Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsDark Mostly-Disapponting
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016
Having read Star Wars novels like Tarkin (James Luceno), The Thrawn Trilogy (Timothy Zahn) , A New Dawn (John Jackson Miller), etc. Dark Disciple, as most new canon novels are, is both an easy and frustrating read. Let me explain why though, because the plot to Dark Disciple is actually a really interesting read.
1.) After having watched all of the Clone Wars television series I was incredibly excited to see both Asajj Ventress and the evasive Quinlan Vos team up. One of the great things about this novel is that this is EXACTLY what happens. However, all of that excitement is down trodden by the fact that...well the characters are extremely stagnant. They do not seem to have wants, needs, or even goals of their own. It is almost as if the Lucasfilm group thought that Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress would make a great duo. Then author Christie Golden turned it into a superhero team up because it was a cool thing to do. And then wrote a 'meh' novel with a streamlined assassination plot. (Do not get me wrong though, the plot is the best part of the novel. It is a really good arc that is worthy of it Clone Wars predecessor.) The thing is is that anytime I felt that the characters were relatable or even developing as CHARACTERS, I would realize that the only reason that was happening was because the plot line permitted it. In other words it was not authentic. Quinlan should have some serious doubts/ reservations about what he has been tasked with. Likewise, Asajj should be at some very complex odds with herself and her new ally. However, you never feel this way. They both kind of just given and allow whatever is happening to happen. It very nearly contradicts the characters themselves. What's worse is that you as the audience are even told straight up that they feel certain things as certain times. Yet, for the most part it feels as though it is just being told to us. (Kind of like the prequels.)
2.) My second issue with the book is in the way that the book is written. I have read many Star Wars novels at this point in my life. Enough of the novels to know when something is not right. Authors like James Luceno, Timothy Zhan, or even Drew Karpyshyn (the Darth Bane trilogy) taught me how Star Wars should be written. When compared to these authors I found myself very disappointed in this portrayal of the Star Wars universe. Many times throughout the novel I unfortunately laughed out loud at how absurdly written some of these passages were. I understand that this novel may qualify as, 'Young Adult.' However, I feel as though it is irresponsible to write like this even if it is for children. The novel is 359 pages long. If a kid is able to sit through a book that thick, I would expect them to be challenged a little bit. There is hardly ever any challenging vocabulary or even thought provoking content presented. Nonetheless, Dark Disciple is a good book for the younger Star Wars fan base. Though if my brothers or sisters had read this I would like to have known that they learned a little bit while doing so. Understandably, I read this in a few days on the outside so I honestly should not be to harsh on that front. But I find it dissatisfying that after reading Tarkin, that this novel was so easy. (It reads like a first draft.)
3.) The last thing I would like to touch on is the Plot Development/ World Building. One of the reasons that I read Star Wars novels is because of the worlds that they invite you to. I was stunned to have read this novel and not truly remembered any of the locations or other like nuances in the story. James Luceno kept me on my toes as he described different types and functions of ships, droids, planets, people, governments, et cetera. However, here (Dark Disciple) if there is anything like that, it is few and far between. Which is one of the reasons that I stated that the novel reads like a first draft. Even though it is a small detail, I would like to know these things. It suspends the readers disbelief. Now on to the matter of the plot. There are moments were I was enthralled by the story for the turns that it took. But most of those moments were over turned by the fact that when it comes down to it, its predictable at best. I felt as though the novel that I expected to go to many strange places given the context of the story. Actually stayed pretty close to the main idea. Which is in all honesty what saved this book in my opinion. If it were not for the plot I would have stopped reading it. The total page count of the novel is 359 pages plus a short story which ties into the main story in a neat way. For a novel that thick, there should be a slew of sub plots. The exploration of the new canon that only a novel could enable seems to have been put to the side. I do have to say though: the dialogue is fantastic. I could hear every characters voice and felt that the things they said were things that they WOULD say.
With that being said, Dark Disciple was somewhat disappointing. However, it has a great plot and pays homage to the Clone Wars. My wish is that more novels that are seriously written are injected into the canon. If you have not read Tarkin or A New Dawn yet, I strongly suggest that you do. These are what Dark Disciple could have been.