Star Wars: Brotherhood was written by Mike Chen. The book was published by Del Rey (thank you for sending out a copy for review). This story takes place shortly after the events of the film, Attack of the Clones.
SUMMARY: A major city on the planet Cato Namodia had been attacked! The neutral home-world of the Namodians falls victim to the most devastating tragedy the planet has ever seen. The Separatists have done an investigation and point their finger to Coruscant, blaming the Galactic Republic for the terror attack.
Kenobi, who is temporarily seated on the Jedi Council, comes up with a strategic plan to prevent the Chancellor from visiting Cato Namodia, believing that a heavy Republic presence could spark unwanted tension. Kenobi takes it upon himself to go to Cato Namodia, to represent the Republic and head up an investigation of his own.
While newly raised Jedi Knight – Anakin Skywalker is tending to duties he never dreamed of doing, passing on Jedi knowledge to a group of younglings. Meanwhile, on Cato Namodia, Kenobi meets with the a representative of the Separatist Party, Assaj Ventress. The investigation takes a turn for the worst, when Kenobi is set up by darker forces, leading the Namodians to believe Kenobi and the Republic are indeed their enemy. Anakin must get to Cato Namodia somehow to rescue Kenobi.
But, let it be made known, again, “that business on Cato Namodia… doesn’t count.”
OVERALL THOUGHTS: This is going be a heavy statement, but this is the best Clone Wars content I’ve experienced. Brotherhood is a perfect extension of Attack of the Clones. The story is highly entertaining with characters we know and love, as well as introducing some new characters that I wish we could get more of. Author Mike Chen did an outstanding job with this book, dropping the perfect amount of humor, action, and politics. (Star Wars politics, not real world garbage.) I had a really great time with this novel.
This book was actually a lot of fun to read! If you’ve been watching my content for a while, you’ll know I’m not a fan of the Clone Wars era, this book did everything right. I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the format of short chapters, jumping to other characters/events, it makes the story unfold neatly and also gave the feeling of moving through the book quickly. I felt like the story read a lot like an Expanded Universe novel more so than other canon books (it’s a feeling that can’t really be explained). There was one thing that I couldn’t stand though, the use of the word “disinformation.” I like that we get a new story with Anakin and Kenobi in their prime, and exploring how their relationship transitioned from master and apprentice to equals (mostly… Kenobi had a seat on the council)
Brotherhood is an absolute fun-fest of a Star Wars story! An Instant classic!
Does the book have some silly tacky moments that could have been withheld, yes, but these moments were fine. For example, I was conflicted with the way Dexter Jettster, the Dex from Dex’s Dinner, is used in this story. This Besalisk is Kenobi’s go to for information trading. It mentions that Obi-Wan and Dexter had a youthful misadventure in the Unknown Regions. Chen reveals that Dex had his old “black-market” days, explaining why Kenobi comes to him for insight on specific intel that wouldn’t typically be available elsewhere.
Chen did a great job writing Anakin. The young Jedi Knight was assigned to a group of younglings, to pass on what wisdom he might have to the next generation. Anakin was so out of his element, being both intimated and frustrated with the young crowd. These moments were both funny and sad (knowing that these younglings would be butchered by Vader in just a few years). This is also the best look at the relationship of Anakin and Padme yet. The author did a really good job bringing the two together, showing us how the couple was able to work the relationship around their “galactic duties” and keep it secret, out of the public eye.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, I’m amazed at just how great this book is, especially being a Clone Wars era novel.
RATING: This book receives an A+ / 5/5 stars!
Star Wars: Brotherhood Review
https://youtu.be/TEWG49A6ytw