Scan barcode
A review by jenny_librarian
Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Adam Christopher had one hell of a task here. Not only did he have to make Palpatine’s return make sense, but he also had to tie in all the loose threads left dangling by the sequels disaster. And he tries valiantly. Unfortunately, the task was too big for a single book, and there’s still a lot of questions left by the end.
We learn how Palpatine got a granddaughter (and I am very glad it does not involve him having sex with anyone), which is probably the biggest ‘WTF’ audiences were left with after Rise of Skywalker. There’s also some Luke and Lando bonding, and we get to see how Ochi of Bestoon ended up on Pasaana. Like I said, a good try.
But here are the questions and criticism I’m left with:
1) the book needed another round of revisions. There’s a lot of rambling about mundane tasks and paragraphs that could’ve been tightened up.
2) who is Kadara? Who’s her mother? When did Lando get a child? We spend an entire book of him looking for his daughter but I still have no idea where she comes from or how she disappeared
3) I don’t think Adam Christopher knows how to write Black characters, even from a galaxy far far away (but I’d like to get a Black person’s opinion on this)
4) How do archeologists not realize the difference between metal and stone in a house foundation? COME ON! That was just stupid.
5) why are Luke and Lando teaming up instinctively? I’m not convinced that Lando wouldn’t have also kept in touch with Han and Leia, but we see nothing of those two in this entire book. They’re mentioned in passing only, even when Lando talks about his time searching for his daughter.
6) “Luke Skywalker would never give up.” Dude… just… DUDE! You cannot say that in a book that is supposed to give us background for the sequels without acknowledging that Luke does just that in the Last Jedi flashbacks.
I did not know Kiza prior to this book, but I am satisfied with her characterization here. There was enough to let me understand she is an established character and had an arc before this. I might look for stuff about her in the future.
However I lost all respect for Ochi. He’s a grovelling piece of garbage and a sorry excuse for the main antagonist in this book. I get that he’s past his prime, but I didn’t love his portrayal.
And finally, I have trouble understanding the timeline in this book. Ben is still very much a student in Luke’s Jedi “school” and doesn’t even exhibit dark emotions. Where’s the emo kid we met in the sequels? If this is 17 years after the Empire, how much older than Rey is he? At least 7-10 years, I’d guess. So he must be on the edge of turning? That is still completely nebulous to me.
So yeah, Adam Christopher tried, and this would have made a great movie, but ultimately still falls short to explain the sequels.
We learn how Palpatine got a granddaughter (and I am very glad it does not involve him having sex with anyone), which is probably the biggest ‘WTF’ audiences were left with after Rise of Skywalker. There’s also some Luke and Lando bonding, and we get to see how Ochi of Bestoon ended up on Pasaana. Like I said, a good try.
But here are the questions and criticism I’m left with:
1) the book needed another round of revisions. There’s a lot of rambling about mundane tasks and paragraphs that could’ve been tightened up.
2) who is Kadara? Who’s her mother? When did Lando get a child? We spend an entire book of him looking for his daughter but I still have no idea where she comes from or how she disappeared
3) I don’t think Adam Christopher knows how to write Black characters, even from a galaxy far far away (but I’d like to get a Black person’s opinion on this)
4) How do archeologists not realize the difference between metal and stone in a house foundation? COME ON! That was just stupid.
5) why are Luke and Lando teaming up instinctively? I’m not convinced that Lando wouldn’t have also kept in touch with Han and Leia, but we see nothing of those two in this entire book. They’re mentioned in passing only, even when Lando talks about his time searching for his daughter.
6) “Luke Skywalker would never give up.” Dude… just… DUDE! You cannot say that in a book that is supposed to give us background for the sequels without acknowledging that Luke does just that in the Last Jedi flashbacks.
I did not know Kiza prior to this book, but I am satisfied with her characterization here. There was enough to let me understand she is an established character and had an arc before this. I might look for stuff about her in the future.
However I lost all respect for Ochi. He’s a grovelling piece of garbage and a sorry excuse for the main antagonist in this book. I get that he’s past his prime, but I didn’t love his portrayal.
And finally, I have trouble understanding the timeline in this book. Ben is still very much a student in Luke’s Jedi “school” and doesn’t even exhibit dark emotions. Where’s the emo kid we met in the sequels? If this is 17 years after the Empire, how much older than Rey is he? At least 7-10 years, I’d guess. So he must be on the edge of turning? That is still completely nebulous to me.
So yeah, Adam Christopher tried, and this would have made a great movie, but ultimately still falls short to explain the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Trafficking, and Kidnapping