On 27th August 2013, comics author John Jackson Miller published his third Star Wars novel and fourth novel in general. John Jackson Miller brings a new light to the Star Wars Expanded Universe in a way that freshens the feel of the galaxy. Unlike Troy Denning, whose work has angered the fandom at large, JJM shows that he definitely has the correct view of the universe and has been received with open arms by the fandom. It just goes to show what an extra step toward telling a great story can do, and serves to show that no author can be hindered by continuity if you allow it to work for you. This novel is set between Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope, for you film-versers; Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, for you Expanded Universe fans. Synopsis: The Republic has fallen. Sith Lords rule the galaxy. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has lost everything . . . everything but hope. Tatooine—a harsh desert world where farmers toil in the heat of two suns while trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from the marauding Tusken Raiders. A backwater planet on the edge of civilized space. And an unlikely place to find a Jedi Master in hiding, or an orphaned infant boy on whose tiny shoulders rests the future of a galaxy. Known to locals only as “Ben,” the bearded and robed
offworlder is an enigmatic stranger who keeps to himself, shares nothing
of his past, and goes to great pains to remain an outsider. But as
tensions escalate between the farmers and a tribe of Sand People led by a
ruthless war chief, Ben finds himself drawn into the fight, endangering
the very mission that brought him to Tatooine. Ben—Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars, traitor to the Empire,
and protector of the galaxy’s last hope—can no more turn his back on
evil than he can reject his Jedi training. And when blood is unjustly
spilled, innocent lives threatened, and a ruthless opponent unmasked,
Ben has no choice but to call on the wisdom of the Jedi—and the
formidable power of the Force—in his never-ending fight for justice.
The novel opens with a moisture farmer named Wyle Ulbreck, drunk in a bar in Anchorhead when teenage Veeka Gault, her older brother Mullen, tank-like human Zedd Grobbo, and young Jabe Calwell start a fight; Ulbreck watches in semi-awareness as a beared man enters the bar, leaves him with a baby, and shoots out the light, then manages to take down everyone, leaving the Gault siblings and Jabe to take Zedd away in a panic. Fast-forward toward a couple weeks later and Tusken Raider war chief A'Yark is trying to rally the rest of the tribe into attacking more humans, but a fake recorded voice of a krayt dragon scares the attackers off. A'Yark grudgingly leaves. Big shot Orrin Gault recalls his team from hunting the Tuskens, learns that his old farm hand Lotho Pelhane was killed [note that Orrin doesn't feel that much guilt]. Orrin also brought his kids there, as well as Jabe, Annileen Calwell's son despite her feelings on the matter. She later rips into her son and Orrin for their recklessness. Orrin and Annileen are old friends through her deceased husband who managed to make his moisture vaporator produce the sweetest water on Tatooine--something Orrin has gone to great pains to replicate, but can't for some unknown reason. Annileen runs the Pika Oasis' diner; Jabe is supposed to be helping her but like all teenagers, he'd rather not; Kallie helps her mom, but would rather tend to her animals every minute if she could. Much to the embarrassment of Annileen and Orrin, the farms tell them to get on with it and kiss already; Annileen, angered, tells Kallie to go do something. Kallie takes the wild dewback Snit out and it runs away, with Kallie barely hanging on; Annileen, on the dewback Vilas, chases after her, but a stranger calling himself Ben Kenobi uses the Force to prevent Annileen from hitting the desert floor and saves Kallie at the same time. Kallie becomes enamored with Ben. Snit is devoured by a young sarlaac, but the others get away. A'Yark believes Annileen has the magic power and starts a plan to get her, remembering the ways of one Tusken who united tribes into a great army.
Orrin visits Annileen and discovers Kallie talking about the mysterious figure known as Ben and how he heroically saved her from death; Orrin notes to Annileen that her daughter is making Ben out to be some kind of deity. He also warns Annileen that Jawas are coming and she prepares to meet them with blasters until Veeka, Jabe, and Mullen start throwing Jawas around like a toy. Jabe chases after one and runs into Ben. Veeka, Mullen, and Zedd demand to know what Ben's doing buying junk and if he'd like to save a real woman; Ben asks Veeka to inform him when one enters; Zedd takes offense and goes to harm Ben but Kallie rushes them with a cattle prod and tries to hit Veeka, but Ben uses the Force to deflect it, but the prod hits Mullen. Ben, embarrassed, leaves. Orrin, after berating his kids, meets Ben on his way back and gives him the tour and sales pitch of the Settler's Call--a way to warn other about a Tusken attack--but Ben only seems interested in getting home. Annileen, after learning from Orrin that Ben lives in the Jundland Wastes, leaves Kallie behind to mind the store and delivers Ben's supplies to him. A few days later, with everyone coming back early from the Comet Run Podrace, A'Yark attacks the Pika Oasis to get Annileen. During the attack, Orrin and Annileen watch on a holomonitor as Ulbreck fires at the Tuskens before the lights go out; Ben leaves the group and rushes to help Ulbreck. Orrin and company get in and find that the Tuskens in the bar are all dead and Ben says that Ulbreck killed them all. Orrin leads the group in a hunt; Ben and Annileen follow, intending to get Jabe back before he dies. A'Deen, A'Yark's son, dies and Ben and Annileen return the body and gaderffii to the Tuskens; Annileen notes that A'Yark is female; A'Yark notes that Annileen is not the Force-user, but that Ben is and she remembers Sharad Hett (see Star Wars: Republic: Outlander for more details). Ben, having recognized A'Yark from Ki-Adi-Mundi's report, tells A'Yark to take A'Deen's body and leave, that there's been enough killing. Both sides depart; A'Yark wants Ben to lead the tribe, like Sharad Hett did.
Mosep Binneed--one of Jabba's shakers--arrives and threaten Orrin, but Orrin talks them into leaving. A'Yark's tribe manages to capture a moisture vaporator. For Annileen's birthday, Orrin sends her to Mos Eisley with Jabe and Kallie to pick up her new landspeeder; along the way, they pick up Ben and take him into the city. After getting the speeder, Ben and Annileen note Orrin being dragged into a building; Ben goes into investigate; Orrin has a debt to repay to Jabba Desilijic Tiure and has been low on the money for a while, hence he's scamming people with the Settler's Call fund. Ben ends up distracting the guards and Orrin steals a few credits and gets out; he sees Annileen and meets up with her seconds before Ben comes back from the wrong direction--Orrin doesn't know that Ben was there at all. Orrin tells Mullen and Veeka that he wants to raid Ulbreck's farm to convince him to pay for the fund and finally get enough money to pay off Jabba; with Zedd too injured and high on Wookiee meds, Jabe is pulled in. At Ulbreck's farm, Orrin and gang, dressed as Tuskens, perform the hit, but Jabe is injured in the process as Tuskens storm them, and they leave him behind; Orrin thinks he sees Ben coming to Jabe's aid as A'Yark goes in for the kill. Orrin confesses to Annileen about his deal with Jabba and the banks, the loan, and lies about the Tuskens killing Jabe and doesn't mention his plan to raze Ulbreck's farm for money. Annileen yells at him, especially when he still wants to marry her for her money to get Jabba off his back; Kallie threatens to kill Orrin, even when he proposes marriage to her, which Orrin has coming to him. Ben finds out from A'Yark that Orrin has been doing these raids on farmers and Tuskens alike since the raid on the Lars' Homestead stopped because of a powerful man (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones); since Ben won't join the Tuskens, he agrees to force Orrin to stop in exchange for Jabe's life, and A'Yark agrees. Jabe arrives back in time and Annileen and Kallie hate Orrin for his selfish actions--Jabe also hates Orrin and comes to the conclusion that Ben is a good man. Jabe says that Ben left a message for Orrin: "Turn back now."
Jabe admits to Kallie and Annileen that he'll follow Ben's advice and stop following Orrin's lead, lest he end up a dead fool. Ben convinces Annileen to leave Tatooine; she and the kids pack up, intending to leave for Ben's house. Annileen sells Danner's Claim to Gloamer. Orrin gathers everyone plus Ulbrek to hunt down Ben; Annileen hears this and calls Jabba's thugs and tells them about Orrin's mad gambit. The farmers chase him into the Roiya Rift, but a stampede by Banthas cuts confrontation semi-short. Orrin, Mullen, and Veeka find themselves facing the Tuskens and Kenobi; Kenobi reveals everything to all the farmers, and Orrin tries to lie but the arrival of Jabba's thugs has him panicking. The thugs and settlers fight and Orrin flees with Annileen as a hostage. A'Yark tells Ben that Orrin must be killed because he'll never stop hunting him; Ben says he'll deal with Orrin without killing or harming Annileen. Ben lures Orrin away and Mullen and Veeka declare that they've never needed the Calwells and prepare to kill her, but A'Yark intervenes, wounding Veeka and killing Mullen. The earlier calls of a krayt dragon summon it and both Annileen and A'Yark hide the Tusken children. Ben kills the krayt dragon and leaves Orrin to the fate of the sands, but Orrin gets on his faulty JG-8 luxury landspeeder and tries to take off, but it crashes into the wastes below. Veeka, still alive, claims that Annileen knew everything and was involved from the beginning, but Annileen leaves for Ben's hut with her kids, vowing to never return. Orrin survives his crash and discovers his worst fear has become a reality: he is now a Tusken because A'Yark saved him; she tells him that as long as he gives the Tuskens water, he'll live; he vows never to speak again. The Calwells discover that they're leaving Tatooine for good, thanks to Ben and (unknowingly) Bail Organa; Annileen demands that Ben come with her, but he says no and she states that he's been lying to her. Ben tells her that he must stay and watch over his "family" though this really means Luke and the future of the Jedi Order, but Annileen doesn't know that. A'Yark notes that the elders want a powerful leader to help them, but A'Yark hopes not. Annileen tells Jabe and Kallie that since she did her time on Tatooine because of her marriage to Danner, that perhaps Ben was staying because of a promise and that maybe he'll leave when it's overseen.
Sprinkled throughout are First Person POV meditations from Ben. In them, he references Satine Kryze, Siri Tachi, Kerra Holt, Darth Bane, Arca Jeth, Yoda, Owen Lars, Beru Lars, and Zayne Carrick, plus he's "talking" to Qui-Gon. They reflect very well how Obi-Wan became Ben, the crazy old wizard in the Jundland Wastes.
This novel is the first part epic western, part romance, and part high-stakes drama that Star Wars has had. It contains wonderful characterizations, great setting and use of Tatooine, a wonderful look at moisture farming, and several great moments that will capture readers. Props to John Jackson Miller for his third great Star Wars novel.
The novel opens with a moisture farmer named Wyle Ulbreck, drunk in a bar in Anchorhead when teenage Veeka Gault, her older brother Mullen, tank-like human Zedd Grobbo, and young Jabe Calwell start a fight; Ulbreck watches in semi-awareness as a beared man enters the bar, leaves him with a baby, and shoots out the light, then manages to take down everyone, leaving the Gault siblings and Jabe to take Zedd away in a panic. Fast-forward toward a couple weeks later and Tusken Raider war chief A'Yark is trying to rally the rest of the tribe into attacking more humans, but a fake recorded voice of a krayt dragon scares the attackers off. A'Yark grudgingly leaves. Big shot Orrin Gault recalls his team from hunting the Tuskens, learns that his old farm hand Lotho Pelhane was killed [note that Orrin doesn't feel that much guilt]. Orrin also brought his kids there, as well as Jabe, Annileen Calwell's son despite her feelings on the matter. She later rips into her son and Orrin for their recklessness. Orrin and Annileen are old friends through her deceased husband who managed to make his moisture vaporator produce the sweetest water on Tatooine--something Orrin has gone to great pains to replicate, but can't for some unknown reason. Annileen runs the Pika Oasis' diner; Jabe is supposed to be helping her but like all teenagers, he'd rather not; Kallie helps her mom, but would rather tend to her animals every minute if she could. Much to the embarrassment of Annileen and Orrin, the farms tell them to get on with it and kiss already; Annileen, angered, tells Kallie to go do something. Kallie takes the wild dewback Snit out and it runs away, with Kallie barely hanging on; Annileen, on the dewback Vilas, chases after her, but a stranger calling himself Ben Kenobi uses the Force to prevent Annileen from hitting the desert floor and saves Kallie at the same time. Kallie becomes enamored with Ben. Snit is devoured by a young sarlaac, but the others get away. A'Yark believes Annileen has the magic power and starts a plan to get her, remembering the ways of one Tusken who united tribes into a great army.
Orrin visits Annileen and discovers Kallie talking about the mysterious figure known as Ben and how he heroically saved her from death; Orrin notes to Annileen that her daughter is making Ben out to be some kind of deity. He also warns Annileen that Jawas are coming and she prepares to meet them with blasters until Veeka, Jabe, and Mullen start throwing Jawas around like a toy. Jabe chases after one and runs into Ben. Veeka, Mullen, and Zedd demand to know what Ben's doing buying junk and if he'd like to save a real woman; Ben asks Veeka to inform him when one enters; Zedd takes offense and goes to harm Ben but Kallie rushes them with a cattle prod and tries to hit Veeka, but Ben uses the Force to deflect it, but the prod hits Mullen. Ben, embarrassed, leaves. Orrin, after berating his kids, meets Ben on his way back and gives him the tour and sales pitch of the Settler's Call--a way to warn other about a Tusken attack--but Ben only seems interested in getting home. Annileen, after learning from Orrin that Ben lives in the Jundland Wastes, leaves Kallie behind to mind the store and delivers Ben's supplies to him. A few days later, with everyone coming back early from the Comet Run Podrace, A'Yark attacks the Pika Oasis to get Annileen. During the attack, Orrin and Annileen watch on a holomonitor as Ulbreck fires at the Tuskens before the lights go out; Ben leaves the group and rushes to help Ulbreck. Orrin and company get in and find that the Tuskens in the bar are all dead and Ben says that Ulbreck killed them all. Orrin leads the group in a hunt; Ben and Annileen follow, intending to get Jabe back before he dies. A'Deen, A'Yark's son, dies and Ben and Annileen return the body and gaderffii to the Tuskens; Annileen notes that A'Yark is female; A'Yark notes that Annileen is not the Force-user, but that Ben is and she remembers Sharad Hett (see Star Wars: Republic: Outlander for more details). Ben, having recognized A'Yark from Ki-Adi-Mundi's report, tells A'Yark to take A'Deen's body and leave, that there's been enough killing. Both sides depart; A'Yark wants Ben to lead the tribe, like Sharad Hett did.
Mosep Binneed--one of Jabba's shakers--arrives and threaten Orrin, but Orrin talks them into leaving. A'Yark's tribe manages to capture a moisture vaporator. For Annileen's birthday, Orrin sends her to Mos Eisley with Jabe and Kallie to pick up her new landspeeder; along the way, they pick up Ben and take him into the city. After getting the speeder, Ben and Annileen note Orrin being dragged into a building; Ben goes into investigate; Orrin has a debt to repay to Jabba Desilijic Tiure and has been low on the money for a while, hence he's scamming people with the Settler's Call fund. Ben ends up distracting the guards and Orrin steals a few credits and gets out; he sees Annileen and meets up with her seconds before Ben comes back from the wrong direction--Orrin doesn't know that Ben was there at all. Orrin tells Mullen and Veeka that he wants to raid Ulbreck's farm to convince him to pay for the fund and finally get enough money to pay off Jabba; with Zedd too injured and high on Wookiee meds, Jabe is pulled in. At Ulbreck's farm, Orrin and gang, dressed as Tuskens, perform the hit, but Jabe is injured in the process as Tuskens storm them, and they leave him behind; Orrin thinks he sees Ben coming to Jabe's aid as A'Yark goes in for the kill. Orrin confesses to Annileen about his deal with Jabba and the banks, the loan, and lies about the Tuskens killing Jabe and doesn't mention his plan to raze Ulbreck's farm for money. Annileen yells at him, especially when he still wants to marry her for her money to get Jabba off his back; Kallie threatens to kill Orrin, even when he proposes marriage to her, which Orrin has coming to him. Ben finds out from A'Yark that Orrin has been doing these raids on farmers and Tuskens alike since the raid on the Lars' Homestead stopped because of a powerful man (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones); since Ben won't join the Tuskens, he agrees to force Orrin to stop in exchange for Jabe's life, and A'Yark agrees. Jabe arrives back in time and Annileen and Kallie hate Orrin for his selfish actions--Jabe also hates Orrin and comes to the conclusion that Ben is a good man. Jabe says that Ben left a message for Orrin: "Turn back now."
Jabe admits to Kallie and Annileen that he'll follow Ben's advice and stop following Orrin's lead, lest he end up a dead fool. Ben convinces Annileen to leave Tatooine; she and the kids pack up, intending to leave for Ben's house. Annileen sells Danner's Claim to Gloamer. Orrin gathers everyone plus Ulbrek to hunt down Ben; Annileen hears this and calls Jabba's thugs and tells them about Orrin's mad gambit. The farmers chase him into the Roiya Rift, but a stampede by Banthas cuts confrontation semi-short. Orrin, Mullen, and Veeka find themselves facing the Tuskens and Kenobi; Kenobi reveals everything to all the farmers, and Orrin tries to lie but the arrival of Jabba's thugs has him panicking. The thugs and settlers fight and Orrin flees with Annileen as a hostage. A'Yark tells Ben that Orrin must be killed because he'll never stop hunting him; Ben says he'll deal with Orrin without killing or harming Annileen. Ben lures Orrin away and Mullen and Veeka declare that they've never needed the Calwells and prepare to kill her, but A'Yark intervenes, wounding Veeka and killing Mullen. The earlier calls of a krayt dragon summon it and both Annileen and A'Yark hide the Tusken children. Ben kills the krayt dragon and leaves Orrin to the fate of the sands, but Orrin gets on his faulty JG-8 luxury landspeeder and tries to take off, but it crashes into the wastes below. Veeka, still alive, claims that Annileen knew everything and was involved from the beginning, but Annileen leaves for Ben's hut with her kids, vowing to never return. Orrin survives his crash and discovers his worst fear has become a reality: he is now a Tusken because A'Yark saved him; she tells him that as long as he gives the Tuskens water, he'll live; he vows never to speak again. The Calwells discover that they're leaving Tatooine for good, thanks to Ben and (unknowingly) Bail Organa; Annileen demands that Ben come with her, but he says no and she states that he's been lying to her. Ben tells her that he must stay and watch over his "family" though this really means Luke and the future of the Jedi Order, but Annileen doesn't know that. A'Yark notes that the elders want a powerful leader to help them, but A'Yark hopes not. Annileen tells Jabe and Kallie that since she did her time on Tatooine because of her marriage to Danner, that perhaps Ben was staying because of a promise and that maybe he'll leave when it's overseen.
Sprinkled throughout are First Person POV meditations from Ben. In them, he references Satine Kryze, Siri Tachi, Kerra Holt, Darth Bane, Arca Jeth, Yoda, Owen Lars, Beru Lars, and Zayne Carrick, plus he's "talking" to Qui-Gon. They reflect very well how Obi-Wan became Ben, the crazy old wizard in the Jundland Wastes.
This novel is the first part epic western, part romance, and part high-stakes drama that Star Wars has had. It contains wonderful characterizations, great setting and use of Tatooine, a wonderful look at moisture farming, and several great moments that will capture readers. Props to John Jackson Miller for his third great Star Wars novel.
