Jedi Trial

This book is almost comically (or perhaps I should say cosmically) bad. The plot, where there is one, is highly predictable (Qui-Gon's voice stopping Anakin from committing murder is the laziest sort of plot device--after all, if it can happen in this story, why not later?); the characters, by and large, are poorly drawn, one-dimensional, and poorly motivated; and the dialogue is atrocious.

The one saving grace for this book is the character of Anakin Skywalker. Finally, here we have an Anakin who seems capable of transforming into the Darth Vader we all know and love. He's excitable, volatile, and raw, but also very skilled and competent. It was a rare glimpse at the kind of Jedi we're always told he was--just absurdly (yet believably) show more talented, to the point of being fearsome (even for those he was fighting for). This portrayal of Anakin is the one thing that keeps this book from being a complete waste of time. show less

Ok so as I am reading I am wondering why this story is so military like and I didn't enjoy all the miltary planning talk they added. Then I go to the back to read about the authors and what do you know... they were in the Marines/ Army and write a military sci-fi series. Ok that's what I didn't like about the book. What I did like was Slayke's take no $@%* attitude and Anakin kicking ass at the end, even though he taps into the dark side wanting revenge for Reija's death. Then he hears Qui-Gon tell
him not to go that path. Where was that guidence in RotS? Anyways.
There's this part at the Jedi Temple when he sees a female padawan and Anakin is reminded of Padme. So when he felt connected to Reija I was like "Dear Force Anakin does every show more female remind you of your wife?" But then later I read she actually reminds him of his mother. Which explains the whole revenge thing.
I missed Obi-Wan. I was upset he was not with Anakin in this book esp. since they're supposed to form a brotherhood during the war. We don't get a novel with them together till LoE. Anakin also got left behind in CD. Moving on...
I liked Halcyon and Slayke's backround story. That was interesting and fun. I liked that Halcyon shared his secret about his wife and child with Anakin. and their speculations about Yoda suspecting was interesting. I always thought Yoda knew Anakin was married to Padme.
I thought it was ironically funny when Slayke says he will keep his eye on Skywalker because he's going to change the galaxy.
Odie and Erk were so cute even though I thought they fell in love rather quickly.
They never followed up Praesitlyn's Senator being bribed by the Chancellor's aide?
Was it meant to be dropped?
Did Darth Sidious orchastate the whole attack as a way to get Anakin knighted? 'casue that how it sounds at the end. Also Yoda and Mace seemed really skeptical of how he yearned knighthood b/c they sensed a disturbance.
I would have liked to read the scene where Anakin was knighted. I was upset that was not included but I do slightly recall a knighting scene in the Clone Wars cartoon series. Still a book called Jedi Trial and no knighting scene for the Chosen One.. :( show less

My thoughts on Jedi Trial are mixed. The authors have created an interesting plot and backstories for characters. This time, the plot has a sense of importance to the war lacking from earlier entries. There's no obvious storyline continuity violations. They managed to portray Anakin without any out-of-place ominous foreshadowing. The book, overall, is fast-paced, if not quite gripping enough to be termed a "page-turner."

At the same time, the story is bogged down in places by the style, where things are unnecessarily explained and professional soldiers come across as immature. The characters, especially those new to the story, are little better than archetypes. Some (notably Neeja Halcyon and the battle droids) are inconsistent with show more their earlier appearances. There's too much name-dropping, be it inappropriate (the starfighter Azure Angel) or simply illogical (Jawa). There's a relatively major technology continuity violation whose sole purpose is to allow a pseudodeath (thankfully revealed in the next chapter). And Stephen D. Anderson still hasn't relearned how to avoid an overly busy cover.

Unfortunately these quibbles, while mostly minor, are constant and thus detract from the work as a whole. It doesn't help that the book is short, either—it appears to clock in at perhaps two-thirds the length of the earlier hardcover Clone Wars offerings. What could've been the best entry is reduced to simply middling. show less

This was not one of my favorites, the beginning was alright as Anakin starts to build a friendship with a recently disgraced Jedi Master, but even that never really grabbed my attention. The characters I found most interesting were Lieutenant Erk H'Arman and Odie Subu and their struggle to stay alive and together through a battle field.

As it gets towards the middle, the book starts dripping with military technical jargon for instance a whole page is about how much water the republic troops need and how much they don't have and what their trying to do about it, another has a protocol droid listing what military aid functions he's capable of for a page and a half, it was not interesting and in my opinion it wasn't necessary at all.

I do show more like however that the book shows that the wrong choices can be and are sometimes made in a battle even by someone who is supposed to know what their doing, and I also liked how Anakins future potential is shown in the final battle with him being an unstoppable one-man army. show less

Anakin earns his Jedi Knight spurs leading the recapture of a planet that has some communications essential to the Republic. And a side story about some people meeting through the battle and falling in love and getting married by Anakin at the end. This was really dumb. Asajj Ventress is displayed prominently on the cover, but she appears twice or thrice, through a holo-projector, that is it. The side story about the couple is forced and adds nothing to this novel. This wasn't even blase.

Most Star Wars books get an automatic 3 stars from me, no matter how bad I might think they are. However, this was pisspoor crap bordering on 1 star. Sigh, what a fan will do, eh? I mean, I read the WHOLE book. I wonder if I'm crazy?

Star Wars: Jedi Trial is the story of Anakin Skywalker's trials to become a full fledged Jedi knight. The book has the feel of Star Wars Episode II as well as Episode I in the sense that the action and the characters are familiar. There are several new characters, like Asajj Ventress, who puts in a cameo along with the more well known ones. The fight sequences feel more real and intense than some other Star Wars novels as does the carnage left in there wake. An over all entertaining story. For prequel trilogy style fun and adventure, try Star Wars: Jedi Trial (A Clone Wars Novel).

Dentro de veinticuatro horas estándar tendremos el control total de las comunicaciones que unen los mundos de la República… Nuestro control de Praesitlyn será como una vibrocuchilla dirigida contra el propio Coruscant. Esta campaña nos hará ganar la guerra.
Con estas ominosas palabras. Pors Tonith, implacable esbirro del conde Dooku declaraba sellado el destino de la República. El astuto financiero reconvertido en guerrero dispone a utilizar una fuerza invasora separatista de más de un millón de droides para asediar el planeta Praesitlyn, donde se encuentra el Centro de Comunicaciones Intergalácticas, clave para la supervivencia de la República durante las guerras Clon. Si no se impide, este golpe decisivo podría preparar el show more camino para la caída de más mundos de la República… Y, con ello, la victoria final de los separatistas. El contraataque debe ser rápido y certero. show less