The Last Jedi (Star Wars) in The Expanded Universe

Nov 10, 2014 Scott Rhee rated it liked it

Shelves: old-canon-legends, star-wars, science-fiction, movie-tie-in, fantasy

7/8/2025 addendum: This book, published in 2013, is not to be confused with the 2017 film of the same name. It's confusing, I know. You'll be alright...

Michael Reaves, whose input in the Star Wars Expanded Universe has been notable (at current count, he's written nine books in the Star Wars book franchise), brings back his character Jax Pavan in "The Last Jedi", this time with co-author Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff.

While I enjoyed "The Last Jedi", it did not have the same spark and appeal that the fir 7/8/2025 addendum: This book, published in 2013, is not to be confused with the 2017 film of the same name. It's confusing, I know. You'll be alright...

Michael Reaves, whose input in the Star Wars Expanded Universe has been notable (at current count, he's written nine books in the Star Wars book franchise), brings back his character Jax Pavan in "The Last Jedi", this time with co-author Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff.

While I enjoyed "The Last Jedi", it did not have the same spark and appeal that the first three Pavan books (The Coruscant Nights trilogy) had for me. Not that "The Last Jedi" wasn't exciting and entertaining. It was. The Reaves/Bohnhoff writing team continues all the excellent character development and storytelling that Reaves started in the Coruscant Nights trilogy. My complaint has nothing to do with the technical aspects of the writing.

My first complaint, which is petty and not even really a complaint, is that "The Last Jedi" breaks from the formula of the first three books by transplanting Pavan off the planet Coruscant and having him gallivanting around the galaxy. I realize that this opens the door for a wide variety of more fun and excitement, but I was growing used to the idea of Pavan working within the heart of the Empire. I also liked the loosely-noir structure of the series, in which Pavan is a former Jedi Knight turned private eye/gun for hire. The wise-cracking sidekicks, the femme fatales, the shadowy Imperial agents hounding him around every corner: this is "The Maltese Falcon" within the Star Wars universe.

I suppose it was inevitable that Pavan would have to, at some point, leave Coruscant. It makes sense, and the noir structure of the Coruscant Nights trilogy was a limiting factor in the ultimate development of Pavan's character, a character that is quickly becoming a fan favorite. He does, after all, embody the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance. (His character, and some of the others in the series, are also, I'm guessing, the inspiration for the new TV show "Star Wars Rebels" on Disney XD, a show mainly targeted for tweens and teenagers but is actually compelling enough for adults to enjoy.)

Another complaint I have with "The Last Jedi" is that it is almost too ambitious. There is a lot of stuff, plot-wise, going on in the book. In my opinion, Reaves/Bohnhoff could have easily turned this one book into another trilogy, taking the time to expand on some of the story lines within it, especially the Whiplash attempt to assassinate Emperor Palpatine, the capture of Thi Xon Yimmon, and Pavan's possession of Drath Ramage's mysterious holocron---all of which are fascinating story lines that Reaves/Bohnhoff could have devoted whole novels to. While adding to the extremely fast pacing of the novel, this overambitious plotting ultimately makes the book seem rushed, and I felt like I may have been missing a few details along the way.

Overall, though, "The Last Jedi" is another good read in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and I hope it is not the last we see of Jax Pavan. ...more

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May 22, 2021 Keith rated it it was ok

Shelves: star-wars

Stars: 2
Recommend: Only if you really like the Coruscant Nights trilogy.
Re-read? No.

This book was a little more entertaining than the trilogy by Reaves that preceded it, but it is still incredibly flawed. I think Reaves is a very lazy and sloppy author, and you don't have to be a huge Star Wars freak to recognize it. He still doesn't understand where in the timeline his stories fit, since he is regularly off by a decade or two. It would be like if I were writing a novel set during WWII, and I re ...more

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Aug 10, 2013 Kent rated it really liked it

This was a very enjoyable addition to the Corusant Nights collection, though I don't know if it is actually part of it. It's the same characters and storyline. I'm a fan of Reaves' cast in these books and it makes for a well rounded and different approach to the Star Wars world. The only thing I didn't really like about this series were the inquisitors, because they kind of go against the rule of two, and this seems to be the only books in which they are mentioned. Other than that it's a good re ...more

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