A review by baudshaw
Cataclysm by Lydia Kang

5.0

(Shared review with Star Wars Convergence)

Star Wars Convergence and Star Wars Cataclysm are great books. The latter is a sequel, so they're worth talking together. It's extremely interesting seeing the ancient "golden age" of the Jedi, and I like how their philosophies and fighting styles differ from the 'modern era'. They're very Batman-like, where they refuse to kill others. Convergence is mostly a simple tale, with a clear focus on the dynamic between a Jedi and a troubled son of a Republic politician. There's also a surprisingly interesting portrayal of an arranged marriage between the heirs of 2 royal planets that was quite sweet. Cataclysm expands it more, pitting the characters against each other and adding a bunch of new characters and plotlines. I like basically everything. The story, characters, and dialogue are definitely worthy to be adapted into a film. There's just one problem: for a supposed peaceful era, the last half of Cataclysm is quite gruesome, with a massive battle taking up a large chunk of the book. I think they should've portrayed the antagonists more as an asymmetric guerilla force and made the climax more personal.