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jaredkwheeler 's review for:
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
by Michael Reaves
Star Wars Legends Project #66
Background: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter was written by [a:Michael Reaves|12537|Michael Reaves|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1272842062p2/12537.jpg] and published in January of 2001. It was Reaves' first Star Wars book though he was also involved in a few episodes from the much-earlier Droids and Ewoks TV series in the '80s. He has since written eight more Star Wars novels set throughout the prequel era (several co-written with other authors), and has soloed sundry other things. Non-Star Wars writings include a long and varied career in television on such shows as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Batman: The Animated Series, as well as many novels and short stories.
Shadow Hunter is set during the few days before The Phantom Menace begins (32 years before the Battle of Yavin), and it ends with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan en route to Naboo. The major ongoing characters with a significant role in the book are Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but several other characters make incidental appearances (Darth Sidious, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Trade Federation leaders, etc.). Jedi Master Anoon Bondara and his Padawan, Darsha Assant, who are major characters here, had brief, walk-on roles in [b:Cloak of Deception|387506|Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)|James Luceno|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349122895s/387506.jpg|1016812] (my review). Incidentally, this novel fits in very well with the surrounding ones, with the definite exception of [b:Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown|13317315|Star Wars Maul Lockdown|Joe Schreiber|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364853096s/13317315.jpg|25991076] (my review). I want to withhold final judgment until I've read the Darth Plageuis novel it was meant to tie-in with, but it seems like Schreiber didn't try very hard to fit his story neatly into this space, at least in terms of his characterization of Darth Maul and his activities around this time.
Summary: Four Nemoidians are in on Darth Sidious's plot to blockade Naboo, but when one of them bolts, intent on selling what he knows to the highest bidder, Sidious dispatches Darth Maul to quickly and quietly plug the leak. On Coruscant, Lorn Pavan, a small-time information broker who has been down on his luck ever since the Jedi ruined his life, Pavan's "business partner" I-Five, a wise-cracking, heavily-modified protocol droid, and Darsha Assant, an untried Jedi Padawan who has just completely flubbed her first important solo mission find themselves right in the middle of Darth Maul's path to completing his mission. These three unlikely companions will match wits with a Dark Lord of the Sith (and worse) deep in the treacherous, terrifying underbelly of the galaxy's capital planet.
Review: This is the fifth time I've read this book, and to me, it is the exact prototype of what a stand-alone Star Wars novel should be like: simple and straightforward, with memorable characters, full of excitement and flavor, and filling in tangential but interesting gaps in what we know about the main story. Reaves writes very naturally in the lingo, and his vocabulary (Star Wars and non-Star Wars) is large and varied. He knows his lore, but deploys it sparingly in a way that hardcore fans will appreciate without confusing casual fans. The story is brilliantly and intricately plotted, and you never know what's going to happen next. There is a genuine tension because the heroes are one-off, expendable characters who can (and probably will) die. The hair-breadth escapes feel like Indiana Jones-style "how in the heck can they get out of this?" stunts that have you on the edge of your seat.
The characters are fantastic. You read this and it's immediately obvious what's missing from all of the other Maul stories I've read: Really solid, sympathetic non-Maul characters. The banter between Pavan and his droid is classic Star Wars, and Darsha (the amazing fallible Jedi) is a nice change from the usual flat, bland characterization others in her order often receive. And Obi-Wan gets some really nice scenes, as well. What I particularly like about this is the way it casts the Jedi Order in a less-than-glowing light. Lorn has a real, legitimate beef with the Jedi that highlights an issue with how they operate that can't be uncommon but somehow never comes up elsewhere.
Obviously, Maul's character remains a centerpiece of this, as well. Reaves' portrayal is pretty compelling. Maul remains a credibly scary villain even though he fails several times to finish off his quarry, thanks to his incredible arrogance (his overconfidence is his weakness?). His character does follow from what we see in Lockdown in one important respect: It's not really possible to envision Darth Maul as a true Sith Lord, inheriting the order as the master at some future date. As exceptional as he is in every way, Maul remains utterly servile to his master, with no apparent ambitions to one day take his place. That's not really how the Sith are supposed to work, but as Sidious himself is the culmination of the Sith's thousand-year plan to dominate the galaxy, maybe that's the point.
There is one other character in the book that Reaves does exceptionally well: Coruscant. Reaves really brings the planet to life for us, populating its underworld with strange life forms, street gangs, criminal organizations, tribes of mutant cannibals . . . and surrounding it all an atmosphere of deep-ghetto gloom and grime that exists just beneath the shining surface of the planet's upper-levels.
This is a really cracking read, and I highly recommend it. The action is near non-stop, and I've had no trouble enjoying it over and over again, even though I don't tend to re-read books as a general rule.
A
Background: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter was written by [a:Michael Reaves|12537|Michael Reaves|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1272842062p2/12537.jpg] and published in January of 2001. It was Reaves' first Star Wars book though he was also involved in a few episodes from the much-earlier Droids and Ewoks TV series in the '80s. He has since written eight more Star Wars novels set throughout the prequel era (several co-written with other authors), and has soloed sundry other things. Non-Star Wars writings include a long and varied career in television on such shows as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Batman: The Animated Series, as well as many novels and short stories.
Shadow Hunter is set during the few days before The Phantom Menace begins (32 years before the Battle of Yavin), and it ends with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan en route to Naboo. The major ongoing characters with a significant role in the book are Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but several other characters make incidental appearances (Darth Sidious, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Trade Federation leaders, etc.). Jedi Master Anoon Bondara and his Padawan, Darsha Assant, who are major characters here, had brief, walk-on roles in [b:Cloak of Deception|387506|Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)|James Luceno|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349122895s/387506.jpg|1016812] (my review). Incidentally, this novel fits in very well with the surrounding ones, with the definite exception of [b:Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown|13317315|Star Wars Maul Lockdown|Joe Schreiber|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364853096s/13317315.jpg|25991076] (my review). I want to withhold final judgment until I've read the Darth Plageuis novel it was meant to tie-in with, but it seems like Schreiber didn't try very hard to fit his story neatly into this space, at least in terms of his characterization of Darth Maul and his activities around this time.
Summary: Four Nemoidians are in on Darth Sidious's plot to blockade Naboo, but when one of them bolts, intent on selling what he knows to the highest bidder, Sidious dispatches Darth Maul to quickly and quietly plug the leak. On Coruscant, Lorn Pavan, a small-time information broker who has been down on his luck ever since the Jedi ruined his life, Pavan's "business partner" I-Five, a wise-cracking, heavily-modified protocol droid, and Darsha Assant, an untried Jedi Padawan who has just completely flubbed her first important solo mission find themselves right in the middle of Darth Maul's path to completing his mission. These three unlikely companions will match wits with a Dark Lord of the Sith (and worse) deep in the treacherous, terrifying underbelly of the galaxy's capital planet.
Review: This is the fifth time I've read this book, and to me, it is the exact prototype of what a stand-alone Star Wars novel should be like: simple and straightforward, with memorable characters, full of excitement and flavor, and filling in tangential but interesting gaps in what we know about the main story. Reaves writes very naturally in the lingo, and his vocabulary (Star Wars and non-Star Wars) is large and varied. He knows his lore, but deploys it sparingly in a way that hardcore fans will appreciate without confusing casual fans. The story is brilliantly and intricately plotted, and you never know what's going to happen next. There is a genuine tension because the heroes are one-off, expendable characters who can (and probably will) die. The hair-breadth escapes feel like Indiana Jones-style "how in the heck can they get out of this?" stunts that have you on the edge of your seat.
The characters are fantastic. You read this and it's immediately obvious what's missing from all of the other Maul stories I've read: Really solid, sympathetic non-Maul characters. The banter between Pavan and his droid is classic Star Wars, and Darsha (the amazing fallible Jedi) is a nice change from the usual flat, bland characterization others in her order often receive. And Obi-Wan gets some really nice scenes, as well. What I particularly like about this is the way it casts the Jedi Order in a less-than-glowing light. Lorn has a real, legitimate beef with the Jedi that highlights an issue with how they operate that can't be uncommon but somehow never comes up elsewhere.
Obviously, Maul's character remains a centerpiece of this, as well. Reaves' portrayal is pretty compelling. Maul remains a credibly scary villain even though he fails several times to finish off his quarry, thanks to his incredible arrogance (his overconfidence is his weakness?). His character does follow from what we see in Lockdown in one important respect: It's not really possible to envision Darth Maul as a true Sith Lord, inheriting the order as the master at some future date. As exceptional as he is in every way, Maul remains utterly servile to his master, with no apparent ambitions to one day take his place. That's not really how the Sith are supposed to work, but as Sidious himself is the culmination of the Sith's thousand-year plan to dominate the galaxy, maybe that's the point.
There is one other character in the book that Reaves does exceptionally well: Coruscant. Reaves really brings the planet to life for us, populating its underworld with strange life forms, street gangs, criminal organizations, tribes of mutant cannibals . . . and surrounding it all an atmosphere of deep-ghetto gloom and grime that exists just beneath the shining surface of the planet's upper-levels.
This is a really cracking read, and I highly recommend it. The action is near non-stop, and I've had no trouble enjoying it over and over again, even though I don't tend to re-read books as a general rule.
A