You know what, the old EU was great (for the most part), but every book I have read in the new Star Wars canon has been great as well. And Ahsoka was no exception. If you haven’t watched the Clone Wars cartoon, you really should. That show, for me, redeemed the younger versions of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and it’s deeper examination of the Clone Wars was fascinating. It also introduced a handful of new characters to the Star Wars universe, including baddy Asajj Ventress and Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan. Over the course of the series, she grew up from an inexperienced teenager, to a confident, badass young Jedi. The show left her at a crossroads, and I’ve always wondered what happened to her after Order 66 was executed. How did she survive after (nearly) all of her fellow Jedi were killed? How did she become (spoilers for Rebels, the sequel series to Clone Wars) Fulcrum?
I was so excited to see this was being written by E.K. Johnston. Exit, Pursued by a Bear was a wonderful book that dealt with a tough subject. I just knew she would bring that same emotional nuance to Ahsoka, that there would be depth to this story, not just wham, bam, blow things up empty plot.
It’s been exactly a year since Palpatine ordered all of the clones, Ahsoka’s former friends and colleagues, to kill all of her other former friends and colleagues, the Jedi. She’s been drifting from place to place, hiding from everyone, and running when the Empire gets too close. They’ve spread swiftly across the galaxy, and almost no place is free from their influence. Any hint of resistance is in its infancy. And Ahsoka has to navigate this new world at the same time as she’s trying to heal herself from the many betrayals that have shattered her life.
In some ways, it’s a tiny, swift little story, but very satisfying all the same. It doesn’t need to be any longer. Although, I wouldn’t say no to more Ahsoka books in the future. There’s a lot of time left to fill between the end of this book and Rebels, not to mention A New Hope.
