There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and that Claudia Gray’s books will make you feel things.
Master and Apprentice explores the relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi at an uncertain time. They haven’t quite meshed together yet in the way expected of masters and padawans who’ve been together for several years and when Qui-Gon is offered a seat on the Jedi Council, he thinks that accepting it may be the best possible solution for both of them. Before he can make a decision, they’re specifically called to assist with a political dispute on Pijal by Rael Averross, another former padawan of Dooku. What should be simple mission quickly grows more far complicated especially once the Force shows Qui-Gon violent visions of the future…
We seem to have reached the Prequel Trilogy Renaissance as far as publishing goes and just in time for the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace too. Qui-Gon has always felt like one of those characters who had far more stories that could be told about him than his untimely death on Naboo allowed. His relationship with Obi-Wan also spoke to plenty of untold questions especially given their opposites dynamic. Qui-Gon questioned while Obi-Wan obeyed (the opposite of Obi-Wan’s future). We go into the story knowing that the pair won’t split up and yet there’s still tension throughout because what if they don’t and everything we thought we knew was wrong? It is a testament to Gray’s skill as a writer that she can create that feeling throughout the pages.
Speaking of which, Gray manages to walk the line between evoking involuntary emotions tied to events you know happen to these characters later down the line and making it seem like too much of an obvious wink. It’s not an easy thing to do and yet she does so beautifully on multiple occasions. At least two are gut punches of lines that are still sitting with me days later. I’d quote them here but they are best experienced for yourself with full context.
There are far more characters in the novel than just the titular two, almost all of whom I’d be happy to see in other stories. Rael Averross is perhaps the biggest mess of a Jedi in the history of the Order to date. Brought to the Jedi Temple at the ripe old age of five, he never fully assimilated in and instead kept parts of his homeworld’s culture with him, wearing them like armor. There could not be a more unlikely candidate for a former padawan of Dooku than Rael. When the novel starts, he’s spent the last few years as the Lord Regent for a now fourteen year old crown princess, trying to atone for and move past what happened with his own padawan all those years ago while also offering her support and guidance. In contrast to him is that very princess, Faryn, who is still quite young to rule a planet (by our standards) and also far smarter than perhaps any of the others realize. Rounding out the main cast are Rahara and Pax who aren’t really crooks but rather two enterprising people with a good eye for valuable rocks and somewhat traumatic pasts. They definitely don’t mean to become entangled in the local politics and yet they find themselves swept up in it nonetheless.
Surprisingly, the book also does a better job discussing slavery in the galaxy far, far away than almost any other story in the Star Wars canon thus far. The Czerka Corporation, a major player in the Pijal system, deals in slaves, skirting the laws of the Republic through technicalities. Their presence is a driving factor for many of the story’s challenges, both large and personal. At one point, a character asks why Czerka even bothers engaging in the practice. The answer made me put down the book for a minute. All of this puts the conversation at Shmi’s dinner table into an entirely new light.
As a side note: unsurprisingly, the book also has the side effect of making me eager to get my hands on Cavan Scott’s forthcoming Dooku: Jedi Lost as I suspect the Dooku novel will complement this one rather nicely.
Master and Apprentice is a thoughtful exploration of the Star Wars galaxy and two of the key Jedi players within it. By showing us the depths of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s master/padawan relationship, Gray is able to offer us a fresh take on the Jedi Order of old and I certainly wouldn’t object to another book from her about the same characters.
Thank you to Del Rey for providing an early copy of the book for review purposes.
