Heir to the Jedi: Star Wars

With a nudge-nudge here and a wink-wink there, 'Heir to the Jedi' takes every opportunity to remind you of its connection to the original Star Wars film, without ever truly earning that distinction. Hearne's awkward prose, full of cheaply made callbacks to any scene or line of dialogue from A New Hope that one may recall, may suffice for teenage readers, but science fiction fans with any love for a well crafted novel, in the Star Wars universe or any other, should simply pass this one by. This is a formulaic story wearing the superficial trappings of a Star Wars product.

The book was good, it kept me on the edge of my seat most of the way through.

This book isn't perfect, but it's prolly the most fun I've had reading a Star Wars story.

With the recent EU retcon and all, I think the new Canon books have had a lot prove and a lot of empty space to fill. This isn't a good entry unfortunately. The plot is quite dry and non-essential and I never felt like it expanded anything into the larger . It doesn't feel like a good story on its own nor does it feel like it added anything interesting in the new Canon. Really the only interesting part was them describing the inner workings of a lightsaber, which was mainly unrelated to the main plot anyways. I will say that the first person perspective is and you get little decent bits here and there but too little to make the overall read or price worthwhile. Nakari is vaguely interesting I suppose but they never do anything too noteworthy with her. I can't help but feel that they were really trying to play it safe with this book by not doing anything interesting that may affect some future plans related to the Canon timeline, thus tip-toeing doing anything that may affect other more expensive productions.

There’s a place in the Star Wars universe for a first-person Luke Skywalker adventure. Heir to the Jedi, while entertaining and sometimes humorous, is not perfectly executed. I won’t make excuses for its shortcomings, but will say that this novel was a close mix of enjoyable and puzzling. This story is, in my opinion, best served in the audiobook format, playing in the background and receiving marginal attention while living life. The fact of the matter is that it is a light-hearted look into the first steps of a fledgling Jedi, and when it is focused on that, Heir to the Jedi is quite good. The biggest problem with this novel is not that every word seems to originate from the trash compactor; the problem is that there are a handful of issues that distract and detract from the story. Those elements are the first-person perspective, the constant focus on food, the awkward attention to math, as well as the absurdly goofy tone that pervades the narrative. If you are able to overlook those issues (or if they had been removed editorially), Heir to the Jedi would have been much more palatable. All in all, Heir to the Jedi’s strongest elements grapple with its weaknesses, and at best I found it to be slightly entertaining. One thing’s for sure: the cover is incredible, and I’m glad to have it on my shelf. Secondly, walking with Luke on his path to becoming a Jedi is a walk I’m (mostly) glad I went on. Finally, Heir to the Jedi survives my criticism because quite frankly I believe that not every Star Wars book has to be one that makes me jump for joy. It’s good every now and then to pick up a light and silly read about a young Jedi-in-training just figuring things out, rather than saving the galaxy from superweapons and Sith Lords.

This book is in the first person. A bit strange for a Star Wars novel. Once you get past that it's an easy read. Good way to pass the time if you're a Star Wars fan.

A poorly-written, dull first encounter with Disney's vision for Star Wars. It's just as well that the Expanded Universe has been relegated to its own entity: this book doesn't deserve to stand alongside the works of Zahn, Stackpole, Allston, Stover, Luceno, and so many others who made the Expanded Universe so vibrant and engaging over the last twenty-plus years.

With the notable exception of "Dark Disciple," there seems to be a running trend within these latest Star Wars novels of not delivering on the promise. Well, I suppose I could say this differently. How about not delivering what was expected. That sounds less harsh. I keep cracking open these books expecting to get something I was told to expect by the publisher and marketing hype and end up with a completely different story altogether. "Heir to the Jedi" was another title that did not deliver what I was led to expect. That doesn't make it a bad book - it was an okay read - but it wasn't the missing link we were told it would be. "How did Luke go from farm-boy to fledgling Jedi in that span between Episodes IV & V?" Statements like this were the lead-ins to this novel. Well... it turns out we still don't know the answer after reading it. Because that's not at all what this book was about. We don't see much in Luke except someone who's trying his best but is clearly in over his head and more than a bit adrift. There's no guidance found here or uncovering of ancient teachings there - only a small (very small) bit of self-discovery. He only reaches for his lightsaber a couple of times throughout the book. In short, this is not the Jedi book you're looking for (forgive a guy for using the cliché). My thought was, "How do we ever get to a point where this kid becomes the grand master of the new order?" Then I had the shocking idea that maybe he never does. This is the new canon, after all, and history doesn't have to repeat itself. What if Lucasfilm is going a completely different direction with this and Luke is going to end up like Obi-Wan - this knight errant who lives a solitary existence for the rest of his days? I find myself very sad at the thought. This book wasn't bad. It was, in fact, entertaining at several parts, poignant even once or twice. But, it just felt episodic - a bunch of escapades that were loosely tied together by an overall plot thread. Yes, it keeps the story moving, but it seems to leave things unresolved. CAUTION - slight spoilers ahead. Questions remain after the story moves on from these little episodes: "So who DID that guy work for?" "Whatever became of that weird moon?" "What happened to the lightsaber after he dismantled it?" "Was her mother REALLY dead?" Plot devices are just sort of abandoned. And perhaps my biggest critique of this novel is that it tried too hard to be something it shouldn't be. For decades (that's right - DECADES) the books of the Star Wars E.U. had a distinctly Star Wars-y feel to them. They shared a common vibe or mood - call it ambiance if you will. This book seemed like it was trying too hard to change that mood. Nakari, while very likable and engaging, was a character that just felt out of place to me. She seemed like she was dropped into the Star Wars galaxy as opposed to being a native. Frankly, she seemed American and that's a bad thing for a girl from Pasher. And maybe this is nit-picking, but there's a certain vocabulary that establishes the world of the Star Wars written word - language that we know and love. Yet I've noticed with some of these new canon works that liberties are being taken with those comfortable terms. Suddenly we have "paper" instead of "flimsiplast." We have "concrete" instead of "duracrete." We have "glass" instead of "transparisteel." In this particular novel we find the horror of "bathroom" and "restroom" instead of "refresher." What gives?! I thought the whole point of this new Story Group was to firm up the inconsistencies and make sure that everything flowed seamlessly from one work to the next (regardless of medium). I'm seeing the opposite of that and I don't much like it. In summary, "Heir to the Jedi" was alright. Nothing special happens in it. Other than Luke and a brief cameo or two by Leia, you don't know the people in it. Really it could be a story that would slot in just about anywhere in the entire timeline with a few adjustments to detail. Honestly you could have made Han or even a young Wedge the main character in this and it wouldn't have altered the story all that much. It really felt like more of a Wraith Squadron plot than anything else. To me, this tells me that perhaps the title was ill-conceived. But hey, it was a Star Wars story and, to me, that's never a bad thing. I'll take any Star Wars tale you throw at me and kindly thank you for it. I am the quintessential "Shut up and take my money" kind of Star Wars fan. So I enjoyed the book, but it didn't wow me. It never had that "I can't put this down" feeling to it. I didn't really look forward to picking it back up again. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but it didn't suck me in like so many other Star Wars works have. So... it was alright.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. I liked the story being told from Luke's point of view and thought it gave some great introspective to his character. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get more into the inter connective tissue in Luke's head and that this book didn't lead or hint at the empire strikes back as I thought it would have been a great bridge. Unless of course they are planning more stand alone Luke adventures then I could understand but feel like it a missed opportunity to give some cohesiveness to the SW universe. Overall I still recommend.

This is a biography of Tarkin. It's like looking at a blueprint of an X-wing. Interesting, but superficial. An X-Wing zipping through space and blasting away at TIE fighters is much more exciting, and so is a book with some character development. There is no "spoiler alert" because nothing actually HAPPENS in this book. We find out that Tarkin had a childhood and became a man and that his development process involved no higher thought or reasoning process than Pavlovian conditioning. Also, Tarkin worked his way up to Grand Moff. And finally, Tarkin and Vader get together to chase some rebels. The most interesting part of this is that Tarkin suspects Vader was once Anakin. This is like Lois Lane finally suspecting Clark Kent is Superman (except, you know, with a good guy, instead of the dark lord of the sith). The events of this novel have almost nothing to do with the Clone Wars tv series or the movies with the exception of the fact that they fit in the timeline. I could use one fourth of the 5120 characters remaining for this review to summarize the relevant parts of this novel, but I think those characters would be better spent encouraging readers to implore Disney Publishing to commission Timothy Zahn to write novels for the official Star Wars Canon.

This book put some nice context to Luke's growing skills, especially to see what he must have been thinking about when he summoned the lightsaber to himself on Hoth.

This book reads like a teenager's fan fiction and does not seem to reflect Luke as an established character. It had its moments but was all together a let down. Would not buy if I had it to do over again.

I don't understand why everyone was so upset with this novel. There was a lot of negativity towards this book before it was even released, so much so that I was hesitant about picking it up right away. It was better than I expected. A major concern of mine, and many other fans, was this being a first person story told from Luke's point of view. I feared it would go too far into his head and leave little left for the imagination. For most of the book, Luke's inner dialog focuses on the events going on around him. When he does think about the previous events that we are familiar with, it makes sense. His feelings on the force, Jedi, his father, Obi-Wan were well thought out, in-line with where Luke was at this time, and some of the most interesting parts of the book. I think Kevin Hearne captured Luke in this era perfectly. He is still somewhat naive and awkward, but also unsure about his path towards becoming a Jedi. I'm guessing some fans expected him to be the Super Jedi he was in the NJO and beyond. Since the new novels are canon I am happy to see this interpretation of Luke replace previous iterations such as, Splinter of the Mind's Eye and the original Marvel comics. The author's portrayal of Luke was spot on, and the book introduced some great new characters, had an interesting story, and was a very unique Star Wars book, when compared to what has come before. I only wish we could have had more instances where Luke discovers or learns something new about the force. With Tarkin I had high hopes and was greatly underwhelmed. With Heir to the Jedi I had low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. I hope Del Rey continues to venture out, try new things, and use a variety of authors.

This is bad - really bad. But I don't think I can blame the author. I'm assuming the author was given a few main points he had to put in and then frame a book around it. Because that's how it reads. From the MacGuffin to the fight scenes it's all terribly predictable. Then the story comes to an abrupt and unsatisfying end. I'll be honest- if this didn't have "Star Wars" in the title nobody would read it and I'm only giving it two stars because it's the Star Wars universe.

To be perfectly honest, I was never really all that interested in Empire Era stories. My love always laid with the prequel and Clone Wars timeframes. However, with Heir to the Jedi I was hooked right from the beginning. Despite my indifference towards Empire Era tales, I have always loved Luke. His innocence, his realism as a character (what teenager wasn't whiny and restless and looking to do greater things than stay at home all the time?), and his emotional and internal development throughout the original trilogy was great. If there was ever a niggle of a doubt of my love for him, this book cemented it permanently in my heart. His awkwardness was especially endearing; as readers, we like to think of the Jedi as these mystical warriors whose intense training leaves little room for anything else. But the fact of the matter is, even with the best mentors and Masters, Padawans and others just learning about the Force must be like newborn giraffes: all gangly limbs and not knowing what to do with them, falling quite a few times before finally finding their footing. And that's what Luke is in HttJ, a baby giraffe trying to find solid ground. It's an absolute joy to read his interactions with Nakari Kelen (whom I fell in love with from her introduction), his awkwardness multiplied tenfold and making me smile so much my face hurt. The humor in the story isn't forced or shoehorned, which helped make it such a quick and enjoyable read for me (unlike Tarkin, which, while good as well, at times felt like a shore simply because of the heaviness of the story and the walls-o'-text). It did lag in a few places, mainly the aerial skirmishes, but that's a minor point in the bigger picture. While the last ten pages broke my heart, I look forward to reading this again anytime I need a pick-me-up.

It’s always a gamble introducing a new author to Star Wars, and when that author decides to change things up even more by writing their book in a different narrative, the odds get stacked against them. Add on top of that the fact that this is now a part of canon and it stars one of the most famous characters in all of Star Wars, and you get an almost insurmountable hurdle. How can anyone hope to meet those expectations? Well, luckily Kevin Hearne knows what he’s doing. He knows how to tap into characters, make them immensely enjoyable for the readers, and tug on people’s emotions. Heir to the Jedi takes Luke on an adventure but raises the bar by not only making him likeable, but by making his journey something of significance. While on the surface this might be another throwaway adventure, Hearne adds an element that ties this story into the mythos of Star Wars. This book becomes one of the pivotal steps in Luke’s journey to being a Jedi. For those who don’t know, Kevin Hearne is the author of the Iron Druid Chronicles series, a great line of books mixing fantasy and reality. All of those books are written in first person narrative, so it’s no surprise that he would continue to do so when given the opportunity to write Star Wars. To this date, the only other Star Wars adult novel to be told from the first person narrative is I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole. As a long time reader of Star Wars books, I have to admit it was a little odd diving into Heir to the Jedi and reading the story from Luke’s perspective at first. After 200 books, you get used to they way the narratives are structured. But after a while, the style of narration disappears and the story and characters come to the forefront. It no longer mattered that Luke is recounting everything, instead, it was fun to see these new and old characters come into play. It was enlightening to get glimpses into Luke’s head and to see his own thoughts on the Force, the events that unfolded in A New Hope, and how all of that has affected him. By the end, you’re left shocked that there was actually a meaningful story left for a Luke Skywalker tale at such an early point in the timeline, and all thoughts of narration fall completely by the wayside. The magic of the story is the characters. In A New Hope, Luke was pretty whiney. Heck, he was still kind of whiney in The Empire Strikes Back. In Heir to the Jedi, there is no whiney Luke. This is a Skywalker who has been introduced to the Force, blown up a Death Star, and is now trying to live in the wake of all that. He’s had some time to deflate his ego, appreciate how much he’s matured from his whiney self, and come to realize just how much about the Force he doesn’t know. These are all topics that are brought up and tackled in the book. Of greatest importance is Luke’s challenge with the Force. Without Obi-Wan to teach him, how can he make any progress with learning the ways of the Force? How does Luke get to the point in The Empire Strikes Back–hanging upside down in the wampa cave–where he can close his eyes, relax, and call his lightsaber to his hand? This book answers that. But it does one better than just giving a simple answer, it fully approaches the problem and turns the idea into an entire subplot for the story. Mix in Luke’s own wry humor, frank honesty, and willingness to help others, and you get a Luke Skywalker who feels like the Luke we grew up with. Hearne nails it. So what about new characters? In this regard, Heir to the Jedi opts for a small, tight-knit cast. There are lots of smaller roles, from cameos like Ackbar and Leia, to new characters like Rodian weapon dealers and Kupohan spies, but there are also characters of real significance. One of them is Drusil Bephorin, a Given slicer and cryptographer who becomes a supporting character late in the book. The other character of importance–and the second most important character in the book next to Luke–is Nakari Kelen. Nakari is a bit of a treasure hunter, but with a scientific bent. Her father runs a biolab corporation and she made a living hunting down interesting scientific finds on various worlds. Having joined the Rebel Alliance, she offers her ship to help out on missions. Eventually, her and Luke team up to rescue Drusil from the Empire. Through the story, her character is explored and she becomes a central part of the story and a key source of humor. Nakari had me laughing out loud at numerous points and her antics with Luke were some of the best parts of the story. But Nakari isn’t just a humorous companion. When thrown into combat, a completely different side of Nakari is revealed. She’s no nonsense and straight to business. When you put someone down, you shoot them twice to make sure they stay down. It’s a stark contrast between her playful joking side, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the way Aaron Allston wrote the characters of Wraith Squadron. Rather than being one dimensional, Nakari is fully developed and thereby completely engrossing. She’s my favorite character in the novel and Hearne does a terrific job writing her. Against great odds, Kevin Hearne manages to pull it off with Heir to the Jedi. It’s an excellent book with rich characters, bubbling humor and poignant emotion. It may take a bit to get sucked into the story, but once you’re there, Hearne keeps you there for an entertaining ride. When the book was first announced, I wasn’t sure there was that much that could be done with a Luke Skywalker novel since he’s one of the most used characters in the franchise. To my surprise, it turns out that there was a lot left to be explored, and thankfully Kevin Hearne finds that angle and brings it to light. I give Heir to the Jedi a five out of five.

Wasn't spectacular. Been waiting for this book too long. They kept pushing back the release date and that built a lot of anticipation. The book was slightly entertaining but way too short. Enjoyed the Obi Wan 1st person book way more. Hope this isn't going to be a trend with the new direction they're taking on the new books. Might start losing readers.

Being the first Star Wars novel to feature a first person narration combined with a Luke just after the Battle of Yavin, and hardly confident in any of his Jedi abilities, I had high hopes for this book. In the end however, the execution didn't live up to the potential. At just 267 pages, it could have easily been much longer and delved into Luke's thoughts much more.That's not to say that what's there isn't entertaining, just that I wanted more depth. As for why I'm not blaming the author, is one little thing that may seem petty, but I hope is not an indication of the changes that "ignoring" the EU will result in: Since when did a 'fresher become a bathroom. (I'm just going to assume that the author was under orders instead of not knowing any better.)

This was the first book I've ever read about Luke Skywalker. And it was the first book ever "written by" Luke Skywalker. And I really enjoyed it. Having been written in first person in the voice of Luke, this book is a first for Star Wars novels. I enjoyed the first person aspect of the novel, as it allowed for even deeper internal narration to come across than a normal story would have. But I found it hard to keep Luke's "voice" in my head for the entire novel, so I'm not sure it was entirely a success for me. I've been reading Star Wars novels and comics for about a decade, but have been going through them chronologically. I'm in the Dark Times currently, and so I've never read a story staring Luke Skywalker before. But my decision to begin reading all the new canon material as it comes out led me to jump ahead to this book. It was very interesting, therefore, to see Luke talk about the Clone Wars, wonder to himself how bad a guy the Emporer is, and know of the public reputation of Darth Vader. The novel is set shortly after A New Hope, and features Luke going on a Rebel mission to rescue a master computer slicer with the help of a beautiful Rebel, Nakari. The Luke/ Nakari relationship was a great part of the story, and it really helped show Luke growing up in the period between Episodes IV and V. The mathematical genius whom they rescue from the Empire was an interesting character, and I enjoyed the way math was such an important part of her culture. The chapter headings embedded in mathematical formulas were a nice touch. The most interesting part of the novel was Luke struggling to learn how to use the Force. With such little time and guidance from Ben before his death, all he knows is that the Force is out there but he has little idea how to use it, and what it can do. It was great to watch him take his first steps toward figuring that out, and even see him notice that the Dark Side always beckons. Luke trying to use the Jedi Mind Trick on someone for the first time was hilarious, as was his first forays into moving objects with his mind. Admiral Ackbar, R2D2 "talking" to Luke, and the author's meditation on weather Vader was seduced by the Dark Side or fell to it by his own choice add even more great stuff to this book. It wasn't a standout 5 star novel like The Revenge of the Sith novelization or Darth Plagueis, but I really don't have anything but praise for Heir to the Jedi.