– Spoiler-Free Review –
Padawan by Kiersten White centers on an Obi-Wan Kenobi struggling to find his way as a Jedi Knight, leading to an impromptu and reckless solo mission to a unique planet with a problem that strikes at all the issues facing the young Kenobi. While it might take a while to get going, and has some repetition, White’s Padawan has a journey for readers and Obi-Wan alike worth experiencing, balancing coming-of-age basics and a good new Star Wars adventure.
In Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fresh learner to Qui-Gon Jinn and struggling to find his place in the Jedi Order and the Force, to the point he’s unable to meditate or feel like he’s ever doing good enough despite being an exceptional Jedi already. When concerns about Qui-Gon’s intentions towards Obi-Wan push his self-doubts and fears over the edge, a chance finding left by Jedi from the High Republic era leads Obi-Wan to make a rash and rebellious decision: take a mission on his own to an unknown world, hoping to prove himself to his Jedi friends, his Master, and to the Force itself or else give up on being a Jedi because it clearly doesn’t want him to succeed if he can’t. On the strange new world, one where the planet is seemingly alive and coordinating attacks against a pack of teenage inhabitants stranded there, Obi-Wan finds a mystery he can bury himself in to avoid the doubts coursing through his head.
While we’ve just seen a doubt-filled Obi-Wan in the excellent Obi-Wan Kenobi series, this is a whole different part of his journey, a different part of the constant struggle against the dark, magnified by several aspects, like his youthful age as a teenage Padawan, the peers around him and a need to prove himself to them, and a far too patient and aloof Master he wants to appease as well. Kiersten White really captures the depth of this anxiety box Obi-Wan forces himself into, to the point I felt some anxiety just reading his constant self-doubts and spiraling feedback loop of despair and indecision, making the studious and exemplary Jedi Master fans know and love a little more relatable as he deals with insecurities about his place in the galaxy and how he appears to his peers. To hear and see Obi-Wan struggle like many have, and still do and will (I know I’ve had my moments and will again), was a refreshing take on the character, as it’s not hard to imagine he was always faithful and trusting of the Force so it’s relatable he wasn’t, even at this stage of his career (the Jedi Apprentice series* did cover how he had his issues in Legends and I was a big fan of those growing up), and many adolescents, going from high school to college per se, will feel many of these same fears, but any life change can bring about similar feelings and anyone at any age could relate. At times White’s prose with the internal problems Obi-Wan faces was a little too much, as like I said it gave me some anxiety, but also because it feels a tad repetitive, the arguments he has with himself not changing much for the first half of the book while the density of the spirals exacerbates the feeling of sameness. By the end though, how he comes to understand his place in the Force, and how that trickles down to the mysteries of the planet, the group he meets and lives with while there, and his ultimate future and path we all know from the films (and now show), is well-earned by White’s pacing in the second half and usage of his more familiar personality.
The planet, Lenahra, is a star in of itself, alongside the group of teenagers stranded there and just scrounging by to survive, like the Lost Boys from Peter Pan. I loved the idea of a planet like Lenahra because it’s such a rich setting, as often times the books have our characters visiting planets but there’s nothing too memorable about them, but considering this one is basically a character itself means it’s far from forgettable. The way the teenagers and younglings with them interact with it, and the ultimate truth of their interactions and what it means for them and the planet is bountiful in allegory about climate change, how we interact with nature, and cautious tales about fighting for a past/ideal set by our elders/parents instead of finding a path for ourselves. Their plight and interactions with Obi-Wan are fitting for this moment of his life, as helping them allows Obi-Wan to help himself with the doubts and spirals affecting him now. I enjoyed the mixed group of characters, from the burdened leader Audj (a Mikkian), trying to make the best of the situation handed to them and later has to come to terms with how she could’ve been doing it differently; Zae-Brii, a changling who straddles the line of adherence to the past but wondering about more, their relationship with Audj helping both her and Obi-Wan (and the non-binary aspect of being a changling was welcomed one); Casul, Audj’s often angry brother, brings a surprising but very welcomed bi representation to the book for himself and even Obi-Wan; Shush, the elder Nautolan who looks out for the younger two that are stuck in barrels of water due to the planet’s aggressive nature making any other water source dangerous; and a few others that don’t have as big of roles but all have distinct personalities and wants/desires. It’s an interesting group and how Obi-Wan works his way into their tight-nit community, gaining friends not unlike the ones he has in the Jedi Temple, and how they play off him and his problems gives us both a fuller picture of Obi-Wan but also of them, making me grow to like them like Obi-Wan does as his trip to Lenahra expands.
The aggressive nature of the planet to its inhabitants might feel like the villain here, but when the actual one makes themselves known and Obi-Wan begins to understand what’s really going on (which took a little longer than I liked), the book kicks into an exciting pace right until its end. The villain is a little too evil to really add too much dimension to the story, though their connections to Obi-Wan’s new friends add an extra bout of tension just as the truth becomes clear while also make the resulting clash with them less difficult for Obi-Wan to overcome, as the villain makes it too clear too quickly of their true intentions. Thankfully it’s up to Obi-Wan in the opening half to make headways into the new group, because if the villain was introduced earlier, much of the conflicts with the other teenagers wouldn’t have happened/book would’ve been way shorter. But in the end, this book is less about defeating an external source of conflict than conquering internal conflicts, so it works that the external fight isn’t as hefty as the internal content Obi-Wan and his friends deal with as events unfold.
As a big fan of Qui-Gon Jinn, even in his sparing usage here, White really captures his unique idiosyncrasies and lines up nicely with his even briefer appearance in the recent show and other materials (besides his meatier role in Master & Apprentice and the upcoming Tales of the Jedi show of course). It made me wish there had been more of him, but this book isn’t about him so it was welcomed how impactful he was regardless. While I liked Qui-Gon’s part of Padawan, Dex’s didn’t quite land as well. As I discussed a bit with my fellow Manor writer Chris, in the end Dex’s role could’ve gone to any character it felt like, as while this is how they first meet, it was written knowing they are friends instead of written as if they weren’t/had just met. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun to have Dex and finally see how they met, but considering how he was used in the recent Brotherhood (which makes a reference to this book!), this felt disappointing.
Here are a few other things:
- Padawan actually has quite the great LGBTQIA+ representation within its pages, even more so than I mentioned here in my review, and I just hope future stories with Obi-Wan can use what White brought to the character here.
- The whole mission spawns from Obi-Wan finding a hidden carving on the Jedi Temple walls with the names Cohmac Vitus and Orla Jareni scrawled next to it, who characters who have been at the forefront of stories set in the High Republic era. If you haven’t read anything in the era yet (get on it now, it’s fantastic stuff!), you won’t feel left out as White just skims the surface for what she needs to give context, but for a fan it was enough and really exciting to see how easily it fit into the story here. Plus, she deftly avoids spoiling anything that happens to either character, though the fact the information isn’t available in the Jedi Archives raises some interesting questions that probably won’t be answered until the era’s third story Phase comes out (it’s just about to enter Phase II in October this year).
- *There’s even a character from the Jedi Apprentice series that appears in Padawan, complete with a bit of a wink and a nod about what happened between them in Legends.
- Beyond the TV show, there’s even a comic miniseries diving into Obi-Wan’s past as well, with each issue containing a new story, starting with one of him as a youngling!
- The last time a planet was alive, a little conflict with the Yuuzhan Vong took over Legends stories. Join Chris in his Legendary Adventures as he covers the New Jedi Order series right now!
- There’s plenty of hints at other stories to be told about a younger Obi-Wan, be it his Trials or his trip to Ilum for his kyber crystal, and I liked White’s writing of Obi-Wan more than enough I’d be happy if she came back to cover those moments and more. In fact, the way she covers romance for Kenobi, his thoughts on it and openness to whomever/whatever and how it views it compared to the Force, would make her a perfect fit to tell the story of his fateful time with Satine (White even makes a funny little nod to her with Obi-Wan ruminating what type of person he would and wouldn’t end up with).
- Either I missed it or it’s left open on purpose (both because it doesn’t really matter and maybe it’s an opening for White to return), but the mysterious financier who helps the villain with men and ships to get to the planet is never named. Is it perhaps a hint of Sith-ly plotting (Palpatine and/or Plagueius) considering the truth of the planet and what taking from it can do?
Padawan by Kiersten White develops an engrossing story during a formative time in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s life, writing characters and conflicts that bring the galaxy far, far away just a little closer in an exciting and depth-filled way, despite repetition and a slower first half.
+ Obi-Wan’s spiraling and self doubts make him even more relatable
+ Lenahra and its inhabitants
+ Allegories to explore
– Villain lacked depth
– Repetition of doubts
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book, through NetGalley, from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.
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