Reviews

Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber

hicksjacob's review

adventurous tense

4.5

nickyskene's review against another edition

4.0

A good edition to the Star Wars saga.

balkanbruiser's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.75

Pretty good if you're a Maul lover. Loved seeing some characteristics of Maul's servitude and his thought process being displayed under such intense pressure. It gives a lot of context to Maul's headspace before and perhaps even after Phantom Menace. There is no real direct correlation between the two, though, it's its own standalone adventure.

Maul wants to survive above all else; Maul wants to touch the Dark Side for more than just its power to dominate, unlike his teacher.

That being said, the prose is bad, the print design is atrocious, and generally it's all a bit lackluster. Everything and the kitchen sink happens all at once and the book pulls you toward different plot points in the most heart-gripping moments--totally breaking your flow. Not to mention that whatever is brought up is not kneaded to its full potential. It's there for shock factor.

AND GOD, the fact that the enemy at the very end is a Chiss makes sense because of the species' logic and cunning, but also it just feels like fan service and fluff. Radique gets killed *snaps fingers* like that. We never really learned anything about him, and I really think the slot could've been filled by something more fitting. Something so mundane that can easily lead you back to the realization the answer has been right in front of you from the very beginning. But alas.

For a book centered around Maul, there's a surprising lack of real introspection. Schreiber could've definitely dug deeper, though I also understand perhaps the limitations of releasing this considering established canon. AND YET, Clone Wars was already long released at this point AND this is Legends territory.

cyris_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

librarimans's review against another edition

4.0

This was a fun read. I've always liked Darth Maul as a character, so it was interesting to follow one of his adventures prior to the Phantom Menace. Sequentially this follows the Darth Plagueis book that was released in 2012.

knp4597's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jjsearle's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

4.5

rms25's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

amphybius's review against another edition

3.0

modular

bookhoarding's review against another edition

4.0

Let's all admit that of all the new characters from Episode One Darth Maul was probably the most intriguing. Luckily this is just one of many books written from his perspective. This mission is meant to test Maul, but his master has ulterior motives for his apprentice. Sent to the prison ship of Cog Hive Seven Maul must conceal his identity while searching for a shadowy figure, Radique. In the midst of his search he has to compete in the deadly matches that have made the Hive a fast favorite among galactic gamblers.

Maul isn't the only one searching for Radique, but being locked up keeps him from being privy to the drama outside the prison. There's Sith power-plays and our favorite gangster, Jabba, is on the prowl as well. The prison warden is brought into the intrigue as well, but she knows more than she's letting on.

Everything culminates into a chaotic, yet exciting conclusion that has everything up-in-the-air until the final pages.

The volume gives us a better understanding of the inner workings of this Sith Lord. After reading so many EU books focusing on Jedi it was really cool to see how the Sith operate in comparison. Maul fed off of the rage within him, instead of pushing it away. He embraces the pain and pushes himself in ways Luke would have been weary of.