Anakin Skywalker, now 12, is an adolescent boy straining against those trying to control him--the Jedi council--all the while striving to conform to their standards. A typical preteen. Obi-Wan Kenobi had no idea what he was agreeing to in fulfilling Qui-Gon Jinn's dying request to train Anakin in the Jedi arts. Not only does he have to put up with Anakin's prepubescent rebellions, but also the emotional baggage from Anakin's slave days on Tatooine.
This story gives the first glimpse of Anakin's struggle with the dark side of the Force. It's hard to make the leap from the cute little boy in Episode 1 to the evil Sith lord in Episode 4. "Rogue Planet" eases the reader into that transition.
Author Bear focuses his story on the relationship that has developed between Obi-Wan, now a full-fledged Jedi knight, and his young Padawan, Anakin. Although "Rogue Planet" starts out with Anakin in yet another dangerous race, the rest of the book moves at a slower pace.
They wait to hear Anakin's fate after he breaks the rules. They wait for the ship to take them to another planet, Zonama Sekot. They wait for their high speed space ship to be designed and built, supposedly the fastest in the galaxy. They wait for something bad to happen to the planet they're visiting, as they both sense the impending doom. Then the last couple of chapters pick up the action once again with a battle in space and one on the ground in which Anakin displays the terrifying power he can no longer completely control.
I couldn't help thinking while reading that the book seemed to drag in some places. Not having read many of the Star Wars books, I didn't know what to expect, but a story with such slow rising action couldn't be it. According to other reviews I've read, Bear's work is exceptional in the Star Wars universe, as most of the books are more action-oriented, like the movies.
One comment in particular is quite though-provoking. To paraphrase, it states that in the absence of non-stop action there is time to develop the characters and their relationship.
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