Ryder Windham is an American sci-fi author who has written over sixty Star Wars books, including novels, comics, reference books, and so on. He has also written junior novelizations for Indiana Jones movies. Since 1993, he has been working on Star Wars projects either by himself or with other authors. His reference book Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide had been on the New York Times Best Seller list for three weeks in 2005. Although he has written lots of books, accepted interviews, and appeared at several fan-conventions, little is known about his personal life.
Another series set in this universe that is aimed towards children. In this one, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and two other Jedi are assigned a mission to rescue a Jedi who the Jedi Council has lost contact with.
I thought I would try this series as the last YA series I read from this universe was enjoyable. This series seems like it is aimed for even a younger audience than that series. I would say that this series is for children and not young adults and it read like it. There was no character exploration and it more or less read like a book report with it stating the occurrence of each action event and then moving right away to the next action event. I need a little more detail than just stating the facts.
This book does lead into the next one so I will read that and hope it gets better. I would suggest reading this with your child as this really doesn't do much for depth and exploration of the overall story arc.
Unfortunately, this one was the simplest story I've read for the last 10 years? Maybe more. I didn't like it, and I can't say it was predictable as where the plot was going, because that would be an insult to novels that are predictable. This one had no story, it was, this jedi is missing, let's go find her, oh there she is, bad guys, lightsaber battle, she's injured, let's go back. The end. There, I saved you the time of reading it.
As you can see, I did not like it. But I have to read it because of my Star Wars list of doing everything in chronological order. Stay away, unless you're a kid, you may like it.
It was too short a story, but I understand it was written for kids. Qui-Gon's slight opposition to the Jedi Council and empathy for "lesser creatures" are on display, which I liked. I liked the story's premise - the rescue of Adi Gallia, one of my favorite Jedi Council members, but she sadly doesn't feature much in the story. One of my favorite moments was Qui-Gon tricking his apprentice onboard the ship after Master Mace Windu said that Obi-Wan had to stay and Obi-Wan stammering in shock. Such a sweet and funny moment showcasing Qui-Gon's love for and confidence in his Padawan. A part of me hopes that Qui-Gon tells Obi-Wan about how Adi Gallia saved him by the end of the book series, but I'm not sure it will happen. I like how we get some backstory on how the Trade Federation got the droid starfighters and how it ties into Episode I. I look forward to learning more about the Bartokk assassins in the next book.
There is nothing spectacular about this book. The dialogue isn’t good. The story isn’t terrible. The writing doesn’t hold a candle to Jude Watson of the Jedi Apprentice series. Every time someone speaks they are overly excited! And all the sentences end with an exclamation point! It’s not a terrible book. But also not worth rereading. At least it’s an easy read and definitely done in one sitting.
This wasn't too bad - much to my surprise, since I am very aware that this entire series is a cash grab - though it's obviously a bit simplistic for an adult reader. I didn't appreciate the unresolved ending, but I do understand why it's there (ka-ching!).
I get it's for tweens, but seriously. You bring in four jedi, only to ignore three of them the whole time and have them be completely useless? What kind of story setup is that?
Suitable for 8+ and those who have seen the films. Adi has gone missing, and Qui Gon is sent to find her at a starfighter factory. This is the novel, not the game book. A fast paced adventure with an awful lot of lightsaber fights. Kids will love it.
Obviously written for a child, but yet more adventures of Qui Gon and Obi Wan, unfortunately these "adventure YA type stories on these characters are never written for an adult. Read it over the course of an hour. It wasn't a waste of time but substance is lacking.