Reading the EU: Children of the Jedi

[maplemood]

Author: Barbara Hambly
Stars: 3 (out of 5)

Only a couple notes for this one, and they all pretty much boil down to "Boy, am I glad I didn't look it up on Goodreads before reading it". I just double-checked, and this poor sucker has a whopping 3.26 star average; the top four reviews are all 1-star. And, to be fair, Children of the Jedi didn't exactly blow me away, but there's a lot to like (if maybe not love) about it. You've got a long-lost Jedi colony on a remote planet, a power-hungry but somewhat emotionally complicated villain, two main storylines that were both interesting enough to keep me flipping pages, and the fact that Luke has to team up with a pack of Jawas for his own survival. Also, Force ghosts. And a sharp-and-slightly-bitter Mara Jade cameo that's (in my opinion, anyway) worth reading the rest of the book for. The writing's also a little more detailed and a little more emotional than Heir to the Empire; though Heir to the Empire is definitely the better book, it was nice to read something set in the same universe that had a bit of a warmer, space-fantasy feel to it. So, yeah, Children of the Jedi's no masterpiece, but I enjoyed it anyway.

(And apparently concubines were a thing in the Imperial court, which...part of me would rather not think about a guy like Palpatine having concubines. Ever. On the other hand, it presents so many interesting story possibilities. SO MANY.)