[Review] - 'Star Wars: Padawan' by Kiersten White

Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White is now available to own hardcover, audiobook, and Kindle from Lucasfilm Press Books. It's one of many young-adult Star Wars novels Disney has published since taking ownership of the franchise.

If my memory is correct, I've read two books from the cannon-Disney Star Wars lineup - Heir to the Jedi and A New Dawn. Why only two? Disney sidelining the established expanded universe cannon into "Legends" left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to mention, I'm still disappointed with how Disney handled their bad batch of Star Wars films, minus Rogue One (I liked that one). Nevertheless, I am writing a review for the audiobook Star Wars: Padawan, a 7-hour+ tale narrated by Gary Furlong.

The novel centers on a teenage Obi-Wan Kenobi heading off on a solo adventure after his master Qui-Gon is a no-show. Obi-Wan's assigned destination is a planet filled with feral, force-welding teenagers. The longer he stays there, the more he feels free from Qui-Gon's restrictions. An evil threat is at hand, and only Obi-Wan can defeat it.

Final Thoughts

Other readers are slamming Star Wars: Padawan accusing Disney of tampering with Obi-Wan Kenobi's sexuality. After listening to the audiobook, I think everyone is overreacting. I understand that Disney has shoved their left-wing agenda into their cartoons and films, but a teenage Obi-Wan mentioning his brief attraction to another male doesn't suggest he's bisexual or gay. Nowhere in this story does it say Obi-Wan engaged in a sexual relationship. Does Obi-Wan's sexuality need to be questioned in a young-adult novel? No, it doesn't. Does Obi-Wan's sexuality affect the story's narrative at all? Nope.

The story itself is entertaining but overly long for a young-adult novel. The audiobook is over 7 hours, and the hardcover is over 400 pages. The beginning focuses too much on Obi-Wan questioning Qui-Gon's training style. The narrative picks up after Obi-Wan lands on a mysterious planet and meets its inhabitants. I lost complete interest in the story near the ending, where it's obvious the author ran out of ideas and rushed to the finish line.

Overall, Star Wars: Padawan is better than what the naysayers have made it out to be, but unfortunately, the story runs out of hypermatter and crashes and burns near the end.