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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I'm not sure if this book was needed. It seems superfluous. While we get a wider understanding of how the Death Star came to be, as well as Orson Krennic and Galen Erso's involvement in it, all of that isn't really necessary to know in order to enjoy Rogue One. At the same time, I guess this part of the story needed to be told in some way as part of the worldbulding of the Star Wars canon.
As far as the characters go, it's very strange that Galen is a completely flat character. This book was the perfect opportunity to flesh him out, describe his thinking and motivations, his situation and relationship with his family and with Orson, but we only get the barest sense of all of that. His wife Lyra is a far more active character while Krennic is actually the main character. Tarkin also makes a regular appearance and I'm glad because Luceno is very good at writing him (as was clear with the Tarkin novel). A surprising highlight was the one-off supporting character of Has Obitt, a smugler with a heart who helps the Ersos. He was actually a very dynamic, interesting character and I'm always happy when a non-human gets the spotlight.
As far as the characters go, it's very strange that Galen is a completely flat character. This book was the perfect opportunity to flesh him out, describe his thinking and motivations, his situation and relationship with his family and with Orson, but we only get the barest sense of all of that. His wife Lyra is a far more active character while Krennic is actually the main character. Tarkin also makes a regular appearance and I'm glad because Luceno is very good at writing him (as was clear with the Tarkin novel). A surprising highlight was the one-off supporting character of Has Obitt, a smugler with a heart who helps the Ersos. He was actually a very dynamic, interesting character and I'm always happy when a non-human gets the spotlight.
I was a bit disappointed in this book. I thought the writing was good and the story was good, but I just couldn't get over the strange contuity issues. I felt disappointed while reading, which prevented me from enjoying the overall story.
I really enjoyed it!! Luceno is great at the set up and twists. His favorite character seemed like it was Has Obitt, and I ended up liking him a lot too.
One thing Luceno does that I don't like: using uncommon words for the sake of it. I'm fairly well-read, and if I can't understand a word without looking it up, it was probably a word most people had to look up. Which turns reading into homework!
Overall, an enjoyable read. :)
One thing Luceno does that I don't like: using uncommon words for the sake of it. I'm fairly well-read, and if I can't understand a word without looking it up, it was probably a word most people had to look up. Which turns reading into homework!
Overall, an enjoyable read. :)
A good prequel to the upcoming rogue one. Sets the stage for the movie nicely
Reading this before seeing the movie really brought a lot more background to the characters. It made me appreciate scenes in the movie a lot more and really brought out the fates of the characters.
I really, really, really wanted to like this book.
While "Tarkin" by Luceno had its weaknesses, I really liked how Luceno wrote the character and was so excited for this book. He was the only one I trusted writing about Tarkin and the construction of the Death Star without ruining "Tarkin". But unfortunately, I don't think that this book was for me.
The power play between Tarkin and Krennic and the whole imperial pov of the Death Star construction I was particularly excited for, was really only happening in the second half of the book and was never really the focus. That alone doesn't make the book bad of course, but Luceno proved in "Tarkin" that he's really good at writing the character (& the imperial pov), so including him more could've improved the book significantly.
Instead, the focus is more on the "human" side of the Death Star construction with Galen & Lyra Erso as protagonists.
And I tried everything, even putting the book down for a while and giving it a new chance, but I just couldn't bring myself to feel any emotion other than total indifference for the Ersos. I didn't care about them or any of their problems.
Additionally, I think that Catalyst had a slight pacing issue. The book really takes its time explaining the Ersos, their dynamic and their role in the Empire to us. And while I was incredibly bored, I could at least appreciate this.
But the ending is way too rushed. It's not a spoiler that the Ersos eventually flee from the Empire and hide on Lah'mu.
And in the beginning it was very obvious that their doubts about the empire steadily increased. But then, for the most part of the book, nothing really happened in that department. They only went back and forth without any progress. Only in the last 30 pages did the Ersos even CONSIDER fleeing.
The (at least to me) interesting aspects of the story (aka the action) were only glossed over or even completely ignored.
For example, how the Ersos meet Saw Gererra and how he would eventually become their backup plan should've been fleshed out A LOT better.
In the end, I couldn't bring myself to care about the story or any of the characters.
And can't quite put my finger on why, since I definitely don't think that it was badly written, but the story just bored me to death.
Maybe the story just wasn't for me.
Maybe I need action, the fantasy aspect of Star Wars or characters I would literally die for (Anakin).
And this book didn't have any of that.
Rogue One was AMAZING because it made us care about a bunch of new characters in a very short time. I literally cried the first time I saw R1, because I couldn't believe they killed all these amazing characters just like that.
And Catalyst couldn't even bring me to care about already established characters with an already established (& quite tragic) story.
The story just lacked the stakes and epicness of R1. And as they're directly connected, I couldn't help comparing & was even more disappointed.
I still gave it 3 stars, because I don't think that it's objectively bad, but it's just not my kind of story so I couldn't go any higher.
I would neither recommend nor advise against reading Catalyst. I believe you just have to try and see for yourself if you like it.🤷♀️
While "Tarkin" by Luceno had its weaknesses, I really liked how Luceno wrote the character and was so excited for this book. He was the only one I trusted writing about Tarkin and the construction of the Death Star without ruining "Tarkin". But unfortunately, I don't think that this book was for me.
The power play between Tarkin and Krennic and the whole imperial pov of the Death Star construction I was particularly excited for, was really only happening in the second half of the book and was never really the focus. That alone doesn't make the book bad of course, but Luceno proved in "Tarkin" that he's really good at writing the character (& the imperial pov), so including him more could've improved the book significantly.
Instead, the focus is more on the "human" side of the Death Star construction with Galen & Lyra Erso as protagonists.
And I tried everything, even putting the book down for a while and giving it a new chance, but I just couldn't bring myself to feel any emotion other than total indifference for the Ersos. I didn't care about them or any of their problems.
Additionally, I think that Catalyst had a slight pacing issue. The book really takes its time explaining the Ersos, their dynamic and their role in the Empire to us. And while I was incredibly bored, I could at least appreciate this.
But the ending is way too rushed. It's not a spoiler that the Ersos eventually flee from the Empire and hide on Lah'mu.
And in the beginning it was very obvious that their doubts about the empire steadily increased. But then, for the most part of the book, nothing really happened in that department. They only went back and forth without any progress. Only in the last 30 pages did the Ersos even CONSIDER fleeing.
The (at least to me) interesting aspects of the story (aka the action) were only glossed over or even completely ignored.
For example, how the Ersos meet Saw Gererra and how he would eventually become their backup plan should've been fleshed out A LOT better.
In the end, I couldn't bring myself to care about the story or any of the characters.
And can't quite put my finger on why, since I definitely don't think that it was badly written, but the story just bored me to death.
Maybe the story just wasn't for me.
Maybe I need action, the fantasy aspect of Star Wars or characters I would literally die for (Anakin).
And this book didn't have any of that.
Rogue One was AMAZING because it made us care about a bunch of new characters in a very short time. I literally cried the first time I saw R1, because I couldn't believe they killed all these amazing characters just like that.
And Catalyst couldn't even bring me to care about already established characters with an already established (& quite tragic) story.
The story just lacked the stakes and epicness of R1. And as they're directly connected, I couldn't help comparing & was even more disappointed.
I still gave it 3 stars, because I don't think that it's objectively bad, but it's just not my kind of story so I couldn't go any higher.
I would neither recommend nor advise against reading Catalyst. I believe you just have to try and see for yourself if you like it.🤷♀️
I read it mostly to see what lead up to the events in Rogue One, it was interesting, but did not add as much as I thought it would to the backstory. The movie makes it pretty clear who is good and bad and what their motives are. Although seeing some of the characters meet and become friends or enemies was nice.
- This is my first canon Star Wars novel! Woo! I've decided to read them all, and it feels good to have one finished.
- The book was really slow and really dry, but when I wasn't reading, I wanted to be reading. The book kept calling to me.
- I found a lot of things interesting, and I really liked getting to know the characters, especially the Erso family. It was good to get background on Rogue One characters.
- I was surprised that this took place at the end of the Clone Wars and the beginning of the Empire. It was interesting to see the civilian side of things during this transition. People were scared, but they wanted to trust in their government.
- I liked getting background on the research and everything that went into building the Death Star. Wow! It is amazing that the Empire finished building it, let alone how fast they did it.
- The book was really slow and really dry, but when I wasn't reading, I wanted to be reading. The book kept calling to me.
- I found a lot of things interesting, and I really liked getting to know the characters, especially the Erso family. It was good to get background on Rogue One characters.
- I was surprised that this took place at the end of the Clone Wars and the beginning of the Empire. It was interesting to see the civilian side of things during this transition. People were scared, but they wanted to trust in their government.
- I liked getting background on the research and everything that went into building the Death Star. Wow! It is amazing that the Empire finished building it, let alone how fast they did it.
I love reading Star Wars novels. They just add so much to the canon and make the movies that much more enjoyable. Obviously, I was going to read this in anticipation of Rogue One, which comes out in one week. I was so happy to be able to have backstory before watching the movie. This book was very good and had great characters, who I'm excited to see in the movie. I loved how it took place during the end of the Clone Wars, so we got a glimpse into life in the galaxy during the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. This kind of backstory is exactly why I love reading the Star Wars novels. The book focused on the Erso family and Orson Krennic, who will be the main bad guy in Rogue One. Jyn Erso, who was a baby in this book, will be the main character in the movie, but her dad, Galen, is the one who made the research for the weapon on the Death Star. I think this book is essential reading for any Star Wars fan and anyone who wants to see Rogue One. This just made me that more excited for the movie.
This is really not a very good book. I'm glad I read it for the excellent reference point that will make my Rogue One viewing experience more enjoyable. That being said, I wouldn't recommend this book on it's own merits. The critical plot devices are flimsy and not very well explained. The ending was good, but not especially memorable. The characters don't seem very smart and are difficult to identify with. Once you've seen Rogue One, this one is probably worth skipping.