Anakin is a confused, angry teen. What else is new? ( )

La República está en decadencia, incluso bajo el liderazgo del Canciller Supremo Palpatine, quien fue elegido para salvar a la galaxia del colapso bajo las fuerzas del descontento. En el pequeño pero estratégico planeta de Ansion, una poderosa facción está a punto de unirse al creciente movimiento secesionista. A pedido del Canciller, el Consejo Jedi envía a dos Caballeros Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi y Luminara Unduli, junto con sus padawans Anakin Skywalker y Barriss Offee, para estabilizar la población del planeta. Para tener éxito, los Jedi tendrán que cumplir tareas casi imposibles, entablar amistad con extraños cautelosos e influir en dos grandes ejércitos, acechados todo el tiempo por un enemigo que ha jurado que las negociaciones se derrumbarán y la misión fracasará...

I really wanted to like it, because it features two of my favorite prequel characters (Luminara and Barris), and it served as a prequel to Attack of the Clones, and it's Alan Dean Foster. But my goodness, does this drag on. It's not so much about the political situation surrounding the separatists and the republic as it is a wilderness adventure out of the Jedi Quest series. Also, Anakin is a dick to pretty much everyone, even Obi-Wan. Aside from the middle where nothing happens, the rest of the book is kinda good. ( )

More of a 2.5⭐ but I'm being generous. I really liked this intro to Barriss and especially her loghtsaber dance which sounded amazing. There were a couple of good moments developing Anakin's character and where his head is at pre-AotC. But damn if this book wasn't super ableist. Like they literally said that people with mental illnesses are so addled that Jedi can't detect anything from them? And then had Barriss heal two aliens whose physiology she knew nothing about with no repercussions whatsoever? First the dismissal and then the amazing cure just rubbed me the wrong way. And the fact that Luminara and Barriss were introduced by having Luminara intimidate away attemped rapists? Fucking must you??? I don't know why I ever expected better from the dude who wrote Splinter of the Mind's Eye, though. He was a sexist, racist trash pile then, too. Apparently it was too much to hope that 25 years allowed him some growth. ( )

taking place before Attack of the Clones, it is the story of 2 Jedi and 2 Padawans forging an alliance on a world so that it doesn't secede from the Republic and draw many others with it. Obi-wan, Anakain, and Luminara Unduli and Barris Offee. This story was plodding, to put it nicely. It bordered on the I'm not gonna finish this" line. Would never buy it, for sure.

Update: I did buy it, for continuity's sake, sigh." ( )