Review: Dark Disciple | The Jedi Council's Corruption

Dark Disciple by Christie Golden
Narrated by Marc Thompson
Published by Random House Audio
Format Reviewed: Audiobook 
Publication Date: July 7th, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction
Time: 11 hrs, 11 min
Reviewed by: Stephanie
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Based on unproduced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this new novel features Asajj Ventress, former Sith apprentice turned bounty hunter and one of the great antiheroines in Star Wars history.

The only way to bring down the Sith’s most dangerous warrior may be to join forces with the dark side.

In the war for control of the galaxy between the armies of the dark side and the Republic, former Jedi Master turned ruthless Sith Lord Count Dooku has grown ever more brutal in his tactics. Despite the powers of the Jedi and the military prowess of their clone army, the sheer number of fatalities is taking a terrible toll. And when Dooku orders the massacre of a flotilla of helpless refugees, the Jedi Council feels it has no choice but to take drastic action: targeting the man responsible for so many war atrocities, Count Dooku himself.

But the ever-elusive Dooku is dangerous prey for even the most skilled hunter. So the Council makes the bold decision to bring both sides of the Force’s power to bear—pairing brash Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with infamous one-time Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress. Though Jedi distrust for the cunning killer who once served at Dooku’s side still runs deep, Ventress’s hatred for her former master runs deeper. She’s more than willing to lend her copious talents as a bounty hunter—and assassin—to Vos’s quest.

Together, Ventress and Vos are the best hope for eliminating Dooku—as long as the emerging feelings between them don’t compromise their mission. But Ventress is determined to have her retribution and at last let go of her dark Sith past. Balancing the complicated emotions she feels for Vos with the fury of her warrior’s spirit, she resolves to claim victory on all fronts—a vow that will be mercilessly tested by her deadly enemy . . . and her own doubt.

Up until Dark Disciple, every Star Wars novel I'd read this year hadn't met certain story line expectations. With every other novel, I've been more invested in the Star Wars lore than I was the story lines. While I appreciated the need for such devices, they were never anything to get excited over. Dark Disciple changed this for me. While it's reach in Star Wars lore is somewhat more limited, Golden's novel successfully enriches the Star Wars universe and delivers an all-enveloping plot line - something I was beginning to doubt I'd see in a Star Wars novel.

Ventress & Vos

I haven't watched all of the Clone Wars cartoons, so this may have limited (or perhaps increased) my enjoyment; however, I felt that the portrayal of each character I already knew was spot on. Of course, Marc Thompson's narration only increased Golden's engulfing powers throughout the novel. I have always enjoyed Ventress, feeling that she had an edge of Sith-type ruthlessness that Count Dooku lacked. Golden did an excellent job capturing Ventress and realistically depicting her personal journey.

Vos was a completely new character for me but I couldn't help but instantly like him. The Jedi Council already knows that Vos tows a dangerous line along the Jedi path (whether they admit this or not), and foolishly takes advantage of his willingness to continue doing so. All of the warning signs are present from the beginning of the novel. They want Vos to team up with Ventress in order to assassinate Dooku. At first, it seems like Vos is just the man for the job.

The Path to the Darkside

I have always enjoyed Sith from the Old Republic era for one very specific reason: the Sith are far more powerful. While characters like Darth Vader and the Emperor can never be replaced, no one can truly say that they're power and aura are anywhere near the likes of Sith Lords such as Revan. Without spoiling anything, I'm going to go ahead and say that a particular character had a surprising charisma about them as they journeyed down their dark path. I didn't quite expect this from them, but I loved the turn of events. This character's attitude and behavior reminded me of Sith Lords from the Old Republic era. While this character isn't near as powerful, they had that aura even after everything was said and done. You get the sense, that this character has the possibility of obtaining a lot more skill and power than they already possess. This by far, was my favorite aspect from Golden's novel. To clarify, I wasn't surprised by the path they took; I was surprised by the vibe they possessed.

Unknown Paths

Probably about 60% into the novel, I had reached a point where I was wondering what in the world Golden was going to do. At this point, it became clear to me that Vos and Ventress either had to leave the Council behind completely and disappear into space for the Golden's plot to keep unfolding on it's current course, or they had to part ways.

Ventress and Vos are an interesting pair. Together, the master becomes the student and the student becomes the master. While this brought the story down a fascinating path, it did bother me a bit. Vos is a Jedi master, yet at times it seemed like his own Jedi training in weapons and the force was mediocre at best. I've come across this attitude quite a bit this year in Star Wars novels (with the exception of Red Harvest). The Jedi are almost always portrayed as weaker than the Sith in every way. You could use the argument that perhaps Jedi abilities have atrophied over the years due to complacency, but this seems a gross disservice.

The Jedi Council

More likely, I feel like Vos's personal journey is more of a reflection on the imperfections of the Jedi Council itself. Their teachings aren't necessarily to blame; it's their attitude, which is mostly reflected by Mace Windu. In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin calls the Jedi Council arrogant and points out their flaws. Dark Disciple reveals just how flawed and arrogant the Council had become. With the exception of Yoda and Obi-Wan, the Council (especially Windu) is reluctant to make any sort of compromise on many issues. They are arrogant enough to believe that if you send a Jedi already walking on the edge of the Jedi code to team up with a former Sith-acolyte in order to assassinate another person, that said Jedi won't experience ill-effects. Even Yoda doesn't seem to even blink at Obi-Wan's expressed concerns over this decision. The Council didn't even stop to consider what effect this may have on Vos.

What's even more sickening about the Council is that they made a huge exception for Vos at probably the 75% mark as well as at the very end, that they never would have made for Anakin (and I'm talking before Anakin sided with Sidious). I was satisfied with their decision, since it was sort of like them indirectly taking responsibility for their error; but the Council did so reluctantly (at great prodding from Obi-Wan), making them look extremely hypocritical and idiotic with how they treated Anakin. This is probably exactly what Golden was going for since this only feeds into the downfall of the Jedi.

I Loved It

Dark Disciple absolutely blew me away. It gave insight into Vos and Ventress's characters as well as the Jedi Council itself. Marc Thompson's narration had me hooked from the very beginning and served the novel extremely well. Golden could not have asked for a better narrator.

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