It is important to recall the past and be aware of what may take shape in the future, but not at the expense of the moment. That’s a lesson most could benefit from remembering. It’s a lesson I heard 20 years ago from Qui-Gon Jinn. While I was listening to Claudia Gray’s Master and Apprentice, I would have done well to recall this lesson.
I continue to wrestle with my expectations, whether they come from within or without, impacting my reception of reality as it comes. At times the result can be shocking, but mostly I am able to set aside my hopes and wishes for the outcome of a story and focus on how it unfolds and what the author had intended to say.
I am happy to say that I was able to do this with Master and Apprentice. The first chapter focused solely on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. The next chapter shifted to a pair of new characters on a very unrelated mission. I didn’t see how they would interact with the Jedi I was longing to spend a whole book with. I was bothered because I didn’t want to spend a lot time with a whole new set of characters just to get moments Qui-Gon. I paused and thought about Gray’s Leia books and decided I would go with the flow and see how it went. The characters were interesting and they got folded into the narrative fairly quickly. Their inclusion did enrich the story and offered a change of pace that was enjoyable if not always welcome. Please understand that I did enjoy the book, even if that message my seem lost in my poor presentation of my struggle to live in the moment and take each word, sentence and passage of the story as it came. I trusted in Gray and I was not disappointed with where the story lead.
For a more specific review of the book, check out my video review below.
MJ Muñoz 