NGP Review : Heir To The Jedi

NGP Review : Heir To The Jedi

Out of all the currently released Star Wars canon novels, the concept of Heir to the Jedi was by far the most intriguing and exciting for me as a fan. Following in the steps of Luke Skywalker fresh off the events the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the first Death Star, I couldn’t wait to dive into the adventures between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back especially following on the heels of it’s two incredible predecessors A New Dawn and Tarkin. Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived.

The first turn off for me wasn't story related, but rather the perspective in which author Kevin Hearne wrote the novel. I've never personally been a fan of fiction in the first person, and even less so with characters I've come to grow and love. More often than not, I feel that authors have a difficult time finding a character's voice in this style, resulting in some rather clunky and cheesy inner monologue and dialogue interaction.

For example, within the first chapter alone, classic gems such as :

“Moisture farming. Spectacularly dull. Some weeks were so boring that I actually looked forward to going to Tosche Station to pick up some … power converters.”

and

“Llanc bustled with smugglers and other ne’er-do-wells in a way that might have moved Ben Kenobi to call it a “wretched hive of scum and villainy,” even if it was quite as wretched as Mos Eisley.”

were randomly interjected into the story, which at times made me roll my eyes to a point where it was almost too painful to continue. My annoyance with the dialogue aside, the bigger issue for me was that Hearne didn’t appear to know what type of story he wanted to tell. Through the first quarter of the novel, Luke, and his Alliance companion Nakari Kelen, are tasked with a mission to investigate a missing ship owned by Nakari’s biotech mougel father, Fayet Kelen, in return for credits needed to upgrade their own craft for the “main mission”. While that’s all well and good, the story takes a very sharp Ridley Scott Prometheus/Alien like turn as the duo finds the abandoned vessel overrun by camouflaged brain sucking alien parasites.

Nakari Kelen

As this mission concludes and the story progresses, Alliance leader, Admiral Akbar, then enlists the talents of Luke and Nakari for a rescue mission, a la every heist movie known to man, to save a Given prisoner by the name of Drusil Bephorin from the clutches of the Galactic Empire in hopes that she will aid the Alliance through her unparalleled skills in cryptography.  At this point, nearly half way through the novel, things finally start to pick up.

Drusil Bephorin

Without disclosing any spoilers, I did find myself questioning some of the character choices that occurred at end of the novel. However, there was also a period of enlightenment, as I began to understand the influences Luke had at this point in his life following the death of Ben Kenobi and how those influences helped shape him into the Jedi he would eventually become.

The novel was saved from disaster thanks to the second act of the story, earning it a 2/5 on the NGP rating scale. If you are looking for a great Luke Skywalker story, look toward Jason Aaron and John Cassaday's Star Wars title user the Marvel Comics banner instead. You'll be far more impressed.

2/5 

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Until next time True Believers,