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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Thank the maker, a new Star Wars novel has been bestowed upon us! Shadow of the Sith, published by Del Rey and written by first time Star Wars author Adam Christopher, is a beast of a book (page count is nearly 500) that does quite a bit of heavy narrative lifting in a portion of the canon timeline that’s relatively unexplored. Filled with faces both familiar and new, Shadow of the Sith kept me captivated chapter after chapter with its mix of heart, action, and suspense.
Front and center is Ochi of Bestoon, a character whose introduction in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker was both brief and mysterious. For devotees of Star Wars comics, his backstory has been more fleshed out in the Darth Vader (2020) and Crimson Reign titles. If you’re only familiar with him from the film (like me), you’ll have no problems keeping up as Christopher does a great job of filling in Ochi’s backstory and displaying his – let’s call it specific – personality. What we learned about Ochi from Rise of Skywalker shouldn’t be a spoiler at this point, but it’s his motivation and how he works towards his goal that is the central plot of the novel.
Shadow of the Sith is set about 20 years after the Battle of Endor, and while The New Republic generally has things under control, there’s still plenty of evil in the galaxy. Old pals Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker are on very different paths at this point in their lives. Lando’s particularly traumatized by the capture of his young daughter years ago and he carries that burden with him wherever he goes. Luke’s focused on training the next generation of Jedi but can’t deny that the Force is trying to communicate an evil threat on the horizon. The events of the book kick into high gear when Lando overhears Ochi’s plan to kidnap a child and he recruits Luke to join his team to ensure he doesn’t succeed. It’s never that simple though as a new dark side menace is determined to take Luke and Lando down.
I really enjoyed how Adam Christopher handled the number of new characters in this book. As I said earlier, Ochi of Bestoon is well fleshed-out (pun sorta intended) and is deliciously despicable. The aforementioned dark side villain’s name is Kiza, who was first introduced in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy, and she’s dealing with some pretty intense physical and psychological torture via the form of a Sith relic. Without spoiling anything I will just say that her storyline is equal parts evil and entertaining (imagine if Jim Carrey’s The Mask had horror mixed in). As announced before Shadow of the Sith was published, Rey’s parents are given names, Dathan (father) and Miramir (mother). Dathan’s family tree would put a strain on any relationship, but these two handle their situation with maturity and love. I honestly wasn’t prepared for how charmed I was by these two, kudos to Christopher for surprising me with how endearing they are. As a parent I found myself sympathizing with their desire for normalcy amidst chaotic circumstances. Plus, getting to know them makes their fates that much more heartbreaking and give Rey’s backstory an impactful emotional weight.
Like I said before, Shadow of the Sith is a meaty read and that’s a compliment! Chapters are lengthy and Christophers prose isn’t difficult to read by any means, but he packs a lot into each chapter. This is a book that shouldn’t be devoured, rather savored for the rich feast it is. Shadow of the Sith stands apart as a Star Wars novel that skillfully combines the action and adventure we’d expect with elements of humanity and heart.
I give this book
Front and center is Ochi of Bestoon, a character whose introduction in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker was both brief and mysterious. For devotees of Star Wars comics, his backstory has been more fleshed out in the Darth Vader (2020) and Crimson Reign titles. If you’re only familiar with him from the film (like me), you’ll have no problems keeping up as Christopher does a great job of filling in Ochi’s backstory and displaying his – let’s call it specific – personality. What we learned about Ochi from Rise of Skywalker shouldn’t be a spoiler at this point, but it’s his motivation and how he works towards his goal that is the central plot of the novel.
Shadow of the Sith is set about 20 years after the Battle of Endor, and while The New Republic generally has things under control, there’s still plenty of evil in the galaxy. Old pals Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker are on very different paths at this point in their lives. Lando’s particularly traumatized by the capture of his young daughter years ago and he carries that burden with him wherever he goes. Luke’s focused on training the next generation of Jedi but can’t deny that the Force is trying to communicate an evil threat on the horizon. The events of the book kick into high gear when Lando overhears Ochi’s plan to kidnap a child and he recruits Luke to join his team to ensure he doesn’t succeed. It’s never that simple though as a new dark side menace is determined to take Luke and Lando down.
I really enjoyed how Adam Christopher handled the number of new characters in this book. As I said earlier, Ochi of Bestoon is well fleshed-out (pun sorta intended) and is deliciously despicable. The aforementioned dark side villain’s name is Kiza, who was first introduced in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy, and she’s dealing with some pretty intense physical and psychological torture via the form of a Sith relic. Without spoiling anything I will just say that her storyline is equal parts evil and entertaining (imagine if Jim Carrey’s The Mask had horror mixed in). As announced before Shadow of the Sith was published, Rey’s parents are given names, Dathan (father) and Miramir (mother). Dathan’s family tree would put a strain on any relationship, but these two handle their situation with maturity and love. I honestly wasn’t prepared for how charmed I was by these two, kudos to Christopher for surprising me with how endearing they are. As a parent I found myself sympathizing with their desire for normalcy amidst chaotic circumstances. Plus, getting to know them makes their fates that much more heartbreaking and give Rey’s backstory an impactful emotional weight.
Like I said before, Shadow of the Sith is a meaty read and that’s a compliment! Chapters are lengthy and Christophers prose isn’t difficult to read by any means, but he packs a lot into each chapter. This is a book that shouldn’t be devoured, rather savored for the rich feast it is. Shadow of the Sith stands apart as a Star Wars novel that skillfully combines the action and adventure we’d expect with elements of humanity and heart.
I give this book
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book has to jump through so many hoops to try and justify the decisions made in the ninth film. Also way too many glup shittos
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was the slowest Star Wars book I’ve ever read. A lot happens, but only because it’s over 450 pages long—not because it moves quickly. The prose is wordy and at times frustratingly redundant. The end is anticlimactic and unsatisfying. Save yourself the trouble and read the Wookieepedia synopsis or something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
This really surprised me how much I enjoyed this. It’s such a good connect to the sequel movies. And learning more about Luke after Return of the Jedi is always fun.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was not a good book. It suffered from some of the same problems that Episode IX did in that instead of telling a compelling story, it seemed like it was just trying to get to an end state. I didn't care about Rey's parents in this book; I probably should have, as their story is the main purpose of the book. I still don't understand Lando's motivations (I know what they are, I just don't understand why he did what he did), and Luke was basically decoration throughout the book.
At times, the book was unnecessarily verbose and boring. I found myself saying aloud "Get on with it!" several times as the scene descriptions were repetitive and didn't impact the plot. I didn't count how many times "Ochi of Bestoon" appeared, but I can tell you it was an annoying number.
All in all, not the best novel in the canon.
At times, the book was unnecessarily verbose and boring. I found myself saying aloud "Get on with it!" several times as the scene descriptions were repetitive and didn't impact the plot. I didn't count how many times "Ochi of Bestoon" appeared, but I can tell you it was an annoying number.
All in all, not the best novel in the canon.
A bland & blatant attempt to shoehorn Rey and Exegol into an earlier point in Star Wars canon. But without making an interesting story in the process.