Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray is one of the first chronological books in the Star Wars canon universe within the prequel era. I saw that many reviewers have praised the author for being one of the best out there when it came to writing Star Wars novels. If all of the other novels to come were as awesome as Master & Apprentice, I would be extremely happy. I remembered after having watched The Phantom Menace in theaters many years ago that I left afterwards wanting to learn a lot more regarding Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn’s relationship. Obi-Wan obviously felt like a household name even to non Star Wars fans but I had no clue as to who Qui-Gon was. With Master & Apprentice, that gap has been filled.

“People are more than their worst act.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi

It was surprisingly to learn that both master and padawan had such difficulties being in synch with each other and that their relationship had so many troubles in the beginning. Obi-Wan clearly has respect for his master but Qui-Gon’s thinking and methods for solving problems is too unorthodox for his liking. Whereas Obi-Wan treats every word and teaching from the Jedi Council as absolute, Qui-Gon can be viewed as the rebellion for thinking outside of the box. It was great early on in the story to be able to read the thoughts of both characters to witness how they actually view one another. Other characters presented in the book were also a pleasant read. I did wish she made Pax a bit funnier due to his circumstances. It was also particularly interesting to read both Qui-Gon’s and Dooku’s past regarding prophecies and future visions. This tidbit lead to Qui-Gon believing to have found Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, in The Phantom Menace. This book serves as an excellent prequel to the events of The Phantom Menace! It is also refreshing to learn of how Obi-Wan’s dedication to his master here would affect future events to come.

“When the righteous lose the light, evil once dead shall return.”

The Prophecy

As for the story itself in Master & Apprentice, it feels like a rehash of something I’ve read before. Not very original but engaging nevertheless only because of the characters. I do feel like this will be the case for many other Star Wars novel. What I loved though is having other elements mixed into the story. We have the obvious action sequences with lightsabers and blaster guns but there’s also a good deal of political intrigue thrown in as well. This shouldn’t be too surprising I guess with the large Stars Wars universe and so it’s definitely something I look forward to with each and every novel going forward. It’s also great to see that although the Jedi’s are powerful, they are still mortal like everyone else and the author did a good job of putting them in various dire situations. It’s fun to discover how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan will get out of each situation. Being a political junky myself, I usually get more excited whenever diplomacy is used to resolve a sticky situation rather than with a lightsaber.

Master & Apprentice is a great start to the canon universe of Star Wars novels. Even if you are not a Star Wars fan, I feel like this novel has enough appeal to be read by anyone and still be enjoyable on its own.