https://whatsnewonjakku.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/star-wars-the-clone-wars-stories-of-light-and-dark-review/

Stories of Light and Dark is a gorgeous book full of retellings of some of the stories we know and love from the TV series The Clone Wars. Sadly, it did not include some fan favorites like the “Siege of Mandalore,” but it did include some other really great stories. “The Lost Nightsister” and “Almost a Jedi” are two of my favorites. The book added little details like some of the characters thoughts we would not have previously known, but other than that it did not differ much from the show.

Aesthetically, this is one of the prettiest books I have ever laid eyes on. The color scheme, formatting, and art work combined really sell it. It is easy on the eyes and smooth to touch. I felt like I was receiving a Christmas gift when I first opened it up. It fits the overall visual theme of The Clone Wars well.

If you are a casual fan of Star Wars or haven’t seen The Clone Wars, this book probably isn’t your thing. However, if you are a “prequel stan” and obsessed with The Clone Wars, Ahsoka, and that era of Star Wars, you will love this book. It is an anthology, so you can totally crack open any chapter and read it to yourself or your kids before bed. I grew up watching The Clone Wars and am elated to see some of the older arcs still being shown some love. I quite enjoyed this book and I hope you do too!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Stories of Light and Dark is a fun take on some of our favorite stories from the beloved television series The Clone Wars. As a die-hard fan, I was itching to spend more time with characters like Captain Rex, Ahsoka, Padme, Maul, and Hondo Ohnaka, and I was not disappointed. Even if I am not in the target audience, I had a wholly enjoyable time and immediately queued up my rewatch on Disney+.

This book will undoubtedly draw comparisons to the Star Wars: From A Certain Point of View anthology book. While, yes, they are both anthologies, Stories of Light and Dark is written with a younger reader in mind. FACPOV sets out to give us fresh-takes on classic scenes from background or minor characters and is catered to a general audience. Stories of Light and Dark is written to service the younglings who are coming of age and ready to experience the series for the first time or with fresh eyes.

While the advanced copy did not come with the eleventh story included, I enjoyed different aspects of the ten I had the privilege of reading. "Hostage Crisis" by Preeti Chhibber, "The Lost Nightsister" by Zoraida Cordova, "Dark Vengeance" by Rebecca Roanhorse, and "Almost a Jedi" by Sarah Beth Durst are among my favorites. The best novelizations allow you to live inside the mind of the characters in a way that enhances what you see on screen. This collection of stories does just that. Readers will get to experience a new sense of the depth of emotions our characters feel, and they'll stick with you long after you've finished reading.

As I mentioned above, I am not this book's target audience. Having grown up on The Clone Wars, I found myself wanting to return to the series over reading particular sections of the book. While some may view this as a negative, I think it is a testament to the authors and stories selected that I wanted to relive the arcs in their original form. Easily accessible and wholly entertaining, this is a perfect bridge between the padawan and the Master readers out there. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

The stories surrounding Star Wars: The Clone Wars have quickly become a staple in the Star Wars franchise. Earlier this year, season seven of the animated series delivered a well-received end cap that gave fans another round of adventures with our favorite characters. If you are still looking to have that Clone Wars itch scratched, look no further than Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark. Published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark features stories directly from episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars focusing on the perspective of one character. The eleven stories come from eleven different authors: Lou Anders, Tom Angleberger, Preeti Chhibber, Zoraida Córdova, Jason Fry, Rebecca Roanhorse, Anne Ursu, Sarah Beth Durst, Yoon Ha Lee, Greg van Eekhout, and E. Anne Convery. This powerhouse team of authors is joined by Ksenia Zelentsova who provides both the cover art and the illustrations throughout the anthology.

Despite being stories from the animated series, the focused perspective on the main character gives a fresh take on stories that fans have come to love. Readers can expect to see Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, Darth Maul, Count Dooku, Cad Bane, Padmé Amidala, Asajj Ventress, and Katooni in ways that fans may have not quite experienced back in the early 2000s. There is no question that this vast range of characters are on different sides of the Clone Wars conflict. However, by retelling these episodes and arcs from their perspective, the field evens out as we see each character’s motivations without the influence of a structured animated episode.

As a canon anthology, readers won’t glean any new or groundbreaking information outside a different point of view from the events of the animated series. This certainly does not take away from the amazing voice that each author is able to inject into their stories with their unique writing styles. While the majority of the stories are retelling, readers can expect a nice treat at the end of theStar Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark with “Bug” from writer Convery. The story is an all-new story in the Star Wars canon that features a story focused on a Nightsister after the assault on Dathormir at the hands of General Grevious.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark is largely aimed at a younger audience. Coming in at over 300 pages with eleven different stories, this anthology feels largely like the young adult version of Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View. The text takes center stage on each page and is presented in a way that is easy to read. Scattered throughout is art from artist Zelentsova of the character-focused on in each story which provides an easy reminder of what the characters look like. This could easily serve as a nightly bedtime story for children just learning to read or an introduction in the vast world of the Star Wars expanded universe for slightly older children.

Despite its clear intended audience, the new story at the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark may be enough for lore diehards to pick up the anthology. However, if you are fine with a TL;DR of that story and do not care much for reading stories you have already heard, then this may not be the book for you. That said, I found myself going back to watch the corresponding episodes to compare and contrast. This really showed how well this team of authors was able to bring all of the stories together in a cohesive book. From that perspective, it is hard to find much fault with Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark outside of not getting more original stories.

I hope that Disney–Lucasfilm Press adapts stories from the other animated shows like Rebels and Resistance, especially since as those shows have characters that we really don’t know as much about compared with The Clone Wars. Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark shows that telling these stories we have already seen from a first-person perspective can be done and shows that other animated series could also benefit from this treatment while even giving new stories as well.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark is available now wherever books are sold.

Reading The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark had me feeling so nostalgic, and I loved re-living the Clone Wars episodes that were featured! It was interesting experiencing the same episodes from another character’s point of view: Hostage Crisis told from Anakin’s perspective rather than Padmé’s for example. My only criticism of the book is it’s missing a story from Ahsoka’s perspective - that’s also coming from a huge Ahsoka fan. The Ahsoka illustration before “Almost A Jedi” led me to believe it would be from Ahsoka’s perspective; however, seeing ‘The Younglings’ arc from Katooni’s POV wasn’t all bad and turned out to be one of my favorite stories in the book. Furthermore, the art of each title character by Ksenia Zelentsova before every story was beautiful and such a nice touch to the book - not to mention the cover art is absolutely gorgeous as well! If you’re a Clone Wars fan, this book is a must just to have part of your collection, and the stories are the perfect length for a bedtime story for younglings - a good way to introduce them to the franchise.

"Stories of Light & Dark" strikes the perfect balance between satisfying longtime fans of The Clone Wars and introducing newer fans in an accessible way. This book is not just a repeat of what's come before but greatly expounds upon what we see on-screen by inviting us into the minds of our heroes and villains. Through their inner dialogue, as well as a few added scenes, we get a newfound perspective on the familiar events they face, some of which transform the characters mightily.

The ones that stood out to me most are "Pursuit of Peace" and "Kenobi's Shadow." The former gives us a glimpse into the mind of Padmé as she struggles to embrace her own confidence on the Senate floor, and she shows vulnerability in a way that we're not always used to seeing. She finds strength through the belief in herself, dropping the mask she so often puts on for her colleagues to be someone she's not, and the belief that democracy will work. Ironically, she spends much of the chapter criticizing the political machinations that corrupt our own world today, and it almost feels like this story is re-told through the context of a post-2016 world. Kenobi's tale, meanwhile, shows his internal battle with the dark side as a festering anger nearly manifests into eventual suffering. However, it's through the strength of Duchess Satine that he finds peace and balance, and it gives us a better understanding of the emotional weight Kenobi carries up through the events of "Revenge of the Sith." Both stories are so beautifully told and they alone make this collection worth the price.

As a fan of the "From A Certain Point of View" installments, this immediately appealed to me as a television equivalent. I think there's a lot of opportunity for other Star Wars stories, such as the Mandalorian or Rebels, to follow. I'm hoping to pick up the audiobook as well, since it is narrated by the cast.

Full review to follow on the Friends of the Force podcast (attached link).

Novelizations of visual stories can be as difficult as translating print media to the screen, and not all succeed in capturing the emotions that a viewer translates for themselves. Some pitfalls that plague novelizations are evident in Stories of Light and Dark, but each story manages to highlight something new about each Clone Wars episode or arc. Furthermore, there are some true gems that expertly thread themes or unique storytelling devices through the tales.

Tom Angleberger, Sarah Beth Durst, and especially Rebecca Roanhorse capture the voices of their chosen narrators perfectly. Roahhorse's title alone - the full title - matches the character's self-important swagger. Zorialda Córdova, Anne Ursu, and Greg van Eekhout are the masters at weaving themes into how they told their adaptations, thus providing us a deeper look at the central characters.

This anthology also works as a whole and not just because they are adaptations of the same televisions show. Whether by design or by coincidence, concepts or themes introduced (i.e. not explicit in the original episodes) by one author are followed-up by other stories along the way. There are some stories that are excellent on their own merit, but all of them are uplifted by being bound within the same book.

Full review at link: http://eleven-thirtyeight.com/2020/08/stories-of-light-and-dark-is-there-merit-in-a-clone-wars-adaptation/

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an e-Arc of Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark

In our household, Star Wars is a way of life, so words could not express my excitement when I was approved for this arc.

My middle son is obsessed with The Clone Wars making this latest Anthology installment a must-read. Familiar faces lead you on adventures shedding new light and perspective on the stories you know and love, which I attribute to the uniqueness of each Author that has contributed to this book.

Between the creative story and impressive art work, I recommend this book to all ages and fans of Star Wars!

Admittedly when I first started reading this book, I thought I was going to get new stories from one of my favorite tv series. As I was reading I kept thinking "this is an episode I watched." Then the next one, the same thing happened. I looked it up and sure enough these are retellings of some of the more loved episodes or story arcs from the show.

That didn't stop me from enjoying this new take. The additional details, especially for inner monologues were a fresh perspective. All the authors did a wonderful job at bringing the characters to life in print form as well. Fans of Star Wars and the Clone Wars should definitely give it a read, just know beforehand that there aren't any new stories being told.

“Rush not into fights. Long is the war. Only by surviving it will you prevail.”

– Yoda

Back in 2008, the idea of a Star Wars weekly cartoon was fresh and new in our heads. I would gather the kids (who were very small in those days) and we would have an adventure each week. The Clone Wars series grew and so did our kids. We followed all the way through, from the Battle of Christophsis to the Siege of Mandalore…

We return to the Clone War in this middle-grade anthology that is perfect for introducing younger readers to the world of The Clone Wars! I enjoy seeing a fresh perspective on something familiar and stories written to introduce new fans to the wonderful world of Star Wars!

The Clone Wars is such a vast and beautiful tapestry that the stories range far and wide. This anthology is no different. Each story and author brings a unique perspective to their telling and the voices each ring with their own unique tone.

In addition to the stunning cover of the book, each story has an illustration by Lorna-ka. I’ve been following her art since I started seeing her pieces of Star Wars Rebels and her style is nothing short of breathtaking. Her art is always so inspired and what she has done for this book is no different. It’s wonderful to see her art on a project like this and I’m super happy that she was able to lend her talents here and I hope to see her art on many more things in the future!

The clones.

At the crux of this war are the clones themselves. Bred only for war and called to action there are a lot of moral questions and ambiguity in their story. We see stories here not only through their eyes, but also the Jedi who fight with them, and even the separatists who fight against them. Yoda, who looks past their identical faces to see each individual for who they are. Rex, who fights and sacrifices so much alongside so many of his brothers. General Krell who sees them only as strategic pieces to be used and expended. The clones’ stories are such a tragic unique outlook on what these beings are.

Warriors? Brothers? Pawns? Friends? Leaders? Allies? Property?

It all comes down to who you ask. And what you see.

The stories range from heroes to Sith, senator to soldier, and Jedi to Nightsister. One thing these stories gives us that their The Clone Wars episodes doesn’t is telling us a story in their words, through their thoughts. Cad Bane recounts his adventures to his prison buddies. Dooku writes in his journal about his misadventures on Florrum. Maul speaks of his true legend. A youngling finds she has the bravery to become a Jedi. The first person stories offer such a unique insight from their storytellers that simply couldn’t be done in any other way.

I mean, c’mon… you KNOW you want to read Dooku’s diary…

While most of the stories are familiar to those who have watched The Clone Wars, there are still so many fresh insights and new details to be gleaned. There is one original story by one of my favorite people E. Anne Convery full of some Nightsister sorcery and storytelling and it is definitely my favorite thing. I love the mystery and wonder that a story can hold even in a galaxy full of spaceships and laser guns.

While the book is a middle-grade book and definitely geared towards that age group, Star Wars has that quality that transcends those limits.

Besides, only a Sith deals in absolutes anyway…

For those wanting to introduce younger readers to the Siege of Mandalore, or the Ohnaka Gang, or Padme’s pursuit of peace this book would probably be perfect! I love anthologies and I think this one has something for everyone!

– Sal P.

“I remember when you could trust a Jedi to at least give you a fair fight.

Well, times change.”

– Cad Bane

Personally, one of my very favorite characters in the franchise is Padmé, and I jump at almost any chance to read more about her. As such, reading Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark has been so fun! Not only does the anthology include one-shots throughout the TV show’s timespan, featuring characters like Padmé, Ventress, Bane, & Darth Maul, but it also includes some fantastic authors, such as Zoraida Córdova, Jason Fry, and Rebecca Roanhorse. I have loved reading it, and almost feel like I’m back watching extra episodes of the TV show when I read it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to revisit one of my favorite shows (as well as giving me a glimpse into one of my favorite Mandalorian Duchesses 😉)! So excited for its Pub Day tomorrow, 8/25!

A decent collection of stories showing different perspectives of key events from the excellent tv series, The Clone Wars. Not my favourite Star Wars collection since I found some of the stories to be a bit to much of a rehash of an episode but still an entertaining read by a number of great authors.

If you’re a fan of the Star Wars: The Cline Wars series, the stories in this book will feel familiar. That’s both good and bad. Some of the stories come off like a novelization of existing Clone Wars episodes without adding anything to the experience. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy reading it. But I already get enough of someone commentating. exactly what is going on in real time while we’re watching from my 6 year old son.

If you’re trying to decide between this book and another book, maybe skip this one. If you really want to relive Clone Wars episodes in print form, this will be your jam.

The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark is a short story collection of Clone Wars episodes. This collection retells episodes from new perspectives and has one brand new story to tell as well.

I have to be honest, I did not expect much going in to this novel. I am baffled why this impressive list of authors were asked to retell stories, when they could have created new ones for us to enjoy. My assumptions were correct. This book does not bring much to the table, and did not even use what I would consider to be the best episodes of the Clone Wars.

All is not lost though, I did enjoy getting in to Kenobi’s head during Kenobi’s Shadow and Maul’s retelling of his encounter with Obi-Wan in Dark Vengeance. Stories like the two previously mentioned are written well, I’m just not sure what purpose they serve.

I will mention that the brand new story “Bug” was not included in my review copy, I am unsure why that is, but I will be eagerly awaiting the release so that I can check it out.

Overall, I believe this is a missed opportunity. I understand that it is a middle grade novel, but I think a whole collection of new stories would have been great for fans young and old. I recommend this to a younger audience who has yet to see The Clone Wars series, but I can not recommend to anyone else. I give it a 2 out of 5 stars.

*Thank you to Disney Publishing for an early review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc to review.

First things first, please be aware that this is a collection of short stories based on actual episodes of the Clone Wars show. I was initially disappointed because I was inunder the mistaken impression that these were all new stories set in-universe. So imagine my dismay when upon starting the first story in the book, about Yoda and 3 clone troopers I immediately recognized the story as being an actual episode of the Clone Wars.

After that initial disappointment subsided I proceeded to thoroughly enjoy the book. As with all collections some stories are stronger than others, but all in all, if you are a fan of the series and would like to revisit some of the stories from an alternate viewpoint than the actual episode this is your book.

I especially enjoyed Captain Rex's story and also Asajj Ventress's.

If you liked From a Certain Point of View, you’ll love Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Stories of Light and Dark, which is in the same vane as the former. This book has a great variety of stories from The Clone Wars, told from the perspective of many fan-favorite characters. Every story starts with a beautiful illustration of the character that the story focuses on, which is a great way to signal the reader as to the topic before reading a single word. Even though these stories were retellings of episodes of The Clone Wars, they didn’t feel redundant in any way. I enjoyed all of the stories, but my favorite in particular was “The Shadow of Umbara” by Yoon Ha Lee. That arc was one of my favorites of the entire show, and to get a retelling of it entirely from Captain Rex’s perspective was enjoyable for me. Overall, this book is a terrific read for any fan of The Clone Wars.

This book is a straightforward, faithful adaptation of The Clone Wars episodes with not much content outside their animated counterparts. At its best, the stories add some depth through their main characters' inner thoughts and perspectives. The "Pursuit of Peace" and "The Lost Nightsister" are the standouts in this respect. The NetGalley copy did not include "Bug," which is the the original story in the book.

If you're a fan of The Clone Wars and want to relive your favorite episodes in short story form, this book is for you.

In “Star Wars: The Clone Wars¬¬—Stories of Light and Dark,” eleven talented authors combine to deliver a fitting tribute to a much beloved (and much binged) element of the Star Wars franchise. While there are no new stories here—each chapter closely follows an episode or an arc from the television series—the authors take advantage of the short-story anthology format to present new and interesting perspectives on what we’ve already seen. While I wouldn't have minded some new adventures sprinkled in (like we got from the first "From a Certain Point of View"), what we do get is a fresh look inside the heads of some of the series’ most beloved characters, highlighting their motivations, their fears, and personalities in a way that’s both suitable for younger readers and rewarding for older fans. A must read for fans of the show.

If you love Star Wars, and especially the television show The Clone Wars, then you will absolutely love this little anthology.

This series of stories is set in The Clone Wars timeline, and man is it good. We visit many familiar faces and continue learning more about their stories. Yoda, Padme, Ahsoka, so many good characters are revisited! It's a great way for nostalgic feeling for old fans and a great way to make new ones. It is also an amazing way to dive into some old stories in a new light. Especially with a variety of new authors to check out since they each bring their own spunk to this marvellous universe.

I highly recommend picking this book up if you love Star Wars! I loved sneaking back into the magical world I grew up with.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, recounts important events from the eyes of favorite characters. Basically, you get a bit more insight into some of the big episodes from The Clone Wars series.

I have not finished the series yet (I know... but I’m almost done👍🏼) so I’m assuming the later stories are also like the beginning ones and part of the show, but can’t confirm. Regardless, I liked reading them.

This is a middle grade book, so for me, the stories were easy to get through and it was a fast read. As they were short stories, there wasn’t a lot to them, but again, I thought they were well written and I loved jumping back into the universe.

I do think you should read this with the show. The show is amazing, and dare I say, better than the movies. To get the full experience of the short stories, it is nice to have the full timeline and set of events.

This will be available on 25AUG2020

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark is a fresh take on the animated series that has become a often-binged staple of Star Wars fans young and old. A talented stable of authors has adapted iconic episodes and story-arcs for inclusion in this anthology. Some are from a different character’s perspective from what we see in the tv show: the Senate hostage crisis is told from Anakin’s point of view rather than Padmé’s, for example. Other stories are told in a first-person-POV so as to lend a heavily-stylized slant to the familiar story. This is at the same time interesting, entertaining, and surprising—especially when we get inside the mind of a character such as Count Dooku!

As is to be expected with a collection of short stories, some stories work better than others. In this case, Rebecca Roanhorse’s Darth Maul story especially a standout for its deliciously dark grasp of the character and its gravitas.

The story isn’t all adaptations, though. One original Clone Wars story was written specifically for this book. While more original stories as opposed to adaptations would have been welcome, all in all this is a very entertaining and delightful Star Wars book, giving insight into the minds of several characters who are underserved in Star Wars storytelling, such as Yoda, Asajj Ventress, and Count Dooku.

I would recommend this book to younger readers looking for something quick, fun, and digestible; for fans of the Clone Wars; as well as for long-time fans as an example of a fresh perspective in Star Wars storytelling.

Thank you to Disney/Lucasfilm Press and Netgalley for the early review edition.