This 2022 young-adult book fills in some of the backstory of Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi in the Star Wars universe. Set at a time when he first becomes a Padawan, he has a rather unconventional relationship with Qui-Gon Jinn, his Jedi Master. Qui-Gon is not a typical Jedi Master, either, although this book focuses mostly on Obi-Wan.

While his friends in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant are off having adventures with their Jedi Masters, Obi-Wan seems to spend all of his time with Qui-Gon meditating. He’s frustrated at what he sees as his lack of progress, as well as jealous of the stories his friends return with. Qui-Gon’s former Master, Count Dooku, recently left the Jedi Order, and Obi-Wan frets that Qui-Gon seems to spend more time arguing with the Jedi Council than training his Padawan.

After finding a hidden map in the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan finally convinces Qui-Gon to take him off-planet to a remote planet that a legendary Jedi once explored. The day they are to leave, Qui-Gon is a no-show. Determined to have some adventure and with his curiosity piqued, Obi-Wan takes off on his own for Lenahra. There, he finds a planet rife with The Force. It is inhabited by young adults around his own age of varying species who were apparently abandoned there. Obi-Wan struggles to find out what exactly is happening on Lenahra and why he is there.

Padawan is loaded with angst. If you thought Anakin Skywalker had angst, Obi-Wan puts him to shame here. He’s a typical young adult who is struggling to figure out his place in the universe while trying to maintain a certain level of confidence and bravado in front of his friends. Throughout the story, he questions his assignment of Qui-Gon as his Jedi Master, whether he is really suited to be a Jedi himself, and why he can’t seem to connect with The Force the way others can. In many ways, Obi-Wan feels like a typical teenager.

The planet of Lenahra is a great setting to get him away from the noise of Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. Qui-Gon keeps telling him to meditate, but Obi-Wan doesn’t see the value in this, initially. There’s too much noise and activity around him to allow his brain to become calm as it should. In this regard, going off-planet by himself allows him to get away from it, even if he still has much to learn.

With this being a young adult story, there’s no real violence here. Yes, there is more to Lenahra than meets the eye. There is something on the planet that allows those who aren’t Force-sensitive to have powers similar to a Jedi. As Obi-Wan pieces together what’s happening, he must convince his new friends to change their ways. Who wants an outsider coming in and telling them to change their ways? It goes over about as well as expected. That is, until a new threat emerges.

I liked the story quite a bit, even if the target audience is much younger than myself. I could see enjoying this as a teen when I was so into Star Wars, and our conversations in the lunchroom were about whether or not Darth Vader was really Luke’s father following the release of The Empire Strikes Back. I found it easy to identify with Obi-Wan as he’s questioning just about everything in regard to who he is and what his place in the universe will be. He’s also being exposed to something very different than the controlled atmosphere in the Jedi Temple. It felt very much like a story where a person who has been exposed to only a small-town life ventures to the big city, only in reverse. It’s one thing to read about New York City; it’s quite another to live there. Obi-Wan could study the knowledge the Jedi have without really understanding it. This is his first chance to “get off the farm,” so to speak.

The audiobook is narrated by Gary Furlong. I felt he did a great job without injecting too much of his own perceptions into the story. It’s a difficult line to tread to do more than just read a story, and yet let the story speak for itself. He does a great job, especially with Obi-Wan’s inner monologue, which there is a lot of here.

Besides Qui-Gon, we learn about Obi-Wan’s first meeting with Dex, the diner owner we meet in Attack of the Clones. He’s a bit of a drifter who takes whatever job is offered to him, but still has a moral compass. His drifting around the galaxy is how he learns about so many different places and why he is a font of knowledge for Obi-Wan later in life, for information he wouldn’t find at the Jedi Temple. His presence here felt natural and not forced.

Padawan was a great young adult Star Wars book. From the perspective of someone who’s been a Star Wars fan since I was a tween, it’s something I could really enjoy. Some people might find Obi-Wan to be too angsty, but I think this is why he is able to work with Anakin later on in his life. Young Obi-Wan is similar in many ways to Anakin, but without the anger that is the key to Anakin’s embracing the dark side. Padawan fills out the backstory to this character quite nicely.