KENOBI – JOHN JACKSON MILLER (STAR WARS) Review

How do you stop being a Jedi?

The Jedi Order has been all but destroyed and a Sith Lord sits as Emperor of the Galaxy. The last hope of the Jedi rests with twin babies, Obi Wan Kenobi watches over young Luke, and to protect him, must sacrifice being a Jedi and become ‘old Ben’ the wizard that lives alone. On a planet plagued with violence and injustice it was never going to be easy for Obi Wan, a true defender of peace and justice, to adjust to the low profile existence now demanded of him.

Kenobi by John Jackson Miller avoids the long-standing trend of EU novels and maintains a small-scale, and is all the better for it. Focusing on Obi Wan Kenobi and the small community he locates himself near allows Mr Miller to really get us inside life on Tatooine and more interestingly inside the head of Obi Wan. The internal dialog Obi Wan has while meditating, attempting to communicate with his former Master Qui-Gon Jinn, really pulls on the heart strings. The grief, loss and self blame expressed really starts to build up a picture of what its like to be Obi Wan Kenobi at the beginning of the dark times of the Empire.

As you would expect things don’t quite go as planned for ‘Ben’ as he settles into his exile. Throw in some Tusken raiders an infatuated local girl and her mother Annileen (who becomes an additional focal point in Obi Wan’s life) and you’ve got a classic Star Wars story.

Kenobi is easily the best Star Wars novel I’ve read in the last few years and also stands up among the best I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot of them. John Jackson Miller really has done a great job with this one and finished everything off nicely with no loose ends. At the same time I want more, I want to see more of how Obi Wan transforms into Ben, more of his communing with Qui-Gon. I hope this story is forthcoming and I think Mr Miller with his understanding of who and what Obi Wan is should be the man to write it.

This would make a great addition to any book collection, and is a must have for every Star Wars fan.