroys the dark...

This book takes place in the Star Wars extended Universe, after the Jedi Academy trilogy and features X-Wing pilot Corran Horn as he searches for his beloved kidnapped wife and taps into his past and the deepest reaches of his heart as he discovers who he is and what it means to be a Jedi of the New Republic. He faces many challenges and hardships as he begins his journey at Luke Skywalker's newly established academy only to become quite frustrated with the way that Luke teaches. Thinking he could advance faster on his own, Corran leaves the Academy and strikes out on his own in a desperate attempt to recover his wife. But in addition to space pirates and other obstacles Corran must also attempt to stay away from the dark side of the Force.

This book was fantastic on many levels, but also felt lacking on some levels as well. While I loved the middle and the end, there were some parts in the middle that seemed to drag a little. It almost felt like this book could have been split into a duology rather than being one whole book. There were also aspects of Corran's personality that irked me at times, mostly when he disagreed with Luke about how the academy was run and treated him almost condescendingly because of it. I mean, sure, there were some aspects of Luke's teaching methods that I may have done differently but give Skywalker a break! It's his first time in this type of role and Corran didn't really have any right to correct Luke about it! Also, he is his Master (in regards to teaching) and to me that means that he commands a level of respect that Corran just did not give him. I am really big on the relationship between student and teacher when it comes to Jedi training so this bothered me.

The other aspect of Corran that really irked me was when towards the end of the book he was seriously considering sleeping with the pirate queen Tavira. Really? The whole book is about how much he loves his wife and wants to find her and then he gets his man bits in a knot because he wants to bang Tavira. And although he thinks that it would help his cause and help him get another step closer to recovering his wife, he also explicitly thinks that it is also because he just wants to get jiggy with it with this hot pirate. O__O; Now don't get me wrong, I think infidelity can be romantic and hot if done in the right way (one of my favorite romance books after all is The Bridges of Madison County for chrissakes) but in this instance all it made me feel was that Corran was a bit of a hypocrite.

But. Aside from those little things I absolutely loved this book immensely. The action scenes were unique and very intense and kept me on the edge of my seat. There were also lots of ship battles in space which is something I always love to see in Star Wars books! I loved seeing some of my favorite characters return and play their part in this story, like Luke, Leia, Han, Wedge, and OF COURSE Mara Jade's appearances which were some of my favorite moments in the book. I loved the parts that took place at the Jedi Academy and thought it was just so fascinating to see the students grasp their knowledge of the Force and become respectable knights. And it was great to see Corran's transformation from kind of an impatient rogue to a Jedi with patience, humility, and compassion. The writing style was really great as well. I have never read anything by Michael Stackpole before and I found his style to be descriptive as well as engaging.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and hope to see more of Corran and also the Jedi Academy in the future!

[Kyle Edworthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the few books I've ever read and not been able to finish. It seems to me this story suffers from a case of main character syndrome, where the main character is able to overcome any adversity with ease and places him so far above any other character in the literary universe of Star Wars that nothing can ever come close to him. I read through the first half of the book and found that I had no intrest in continuing on.

[Haley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just plain awful. I'm not a hater of science fiction, but this is such an annoying book to read. All the characters do when they are faced with a challenge is sit around and debate about what to do, never actually do something. And when they do something, all it is is moping around. Not to mention, the main character flirts with a minor character after his wife is kidnapped.

[TheGeeksAttic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Star Wars: I.Jedi, was written by bestselling author, Michael A. Stackpole. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic Era, 11 ABY (11 years after the Battle of Yavin).

SUMMARY
The dangerous Invid Pirates causing havoc throughout the space ways and manage to evade New Republic forces! Rogue Squadron hero Corran Horn learns that his wife, Mirax, is taken by the network of bandits. He's denied intel by General Cracken; if Corran Horn goes off on his own to be a hero, it could put many other lives in danger.

After speaking with Luke Skywalker, Corran Horn decides to chase after his Jedi roots and become Keiran Halcyon. He trains at the Jedi Praxium on Yavin, the Jedi Academy. He unlocks force powers within and learns to tame them. Once he saves Luke Skywalker from the evil on Yavin, he has a minor personality crisis. He sheds the Halcyon alians and is reborn once again as Corran Horn, with force powers.

Now, with his new found powers and previous CorSec (Corellian Security Force) experience, he infiltrates the pirates in an attempt to rescue his wife, Mirax.

OVERALL THOUGHTS
Before I dive too deep here, I've got to say something that I really did enjoy about this book, was the ties to the Jedi Academy trilogy and the time spent at the Jedi Praxium on Yavin. While some of the events are elaborated and expounded upon to push Corran Horn up the "hot shot" ranks, sine if it was decent. I enjoyed getting more knowledge of Kip Durron when he began his fall to the dark side. What I didn't like, was that Horn was able to best Luke Skywalker in a lightsaber sparring match. The excuse used was that Luke had too much on his mind, with Exar Kun lingering about.

I can't help it, I've gotta say it. I hate the first person writing style for Star Wars. I believe this style is fine in other genres, but it doesn't belong in Star Wars. To me it feeds into the ego that is Corran Horn and Michael A. Stackpole.

I can't help but feel that there is a special bias toward this character by the author. Like this guy can do no wrong, he has to be better than everyone, he has to know how to do - everything. Even if he messes up, it only exposes something new that no one else has discovered yet. This character has a few self reflection moments, and I can't stand that it seems to happen after he gains all the knowledge he needs first, in order to be better than someone else. For example - Corran takes on the alias Halcyon, a family name from his "Jedi lineage." He gets all the training he needs before he has a personality crisis - he's Corran Horn, not a Halcyon. I don't know why it's so annoying to me.

I think this book has too many coincidences and some characters are given too much knowledge about things they shouldn't. Somehow Corran knows the way a duel went down invloving his grandfather, like the fighting style that was used.

Do I recommend you read this book? No, it's a story about a character who seems to be better than everyone else. It gets old.

RATING
I give Star Wars: I, Jedi a C-.

[Steve Holm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this at all.

Warning if you plan to read this, the first half of the book is a retelling of the Jedi Academy trilogy, so if you are planning to read this you should not do it right after reading JA.

No major story spoilers.
First off, this entire book is told in the first person perspective of Corran Horn, which was OK at the start, but as the book went on it was pretty boring tbh. It's way too long a book for just one point of view. Also spending the entire first half of the book to retcon Corran into the academy was just a terrible choice. By the time the JA part of the story was over, I was just so bored I didnt even care about the rest of the story. I have never been so close to dropping a book, I just barely made it through by speedreading/skimming.

Corran was also super mean to Luke for some reason and it almost at times felt like Stackpole wanted to say: "Hey guys Corran is much cooler than Luke right?"
It really pains me to write this since I enjoyed Corran in the X-Wing series.

This is by far the worst SW book I have read, and the first time I actually felt like my time was wasted. It is not a good sign when you are barely halfway through a book and you just want it to be over. Sorry Stackpole I liked your X-Wing stuff, but this was a huge miss for me.
I will be taking a Star Wars break after this one

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Griffin Honeycutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it. As a big fan of the X-Wing books, Corran Horn, and the Jedi, this was a treat for me. There are a few things that are keeping me from giving this five starts, but overall I was so happy with I, Jedi. It makes up for the Jedi Academy Trilogy in a lot of ways, but I definitely wouldn't say that it should act as a replacement for it. It's a great supplement, but I'm glad I read the trilogy first.
Here we get to see actual Jedi training taking place instead of Luke saying "practice on your own and meditate on what you have learned" like in JAT.

Though it's unusual for Star Wars, I liked the first-person perspective. Being able to be inside Corran's head while he trains and investigates was very interesting. I've seen some describe Corran as a Gary Stu, but I just don't see how that's the case. He has weaknesses, he makes the wrong decisions, he questions himself and seeks advice. He's very competent, but he has a well-written background to support that competence, and the character development throughout is very well-done. The scenes where he actually becomes a Jedi were fantastic. As good as Michael Stackpole is at writing starfighter battles and espionage plots, I wasn't expecting him to have such a good take on the Force as well.

It's certainly not a perfect book, but the complaints I do have are on a small scale. I didn't appreciate seeing Corran taking a holier-than-though approach to a legendary character like Luke Skywalker. That's an easy way to annoy fans, even if I agreed with some of the points made. There's maybe 1-2 too many dog fight sequences that concern things that just aren't important to the overall plot, and that made things drag around the 3/4 mark. Another small complaint is that there's certainly some fridging taking place here with Mirax being kidnapped, but it's to no extreme extent and doesn't really taint the book in my eyes, it's just a little disappointing that that's how she was used, is all.

This is another one of those Star Wars books that I'll return to if I'm looking for something light and fun. I'm very glad Stackpole was able to write a hardcover release, because he absolutely deserved it.

[Joshua Bishop · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving this a 3 out of 5 stars.

I think this book could’ve easily been two: the first half when Corran Horn attends the Jedi Academy, and the second half after he leaves the Academy. If this happened, I think I would rate “book one” as a 2/5 and “book two” as a 4/5.

A point I must make before going any further forward is that I have not yet read the Rogue Squadron series; this was my first introduction to this author and Corran Horn.

I really tried to enjoy “book one”. It is a retelling and sometimes retconning of Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy trilogy. At some places, it was really enjoyable to get some more detail and additional characters fleshed out. At other points, however, it was frustrating to see the teamwork that defeated Exar Kun get reduced to Corran Horn “superman-ing” everything on his own. This half of the book was knee-capped by adding Corran into a series he wasn’t originally in and needing to make sure he wasn’t present during critical points he shouldn’t be at based on original books (like the final Exar Kun showdown).

After Horn leaves the academy, however, the story really picked up for me. Reading about Horn the “detective” was fascinating, especially while he reconciled that half of him with the Jedi he was becoming. I really enjoyed the second half because it also had so much more literary freedom to expand the story.

As it was my first introduction with Corran Horn, I was occasionally put off by how “perfect” he was. He’s a Batman-level detective, ace pilot of Rogue Squadron, Jedi Knight, and most desired man alive. The plot armor he carry’s is THICK. However, as the story continued, he did grow on me.

What I did really enjoy was having a singular POV character to follow across a long book. Too often POV shifts and frustrates me because the narrative changes. It was nice to see a story for one person start to finish and feel like it had a satisfying conclusion.

Check it out and see how you like it!

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think some context is important for this book.

It mainly retells the events of the 'Jedi Academy' trilogy from Corran Horn's perspective, Rogue Squadron pilot with Jedi heritage.

But the main goal of the book is, as much as Michael A. Stackpole promises otherwise, to fix some continuity issues and bizarre story choices made during that trilogy by adding new information and showing a different point of view rather than direct retconning.

Corran Horn is an intriguing character, one I never really took a liking to until 'The New Jedi Order', and one that Stackpole himself said he wouldn't want to be in the same room as, but this deep dive into him is really great because of how flatly it lays out his flaws as a person and failures as a Jedi.

Sure, Corran Horn having to save his wife is a little bit of a poor damsel in distress style story, but I think it is intentionally simplistic to set the course of the much more complex story and deep dive into Corran himself, much more fascinating with him isolated, and his family. But also the added stress of knowing his wife is out there and may be hurt.

Mirax Horn is no damsel. She is more than capable and even partakes in the battle during their escape. So that element is easily forgiven, personally.

The first half of the book follows the story of 'Jedi Academy', cleaning up some of Luke's flaws in that trilogy as actual character flaws rather than writing ones, and setting up his arc that is satisfied in 'The Hand of Thrawn', which I too love.

Throughout this section of the book, it is just fantastic, meeting all of Luke's students again, revisiting their early training, the mysterious deaths and dark Force preying on them, and the eventual fight against the possessed Kyp Durron and the ancient Sith Lord, Exar Kun.

I am a rare fan of the 'Jedi Academy' books, but it is undeniable how much better Stackpole is as an author. This entire section flows so well, and the sound design for the unabridged audiobook is possibly the greatest I've ever heard, with Marc Thompson delighting in giving everybody intricately unique voices. Revisiting this particular storyline in such a breezy fashion was a lot of fun.

Another genius aspect is how it goes about making Kyp's redemption far better. There is conflict between Corran and Luke for Luke's decision to forgive Kyp, but it is also suggested that Exar Kun not only manipulated Kyp, but actually possessed him and used a far more supernatural influence to control him. This would not be possible without the darkness inside Kyp, and he is not totally blameless for his arrogance and eagerness to follow Kun, but there is clearly a deeper control and influence than in the original KJA trilogy, and it makes forgiving him much, much better, while leaving this dark aspect of him ripe for storytelling.

I will admit that after Corran leaves the academy, the book takes a bit of a hit for a while, slowing right down for some nice time with Corran's grandfather, before he attempts to infiltrate the Invidious.

This plotline ends up really fun and interesting, but it is a little bit of a murky slog for a while, one I lost track of for some time and got confused about repeatedly.

As it progresses, it becomes really fun, with Corran haunting criminals and the Imperials in his Jedi disguise and manipulating the Imperials, this whole section really picks up, and it is where Corran meets Elegos A'kla, which made me wish I had read this before his appearance in 'The New Jedi Order'!

When the Jensaarai come into it, we start to explore some really fascinating prequel era lore BEFORE the prequels were made, which I always find fascinating, and they are a really interesting group as a whole, especially with their current vendetta against the Halcyons.

Luke Skywalker comes back into the later story, which I was really glad about, and it was awesome seeing him and Corran team up against the Jensaarai in their attack, and then when they later bust Mirax out. It's a really fun dynamic now. Corran has settled down and doesn't hold anything against him. The tension was really well handled before, but I really enjoy their dynamic as friends.

Finally, the battle towards the end was fun, and the mercy Luke shows towards the Jensaarai, trying to assist them, and us finally seeing how Corran's Jedi grandfather died, showing the Jensaarai that his family weren't murderers, was really nice but also sad for Corran. You're very attached to him at this point, flaws and all, with how all of his issues and strengths are laid out bare. You get a full sense of Corran Horn in this novel, the ins and outs of him, good and bad. That is brilliant.

I like that Corran doesn't become a full-time Jedi yet, deciding to stay with Rogue Squadron, but also to keep and use his powers for good. This fits his character at this point well, although I love him as a full-time Jedi Master in 'The New Jedi Order'.

Overall, it's a really great book!

For any fan of the X-Wing series, it'll be a treat, having cameos of most of the characters from the novels by Stackpole, featuring Wedge, and also focusing on Corran, obviously But also a worthy replacement for the 'Jedi Academy' trilogy for anyone hesitant to read it who is an X-Wing fan.

However, I'd argue it is possible to read this with little knowledge of the series, as I have done, and really enjoy it regardless, and if you know anything about the trilogy this can act as a substitute for, and know you might not enjoy it, this is a much safer bet.

I get why this novel won't be for everyone, not everyone is gonna enjoy reading Corran Horn, and it does often feel a little bit like a fanfiction inserting a new character into an already existing story, and it is definitely taken a bit far when Corran nearly defeats Luke in a duel because of Luke being emotionally unstable at that point - I find this to be a tad too far, keep in mind, faults and all, Luke Skywalker is a Jedi Master who could defeat Darth Vader, however tired and old Vader was. One of his own students, not even under a dark influence, shouldn't be a struggle. And the fact that it is written in the first person alone might be a bit weird for some people, even if it means Marc Thompson reads almost the entire book in his brilliant Corran Horn voice if you listen to the audiobook!

Even though it drags in the middle a little, I think it is paced really well and is a thoroughly enjoyable read!

It does a lot to repair a flawed but fun trilogy of books for me personally, adding a lot more depth and complexity to a rather simplistic storyline, and setting up a lot that Timothy Zahn will play with in 'The Hand of Thrawn', and Michael A. Stackpole will pick back up in 'The New Jedi Order'.

I really, really enjoyed it.

[Graham Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 3.5 star book let down by a very slow and overlong first half which would have been much better had it been told as a prologue, the idea that Corran Horn was present during the Jedi Academy Trilogy is interesting but did not warrant half of a book to tell, particularly when it was just rehashing the previous trilogy. The second half definitely redeemed the book though, it was as good as anything Michael A. Stackpole wrote in the excellent X-Wing Series and still nobody can write dog fights better than him.

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how anyone can think this was a good book. Sure the writing was ok but the author knows nothing of the star wars universe. Who knew you could become a jedi in a matter of weeks and then portray Luke as an incompetent idiot. Convinced me to never read a book by this author ever again.

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed my very first buddy read with one of my dearest friends, the lovely and talented Branwen! :D Full review to come!

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about a completely new character and his struggles to become a Jedi.

[Declan O'Keeffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't say I cared about this one all that much.

A first-person perspective retelling of a trilogy I didn't care for, from the perspective of a character who wasn't even in those books. He was just shoehorned into the story, because the author loves him way too much and made him this all-important, all-powerful character that can do no wrong.

There were some parts of the book that were enjoyable, but I didn't care for most of it, probably fell asleep at some point and was just desperate to get to the end and move on, almost even DNFd which is not something I do often.

Personally pretty skippable.

[Meggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.

This week’s focus: Corran Horn’s big hardcover adventure, I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole.

SOME HISTORY:

I, Claudius is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the first person, it tells the history of the early years of the Roman Empire from Emperor Claudius’s point of view. I, Jedi is a Star Wars novel by American writer Michael A. Stackpole, published in 1998. Written in the first person, it tells the story of Luke Skywalker’s inaugural Jedi class during the Jedi Academy trilogy from Corran Horn’s point of view. Like with some of the later Bantam releases, I couldn’t find any data that I, Jedi made the New York Times bestseller list for any week after its release.

MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:

All I remembered from I, Jedi was that it retconned Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy trilogy. In rereading the Rogue Squadron books, I initially found Corran Horn extremely obnoxious before starting to warm up to him. But by I, Jedi, he’s beginning to wear on my nerves again, and I don’t think the first-person narration helped any.

A BRIEF SUMMARY:

When Corran Horn's wife, Mirax Terrik, vanishes on a covert mission to locate the secret base of the Invid pirate group, Corran vows to find her. He begins Jedi training at the Jedi academy, but quickly grows dissatisfied with Luke Skywalker's methods. Calling on his Corellian undercover experience, he infiltrates the pirate organization, but at the risk of losing himself.

THE CHARACTERS:

I, Jedi was revolutionary in that it was the first Star Wars book to be written from a first-person perspective. Some of the short stories that had been published thus far were also 1st POV, but this was the first full-length novel to use that concept. We wouldn’t see any other first-person novel attempts until Kevin Hearn’s Heir to the Jedi in 2014.

Clearly, Stackpole wanted to return to Corran, enjoyed writing about Corran, and Bantam and Lucasfilm thought he was worth revisiting. But with I, Jedi, you run a risk because the main character is not someone from the Original Trilogy (he was introduced in a paperback release, not a hardcover); additionally, it relies on the reader already being familiar with KJA’s Jedi Academy trilogy as well as aspects of Stackpole’s X-Wing books and comics. I think it’d be difficult for a beginner to the Star Wars universe to pick this book up and be able to follow along.

We have Corran’s first-person narration, which means we’re in his head a lot. There’s loads of introspection going on, which is fine...except for the fact that the more time we spend in Corran’s head, the more he starts to irritate me. Corran has faults; he’s willing to admit them. But I felt like sometimes Corran’s faults outweighed his good parts, and particularly his ego and his arrogance. Corran has a lot of THOUGHTS about Jedi training and how the Jedi Academy should be run, and while I agreed with most of them, I still found him insufferable at times.

His wife goes missing in the beginning of the book. He wants to rescue her, has no idea how to rescue her, and ends up taking a plot-dictated detour to Luke’s Jedi academy. This offers Stackpole the opportunity to show us how Corran develops his Force skills, but also leads to a lot of retread of events from KJA’s trilogy. Since Corran wasn’t initially present during the praxeum scenes, Stackpole has to send him off on side quests so that he’s not present during pivotal events in Dark Apprentice and Champions of the Force. (In this case: Corran investigates who’s behind the spooky goings-on at the Jedi academy. Spoiler: it’s totally Exar Kun.)

Intentionally or not, it feels as though the final showdown between the students and Kun is solely Corran’s doing. Corran goes to blow up Exar Kun’s temple, taunts Kun, and then in turn gets thrown around and taunted by Kun. (Corran periodically gets messed up during this book, and I think this was the time that Corran was injured the most.) You’re left with the sense that the Jedi apprentices defeating Kun with the power of light was only because Corran distracted Kun during a pivotal moment, which feels like a lessening of their accomplishment.

So if Corran spends the first half of the book trying to learn his heritage, the second half of the book sees him leaning towards the opposite extreme, where he’s only using his CorSec knowledge. Ultimately, I, Jedi details Corran’s attempts to reconcile these two sides: the CorSec side that comes from his adopted grandfather, Rostek Horn, and the Jedi side that comes from his biological grandfather, Nejaa Halcyon. Corran is able to unite the two, but in a way that makes me squint a bit. During his Jedi training, Corran has both great potential but also great limitations holding him back. He can’t use telekinesis, but he can create illusions and absorb energy & redirect it. The latter skill has definite drawbacks (blaster bolts are painful!), but the former skill starts to feel seriously overpowered by the end.

Corran takes up an awful lot of this book, but he’s not the only character! Corran seems to imply that Wedge’s relationship with Qwi Xux and land-bound career now is because he’s going through a quarter life crisis. (OK?) Luke obviously appears, but he’s remarkably passive. Corran lectures him, and there didn’t seem to be sufficient interplay between them. Mara almost instantly becomes Corran’s friend, and Stackpole retcons her relationship with Lando to be much more one-sided and business-based. We also meet a character who will have greater prominence in Zahn’s Vision of the Future, Elegos the Caamasi. I like the concept of tribal genetic memories that the Caamasi inherit, and how Elegos’s passed-down memory is able to defuse the conflict with the Jensaari.

Then we have all the other Jedi learners that Corran encounters. (Stackpole notably slots Brakiss from the Young Jedi Knight series and The New Rebellion into that first class.) Other than Mara, Corran doesn’t connect with any of the other students, and really doesn’t like Gantoris and Kyp.

And then we have our baddies. Exar Kun is obviously the villain for the first half, and there’s nothing new there. Admiral Leonia Tavira becomes our villain in the second half--she originally appeared in the Rogue Squadron comics, specifically the arc involving Plourr--but she makes a comeback here as a warlord in league with pirates. Why are Stackpole’s female villains so overtly sexualized?? You don’t get any hint of that with the male baddies, but both Isard and Tavira are above all else, hugely attractive women. In Tavira’s case, she’s such an overt sexpot that she doesn’t feel like much of a threat.

ISSUES:

There’s a lot of fanon around the development of I, Jedi: that Stackpole and Zahn hated what KJA had done in his books, and set out in I, Jedi and the Hand of Thrawn duology to retcon everything in the Jedi Academy trilogy. Stackpole said no in a blogpost, and that he just wanted to tell a familiar story from a different point of view, but it feels a bit rich to me to try to rewrite important aspects of someone else’s books.

The first half felt slow, and because of the preexisting structure of Anderson’s story, Corran’s investigation is behind the scenes yet feels too prominent/essential. The second half moves quicker, but features perhaps unbelievable power-ups on Corran’s part (I do not buy the illusions that Corran is able to create, because it doesn’t feel like he completed the necessary training to achieve such great feats).

Corran’s introspective about a ton of things, and some of his thoughts really made me squint at him. No, Corran, you shouldn’t sleep with Admiral Tavira to help you find Mirax quicker! NO.

Corran’s wife is literally fridged, and he spends far too long trying to figure out where she is. After lollygagging his way through the Jedi academy and the pirates, he’s not any closer to rescuing her. If it weren’t for Luke’s miraculous appearance, he would never have found out where she was being kept! (Is Mirax a Lost Lenore?)

My biggest issue with I, Jedi was that even when I agree with Corran, even when I think his viewpoint is correct, he’s insufferable about it. Really? Corran figures out more about the Force than Luke Skywalker himself?



IN CONCLUSION:

I, Jedi is definitely unique: it’s first-person, and you’re in Corran Horn’s head the whole time...like it or not. You get to see a different side of the Jedi Academy, and then a more traditional undercover plotline. I guess where it falls apart for me is that it doesn’t stand alone--you need to have read the Jedi Academy trilogy, and probably the Rogue Squadron books as well. By the end, Corran is too powerful, and too right, and he’s a tad bit obnoxious about it.


Next up: the first book in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, The Mandalorian Armor by K.W. Jeter.

My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/YINVGHXg10s

Extended I, Jedi rants: https://youtu.be/W1sj7M0Yqhs

TheForce.net interview with Stackpole: https://web.archive.org/web/201907301...

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grew on me as I read it. What it lacks for in plot it makes up for with wall to wall action and an affable protagonist. The retelling of Jedi Academy is…. Interesting—a nice idea but also somewhat dull to have the story as seen by a sidekick style bystander. Really picks up in the second half.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I, Jedi is another book I read when I was younger, and apparently didn't understand or remember very much of it. It's a pretty good story set in the expansive Star Wars universe, and I enjoyed my read.

It does have some flaws. While Stackpole's writing is leaps and bounds better than his writing in the X-Wing series, some of it is still wooden, stilted, or just plain unrealistic. The voice at the beginning is excellent--you get a clear idea of Corran's character. Unfortunately, that unique voice fades over the course of the story.

I was able to look over the method in which Corran was recruited to be a Jedi (which was pretty thinly veiled as an excuse to get Corran to be a Jedi and not at all what a real person would've done in his situation), but there are a handful of other plot points that were weak, and the buildup-climax is pretty dull, especially after the Jedi Academy portion.

Let's talk characters. Corran's pretty cool, except he's always perfectly logical, and when he isn't, he's swayed pretty quickly by logic. He's smart, though, and determined. He takes action. He's one of the weaker Jedi at Luke's academy, but that doesn't stop him and makes him stand out better as a hero. His character growth is decent, but feels artificial and paced wrongly at pivotal points.

Sadly, Corran easily overshadows Luke Skywalker, who's pretty much a wuss in this book. Stackpole writes him without a spine and takes naive to the extreme. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if Luke suddenly burst out with a, "Gee whiz!!" somewhere in the story. Think Star Wars: Episode IV, except magnified. So annoying.

To make matters worse, Corran is constantly picking Luke and his methods apart... which makes Corran come across as arrogant and condescending. It feels like Stackpole is trying to tell everyone how awesome Corran is, which has the opposite effect.

The dialog is usually alright, but there's some stilted stuff in there, as well as some pretty awkward conversations. You'd just have to read it.

The Jedi Academy portion was pretty cool, and where Stackpole shines the most. Corran's inability to use telekinesis and the fact that he's not a special snowflake really helps. His skills lie elsewhere, and the method of their reveal was a fun part of the story. Unfortunately, Corran's skills have a giant leap in prowess later and it's too easy to speculate how he could become all-powerful with his illusion ability... use Sanderson's Second Law, man. Corran's energy-absorbing ability follows that "Law" better (it's highly dangerous and painful) and is thus much more interesting.

In summary, I really, really enjoyed the first half of the book, while the second half (once he left the academy) I felt to be lacking. It's a decent read in the Star Wars EU, though, and I feel that I can recommend it as part of the experience. Despite Stackpole's portrayal of his pet character getting in the way, Corran IS an awesome Jedi/pilot/investigator, and it's worth seeing things from his point of view.

[Stephanie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Buch gehört zweifellos zu den mir liebsten Star Wars-Büchern, die ich besitze, auch wenn es seine Schwächen hat. Nach gut zehn Jahren habe ich mich nun wieder einmal rangesetzt und dieses Buch zum x-ten Mal gelesen.
Leider hat man sich mit der Übersetzung/Lektorierung hier keinerlei Mühe gegeben, denn das Buch strotzt nur so vor Fehlern. Falsche Buchstaben, fehlende Buchstaben, Zeitfehler.
Von einem großen Verlag wie Heyne erwarte ich da doch etwas mehr …
Trotz allem habe ich dieses Buch sehr gerne, auch wenn ich mir an gewissen Punkten doch eine ausführlichere Beschreibung gewünscht hätte – so z.B. die Vernichtung Exar Kuns, die nur in einem Nebensatz Erwähnung findet. Hier scheint es mir so, als wäre dem Autor kein passendes Ende für diesen zu Beginn übermächtig erscheinenden Feind eingefallen oder er hatte einfach keine Lust, weil es für den Weitergang der Geschichte keine Rolle spielte, wie er besiegt wurde.

Inhalt:
Die Geschichte spielt zwölf Jahre nach der Schlacht von Yavin, in der Luke Skywalker und die X-Flügler-Staffel den Todesstern zerstörten.
Dieses Buch erzählt in der Ich-Perspektive die Geschichte von Corran Horn, Pilot des Renegaten-Geschwaders.
Als seine Frau Mirax Terrik entführt wird, quittiert er den Dienst und beginnt auf Yavin IV unter dem Namen Keiran Halcyon seine Ausbildung zum Jedi, in der Hoffnung, seine Frau mithilfe seiner neu gewonnenen Jedi-Fähigkeiten zu finden und zu retten.
Während seiner Ausbildung treibt ein mysteriöser „schwarzer Mann“ sein Unwesen auf Yavin IV und versucht, die Jedi-Schüler auf die Dunkle Seite der Macht zu ziehen. Der Feind scheint übermächtig, besiegt sogar Luke Skywalker, doch am Ende wird er ohne nähere Beschreibung einfach so vernichtet (wo doch sonst alles immer sehr detailliert vom Autor beschrieben wurde).
Er bricht seine Ausbildung kurze Zeit später wieder ab und verlässt Yavin IV, da er feststellt, dass ihn dies bei der Suche nach seiner Frau nicht weiterbringt und er tief in seinem Herzen spürt, dass er kein Jedi ist.
Er unterwandert die Invids, eine Gruppe von Piraten um Admiral Leonia Tavira, um herauszufinden, wo seine Frau gefangen gehalten wird.
Mit der Hilfe von Luke Skywalker gelingt es ihm schließlich, die Jensaarai, eine Gruppe abtrünniger Jedi, die ihre Fähigkeiten in die Dienste von Admiral Tavira stellten, zu besiegen und herauszufinden, wo Mirax gefangen gehalten wird.

Alles in allem ein doch sehr unterhaltsames Buch, das zweifellos auch seine Schwächen hat.

Ich vergebe 3,5 von 5 Sternen (wegen der vielen Fehler).

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so disappointed. It sets up the big motivation for the story, which it then sets aside and barely mentions again while it goes an entirely different direction, which leads up to a major confrontation that ends up taking place off screen, giving it a summary dismissal by another character who says, "It happened! Everything went just right!" The main character then remembers his original intent, blows off Jedi training as being not for him (about 3/4 through the book) and takes off on his original quest, about which I had absolutely no interest in by that point. Upon that realization, I dropped this book in disgust at page 377 out of a wildly unnecessary 577!