Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark is the latest anthology to be published in that fandom. There’s a long tradition of books reliving classic scenes from the films but seeing them from a different point of view; maybe even a minor character. In July 1995, what’s now known as the Legends canon released Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina with assorted stories. Twenty-five years later, Stories of Light and Dark has the distinction of being the first anthology based off a television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Each story comes from a different episode. It’s also aimed towards younger readers, aged 8-12 years old unlike the other adult compilations.

In a proper ice cream store can be an endless number of choices. Sometimes, they might even give away a sample in small spoons. Some ice cream is scrumptious. It must be had in a proper size. Some ice cream isn’t an individual’s personal taste. It’s too sweet, too bitter, too much bits or too little. Stories of Light and Dark feels like those sample servings. The stories are about thirty pages long. Almost half the authors have their own Star Wars book, and all have other works. The short stories are like a sampler for finding which style a reader likes better and who a reader should look for at their bookstore or library.

On one hand, having an anthology with very different authors and styles means a little something for everyone. If one story isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps the next one will be. On the other hand, it can be annoying or jarring to go from a story with depth of character and vivid descriptions to one where the author focused on dialogue and pacing. It can also be a bit hard going from an omniscient narrator to first person. However, this could make the book work well as a book just before night-time, with just one story a night instead of binging it in one go.

One of the stories that stands out the most is “Dark Vengeance” by Rebecca Roanhorse. It’s a tale told by Darth Maul himself. At times, it feels like a ghost story told around a campfire while gorging on s’mores. Creepy word usage, life beyond death, ruined bodies, revenge and “witches” makes for a traditional gothic horror story within its Star Wars confines. It’s a treat to behold. Maybe one day there could be a gothic romance?
Another favorite was “The Lost Nightsister” by Zoraida Córdova. Of course, Córdova has a definite advantage in writing about the Witches of Dathomir and one that’s found herself far from home. Still, the images painted by her words and the emotions captured feel like it’s part of a much larger book than just a short story. Not all the authors treated their contributions the same way.

“Kenobi’s Shadow” by Greg van Eekhout must also be mentioned. Kenobi is forced to question his beliefs and morals in a way he never had before. He feels the pull of the Dark Side. It’s a wonderful character study. Other favorites will have to wait for the spoiler ban to be lifted.

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark contains just about everyone’s favorite character from Anakin to Hondo to Huyang, the droid voiced by David Tennant. For those less familiar with the series, it could cause renewed interest. For others, a re-watch will be needed to see what they missed that the stories have pointed out. It’s a beautiful marriage that’s sure to be followed by the other series, like Star Wars: Rebels. Be sure to pre-order Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark at your favorite book seller before August 25th!

Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark was marketed as an anthology of adaptations of classic Clone Wars episodes written by an array of authors and told from the point of view of key characters. As a massive Clone Wars fan (it was my first ever Star Wars!), I was excited to dive in. There were certainly stand-out stories and moments, but overall I ended up not connecting with much of what we were given.

It seems a lot of these authors had grand plans in mind when starting their adaptations—excited to flesh out the mindset of the characters they were tasked to portray. But with the limited amount of space for each story, they all essentially became retellings of the tales we already know with some bits of insight into the characters’ minds—but not nearly enough.

The best stories were the ones that only focused on one episode, which gave those authors more time to go in-depth into the characters’ thoughts and feelings. If it wasn’t for the one new original story ‘Bug’ by Anne Convery that was not included in my review copy, I likely wouldn’t have spent money on this rather lack-luster anthology. I love world-building and getting deep into the mind of characters new and old. There wasn’t much of that, but where there was, it was certainly those moments I enjoyed the most.

The art of each title character by Ksenia Zelentsova before every story was beautiful. But as a fan of her work for a while now, that came as no surprise to me.

If you want to read my spoiler reviews of each individual story in the anthology, check out my blog post on liamtalksstarwars.wordpress.com

enough they would be bored with the easy readers

This book is for all ages, parents kids, movie and TV series loves of Star Wards this is the perfect read.

Each authors voice, heart and soul in written in the words of this anthology that will bring young to Star Wars fans and future fans.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher and netgalley.

I absolutely loved this book and how can you not ! It all about different episodes from the Clone Wars TV show which is my personal favourite! The characters that got the short stories about them had to be some of my favourites as well, which made the stories much more enjoyable!!! I will never complain about more Star Wars stories, especially if they are from the Clones Wars !!!!!!!

Really good adaptation of some of the best stories from the Disney Star Wars The Clone Wars show. Really well put together, and a must read for fans of Star Wars, and fans of the show!

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Lucasfilm Press for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Star Wars The Clone Wars : Stories of Light and Dark is an anthology similar to Star Wars : From a Certain Point of View gathering stories from The Clones Wars era, between Episode II and Episode III.

I picked this up because my knowledge of The Clone Wars is severely lacking and there is so much content that came from that period in the Skywalker canon that I wanted to add more to it. I really enjoyed the collection, it was a nice balance and as I have seen from other reviews here some of the stories were just novelizations of the TV show? Seeing how I've only watched a couple episodes here and there, due to the crazy watch order that people are pushing, some of the stories were new to me.

Okay, so I do know some spoilers and have the basic understanding of the storyline, but this did help fill in some of the blanks for me and I really appreciated it. If you're looking for new content, be aware of what I mentioned above, these might just be novelizations of Clone Wars episodes, but if you're coming into it without any knowledge of the era, you'll learn something new.

This is a must read for all Clone Wars fans! It is a retelling of various Clone Wars episodes but there is still so much to absorb from these written retellings. The best part of this anthology is the variation. All fans are bound to find a story they love.

The anthology showcased stories from Yoda, Dooku, Anakin, Padme, Rex, Cad Bane, Ventress, Maul, Ahsoka and Kenobi. Some of these are perfect pairings with novels (especially Padme and Ventress’ stories). My favourite stories were Anakin, Padme, Ventress and Kenobi. These stories did a fantastic job at adding character motivation and emotion that is impossible to get from the animated medium. Each author did a really good job with characterization. My only criticism of the book is it’s missing a true Ahsoka story. Ahsoka’s story wasn’t my least favourite but it had me scratching my head to why it was in Katooni’s point of view. The lovely Ahsoka illustration mislead me to think it would be an Ahsoka story.

Overall, this is a must read for Clone Wars fans. The illustrations are lovely and each author brought something unique to the Star Wars universe.

I will be reviewing this book on my podcast Lipstick & Lightsabers along with my co-host in August. I will add that link when released.

While I appreciate having access to as much Star Wars content as possible, I was admittedly disappointed that these were mostly adaptations of episodes from the TV series.

This book is a compilation of Star Wars stories set in the Clone Wars time. I think most have appeared as Clone Wars cartoons. The stories are a good complement to the cartoons in that they provide more insight and detail than the the cartoons can convey.

I was so excited to get this book. I’ve been trying to read all the Star Wars books. I think this was a great edition to the collection and explains more about what happened during the clone wars.

Though I normally love these “from a different viewpoint” Star Wars anthologies, I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed that this one was more like adaptations of episodes of the series. The writing was good, but I had hoped for some different stories, stuff that expanded upon the world established by the show.

Die siebente Staffel von The Clone Wars ist beendet, aber das heißt noch lange nicht, dass mit Geschichten aus dieser Ära der Star Wars-Timeline nun Schluss ist. Nicht nur wurde kürzlich das Serien-Spin-off The Bad Batch angekündigt, das sich mit der aus Staffel 7 der Serie bekannten, gleichnamigen Spezialeinheit von Clone Troopern befassen wird, auch ein Buch zur Serie, Stories of Light and Dark, erscheint am 13. Oktober dieses Jahres. Wir durften es bereits vorab lesen.

Neue Perspektiven
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark umfasst insgesamt elf Geschichten; zehn davon Nacherzählungen von bekannten Serien-Folgen. Der Twist an der Sache: Die einzelnen Stories fokussieren sich jeweils auf die Perspektive eines einzigen Charakters und erweitern die bekannten Folgen somit um tiefere Einblicke in die Denkweise und Gefühlswelt des jeweiligen Protagonisten.
So erleben wir die Entführung des Senats samt Senatorin Amidala in Hostage Crisis (basierend auf der gleichnamigen Folge aus Staffel 1) beispielsweise aus Anakins Sicht und erfahren, wie sehr er wirklich an Padmé hängt und wie wenig ihm im Vergleich alles andere tatsächlich bedeutet – seine Pflichten und Verantwortungen als Jedi inklusive. Oder wir erleben in The Lost Nightsister (basierend auf der Folge Bounty aus Staffel 4), was in Asajj Ventresses Kopf vorgeht, nachdem sie ihr Schwestern auf Dathomir verloren hat – und wie sie sich erneut darüber klar wird, wie viel Tatendrang tatsächlich noch in ihr steckt.
Die elfte und finale Story knüpft lose an die Ereignisse der Folge Massacre (ebenfalls aus Staffel 4) an, verfolgt jedoch das Schicksal einer weiteren Nightsister.

Autoren-Aufgebot
Um das knappe Dutzend an Geschichten umzusetzen, wurden sowohl bestens bekannte Star Wars Autoren wie Jason Fry (The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition, Star Wars Rebels: Servants of the Empire und weitere), Tom Angleberger (Origami Yoda, Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! und weitere) oder Zoraida Córdova (Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate, You Owe Me a Ride in From a Certain Point of View), aber auch Neulinge im Krieg der Sterne-Buch-Universum, beispielsweise Yoon Ha Lee oder Anne Ursu, verpflichtet. Die komplette Liste an Geschichten samt Autor und Episode, auf der sie basieren, lautet wie folgt:

• Sharing the Same Face von Jason Fry
basierend auf Folge Ambush (S01 E01)
• Dooku Captured von Lou Anders
basierend auf Folgen Dooku Captures und The Gungan General (S01 E11+E12)
• Hostage Crisis von Preeti Chhibber
basierend auf Folge Hostage Crisis (S01 E22)
• Pursuit of Peace von Anne Ursu
basierend auf Folge Heroes on Both Sides (S03 E10)
• The Shadow of Umbara von Yoon Ha Lee
basierend auf Folgen Darkness on Umbara, The General, Plan of Dissent und Carnage of Krell (S04 E07-E10)
• Bane’s Story von Tom Angleberger
basierend auf Folgen Deception, Friends and Enemies, The Box und Crisis on Naboo (S04 E15-E18)
• The Lost Nightsister von Zoraida Córdova
basierend auf Folge Bounty (S04 E20)
• Dark Vengeance von Rebecca Roanhorse
basierend auf Folge Brothers (S04 E21)
• Almost a Jedi von Sarah Beth Durst
basierend auf Folge A Necessary Bond (S05 E09)
• Kenobi’s Shadow von Greg von Eekhout
basierend auf Folge The Lawless (S05 E16)
• Bug von E. Anne Convery
originale Story, lose basierend auf Folge Massacre (S04 E19)

The Clone Wars neu erlebt
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark mag wenig Neues in Sachen eigentlicher Stories bieten, gibt uns dafür allerdings tiefere Einblicke in einzelne Folgen der Serie und öffnet somit Sichtweisen auf bekannte Ereignisse, die wir so noch nicht hatten. Mit der originalen Erzählung Bug bekommen wir zudem eine Geschichte, die sich mit einer interessanten Gruppierung des Star Wars Universums befasst, der meiner Meinung nach bislang leider ohnehin noch viel zu wenig Beachtung geschenkt wurde, den Nightsisters. Wer die Clone Wars-Serie liebt und noch mehr über ihre Charaktere bzw. die Ära selbst erfahren möchte, der sollte sich auch Stories of Light and Dark nicht entgehen lassen.

The Clone Wars might have ended this May, in a truly spectacular way, but plenty of fans will and are just interacting with the content for the first time. With the anthology The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark, fans new and old gain a new perspective on some of the show’s most popular or memorable episodes, alongside some great new art in the style of the show. For first timers, or younger audiences not yet ready for watching the show, Stories of Light and Dark is an excellent way to familiarize them with the series, while longtime fans will enjoy the new way to experience the show.

One of my favorite aspects to Stories of Light and Dark stems from its basic premise, the different point of views retelling certain episodes. In every story, minus one, the POVs were excellent expansions on familiar episodes, providing new insights or deeper meaning to events for the characters featured. In Padmé’s tale, we get to see her internalized struggle with loving the idea of the Republic and knowing its failures while striving to still make change; for Asajj Ventress, we get the more in-depth look at her coming to terms with her new life, after being spurned by Count Dooku, and forging a new one, while honoring her family and sisters; with Cad Bane, we get a fun spin on an Obi-Wan focused tale; and Maul’s searing hatred and determination comes to life in ways only prose could cover that even the episodes couldn’t touch. As a fan of TCW, and easily remembering each episode(s) these stories cover, the new perspective adds extra layers to old favorites, providing new context for characters’ actions and words, adding something special to any re-watching. For fans who haven’t gotten into TCW yet, or for those younger fans who might not yet grasp some of the show’s lessons, Stories is the perfect introduction and explainer to some of its bigger concepts. There’s a great mix of characters and a few surprising perspectives, while the breadth of storylines also matches the show’s penchant for different tones and genres. I also really appreciated how the overall episode picks told a somewhat cohesive story between themselves of the war and for some characters.

Before I dive into each story, I definitely need to focus on the great, TCW-styled art from Ksenia Zelentsova, who fans might know better by her social media handle lorna_ka. I’ve been a big fan of her work since Star Wars Rebels first released, as many of her fan-art pieces tugged at the heartstrings, and she’s continued to impress ever since. Getting the chance to design official work for Stories, from the cover to character pieces before each new tale, is well-deserved and long overdue for her. I really enjoyed how she’s able to both retain much of what makes her work so special and eye-popping and still match the specific art style of TCW. It was an excellent choice to involve Zelentsova and it adds plenty to the overall package. Find more of her work at her site!

Now I’m going to dive into each tale!

Sharing the Same Face – Written by Jason Fry
(Based on S1 Ep. 1 “Ambush”)

It’s only fitting the first of the Stories is TCW’s first episode, as it sets the stage of the war, the Jedi’s place in the conflict and concerns with it, while introducing the individuality of the clones that defines the show. Jason Fry’s handling of Yoda is basically pitch-perfect, capturing his aloofness and deep connection to the Force, especially when he dives into how Yoda takes his time to sense life on each new planet he visits. One of the best scenes of the episode, which was a great indicator of how the show would treat the clones for the rest of its run, is when Yoda sits down the clones in the cave, preparing for the coming battle, and letting us see it through Yoda’s eyes is like the final ingredient in a favorite recipe; it brings it all together. In fact, Fry adds even more to it by including some ruminations from Yoda about retaining the clones’ individualities will ensure the Jedi don’t lose themselves to the war. This tale really is just full of great moments, mind you!

The tale ends with Yoda having an intriguing vision of the future…

Dooku Captured and The Gungan General – Written by Lou Anders
(Based of S1 Ep11/12 “Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General”)

In my recent Count Dooku character concierge article, I put the few episodes this tale adapts onto my list of important ones to watch about the Count, and I'm delighted these are the ones picked for his tale! Much of the fun and humor of Dooku tied to Obi-Wan and Anakin, forced to assist their escape from Hondo Ohnaka so he can as well, carries over, while Anders’ ability to seep Dooku’s disdain for the Jedi, his situation, and being accosted by pirates so thoroughly in every moment is what really makes this tale shine. Dooku is recording a message for his Master, Darth Sidious, and this aspect recalls his penchant for recording holo-messages as seen in Dooku: Jedi Lost. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on Anakin’s training, Rael Averross (primarily in Master & Apprentice), a mention or two of Qui-Gon, though noticing Anakin’s darker tendencies and wondering how to use them were of the most interest.

Hostage Crisis – Written by Preeti Chhibber
(Based on S1 Ep. 22 “Hostage Crisis”)

Chhibber chooses to show us Anakin’s love for Padmé through his own POV in “Hostage Crisis,” providing a unique and eye-opening way to frame Skywalker’s feelings. It both holds hints of his later obsessiveness seen in TCW’s sixth season and how he rationalizes his deep feelings for her while being a Jedi. One of his final thoughts regarding Padmé, as she holds his lightsaber, is my favorite of the story, as it only highlights how unfortunate the Jedi weren’t allowed to nurture his feelings for her/he had to hide them. Also, I feel like this only worked so well since it was written by a woman, which hasn’t been often for Anakin.

Pursuit of Peace – Written by Anne Ursu
(Based on S3 Ep. 11 “Heroes on Both Sides”)

The Padmé renaissance of late, from two YA novels and featured in a comic issue, is only a small portion of all the love and focus she should be receiving, and “Pursuit of Peace” makes it clear how much more can be done with her character. Exploring the corruption of the Republic, which at times felt like it mirrors our current political climate, we see how Padmé both understands the roadblocks and near futility of the fight but soldiers on anyways because she has so much hope and is willing to work in the grey areas to find a better solution. There’s a rousing speech in the end from Padmé that hits home more now we have her internalizations about working within the Senate’s corrupt ways and is among my favorite moments in the book.

The Shadow of Umbara – Written by Yoon Ha Lee
(Based on S4 Ep. 7/8/9/10 “Darkness on Umbara,” “The General,” “Plan of Dissent,” and “Carnage of Krell”)

The Umbara arc in season 4 is among my top arcs in the entire show, for how it tests clones like Rex, Fives, and Jesse, those who we had become fan favorites at that point, in new and unexpected ways. Unfortunately, I felt like “The Shadow of Umbara” fell a bit flat, as Rex’s POV is too limited, barely expanding on what is said or done, making this more of a straight retelling instead. If ever one of these Stories would’ve benefited episodes more with expanded thoughts from its main character, this was it and Rex doesn’t quite get that treatment. It’s still an overall good story, since it’s the same as the episodes’, but it doesn’t take advantage of the new medium.

Bane’s Story – Written by Tom Angleberger
(Based off of S4 Ep. 15/16/17/18 “Deception,” “Friends and Enemies,” “The Box,” and “Crisis on Naboo”)

Regardless of your feelings on Cad Bane, a character I’ve enjoyed for the most part due to his design (those jet boots!), pivoting to his POV, especially after such known and established characters, results in what I felt was one of the top Stories. With “Bane's Story,” Bane is our narrator, recounting the episodes of Undercover Obi-Wan to fellow prisoners, young Boba Fett and Bossk, and his POV makes it feel like both a true gunslinger western and 50’s gangster, which fit exceptionally well for the arc and is the distillation of Bane himself. In fact, it was such a refreshing way to explore the story, with some custom Bane flourishes, that made me like the character even more and could have the potential to change your mind on him too. Made me wish more Stories were from less familiar characters’ POV.

The Lost Nightsister – Written by Zoraida Córdova
(Based on S4 Ep. 20 “Bounty”)

Asajj Ventress has such a compelling story throughout the show and Córdova’s dive into one of the best episodes for her only makes that episode better. The internal struggle strengthens Ventress’ arc in “Bounty,” shedding her Sith past and forging a destiny of her own, as we get deep into how the loss of her Nightsister family impacted her, the Sith teachings and rejection affected her, and how her inner strength is what helps her rise above it all. It’s honestly one of the best Ventress episodes in the show and this tale therefore is one the best prose Ventress appearances to date as well. Definitely a highlight of the collection.

Dark Vengeance – Written by Rebecca Roanhorse
(Based on S4 Ep. 21/22 “Brothers" and "Revenge")

I could take a whole Maul book written by Roanhorse, as she deliciously captures Sam Witwer's energy in his performance of the character that "Dark Vengeance" might as well been narrated by Witwer in my head; some of the previous Maul-centric books, and comics, have contained far too much animalistic Maul and sounded too one-note. Instead, Roanhorse allows us to see the birth of the calculating, resourceful Maul and it only adds to his iconic return in the show, especially with the way he frames his choices and strategies to the unnamed child he's telling his story to (which is meant to be us, I imagine); the rationalization, as a way not to freak out a child listening (and therefore a younger kid reading), for his sacrifice of innocents in a village to draw out Obi-Wan is a devilishly fantastic bit of writing. I particularly enjoyed the new part at the end, about waiting.

Almost a Jedi – Written by Sarah Beth Durst
(Based on S5 Ep. 9 “A Necessary Bond”)

As much as I enjoyed Bane’s POV earlier, the surprise of this story focusing on Katooni's POV from the Youngling's Arc, getting to see how both her and Ahsoka grow as Jedi, makes “Almost a Jedi” my favorite tale within this collection! Glimpsing Ahsoka from Katooni’s POV does a couple of wonderful things: it offers fans a window into seeing Ahsoka for the first time and/or how young girls and boys perceive her, a unique luxury on both accounts since she’s now such a vital and recognizable character in the fandom; and it highlights Ahsoka’s growth and selflessness, as having these scenes from her POV instead would've likely resulted in her saying she’s simply doing what must be done, but Katooni frames it as heroic as it deserves. For Katooni, watching her understand how to trust in herself, and the Force, was a fun little journey that adds even more to her role in the Youngling's Arc, while it should be an excellent message for younger readers. If they ever do a second volume of this, I hope more of the stories take the unexpected POV to teach both about familiar characters and lesser focused ones.


Kenobi’s Shadow – Written by Greg van Eekhout
(Based on S5 Ep. 16 “Lawless”)

Obi-Wan’s stanch support of the Jedi Code, despite his near flirtation with leaving early in his career, has always been a great thing to push and pull him against during this timeframe and “Lawless” is one of those episodes that test him unlike anything before. “Kenobi’s Shadow” takes it and adds some rather touching, important scenes, while the quality and depth of the introspection rivals Obi-Wan’s meditations in Legends novel Kenobi. There’s some original scenes, like the opening one between him and Anakin, that really opens a rare window into Obi-Wan’s hidden struggle with his emotions, while highlights how great of a teacher he could’ve been for Anakin if all his apprentices’ vices weren’t against the Code. There’s extra emotional resonance with the death of Satine, as while the animation certainly conveyed his struggle not to give into the dark side, to strike down Maul, but a prose version allows for even more nuance. I also enjoyed the connective tissue of this story and “Dark Vengeance,” carrying over the show’s serialized storytelling to the book.

Bug – Written by E. Anne Convery
(Based on S4 Ep. 19 “Massacre”)

*Awaiting review once tale is released*

Here are a few other things:

In early July, each author revealed their story and discussed their process in writing them. Definitely worth checking out!
Other The Clone Wars content this year includes: Of course the grand finale to the show, its final season, which was worth the wait and hype; and IDW's miniseries, The Clone Wars - Battle Tales, an all-ages fun blast that feels like the earlier seasons.

The Clone Wars - Stories of Light and Dark is a unique and fantastic way to experience the show, whether you've seen the entire series (multiple times) or are a young reader curious about it (and everyone in-between).

+ Specific POVs offer new insight to familiar (or new) characters/episodes

+ Surprise and original POVs shine brightest

+ Art from Ksenia Zelentsova really rounds out the experience

- Small falter on one tale

Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.

{Review will go live on book's release date so shortlink won't work till then}

If your a Star Wars fan! This is the book for you! It follows a lot of the characters from clone wars and gives you some back stories to some of the secondary characters like cad bane for example . My son loved this book, he is a huge Star Wars fan and told me this is a book he would share with other fans! Great for pre teen and up

Your Money Geek thanks Disney Lucasfilm Press and NetGallery for providing us with a free copy for review.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark is the perfect companion for any fan of The Clone Wars. It features moments of joy, tragedy, love, and brotherhood — running the full gamut of emotions for some of the galaxy’s most beloved characters.

Just because The Clone Wars series has ended, doesn’t mean we’re done receiving stories about it. In a series of eleven stories, the newest Star Wars anthology gives readers a rare look into the psyche of both light and dark side characters during pivotal moments throughout the animated series.

**Contains Minor Spoilers**

As is typical with anthologies, several stories stand out among the rest, but as a whole the collection offers a heartfelt tribute to some of the series’ fan-favorite episodes. It is always refreshing to see familiar events retold from a certain point of view.

Jason Fry — “Sharing the Same Face” (based on the episode “Ambush”)

Fry gets inside of Yoda’s mind, providing readers with the Jedi Master’s inner thoughts as he comes to terms with the gravity of what the Clones mean. Yoda grapples with realities of engineering men to be little more than droids, when they are individuals with unique personalities and opinions.

Lou Anders — “Dooku Captured” (based on the episodes “Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General”)

Have you ever wanted to get a look inside of Dooku’s mind? Well, Anders offers a rather unique and humorous look at his thoughts as he relates his encounter with Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in a holorecording.

Preeti Chhibber — “Hostage Crisis” (based on the episode of the same name)

Chhibber flawlessly taps into Anakin's mind, exploring his romantic feelings for Padmé before his fall to the dark side. She captures the innocence of his love for his wife, while playing upon the all-consuming nature of it.

Anne Ursu — “Pursuit of Peace” (based on the episode “Heroes on Both Sides”)

Padmé’s penchant for political negotiations is no easy feat to write, yet Ursu perfectly captures the essence of the head-strong Senator as she takes on peace negotiations in the Separatist’s territory.

Yoon Ha Lee — “The Shadow of Umbara” (based on the episodes “Darkness on Umbara,” “The General,” “Plan of Dissent,” and “Carnage of Krell”)

I think it’s safe to say that Rex is one of the most beloved characters from The Clone Wars and Ha Lee explores his perspective during the battle for Umbara and the fallout of General Krell’s betrayal. The sense of individuality and humanity in each Clone is palpable throughout the story.

Tom Angleberger — “Bane’s Story” (based on the episodes “Deception,” “Friends and Enemies,” “The Box,” and “Crisis on Naboo”)

If you were hoping for a Space Western in this anthology, Angleberger delivers with his retelling of the “Crisis on Naboo” from Cad Bane’s perspective. Who doesn’t love getting the perspective of one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy?

Zoraida Córdova — “The Lost Nightsister” (based on the episode “Bounty”)

Córdova’s chapter picks up on the heels of tragedy, following Ventress witnessing the deaths of her sisters. It’s a thrilling retelling, allowing readers to follow Asajj Ventress’ journey as she reclaims her agency and proves that she truly is a badass.

Rebecca Roanhorse — “Dark Vengeance” (based on the episode “Brothers”)

Roanhorse deftly tackles the return of Darth Maul by getting inside of his twisted mind and exploring his obsession with Obi-Wan Kenobi and his own internal struggles. It’s fun to get a glimpse inside a deeply troubled character like Maul.

Sarah Beth Durst — “Almost A Jedi” (based on the episode “A Necessary Bond”)

This was perhaps the most unique retelling in the anthology. Durst approaches Ahsoka’s character from the eyes of Katooni, one of the Jedi younglings under her watch. There’s something so innocent in Katooni’s admiration for Ahsoka and her own desires to become a Jedi, that will likely resonate with any fan who pretended that they were a Jedi as a child.

Greg van Eekhout —“Kenobi’s Shadow” (based on the episode “The Lawless”)

One of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s most tragic moments in The Clone Wars is retold by van Eekhout with just as much emotion and pain as we saw on the screen. Kenobi’s emotions are palpable as he struggles with the inner turmoil that all Jedi are faced with when they suffer a devastating loss. A few additional scenes are added to this retelling which further underlines the bond between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Anne Convery — “Bug” (based on the episode “Massacre”)

At the time that I received my copy, “Bug” was not yet available to review. Convery is set to create an original story for the anthology, centered around the Nightsisters.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark is rated for readers ages 8-12, but just as The Clone Wars tackled the bleak realities of war and the intricacies of human emotion, this anthology will resonate with readers of all ages.

A great book that takes place during the Clone Wars cartoon series. Favorite characters and villains show up. Will please any Clone Wars fan

As an avid Star Wars fan, and by proxy an avid Clone Wars fan, I was excited to pick this up. My own enjoyment, however, was tampered by the fact that these stories bring nothing new to the Clone Wars narrative, but rather recap various episodes throughout the show.

However, this book would be perfect for anyone who enjoys film novelizations, or a young reader who loves the Clone Wars and would enjoy experiencing the show through reading rather than watching. The writing was excellent and the characters they chose were great! Objectively speaking, this is a solid Star Wars anthology.

I really enjoyed this book and all of these stories! They were a fun representation of the Clone Wars series as a whole, but also gave me new insight into some of my favorite episodes/storylines. Some of my favorite stories in this book were Maul coming back to a fierce creature, the emotional Obi-Wan story where he loses a friend on Mandalore and the story about Padme trying to stop the bill in the Senate that would put more money on Clone Troopers.

While all of these stories are similar to those shown in the show, I valued reading it 1.) because I enjoy reading more than TV but also 2.) it provided detail from the person's point of view that the show isn't always able to go into.

I enjoyed this book, which was a collection of stories about characters from the Clone Wars series. We have stories featuring Yoda,
Count Dooku (that was hilarious), Anakin Skywalker, Asajj Ventress, Padme Amidala, Captain Rex, Cad Bane, Darth Maul, Ahsoka Tano and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Another additional story called Bug, was not ready to be included in this advance copy. Each story highlighted the character well.

Yoda showed his wisdom, command of the Force and compassion for others as well as his tactical skill.

Count Dooku's story was one of my favorites, showcasing his arrogance and irritation at his foes Kenobi and Skywalker.

Anakin's tale showed his overconfidence and his love for his wife Padme.

Padme showed the elegant diplomat that she is, attempting to bring peace in galaxy at war.

Captain Rex's story was another favorite, learning how to follow his orders and champion his brother soldiers.

Cad Bane's tale was similar to Dooku, another rant about his skills and the lack of everyone else to meet his high standards. Another favorite of mine.

Ahsoka showed her courage, fearlessness and leadership ability.

The two standout stories for me were Darth Maul, very well written and fitting his character perfectly.

Obi-Wan's tale showed him actually taking a page out of Anakin's playbook. This was my personal favorite.

While this book is aimed at young adults, the tales were all well written and ran the gamut from funny and heartwarming to sad and heartbreaking. I can't wait for the audiobook version. A definite must read and you don't have to be familiar with the show to enjoy these tales found herein.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy and the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful book.
#StarWarstheCloneWarsStoriesofLightandDark

I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Stories of Light and Dark is an anthology of many familiar tales from The Clone Wars cartoon series, each focusing on pivotal episodes for specific characters. I'm a huge fan of The Clone Wars and I was extremely excited to read this. It definitely helped bring more nuance to many beloved characters. While it was nice to revisit these these episodes, I do wish more had happened than just retelling exactly what had happened on the show. If someone had just recently watched those episodes, I don't think they'd be very interested in this book.

Overall, a great book for those interested in The Clone Wars and it could be used as a great intro for the series!