Star Wars: Dark Disciple

This is a great book for fans of either Ventress or Quinlan Vos. If you're looking for a story to fill in the gaps between the Clone Wars and the movies, you'll really enjoy this book - a very worthwhile read. I thought it started a little slow, but it really picks up the pace a few chapters in. While I think Taylor did a good job on the cover art, I was really hoping to see it done by Jan Duursema - after all, she helped breathe life into the Quinlan Vos character!

I can't give this a perfect 5 of 5 but it was so close. I won't say much, as to not spoil it, but if you've watched Clone Wars (any amount of it if not all and don't care for some minor character arc spoilers) I cannot recommend this enough. I think Christie Golden really got the feeling of the show down and did a great job translating the characters we know and love (like Kenobi, her Kenobi was perfect). All of her recent books that I've picked up have been excellent, I'm becoming a real fan of her adapted work.I will also tell you this will make you at the very least get a little teary eyed. It certainly did me.

I am so glad this un-aired Clone Wars material was translated into novel form. I enjoyed the book, its themes, and its portrayal of the Jedi and how low their order has fallen. My only complaint with existing character portrayals was how Mace Windu was handled. Yes he represents everything wrong with the Jedi of the prequel era, but in this story he seems to quick to judge and too quick to take extreme action. This does seem to be the route filoni, and possibly Lucas, were taking the character towards the end of the Clone Wars, but it just feels too blatant. There were a couple things that took me out of the novel. First, the fact the material come from an eight episode arc was very noticeable to me. It had a repetitive nature at times, Spoilers:Confront Dooku, escape Dooku, confront Dooku, escape Dooku, etc. I was constantly wondering what was new material and what would have been on the show. Some of the content was very dark and I got caught up wondering how that would play out in animation form. Another aspect that took me out was my familiarity with the Legends material of Ventress an Vos. Some of the legends material is so similar, especially with Vos. Vos had a similar mission and brush with the darkside, just not with Ventress. Neither of these issues were a fault of the author, so its hard to judge to harshly. Some of the specifics I enjoyed most were knowing of certain characters appearances in later material, but still feeling they were in peril. Vos for instance is mentioned in Episode III, but I didn't see him making it out of this alive, continuity issue or not. Dooku took quite a beating, and it was interesting seeing him vulnerable, even though he manages to escape (multiple times).Overall I am happy this material is out there. We are lucky to get it. I never expected a team up between these two characters, and even though it conflicts with what we know from Legends, I feel it does those previous stories justice.

This was hard to rate. While I never expect a Star Wars book to be high literary prose, I don't expect some of the awkward writing/editing found in Dark Disciple. Often I felt like I was reading the actual script for these episodes rather than a written adaptation. There were also a few instances where the author gave redundant descriptions. For example, late in the book Dooku is described as 'infamous' twice within a paragraph of each other. Was it a false description? No. But it did not read well and came off as lazy.

The innuendo in the book felt very out of place for the Star Wars universe. There was a bit of this in 'Heir to the Jedi' as well and it just feels childish and awkward. The overall romance story was complex and well done and a welcome addition to Star Wars, but stop reducing it to sit-com humor.

Now, on to the good stuff. Early on I probably would have rated this book a 2 or 3 stars because of the problems I mentioned above. But Dark Disciple ended up being an excellent story. Without giving anything away, if you are a Clone Wars fan, this gives some very satisfying answers to some lingering questions. If you are a Ventress fan, this does a great job of getting into her head and exploring who she is. This book is at its best when its exploring Ventress's thoughts and emotions. This was one of the darkest and most complex Clone Wars stories and its a shame that it didn't get a chance to air, but I can't help but think that putting it into written form allowed us to get to know Ventress much better than a TV show would have allowed.

One of the more interesting aspects of this book is the foreshadowing and preparation for Revenge of the Sith. As we saw in the 'Lost Missions' episodes, events were leading more and more toward Episode 3, and this book moves it even further.

If you can work through some of the issues the book has, its a satisfying continuation of the Clone Wars and worth reading.

*Disclaimer: I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Star Wars Dark DiscipleA good book to explore more about the Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress characters.Two intriguing characters specially to see how they will interact between them. Another point to take is the fact that this is from not broadcasted episodes of the Clone Wars, I could see at moments why this is considered a "more adult" version of the episodes but also it would had been great if the episodes were made, however at moments I couldn't grasp the idea of them being in a relationship (not to spoil for the ones that haven't read it but really!! walks in the park??!!)At moments the beginning reminded me of the Darth Bane saga, and I also had to remember that this is part of the new canon and had to unlearn the Vos story arcs from the comics.A good read, can't wait to see if they will be used some more in the near future

(Review also posted on Legendarium Media)There's a reason the Jedi discourage emotional attachment, and this book is a perfect example of why.!!!MILD SPOILERS BELOW!!!Dark Disciple is, for lack of a better word, truly epic from start to finish. Based on eight unfinished episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the story follows former Sith assassin Asajj Ventress and Jedi Quinlan Vos on a mission to assassinate Count Dooku to put a quick end to the war. The mission was actually the idea of the Jedi Council, an idea which goes against everything they stand for. We never really saw the Jedi Council as a whole falter this much in the show or the films and it illustrates just how desperate the Jedi have become. Even more unthinkable is the suggestion that not only a Jedi, Quinlan Vos, carry out this deed, but that they do so with the help of Asajj Ventress, the only one still alive who was close to him and tried to assassinate him herself...twice.Things really take off when Asajj and Quinlan first meet (the animatics for their first verbal [and physical] exchange were first shown at Star Wars Celebration this year). The story moves quickly but isn't rushed, which is perfect for both Quin and Asajj as characters; neither are simple or quick-to-trust people, but Golden takes the time to explore them both and explain through events how their partnership organically grows into something rather special while not detracting from the main story. In fact, the romance angle becomes just as important as the mission to kill Dooku because it becomes such an integral part of nearly everything, a change of pace from the majority of Star Wars novels. Speaking of which...Anyone who has spent more than five minutes around me knows of my love and adoration of Asajj, so I'll get this out of the way right now: I'm still not a fan of her and Quin being romantically involved. HOWEVER! Golden takes such care in establishing and building their relationship that my initial distaste of the pairing quickly took a backseat when I read just how sweet and endearing it could be (the moment when Asajj steps out in her ballgown for the banquet on Raxus Prime was priceless).Where most would expect the confrontation with Dooku to be the climax of the novel, it's certainly not. Like I said, this is an epic. That fight is just the start of a whole chain of events that leads to one of the most bittersweet, heartbreaking conclusions I've ever read in my life. I don't want to spoil to much, but I will say that if you're not at least the tiniest bit choked up by the final chapter, you might want to go see a doctor because you clearly have no heart. As engrossing as the story is on its own, there are some small issues that will hopefully be corrected by the time the final copies are released next month. Inconsistent facts, contradicting dialogue, and a missing word or two didn't hurt the story too badly, but they did jerk me out of the flow for a moment. The only other complaint I have is regarding Quinlan's motivation in the second half, which actually hurt any chance that I might have been more willing to accept he and Asajj as a couple. Again, without too many spoilers, while their relationship is sweet, it starts on lies and Quin is the one who keeps that going even after Asajj has owned up to her own lie (which is a rather massive one). He hides things from her and does things that, even though she had committed terrible things while in the service of the Sith, she would have been horrified to learn about. The real crux of it all is a choice that Quin makes which is nothing short of a betrayal of trust. Asajj Ventress is not someone who trusts easily, and to betray the faith she has put in you is a grave violation that she really doesn't need to deal with after so much heartbreak in her past. Quinlan could try to rationalize it all he wanted, but it doesn't change the fact that his choices changed his relationship with her from a partnership to a power play, with him in command. Not cool, Quin. Not cool.But overall, Dark Disciple fills in a few blanks from The Clone Wars TV series rather well and handles every character with love and care (yes, even Dooku). There is humor, there is joy, there is action (and plenty of it), there is despair, there is emotion. We learn just how deep Asajj's guilt over the Nightsister massacre goes, how far Quinlan is willing to go both for the task of assassinating Dooku and to preserve what he has and hopes to have with Asajj, and how one who has fallen can find their way back to the Light in the end. I finished the book in a record (for me) 16 hours over two days. Other readers may want to stretch out their reading time if only to spare their hearts and souls the agony Dark Disciple will instill in them.Don't say I didn't warn you.Come talk to me about this book once you read it so we can cry together (yes, there were legitimate tears on my face by the time I finished reading).

This is one of the best Star Wars books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading/listening too, thank you

Wow this book is written amazingly. And the voice acting is great. I felt emotional at times

What's there not to like about this? Two very complex characters, especially Ventress, plenty of plot twists, well-written action, good dialogue, and the fact that it's one of the best Star Wars books. It had me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. Even the slower parts were attention grabbing. I would recommend this book not only to any Star Wars fan, but also to those who have a general love of science fiction.

Knowledge of the exact events during the Clone Wars is not necessary, though I can see how it would be helpful. I am not a fan of the movies from around this time, and so I tend to avoid literature that surrounds this period of time in the universe. With that in mind, I had no issue following the events of this book. The only rough part was that going into it I knew who would end up killing Count Dooku, therefore during key battles, I knew that strategies would not work out as planned. If anything, that made my attachment to Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress that much stronger.

Tl;dr: READ THIS BOOK!

Wonderful addition to the new Star Wars canon, definitely reccomend if you want to know more about Ventress and Vos

I really enjoyed this story and getting to dive more into the world of Asajj Ventress. It got a bit confusing and convoluted for me in the middle but it didn’t last and i really appreciated the conclusion. I think the narrator was one of the best I’ve heard in the Star Wars universe, but I didn’t care for his narration of Asajj’s voice, it was very grunty and over the top which took away from some of the more touching and/or dramatic moments in the story. All in all, I really had a great time reading this awesome story!

This was excellent. Marc Thompson is an excellent narrator and really brought forth the emotions of the written words. It's too bad this could not have been made into episodes of the The Clone Wars as it was meant to be, as I really feel these would have been some of the best of the series. Simply awesome!

A retcon of Quinlan Vos that's really a vehicle to conclude Ventress' Clone Wars arc.

Oh, it was OK...there was/is some plot holes that I found that I struggled with, but it was overall OK.

This audio book was not very memorable. Like I listened to it half-way and was like "wait, I've listened to this before" Would not recommend, still get's two stars because the audio production is fantastic like all Star Wars audiobooks.

Loved it. Thought Asajj' character would always be unredeemable but boy howdy, she really gets the royal treatment in this story. Loved the conflict and the dynamic between characters. The Jedi scenes were great. The combat was great. Overall, I will add this to my 'favorite Star Wars stories' list. Compared to many other Star Wars books out there currently that are poorly written and chalked full of an agenda and Earth politics, this book resembled the stories I read when I was a kid in the 90's. Just great storytelling using great characters and great settings. Hard to pass this one up. -Wes

It was mostly fun if you’re a star wars nerd. But it was basically 50% a gooey romance novel. I felt like the cover should have been some shirtless guy holding a swooning woman. The other half was classic Star Wars goodness. Also prefer the Legends story vs this one. Vos’ character in Legends was just more believable and always having a toe hold on darkness. In this he seemed like.. Romance novel guy instead of the character from the comics. That was more like you or me would be.. normal. Not romance guy with the emotional complexity of a coin. Reminds of of someone emotionally socially under developed wrote this.
Ventress also was emotionally weak in this one. She was so strong in Legends succumbing to nothing until the end when truth flooded in. That is real.

These people are too old to never have had a relationship before. Come on.. again just taken out of context.
Will leave it there..

Good listen, well written(ish) and does the franchise some justice. My only have 2 qualms. 1, that the voice impression of Mace Windu sounds too much like a "old white southern gentry" rather than Samuel Mother-F&%$#$@ Jackson.

My 2nd qualm is that, the character of Voss. This is not the Voss I, nor other fans, will be familiar with from Legends canon. This is a completely different person. He certainly seems to act more naive and certainly lacks an aire of commitment. Without the backstory of struggle and strife built up around him from the Legends that had fans endeared to the character, this simply is not the Voss you are looking for. You are entered with an expectation of familiarity but without sufficient backstory, you are lost on who this new Voss really is. Disney should have reused the Legends in their cannon as opposed to a poor recycling job.

wow. anyone looking for a great, well-wirtten star wars story that captures the essence of the galaxy far, far away, look no further. Some knowledge of the animated Clone Wars animated series and (now) Legends expanded universe would help to give context to some of the characters, but overall a great story all by itself. fully recommend to anyone looking to break into Star Wars or looking for a good scifi story overall.

Best New Star Wars Canon Book Yet! Read it soon!

In Dark Disciple, Christie Golden creates the first excellent character study of the new Disney Star Wars canon. The plot, based on unproduced episodes of the Clone Wars series, focuses around Jedi Master Quinlan Vos teaming up with former-Sith and Nightsister Asajj Ventress on a Jedi Council sanctioned mission to assassinate Count Dooku. Both characters are fan-favorites and Golden treats them with all the reverence of someone who truly understands them. As the two work together, they develop a connection that threatens Ventress's self-imposed isolation and Vos's Jedi vows.Golden brings her aptitude for action scenes, previously seen in the Fate of the Jedi series, to Dark Disciple. Describing a battle between Ventress, Vos, Dooku, and General Grievous, Golden writes,"Enraged, Vos charged Dooku from behind. The Sith Lord whirled, catching Vos's strike with his own weapon and twisting his wrist to parry. Vos countered with a feint that caused Dooku's chest to be unguarded, and dived for the kill. Dooku twisted out of the lightsaber's path, but for the first time since the fight began, Ventress saw awkwardness." (p. 153)Golden finds her stride during the character-driven scenes, compelling her audience to follow along with bated breath, as she writes scenes such as the following:"All at once, warmth flooded through her. It was as if she were being bathed with soft light. It washed away the pain, and the fear, and the anger, leaving only perfect clarity in its wake. Ventress realized that it was the Force, but it had never felt like this. And it was giving her a gift.Time slowed to a crawl as a sudden, calm sense of knowing permeated her. She saw, all at once, every possible outcome of the turn of this fraction of a second. Every convolution, every manifestation, every repercussion that would echo far into the future. Death, and life, and new chances lay down one path. The restoration of balance. Fear and disaster, an existence that could never be called living but merely crawling about in a shell of flesh that had no spark of joy - that, too, could be the future; burning vengence that only increased the hunger for more." (p. 292)Clone Wars and casual Star Wars fans are sure to find something to enjoy in this novel. This fifth book in the new Disney canon sets the bar high, but proves that there's plenty of good yet to come in the Star Wars universe.

this book was sooo good! I am so happy that some of my favorite Star Wars characters make appearances and are given their due.

this should be turned into a movie or mini series

This novel is based on un-aired episodes of the Clone Wars TV series. I'm kind of bummed that the show was cancelled before these could air, but I'm glad the powers that be decided to make a novel out of the scripts, and that Christie Golden was chosen to write it. Based on my past experiences with Star Wars novels written by guys, the romance (and, let's be honest, sometimes the whole book) tends to be written terribly. In Golden's hands, though, the story of Master Jedi Quinlan Vos and ex-Sith apprentice turned bounty hunter Asajj Ventress is an emotional story about the all-consuming power of love - and the dark paths it can take you down. Asajj Ventress was always very interesting to me, and this story really explores her character in a way the TV show never did. I also found the exploration into Jedi/Sith mentality and rationale fascinating; what do you do when the group you belong to starts going down a path that goes against everything you believe in?While there were aspects of the book that seemed too predictable, Golden knows her way around both action scenes and emotional ones, so I was always held captivated. More lady writers for Star Wars novels, please!

It’s amazing what expectations can do to your enjoyment of a book. Take Dark Disciple for example. Based on the cover flap alone it would not be unreasonable to presume that this book would be about some convoluted assassination attempt on one of the most prominent political leaders of the era, Count Dooku, and its equally tortuous reasons for failure because, for everyone who’s seen or read Revenge of the Sith, we all know how this is going to end. Add to that some forced sexual tension between the two leads and you have standard Star Wars novel fare. This book, however, is so much more than that and blew my expectations away. It easily made the other “canon” novels look like the Star Wars Holiday Special in comparison.Despite what the cover flap describes, this book really isn’t about the assassination of Count Dooku. In fact, for the first third of it I can count on one hand the number of times the assassination is mentioned. In reality this novel is about the often tragic relationship of its two leads Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos, who I will refer to as Quinsajj when together. The assassination is merely the means to an end. The chemistry between these two is so astonishingly organic such that Han and Leia’s relationship looks like a middle school crush next to Quinsajj. It got so steamy that I had the urge to take off extra layers of clothing when I read this book (that and because at time of writing this, it’s the summer). Ventress is initially portrayed as a loner, one who tries to distance her from all others due to her dreadful past. Betrayed both by the Jedi Order and her former master Count Dooku both of whom left her for dead, she naturally has trust issues and is unwilling to open up to others. By contrast Vos has lived his entire life always in the presence of others. The Jedi Temple is the only home he ever had and, surrounded by his Jedi brethren, is open to trusting those he deems worthy. Nevertheless even by his fellow Jedi he is considered an eccentric maverick and thus often finds himself working on solo missions. The differing personalities of Quinsajj melded together brilliantly; while they are both inherently outsiders, circumstances demanded that they team up with the trusting, flamboyant Vos complementing the wary, conniving Ventress. For any English majors out there, they were an excellent example of foil characters.However the great characters don’t stop there: Christie Golden has a fantastic understanding of her other characters as well. Not since Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy have I ever seen so many individuals “in character.” No one conveys this better than Count Dooku. Every moment he was present I could just sense the aura of the late Sir Christopher Lee emanating from the book, flaunting his imperious persona. When Dooku gave his speech at the Separatist celebration in the book it was so masterfully delivered that I wanted to stand up and cheer despite the fact that doing so would be the in-universe equivalent of applauding for Hitler. His actions throughout the book, too, are in character: as the aristocratic yet sinister Count he is, Dooku is more than willing to use cruelty and deception to accomplish his goals. This extends to the characterization of the members of the Jedi council, who despite their dogmatic fear of the Dark Side, are seemingly already on their way towards venturing down it. The book makes it very clear how controversial the decision to partake in cold-blooded assassination is and the distrust that permeates the council towards the individuals involved comes about naturally. In the end, they too are willing to use deception just like Dooku to accomplish their goals.With all the betrayals and deceptions throughout the novel, Golden is able to masterfully weave in some heavy themes to top it off. Do the ends truly ever justify the means? How much should one compromise one’s beliefs for the greater good? How does war affect even the purest of individuals? This is mainly embodied by the aforementioned Jedi Council. It is their belief that killing Dooku will end the war and they become all too willing to, in my mind, violate the Jedi Code (which by the way is now canon, Woohoo!) “There is no death, there is the Force.” By taking matters into their own hands and causing “death” on their own terms rather than through the natural progression of events, they act against the will of the Force. This just goes to show how war can affect even the purest of individuals. Philosophical discussion aside, perhaps the most poignant theme is the nature of attachment invoked by Quinsajj. Is it worth opening up and trusting those you love at risk of being stabbed in the back later? Quinsajj’s relationship was built on deception to begin with so both must question whether being together is the right course of action.Ultimately, Dark Disciple has got to be the most beautiful, masterfully written work of art I’ve read in a long time. What starts off as typical McGuffin chasing story turns into something else entirely with complex themes and inspiring characters pushing forward an engaging plot. This all culminates into a heart wrenching ending that just tears at the feels. Some may not like how certain characters end up, but I think that just adds to the beauty of it. If this is any indication of the direction the Star Wars franchise is going, the future is bright indeed. Quick note: While reading the book I was able to listen to the audiobook and, as usual, Marc Thompson does an amazing job. Every character except one sounds almost exactly as if the actors of the movies and TCW were right in the room with you. The exception of course is Asajj Ventress who in the beginning comes off not like the lethal seductress she should be and more like a constipated Trandoshan (lizard alien). He does get better as the book progresses and I eventually got used to his voice but for the life of him his Asajj voice could never sound like a girl to me. Other than that, brilliant work Mr. Thompson. I’d also like to lend a quick shoutout to Katie Lucas who wrote the original scripts to the TCW episodes this book was adapted from. Nice work! In my opinion you’re a much better writer than your father, George.ALTERNATE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: Revenge of the Sith and Shatterpoint both by Matthew Stover. The movie novelization of the classic movie follows a similar story of a pair of individuals, Anakin and Obi-Wan, who share a similar bond to Quinsajj and the trust and betrayals that follow it – the only difference is that they are connected by brotherly love. If for a second you think to yourself “Saw the movie, don’t need to read the book”, I will find you and slap you across the face. You haven’t experienced RotS until you’ve read how Stover tells it. Shatterpoint on the other hand shares thematic elements with Dark Disciple and explores the heavy themes of what war can to individuals and whether the ends ever truly justify the means.You’re still here? I guess I have a bit of a confession to make: I’m a huge Asajj Ventress fan. She was my favorite character in the entire TCW TV series and I found her character arc the best the show had to offer (sorry Ahsoka but you suffer too much from Mary Sueism for my tastes.) I hope that didn’t just invalidate everything I said up to now.

So, about 2 weeks ago I decided to read all the books in the Star Wars Universe canon - because why not, right?And then I figured out the my library had almost all of them, so I actually could read through them. So here goes!Dark Disciple is set during the Clone Wars, and features Obi-Wan and Anakin as Jedi trying to take down Count Dooku. Vos is the hapless Jedi sent to do the dirty work, and Ventress the kickass female assassin selected unwillingly to be his partner. Naturally, romance and highjinks ensue. This was fun and quick, with enough familiar characters to draw readers in, but strong enough protagonists to keep them engaged throughout. Great start to this particular reading journey!

Thrilling. Compelling. Fun.
Couldn’t help to laugh at times.
Loved it. Everything about it.
This took audiobooks to another level, to the point where I pictured it as a great movie in my head. To the point of realising I’ll listen to it again at some point, like I do with all the saga movies.
The force is strong with this one.

Christie Golden can spin a Star Wars tale! Dark Disciple was unique, and disturbing. It goes against everything we've ever learned about the Jedi Order.Realizing Count Dooku is at the root of most evil, the Jedi Order decides the only way out of harm's way will come from the count's assassination. Teaming up Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with former sith Asajj Ventress.As a huge fan of the animated Clone Wars series, I was anxious to see a book dedicated to Ventress. I was not disappointed.Ventress retrains Vos -- introducing him to the Dark Side. Not to turn him against the Force, but to make him stronger, since going up against Dooku will be a near-impossible task!Obi Wan is apprehensive. He knows how manipulative Ventress can be.Nothing goes as planned, and the Jedi Order is faced with more difficult decisions than when they initially announced the mission.A ton of action. Some intimate scenes. There is no reading this book slowly. I loved every minute. The chemistry between Vos and Ventress is as electric as Dooku's bursts of evil lightning! Not only am I anxious to read more Star Wars novels, I am just as hungry for more books written by Christie Golden, and low and behold she has a ton!Phillip TomassoAuthor of Wizard's Rise and Wizard's War

Really enjoyed it. Good companion to the author's other works here. Very well read.

On the one hand, this book gripped me from the start. The character development was beautiful... until the very end. The rest of my comments are a serious spoiler. very, very, very spoiler......................Ventress totally gets the short end of the stick. In the end, her death brings Vos back to the Jedi order, and Kenobi gives a sermon on what we all should learn from her sacrifice. Anakin was _right there_ and saw exactly how Vos fell, and exactly what his turn to the dark side cost. But it's a meaningless lesson, since we already know what happens in Revenge of the Sith. To hell with the damn Jedi Council - I want more Ventress!!!