Children of the Jedi - Barbara Hambly
This is the first ever 'Expanded Universe' Star Wars novel I've ever read, and is part of what is now considered the 'Legends' universe (aka, all of this was considered Star Wars canon until Disney took over Lucasfilm and decided to reboot everything). This makes Children of the Jedi an interesting read. It is apparent while reading that many of the characters referenced have turned up in other novels previously (novels I have not read). It is apparent that characters we know from the movies, such as Luke, Leia and Han, have also had numerous other adventures that likely feature in other novels I have not read.
And yet I also know that according to current 'canon' none of these stories actually happened (I know, I know, all of this is fiction and none of this happened, but its still confusing...).
So... its like reading some sort of complicated fan-fiction.
It's also a very weird novel. Luke gets trapped on a semi-sentient ship that is disguised as a giant asteroid, a ship that has been trying to gather up stormtroopers from various locations but that - due to the downfall of the empire and the scattering/death of those stormtroopers - has instead been gathering various alien races and brainwashing them into thinking they're stormtroopers. Because... of course...? So, for much of the novel we have two troops of Gamorreans (the green pig-guards from Return of the Jedi) acting vaguely like stormtroopers having a civil war amongst themselves, along with Jawas and Tusken raiders acting far less like stormtroopers but (particularly the Jawas) causing havoc on the ship, and some random plant-like aliens called Affytechans who are so convinced they are stormtroopers that they are continuing their training despite none of the equipment in their area working. Did I mention the fact that Luke is slowly falling in love with the ghost of a Jedi woman who has been trapped in the AI of the ship??
Separately, (and slightly less bizarrely) Han and Leia are on the planet Belsavis, trying to find out the truth behind rumours that Jedi children were hidden on the planet when the Emperor came to power. Despite this being the more straightforward plot, it still involves randomly zombified beings, a psychopathic child who may be able to use the force to influence technology, and one of Emperor Palpatine's ex-concubines. Yes, in the old expanded universe of Star Wars, it was canon that Palpatine was trying to father a child... so this odd book from a forgotten universe somehow makes Episode IX slightly more plausible... who'da thunk?!
So... overall...
...I don't really know.
It was a book.
I read it.
It was odd.
If it wasn't a Star Wars book I don't know if this would ever have been published.
I think that's enough words about this one.
Completed 11 August 2023.
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