Just finished the book - I thoroughly enjoyed myself!! You are on the money with the praises you’ve given the book. It made the Disney+ show feel lazy and cheap by comparison when the book gave us the near perfect story of how Obi-Wan started to adjust to life as “Crazy Ben”.
This is the first Star Wars book I've ever read and really enjoyed it! I was drawn to it after being pretty disappointed in the Kenobi series. This book is exactly what I wanted the TV series to be. I just wanted to see Obi-Wan adjusting to his new life and identity, and this book delivered! Great review!
Make more videos like this please. The non-spoiler/spoiler thing is really good, even though I've allready read the book. Interesting to know your thoughts and read other people's comments. Fun fact: i hated Kenobi as a character before watching The Clone Wars. But the book is pure emotional damage and i like it
Just finished Kenobi, I was a bit concerned with how it started but as soon as it got going, it got going! This is honestly one of the best SW books in terms of the set up and pay off, I do agree that qui-gon should’ve showed up to further tell Obi-Wan that staying was the right move… but I’m also a fan of darker endings and it shows that he still has a lot of mental work to do. You can tell they took a lot from this when concerning the Tuskens in BOBF but with all the mentions of Sharad made me think Aa’Sharad would’ve been involved. I was so waiting for that standoff they have in the legacy comics I believe. Overall, fantastic read. Totally felt like dances with wolves meets Yojimbo. I’m conflicted on what to rate it rn but it’s at least a 9. Very good stuff and definitely his best book.
Книгу "Кеноби" я прочитал недавно,и она мне очень понравилась. Особенно мне понравилась кульминация,когда нам рассказали о тёмный делах Оррина. Также мне понравилась параллель между Оррином и Энакином,она показывает,что оба эти человека не хотели стать теми кем в итоге стали,и когда Бен разговаривает с Эннилин об ужасных поступках Оррина он сразу грустит и вспоминает о ужасных поступках Энакина:(
Hey, really fun review. Just so you know, in case you don’t already, your one negative at the end couldn’t have happened. That character first reappears chronologically in Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno, at the very end.
I think they could have found a way to include him here. That just wasn’t the direction they wanted it to go. But I do remember that characters appearance in Dark Lord.
I just finished reading it. It's my first EU novel and I loved it. There was enough nuance that neither the settlers nor the tuskens were shown as the ultimate good guys. Also, Obi-Wan's last fight in the Roiya Rift read like a Dark Souls boss battle, and I loved every second of it.
I feel exactly the same way you do about this book(I can't believe it is 11 years old). I noticed that a frequent collaborator of yours, Star Wars Timeline, has a completely different opinion. You're probably familiar with his review, he's discussed it several times, and while he praises Miller's writing, he really dislikes the story told and how we didn't get more inside of the head of Kenobi Unless I have missed it, have you two ever done video or podcast together discussing/debating this book? If not, it would a really interesting conversation since there's such a stark difference of opinions between you two about this book.I'd love to hear it happen!
@@jonathankoan I didn't think so. Like I said, it would make for an interesting discussion. I totally agree with you that it is not just a great Star Wars book, but a great book period.
I read this book back in 2017, and thought it done a better job of show casing a stand alone Kenobi adventure than the Kenobi Disney plus series did. Did you know Barnes and Noble has Kenobi in a collectible leather bound edition? I recently picked up Star Wars the Bounty Hunter Wars leather bound edition from Barnes and Noble. It is a beautiful book.
@@jonathankoan It's definitely worth owning at some point. Often times Barnes and Noble will do sales on those leather bound editions, so keep your eyes peeled for that. The new Legends paperback edition has been perfect for gifting to friends/family who are casual Star Wars fans or want to read a Star Wars novel without all the heavy baggage of the EU/Legends.
Really enjoyed this book and the themes it raises to do with Settler vs Native populations. It approached the topic in a very nuanced way. There were about 3 or 4 moments where there was a line of dialogue while Ben would be speaking and it was very moving. I don't often get emotional so that was impressive. Miller did it in a way where it was very simple language , but it felt like a hammer blow! For me regarding the villain, I actually caught on pretty much straight away, but it was more me thinking, 'I really hope the author does this' and he did so that was fantastic. One minor gripe is I found the villain super intriguing in the beginning and middle sections of the novel, but by the end they are pretty much completely irredeemably bad. Personally I would have made it more grey and had the motivations being sympathetic, but with a 'the ends don't justify the means' arc. The above really is a minor issue though and was excellent otherwise. The aspect of the ending to me that resonated most was the message that even if you lose you can still find opportunities to accept your situation and do some good with it.
It really escalated in the end. The villains desperation kicks in and they become a totally different person. It does seem a bit extreme, but it worked for me. But I’m glad you enjoyed the book!
Im currently reading Kenobi for the second time. At first, I don't like it to mucho due the fact that Obi-Wan only appears around 30% to 40% of the book, but with this second read my appreciation and love for the book has been increased. Regarding the video, I like the form and method you abord the theme, particularly without rant or negative comments. Greetings from México.
When I heard they were making a Kanobi show Immediately thought "I hope they just straight up adapt the book!" I knew they wouldn't but I also Love this book so much and it would've been awesome! Still hopefully the show is good as an alternate timeline story. Im so excited to see Ewan McGregor back!
@@jonathankoan agreed that would be awesome! Hopefully the show won't outright contradict anything from the book. It looks like the show takes place years later So even if it's not officially recognized as canon it can still be head canon.
Absolutely fantastic book, one of the best I’ve read for Legends and Star Wars overall. I hope the show takes some notes, even though that story sounds quite different from this one
Naturally, it'll be a different direction. But I'm hoping small references can make it in. Maybe Kenobi will refer to his eopie as "Rooh" or maybe the town square will be known as "The Oasis" or "Dannar's Claim". That would be the extent of the possible references I think (although I would certainly enjoy more!).
I can understand why people could like the leader of the settlers but I loved what happened and that fall from Grace for him because there was something that rubbed me the wrong way about him right from the start. And I unintentionally spoiled the twist of Y’ark being a woman when I looked up how to spell their name. (Not even sure I spelt it right then to be honest)
The first read through it shocked me, but when I read it now it totally makes sense. And that spoiler issue is the reason why I rarely look up something while I’m reading. I got confused while reading the Wheel of Time and looked up some answers for the early books and got spoiled for later books, so now I’m just content to find out as I’m going along.
This sound interesting. I’ve been eager to read this book for a long time but I enjoyed the spoilers. What is the other win? Btw have you read the star wars secrets of the galaxy. It has a book for each, the jedi, the sith (told by sidious himself) the stormtrooper (I found them quite epic and serious more than in any other media) and the bounty hunter code. There’s also one for smugglers but I couldn’t find it. If you have read them I would like to know your opinion on them. I love them
As I wrote on another video, this was the first Star Wars book I ever read, and I thought it was a disappointment, but it might be just because of my expectations. I was hoping for an action packed Mandalorian ride, and it was quite the opposite. But after reading a few Star Wars novels, I can say that it is definitely a very well and competent written book. … Oh, and you are learning German? I am quite fluent since I am born and still living in Germany, so if you need any help, just let me now. Maybe we can do some live session and practicing pronunciations 😏
@@jonathankoan I read some comic books, mostly from the newer Star Wars run and Dark Times, also Shadows of the Empire and partially The Mandalorian Armor. I try to get them second hand, so I have to take what I can get my hands on … So far I liked some and some not so much. SotE in comparison to KENOBI is not so well written … Jeter is a brilliant author, but because of him, my next book will probably be something of the cyberpunk genre. There are also a lot of books i want to read, but whenever I can, i try to read them in English, which takes a bit longer. … Again, let me know if you need a coach in learning German 😏
Glad their crappy show didn't took any influence from this great book. If anything, it took more influence from The Last of the Jedi book series by Jude Watson but more horribly.
I personally quite enjoyed the show Kenobi, although I had a few issues with the shaky cam, and with some of the action in the middle episodes. But other than that, I really enjoyed the first few and last few episodes. But I will admit, the novel is FAR superior!
It is not. We are on Itunes(apple podcasts), Google Play, Stitcher, iheart radio, and radio.com and simplecast. The majority of our listeners are on apple podcasts (the name is "Two Sons of Tatooine".
Just finished the book - I thoroughly enjoyed myself!! You are on the money with the praises you’ve given the book. It made the Disney+ show feel lazy and cheap by comparison when the book gave us the near perfect story of how Obi-Wan started to adjust to life as “Crazy Ben”.
This is the first Star Wars book I've ever read and really enjoyed it! I was drawn to it after being pretty disappointed in the Kenobi series. This book is exactly what I wanted the TV series to be. I just wanted to see Obi-Wan adjusting to his new life and identity, and this book delivered! Great review!
Glad you liked it like I did. John Jackson Miller really is a great writer.
Make more videos like this please. The non-spoiler/spoiler thing is really good, even though I've allready read the book. Interesting to know your thoughts and read other people's comments. Fun fact: i hated Kenobi as a character before watching The Clone Wars. But the book is pure emotional damage and i like it
Just finished Kenobi, I was a bit concerned with how it started but as soon as it got going, it got going! This is honestly one of the best SW books in terms of the set up and pay off, I do agree that qui-gon should’ve showed up to further tell Obi-Wan that staying was the right move… but I’m also a fan of darker endings and it shows that he still has a lot of mental work to do. You can tell they took a lot from this when concerning the Tuskens in BOBF but with all the mentions of Sharad made me think Aa’Sharad would’ve been involved. I was so waiting for that standoff they have in the legacy comics I believe. Overall, fantastic read. Totally felt like dances with wolves meets Yojimbo. I’m conflicted on what to rate it rn but it’s at least a 9. Very good stuff and definitely his best book.
Книгу "Кеноби" я прочитал недавно,и она мне очень понравилась. Особенно мне понравилась кульминация,когда нам рассказали о тёмный делах Оррина. Также мне понравилась параллель между Оррином и Энакином,она показывает,что оба эти человека не хотели стать теми кем в итоге стали,и когда Бен разговаривает с Эннилин об ужасных поступках Оррина он сразу грустит и вспоминает о ужасных поступках Энакина:(
Literally just finished moments ago. Awesome book. First Star Wars book I’ve ever read.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love the book so much. I hope you can get into some of the other books!
Hey, really fun review. Just so you know, in case you don’t already, your one negative at the end couldn’t have happened. That character first reappears chronologically in Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno, at the very end.
I think they could have found a way to include him here. That just wasn’t the direction they wanted it to go. But I do remember that characters appearance in Dark Lord.
I just finished reading it. It's my first EU novel and I loved it. There was enough nuance that neither the settlers nor the tuskens were shown as the ultimate good guys. Also, Obi-Wan's last fight in the Roiya Rift read like a Dark Souls boss battle, and I loved every second of it.
That’s great! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I feel exactly the same way you do about this book(I can't believe it is 11 years old). I noticed that a frequent collaborator of yours, Star Wars Timeline, has a completely different opinion. You're probably familiar with his review, he's discussed it several times, and while he praises Miller's writing, he really dislikes the story told and how we didn't get more inside of the head of Kenobi
Unless I have missed it, have you two ever done video or podcast together discussing/debating this book? If not, it would a really interesting conversation since there's such a stark difference of opinions between you two about this book.I'd love to hear it happen!
I haven’t done a podcast with Star Wars Timeline about it.
@@jonathankoan I didn't think so. Like I said, it would make for an interesting discussion. I totally agree with you that it is not just a great Star Wars book, but a great book period.
I read this book back in 2017, and thought it done a better job of show casing a stand alone Kenobi adventure than the Kenobi Disney plus series did.
Did you know Barnes and Noble has Kenobi in a collectible leather bound edition? I recently picked up Star Wars the Bounty Hunter Wars leather bound edition from Barnes and Noble. It is a beautiful book.
I did know. I do own 4 editions of Kenobi. I don’t know if I can justify buying a 5th at the moment, but it would be nice.
@@jonathankoan It's definitely worth owning at some point. Often times Barnes and Noble will do sales on those leather bound editions, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
The new Legends paperback edition has been perfect for gifting to friends/family who are casual Star Wars fans or want to read a Star Wars novel without all the heavy baggage of the EU/Legends.
Really enjoyed this book and the themes it raises to do with Settler vs Native populations. It approached the topic in a very nuanced way.
There were about 3 or 4 moments where there was a line of dialogue while Ben would be speaking and it was very moving. I don't often get emotional so that was impressive. Miller did it in a way where it was very simple language , but it felt like a hammer blow!
For me regarding the villain, I actually caught on pretty much straight away, but it was more me thinking, 'I really hope the author does this' and he did so that was fantastic.
One minor gripe is I found the villain super intriguing in the beginning and middle sections of the novel, but by the end they are pretty much completely irredeemably bad. Personally I would have made it more grey and had the motivations being sympathetic, but with a 'the ends don't justify the means' arc.
The above really is a minor issue though and was excellent otherwise. The aspect of the ending to me that resonated most was the message that even if you lose you can still find opportunities to accept your situation and do some good with it.
It really escalated in the end. The villains desperation kicks in and they become a totally different person. It does seem a bit extreme, but it worked for me. But I’m glad you enjoyed the book!
Im currently reading Kenobi for the second time. At first, I don't like it to mucho due the fact that Obi-Wan only appears around 30% to 40% of the book, but with this second read my appreciation and love for the book has been increased.
Regarding the video, I like the form and method you abord the theme, particularly without rant or negative comments.
Greetings from México.
I just read this, and enjoyed it very much. Definitely looking forward to reading more books by Miller now.
The ending threw me for sure too, I did not expect the villain to be who it was. I lovedd the audiobook of it. That made it so fun to listen to!
Jonathan Davis is an excellent narrator. I wish he got more assignments recently.
When I heard they were making a Kanobi show Immediately thought "I hope they just straight up adapt the book!" I knew they wouldn't but I also Love this book so much and it would've been awesome! Still hopefully the show is good as an alternate timeline story. Im so excited to see Ewan McGregor back!
I’m hoping we will get a reference to the Oasis and Dannars Claim or Rooh. That would be a good way to pay homage to the book.
@@jonathankoan agreed that would be awesome! Hopefully the show won't outright contradict anything from the book. It looks like the show takes place years later So even if it's not officially recognized as canon it can still be head canon.
Glad to hear you're learning german :D Ich wünsche dir viel Erfolg :)
Kenobi is a fantastic book!
Thank you. It'll be a while before I can fully read Kenobi in German, but I'm working on it.
Absolutely fantastic book, one of the best I’ve read for Legends and Star Wars overall. I hope the show takes some notes, even though that story sounds quite different from this one
Naturally, it'll be a different direction. But I'm hoping small references can make it in. Maybe Kenobi will refer to his eopie as "Rooh" or maybe the town square will be known as "The Oasis" or "Dannar's Claim". That would be the extent of the possible references I think (although I would certainly enjoy more!).
KENNOBBBAAAAAAHHHH! 🤣
(Sorry, I couldn't resist)
I can understand why people could like the leader of the settlers but I loved what happened and that fall from Grace for him because there was something that rubbed me the wrong way about him right from the start.
And I unintentionally spoiled the twist of Y’ark being a woman when I looked up how to spell their name. (Not even sure I spelt it right then to be honest)
The first read through it shocked me, but when I read it now it totally makes sense.
And that spoiler issue is the reason why I rarely look up something while I’m reading. I got confused while reading the Wheel of Time and looked up some answers for the early books and got spoiled for later books, so now I’m just content to find out as I’m going along.
This sound interesting. I’ve been eager to read this book for a long time but I enjoyed the spoilers. What is the other win?
Btw have you read the star wars secrets of the galaxy. It has a book for each, the jedi, the sith (told by sidious himself) the stormtrooper (I found them quite epic and serious more than in any other media) and the bounty hunter code. There’s also one for smugglers but I couldn’t find it. If you have read them I would like to know your opinion on them. I love them
I have not read them yet but I intend to read them eventually.
As I wrote on another video, this was the first Star Wars book I ever read, and I thought it was a disappointment, but it might be just because of my expectations. I was hoping for an action packed Mandalorian ride, and it was quite the opposite. But after reading a few Star Wars novels, I can say that it is definitely a very well and competent written book. … Oh, and you are learning German? I am quite fluent since I am born and still living in Germany, so if you need any help, just let me now. Maybe we can do some live session and practicing pronunciations 😏
Which Star Wars books have you read since? Are you enjoying them?
@@jonathankoan I read some comic books, mostly from the newer Star Wars run and Dark Times, also Shadows of the Empire and partially The Mandalorian Armor. I try to get them second hand, so I have to take what I can get my hands on … So far I liked some and some not so much. SotE in comparison to KENOBI is not so well written … Jeter is a brilliant author, but because of him, my next book will probably be something of the cyberpunk genre. There are also a lot of books i want to read, but whenever I can, i try to read them in English, which takes a bit longer. … Again, let me know if you need a coach in learning German 😏
Glad their crappy show didn't took any influence from this great book. If anything, it took more influence from The Last of the Jedi book series by Jude Watson but more horribly.
I personally quite enjoyed the show Kenobi, although I had a few issues with the shaky cam, and with some of the action in the middle episodes. But other than that, I really enjoyed the first few and last few episodes.
But I will admit, the novel is FAR superior!
Is your podcast on Spotify?
It is not. We are on Itunes(apple podcasts), Google Play, Stitcher, iheart radio, and radio.com and simplecast. The majority of our listeners are on apple podcasts (the name is "Two Sons of Tatooine".
@@jonathankoan found it, gonna give some a listen