Just finished this and you echo my exact thoughts. This felt like a beautifully crafted poem that Mike made not only for clone wars era fans, but also to his partner. He definitely understood what he wanted to do with this book.
I realllly wanna see Mike Chen do more Star Wars novels in the future now. This book just shows he understands how Star Wars should feel so well, especially the prequel era in particular
This book is everything I love about the canon books. It nails the characters and gives even more depth to these characters which is a tall order considering how much of thier timelines are mapped out. My favorite Easter eggs were the reference to the ROTS novelization and the Dr Who reference in there. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for more SW books written by this guy!
I just finished this book! So much fun! I love the dynamic between Obi-wan and Anakin! Anakin's relationship with the youngling, Mill, was also a high point of this book for me!
Dude I had no interest in reading this book because it’s part of the new Disney canon. I only like the LEGENDS canon. But we share the same passion for many book series. I’m a HUGE fan of Star Wars legends, any non-Star wars Zahn book, shanarra books and landover books. We also have the same exact opinions on the Game of thrones novels. I decided to pull the plug and buy the novel. You have won me over with your opinions and reviews. Keep up the great work! Subbed!
Thank you for watching and subscribing. There are several books in the canon that are really excellent and worth reading, and this one is definitely one of them, especially for its classic SW feeling. There has recently been a new editor who has taken over the SW books at Del Rey (previously a junior editor) and I’ve really liked the direction they’ve taken. Hope you enjoy this book!
I purchased this book after watching the Kenobi series on Disney+. i hope to read it this year. I have read another book by this author "Here and Now and Then". i loved it.
I've got about 70 pages left and I absolutely agree with everything you've said. Chen completely nailed the tone, characters, and wrote an excellently intricate yet lighthearted plot. I'm absolutely loving this book. Especially the fact that it's canonized a few things from the original clone wars series, and there was a fun little cameo in the beginning. Just a fantastic book.
For me, tone is the most important thing to nail for Star Wars. Writing style and plot can differ as long as tone is correct. I’m really happy with Chen’s tone. Hopefully he will do more books and hopefully this one is successful.
@@jonathankoan In your review of Brotherhood, you mentioned Cloak of Deception by James Luceno. Was this a tone or plot reference to the old EU novel that you found while reading Brotherhood?
@@josephstillwell2247 There are some plot similarities, regarding the climaxes of both books.Cloak of Deception ends with a conference on Eriadu which is threatened to be sabotaged by forces, and Brotherhood has a similar sequence. Also absolute prequel feeling in both books is incredibly similar. I think that Cloak of Deception is the best love letter to Phantom Menace, while Brotherhood is the best love letter to Attack of the Clones and Clone Wars.
Very fitting that this review is out on the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones! You’ve really helped turn me on to this one. I was intending to read it sometime anyway, but now I think it’ll be a priority when it comes to Star Wars novels. I’ve not seen much of The Clone Wars (I’ll get there eventually, just haven’t yet) but I am a big fan of AOTC, so I’m hoping this book will appeal to me in that sense. Your comparison to Master and Apprentice also excites me-I wasn’t absolutely blown away by it as a whole, but I loved how the relationship between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan was handled there
I think you’ll feel the same here as you did with Master and Apprentice. Similar releases and feelings. And I had no idea today was the 20th anniversary. Excellent timing I guess.
Great review. I think Mike Chen nailed the characters of Obi-Wan and Anakin. This added so much to my perception of them especially in The Clone Wars. It made me instantly want to rewatch the show.
Great review! I loved this book too, gave it 4.5 stars. As you said, he nailed the tone of the book. I especially like how he explored Padme and Anakin's relationship. My favorite parts hands down, (without giving spoilers away!) were Obi Wan's musings about a certain someone in his past. It was EVERYTHING I've ever wanted in regards to how Obi Wan views his time with this person. They seems to be in the forefront of Obi Wan's mind frequently, especially as he watches Anakin and Padme; the way Chen explores that made my heart so happy! Also, all of the fun cameos, throwbacks and references were amazing. There were SO many and which showed off just how much Chen loves Star Wars. You can tell when the author is a fan of the source material, and I think it makes the books better. I agree with you too about Master and Apprentice. I re-read that book in preparation for this one, and it fit together seamlessly! I can't wait to see what Mike Chen comes up with next! Edit: Oh- I don't think this one is the cameo you're referencing, but I will say, when I read the cameo regarding a Jedi master and the "youngling accompanying him", I literally squealed out loud with excitement and had to put the book down for about 10 minuets as I freaked out!!! I was so excited to see them referenced in a book! I take it back, that might have been my favorite part of the entire book! XD
The very first Star Wars book I have read is Shadow of the Sith. That book is … meh. After watching this review for Brotherhood I wish my first book was this one. You sold me on it. Just bought it. I hope it lives up to the hype.
Shadow of the Sith does have that “meh” feeling. But this book really captures the prequel era in a way that hasn’t happened since Master and Apprentice in 2019. It’s totally worth it. I hope you enjoy it!
Aw, thanks. That’s very nice. Hopefully the algorithm will continue liking the channel. It certainly loves my Star Wars videos. I hope you enjoy the book. I just reread it and it’s still top-notch Star Wars.
@@frzen8295 I’m so glad you liked it. I’m always worried when I make a recommendation that people won’t like it and then will never trust me again. Ha ha.
It is the first star wars book I've read and I'm definitely looking up to read more star wars canon, probably Master and Apprentice. I'm a big fan of The Clone Wars show and this book really feels like a long arc of it but at the same time like a perfect connection with attack of the clones. Obi Wan is one of my favorites characters and in this book he really shows his negotiator habilities
I'm glad you liked this. Master and Apprentice is definitely a good next book. I would also recommend Dark Disciple, as its adapted from Clone Wars scripts that were unaired. Hope you keep enjoying the books.
Hey Jon, I have to admit it, I just started reading Light of the jedi, All these characters in the first 5 chapters is down right confusing to me. I don't know, should I keep going?? I'm not feeling this.
One of my best friends read the book and felt the same way. It was confusing for me, but I’m used to multi protagonist stories, so they sort of themselves out eventually for me. However if you’re really struggling by the end of part one of the book, it might not be the book for you. I really love the direction the adult books in the high republic are taking, but I recognize it’s not the series for everyone. If you want something a little bit simpler yet similar, Master and Apprentice, Darth Disciple, and brotherhood might work better for you.
I’m someone now getting into reading Star Wars books and my favourite part of the timeline is the prequels, ie I’ll be reading this soon and what other prequel books do you recommend for me? Keep up the great work with your videos
For the canon, I suggest Dark Disciple and Master and Apprentice, two excellent books. For Legends, I suggest Cloak if Deception, Darth Plagueis, Kenobi, and Dark Lord, Rise of Darth Vader.
This was just a blast to read wasn't it. Mike Chen poured all his love for the prequel era into this book and I could feel it all the way. I agree with the slight spoilers in marketing, don't know why they feel like they have to reveal cool stuff like that. The same with The Fallen Star and Shadow of the Sith aswell, would rather go in as blind as possible. Star Wars book fans will most likely buy the book regardless. Anyways huge thanks to Mike for this amazing book and in perfect time for the Kenobi show, hopefully we get some Clone Wars flashbacks in there.
I think they fear the book sales won’t be as good if they don’t put a big hook like you were referring to. But there’s a built in fanbase that will read everything, and if it’s good word of mouth will spread to other readers, so I hope they slow down the spoilers in the future.
Oh, i really hope this book will be transleted and published in my country. Of course there is an ebook, but i prefere printed ones more. Btw is Shatterpoint worth trying if i don't really like Mace Windu as a character?
In the canon, we only have the one. They appear in Dark Disciple, but are minor/background characters. I know there were about maybe a dozen in the Legends adult line, plus all the young readers books. But in the canon, we only have the one and it was tons of fun, so I hope we get more!
Because of how contained and fast paced the book is, it really makes a fast read. I hope it gets widely purchased and rated and reviewed by the book community. This is exactly the type of book that we need more of!
Indeed it is. There are a couple of ways to tell. One way is that the book has the canon timeline in the beginning. Another is that the book was released after 2014 when Disney did the reset, so it is in the canon timeline. Out of the 41 adult novels released by Del Rey from the 2014 reset until the present, only 1 book isn’t canon (Ronin), and that’s a very special circumstance. All the rest are canon. If you are interested in reading the canon, this is a great place to start. Very much a stand-alone featuring familiar characters.
@@jonathankoan thx so much for your recommendations, i have been meaning to get into these books but had no idea where to begin, also the cannon v non cannon was confusing me, thanks so much for clearing in up
In honor of Mike Chen’s amazing passion and attention of the prequels:
”Hello There!”
Keep up the great reviews and recommendations!
Thank you for watching!
Just finished this and you echo my exact thoughts.
This felt like a beautifully crafted poem that Mike made not only for clone wars era fans, but also to his partner. He definitely understood what he wanted to do with this book.
I'm only a few chapters in and I'm enjoying it so far. Loved seeing some 2D Clone Wars references.
I realllly wanna see Mike Chen do more Star Wars novels in the future now. This book just shows he understands how Star Wars should feel so well, especially the prequel era in particular
This book is everything I love about the canon books. It nails the characters and gives even more depth to these characters which is a tall order considering how much of thier timelines are mapped out. My favorite Easter eggs were the reference to the ROTS novelization and the Dr Who reference in there. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for more SW books written by this guy!
so many great videos here! it will take me a while to catch up :)
I just finished this book! So much fun! I love the dynamic between Obi-wan and Anakin! Anakin's relationship with the youngling, Mill, was also a high point of this book for me!
Dude I had no interest in reading this book because it’s part of the new Disney canon. I only like the LEGENDS canon. But we share the same passion for many book series. I’m a HUGE fan of Star Wars legends, any non-Star wars Zahn book, shanarra books and landover books. We also have the same exact opinions on the Game of thrones novels. I decided to pull the plug and buy the novel. You have won me over with your opinions and reviews. Keep up the great work! Subbed!
Thank you for watching and subscribing. There are several books in the canon that are really excellent and worth reading, and this one is definitely one of them, especially for its classic SW feeling. There has recently been a new editor who has taken over the SW books at Del Rey (previously a junior editor) and I’ve really liked the direction they’ve taken. Hope you enjoy this book!
I purchased this book after watching the Kenobi series on Disney+. i hope to read it this year. I have read another book by this author "Here and Now and Then". i loved it.
I've got about 70 pages left and I absolutely agree with everything you've said. Chen completely nailed the tone, characters, and wrote an excellently intricate yet lighthearted plot. I'm absolutely loving this book. Especially the fact that it's canonized a few things from the original clone wars series, and there was a fun little cameo in the beginning. Just a fantastic book.
For me, tone is the most important thing to nail for Star Wars. Writing style and plot can differ as long as tone is correct. I’m really happy with Chen’s tone. Hopefully he will do more books and hopefully this one is successful.
@@jonathankoan In your review of Brotherhood, you mentioned Cloak of Deception by James Luceno. Was this a tone or plot reference to the old EU novel that you found while reading Brotherhood?
@@josephstillwell2247 There are some plot similarities, regarding the climaxes of both books.Cloak of Deception ends with a conference on Eriadu which is threatened to be sabotaged by forces, and Brotherhood has a similar sequence. Also absolute prequel feeling in both books is incredibly similar. I think that Cloak of Deception is the best love letter to Phantom Menace, while Brotherhood is the best love letter to Attack of the Clones and Clone Wars.
I love your enthusiasm. I'm just starting my Star Wars books journey, and you are an excellent guide. Subbed.
Thanks for the support! I hope you like the books!
@@jonathankoan I'm reading Heir to the Empire. Real SW vibes there!
Very fitting that this review is out on the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones! You’ve really helped turn me on to this one. I was intending to read it sometime anyway, but now I think it’ll be a priority when it comes to Star Wars novels. I’ve not seen much of The Clone Wars (I’ll get there eventually, just haven’t yet) but I am a big fan of AOTC, so I’m hoping this book will appeal to me in that sense. Your comparison to Master and Apprentice also excites me-I wasn’t absolutely blown away by it as a whole, but I loved how the relationship between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan was handled there
I think you’ll feel the same here as you did with Master and Apprentice. Similar releases and feelings.
And I had no idea today was the 20th anniversary. Excellent timing I guess.
Great review. I think Mike Chen nailed the characters of Obi-Wan and Anakin. This added so much to my perception of them especially in The Clone Wars. It made me instantly want to rewatch the show.
Great review! I loved this book too, gave it 4.5 stars. As you said, he nailed the tone of the book. I especially like how he explored Padme and Anakin's relationship. My favorite parts hands down, (without giving spoilers away!) were Obi Wan's musings about a certain someone in his past. It was EVERYTHING I've ever wanted in regards to how Obi Wan views his time with this person. They seems to be in the forefront of Obi Wan's mind frequently, especially as he watches Anakin and Padme; the way Chen explores that made my heart so happy! Also, all of the fun cameos, throwbacks and references were amazing. There were SO many and which showed off just how much Chen loves Star Wars. You can tell when the author is a fan of the source material, and I think it makes the books better. I agree with you too about Master and Apprentice. I re-read that book in preparation for this one, and it fit together seamlessly! I can't wait to see what Mike Chen comes up with next!
Edit: Oh- I don't think this one is the cameo you're referencing, but I will say, when I read the cameo regarding a Jedi master and the "youngling accompanying him", I literally squealed out loud with excitement and had to put the book down for about 10 minuets as I freaked out!!! I was so excited to see them referenced in a book! I take it back, that might have been my favorite part of the entire book! XD
I really hope they give him more Star Wars books. He really has the pulse on the fandom right now.
The very first Star Wars book I have read is Shadow of the Sith. That book is … meh. After watching this review for Brotherhood I wish my first book was this one. You sold me on it. Just bought it. I hope it lives up to the hype.
Shadow of the Sith does have that “meh” feeling. But this book really captures the prequel era in a way that hasn’t happened since Master and Apprentice in 2019. It’s totally worth it. I hope you enjoy it!
This book looks good, just ordered. Also this channel is severely underrated. Great content and a true passion for reading!!!
Aw, thanks. That’s very nice. Hopefully the algorithm will continue liking the channel. It certainly loves my Star Wars videos.
I hope you enjoy the book. I just reread it and it’s still top-notch Star Wars.
Just finished the book this morning! LOVED IT! 10/10 for me!! 🙂🙂🙂
I'm glad you enjoyed it! It really has taken the reading community by storm.
Your review just convinced me to get it so thanks for that!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
@@jonathankoan just read through it and man did I enjoy it. Thanks again for the recommendation!
@@frzen8295 I’m so glad you liked it. I’m always worried when I make a recommendation that people won’t like it and then will never trust me again. Ha ha.
@@jonathankoan well, you have certainly earned my trust now ^^
I’m so excited to read this!
A surprise to be sure but a welcome one
I would be down for a 6 book series about the clone wars with Mike Chen as the writer
Yes! That would be fantastic!
It is the first star wars book I've read and I'm definitely looking up to read more star wars canon, probably Master and Apprentice. I'm a big fan of The Clone Wars show and this book really feels like a long arc of it but at the same time like a perfect connection with attack of the clones. Obi Wan is one of my favorites characters and in this book he really shows his negotiator habilities
I'm glad you liked this. Master and Apprentice is definitely a good next book. I would also recommend Dark Disciple, as its adapted from Clone Wars scripts that were unaired. Hope you keep enjoying the books.
I was always going to get this lol But now I’m going to get it sooner!
It’s worth it!
Hey Jon, I have to admit it, I just started reading Light of the jedi, All these characters in the first 5 chapters is down right confusing to me. I don't know, should I keep going?? I'm not feeling this.
One of my best friends read the book and felt the same way. It was confusing for me, but I’m used to multi protagonist stories, so they sort of themselves out eventually for me. However if you’re really struggling by the end of part one of the book, it might not be the book for you. I really love the direction the adult books in the high republic are taking, but I recognize it’s not the series for everyone. If you want something a little bit simpler yet similar, Master and Apprentice, Darth Disciple, and brotherhood might work better for you.
I’m someone now getting into reading Star Wars books and my favourite part of the timeline is the prequels, ie I’ll be reading this soon and what other prequel books do you recommend for me? Keep up the great work with your videos
For the canon, I suggest Dark Disciple and Master and Apprentice, two excellent books. For Legends, I suggest Cloak if Deception, Darth Plagueis, Kenobi, and Dark Lord, Rise of Darth Vader.
@@jonathankoan thank you for the recommendations.
This was just a blast to read wasn't it. Mike Chen poured all his love for the prequel era into this book and I could feel it all the way. I agree with the slight spoilers in marketing, don't know why they feel like they have to reveal cool stuff like that. The same with The Fallen Star and Shadow of the Sith aswell, would rather go in as blind as possible. Star Wars book fans will most likely buy the book regardless.
Anyways huge thanks to Mike for this amazing book and in perfect time for the Kenobi show, hopefully we get some Clone Wars flashbacks in there.
I think they fear the book sales won’t be as good if they don’t put a big hook like you were referring to. But there’s a built in fanbase that will read everything, and if it’s good word of mouth will spread to other readers, so I hope they slow down the spoilers in the future.
@@jonathankoan I'm guessing it works since they keep doing it. I guess I'll just have to try harder to avoid it in the future.
Oh, i really hope this book will be transleted and published in my country. Of course there is an ebook, but i prefere printed ones more.
Btw is Shatterpoint worth trying if i don't really like Mace Windu as a character?
Probably not. I don’t mind him but didn’t like the book, Matthew Stover is a fan favorite author, so it might be worth checking out.
I did not care for Mace, yet book was superb written (for me at least) :)
Thanks. Probably i'll give it a try, M. Stover was pretty good in ROtS novelization
Really, how many Obi wan and Anakin books do we need?
In the canon, we only have the one. They appear in Dark Disciple, but are minor/background characters. I know there were about maybe a dozen in the Legends adult line, plus all the young readers books. But in the canon, we only have the one and it was tons of fun, so I hope we get more!
Loved it read it in 2 days.
Because of how contained and fast paced the book is, it really makes a fast read. I hope it gets widely purchased and rated and reviewed by the book community. This is exactly the type of book that we need more of!
@@jonathankoan totally agree need more like it. It captured prequels clone wars era perfectly your review said it all ty.
"open world in Coruscant - SW TOR enter the chat xD I know, not open- wrold per se, but it is closeset thing so far ^^
Well, that’s a video game. I’d like to see more in the literary world.
Is this book cannon?
Indeed it is. There are a couple of ways to tell. One way is that the book has the canon timeline in the beginning. Another is that the book was released after 2014 when Disney did the reset, so it is in the canon timeline. Out of the 41 adult novels released by Del Rey from the 2014 reset until the present, only 1 book isn’t canon (Ronin), and that’s a very special circumstance. All the rest are canon.
If you are interested in reading the canon, this is a great place to start. Very much a stand-alone featuring familiar characters.
@@jonathankoan thx so much for your recommendations, i have been meaning to get into these books but had no idea where to begin, also the cannon v non cannon was confusing me, thanks so much for clearing in up
@@wolfe1511 Happy to help. I have many videos on Canon and Legends books if you want more information. Love talking about these genres.