YJK 4: Lightsabers

 Slowly but surely, this series continues to improve. It's still not good by any stretch of the imagination. Luke is still the worst teacher ever (Why is he personally ferrying the kids around in his stealth shuttle? Why doesn't he send Tionne after Jacen after he almost accidentally kills Tenel Ka), consistency and development are iffy (Jacen made a big deal about getting a lightsaber for about half a book, but it pretty much got dropped for the whole last one), everyone is kind of a moron, but at least there's a plot now. The series could probably have safely cut about 90% of book one and 1/2 of books two and three, but this one is pretty filler minimal. Tenel Ka is finally in play (and marginally better at talking) and the Shadow Academy students are marginally interesting. The little vignettes of the kids putting together their sabers are passable.

Short summary:

1. Luke decides the kids need lightsaber training

2. They all go build them

3. Tenel Ka's breaks during a duel with Jacen, he lops off her arm, and her lightsaber explodes, blowing up her hand so there's no chance of reattaching it.

4. She goes back to Hapes, the kids eventually follow.

5. Luke finally tells them she's a princess (off screen)

6. Her ambassador/babysitter tries a coup, but the kids stop her.

7. Meanwhille, the Coruscant kids from the last book start Dark Jedi/Stormtrooper training. They don't build their own lightsabers. Zekk kills one of the other trainees.