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Star Wars Episode I Adventures #14
Podrace to Freedom
Anakin Skywalker is a slave on the planet Tatooine. When a band of visitors needs a way to leave Tatooine, he offers to help.
His only hope is to win the most dangerous Podrace of his life.
His only hope is to win the most dangerous Podrace of his life.
77 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 12, 2021
I read this with my daughter. She said it’s “aight.”
January 13, 2026
⭐⭐ A Children’s Version of a Familiar Story
Podrace to Freedom retells the podrace and escape from Tatooine in a fast and simplified way. The pacing is quick, and the book moves efficiently through material already familiar from The Phantom Menace. Nothing here is thrilling or surprising, and the story follows the same beats as the film with minimal variation. Like Danger on Naboo, it works mainly as a compressed retelling rather than a fully developed narrative.
As a reading experience, the focus is on Anakin as a person rather than as a slave, which is the book’s clearest distinction. The relationships between Shmi and Anakin, and between Anakin and Qui-Gon, are handled simply but effectively. Beyond that, the book does little to expand the story. One unresolved issue is the seeker droid sent by Darth Maul, which somehow knows to target Anakin and Qui-Gon without explanation. This gap is never addressed and weakens the internal logic. The book is best suited for young children or new Star Wars readers, while more experienced readers will likely find it repetitive and slight.
Podrace to Freedom retells the podrace and escape from Tatooine in a fast and simplified way. The pacing is quick, and the book moves efficiently through material already familiar from The Phantom Menace. Nothing here is thrilling or surprising, and the story follows the same beats as the film with minimal variation. Like Danger on Naboo, it works mainly as a compressed retelling rather than a fully developed narrative.
As a reading experience, the focus is on Anakin as a person rather than as a slave, which is the book’s clearest distinction. The relationships between Shmi and Anakin, and between Anakin and Qui-Gon, are handled simply but effectively. Beyond that, the book does little to expand the story. One unresolved issue is the seeker droid sent by Darth Maul, which somehow knows to target Anakin and Qui-Gon without explanation. This gap is never addressed and weakens the internal logic. The book is best suited for young children or new Star Wars readers, while more experienced readers will likely find it repetitive and slight.
December 10, 2025
I found this to be terribly dull. I have catered for me being an adult reading a book and game aimed at children, however, not only does it simply replicate a small portion of The Phantom Menace but also it fails to develop any of the characters within the story.
Perhaps the book alone would have sneaked in a second star but the game book was so tedious and repetitive that it anchored the pair at the minimum rating.
Perhaps the book alone would have sneaked in a second star but the game book was so tedious and repetitive that it anchored the pair at the minimum rating.
October 15, 2021
Not at all worth reading. Just power of Episode I told worse.
November 29, 2016
Yet another Phantom Menace cash grab by Lucasfilms. Any which way they could exploit and over do the same story segment they will do so to keep the machine running.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews