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Heir to the Jedi
(Star Wars Disney Canon Novel)
by
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .
A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and—for the first time ever—written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view.
A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and—for the first time ever—written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view.
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Hardcover, 291 pages
Published
March 3rd 2015
by Del Rey
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Start your review of Heir to the Jedi (Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion, #3)

The Force isn’t as strong here.
This is an odd novel due it was initially announced as the third book in a trilogy titled “Empire and Rebellion” where each novel would be focused in one of the “Big Three” (Luke, Leia & Han), and while the first two books were published as such, by the time that this novel were published, Lucasfilms declared non-canon all previous novels (except few cases) and declared the first two books of this trilogy as part of the now known as “Legends” novels. While this ...more
This is an odd novel due it was initially announced as the third book in a trilogy titled “Empire and Rebellion” where each novel would be focused in one of the “Big Three” (Luke, Leia & Han), and while the first two books were published as such, by the time that this novel were published, Lucasfilms declared non-canon all previous novels (except few cases) and declared the first two books of this trilogy as part of the now known as “Legends” novels. While this ...more

My name is Luke Skywalker and I'm going to tell you a story. Like, in first person and what not. It's an easy story to follow: I sort of experience a bunch of completely non-sequitur encounters with wholly unrelated characters in random locations. Sometimes it's an Aliens ripoff; sometimes it's a RomCom–there's something for everyone! It doesn't really piece together, so you won't have to bother thinking too much. Also, I'll explain it all to you in super casual, Earth teen lingo so that it feel
...more

"There’s no one around to answer all my questions now that Ben has gone. It’s a stark fact that reasserts itself each time I wonder what I’m supposed to do now. The brown robe he wore may as well have been made of pure mystery; he clothed himself in it and then left nothing else behind on the Death Star. I know Han likes to scoff at the idea of the Force, but when a man’s body simply disappears at the touch of a lightsabre, that’s more than “simple tricks and nonsense.”
And I know the Force is re ...more
And I know the Force is re ...more

I like Star Wars and I like Kevin Hearne so …
What do we get?
Star Hearne?
Oberon strikes back?
Return of the Druid?
I always liked the way Hearne described the Iron Druid’s bindings and his approach to writing magic so I was intrigued and curious to see how he explained Luke’s exploration of the Force. This is set after A New Hope but before Empire so Luke had only begun his incomplete lessons with Ben and had not yet met Master Yoda on Dagobah. This is a good setting for Hearne to apply his own Jed ...more
What do we get?
Star Hearne?
Oberon strikes back?
Return of the Druid?
I always liked the way Hearne described the Iron Druid’s bindings and his approach to writing magic so I was intrigued and curious to see how he explained Luke’s exploration of the Force. This is set after A New Hope but before Empire so Luke had only begun his incomplete lessons with Ben and had not yet met Master Yoda on Dagobah. This is a good setting for Hearne to apply his own Jed ...more

First reaction, "Hey awesome, Kevin Hearne is writing a Star Wars book."
Second reaction, "What the hell! Why isn't he writing the next Iron Druid book?"

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Now that I've read it, I give it a great big meh. It wasn't exactly a page turner. I kept getting distracted and putting the book down. This being a Hearne book may have been the biggest reason I finished it. I did like the idea of their being a alien cult ...more
Second reaction, "What the hell! Why isn't he writing the next Iron Druid book?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that I've read it, I give it a great big meh. It wasn't exactly a page turner. I kept getting distracted and putting the book down. This being a Hearne book may have been the biggest reason I finished it. I did like the idea of their being a alien cult ...more

Beware: There be spoilers ahead.

Wow, what a letdown, I was so looking forward to this book too. I mean Kevin Hearne doing a Star Wars book, what is not to love about that.
Well for starters the book was just plain boring. It’s pretty much Luke racking up some SkyMiles, going from planet to planet picking up things, and talking to people.
I mean I went in thinking this was going to be exciting and action packed with a lot of Hearne’s witty banter tossed in.

No it was Luke running errands for the ...more

Wow, what a letdown, I was so looking forward to this book too. I mean Kevin Hearne doing a Star Wars book, what is not to love about that.
Well for starters the book was just plain boring. It’s pretty much Luke racking up some SkyMiles, going from planet to planet picking up things, and talking to people.
I mean I went in thinking this was going to be exciting and action packed with a lot of Hearne’s witty banter tossed in.

No it was Luke running errands for the ...more

I just...
Dude... dude
My beloved EU was scrapped for THIS ?
I like Hearne. I enjoy the hell out of his Iron Druid series. But here he's let me down. Tremendously.
Instead of a fun adventure story we get Errand Boy Luke running a string of pointlessly stupid missions that feel like shitty time wasting sidequests from a grindfest MMO. You know the ones where you have to go on 4 separate runs to get 3 different ingredients and the skull of an aardvark just to open the way to the boss battle.
Except ...more
Dude... dude
My beloved EU was scrapped for THIS ?
I like Hearne. I enjoy the hell out of his Iron Druid series. But here he's let me down. Tremendously.
Instead of a fun adventure story we get Errand Boy Luke running a string of pointlessly stupid missions that feel like shitty time wasting sidequests from a grindfest MMO. You know the ones where you have to go on 4 separate runs to get 3 different ingredients and the skull of an aardvark just to open the way to the boss battle.
Except ...more

“Betrayal always comes wrapped up in a friendly cloak. It's one of the first things I learned in the Senate.”
When Disney bought Lucasfilm, much of the lore was thrown away and the slate was wiped clean after Return of the Jedi. Heir to the Jedi was originally intended as part of the Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion series. I recently read (and loved) Honor Among Thieves, which ended up being the last book published under the Legends continuity. Heir to the Jedi then became one of the first canoni ...more
When Disney bought Lucasfilm, much of the lore was thrown away and the slate was wiped clean after Return of the Jedi. Heir to the Jedi was originally intended as part of the Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion series. I recently read (and loved) Honor Among Thieves, which ended up being the last book published under the Legends continuity. Heir to the Jedi then became one of the first canoni ...more

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
3.5 stars.
To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed for the majority of the time I spent reading this book. Once again, a big name author was chosen to write a Star Wars novel, and like with the previous few, it didn't capture my attention the way I'd hoped. It was a good story, but not real exciting or engaging.
But then the last couple of chapters brought it home and was enough to bump my rating by a half star. I finished th ...more
3.5 stars.
To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed for the majority of the time I spent reading this book. Once again, a big name author was chosen to write a Star Wars novel, and like with the previous few, it didn't capture my attention the way I'd hoped. It was a good story, but not real exciting or engaging.
But then the last couple of chapters brought it home and was enough to bump my rating by a half star. I finished th ...more

My first impressions before reading: less than 270 pages and the font of the print is super big. What is this?A junior novel for middle schoolers?
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
My God, what a sick pathetic joke this book is. I have consistently been reading Star Wars novels for the longest time...having just finished the Heir to the Empire trilogy, Darth Plagueis, Shadows of the Empire and the Bane Trilogy...and to come to this worthless drivel is a total insult to me and all the previous a ...more
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
My God, what a sick pathetic joke this book is. I have consistently been reading Star Wars novels for the longest time...having just finished the Heir to the Empire trilogy, Darth Plagueis, Shadows of the Empire and the Bane Trilogy...and to come to this worthless drivel is a total insult to me and all the previous a ...more

In his introduction to Heir to the Jedi, Kevin Hearne says that the inspiration for his first novel set in "a galaxy far, far away" was a question that many Star Wars fans of a certain age may have pondered when The Empire Strikes Back made its debut -- how did Luke Skywalker go from a novice in the Force to being able to pull his lightsaber to him in the ice cave on Hoth?
The movie series doesn't give us any answers or explanation, but Hearne's novel does. Narrated by Luke, Heir to the Jedi take ...more
The movie series doesn't give us any answers or explanation, but Hearne's novel does. Narrated by Luke, Heir to the Jedi take ...more

This is one of the worst Star Wars-branded books I've ever read (and I read the Lando Calrissian trilogy, along with the vast majority of SW books in existence). I don't even know where to start. As another reviewer has mentioned, I was initially put off by how large the typeface was - it made me feel like this book was written for the 12-16 age group, and what I read really just confirmed that impression.
1) The idea of a first-person book narrated by Luke Skywalker is fantastic. Get inside the ...more
1) The idea of a first-person book narrated by Luke Skywalker is fantastic. Get inside the ...more

If this is what the new Star Wars canon is going to look like, sign me up.
Of course, I'm sort of being facetious, because Kevin Hearne isn't going to be writing all of those books, and he's largely why this book works as well as it does.
Heir to the Jedi is the third book in the Empire and Rebellion series, but because this one was published after Disney bought Star Wars, it's the only one that is still considered canon. I have no idea how that has affected the content of the book. For all I know ...more
Of course, I'm sort of being facetious, because Kevin Hearne isn't going to be writing all of those books, and he's largely why this book works as well as it does.
Heir to the Jedi is the third book in the Empire and Rebellion series, but because this one was published after Disney bought Star Wars, it's the only one that is still considered canon. I have no idea how that has affected the content of the book. For all I know ...more

The best thing about this book is Kevin Hearne nailed Luke's personality (for this time in his life) perfectly. He strikes a perfect balance between Luke's farm boy naivety (especially when it comes the pretty girls) and tactical and battle skills, that allowed him to climb the military ranks of the rebel/alliance long before he became a Jedi. Through Luke is referred mostly as a pilot. This is a good touch as that is at the time the only battle skill Luke really excels at, he is not a great han
...more

I received this advanced-release ebook through NetGalley.
I requested this book because it's by Kevin Hearne. He's a friend and a darn good writer. I was really curious to see how he would write Luke in a book set between Episode IV and V. I haven't read a Star Wars book since the Episode III novelization, but back in the 1990s I read a ton of books in the expanded universe before burning out on them.
Hearne does a great job granting Luke a first person voice during that awkward time soon after th ...more
I requested this book because it's by Kevin Hearne. He's a friend and a darn good writer. I was really curious to see how he would write Luke in a book set between Episode IV and V. I haven't read a Star Wars book since the Episode III novelization, but back in the 1990s I read a ton of books in the expanded universe before burning out on them.
Hearne does a great job granting Luke a first person voice during that awkward time soon after th ...more

Sigh...I don't even know where to begin with this one.
While I enjoyed both A New Dawn and Tarkin, it was Heir to the Jedi I was most excited about. A book that takes places after A New Hope and promised to not only fill in the details of what happened before Empire that enabled Luke to use the Force to move his lightsaber in the Wampa cave, but to also tell it from Luke's point-of-view!
You wanna know what happens with Luke after A New Hope? A whole lotta nuthin!
My mind was swimming with ideas of ...more
While I enjoyed both A New Dawn and Tarkin, it was Heir to the Jedi I was most excited about. A book that takes places after A New Hope and promised to not only fill in the details of what happened before Empire that enabled Luke to use the Force to move his lightsaber in the Wampa cave, but to also tell it from Luke's point-of-view!
You wanna know what happens with Luke after A New Hope? A whole lotta nuthin!
My mind was swimming with ideas of ...more

Basically this book is awesome and if you enjoy Luke Skywalker as a dorky, awkward Rebel hero you must purchase this. This book has much of the same magic as the original trilogy. Each page is a new entertaining adventure that makes the reader want more. This story is well written and captivating. Heir to the Jedi is a definite must to any Star Wars collection.

*2.5
I knew all about what she was feeling right then. And the shock of seeing someone you know dead. One of the first things you think of is how you will remember them. Things like "He could cook," or "She could sing" or "He was my best friend, and I'll miss him forever." The crush of grief rolls in behind that, but sometimes you can shove that in a closet for a while until you have time to deal with it. I knew I still had plenty to deal with.
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This was... strange.
I mean, first thing ...more
I knew all about what she was feeling right then. And the shock of seeing someone you know dead. One of the first things you think of is how you will remember them. Things like "He could cook," or "She could sing" or "He was my best friend, and I'll miss him forever." The crush of grief rolls in behind that, but sometimes you can shove that in a closet for a while until you have time to deal with it. I knew I still had plenty to deal with.
[image error]
This was... strange.
I mean, first thing ...more

It's great to see a story narrated from Luke's perspective, but this definitely wasn't the best novel from this franchise that I've read.
...more

Dec 18, 2019
Chris Greensmith
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
star-wars
"The destruction of the Death Star brought new hope to the beleaguered Rebel Alliance. But the relentless pursuit by Darth Vader and the Imperial fleet is taking its toll on Alliance resources. Now he rebels hide in an Outer Rim orbit from which they can search for a more permanent base and for new allies to supply much-needed weapons and materials.Luke Skywalker, hero of the Battle of Yavin, has cast his lot with the rebels, lending his formidable piloting skills to what-ever missions his le
...more

Another Star Wars story shoe horned between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, this one seems both meaningless and forced. It includes a couple of missions whose value is questionable and danger is disproportionately high. It is told in the first person by Luke Skywalker and includes far too much detailed and boring introspection that only sometimes matches the character described in the movies. While occasionally entertaining, the attempts to make this a personal coming of (Jedi) age story
...more

This is supposed to be one of the first books of the "New Canon" of Star Wars, so I was interested to see what it would have to offer. Honestly, it doesn't bode terribly well for the future.
I wasn't familiar with Kevin Hearne's work, but this effort doesn't leave me inclined to check out his other material.
The novel is set in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and follows a young Luke Skywalker dealing with life after destroying the first Death Star and being fully involved i ...more
I wasn't familiar with Kevin Hearne's work, but this effort doesn't leave me inclined to check out his other material.
The novel is set in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and follows a young Luke Skywalker dealing with life after destroying the first Death Star and being fully involved i ...more

Heir to the Jedi
By: Kevin Hearne
Genre(s): Star Wars, Fiction, Adventure, Sci-Fi,
Publisher: Lucas Books
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book but got no Darkside points or any points for that matter for reviewing this book.
Description: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and—for the first time ever—written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view. Luke Skywalker’s game-changing ...more
By: Kevin Hearne
Genre(s): Star Wars, Fiction, Adventure, Sci-Fi,
Publisher: Lucas Books
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book but got no Darkside points or any points for that matter for reviewing this book.
Description: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and—for the first time ever—written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view. Luke Skywalker’s game-changing ...more

After reading 'The Iron Druid,' I was curious to see what Hearne would do with Star Wars and Luke Skywalker.
Here's my main problem with this book. I've always felt that the scene in the ice cave on Hoth is very powerful. In dire extremity, Luke breaks a kind of mental barrier and uses the Force to retrieve his light saber and escape the wampa. It's clearly illustrative of the strength that people can find within themselves when pushed to their limits. (Needs must.)
The main focus point of this bo ...more
Here's my main problem with this book. I've always felt that the scene in the ice cave on Hoth is very powerful. In dire extremity, Luke breaks a kind of mental barrier and uses the Force to retrieve his light saber and escape the wampa. It's clearly illustrative of the strength that people can find within themselves when pushed to their limits. (Needs must.)
The main focus point of this bo ...more

This was not the worst story ever written, but it was far from the best as well. And honestly a particularly good narrator saved it from being a one star book.
It was mildly entertaining at points, but I can't recommend it, even to the most die hard star wars fan, because it didn't really feel like a real star wars story.
And I don't think Math is the authors strong suite. He has a character that is supposed to be some math wiz, yet the character's use of fundamental calculus is touted as the mos ...more
It was mildly entertaining at points, but I can't recommend it, even to the most die hard star wars fan, because it didn't really feel like a real star wars story.
And I don't think Math is the authors strong suite. He has a character that is supposed to be some math wiz, yet the character's use of fundamental calculus is touted as the mos ...more

Mar 07, 2015
David Monroe
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Only those curious about the new Star Wars EU Cannon.
I have often been disappointed by an EU Star Wars book, but I've never been disappointed in a Kevin Hearne book. It felt... neutered. It was devoid of most of the things that make Hearne's books so fun. Fun. That's what is missing. There are sparks. Enough to keep me reading (listening). But every hope was soon dashed into a wall of endless and pointless exposition, and missions. So many missions. Diplomatic missions. Trade mission. Smuggling mission. Punctuated by Luke's Jedi naval gazing. Neut
...more

Now that I've read it, it's clear to me why this book was chosen to be a part of the new canon - after being originally meant to be included in the "trilogy" comprised of "Honor Among Thieves" about Han and "Razor's Edge" about Leia - but I think I would much rather have it stick to the original plan - because "The Heir of the Jedi" is an absolutely unnecessary addition to anything Star Wars has to offer. I may be a bit biased - Luke Skywalker never was and probably never will be my favorite per
...more

I can't believe this is by the same author of the excellent "Iron Druid Chronicles", and perhaps shows the constraints of having to write within a universe tightly controlled by others. Because this, unfortunately, is boring. If you thought Phantom Menace with its trade delegations and long winded political chamber scenes was boring, welcome to Heir of the Jedi which is really just extended car trip scenes with neverending choruses of "Are we there yet?" Any actual interesting scenes of Luke's i
...more
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Star Wars Bookwor...: Heir to the Jedi Review | 4 | 56 | Apr 24, 2015 07:44AM | |
Star Wars Bookwor...: New memeber!!! Hey All!!! | 3 | 26 | Apr 20, 2015 04:34PM | |
Madison Mega-Mara...: #61 Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne | 1 | 1 | Apr 02, 2015 06:43PM | |
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