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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
After reading this book I have a better understanding of Tarkin than I expected I would
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reread. Closer to 3.5 stars. It’s not Luceno’s best Star Wars novel, but I can’t decide what exactly is missing from this. With Rogue One and Luceno’s prequel novel Catalyst this story is all the more interesting, but I think the lack of time spent with Tarkin overseeing the Death Star hurts it a bit. As a character study his background is developed excellently, and I enjoy how there are ample ties to his other non canon novels such as Cloak of Deception and the masterpiece that is Darth Plagueis, but still I was ready for it to end.
slow-paced
This book accomplishes the filling of two major holes that I felt George Lucas left in the original "A New Hope" film that left unanswered: 1) Who the hell is Tarkin? 2) How did he get in charge of the Death Star? This fantastic story from James Luceno succeeds in answering both of these questions while fleshing out some other characters of the Star Wars universe. Without spoiling the story, I will simply say that Tarkin gets some great quality time with Vader and it becomes evident that they are cut from a similar cloth despite their different tactics. I highly recommend the audiobook version, complete with sound effects, John Williams classic score, and a truly great narration. I will add this to my list of favorite Star Wars Expanded Universe fiction and eagerly look forward to reading James Luceno's story of Darth Plagueis, expanding on Darth Sidious and his rise to become Emperor of the Galaxy.
TARKIN has its moments of greatness, but its extended expositions on the early days of Wilhuff Tarkin on his homeworld of Iriadu become tiresome at times. Luceno writes the character well, and the narrator of the audiobook voices him very well, but I think that the protagonist is simply a difficult guy to make the focal point of a full-length novel. Some of the best parts of the book were scenes involving Tarkin with Vader and/or Palpatine. For hardcore Star Wars geeks only :P
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture, War
Me and all my friends hate Grand Moff Tarkin. I think my favorite part of this book came from reading it directly after reading Lords of the Sith because Vader and Palpy are not the same people from LotS to Tarkin. Let's just say Tarkin has a lot more Anakin and Sheev, and LotS has Darth Vader and Darth Sidious.