You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Remains my favorite of the Disney era Star Wars novels. Expertly traces the Erso’s and Krennic from the early days of the Clone Wars through the rise of the Empire. I remember the opening scene of the film feeling like the next chapter of this book.
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In much the same way that 'Rogue One: A Star Wars story' acts as a prequel to the original Star Wars movie (since subtilted 'A New Hope') by detailing the mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, so this is a direct prequel to Rogue One itself.
That movie starts, remember (minus the traditional opening crawl) with the Erso's hiding out on a planet before they are found by Director Krennic, with Galen Erso then forced to finish his work on the weapon that the Death Star was built to house before jumping forward about a decade or so to his daughter in a prison transport: Jynn then becoming the main focus of the rest of the film.
This novel details hiow they came to be hiding out on that planet in the first place, focusing nearly exclusivley on Jynn's parent Galen and Lyra Erso: the former a genius involved in the study of Kyber crystals (those that power the Jedi's lightsabre's) believing - at least initially - that he was involved in exploring new methods of renewable energy; the latter his wife and assistant.
Te novel takes place over a span of years: as it starts, the Clone Wars are still raging across the galaxy, with Order 66 yet to be implemented by the soon-to-be Emperor Palpatine: a character who, though mentioned, has no direct impact on the events in this at all. Indeed, the conclusion of the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi and the appearance of Vader are all really only background noise, 'fluff' (if you will) to the story told in this, with the novel split into three segemens: the first showing the friendship(?) between Erso and Krennic (or, at least, the latter manipulating events so that the former would believe this is the case), the middle segment Erso's work on the Kyber crystals leading up the first test-firing of the super-weapon (with Krennic keeping this secret from Erso) and the final section with Galen and Lyras growing doubts and disillusionment about the work they are involved in - doubts and disillusionments shared by the secondary character of Has Obitt who finds himself going from working for Krennic to being instrumental in providing the Empire for excuses to take over worlds to joining the (pre)Rebellion rebellion against the Empire before being captured and employed by Tarkin to spy on Krennic - yes, Tarkin also plays a role in these proceedings, albeit not to the exten he does in Rogue One, via his rivalry with Krennic.
Solid if not spectacular entry in the 'new' Star Wars canon - be prepared to find out more than you could possibly want to know, though, about crystals!
That movie starts, remember (minus the traditional opening crawl) with the Erso's hiding out on a planet before they are found by Director Krennic, with Galen Erso then forced to finish his work on the weapon that the Death Star was built to house before jumping forward about a decade or so to his daughter in a prison transport: Jynn then becoming the main focus of the rest of the film.
This novel details hiow they came to be hiding out on that planet in the first place, focusing nearly exclusivley on Jynn's parent Galen and Lyra Erso: the former a genius involved in the study of Kyber crystals (those that power the Jedi's lightsabre's) believing - at least initially - that he was involved in exploring new methods of renewable energy; the latter his wife and assistant.
Te novel takes place over a span of years: as it starts, the Clone Wars are still raging across the galaxy, with Order 66 yet to be implemented by the soon-to-be Emperor Palpatine: a character who, though mentioned, has no direct impact on the events in this at all. Indeed, the conclusion of the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi and the appearance of Vader are all really only background noise, 'fluff' (if you will) to the story told in this, with the novel split into three segemens: the first showing the friendship(?) between Erso and Krennic (or, at least, the latter manipulating events so that the former would believe this is the case), the middle segment Erso's work on the Kyber crystals leading up the first test-firing of the super-weapon (with Krennic keeping this secret from Erso) and the final section with Galen and Lyras growing doubts and disillusionment about the work they are involved in - doubts and disillusionments shared by the secondary character of Has Obitt who finds himself going from working for Krennic to being instrumental in providing the Empire for excuses to take over worlds to joining the (pre)Rebellion rebellion against the Empire before being captured and employed by Tarkin to spy on Krennic - yes, Tarkin also plays a role in these proceedings, albeit not to the exten he does in Rogue One, via his rivalry with Krennic.
Solid if not spectacular entry in the 'new' Star Wars canon - be prepared to find out more than you could possibly want to know, though, about crystals!
adventurous
medium-paced
This book is pretty much the Rogue One prequel and takes place from the late Clone Wars years on. We are introduced to Galen Erso, Lyra Erso, Orson Krennic, and …
wait for it….
Baby Jyn.
The story revolves around Galen Erso’s energy research with Kyber crystals and Orson Krennic trying to bring Galen into his Death Star project. So sounds pretty awesome right?
The book is definitely more of a scientific intrigue than a real action battle book. If you are in it to see space battles, blaster shootouts, and lightsaber duels this isn’t the book for you. However, if you want a very interesting look at the Erso family and, presumably, a better understanding of characters that will soon be in the first Star Wars Story, then this book is a must-read. The pacing is well done with a lot of subject matter that could definitely bog down a book if not handled well. Luceno crafts a long, layered tale as the characters move through the changes the galaxy faces after the end of the Clone Wars and the birth of the Galactic Empire. I enjoyed this book and for those who want their novels to have more connections and relevance to the films, this is the book you are looking for.
A great solid character-driven story that I suspect will greatly enhance future viewings of Rogue One.
“Science doesn’t take sides, does it?”
– Gruppe
wait for it….
Baby Jyn.
The story revolves around Galen Erso’s energy research with Kyber crystals and Orson Krennic trying to bring Galen into his Death Star project. So sounds pretty awesome right?
The book is definitely more of a scientific intrigue than a real action battle book. If you are in it to see space battles, blaster shootouts, and lightsaber duels this isn’t the book for you. However, if you want a very interesting look at the Erso family and, presumably, a better understanding of characters that will soon be in the first Star Wars Story, then this book is a must-read. The pacing is well done with a lot of subject matter that could definitely bog down a book if not handled well. Luceno crafts a long, layered tale as the characters move through the changes the galaxy faces after the end of the Clone Wars and the birth of the Galactic Empire. I enjoyed this book and for those who want their novels to have more connections and relevance to the films, this is the book you are looking for.
A great solid character-driven story that I suspect will greatly enhance future viewings of Rogue One.
“Science doesn’t take sides, does it?”
– Gruppe
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a great tie-in novel to give depth to the main characters of Rogue One. I feel like it got extremely technical in describing some of the science at play, but that’s where SCI-FI comes into play I guess. It was very interesting to see Krennic’s rise & his beef with Tarkin. I very much enjoyed learning about the dynamics of the Erso family.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Disclaimer: I only read this because of Orson/Galen
Unfortunately, this book was very underwhelming. It could have been great but instead it fell flat and had nothing to offer except some mediocre easter eggs and some background information. I thought it would offer some new information that might change or improve 'Rogue One' but instead I feel like I know as much about Galen's story as I did when I watched 'Rogue One'. Watch 'Rogue One' and don't waste your time with this book.
Road to the Death Star…
Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno is a novel that serves as a partial prequel to Rogue One, focusing on the activities of Galen Erso and Ordon Krennick.
The events of the book cover from the clone wars to a few years before Rogue One’s opening scene. While Erso and Krennick are the two leads, there are a wealth of other character that fill various roles throughout (including a dresselian smuggler whose arc I really liked).
This is very much a story of two men, one who was a dedicated research scientist and the other who was an overly ambitious planned that wanted to create something incredibly powerful.
Parts of the story, as they discuss the various elements of the death star’s construction, felt similar to Oppenheimer as the novel name drops and has cameos by various scientists involved with the design (though none heavily involved enough to know the bigger picture).
Meanwhile, the story also showcases the changing landscape of the galaxy as the Empire stretches its authority to look for suitable provocation to “secure” various worlds necessary for their security (and resources for Death Star construction).
I was a little disappointed that Saw Guerra (who has essentially an expanded cameo during the last half) and other characters didn’t have much of a part, but i understand the preference to focus on the two main characters.
In addition, regarding my comment as an “oddity”, this is in the gray area when the old EU was tossed out the window and the new Star Wars canon started replacing it. This novel is written by an established Star Wars writer who made sure to take time to drop a wealth of old EU references that fills by nerd heart, since it kind of makes them “count” in the new canon.
Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno is a novel that serves as a partial prequel to Rogue One, focusing on the activities of Galen Erso and Ordon Krennick.
The events of the book cover from the clone wars to a few years before Rogue One’s opening scene. While Erso and Krennick are the two leads, there are a wealth of other character that fill various roles throughout (including a dresselian smuggler whose arc I really liked).
This is very much a story of two men, one who was a dedicated research scientist and the other who was an overly ambitious planned that wanted to create something incredibly powerful.
Parts of the story, as they discuss the various elements of the death star’s construction, felt similar to Oppenheimer as the novel name drops and has cameos by various scientists involved with the design (though none heavily involved enough to know the bigger picture).
Meanwhile, the story also showcases the changing landscape of the galaxy as the Empire stretches its authority to look for suitable provocation to “secure” various worlds necessary for their security (and resources for Death Star construction).
I was a little disappointed that Saw Guerra (who has essentially an expanded cameo during the last half) and other characters didn’t have much of a part, but i understand the preference to focus on the two main characters.
In addition, regarding my comment as an “oddity”, this is in the gray area when the old EU was tossed out the window and the new Star Wars canon started replacing it. This novel is written by an established Star Wars writer who made sure to take time to drop a wealth of old EU references that fills by nerd heart, since it kind of makes them “count” in the new canon.