Children of the Jedi : Star Wars Series

Rating:
Summary: Hambly's first Star Wars book is decidedly unsatisfying
Review: There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs when you ask a cross-section of Star Wars fans what they think about specific authors in the Star Wars universe. Except for Timothy Zahn (and possibly Michael Stackpole. Both of whom are universally liked), you will get a wide array of opinions on each and every author. There are some people who seriously dislike Kevin J. Anderson, while myself and others think he's one of the best authors of the Star Wars novels. Some people dislike R.A Salvatore for "Vector Prime" (though, I suspect it has a lot more to do with a certain plot twist he was authorized to make than the quality of his writing), while others (myself included) respect his writing.

Barbara Hambly is one such writer that seems to provoke such varied debate. "Children of the Jedi" is her first foray into writing Star Wars novels (she followed it up with "Planet of Twilight"). Unfortunately, it is quite a disappointing debut. There are some people who love Hambly's writing and thing she is a great addition to the list of Star Wars authors. I am not one of those people, and judging by the averaging rating her books have received, neither are many other people. Hambly is one of those classic cases of an author who doesn't know how to get out of her own way. She is quite enamored with her writing and ability to write long, descriptive passages (not to mention her love of overly cute terminology). However, Star Wars novels are not the place for that type of writing. Most readers are avid fans and already have their own picture of the Star Wars universe, its characters, ships, planets, and battles. Unless something brand new or drastically different is being introduced, this type of writing style only impedes the progress of the story it's trying to tell. This is disappointing because the plot of this novel is actually quite promising, but it never gets the chance to gain any momentum because of Hambly's writing.

The story, itself, focuses on our regular band of heroes quest to find the mythic ancient city that served as a haven for the children of the Jedi during the great purges under Emperor Palpatine. In addition, a massive superweapon has come to life and is on a path to the planet of these children to destroy their haven. This sounds like it would be the basis for a very entertaining book, but it fails under the weight of Hambly's prose. Her love of cute phrases and terminology becomes obvious early in the book when Han and Leia are trying to figure out what place some crazed man was trying to tell them about before he died. He kept muttering about "plettwell", which they were able to determine either meant a place called "Plett's Well" or something else called the "Plawall Rift". Both seem to be places of some importance in this novel, but they are so similar in name and they way there are referenced is so confusing that it's nearly impossible to follow what their significance is. This story is also hindered by the part of the plot dealing with Luke's entry into this massive superweapon ship in an attempt to destroy it. Hambly spends an inordinate amount of time describe to looks and actions of alien creatures who are aboard the ship, but end up having no bearing on the outcome of the story. In addition, there is a forced romance between Luke and the 'spirit' (soon to be embodied in real life) of a former Jedi named Calista. This subplot has proven to be the bane of the Star Wars universe. It's forced, makes little sense, and has been rendered completely moot by Luke's subsequent marriage to Mara Jade.

It's really a letdown to have a clunker of a book like this in the midst of such a high quality science fiction series. Hambly faltered again with her second attempt with "Planet of Twilight". She has not been asked to write any more novels since then, and it's probably for the best. From all accounts, Hambly is an accomplished writer in other science fiction stories, but her style just doesn't fit with the Star Wars universe.