It's been awhile since my last post concerning Exile, but with the release of Secret Weapon, the seventh book in the Last of the Jedi series by Jude Watson, I'm back.

So far in the series, Jude Watson has done a superb job balancing the pace of each story and keeping all the characters that have appeared involved. The books seem pretty dark, maybe even too dark for the age group they're aimed at, but regardless, they're books that if you love the EU, you will want to check them out.

In Secret Weapon, Ferus Olin continues to play the double agent, doing such a scary job about it that even the thirteen year old that's been following Ferus since book one, Trever, even starts to believe that he's lost his friend. And it doesn't help Ferus to be standing next to Darth Vader for most of the book; Vader mainly being sent to keep an eye on Ferus but at the same time, just trying to find a reason to kill his former rival.

The lives of the main characters continues to descend into darkness, but unlike characters falling in other stories, Ferus doesn't fall so easily, nor does the teenager following him around view him as an incorruptible god. However, light is still present when another Jedi from the Jedi Quest books makes a reappearance. I have grown annoyed with how many of these characters still show up as surviving Order 66, making me think "who did Order 66 get killed?", but Watson's exclamation for the Jedi's survival is one that I always thought the authors should use and sure enough it is this time.

The book ends on an even darker note with Trever deciding to help find someone by joining the very thing he's is fighting against, and after the death of a close friend, Ferus makes a decision that seems to seal his fate come the end of the series.

As I say each time, if you've kept up with this series, continue doing so; I think it will only continue to blossom up to its conclusion. Plus, if you enjoy seeing Darth Vader in action like I do (say reading James Luceno's Dark Lord book), be sure to check this one out as well as future ones. I'm afraid the confrontation between Vader and Ferus will come about and finally Ferus might realize who the Dark Lord of the Sith is from their younger days.

Check out the book and feel free to comment.

PS (can I PS here ) - Each chapter has the NJO logo above it, which makes absolutely no sense, but it is a great logo so I'll let it slide