The Followers (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice Special Edition 2) by Jude Watson
The Followers (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice Special Edition 2)
by Jude Watson
This is the last in the series, and it certainly felt that way at the end. This book's main storyline had to do with the Sith. In the first part of the story, with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, the Sith are just a legend, though a dangerous one. Rumors of their power and things left behind from long ago are circulating and it's up to my two favorite Jedi to keep the dangerous knowledge out of the hands of people who could misuse it. Like any radical extremist group, the followers of the Sith are potentially dangerous. I very much enjoyed this portion of the book with its quick action and the desperation of the Jedi.
In the second half of the book, things are more serious. The Sith are real. They're back. Obi-Wan has watched one of them kill his master. So things got real, especially as more Jedi across the galaxy are being murdered. Obi-Wan and Anakin have enlisted the help of a character from the first half of the book (Obi-Wan's past) to try to find the thing that had eluded the Jedi the first time around. And they do, of course. But they get a lot closer to the Sith and the danger than either of them expected. They also seem pretty desperate and greedy... not traits I usually associate with Jedi. So it was interesting seeing what this threat brought out of them.
It's interesting to see the difference between the two parts of the story. The Sith go from legend to danger. Obi-Wan goes from apprentice to master. Most importantly, there's Ani on a mission he calls "exciting," which is a little scary, considering what happens to him. But we also get some doubt from Obi-Wan. And we get some of Anakin's humanity showing through, especially when he sees what a Sith did to one of the Jedi. I liked seeing Ani like this. I also liked seeing him save the day in a ship and defusing a bomb. It was nice seeing how different their relationship is from Obi & Qui, but even Obi-Wan acknowledges that it took years to build the bond between them. And there's still lots of time.
This one definitely ended on a dark note, but there were some brighter moments to be had as well. A good final book in a series I'm glad I read.