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Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi
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Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi
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Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi
Audiobook9 hours

Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi

Written by Kevin Hearne

Narrated by Marc Thompson

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and-for the first time ever-written entirely from Luke Skywalker's first-person point of view.

Luke Skywalker's game-changing destruction of the Death Star has made him not only a hero of the Rebel Alliance but a valuable asset in the ongoing battle against the Empire. Though he's a long way from mastering the power of the Force, there's no denying his phenomenal skills as a pilot-and in the eyes of Rebel leaders Princess Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar, there's no one better qualified to carry out a daring rescue mission crucial to the Alliance cause.

A brilliant alien cryptographer renowned for her ability to breach even the most advanced communications systems is being detained by Imperial agents determined to exploit her exceptional talents for the Empire's purposes. But the prospective spy's sympathies lie with the Rebels, and she's willing to join their effort in exchange for being reunited with her family. It's an opportunity to gain a critical edge against the Empire that's too precious to pass up. It's also a job that demands the element of surprise. So Luke and the ever-resourceful droid R2-D2 swap their trusty X-wing fighter for a sleek space yacht piloted by brash recruit Nakari Kelen, daughter of a biotech mogul, who's got a score of her own to settle with the Empire.

Challenged by ruthless Imperial bodyguards, death-dealing enemy battleships, merciless bounty hunters, and monstrous brain-eating parasites, Luke plunges head-on into a high-stakes espionage operation that will push his abilities as a Rebel fighter and would-be Jedi to the limit. If ever he needed the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi to shepherd him through danger, it's now. But Luke will have to rely on himself, his friends, and his own burgeoning relationship with the Force to survive.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 3, 2015
ISBN9780804191760
Unavailable
Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi
Author

Kevin Hearne

Kevin Hearne hugs trees, pets doggies, and rocks out to heavy metal. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea. He is the author of A Plague of Giants and the New York Times bestselling series The Iron Druid Chronicles.

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Reviews for Star Wars

Rating: 3.5815789694736844 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

190 ratings28 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you`ve ever interested what Luke Skywalker have done after the Batlle of Yavin. Fairly interesting escape story with one or two interesting characters. Mainly for fans.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Crazy as it sounds, I'm not a huge fan of the character Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. That being said, I really enjoyed this book and the character grew on me quite a bit. Maybe the thing I didn't like about the character was how quickly he went from a bored farm boy to a Rebel Hero. This book actually addresses that and you gain some appreciation for how that might feel even for Luke, himself. Luke is a much more relatable character to me, after reading this book. It's a pretty fun story, too!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    With a name that is an homage to Heir to the Empire, I expected this to be a well written, epic relaunch of the Star Wars novels. Instead I got a poorly written, first person, "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm gonna go on these meaningless missions" book. The entire book is told only from his point of view. That's not Star Wars. That's Star Wars for kids.The end of the book gets a bit better, with Luke forming a relationship with someone and them both being in real danger.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I was interested in the premise, but the execution was seriously flawed.

    When you write in first person from the perspective of a well-known character, it's absolutely VITAL to capture that character's "voice" (their vocabulary, mannerisms, etc.). This novel fails miserably. It intends to show Luke Skywalker between the destruction of the first Death Star and the Battle of Hoth, but the character we see in this novel isn't a cocky-kid-moisture-farmer-turned-hero; he's an insecure nerd with a knack for using big words in his internal monologue.

    It certainly doesn't help that this entire story is a ship in a bottle: nothing in this novel adds to the overall mythos of the Star Wars universe.

    I was ready to give up by chapter three, but plodded on in the hopes that it would improve. Sadly, it didn't.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Definitely recommend the audiobook, complete with Star Wars sound effects and music!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    To be perfectly honest, I was never really all that interested in Empire Era stories. My love always laid with the prequel and Clone Wars timeframes. However, with Heir to the Jedi I was hooked right from the beginning. Despite my indifference towards Empire Era tales, I have always loved Luke. His innocence, his realism as a character (what teenager wasn't whiny and restless and looking to do greater things than stay at home all the time?), and his emotional and internal development throughout the original trilogy was great. If there was ever a niggle of a doubt of my love for him, this book cemented it permanently in my heart. His awkwardness was especially endearing; as readers, we like to think of the Jedi as these mystical warriors whose intense training leaves little room for anything else. But the fact of the matter is, even with the best mentors and Masters, Padawans and others just learning about the Force must be like newborn giraffes: all gangly limbs and not knowing what to do with them, falling quite a few times before finally finding their footing.And that's what Luke is in HttJ, a baby giraffe trying to find solid ground. It's an absolute joy to read his interactions with Nakari Kelen (whom I fell in love with from her introduction), his awkwardness multiplied tenfold and making me smile so much my face hurt. The humor in the story isn't forced or shoehorned, which helped make it such a quick and enjoyable read for me (unlike Tarkin, which, while good as well, at times felt like a shore simply because of the heaviness of the story and the walls-o'-text). It did lag in a few places, mainly the aerial skirmishes, but that's a minor point in the bigger picture.While the last ten pages broke my heart, I look forward to reading this again anytime I need a pick-me-up.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a fantastic read that sheds more light on the skills in the Force that Luke picked up between A New Hope & Empire Strikes Back. Along with these skills explained, Heir To The Empire has plenty of great action, suspense, and thrills. I highly recommend this to fans of Star Wars.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Boring. Doesn't quite act like Luke; especially as his first adventure post-ANH. Words, usages, things, that don't make sense to Luke/Star Wars at times. Also.... Luke swimming with ease.... considering he grew up on a desert planet. Definitely not plot-wise, story-wise, or actions/vocabulary wise, how I'd picture Luke or his first adventure post-ANH. Also, Del Rey's new formatting for their mass market paperbacks is horrible, and just a money grab.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have never read a Star Wars book or know enough on the accuracy or impact the details have on the series. The book itself is a fun read. It takes places between the 4th and 5th movie and focuses on Luke Skywalker's path to being a Jedi. It has a lot of intense action sequences and explores how Luke starts to discover his powers. The story itself isn't very engaging though. It is predominated by scenes of potential romance, training exercises, and learning of different (and very interesting) culture, that the story itself isn't important. The audiobook is great. The narrator, Marc Thompson, does a good Luke Skywalker. There is also many sound effects and music that set the scene well.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After reading 'The Iron Druid,' I was curious to see what Hearne would do with Star Wars and Luke Skywalker.

    Here's my main problem with this book. I've always felt that the scene in the ice cave on Hoth is very powerful. In dire extremity, Luke breaks a kind of mental barrier and uses the Force to retrieve his light saber and escape the wampa. It's clearly illustrative of the strength that people can find within themselves when pushed to their limits. (Needs must.)

    The main focus point of this book (which takes place between Star Wars & The Empire Strikes Back) is Luke learning on his own (with the encouragement of an attractive woman) to use the Force for telekinesis, with plenty of practicing on wet noodles. It's a bit silly, but worse, it detracts from the power of the existing story.

    The action part of the plot involves Luke being on missions to buy smuggled weapons for the Alliance and rescue a brilliant computer hacker who's being forced to work for the Empire. The whole plot is in the format: "Well, we want to do this. But in order to make that possible, first we must do this other thing. But wait, then we'll need money, which means that first we'll have to do something else." Luke does all those things with the help of the wealthy and attractive Nakari. Seeing as there's no mention of this woman in subsequent stories, the reader is certain that she's either going to turn out to be duplicitous or dead, which eliminates a certain amount of dramatic tension.

    It all moves along at a nice clip. I didn't think that the frequent humorous bits were too out of line with the aesthetic of the original movies. Luke was Luke-Skywalker-ish enough. But really, I have to admit that the part of the book that felt the most "Star Wars"-ish was the intro...

    Decent entertainment for fans of the franchise.

    Many thanks to NetGalley and DelRey Spectra for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinion is solely my own.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this advanced-release ebook through NetGalley.I requested this book because it's by Kevin Hearne. He's a friend and a darn good writer. I was really curious to see how he would write Luke in a book set between Episode IV and V. I haven't read a Star Wars book since the Episode III novelization, but back in the 1990s I read a ton of books in the expanded universe before burning out on them.Hearne does a great job granting Luke a first person voice during that awkward time soon after the destruction of the first Death Star. This is Luke as he matures. He's still that misfit farm boy from Tatooine, but he's also a hotshot pilot who wants to be genuinely useful to the Alliance. He's trying to find out more about the Jedi and how lightsabers work. Some of the suspense is gone because you know he'll survive and that other major characters are the ones in imminent peril, but it's still a fast, enjoyable read.Hearne isn't able to drop the pop culture wisecracks that add so much to his Iron Druid books, but he does add humor where he can. I, for one, hope to see a nerf nuggets recipe on the Holy Taco Church at some point in the near future.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Explained Luke Skywalker in detail and his initial original progress to being a Jedi. Very enjoyable and engaging. Thank you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great story that tells of Luke Skywalker's journey to learning the ways of the force, without Obi-Wan to guild him or Yoda to teach him (since this story takes place after A New Hope but before Empire Strikes Back). The characters were fleshed out, even if they didn't have much time in the book. The action solid. Give it a read.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I didn't really care for the book, I finished it as fast as I did just because I had other things I wanted to read.
    An "eh" plot with superbly forgettable characters.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Book plot was ok, certainly not amazing. If it was the author's intent to capture an immature, whiny Luke Luke with teenage-esque girl crush, then great job, and the reader portrayed it amazingly; even though the 'Luke whine' was grating after awhile. I suppose the author could only do so much Jedi-stuff with the timeline situated between episode 4 and 5, but the 'heir' part of the Jedi was portrayed in a limited portion of this book.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the best Star Wars books I've seen published recently for several reasons:1. It deals with PT/OT contradictions. Hearne brings up as problematic the differences between what we see in Revenge of the Sith and what Luke is told by Obi-Wan. 2. It bridges the gap between the Luke we see in ANH and ESB. When we see Luke at the end of ANH he can turn on a lightsaber and listen to Obi-Wan's instructions through the force. When we see him in ESB he can use the force to grab his lightsaber and kill a monster. This book shows the progress.3. The audiobook narrator was good. He had a pretty decent Mark Hamill impression. It really worked well in this book being that it is all in first person.It may be different for others but the typical SW novel McGuffin plot didn't grate so badly on my nerves this time. Probably only because the book was working for me in other areas, but that's important.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun journey with Luke as he begins to explore the force and his "mastery" of it.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pretty good. I wish it was a little more climactic.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a really cool book in that it gives a simple explanation as to how Luke goes from barely being able to hold a lightsaber in New Hope to mentally reaching for one with the force that is on the ground while he is hung upside down in a cave in The Empire Strikes Back. I have always wondered how this happened with Obi Wan Kenobi dead and Yoda not yet introduced. At the beginning, Hearne reproduces Luke's still, slightly whiney side as he bemoans not having anyone to teach him about the Force and wondering how he will be able to become a Jedi.Leia sends him on a mission to a planet where one of the small clans would like the Alliance to help them beat their oppressive enemy clans who are mostly in league with the Empire. Luke is given the beautiful, sleek, and fast Desert Jewel to fly. It is owned by Nakari Kelen, whose father owns a huge lab that collects samples of new creatures and botany in order to create new medications. He cannot go up against the Empire directly, as they will destroy him and his business, so he takes their contracts even though he'd rather tear them up. His daughter, however, has no such constraints on her, so she helps the Alliance in numerous ways, including teaching sharpshooting skills. When she does work for her father, the money she gets she uses to upgrade her ship and help the Alliance.Luke is immediately attracted to both the ship and Nakari. On his way to meeting the clan who has weapons for sale, he notices a Kupohan ship being attacked by the Empire. The Kupohans are on the fence about helping the Alliance, but they have helped them in the past. Even though it will endanger his mission, Luke helps the Kupohan ship escape. This makes his ship put on the list of ones the Empire is now looking for. Luke's mission with the clan is successful and he has set up a source for weapons.Leia now has a new mission that will include Nakari. The Empire is holding a Given named Drusil, who is an expert cryptologist, probability theorist, and hacker. Givens have a unique introduction ritual that Luke and Nakari will have to learn. They recite a complicated math problem to solve and you give one too. Luckily Leia has a few for them to use. They are to rescue her and take her to Omereth, a mostly oceanic planet filled with monstrous sea creatures, and join her family that the Alliance will get and she will work for the Alliance. First, though, Luke and Nakari need to upgrade the ship to prepare for going up against the Empire. They need weapons and other things for the ship. In order to get the money for that, they go to Nakari's father who offers them a job to go to the unknown planet Fet where he has sent two teams to collect samples and they have not returned. He wants them to find the crew and bring them back.Fet is a hideous place. They are provided with special suits to protect them from a vicious animal called the skullborer, which does exactly as its name implies and eats brains. They find the second ship and when they enter it, they find mostly dead bodies and a surprise: loose skullborers. These creatures are invisible until you hit them with a blaster or stun stick. Luke and Nakari have quite an adventure trying to complete this mission. Nakari's father gives them a huge sum of money and they go to the clan and load up on supplies.Next, they go to a planet where a Kupohan spy provides them the information they need about Drusil. Rescuing her is not easy, but when they escape the planet with her, the Empire knows their ship and how many people to look for and begin to search for them. They escape the Empire ships, but the Empire has also put a bounty on their head. Their ship gets damaged and they go to the planet where the Kuphon's live, because the spy gave them a list of names of people who will help them and one of them is on the planet. He does not want to help them, but they offer him information in exchange for parts and repairs. Drusil blocks communications to the Empire to keep his workers from turning them in for the bounty, but she is not quick enough and one man gets through and the Empire sends someone to investigate. Luke and Nakari kidnap them to keep them from turning them in and wait for their ship to be fixed.While waiting, Nakari and Luke become close and Nakari helps Luke out with his Jedi problem, by giving him advice on how to move objects. With Nakari's support, Luke is more relaxed and is able to move a noodle across the table. While this is not much, it is the first time he has been able to do it. Luke figures out that he is not moving the noodle, the Force is and he is pushing the Force to move the noodle.Drusil is kind of like C3PO, in that she is readily coming up with probabilities in every situation they find themselves in, but unlike C3PO, she does not anticipate doom and she is quite fascinating and unbelievable in her abilities. Luke eventually begins to trust her and not suspect that she is secretly working for the Empire and they become friends.More adventures await the group as they try to get to Omereth and hope that the Alliance was able to get her family there because Luke has been unable to get news from them as to whether they have succeeded. Nakari is a very empowered woman that you can look up to. She is good in a fight, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is determined to bring down the Empire, especially Darth Vader, who has hurt her family as much as he has hurt Luke's.I really enjoyed this book a lot. It is filled with great adventure, fancy flying, strange creatures, bounty hunters, and a mission that continues to become more difficult and possibly unlikely to succeed. Drusil proves to be a very valuable asset to the mission with her math abilities and probability theories that provide them with ways to escape capture. The question is, will they complete their mission all in one piece or get taken down by the Empire or the deadly bounty hunters.QuotesYes, its’ customary among the Givin to say hello with math. If you can’t at least speak the language of math a Givin will have a difficult time trusting you, so you have to demonstrate your ability right away. Almost anything’s okay, but I advise you t keep it somewhat simple. And whatever you do, don’t ask them to do linear approximations of nonlinear partial differential equations, because they take it as an insult, like you’re mocking them…They object to approximations basically. Asking for approximations instead of precision indicates a lack of faith in their abilities at best, and at worst could be construed as you calling them stupid.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 98) Waiting around with nothing to do is terrible, but waiting around with nothing to do in the sewer is worse.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 120) Technology is always perfectly dependable until it isn’t.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 120) --I do not know for certain—I did say probability, not certainty. But I can make educated guesses as to our destination based on extant variables, and predict that our pursuit shall catch up to us prior to our exit unless they behave stupidly?--Isn’t that one of your extant variables?--The worst possible kind. As you may well know, unlike kinetics or time or distance, human stupidity is incalculable.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 124) The problem with conspiracy theories is that they have their own gravity: They are black holes from which one rarely escapes. Caution is advisable at all times, of course, but recognize that sometimes the beings you meet truly are good.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 176) Traveling through the galaxy would be perfectly pleasant were it not for the Empire trying to kill us.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 191) Your senses can be fooled. Math and physics do not lie.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 220) Destiny sometimes finds it amusing to strike at people who believe they’re safe.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 235) No one’s gunning for us. That’s a nice change. Kind of the galaxy I want to live in, honestly.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 235) --Every time you say ‘We made it’, something bad happens.--Correlation isn’t causation. But yeah. Damn.--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 243) Sometimes simple plans are the best ones. Or no plan at all, which is how Han often likes to fight: ‘If your plan never survives the enemy kid, why plan at all?’ he asked me once. ‘Wasting time on something that’s going to die in the first few seconds—I mean the plan—is a waste of time.’ When I told him that was circular logic he said to stop wasting his time. ‘Just blast everything and fly a fast ship. And bring a Wookie. Works for me.’--Kevin Hearne (Heir to the Jedi p 252)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Star Wars: Heir to the JediKevin HearneBack in the 90’s I read a ton of Star Wars books. With the flood of new movies on the horizon, my interest in the books is renewed. Kevin Hearne’s HEIR TO THE JEDI is my latest read. I enjoyed it, but with some explanation.First of the plot is cool. The story takes place right after Episode IV. Luke Skywalker, famous pilot responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, is asked to go on a mission. Admiral Ackbar wants him to rescue a cryptologist from Denon. Pretty simple.Except nothing is ever cut and dry. After getting sidetracked and saving a solo ship from enemy TIE fighters, Luke and his partner Nakari Kelen fly her ship on the ever increasingly treacherous mission. It begins with making money. Nakari’s father, Fayet, has a team of explorers trapped on a new-found planet. The search and rescue mission is very dangerous. Crazy creatures have attacked the crew.After a mutually earned respect between Nakari and Luke begins, a bit more heats up their time together. With the money earned from the search and rescue, they outfit the ship, Desert Jewel with some top of the line weapons, and enhanced speed capabilities.The upgrades are needed since extracting the cryptologist is not going to be easy. Bodyguards surround the communications expert night and day. And allies aren’t always as they seem.It comes down to a race against time. Luke has his work cut out for him, especially since he is distracted by his desire to learn more about the Force, and for the first time, having feelings about a girl. . .While Princess Leia cameos in between the pages, Luke and Artoo star in this adventure! Action packed. There are great space battles, and suspenseful on-planet blaster fights. Awesome new creatures are introduced, as well as a handful of new characters.The only downfall for me, the book is told in First Person, with Luke as the narrator. Inside my own head, Luke never sounded this way. It is not that Hearne didn’t capture the essence of Luke, it’s just that he did not capture the essence of Luke for me. Other than this personal issue, the writing is flawless. The dialogue is fun. And the plot compelling. For a taut tale, I loved it.Phillip Tomasso,Author of Wizard’s Rise and Wizard’s War
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It’s always a gamble introducing a new author to Star Wars, and when that author decides to change things up even more by writing their book in a different narrative, the odds get stacked against them. Add on top of that the fact that this is now a part of canon and it stars one of the most famous characters in all of Star Wars, and you get an almost insurmountable hurdle. How can anyone hope to meet those expectations? Well, luckily Kevin Hearne knows what he’s doing. He knows how to tap into characters, make them immensely enjoyable for the readers, and tug on people’s emotions. Heir to the Jedi takes Luke on an adventure but raises the bar by not only making him likeable, but by making his journey something of significance. While on the surface this might be another throwaway adventure, Hearne adds an element that ties this story into the mythos of Star Wars. This book becomes one of the pivotal steps in Luke’s journey to being a Jedi.For those who don’t know, Kevin Hearne is the author of the Iron Druid Chronicles series, a great line of books mixing fantasy and reality. All of those books are written in first person narrative, so it’s no surprise that he would continue to do so when given the opportunity to write Star Wars. To this date, the only other Star Wars adult novel to be told from the first person narrative is I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole. As a long time reader of Star Wars books, I have to admit it was a little odd diving into Heir to the Jedi and reading the story from Luke’s perspective at first. After 200 books, you get used to they way the narratives are structured. But after a while, the style of narration disappears and the story and characters come to the forefront. It no longer mattered that Luke is recounting everything, instead, it was fun to see these new and old characters come into play. It was enlightening to get glimpses into Luke’s head and to see his own thoughts on the Force, the events that unfolded in A New Hope, and how all of that has affected him. By the end, you’re left shocked that there was actually a meaningful story left for a Luke Skywalker tale at such an early point in the timeline, and all thoughts of narration fall completely by the wayside.The magic of the story is the characters. In A New Hope, Luke was pretty whiney. Heck, he was still kind of whiney in The Empire Strikes Back. In Heir to the Jedi, there is no whiney Luke. This is a Skywalker who has been introduced to the Force, blown up a Death Star, and is now trying to live in the wake of all that. He’s had some time to deflate his ego, appreciate how much he’s matured from his whiney self, and come to realize just how much about the Force he doesn’t know. These are all topics that are brought up and tackled in the book. Of greatest importance is Luke’s challenge with the Force. Without Obi-Wan to teach him, how can he make any progress with learning the ways of the Force? How does Luke get to the point in The Empire Strikes Back–hanging upside down in the wampa cave–where he can close his eyes, relax, and call his lightsaber to his hand? This book answers that. But it does one better than just giving a simple answer, it fully approaches the problem and turns the idea into an entire subplot for the story. Mix in Luke’s own wry humor, frank honesty, and willingness to help others, and you get a Luke Skywalker who feels like the Luke we grew up with. Hearne nails it.So what about new characters? In this regard, Heir to the Jedi opts for a small, tight-knit cast. There are lots of smaller roles, from cameos like Ackbar and Leia, to new characters like Rodian weapon dealers and Kupohan spies, but there are also characters of real significance. One of them is Drusil Bephorin, a Given slicer and cryptographer who becomes a supporting character late in the book. The other character of importance–and the second most important character in the book next to Luke–is Nakari Kelen. Nakari is a bit of a treasure hunter, but with a scientific bent. Her father runs a biolab corporation and she made a living hunting down interesting scientific finds on various worlds. Having joined the Rebel Alliance, she offers her ship to help out on missions. Eventually, her and Luke team up to rescue Drusil from the Empire. Through the story, her character is explored and she becomes a central part of the story and a key source of humor. Nakari had me laughing out loud at numerous points and her antics with Luke were some of the best parts of the story. But Nakari isn’t just a humorous companion. When thrown into combat, a completely different side of Nakari is revealed. She’s no nonsense and straight to business. When you put someone down, you shoot them twice to make sure they stay down. It’s a stark contrast between her playful joking side, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the way Aaron Allston wrote the characters of Wraith Squadron. Rather than being one dimensional, Nakari is fully developed and thereby completely engrossing. She’s my favorite character in the novel and Hearne does a terrific job writing her.Against great odds, Kevin Hearne manages to pull it off with Heir to the Jedi. It’s an excellent book with rich characters, bubbling humor and poignant emotion. It may take a bit to get sucked into the story, but once you’re there, Hearne keeps you there for an entertaining ride. When the book was first announced, I wasn’t sure there was that much that could be done with a Luke Skywalker novel since he’s one of the most used characters in the franchise. To my surprise, it turns out that there was a lot left to be explored, and thankfully Kevin Hearne finds that angle and brings it to light. I give Heir to the Jedi a five out of five.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Goodness I enjoyed this audio book.

    First the narration. As I have mentioned before, the Star Wars audiobooks come complete with a John Williams soundtrack and special effects, making it almost like a radio play. I loved how it completely transported me into the SW universe.

    Marc Thompson the narrator. Wow. He completely nails Luke Skywalker's voice, his cadence, that nasal intonation - He sounds exactly like him. That helped in a book written completely from Luke's point of view. Thompson's many different character voices were fascinating and so different. His women voices weren't as good. I thought - finally a flaw! But that's my only critique. Hat's off. I've discovered he does a lot of the narration for the SW novels so that's promising.

    The story. Luke is tasked with exploring a planet to see if it is suitable for a Rebel base and afterwards rescuing a alien cryptographer from Imperials so she can serve the Alliance. Along for the ride is Artoo (easily my favorite Star Wars character :)) and Nakari (sp - it's audio), Luke's romantic interest and worthy partner on this trip. I am always wary of pairing off Luke. I wasn't a huge Mara fan. But Nakari fits and plays off Luke well. The "resolution" of their relationship, while inevitable, made me more emotional than I anticipated.

    This story read like a YA novel at times which annoyed me a bit. Then I thought back, remembered Luke was 18-21 years old at the time and conceded that it fit. This book takes place between A New Hope and Empire. So Luke is pre-Jedi and all kinds of farm boy awkward.

    One of the highlights of this book is the cryptographer, who comes from a species that communicates using math equations as greetings, applies mathematics and physics to the force. As a result, she makes a breakthrough in Luke's Jedi training - which explains Luke's progress with the force in Empire on Hoth. How? Don't want to spoil it. Loved the heck out of that scene. Favorite part of the book.

    Definite recommend for Star Wars fans.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I didn't really care for the book, I finished it as fast as I did just because I had other things I wanted to read.
    An "eh" plot with superbly forgettable characters.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    In this book, Luke learns to use the Force well enough to move a small object a short distance. He also has a small self-contained adventure, including a romantic relationship. Unfortunately, the book doesn't add much to the mythos and the story itself isn't very compelling. I understand that the author was under heavy constraints to tell a story without much effect on the rest of the series, but you can really feel the shackles.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyed reading this one! Takes place a very short time after Episode IV: A NEW HOPE, and centers on Luke Skywalker. Hearne (whom I enjoyed the IRON DRUID series immensely) has done a great job of writing a stand-alone novel in to the huge SW universe.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi" - He's No JediWith the notable exception of "Dark Disciple," there seems to be a running trend within these latest Star Wars novels of not delivering on the promise. Well, I suppose I could say this differently. How about not delivering what was expected. That sounds less harsh. I keep cracking open these books expecting to get something I was told to expect by the publisher and marketing hype and end up with a completely different story altogether. "Heir to the Jedi" was another title that did not deliver what I was led to expect. That doesn't make it a bad book - it was an okay read - but it wasn't the missing link we were told it would be. "How did Luke go from farm-boy to fledgling Jedi in that span between Episodes IV & V?" Statements like this were the lead-ins to this novel. Well... it turns out we still don't know the answer after reading it. Because that's not at all what this book was about. We don't see much in Luke except someone who's trying his best but is clearly in over his head and more than a bit adrift. There's no guidance found here or uncovering of ancient teachings there - only a small (very small) bit of self-discovery. He only reaches for his lightsaber a couple of times throughout the book. In short, this is not the Jedi book you're looking for (forgive a guy for using the cliché). My thought was, "How do we ever get to a point where this kid becomes the grand master of the new order?" Then I had the shocking idea that maybe he never does. This is the new canon, after all, and history doesn't have to repeat itself. What if Lucasfilm is going a completely different direction with this and Luke is going to end up like Obi-Wan - this knight errant who lives a solitary existence for the rest of his days? I find myself very sad at the thought.This book wasn't bad. It was, in fact, entertaining at several parts, poignant even once or twice. But, it just felt episodic - a bunch of escapades that were loosely tied together by an overall plot thread. Yes, it keeps the story moving, but it seems to leave things unresolved. CAUTION - slight spoilers ahead. Questions remain after the story moves on from these little episodes: "So who DID that guy work for?" "Whatever became of that weird moon?" "What happened to the lightsaber after he dismantled it?" "Was her mother REALLY dead?" Plot devices are just sort of abandoned. And perhaps my biggest critique of this novel is that it tried too hard to be something it shouldn't be. For decades (that's right - DECADES) the books of the Star Wars E.U. had a distinctly Star Wars-y feel to them. They shared a common vibe or mood - call it ambiance if you will. This book seemed like it was trying too hard to change that mood. Nakari, while very likable and engaging, was a character that just felt out of place to me. She seemed like she was dropped into the Star Wars galaxy as opposed to being a native. Frankly, she seemed American and that's a bad thing for a girl from Pasher. And maybe this is nit-picking, but there's a certain vocabulary that establishes the world of the Star Wars written word - language that we know and love. Yet I've noticed with some of these new canon works that liberties are being taken with those comfortable terms. Suddenly we have "paper" instead of "flimsiplast." We have "concrete" instead of "duracrete." We have "glass" instead of "transparisteel." In this particular novel we find the horror of "bathroom" and "restroom" instead of "refresher." What gives?! I thought the whole point of this new Story Group was to firm up the inconsistencies and make sure that everything flowed seamlessly from one work to the next (regardless of medium). I'm seeing the opposite of that and I don't much like it.In summary, "Heir to the Jedi" was alright. Nothing special happens in it. Other than Luke and a brief cameo or two by Leia, you don't know the people in it. Really it could be a story that would slot in just about anywhere in the entire timeline with a few adjustments to detail. Honestly you could have made Han or even a young Wedge the main character in this and it wouldn't have altered the story all that much. It really felt like more of a Wraith Squadron plot than anything else. To me, this tells me that perhaps the title was ill-conceived. But hey, it was a Star Wars story and, to me, that's never a bad thing. I'll take any Star Wars tale you throw at me and kindly thank you for it. I am the quintessential "Shut up and take my money" kind of Star Wars fan. So I enjoyed the book, but it didn't wow me. It never had that "I can't put this down" feeling to it. I didn't really look forward to picking it back up again. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but it didn't suck me in like so many other Star Wars works have. So... it was alright.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Note: Even though this is Book 12 in the series, it works perfectly fine as a stand alone novel.This story is set in between the original tales of New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Told from Luke Skywalker’s viewpoint, there’s plenty of daring piloting, espionage, laser blasts, and a touch of flirting. Luke is running several small missions for Admiral Ackbar and Princess Leia Organa. Then this much more important, and dangerous, mission comes along: rescue an Empire cryptographer, Drusil, who is under constant surveillance. Skywalker will have to team up with new recruit Nakari Kelen, who has a rather fancy space yacht.This is my first Star Wars novel and it was a lot of fun. I was interested in this book because I have read Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles and really enjoyed them, and I really enjoy Star Wars, so I figured if you put the two together, you’d have something I really enjoyed. And, indeed, it was quite a bit of fun. There’s no major game changers or reveals in this novel, but considering where it’s placed in the Star Wars timeline, that’s to be expected.I like the addition of the character Nakari. She’s independent, assertive, and competent. Also, the Rebel Alliance isn’t too sure how far they can trust her so for much of the book I had to wonder if she was a double agent and would betray the mission in some way. This added some suspense to the novel. She also brought some humor to the story line with her jokes and gentle teasing of her father, a bio mogul who practically has an army himself – an army of scientists and explorers that search out new life forms to study for his pharmaceutical labs.There were several smaller ‘missions’ that had to be accomplished first in order to go after the big target (rescuing the cryptologist) and I liked that this was a multi-layered space adventure. First, Skywalker is being sent off to negotiate with a group of weapons dealers and along the way he interferes in the Imperial pursuit of an unknown ship (just because he can). Once he receives this cryptologist mission, the space yacht needs upgrades and that means running some errands for Nakari’s dad. So there’s plenty of opportunities for mistakes to happen, death to creep in, dismemberment to be claimed later on the insurance forms.Luke is also still exploring his abilities with the Force. He doesn’t have a current Jedi teacher and he feels a little lost in this area. He does carry his lightsaber that his father left him and a few others he comes across in this adventure know what one is on sight. Luckily, the lightsaber wins him some much-needed allies even as he has to cut down foes with it. Little nuggets of wisdom come from various sources and Luke puts them to use in getting in touch with the Force. In this book, he’s still a bit unsure of himself, awkward in romance, and just a touch naive. It’s totally how I picture him in my mind at this point in the Star Wars timeline.The book is well balanced with plenty of action, moments of reflection (mostly Force related), some well-timed humor, and perhaps a budding romance. I also enjoyed that R2D2 was around for most of the story as he is one of my favorite characters. Other original characters make cameos in this book, either in person or as memories of Luke’s. All in all, it struck the perfect Star Wars tone and it was a great fix for my Rebel Alliance need. Now, all I need are some Nerf Nuggets.A fellow blogger (thanks Audio Book Reviewer) sent me a box of bookish goodies a few months ago as a get well present and this is one of those books. This is not a review copy but I felt like reviewing it anyways. As always, my opinions are my own.The Narration: Marc Thompson was a great pick for this book. He sounded like a young Luke Skywalker and his voice impersonations of other classic Star Wars characters were pretty good as well. I loved his light snark for Nakari. He had to come up with some inventive alien voices and I am sure his throat was raw after some of those sounds he came up with! There were lots of sound effects and music for this audiobook. Mostly, they were on target though there are a few places where the effects drowned out the narration. Also, sometimes the music would be playing in the background and I couldn’t figure out why – it just seemed off. Most of the time, it was perfect, reflecting a poignant or triumphant or anxious moment. Yet a few times the music was not reflective of the moment and I wondered why it was there distracting from the story. Still, all in all, it was like listening to a Star Wars movie and Thompson’s performance was excellent.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It took me a LONG time to finish this book. Didn't want to give this book a 2-star rating, but I didn't want to give it 3 stars, either. But, as I couldn't go with a 2.5...

    I had made it halfway through before having to go to the library to get the audio book. I couldn't take the plodding through any more.

    I'm not sure how this book made it to be a New York Times bestseller. The plot and storyline were pretty good (and that's what kept me going), but it was a tough read. Two reasons:

    1. The characters seemed flat. It may have been for reason number two. I wasn't permitted by the author to assume anything about Luke and his feeling. Everything was force-fed (forgive the pun) into my thoughts. But they didn't need to be. I didn't need to know every possible minute detail of his thoughts, but that's what I got, which caused the story to feel like I was trudging through a bog, unable to breeze my way through chapters. I felt next to nothing, emotionally, for the characters because I wasn't permitted to develop my own emotional ties to them. I was, in a basic sense, told what to feel, and that didn't sit well with me.

    2. The author would not allow me, the reader, to make obvious assumptions. Repeatedly, the author kept regurgitating information that we already knew or could easily assume (not just about Luke's emotions). Again, it caused the storyline to bog down, especially during action events. Information overload. The book could have been both shorter and a more exciting read, if not for this.

    But ... I fought through to the end (yes, even the audio book became monotonous at times) because the the author developed in me a need to know the outcome.