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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book more than I expected. It added a layer of depth to the Rogue One film, explaining how Galen Erson became involved with the Death Star in the first place.
Disclaimer: I gave up on reading the book about 35% into it.
I really wanted to like this book. I've always been fascinated by the death star but I just couldn't get into this book. It's probably partly me and partly the book, but I just couldn't bring myself to get excited about it. It starts off with a little (and I mean little) and then it's just dull and boring political conversations from then on out for the next 100 pages.
I gave up. I have a stack to TBR books that I need to tend to so I returned the book to the library and moved on to the next.
I really wanted to like this book. I've always been fascinated by the death star but I just couldn't get into this book. It's probably partly me and partly the book, but I just couldn't bring myself to get excited about it. It starts off with a little (and I mean little) and then it's just dull and boring political conversations from then on out for the next 100 pages.
I gave up. I have a stack to TBR books that I need to tend to so I returned the book to the library and moved on to the next.
Read one chapter and wasn't really swept away into the story. The film comes out this Thursday, so I'm just going to put this aside and have a fresh mind.
adventurous
medium-paced
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(There are some spoilers in this review. The short version: This is a really excellent Star Wars novel, which is a rare thing.)
I've read all of the new Star Wars canon novels, and most of the graphic novels. For the most part, they are disappointing. The two bright spots are James Luceno and Alexander Freed, the only authors who seem completely comfortable writing in the Star Wars universe, and who are also capable of writing fiction that is not embarrassing for a grown-up to read. So I've been looking forward to this year's Rogue One tie-in novels--the movie novelization by Freed, and the prequel novel, Catalyst, by Luceno.
Catalyst did not disappoint.
The biggest surprise? Catalyst features that rarest of all things in Star Wars: an intact nuclear family, with father, mother, and child. An intelligent, caring family, but basically just a normal family. That is so refreshing! That kind of thing has hardly ever been shown in any Star Wars story, and Luceno writes it well. Thank you, James Luceno!
My main worry about Catalyst was that it would be merely a tease for the upcoming movie, but not much a story on its own (as was true of some of the "Journey to the Force Awakens" writing leading up to that movie). However, not only is Catalyst more than just a shallow movie tie-in, it is actually a substantial addition to Star Wars lore. Luceno has a great ability to take elements from my least favorite era of Star Wars (prequels/Clone Wars) and make it look fascinating and intriguing. In Catalyst, he takes us back to the end of the Clone Wars, and even right to the coda of Revenge of the Sith, and it feels natural and perfect. We see the period between Episodes 3 and 4, learning more about the residual conflict after the official conclusion of the Clone Wars, and of the Empire's increasing reach into all parts of the galaxy in pursuit of resources and unquestioning allegiance.
Also fascinating in this novel is the exploration of what the galaxy generally knew about the Jedi. Luceno raises questions of whether it's ever right for people--even the "good guys"--to keep secrets. Were the Jedi right to withhold knowledge from everyone else, or to limit the boundaries of their own research when they might have been able to help more people? Luceno, through his protagonist Galen Erso, asks, "Was there such a thing as a noble lie?"
In Catalyst, Luceno raises issues of environmentalism and "creation care," confronting his characters with the difficult questions of who controls the natural resources, and what anyone has the right to do with those resources. That sounds like what I often don't like about Star Wars novels: obvious "preaching" about current topics in our world, which take me out of the fictional world. Somehow, Luceno manages to bring in these current topics in a way that feels just fine. In fact, I loved this aspect of the novel. I also loved how he restores the concept of the Jedi being tuned into the Force as an energy that unites all living things. Gone are the midichlorian counts and other nonsense; Luceno brings us right back to Jedi training as Yoda presents it in Episode 5, while also hinting at the directions that J.J. Abrams was taking the Force in the new trilogy--that it's a power that everyone, not just Jedi, might access.
There are two problems with this book, but they're minor enough that I can overlook them. The first is that there's a point at which it seems Galen understands he's helping the Empire build a weapon that will subdue an entire planet. That turn doesn't make sense to me, because it's so contrary to his character up to that point; and blaming the effect of the kyber crystals seems like a cheap explanation. But near the end of the book, Galen seems to not realize that his research is being weaponized. There's some ambiguity that obscures the final third of the novel.
The other problem is the idea that the Empire begins construction on the Death Star before anyone knows how to build the turbolaser weapon. That seems ludicrous to me. How are they building the dish sections before they know what they're building?
But as I said, the book is so good otherwise that I'll forgive those flaws. Luceno is a natural at writing Star Wars, even with this movie tie-in that I assume he wrote under severe deadlines and with Lucasfilm being especially involved in the details. He is easily the best Star Wars writer of the current group, and I hope he gets many more assignments. Catalyst is so substantial and so satisfying that it's hard to imagine Rogue One will make sense without having read it.
Bonus points for mentioning meiloorun fruit, from one of my favorite episodes of Rebels.
I've read all of the new Star Wars canon novels, and most of the graphic novels. For the most part, they are disappointing. The two bright spots are James Luceno and Alexander Freed, the only authors who seem completely comfortable writing in the Star Wars universe, and who are also capable of writing fiction that is not embarrassing for a grown-up to read. So I've been looking forward to this year's Rogue One tie-in novels--the movie novelization by Freed, and the prequel novel, Catalyst, by Luceno.
Catalyst did not disappoint.
The biggest surprise? Catalyst features that rarest of all things in Star Wars: an intact nuclear family, with father, mother, and child. An intelligent, caring family, but basically just a normal family. That is so refreshing! That kind of thing has hardly ever been shown in any Star Wars story, and Luceno writes it well. Thank you, James Luceno!
My main worry about Catalyst was that it would be merely a tease for the upcoming movie, but not much a story on its own (as was true of some of the "Journey to the Force Awakens" writing leading up to that movie). However, not only is Catalyst more than just a shallow movie tie-in, it is actually a substantial addition to Star Wars lore. Luceno has a great ability to take elements from my least favorite era of Star Wars (prequels/Clone Wars) and make it look fascinating and intriguing. In Catalyst, he takes us back to the end of the Clone Wars, and even right to the coda of Revenge of the Sith, and it feels natural and perfect. We see the period between Episodes 3 and 4, learning more about the residual conflict after the official conclusion of the Clone Wars, and of the Empire's increasing reach into all parts of the galaxy in pursuit of resources and unquestioning allegiance.
Also fascinating in this novel is the exploration of what the galaxy generally knew about the Jedi. Luceno raises questions of whether it's ever right for people--even the "good guys"--to keep secrets. Were the Jedi right to withhold knowledge from everyone else, or to limit the boundaries of their own research when they might have been able to help more people? Luceno, through his protagonist Galen Erso, asks, "Was there such a thing as a noble lie?"
In Catalyst, Luceno raises issues of environmentalism and "creation care," confronting his characters with the difficult questions of who controls the natural resources, and what anyone has the right to do with those resources. That sounds like what I often don't like about Star Wars novels: obvious "preaching" about current topics in our world, which take me out of the fictional world. Somehow, Luceno manages to bring in these current topics in a way that feels just fine. In fact, I loved this aspect of the novel. I also loved how he restores the concept of the Jedi being tuned into the Force as an energy that unites all living things. Gone are the midichlorian counts and other nonsense; Luceno brings us right back to Jedi training as Yoda presents it in Episode 5, while also hinting at the directions that J.J. Abrams was taking the Force in the new trilogy--that it's a power that everyone, not just Jedi, might access.
There are two problems with this book, but they're minor enough that I can overlook them. The first is that there's a point at which it seems Galen understands he's helping the Empire build a weapon that will subdue an entire planet. That turn doesn't make sense to me, because it's so contrary to his character up to that point; and blaming the effect of the kyber crystals seems like a cheap explanation. But near the end of the book, Galen seems to not realize that his research is being weaponized. There's some ambiguity that obscures the final third of the novel.
The other problem is the idea that the Empire begins construction on the Death Star before anyone knows how to build the turbolaser weapon. That seems ludicrous to me. How are they building the dish sections before they know what they're building?
But as I said, the book is so good otherwise that I'll forgive those flaws. Luceno is a natural at writing Star Wars, even with this movie tie-in that I assume he wrote under severe deadlines and with Lucasfilm being especially involved in the details. He is easily the best Star Wars writer of the current group, and I hope he gets many more assignments. Catalyst is so substantial and so satisfying that it's hard to imagine Rogue One will make sense without having read it.
Bonus points for mentioning meiloorun fruit, from one of my favorite episodes of Rebels.
The world building was great, but the characters fell so flat to me. Things happened to them and they reacted, or they took decisions that seemed completely out of the blue. I was expecting some sort of domestic thriller but this was definetly not it.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Where do I start? I enjoyed this so much.
First, I think is important to say how much I admire the more human side of the rebellion. You know, the side of the story where there is no Jedi and use of the Force. It's what drove me so into it about Rogue One rather than the other stories. And this book is the beginning of what we see in that movie. I love that we have scientists, commanders, smugglers and rebels and that's it. There's mentions of Darth Vader, the Jedi and the Force, as it should have, but here is the ordinary people doing their thing and this is why I like it so much. Now I'd like to say how much this book is interesting on its science, engineering and environmentalists. To read about this side of the Star Wars universe, these things that are mentioned but never explored in the movies, the people behind the curtains. Where did the idea of the Death Star came from? How does it came to be? How does it work? And the lives that were affected by it since its origin, and these lives are so meaningful and important.
I loved to be able to learn more about this particular story, especially considering how much Rogue One means to me.
First, I think is important to say how much I admire the more human side of the rebellion. You know, the side of the story where there is no Jedi and use of the Force. It's what drove me so into it about Rogue One rather than the other stories. And this book is the beginning of what we see in that movie. I love that we have scientists, commanders, smugglers and rebels and that's it. There's mentions of Darth Vader, the Jedi and the Force, as it should have, but here is the ordinary people doing their thing and this is why I like it so much. Now I'd like to say how much this book is interesting on its science, engineering and environmentalists. To read about this side of the Star Wars universe, these things that are mentioned but never explored in the movies, the people behind the curtains. Where did the idea of the Death Star came from? How does it came to be? How does it work? And the lives that were affected by it since its origin, and these lives are so meaningful and important.
I loved to be able to learn more about this particular story, especially considering how much Rogue One means to me.
Catalyst by James Luceno is a Star Wars novel set just before the movie Rogue One. I was inspired by the excellent show Andor to read the books about the other characters in the movie. The book draws the short straw in terms of characters as it focuses on Galen Erso (the scientist who designs the death star super laser) and Orson Krennic (the imperial officer managing the project), not a recipe for a great adventure. The main conflict between the two is Galen's refusal to work on a military project and Orson's need to deliver the promised superweapon that only Galen can design. The book provides an fun look at what the galactic scale logistics would be in constructing a small moon sized space station but does not attempt to address any philosophical points about weapons of mass destruction. The author adds a bit of action to the story by adding a new character that keeps the pacing of the story up and the book is short enough and well written to tie in with the film. But overall the book is just a bit shallow as there is no character development or real question asked to the reader.
3 stars
3 stars
In depth story of origins of the Death Star - with characters and species from Clone Wars, and especially Rogue One. Krennic is true to form, and some great scenes with Tarkin. Have to say, was hoping for Thrawn to make an appearance - but I guess this is somewhat before/during his own journey to discover and then argue against the weapon