Jedi Knight

Star Wars: Dark Forces Trilogy #3

by William C. Dietz, Dave Dorman (Illustrator)

With Luke Skywalker's help, Jedi novice and rebel agent Kyle Katarn will save the legendary Valley of the Jedi from Jerec, a dark Jedi who plans to invade the planet where the valley is located and eventually dethrone the emperor

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Audiobook, Comics, Adventure

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 14, 1998

About the author

New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.

Reviews

[Jared · Rating 2 out of 5]

Star Wars Legends Project #322

Background: Dark Forces: Jedi Knight was written by William C. Dietz as the last of three tie-in novellas to the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight video games. It was published in October of 1998. Dietz wrote all three novellas in the series.

Jedi Knight, being the second half of the book begun in Rebel Agent (my review) picks up exactly where the last book left off, 5 years after the battle of Yavin. The main character is Kyle Katarn, along with Jan Ors and the Dark Jedi Jerec. There are appearances by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Qu Rahn, and various others. The novel mostly takes place on Ruusan.

Summary: Kyle Katarn and Jerec have both located the Lost Valley of the Jedi, and Jerec has taken control of it. Now Kyle must infiltrate an Imperial operation and find some way to free the trapped souls of the ancient Jedi army within, before Jerec can find a way to enslave them and use their energy to subjugate the whole galaxy.

Review: Okay, so as the layers continue to peel back, I've realized once again that some story choices I blamed on a different story actually trace back here. When I first read Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, I found a lot of the elements of the battle on Ruusan to be decidedly odd, but I soon learned that most of that was outlined in the earlier comic Jedi vs. Sith, and if anything, Drew Karpyshyn cleaned it up considerably for his version. What I didn't register was that even Jedi vs. Sith was drawing from here, and I'd even played the game!

Of course, I'm pretty sure most of the details from this adaptation aren't actually detailed in the game, and I wonder how much of this is Dietz himself and how much was dictated, but anyway . . . this is the true, original source for the goofy alien bouncers and General Hoth and the thought bomb (though they don't call it that) and all the rest of it. I kind of vaguely knew that the Lost Valley of the Jedi from those other stories had its origins here, but I didn't know that the rest of it did, as well.

In the sense that Dietz *does* seem to have a bit more freedom to move rather than just follow someone else's story outline, this is a slight improvement, but not enough of one to make this that much better to read. It's also nice that there's a resolution, which was sorely lacking in the sudden cut-off of the last book, but again I'm not giving a book any extra credit for actually having An Ending. There was so much potential, in particular, in the development of Jan Ors as a character, but she's *so* obsessed over thinking and worrying about Kyle every second that she never develops a personality of her own, let alone a character arc. Huge missed opportunity. Really those three words about cover this whole adaptation. It's only better than the Force Unleashed adaptations because it's based on a better game.

C-

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still mostly a disappointment from a reading perspective, but this final Dark Forces read at least contains the most exciting scenes from the video game. Unlike Soldier for the Empire and Rebel Agent, there's a lot Jedi stuff in Jedi Knight, from Force-powered battles to intriguing lore. Of course, most of the lore has since been retconned, but it's neat to read these initial stabs at Jedi prehistory.

Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors have located the Valley of the Jedi and must now infiltrate it before Jerec can tap into the Force energy of the ancient trapped Jedi. The infiltration plot is fun and straightforward, helping keep the narrative clear in comparison to the previous books in the trilogy. One of the dark Jedi, Yun, gets a fair bit of screentime as he's tortured about his evil ways. Surprisingly, I wasn't annoyed by this unexpected POV character.

The big battles at the climax are wildly truncated - maybe Dietz ran out of steam...or page count? Katarn and Ors' relationship is fleshed out a teensy bit more, though after Ors got to be a real character in the first book, it's a bit sad to see her as a sidekick/sometimes lover in this finale.

Cumulatively, a pretty mediocre Star Wars trilogy that should really be a quicker, easier read than it is. This final book is the least sloggy of the three...but it's still a mud puddle.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars: Legends: Dark Forces 03 Jedi Knight by William C. Dietz

Slow-paced

Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters are a main focus? It's complicated

3.0 Stars

I have to say...I did NOT like this trilogy.

It felt like bad fan fic. It WAS bad fan fic. Ugh.

American names. Details that do NOT belong in the Star Wars franchise/universe.

Bad motivations. Odd moments. I hate dunking on books, but this trilogy was a HUGE let down.

Enough said.

[Jaelynne Inglis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note this review summarizes all 3 novels.

Rating: 8.1/10
TL,DR: Good gap filler, some parts are boring, and faithfulness to the original can be questionable

First and foremost, im obviously biased on this one, but i recognize and understand some of the flaws with these books, but i feel a lot goes understated as well. The author seems to score mediocre ratings/reviews at best with his other works, which i actually find surprising. I thought these novels were well written, and well worded, if not but a little bit slow paced.

Im finding its easier to organize thoughts into good and bad vs rambling, so ill try to follow that structure from now on.

The good:
The novels do a REALLY good job at painting the picture of everything, down the the settings, people, nouns and verbs happening. I absolutely adore lightsabers being described as having “ the smell of ozone” or oxidizing/oxidization… that kind of crack and pop of a saber ignition and then the resounding fuel like smell… i can now read other star wars novels and smell the lightsabers. How weirdly cool is that? But beyond that, the settings are described in the same way, and are especially faithful to the game- which cant be said for all parts of the novels but well get there. I found i could really connect with the FMV cutscenes from the game especially well, and picture the actors from the game in all these scenarios. The novels do a good (enough) job of tying together the little bits and pieces we dont get to see in between gameplay and cutscenes from the original. We also see a lot of expansion and character progression on Kyle specifically: we learn about his days in the imperial academy before joining the rebellion, how he met jan, and more. Its also worth noting that the first novel is pretty much the first level of dark forces 1- no more no less, so no dark trooper project is touched on at all. The entire plot for the first game is not used, just the first level. I actually both enjoyed and feel poorly about the force use and lightsaber use: i think the force use was well done and made more sense than the game, but i think the lightsaber to be the opposite. I feel like we saw a good progression on the force side but the lightsaber not so much, unless you want to explain it as the more im touch with the force Kyle got, the better he got with the saber: sure, true, but him defeating Sariss as swiftly as he did while being injured and untrained? Doesnt seem feasible. Also: the illustrations are absolutely phenomenal in the novels. Definitely a big bonus in my books (lol) in any novel i read.

The bad: faithfulness was kind of wack. Specifically kyles relationship with jan, and his abilities with the lightsaber. The Kyle and Jan romance is AT MOST eluded to in the actual game, and its not up until Jedi Outcast that we actually see the pair kiss- meanwhile in these novels it happens like 3 times. Sure, yeah, fine, whatever, but it seemed forced (lol) to me and n out natural, but just like a “its what the people wanna see” kind of thing. And as stated above: the use of the lightsaber seemed farfetched to me. The force stuff was also unfaithful to the game, as kyle used the force as early as Nar Shadda (level 1 and 2 of the game) but i liked that change. But again, just right away being good with the lightsaber peeved me a bit. I also must say: the morgan katarn stuff was unbelievably boring. Skipped that after i read it the first time around. Takes up so much room in the book but its such a useless part in my opinion, feels like its taking up space. The books definitely could have been 2 instead of 3.

[Nick Prol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review for all three books in William C. Dietz’s “Dark Forces” trilogy. I must stress up top that regardless of my likes and dislikes regarding their narrative I’m about to review, these surprisingly high quality, thin and tall hardback novels feature paintings in each volume that, save a few, are absolutely beautiful and ominous, remaining some of my favorite overall Star Wars art in general. It’s all very classy and well done. So, while the books are practically worth it just for the art, let’s get into the actual meat of the series, the writing and the story that is told.

These would all actually be closer to a 3 and 1/2 star rating for me, but I’m forced (no pun intended) to give it a 3 due to half stars not being possible here for some reason.This is a trilogy that both adapts the events of two Star Wars PC games (Dark Forces and Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II) and covers events not in any game, fleshing out characters and events in a mostly enjoyable fashion.

Many reviews here for these seem to look down on Star Wars EU novels to begin with (many even incorrectly calling this a "graphic novel"), so one should consider the source when seeing reviews here claiming this book is "poorly written". It’s no Shakespeare, surely, but it is successfully distracting and entertaining escapism. Nothing more, but that's enough in this case. if you enjoyed the Dark Forces game series or are looking for anything (not by Disney) that further fleshes out what is arguably the most beloved scifi/fantasy universe of all time, I'd hazard a guess that you’re pretty much guaranteed to at least like this on a 3.5 level, as I did.

There's even an audio dramatization of this and the other two books, which get a pass from me despite A) Severely editing down the book's length and removing a lot of enjoyable scenes and descriptions and B) Having its characters say aloud things they should definitely only be thinking. The matter of "A" I excuse because sometimes you simply don't have the time or a justification you can think of for spending the time to read an entire EU book, even if it's short. As for "B", nearly all comic books of the Golden Age, Silver Age, etc. did this. Now, obviously in those they weren't practicing "show don't tell" but instead the decidedly more foolproof method of "both show AND tell". Difference is, a radio drama and can only do one of those. It gets a pass.

And finally, yes, the movie, "Rogue One", essentially ripped off the first part of this trilogy in many ways. Should you ever state this fact to a Disney Star Wars fan (one of the lower life forms to be found in this, our real world), it’s best to have read (or listened to) these three books so you can both back up that claim and as a bonus, enjoy the original, better version of the story behind the stealing of the Death Star's plans. Hell, even let them borrow the books when you're done. Not unlike Darth Vader, it's never too late to redeem someone.

[Rami Abuhamra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Star Wars: Dark Forces - Jedi Knight" is the second part and final novel in the "Dark Forces" trilogy. Much like the previous novel, it adapts the story of the "Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight" video game, but adapts it differently.

This novel/audio drama differs from the game. It tells the same story, but the scenes are presented a bit differently, and there is more dialogue. I believe all novelizations should do this. However, the most important aspect is ensuring it provides a different experience from the visual narrative, whether it's a movie, TV show, or game. In my view, this is a good novelization.

The voice cast returns, along with some new additions. However, one thing I never understood was why the cast from Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight wasn't considered to be able to reprise their roles. They had the full cast available, but it seems they may not have been interested in returning. Personally, I would have enjoyed having the original cast back, as it would have created a nice connection to the game. However, what we received was still good enough.

The trilogy does a great job of telling Kyle Katarn's story; however, unlike the first, it doesn't convey its own narrative. I would have preferred a story that unfolded between the games. Nevertheless, what we received is still excellent. Among the three in the trilogy, I prefer the first because it felt fresh, serving as the origin story of Kyle Katarn.

This is a good trilogy if you're interested in learning about Kyle Katarn's story, even if you're not a gamer. However, for gamers, it will also expand on the stories of the games and of Katarn. They're a lot of fun, exciting, and feel like Star Wars.

4/4 stars.

[Kaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last part of this wonderful trilogy tells us about the final confrontation between the Dark Jedi Jerec and the rebel agent Kyle Katarn. A rivalry was formed after Jerec had Kyle Katarn's father killed in an imperial attack on Sullust's moon, Sulon. To stop Jerec, Kyle will have to face six Dark Jedi that accompanies the Dark user, but perhaps his greatest rival is none other than the temptation to give in to revenge.
On his journey, Kyle would face the Dark Jedi Yun, whom he would spare. But he would end up giving in to the dark side and ending up with an unarmed enemy. Immediately, Katarn would be confronted by Jerec and three of his Dark Jedi, ending with Kyle being thrown off a cliff in a transport. Injured and knowing that he is no match for Jerec or his minions, Kyle decides not to give up and continues his fight to protect the Valley and save Jan Ors, who had been kidnapped. With his lightsaber destroyed, Katarn was about to be struck down when Yun, the Dark Jedi whose life he spared ended up saving him at the cost of his own. With Yun's lightsaber as his weapon, Kyle manages to defeat his other enemies and face Jerec, who had begun to absorb the power of the Valley. Using a Jedi technique that managed to enclose all the power of the dark side in a wall of light, Jerec ends up being defeated and in a last attempt to finish off his enemy, he is shot down by Kyle. After their victory, the spirits trapped in the valley are released, and as the prophecy said "A knight had come, a battle had been fought, and the prisoners were free."

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Shadows of Mindor I guess this is the second chronologically in a Long line of “Dark Jedi” upstarts that the good guys have to defeat. This one is not much different. Jerec is about as useful as all the others which is to say mostly having delusions of grandeur and no real power. He is defeated with a thought and the story is over. It’s interesting to note that the ancient light and dark battle was the basis for the end of the Sith in later novels I didn’t actually know that. The continued of Jedi all over the place gets a little confusing, not sure why the author didn’t use Sith since the word had been created by Lucas.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars: 2.5
Reread: No
Recommend to: Players of the Dark Forces video games or those who want to read everything SW.

Not a lot to say about this, other than it is about on par with the first two. I'd say the artwork is better. It helped having played the game or some of the stuff may have been more difficult to follow.

It was interesting how much of this story got carried over into the Darth Bane storyline.

Casual SW readers would do better to look elsewhere for novels since this doesn't come close to fitting with the vast majority of the EU and the story came across better in a video game than the books.

[Elwin Kline · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I liked it!" - 3 out of 5 stars.

Not as good as book #2 in the series, but still a great Star Wars book. Loads of Dark Jedi (term used as opposed to Sith) fun, the 'screamers' stuff was really creepy and interesting, the whole valley of the Jedi, and Jarik vs Kyle ordeal is fun.

A big complement to this book and for the series as a whole, is a very well done ending is delivered here. Feel good style, where the hero gets the girl, and it actually made me smile. Again, very solid ending, which is something that is often missed!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the most disappointing of the trilogy. It's not that it's badly written, but it's far too short and concise for its own good. The release of the souls trapped in the valley should have been something epic and biblical...instead if feels like it's trying to wrap everything up as quickly as possible, while diverting too much to deal with a colony of smugglers and pirates. Luke, Leia & Han's characterizations and the time-line still seem confusing to me, as well. In the end, I wished for so much more.

[Marica · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmmm. becoming a jedi knight overnight? nope nope nope. i would have enjoyed it immensely if i didnt read all the other books where jedi train for 15 odd years to earn their knight rank. it just doesnt gel with the rest of the star wars universe. even Luke at this point in the story has been training for 6 or 7 years and only calls himself a jedi. not a knight.

really not a bad read, just doesnt gel.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting how little of this I remember from the video games themselves. Yet I feel like the books are written with the assumption that you have knowledge from the games. The book itself is interesting enough though a little on the dry side. Pictures are pretty but not artsy like they are in the first book.

[Andi Brockmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

»And a Knight shall come, a battle will be fought, and the prisoners go free.«

Ein Muss für jeden Star Wars-Fan. Legendärer Hauptcharakter, legendäre Geschichte, fast so gut wie das Spiel aus den 90ern.

[BIGnick BIGnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The satisfying conclusion to Kyle Katarn’s story arc, one actually worthy of the Star Wars banner. You will feel the force and hear the score in this grounded, gritty tale of revenge, love and growth.

[S.J. Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't call these the cream of the EU crop, but I appreciate the lore that helps to make this story integral to the timeline.

3.5/5 At least there's something of an explanation for Kyle's grand video game successes.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d forgotten how weak this final book was - it is decent by really shallow in terms of the Kyle & Jan love story. The cutscenes in the game had much more drama. Oh well, still love the trilogy and nice to revisit

[Rob Whaley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm currently feeling sick, so maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to read the trilogy, or maybe I need to play the games to appreciate it, but I was not a fan. The writing was lazy and using the excuse of it being "a graphic novella" doesn't cut it.

[Metin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just play the games. Don’t read those books.

[Alexandr Iscenco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good take on the game "Dark Forces: Jedi Knight" that adds extra details and depth to the story.

[Bradley Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Gary Varga · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just feels like the story was written then they decided to make it a Star Wars story by swapping some of the words, names, and places

[Jurgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's not a bad story but it doesn't align with the only two sith left, calling them dark jedi etc... it just doesn't work in my head.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

The conclusion of the illustrated novels based on the video game series delivers excitement even if the lore has been relegated to legends.

[Jaime K · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first experience of this was the audiobook. In reading it, I realize this installment left the least impact on me as I remembered little to nothing when I began.
It also starts of slow, and doesn't begin well. It picks up after the first chapter.

The art enhances the story quite a bit, and is the saving grace of the graphic novel. The image of the three dark Jedi under Jerec at the end of chapter 1 helped with my mental visualization. That of the battle near the end of chapter 2 is beautiful. I was especially glad for the picture of the bouncers, which almost fit my mental image perfectly! The only downside is that they're not white.

The Dark Jedi (which are just shortened to 'Jedi,' which doesn't fully sit well with me, but I get why they may refer to themselves as such) are going to the Valley of the Jedi on Ruusan. Jerec sends his three minions to check out the nearby Fort Nowhere, citizens left on the planet by Kyle Katarn's father and the bouncers. Sariss and the others meet with Mayor Devro, a scene that's too fast. There could have been more detail there. Devro's reaction irritates me because he should know how Imperials are by now. Though I'm glad he wasn't so dumb as to not have any defenses ready, just in case.

I have to wonder if Rahn helped Kyle more than Obi-Wan did Luke. *laughs*
I liked Yoda's words on everything having a patter. Even though it wasn't in ESB, I can definitely see him saying that in Luke's time on Dagobah.

Kyle meets the Big 3. I really enjoyed the interaction between him and Han. He, Jan, and some others (including a very interesting Special Ops guy named Obota, who had been court martialed for doing the right thing - a very interesting scene) head on out to Ruusan. Kyle faces the Dark Jedi, and has to battle the dark within himself.

Mon Mothma is portrayed very well. A few years ago, I wouldn't have thought so, but I feel like her behavior fits both existing canons. She trusts that the Force exists and that what Luke says is true, but seeks tangible evidence. And in chapter 3, Kyle mentally notes that Mon Mothma wouldn't approve of him risking his life for beings [aliens] she hasn't met.

Aww, Rahn helping Yun is fantastic.
Lord Hoth is mentioned! That was a weird flashback though.


The 'Bad
- Grif's flyer is called "Fido."
- In the first three pages, there is a lot of 'referred to _____ as "______." It was tedious and annoying.
- For whatever reason, Sariss can't sense if what Jerec gives her is good or bad.
- The black human is described as having "white teeth"
- Too many of the Rebels are humans...and Kyle thinks of a Dark Jedi Twi'lek as a "wormhead."
- There is a Dreadnaught the Rebels use called New Hope.
- Ticket stubs and receipts being in wallets.
- "Mad Dog" being a nickname [for Momo]
- Someone is thought of having a "choirboy" face

A lot of this is racist and speciesist, and rubs me the wrong way

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final installment of the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight story turns out to be the best story, best writing, and best illustrations to deliver a final "okay" ending considering the low bar the previous two books set. But really this one moved the plot along briskly and the Dark Jedi encounters though portrayed thinly were still interesting.
As an fan of the venerable series of games I wish the character had gotten a better opportunity to shine on his own. Dash Rendar received an outstanding tie-in novel "Shadows of the Empire" although his character was hugely short-changed in favor of original trilogy characters. Both Dash Render and Kyle Katarn/Jan Ors are featured along with their memorable starships in the X-Wing miniatures game from Fantasy Flight. And of course now these stories & characters are relegated to LEGENDS by the Disney acquisition and their plans for a new continuity where the upcoming film ROGUE ONE usurps Katarn's origin story to some extent.
At least the completionist in me is happy to set these books side by side together on my shelf nearly 20 years after reading the first book.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm posting one review for all 3 books since I read them in a fan bind-up.

B+ Just finished today and it was overall pretty solid. The first book was probably the best since it gave some really good backstory for Kyle's imperial days along with some much needed characterization for Morgan. The second and third books are much more action heavy but you do get some characterization for side characters like Jan and even Yun which was nice. The OT crew also show up (albeit in smaller roles) which was cool and helped to tie it to the greater EU better. Dietz seemed to focus more on action scenes (which were great) but it's at the expense of characterization/worldbuilding which I felt could have been a bit better. As a long time fan of the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight saga I would definitely say it's worth a read as the extra scenes make it well worth it. If you're a SW fan in general I would probably still give it a mild recommendation as there is enough there to justify its existence and Kyle does show up in the later EU more frequently so you'll get more context for his character.

[Darryl Dobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle and Jan of course make their way to the Valley of the Jedi and this is where there is an interesting tie-in – via a “dream sequence” – with the Darth Bane “Thought Bomb” that wiped out hundreds of Jedi and all of the Sith except him. The story was much different then what actually happened, as we found out in the Darth Bane books. In this story, obviously written before the Bane books told it ‘right’, Bane wasn’t mentioned at all and there were some minor changes. But you get the general idea of what this was supposed to describe and your imagination can easily tie it in with the overall storyline. This trilogy is an easy read and moderately interesting. I would recommend to SW fans for that reason, as well as the cameo appearances by Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker (who actually plays a bigger role in the final book).

[Jesse Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book made up of so-so writing. I guess it's no surprise. I still give this one 4 stars, out of nostalgic necessity and my fan-boyism for Kyle Katarn. He actually turns out to be a pretty awesome Jedi Knight.

The ending to the trilogy is great: for once, the bad guy doesn't die from a lightsaber! Instead, Kyle is able to "cocoon" the exploding force coming from Jerec, causing the Dark Jedi to kill himself. Pretty smooth move, and awesome to see the Force being used that way.

Dietz writing gets annoying in this series. He overuses expressions like "quiet, too quiet" and "close, very close." Other than that, the series was readable, and brought back that sweet nostalgic feeling.

[Jorge de la Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be brief, as there's little to tell about this novella that I haven't covered in the reviews of the first two: Good, light, entertaining story, less-than-stellar prose (the Dietz factor), and overall a fun read for any die-hard Star Wars fan, or just about anyone who enjoyed the Dark Forces video games back in the day. Nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing, but fun nevertheless.