It’s no secret that I’m a huge Star Wars nerd. Look no further than this blog to find my thoughts on The Force Awakens and Rogue One.
So, over the last year, I’ve also rediscovered reading Star Wars fiction. I’d read a few when I was a wee lad, and a new generation of movies has revitalized the Star Wars expanded universe. Of course, all those books I read when I was young are no longer “canon,” but I won’t get into that controversy.
Recently, I read Star Wars Bloodline, and Star Wars Catalyst. Here are my thoughts on both, and some compare and contrast action:
Bloodline
Bloodline is a novel that focuses mainly on Leia, formerly princess, a future general, but in this book, she’s a Senator in the new republic. This book takes place halfway between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and it tells a self-contained story. There are no huge answers for the overall series here, other than it does give some hints as to what led to the rise of the First Order.
It’s a political espionage novel, sort of a West Wing set in space. Leia is trying to conduct an investigation into a conspiracy while some people in the Senate are trying to ruin her career. I can’t say more about the plot without giving spoilers, and I sure do hate spoilers.
Anyway, it’s a refreshing new kind of story in the Star Wars world. It’s a tale of intrigue and suspense and it works. It’s fun. It’s well-written and provides some good insight into Leia and Han, characters we already know and love, without being overly fan-service-y.
If you like political thrillers, you’ll likely dig Bloodline.
Catalyst
Star Wars: Catalyst (a rogue one novel) has a serious disadvantage to overcome: it’s set during the timeframe of the prequel trilogy, somewhere between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and soon after. And, because the prequel series is a clusterfuck of plot, the book faces an uphill battle.
Just understanding who is a good guy and who is a bad guy takes a lot of work. There’s the Separatists, and I’m pretty sure they are bad guys. There’s also the Republic and I think they’re good guys, but it sorta depends on where you are in the timeline, maybe? And there’s Count Dooku (such a stupid name), and he’s aligned with the Separatists, so they must be bad guys, right? I’m pretty sure Dooku is a bad guy. None of this is the fault of this book… it’s the world the book inherited.
Catalyst mainly tells the story of the construction of the Death Star. About halfway through, the good guys and bad guys start to form into clear lines. It’s certainly more of a slow-burn sort of story, not the mad dash and thrill-a-minute of some stories in the Star Wars universe.
If you’re seeking to deepen your knowledge of Star Wars mythology, though, then I think you might really enjoy Catalyst. But, you’ll certainly dig Bloodline.