Star Wars Jedi Academy Book 5: The Force Ovesleeps (Family Comic Friday)

First of all, thanks to all for being patient with me this past week. I've been swamped with grading papers and work. So, last week I took a much needed day off from Family Comic Friday. It actually worked out pretty good the timing and all based on what day it is...

Today is Force Friday II. It's a new annual shopping holiday devoted to revealing new Star Wars merchandise that the general public wants but can't afford. It also just so happens to be the Friday I complete the last book in the Jedi Academy series: the Force Oversleeps.

Victor Starspeeder and his friends have returned for their second year at the Jedi Academy on Coruscant. Victor believes that he's gonna really shine this year as he will finally get to fly in a starspeeder simulator. But things aren't quite going his way as usual. For some reason Victor keeps oversleeping for his first class of the morning. Then there's the new kid who everyone likes and seems to do things better than Victor. Plus, there's rumors going around that his sister Christina could be turning to the Dark Side by becoming a Sith!

This is book five of the Jedi Academy series and I have rather enjoyed each of them. But the first half of this book was really starting to get old to me. The pattern is always this: a young Padawan builds it up in his head that he's going become the Chosen One at the Academy. Then things don't go his way and his love for a fellow classmate is complicated by jealousy or miscommunication. He struggles in class and might actually get expelled for poor grades. Plus, there's always a bully or disapproving teacher. But then something happens in the second half of this book that really won things back over for me.

When Victor starts to suspect that his sister is the galaxy's newest Sith Lord, he starts to reflect on his family life which is of a blended family. Some of Victor's pals reflect on similar circumstances. One of the things I love about Star Wars is that hard hitting issues aren't really what the movie series is trying to tackle. Unlike Star Trek that has a moral edge, Star Wars is more about fun and adventure. Yet I was actually okay with this book tackling a serious issue for once. They didn't make it preachy and it was very welcoming on how they approached the subject in making it gel with the overall theme of the Star Wars series: family! 

There's one more book due in this series as it's needed to complete the Victor Starspeeder trilogy. But after book #6, I think I'd be fine if they don't do a third trilogy. UNLESS- maybe that  new trilogy could have Roan from the first trilogy and Victor come back as instructor's at the Academy training the next generation of padawans. I would love that idea. 

The Force Oversleeps was a book that started off as something that I seriously felt like I had read before- and I had! But it really matures like the padawans do at the turn of the second act. A great read for Star Wars fans of all ages.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.