Review: The Jedi Path – A Manual For Students of the Force / Author: Daniel Wallace / Publisher: Titan Books / Release Date: Out Now
OK, hands up those of you that wanted to be a Jedi when you were younger? Go on, you can own up to it. Chances are that there are quite a few people reading this review that have, at some point, tried the Jedi Mind Trick on the cat or run around the back garden with plastic lightsabers making the noises (if, like me, you were born before those posh lightsabers that made the sounds for you.)
Hmm. Not sure I believe those of you that are shaking your heads and looking at the floor, but I won’t press the point.
The Jedi Path is a textbook. Specifically, it’s a textbook about how to become a Jedi, passed down over the years from Master to Padawan. This particular one belonged to Yoda, and was handed down to Thane Cerulian, Count Dooku, Qui-Gon Jin, Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano and eventually ended up in the hands of Luke Skywalker. Even Darth Sidious has had it in his possession for a time. Each owner has made their own notes in the margins, highlighting areas of the text with insightful and occasionally amusing comments that tie into each characters continuity throughout the films, cartoon series and novels.
The information held within the book is going to be of interest to all but the most casual Star Wars fan. The Jedi Path is split into three sections, covering the curriculum for Jedi Initiates, Padawan’s and Jedi Knights. These sections deal with everything from the history of the Jedi and Sith, through to the core Jedi Code, different lightsaber techniques, force powers and details of various creatures, alien races and political factions found throughout the Star Wars Universe.
The book itself is a joy to hold. The hard back cover is embossed with the Jedi logo and the pages are slightly rough on the edges and made of a heavy, high quality paper. Each section contains plenty of drawings, schematics and beautifully detailed artwork.
It’s difficult to draw a comparison to anything else available on the market. It’s written as a fictional text so is much easier to read than one of the encyclopaedias. The notes that I mentioned earlier are one of the highlights, as each one allows the personality of the character to shine through. There are a few places where the notes are almost in the form of arguments, running over several centuries as different characters disagree with things their predecessors have written.
If you have a passing interest in the Star Wars universe, then the chances are that you will love this book. Everything about it oozes quality, and the information held within is concise and yet fascinating. It’s prompted me to go and read some of the New Republic novels so that I can find out more about some of the things it referenced.
Just don’t expect to be able to use the Jedi Mind Trick on the cat after reading it. I can tell you from bitter, painful experience, that it still doesn’t work. Damn things must be one of those “Force Resistant” creatures that the book talks about.
