While the stories within this anthology aren't new to readers who have seen The Clone Wars, my library can never have too many Star Wars books. I appreciate the wide variety of authors included as a way to pivot my Star Wars only readers to other works by the same authors.

The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark is an anthology book that brings together a number of impressive authors (many who’ve written for Star Wars already): E. Anne Convery, Greg van Eekhout, Jason Fry, Lou Anders, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Roanhorse, Sarah Beth Durst, Tom Angleberger, Yoon Ha Lee, and Zoraida Córdova.

For all but one of the short stories included, these are retellings of different episodes presented throughout the series, over various seasons. While it’s kind of a bummer that we aren’t getting all new stories from the Clone Wars, I have to say I loved how these stories were presented.

Much like any adaptation, readers are offered a bit more insight into the mind frame of the characters. We get to read what characters are thinking about in these familiar situations, bringing a deeper connection to the action overall. This was especially true for the short that adapted the Umbara arc, where we see the viciousness of Pong Krell from the perspective of Rex and his Clone brethren.

It was always one of my favorite arcs in the series. It offers a poignant theme on war and the Jedi ethics in general, while setting the stage for some incredible action. The prose in the book conveys this well, but being from the perspective of the Clones makes it far more emotionally impactful.

This is the case for pretty much all the stories, though that’s not the only thing that makes them engaging. Sometimes the narrator puts a unique spin on the tale, making the straightforward episode feel fresh as we see it from an all new perspective. Whether it’s Count Dooku composing a letter to his Master, Sidious, or Cad Bane spinning a tale for fellow bounty hunters, these aspects make even familiar stories feel new.

There is one brand new tale included in the anthology, offering a glimpse at one of the Nightsisters who survived the destruction of the clans on Dathomir. While I won’t go into too many details on it, I can happily tell you it was one of the more engaging stories in the book (for me). I loved how it dealt with the aftermath of something we don’t get nearly enough time with in the show, and it’s done in a way that feels like it fits in perfectly with the other stories.

I enjoyed how each short never felt too long. While they each delivered all the pertinent details, they sped along at breakneck pace. This makes it easy to breeze through the novel in a relatively short time, but structured in a way that fans can pick and choose what story they want to revisit.

As for the physical book itself, I both love and loathe how the book itself is handled. On one hand, we’re given yet another Star Wars book (e.g. Star Wars: Dark Legends) that doesn’t follow any previously released format. It’s both taller and wider than other Disney Press releases, so it won’t fit in nicely on your bookshelves with the rest of them. Sure, it’s a minor gripe, but it continues to throw me off.

The GOOD part of that, however, is that the different size allows the interior to shine. The artwork sprinkled throughout, kicking off each story, is impressive and gorgeous. The cover art is mimicked on the book itself, so even if you take off the dust/slip cover you can view it and it looks incredible. It’s a small detail, but something I’d love to see more books do.

The larger size allows them to really stand out, but it also means the text format is a bit bigger. On top of making it way easier to read (must be getting old), the format gave the book a more “fairy tale” quality. Like something you could read a story from each night before going to bed.

If you’re a fan of The Clone Wars, there’s no reason to skip out on this. Despite pulling (mostly) from episodes we already know, it manages to add enough new perspective to make them feel fresh. Combined with great artwork, and an overall impressive presentation there’s a lot for fans to love.

The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark turned out to be the perfect complement to The Clone Wars. Whereas I believed the only real new content that would come from this anthology would be the new original story, each retelling turned out to add so much to the episodes they were retelling. While I never had many problems with any episode of The Clone Wars, this book helped fill in the gaps that needed filling the most within each arc covered. The most crucial thing this book helped to uncover were the thoughts of numerous characters throughout the events of the Clone Wars. I had never thought about how much we were missing from the show by being blindsided to certain thoughts during crucial character moments. Sometimes these inclusions even filled in problems I had in the show that confused me, clearing up issues elsewhere to bolster up the book itself.  
This book also helps to pioneer new voices in the Star Wars canon. About half the writers on this anthology are new writers for Star Wars, while the other half are mostly one-time novel writers getting their second dose in this universe. Not only are we given diverse new opportunities for new Star Wars authors, but a diversified team of Star Wars authors from many different backgrounds. The main problem I faced with these stories had to do with length issues. While I knew each story would be restricted due to the book being an anthology and the book being restricted to a certain length, the pace of each story went by so fast to the point of having to skip over crucial moments that were important to the covered episodes. Being meant for younger readers though, it's easy to see why the book had to be stylized in this fashion. The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark takes what is amazing about The Clone Wars and ends up amplifying it to even higher acclaim. Its minor issues can easily be cast aside by how much is added to the lore of the series. One could only wish that each arc of the show could be explored like they are in this anthology novel.

My review of Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark

With such a non-descript title, this book could be about anything, couldn’t it? And that’s kind of what this book turns out to be: an anthology of just about any kind of story from The Clone Wars TV series. Each chapter is a portion of an arc or an episode from the show, except for a unique story at the end of the printed volume, written by someone outside of the show’s writing team.

The influx of new writers treating pre-written material means that we are given a few new points-of-view into the episodes themselves. These authors usually take these chances to bolster a specific point from the episode or give a character a little more agency. The chapter that covers the episode about Yoda and Thire is morphed from a fun introductory episode to the show to a tragedy about Yoda’s compassion for the clones and their eventual turning on them in Order 66. The chapter about Padme, from Hostage Crisis, focuses a little more on her interior life than the episode did, which was more concerned about making Cad Bane a formidable villain. I generally enjoyed these points of view, as these authors have a good eye on what parts of the episode need to be teased out a little bit more.

Now, maybe the bigger question is, since these are slightly charged adaptations, do they accomplish the adaptation role well? The answer to that is….probably not. Now, before I go too deep into this, I need to preface my thoughts a little. I’m not sure if these were written with the thought that you could read them without seeing the episode. Maybe they were designed to be read after watching the episode. So let me talk about it for both possibilities:

If these books were designed to be read by someone who hasn’t seen the episode, I’m not sure the reader would have a good enough understanding of the episode. Lots has to be skipped in favor of the specific point of view and in favor of keeping the page count from sprawling out. I’m not sure this was the case.

Assuming that these books were designed to be read by someone who has seen the episode, I would say that they generally function well as “flavor boosters” to the main course, the episode. A few really are duds, not adding much to the episode, not changing how I see the episodes or the events depicted. But some do give the episodes a little extra flair, but the jury’s out on whether or not “a little extra flair” is worth the entry price.

If you were reading these just to re-experience the episodes, the time that it takes to read them might be about the same length as the episode, so it might be worth firing up Disney Plus and re-watching them. You would miss out on the stand alone story, Bug, which follows up on the story of the Nightsisters after Grievous’ attack on Dathomir, though. That’s what makes this book really tough to recommend: the standalone story is great, and I’m sure we’ll see the characters again someday, but does that make it worth the entry price? Maybe not. If you love the show and consume everything around it, come in! It’s a fun book and you’ll experience your favorite show from new angles. If not, it’s probably worth passing right now.

I do want to mention that there is some fantastic art in the book. Between chapters, we are treated with some great character studies of a character from the upcoming chapter.

You can purchase a copy of this book from Barnes and Noble or through a local book store, and it is also available on Amazon. I was provided a digital copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I also bought the physical copy because, well, it’s Star Wars.

I was a little disappointed this was mostly stories from Clone Wars episodes but I would definitely recommend it to students whether they had seen Clone Wars or not.  My favorite story was Bug by E. Anne Convery.

If you are a fan of The Clone Wars animated series, you will definitely enjoy this book.  Featuring stories told by some great and familiar authors in the Star Wars canon, readers will experience different voices telling stories from multiple points of view.  

Some of these stories have already been told by the show, but what makes this book interesting for fans of The Clone Wars is that these stories are often told from the point of view of a character who isn't speaking.  The joy is getting a character's internal thoughts that is impossible to convey in any other format than a book.  

If you loved The Clone Wars, you're going to love this book.  I think readers will still derive enjoyment even if they have not watched the show, so I don't think that is a requirement to read.  This book is also definitely for fans of the "From A Certain Point Of View" anthologies that have come out in recent years.  4/5 stars.

[I received an electronic copy of this book to review from NetGalley.]

Who would have thought that 2020 would be the Year of The Clone Wars especially back when the series was cancelled after the Disney acquisition? And yet the Year of The Clone Wars it continues to be as Disney-Lucasfilm Press bring us the middle grade anthology Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark featuring stores by Lou Anders, Preeti Chhibber, Zoraida Córdova, Jason Fry, Rebecca Roanhorse, Greg Van Eekhout, Tom Angleberger, E. Anne Convery, Sarah Beth Durst, Yoon Ha Lee, and Anne Ursu. Each story also features a gorgeous illustration by Ksenia Zelentsova with whose fan art you might already be familiar. Is this a book that fans of the show are going to love? Definitely! And if you’re not already a fan? Well, let’s dive into that.

The eleven stories are retellings of episodes from The Clone Wars. This is a double-edged sword because on the one hand, it’s always great to get a new perspective on a story we already know especially since books let you get into a character’s head. Some of the stories even give us first person. On the other hand… it’s a story we already know and only so much can be added especially in the short story format. On an individual basis, these stories aren’t nearly as successful as retellings as the full-length novels that tackled each of the Original Trilogy movies a few years back.

For me, the two true standouts from the anthology were “The Shadow of Umbra” by Yoon Ha Lee and “Dark Vengeance” by Rebecca Roanhorse. The stories star Captain Rex and Maul respectively and manage to truly soar beyond being retellings. Roanhorse in particular is a great fit for Maul telling his story to an unknown someone (I’m headcanoning that it’s Ezra). Lee is one of those authors that I’m thrilled to see writing in the Star Wars universe and when I double-checked to see who’d written the Rex story, my immediate response was, “Oh, of course it’s Yoon Ha Lee.” Maybe if we’re very lucky, we’ll get to see more Star Wars stories from him.

That’s not to say that any of the stories are bad. If anything, one of the true strengths of this anthology lies in the diversity of voices. Editor Jen Heddle assembled a fantastic team of both Star Wars veterans like Jason Fry and those new to writing in the galaxy like Anne Ursu. There’s no one involved here that I wouldn’t be intrigued to see more work by in the galaxy far, far away especially if they are given the chance to tell a new story.

Ultimately though… Listen, I’ll be blunt with all of you: there is an audience for this book and it is not me. If you’re a big The Clone Wars fan or if you have a younger reader who’s looking in dive into Star Wars books, this is definitely the book for you. If, however, you’re like me and watched the show but never really connected with it, the book is more to akin to one you might read once but not come back to which truly sounds harsher than I intended it to be. Not every Star Wars book has to or possibly can be for everybody and that’s okay!

So should you pick this book up? Sure! I’m always in favor of people reading more books in Star Wars and being introduced to new authors. Will you definitely love it? Your mileage may vary.

Thank you to Disney Lucasfilm Publishing for providing an early copy of the book for review purposes.

The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark takes readers through many popular episodes of TCW.....from a certain point of view. This anthology for middle grade readers acts as both a perfectly easy read for avid TCW fans and newcomers alike of all ages, with accessible descriptions that allow readers to envision the worlds even if they haven't already seen them in the show.

On top of the text itself, the audiobook version of this book is incredible! Narrated by a full cast, each brings the character's point of view to life so vibrantly! Star Wars audiobooks are not to be missed, and this one ranks high among the many fantastic narrations. Sam Witwer as Maul is a high point!

The Clone Wars returns in a new light.. and dark! This book features short stories from many of my favourite Star Wars authors and plenty of new ones. As a big fan of the Clone Wars television series this book was a must read, and it was great to see my favourite episodes back, now with fresh perspectives from inside the minds of the characters. If you've already seen and enjoyed the show, this is your opportunity to relive it in a fantastic and in depth new way. Highly recommended!

This is a good book to read if you like the Star Wars canon.  If you have already seen all the Clone Wars episodes, I don't know if you'll like it as much.  It doesn't seem to add a lot.

The stories in this book, whilst not being new stories, they are clever retellings from alternate perspectives. Written by a great team of collaborators and illustrated interludes that really embelish the look and feel of the book.
If you love the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, you'll love this book.

Fantastic. The authors each captured the voices of the characters that they wrote and the format for this was great. I think Disney has done a fantastic job curating authors for the characters of the Star Wars universe.

This was a fun collection of stories! I think fans of the Clone Wars series will enjoy reading retellings of favorite episodes from the POV of different characters. I do wish there was more 'newness' and some writing from moments we didn't see as viewers.

War! This book brings together a talented group of writers who all put a unique spin on stories from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (as the title suggests). Like many books of this nature, it's kind of a mixed bag, but each story has its own merits. Anne Ursu's "Pursuit of Peace" is probably my favorite of the bunch. (Note: this galley edition does not include E. Anne Convery's original story, "Bug.") If there's a young "Star Wars" fan looking for a good read, I'd recommend picking up this title for a breezy and well-portioned read!

Overall, I was disappointed in this title. I went in expecting new stories about my favorite Clone Wars characters, but found rehashes of the existing episodes. Yes, these renditions were written by excellent writers, but I needed something fresh from them.

I love these anthology series! It so cool to see these little side stories about some of our favorite characters or places.

The ending of THE CLONE WARS in many ways still feels like a fresh wound in its early stages of healing. I don't know if I'll ever recover from "Victory and Death," if I'm being honest. Moments from that finale will stay with me for a very long time. But the same goes for some earlier episodes of the series - which is why I was so excited about this anthology.
STORIES OF LIGHT AND DARK features a group of retellings of familiar episodes of the show, aside from the one original story at the end that truly makes the book as a whole stand out (MORE, PLEASE). From Obi-Wan's brief stint as a bounty hunter (if you know, you know) to Maul's brutal occupation of Mandalore (NOOOOO), this book hits many of the series' high points. And it's the perfect way to revisit the show if you're not in the mood for another full rewatch.
But the stories themselves aren't all that make up this anthology, which is why it works so well. The art, both on the cover and within the pages themselves, is stunning. I want it all on my wall? Also, it's a beautiful book to display. Especially if you have a few Funko figures to pose with it.
Some stories add more depth and intrigue to the original, while others are more of a straight retelling - and that's OK. The great thing about an anthology is that even if you don't love every story in it, it doesn't take away the value of the whole package.
Now if we could get a REBELS version, and ALL THE SABINE POV ... that would be wonderful.

This book was a mixed bag for me. But that seems to be common with short story anthologies. There were some stories that I enjoyed greatly. Others, not so much.

One high points of this anthology is the variety of stories within. Some of my favorite characters from both the light and dark side had stories including Yoda, Padme, and Bane.

It is a solid addition to the Star Wars Canon series. And one I think fans old and new would enjoy.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide in exchange for this review.

I was excited to hear about a new Star Wars short story compilation set during The Clone Wars called Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark.  I couldn’t wait to check out this anthology featuring tales by Jason Fry, Zoraida Cordova, Rebecca Rhoanhorse, Lou Anders and more.  When this book was offered up on Netgalley, I jumped on the chance to review it.
	But as I started reading the book, I realized something: this wasn’t a fresh set of new stories set in the Star Wars Universe during The Clone Wars.  This was a novelization of episodes of the animated television series.  The more I read, the more annoyed I got.  Sure, the writing was great and it transported me back to the time when I watched the series.  The descriptiveness of each of the eleven writers enabled me to picture every scene in their assigned episode all over again.  And it was nice to see these episodes written in certain character’s points of view.  My favorites included Zoraida Cordova’s Asajj Ventress tale (Bounty), Padme’s attempt at ending the war in The Pursuit of Peace by Anne Ursu and Yoon Ha Lee’s Shadow of Umbara.
	That being said, I was expecting NEW stories, whether they featured characters I knew in the animated series or all new characters created by the authors set in the time frame of the series.  Even more disappointing was the fact that most of the novelizations really did nothing to reveal thought processes or emotional influences behind character actions in each story.  That’s the beauty of a film novelization that makes you want to read it – there are always bits of insight added that allow you to get into certain characters’ brains.  This anthology had none of that.  Had I purchased Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, I would have considered it a rip-off at $16.00.  Definitely not worth the money.

This is fun read for fans of The Clone Wars TV series, but I wanted more from it. I was hoping to read new adventures and gain new insights into the characters that didn't make it into the show. However, each story was essentially a retelling of an episode of the series from one character's point of view, but there wasn't enough in these stories that you couldn't infer from watching the show. I also don't think all of the story arcs included in this anthology were necessarily the most important or interesting for the characters.

Maybe I would've enjoyed this collection more if I hadn't watched the whole series so recently. This is a well-written and fun concept for Star Wars fans of all ages looking for a new medium to revisit The Clone Wars; however, the execution doesn't offer enough new material to the canon to make this a must-read.