Ahsoka
was initially a rather controversial character and the critics of
The Clone Wars theatrical release more often than not had
issues with her. It was not only the critics, but also the fans, who
suddenly had to deal with two new people in Star Wars: Ahsoka and
Dave Filoni. Who knew (besides Filoni and his crew) that the
plans laid out for Ahsoka were this far reaching. I mean, you do not
introduce the Padawan to Anakin, to not have her get a go at Darth
Vader. Who knew it would take 8 years for that to happen. Now that
is some restrained story telling. Yet something happened that the
Padawan to George Lucas himself could not foresee. Lucasfilm was
bought by Disney, which cut The Clone Wars short, creating
an epic and mysterious gap between it and its follow-up called
Rebels. But like Palpatine himself, Filoni is a true far
reaching schemer, and it was only a matter of time for that void to
be filled with other media (and maybe feature length animations in
the future). And so we arrive at the gap, the void, which Johnston
fills with a young adult novel. A young adult novel set in the most
drastic and sad moments in Star Wars history. The moment when the
galaxy was torn out of its peaceful lethargy into the Clone Wars and
then into dark times. Johnston pulls no punches here. There are some
truly dark moments but she manages to balance the darkness with
Ahsoka's quirkiness and vitality. The story itself could have
been just another episode to another animated TV show, but we still
get bits and pieces of what happened during the final days of the
Republic and insight into the early days of the Rebellion. All stuff
that was planned to be somehow televised at some point. Set just a
year after “Revenge” the progress Bail already made in organizing
himself was a bit uncanny. Especially considering the progress of
other cells in books set much later in the timeline. The book is
a quick and very pleasant read. It does not reveal any big secrets,
although there are some things that will be interesting to see in
future media. Especially that one planet that was kinda important to
the Jedi. In the end this book is about Ahsoka, it deals with her
finding her place in the new galaxy and reshaping her role in it.
This is not an entry level book. This is for the fans of Ahsoka. If
you are curious, maybe start with the TV shows and then come back
here, but for folks like me this is a 5 in 5.
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