I'm going with 3 stars because I don't know how I feel about this novella. I wanted to love it. I didn't hate it. There were parts that I got lost in. However, there were parts that lost me. I own the hard cover, but had to borrow the audiobook from the library to get through it. Perhaps a re-read at a later date...
Opening Thoughts:
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark is a collection of stories based off the TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2003 TV series.) It has 11 Short Stories all based off episodes from the TV show. with more view points that we didn't get to see in the show. One of the Short stories im are gonna look at is about Count Dooku.
Story:
Count Dooku was surprised attacked by the Republic.
Presentation:
I do like how these are in the characters point of view like Count Dooku. I also like how all the stories are based off the show. What I didn't like is how these are short stories, but it is a nitpick so I won't get crazy over it. I honestly liked this book.
If you are a star wars nerd or want to give your kid a star wars book to read. then this is the book for you!
4/5
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi have been my favorite master/padawan pair since the prequels were released. I devoured the Master Apprentice series and this book is just an extension of that. In this novel we got to know their relationship a bit more intimately. It was fascinating that Qui-Gon was offered a position on the council as well as the fact that he believed he was failing Obi-Wan as a master. Seeing them go through turmoil once more was unexpected, but I suppose that was their relationship from the beginning to the very end. They clearly loved and respected one another, but they also butted heads frequently. Perhaps their love for one another was the reason they were in opposition so often.
This story was well done because it didn't lose anything from the Master Apprentice series and even though I knew the outcome would be Qui-Gon declining his invitation to join the council, which woulingd have meant hand Obi-Wan over to a new master, I still had no idea how it would all transpire. They were both disenchanted with one another throughout, but it was because they both cared. Qui-Gon saw his failings as a master and pondered whether or not he even deserved to be Obi's master. Obi-Wan felt his inadequacies as a padawan was the reason he learned about Qui-Gon's invitation from an outside source, rather than from his master. I think he believed that Qui-Gon was disappointed in him as an apprentice. Oh, and in the midst of all of this angst, there were flashbacks from Qui-Gon's time as Dooku's apprentice, and an entire plot of betrayal and murder involving a "backwater" planet's monarchy and their ascent into "modern" within the republic.
A very good addition the the JA canon and Jeff Davis did very well with the narration. He captured each characters voice and emotion in a believable way. Fun listen.
I saw a book club question that compared this to "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie. Let's be honest though: In the world of Christie, this was 100% a clone of Murder On the Orient Express, not None. And it's incredible.
I had a professor who once joked that if you took a concept and put in space, it would be even cooler. That's what we see here. A classic murder mystery set up set in space. The mystery itself was well crafted and I found myself constantly guessing who the murder was and while I wasn't right, I wasn't wrong either and not even mad. That to me is the sign of a well-written mystery. I loved all the characters and didn't want to see any of them erased. I was fascinated with the way Lafferty handled the ethical questions of cloning. It could have ended up REALLY dry but I was fascinated. Maybe it's just the nerd in me. I don't know. My heart was racing to the end and I was definitely satisfied with the ending.
My biggest critique of the book was the pacing could be slow at the times and there were a few areas that felt overly convenient, more so in the beginning of the story. I can't remember any specifics but I do remember a few points where I was like, "of COURSE you did, Maria."
Final rating: 4.5 out of 5. Bebe is my favorite character, hands down.
I very much enjoyed this as the end of the trilogy. We were met with more characters, crazy shenanigans, and a self-aware A.I. that was bonkers, but not really. This finished out the story very well. I don't think I have it in me to write a more articulate review. Just know I liked this very, very much.
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