Dooku: Jedi Lost (Star Wars) Paperback – March 30, 2021

Cavan Scott’s “Star Wars: Dooku: Jedi Lost” tells the backstory of Count Dooku from Jedi Padawan through his decision to leave the Order. As a framing device, the story focuses on Asajj Ventress undertaking a mission to find Dooku’s sister, Jenza, who possesses correspondence that she and Dooku exchanged over the years and that Republic forces seek in order to learn about Dooku and defeat both he and the Separatists. Asajj peruses this correspondence and, through her, the reader learns of how Dooku first met his family on Serenno: his sister Jenza, brother Ramil, and his father Count Gora. During the course of this meeting and afterward, Dooku’s friend Sifo-Dyas struggles with his powers of precognition, sharing visions with Dooku that lead him to question the Jedi Council’s policy of removing itself from much of galactic life.Scott’s writing draws upon a great deal of “Star Wars” lore in his narrative. For example, much of the now-Legends content focused on Dooku’s prowess with a lightsaber and the various techniques, which Scott uses in his portrayal of Dooku training his students (pg. 264). Further, references to the former Sith Empire abound (pgs. 43-45, 99, 228, 410), perhaps as a way to help set up future narratives following the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga. Additionally, at one point Jedi Master Lene Kostana teaches Dooku and Sifo-Dyas a meditation that recalls The Ones from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” episodes, “Overlords,” “Altar of Mortis,” and “Ghosts of Mortis” (pgs. 256-257). The story itself serves as a companion to Claudia Gray’s novel, “Master & Apprentice,” which previously examined Dooku’s relationship with his Padawans Qui-Gon Jinn and Rael Averross. Linking the Jedi Order’s lapses of the prequel era with the events of the sequel trilogy, Scott portrays Yoda explaining the Lost Jedi to a group of Padawans. Yoda says, “Remember them, we must. Honor them, yes. Learn from our failure” (pg. 77). In this, he echoes (foreshadows?) Yoda’s lesson to Luke from “The Last Jedi,” “The greatest teacher, failure is.”The story began as an audiobook, with this edition featuring both the dialogue and directions for sound effects and creature voices. Reading this book is similar to reading Brian Daley’s radio play for National Public Radio’s dramatization of the original “Star Wars” films or Laurent Bouzereau’s “Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays.” Enjoyable as it is to read, one cannot help but realize the full effect of the story is best achieved by listening to the audio play. Still, Cavan Scott’s story is sure to delight “Star Wars” fans new and old.

I couldn't put this book down. I was so fun to read about Dooku. I like that it is written and reads like a play it made it easy to follow for any reader. I have suggested this book to all my family that are star wars fans.

This tells part of Dooku's backstory, both as a youngling, a padawan, a Jedi Knight, and then as a master. And, how he came to leave the Jedi order. But not how he fell in league with Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine. Palpatine does make one appearance in the story as a relatively lowly senator, but there is not much in the story to hint at his grand plan.Like many of the books that have been released since Disney took over, it is set in different time periods. One being during the time of the Clone Wars when Ventress was Dooku's apprentice/assassin (further showing the rule-of-two was less of a rule than a loosely followed guideline) and then Dooku's life growing up told in flashbacks throughout the book. Unlike any of the other books, it is written in a format as a script for a play or movie. Describing the locations, noting when characters are talking in their heads versus out loud, etc. I personally prefer the traditional novel format, with chapters that easily break up the story (since it is not the easiest book to read in one sitting), but that did not bother me as much as it did other reviewers.Overall I think it did a good job with Dooku's arc and character development from a very smart but a bit smug padawan to exactly how evil he was as a sith lord. I do think it missed out in explaining the circumstances under which Palpatine turned him, but even without that, it made clear that he was drawn to the dark side throughout his life. It is certainly not the best of the canon books, and if you are one of those who only get certain books, but not all of them, it is not necessarily a must-read.

Available first as an audio drama, and now as the printed script of said drama, this story by Cavan Scott uses a delicate mission assigned to Assajj Ventress as the starting point to revisit Count Dooku's past through flashbacks, visions, holorecordings and journals of different stages of his life.From his start as a youngling in Hawkbat clan, as a friend of Sifo-Dyas, he travels back to Serenno as part of a Jedi delegation and runs into his sister and brother, creating a long lasting relationship that would be frowned upon by his father and the Jedi Council.We explore his passage as Padawan, then Jedi Knight and Master, along with relationships with other masters, especially Master Lene Kostana, and a special bonding with a mythical beast from his planet. It will all culminate in his exit from the Jedi Order, and in the present time, his final corruption of Asajj Ventress...Excellent text, hearing it first and then reading it I could pick up several details I missed with the advantage of remembering the magnificent cast (with the exception of Dooku) of the audio drama.Greatly recommended!

I was excited to hear that they were telling this story as I believe that Dooku was one of the most under utilized Star Wars characters we have. They seed so much of his story in Episode 2, but he is only on screen in Episode 3 for a few minutes before he makes his final exit. The other reason I was excited was to hear Star Wars enter the realm of audio dramas once again. There are so many other great examples of this from the last several decades.So hearing the story of Dooku's early years at the Jedi Temple was enlightening. We see the iniital relationship between him and Sifo-Dyas. You see Dooku's relationship with Yoda as his padawan. You see Dooku take on his padawans and how he becomes disenthralled with how the Jedi are used in the Republic. It's a great story that adds a lot. And the Star Wars acting, plus sound effects is a great way to absorb the story. I hope they do more!!