Strasser, Todd

AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:

2 out of 5

(1 book)

Star Wars: Episode I Journal - Anakin Skywalker

The events of 'The Phantom Menace' as seen through the nine year-old eyes of Anakin himself.

I has originally avoided the Journal series in the belief that they were little more than part of the kid-friendly marketing explosion that accompanied Episode I's release, but then I read Jude Watson's Queen Amidala one and was pleasantly surprised.

Sadly, this book proves to more or less be exactly what my original fears imagined.  The vast majority of it is just a childish rehashing of the events of the film but with the actual drama and complexity drained out of it.  And let's not forget that there wasn't altogether too much of that to begin with (thank you George Lucas).

The only reason I haven't given this book a score of one is that there are a couple of, sadly brief, moments when the book genuinely adds something to Anakin's story.  One of these involves him repairing an ancient droid which fought in the Sith Wars and the other is the tantalising hint that some of his prophetic dreams actually end in terrifying darkness.

2 out of 5

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