Scott's Rating:   3 out of 4

Obi-Wan and Anakin are sent to the Uziel system which is in the middle of a civil war. Two planets in the system are at the brink of full scale battle and a small group of rebels holds the plans to an impending invasion. It?s up to the Jedi to help them deliver the plans. However, a traitor in the rebel?s midst foils the mission and everyone except Obi-Wan is thrown into a P.O.W. camp. As Kenobi plots their rescue, Anakin is drugged and brainwashed by his captors. Their lead scientist also happens to be a figure from Qui-Gon Jinn?s past.

Scott:

    One of the things this book will be most noted for is the fact that it explains the passing line made by Obi-Wan in Attack Of The Clones about how he and Anakin fell into a nest of gundarks. This story features that scene. I like it when these Expanded Universe stories actually expand on lines in the movies. It helps develop the characters even more and it is fun for fans. Along those lines, this story also helps reiterate the fact that Anakin is a great pilot, something that is repeatedly mentioned in the movies but not frequently seen.

This story also tackles a more mature issue. What would happen if a Jedi were under the influence of drugs? We see Anakin sedated in a state that actually allows him a seemingly closer connection to the Force. It becomes a temptation for him and he hides it from Obi-Wan. It?s an interesting take on the trial and tribulations faced by a Jedi and I think it was a clever addition by Watson.

This book also sets up the premise for the second book. Rather than dealing with the typical story of planetary civil war, Jedi Quest #8 promises to be more of a manhunt storyline. I liked the fact that Watson resurrected another character from the Jedi Apprentice series for this. It will be interesting to see Anakin and Obi-Wan round up a posse and chase down that no good conniving villain.

Scott:

    I didn?t particularly care for the cover of this book. It?s not really eye catching and it doesn?t show us what a gundark looks like. It looks more like the Jedi are fighting a Saarlac instead.

The Moment Of Truth also starts out in the similar old formula. Anakin whines about Obi-Wan not understanding him. There?s an interplanetary war. It begins with pretty much the cookbook elements. Fortunately it took a turn and ventured into new ground, but it took half the story to do so. Even then the story was a bit predictable. It was pretty apparent from the beginning that there was a traitor, and there was. It was also easy to guess who the traitor was as well as how the story would end. Overall, the next novel promises to be more interesting.

Scott:

    Nothing to add here.