A review by twilliamson
Before the Storm by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
5.0
Star Wars is an action adventure serial. It isn't complicated, it isn't necessarily profound, and while Lucas may originally have intended it as a coded criticism of American imperialism and expansion, the series itself has not often taken aim at greater symbolic or thematic relevance. It's a franchise that sells toys and merchandise and entertains. That's part of its charm, part of the feature.
But a few authors have tried to make it about more than just entertainment, and while I can't say all of these stories have been successful, Before the Storm presents a powerful political thriller that seeks to take Star Wars beyond the action adventure serial into a cogent exploration of the use and abuse of power.
Central to the conflict of Star Wars is the fight of the underdog Rebel Alliance against the fascist Galactic Empire, and the franchise's novels in the '90s struggled to figure out exactly what to do with the saga at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, in which the Empire's figureheads are finally defeated. Zahn introduced a new rival, Anderson tried his hand at creating a new existential threat to the New Republic, and a handful of other authors have made their attempt at creating a galactic-sized threat worthy of succeeding Vader and the Emperor. While none of these stories should be faulted for their attempts at giving us new, charismatic antagonists, I don't think any of these stories have gone beyond playing around with stock archetypes. The closest narrative I can think of to really getting to the thematic heart of Star Wars was Ambush at Corellia by Roger MacBride Allen, which began to explore compelling ideas about racism and fascism but fell apart after two lackluster sequels that didn't seem at all interesting in the ideas first introduced by the trilogy.
But Before the Storm is interested in exploring problems of power and how it is ultimately utilized, providing interesting antagonists to the main cast of the series while simultaneously using those antagonists to explore meaningful questions about how easily corruptible power can become. As Luke struggles with his relationship to the Force and how he can use such power ethically, Leia is put to the test diplomatically as she tries to reckon with how political power can be amassed and then abused for personal gain. Both mirroring stories are great character showcases, and the book adds a depth of realism to what is otherwise stock space fantasy. It offers complex situations with problems that present genuine difficulty for the characters to resolve--and it's only through their exploration of moral duty that they can find their way through to a solution (that isn't offered by this book, but promised by its sequels).
Before the Storm sets up a fantastic new adventure for the main cast of Star Wars with meaningful and original conflict with convincing stakes for the characters. This is a book of political intrigue and questions the ethics of power, even if that power is wielded by characters we know to be in the moral right. It's a phenomenal setup for Star Wars, and I absolutely believe this is among the best of what '90s Star Wars has to offer.
But a few authors have tried to make it about more than just entertainment, and while I can't say all of these stories have been successful, Before the Storm presents a powerful political thriller that seeks to take Star Wars beyond the action adventure serial into a cogent exploration of the use and abuse of power.
Central to the conflict of Star Wars is the fight of the underdog Rebel Alliance against the fascist Galactic Empire, and the franchise's novels in the '90s struggled to figure out exactly what to do with the saga at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, in which the Empire's figureheads are finally defeated. Zahn introduced a new rival, Anderson tried his hand at creating a new existential threat to the New Republic, and a handful of other authors have made their attempt at creating a galactic-sized threat worthy of succeeding Vader and the Emperor. While none of these stories should be faulted for their attempts at giving us new, charismatic antagonists, I don't think any of these stories have gone beyond playing around with stock archetypes. The closest narrative I can think of to really getting to the thematic heart of Star Wars was Ambush at Corellia by Roger MacBride Allen, which began to explore compelling ideas about racism and fascism but fell apart after two lackluster sequels that didn't seem at all interesting in the ideas first introduced by the trilogy.
But Before the Storm is interested in exploring problems of power and how it is ultimately utilized, providing interesting antagonists to the main cast of the series while simultaneously using those antagonists to explore meaningful questions about how easily corruptible power can become. As Luke struggles with his relationship to the Force and how he can use such power ethically, Leia is put to the test diplomatically as she tries to reckon with how political power can be amassed and then abused for personal gain. Both mirroring stories are great character showcases, and the book adds a depth of realism to what is otherwise stock space fantasy. It offers complex situations with problems that present genuine difficulty for the characters to resolve--and it's only through their exploration of moral duty that they can find their way through to a solution (that isn't offered by this book, but promised by its sequels).
Before the Storm sets up a fantastic new adventure for the main cast of Star Wars with meaningful and original conflict with convincing stakes for the characters. This is a book of political intrigue and questions the ethics of power, even if that power is wielded by characters we know to be in the moral right. It's a phenomenal setup for Star Wars, and I absolutely believe this is among the best of what '90s Star Wars has to offer.