Book Review: Star Wars: Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray

Star Wars: Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published April 18th 2019 by Del Rey

Who follows up reading and reviewing Laird Barron a master literary crime fiction writer with a Star Wars novel? Apparently this guy does. Well honestly it was just timing with what came in at the library on my hold shelf but it was a fun escape after a dark read.

Claudia Gray has become one of the best things happening to Star Wars in the last couple years. Don’t get me wrong I am not a hater, actually I loved Last Jedi enough to buy a hat so I could give it props constantly. That is besides the point. Gray has written several good Star Wars novels the best being Bloodline an excellent gap filler between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. For Lost Stars it is the epic saga spanning story in universe re-telling of Romeo and Juliet. (If that sounds terrible it is not trust me)

The folks at Lucasfilm clearly know what they have on their hands and I don’t think how this novel happened is a mystery. Gray wrote an excellent short story that explored Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-wan’s friendship after his death and against the back drop of A New Hope before. This was in the cool anthology From a Certain Point of View. It was the highlight of the anthology and at the time I said it was the best in the collection and I hoped Gray would get a chance to write those characters. I wasn't alone in that hope.

Here we are.

It was not as good as some of Gray’s other SW novels and felt like it lacked the scope of those. Here is the thing. This woman set the bar for herself really, really high. I did enjoy this novel and it had a very strange affect on me. It made kinda want to watch Phantom Menace. That was an odd feeling I am not used too. In that sense this was also a nice 20th anniversary gift for fans.

The story centers around a mission that Jinn and Kenobi are sent on involving a hyperspace tunnel and the debate between governments. Rebels have attacked this government run by a former Jedi and friend of Jinn. This old Jedi is keeping the throne warm while the Princess gets old enough to take over.

There is political this and that, battles and light sabers. Everything you need but it is the little character moments between Jinn and Obi-wan that are really fun. Even Yoda and Count Dooku get in the action. It doesn’t add a ton to the canon but it is fun read for serious SW nerds. If you have not read Gray’s SW I would star with Bloodline and then Lost Stars before this but if you love Obi-wan like I do you couldn’t miss it.