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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .
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“The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning.”—Emperor Palpatine
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For a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights brought peace and order to the Galactic Republic, aided by their connection to the mystical energy field known as the Force. But they were betrayed—and the entire galaxy has paid the price. It is the Age of the Empire.
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Now Emperor Palpatine, once Chancellor of the Republic and secretly a Sith follower of the dark side of the Force, has brought his own peace and order to the galaxy. Peace through brutal repression, and order through increasing control of his subjects’ lives.
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But even as the Emperor tightens his iron grip, others have begun to question his means and motives. And still others, whose lives were destroyed by Palpatine’s machinations, lay scattered about the galaxy like unexploded bombs, waiting to go off. . . .
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The first Star Wars novel created in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group, Star Wars: A New Dawn is set during the legendary “Dark Times” between Episodes III and IV and tells the story of how two of the lead characters from the animated series Star Wars Rebels first came to cross paths. Featuring a foreword by Dave Filoni.
Praise for A New Dawn
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“A New Dawn is a fine start to the new Expanded Universe. [John Jackson] Miller steps confidently into the unexplored territory and owns it; he’s crafted a story with pacing and dialogue that feels like classic Star Wars.”—Nerdist
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“An entertaining adventure . . . with a cast of heroes that mixes laughter with intriguing depths of character. . . . John Jackson Miller packs in plenty of action and surprises.”—Roqoo Depot
“A confidently told story that gives fans a lot of reason to be hopeful about what’s to come as we move into this new phase of Star Wars . . . The book certainly got me even more excited for Rebels and to see more of Kanan and Hera’s adventures. We’re also introduced to other characters I would love to see again at some point, whether on Rebels, in another book or, who knows, in live-action at some point.”—IGN
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“A New Dawn delivers a classic Star Wars experience that fans of all ages will be able to enjoy. It is extremely well-written, with an incredibly diverse cast too. Miller’s prose can easily suck readers in, and leave them speechless when 100 pages have flown by in the blink of an eye.”—Far Far Away Radio
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“A New Dawn brings us into this new dawn of storytelling with energy, excitement, and characters that have become instantly ensconced into the Star Wars vernacular, and the results will satisfy Star Wars fans of many different palates.”—Coffee with Kenobi
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“A New Dawn is a well-written novel full of intrigue and twists and turns that does an excellent job of letting Star Wars fans get to know Kanan and Hera.”—Tosche Station
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“A New Dawn finds an era never before written about in the Star Wars universe—the years prior to the original movie, Episode IV—in robust good health. The narrative takes place on two worlds and a handful of ships in between them, but as with the best of all Star Wars moments, hints at hidden depths beyond.”—Mashable
- Sales Rank: #58732 in Books
- Published on: 2015-03-31
- Released on: 2015-03-31
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.52" h x 1.00" w x 4.17" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 416 pages
Review
“A New Dawn is a fine start to the new Expanded Universe. [John Jackson] Miller steps confidently into the unexplored territory and owns it; he’s crafted a story with pacing and dialogue that feels like classic Star Wars.”—Nerdist
�
“An entertaining adventure . . . with a cast of heroes that mixes laughter with intriguing depths of character. . . . John Jackson Miller packs in plenty of action and surprises.”—Roqoo Depot
“A confidently told story that gives fans a lot of reason to be hopeful about what’s to come as we move into this new phase of Star Wars . . . The book certainly got me even more excited for Rebels and to see more of Kanan and Hera’s adventures. We’re also introduced to other characters I would love to see again at some point, whether on Rebels, in another book or, who knows, in live-action at some point.”—IGN
�
“A New Dawn delivers a classic Star Wars experience that fans of all ages will be able to enjoy. It is extremely well-written, with an incredibly diverse cast too. Miller’s prose can easily suck readers in, and leave them speechless when 100 pages have flown by in the blink of an eye.”—Far Far Away Radio
�
“A New Dawn brings us into this new dawn of storytelling with energy, excitement, and characters that have become instantly ensconced into the Star Wars vernacular, and the results will satisfy Star Wars fans of many different palates.”—Coffee with Kenobi
�
“A New Dawn is a well-written novel full of intrigue and twists and turns that does an excellent job of letting Star Wars fans get to know Kanan and Hera.”—Tosche Station
�
“A New Dawn finds an era never before written about in the Star Wars universe—the years prior to the original movie, Episode IV—in robust good health. The narrative takes place on two worlds and a handful of ships in between them, but as with the best of all Star Wars moments, hints at hidden depths beyond.”—Mashable
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Writer and game designer John Jackson Miller is the author of Star Wars: Kenobi, Star Wars: Knight Errant, and Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories, as well as nine Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic graphic novels. His comics work includes writing for Iron Man, Mass Effect, Bart Simpson, and Indiana Jones. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, two children, and far too many comic books.
Excerpt. � Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
“Sound collision!”
Only a moment earlier, the Star Destroyer had emerged from hyperspace; now a cargo ship careened straight toward its bridge. Before Ultimatum’s shields could be raised or cannons could be brought to bear, the approaching vessel abruptly veered upward.
Rae Sloane watched, incredulous, as the wayward freighter hurtled above her bridge’s viewport and out of sight. But not out of hearing: A tiny scraping ka-thump signaled it had just clipped the top of the giant ship’s hull. The new captain looked back at her first officer. “Damage?”
“None, Captain.”
No surprise, she thought. It was surely worse for the other guy. “These yokels act as if they haven’t seen a Star Destroyer before!”
“I’m sure they haven’t,” Commander Chamas said.
“They’d better get used to it.” Sloane observed the cloud of transports ahead of Ultimatum. Her enormous Imperial-class starship had arrived from hyperspace on the edge of the appointed safe-approach lane, bringing it perilously close to what had to be the biggest traffic jam in the Inner Rim. She addressed the dozens of crewmembers at their stations. “Stay alert. Ultimatum’s too new to bring back with a scratched finish.” Thinking again, she narrowed her eyes. “Send a message on the Mining Guild channel. The next moron that comes within a kilometer of us gets a turbolaser haircut.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Of course, Sloane had never been to this system, either, having just attained her captaincy in time for Ultimatum’s shakedown cruise. Tall, muscular, dark-skinned, and black-haired, Sloane had performed exceptionally from the start and ascended swiftly through the ranks. True, she was only substituting on Ultimatum, whose intended captain was serving on assignment to the construction committee—but how many others had helmed capital ships at thirty? She didn’t know: The Imperial Navy had been in existence by that name for less than a decade, since Chancellor Palpatine put down the traitorous Jedi and transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Sloane just knew the days ahead would decide whether she got a ship of her own.
This system, she’d been briefed, was home to something rare: a true astronomical odd couple. Gorse, out the forward viewport, lived up to its reputation as perhaps the ugliest planet in the galaxy. Tidally locked to its parent star, the steaming mudball had one side that forever baked. Only the permanently dark side was habitable, home to an enormous industrial city amid a landscape of strip mines. Sloane couldn’t imagine living on a world that never saw a sunrise—if you could call sweating through an endless muggy summer night living. Looking off to the right, she saw the real jewel: Cynda, Gorse’s sole moon. Almost large enough to be counted in Imperial record keeping as a double planet with Gorse, Cynda had a glorious silver shine—as charming as its parent was bleak.
But Sloane wasn’t interested in the sights, or the travails of all the losers on Gorse. She started to turn from the window. “Make doubly sure the convoys are respecting our clearance zone. Then inform Count Vidian we have—”
“Forget the old way,” snapped a low baritone voice.
The harshly intoned words startled everyone on the bridge, for they had all heard them before—just seldom in this manner. It was their famous passenger’s catchphrase, quoted on many a business program during the Republic days and still used to introduce his successful series of management aids now that he had moved on to government service. Everywhere, the Republic’s old ways of doing things were being replaced. “Forget the old way” really was the slogan of the times.
Sloane wasn’t sure why she was hearing it now, however. “Count Vidian,” she stated, her eyes searching from doorway to doorway. “We were just setting up our safety perimeter. It’s standard procedure.”
Denetrius Vidian appeared in the entryway farthest from Sloane. “And I told you to forget the old way,” he repeated, although there was no doubting everyone had heard him the first time. “I heard you transmit the order for mining traffic to avoid you. It would be more efficient for you to back away from their transit lanes.”
Sloane straightened. “The Imperial Navy does not back away from commercial traffic.”
Vidian stamped his metal heel on the deck. “Spare me your silly pride! If it weren’t for the thorilide this system produces, you’d only have a shuttle to captain. You are slowing production down. The old way is wrong!”
Sloane scowled, hating to be talked down to on her own bridge. This needed to seem like her decision. “It’s the Empire’s thorilide. Give them a wide berth. Chamas, back us a kilometer from the convoy lanes—and monitor all traffic.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Aye is right,” Vidian said. Each syllable was crisply pronounced, mechanically modulated, and amplified so all could hear. But Sloane would never get over the strangest part, which she’d noticed when he boarded: The man’s mouth never moved. Vidian’s words came from a special vocal prosthetic, a computer attached to a speaker embedded in the silvery plating that ringed his neck.
She’d once heard the voice of Darth Vader, the Emperor’s principal emissary; while electronically amplified, the Dark Lord’s much deeper voice still retained some natural trace of whatever was inside that black armor. In contrast, Count Vidian had reportedly chosen his artificial voice based on opinion research, in a quest to own the most motivational voice in the business sector.
And since he had boarded her ship with his aides a week earlier, Vidian had shown no qualms about speaking as loudly as he felt necessary. About Ultimatum, her crew—and her.
Vidian strode mechanically onto the bridge. It was the only way to describe it. He was as human as she was, but much of his body had been replaced. His arms and legs were armor-plated, rather than synthflesh prosthetics; everyone knew because he made little effort to hide them. His regal burgundy tunic and knee-length black kilt were his only nods to normal attire for a fiftyish lord of industry.
But it was Vidian’s face that attracted the most awkward notice. His flesh lost to the same malady that had once consumed his limbs and vocal cords, Vidian covered his features with a synthskin coating. And then there were his eyes: artificial constructs, glowing yellow irises sitting in seas of red. The eyes appeared meant for some other species besides humans; Vidian had chosen them solely for what they could do. She could tell that now as he walked, glancing outside from convoy to convoy, ship to ship, mentally analyzing the whole picture.
“We’ve already met some of the locals,” she said. “You probably heard the bump. The people here are—”
“Disorganized. It’s why I’m here.” He turned and walked along the line of terminal operators until he arrived at the tactical station depicting all the ships in the area. He pushed past Cauley, the young human ensign, and tapped a command key. Then Vidian stepped back from the console and froze, seeming to stare blankly into space.
“My lord?” Cauley asked, unnerved.
“I have fed the output from your screen to my optical implants,” Vidian said. “You may return to your work while I read.”
The tactical officer did so—no doubt relieved, Sloane thought, not to have the cyborg hanging over his shoulder. Vidian’s ways were strange, to be sure, but effective, and that was why he was on her ship. The onetime industrialist was now the Emperor’s favorite efficiency expert.
Gorse’s factories produced refined thorilide, a rare strategic substance needed in massive quantities for a variety of Imperial projects. But the raw material these days came from Cynda, its moon: hence the traffic jam of cargo ships crisscrossing the void between the two globes. The Emperor had dispatched Vidian to improve production—a job for which he was uniquely qualified.
Vidian was known for squeezing the very last erg of energy, the very last kilogram of raw material, the very last unit of factory production from one world after another. He was not in the Emperor’s closest circle of advisers—not yet. But it was clear to Sloane he soon would be, provided there was no relapse of whatever ailment it was that had brought him low years earlier. Vidian’s billions had bought him extra life—and he seemed determined that neither he nor anyone else waste a moment of it.
Since he’d boarded, she hadn’t had a conversation with him where he hadn’t interrupted at least a dozen times.
“We’ve alerted the local mining guild to your arrival, Count. The thorilide production totals—”
“—are already coming in,” Vidian said, and with that, he marched to another data terminal in the aft section of the bridge.
Commander Chamas joined her far forward, many meters away from the count. In his late forties, Chamas had been leapfrogged in rank by several younger officers. The man loved gossip too much.
“You know,” Chamas said quietly, “I heard he bought the title.”
“Are you surprised? Everything else about him is artificial,” Sloane whispered. “Ship’s doctor even thinks some of his parts were voluntarily—”
“You waste time wondering,” Vidian said, not looking up from where he was studying.
Sloane’s dark eyes widened. “I’m sorry, my lord—”
“Forget the formality—and the apology. There is little point for either. But it’s well for your crew to know someone is always listening—and may have better ears than yours.”
Even if they had to buy them in a store, Sloane thought. The ragged fleshy lobes that had once been Vidian’s ears held special hearing aids. They could obviously hear her words—and more. She approached him.
“This is exactly what I’d expected,” Vidian said, staring at whatever unseen thing was before his eyes. “I told the Emperor it would be worth sending me here.” A number of underproducing worlds that manufactured items critical to the security of the Empire had been removed from their local governors’ jurisdictions and placed under Vidian’s authority: Gorse was the latest. “Messy work might have been good enough for the Republic—but the Empire is order from chaos. What we do here—and in thousands of systems just like this one—brings us closer to our ultimate goal.”
Sloane thought for a moment. “Perfection?”
“Whatever the Emperor wants.”
Sloane nodded.
A tinny squawk came from Vidian’s neck-speaker—an unnerving sound she’d learned to interpret as his equivalent of an angry sigh. “There’s a laggard holding up the moonward convoy,” he said, staring into nothingness. Looking at her tactician’s screen, Sloane saw it was the cargo vessel that had bumped them earlier. She ordered Ultimatum turned to face it.
A shower of sparks flew from the freighter’s underside. Other vessels hung back, fearful it might explode. “Hail the freighter,” she said.
A quavering nonhuman voice was piped onto the bridge. “This is Cynda Dreaming. Sorry about that scrape earlier. We weren’t expecting—”
Sloane cut to the point. “What’s your payload?”
“Nothing, yet. We were heading to pick up a load of thorilide on the moon for refining at Calladan Chemworks down on Gorse.”
“Can you haul in your condition?”
“We need to get to the repair shop to know. I’m not sure how bad it is. Could be a couple of months—”
Vidian spoke up. “Captain, target that vessel and fire.”
It was almost idly stated, to the extent that Vidian’s intonations ever conveyed much genuine emotion. The directive nonetheless startled Chamas. Standing before the gunnery crew, he turned to the captain for guidance.
The freighter pilot, having heard the new voice, sounded no less surprised. “I’m sorry—I didn’t get that. Did you just—”
Sloane looked for an instant at Vidian, and then at her first officer. “Fire.”
The freighter captain sounded stunned. “What? You can’t be—”
This time, Ultimatum’s turbolasers provided the interruption. Orange energy ripped through space, turning Cynda Dreaming into a confusion of fire and flak.
Sloane watched as the other ships of the convoy quickly rerouted. Her gunners had done their jobs, targeting the ship in a way that resulted in minimal hazard for the nearby ships. All the freighters were moving faster.
“You understand,” Vidian said, turning toward her. “Replacement time for one freighter and crew in this sector is—”
“—three weeks,” Sloane said, “which is less than two months.” See, I’ve read your reports, too.
This was the way to handle this assignment, she realized. So what if Vidian was strange? Figuring out what the Emperor—and those who spoke for him—wanted and then providing it was the path to success. Debating his directives only wasted time and made her look bad. It was the secret of advancement in the service: Always be on the side of what is going to happen anyway.
Sloane clasped her arms behind her back. “We’ll see that the convoys make double time—and challenge any ship that refuses.”
“It isn’t just transit,” Vidian said. “There are problems on the ground, too—on planet and moon. Surveillance speaks of unruly labor, of safety and environmental protests. And there’s always the unexpected.”
Sloane clasped her arms behind her back. “Ultimatum stands at your service, my lord. This system will do what you—what the Emperor—requires of it.”
“So it will,” Vidian said, eyes glowing blood-red. “So it will.”
Hera Syndulla watched from afar as the scattered remains of the freighter burned silently in space. No recovery vehicles were in sight. As unlikely a prospect as survivors were, no one looked for any. There were only the shipping convoys, quickly rerouting around the wreckage.
Obeying the master’s whip.
This was mercy in the time of the Empire, she thought. The Imperials had none; now, to all appearances, their lack of care was infecting the people.
The green-skinned Twi’lek in her stealth-rigged starship didn’t believe that was true. People were basically decent . . . and one day, they would rise up against their unjust government. But it wouldn’t happen now, and certainly not here. It was too soon, and Gorse was barely awake politically. This wasn’t a recruitment trip. No, these days were for seeing what the Empire could do—a project that suited the ever-curious Hera perfectly. And Count Vidian, the Emperor’s miracle man, practically begged investigation.
In previous weeks, the Imperial fixer had cut a swath through the sector, “improving efficiency.” On three previous worlds, like-minded acquaintances of Hera’s on the HoloNet had reported misery levels skyrocketing under Vidian’s electronic eyes. Then her associates had simply vanished. That had piqued Hera’s interest—and learning of the count’s visit to the Gorse system brought her the rest of the way.
She had another contact on Gorse, one who had promised much information on the regime. She wanted that information—but first she wanted to check out Vidian, and the system’s notoriously anarchic mining trade offered her a variety of chances to get close. Industrial confusion, the perfect lure for Vidian, would provide excellent cover for her to study his methods.
Emperor Palpatine had too many minions with great power and influence. It was worth finding out whether Count Vidian had real magic before he rose any higher.
It was time to move. She picked out the identifying transponder signal of a ship in the convoy. One button-push later, her ship was that vessel, as far as anyone trying to watch traffic was concerned. With practiced ease, she weaved her freighter into the chaotic flood of cargo ships heading to the moon.
None of these guys can fly worth a flip, she thought. It was just as well it wasn’t a recruiting trip. She probably wouldn’t have found anyone worth her time.
From the Hardcover edition.
Most helpful customer reviews
84 of 90 people found the following review helpful.
The dawn of a new era is in good hands
By Joe Hempel
I’m going to get one thing out of the way here. I’ve read just about every Star Wars novel that has been released since the Thrawn Trilogy in the 90′s. I’ve been captivated and emotionally invested in this expanded universe, and while it has always been “non canon”, almost everyone who read the books didn’t take it that way. You have almost 25 years of continuous story, and now, that’s all down the drain. It’s fair to say that I’ve got mixed feelings about this. I mean, Han and Leia could not get married, and they won’t have Jaina, Jacen or Anakin. The Yuuzhan Vong may not even exist, and Chewbacca is still alive!! Mara Jade?? Forget about her, gone the way of the dodo.
The aptly named A New Dawn takes place between the movie episodes III and IV. You won’t have any characters you recognize in this book minus the Emperor, and it sets up the upcoming Star Wars Rebels series on Disney XD nicely. Don’t take that to mean it’s a novel for children, it’s not. There is some truly evil stuff going on in this book, and it definitely sets it self apart from what the show is supposed to be.
John Jackson Miller really gives you a sense of how this new universe is going to be. He shows you the grip that the Empire has in the system, and how people are reacting. He sets up a rag-tag group of people in Kanan, Hera, Skelly, and Zaluna fighting against the Empire to prevent the annihilation of a world. These characters for the most part will play big roles in the upcoming series. What JJM does best is give these characters the dimensions they need that might not come across on the small screen. A look inside the motivations of each character. The book is billed as being the way that Kanan and Hera meet, but it’s very much Kanan’s book.
You’ll find the typical Star Wars fanfare here. Sweeping space battles, exciting ground battles, political intrigue and bits of betrayal. The only thing you won’t find, and honestly, it wouldn’t make sense to have it in this book, is giant lightsaber battles and lots of force use.
You’ll also get an inkling of just how the rebellion started before Leia and the characters you know get involved. While not fully explored, there was a nice little nod to the start of it, and there is plenty left to build upon.
There was an interesting villain in Count Vidian who most certain resembles a Darth Vader, sans force ability. Almost too close for my taste. It was almost like they wanted at least some resemblance to the movie characters in order to draw new readers in. That way there had a sense of familiarity even though it’s a totally new setting with totally new characters.
The plot moves along quite nicely, and slows in all the right places in order to allow you to absorb everything that’s going on and concludes in an exciting and satisfactory way.
The Bottom Line: The book does a good job of initiating those that have never read a Star Wars novel, and provides a great jumping off point so they don’t have to feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of books in the now Legends series. John Jackson Miller did a fantastic job of building the characters and re-enforcing the Star Wars universe without being overly in your face about it to those that are used to expanded universe. It’s well worth the read. It’s pricey at around $12, but is worth the investment.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
A New Dawn - A correctly chosen title for the first book to be released in the new Star Wars Canon.
By The Schmitzies
This book intrigued me for a number of reasons, the main being the introduction to the new Canon. The secondary reason was the interest in the back story to some of the characters of the new Star Wars Rebels series. I was concerned going in that because of the cartoon nature of the Rebels series (of which I enjoy watching with my children, all under the age of 10) the book would be more childish in nature, and not up to the deep stories created in the existing EU. Let me first say that if you were concerned about this, you can rest assured that this book fits in with the style of the, now non-canon, EU. There is nothing cartoon like about this book whatsoever. So if that was your concern, feel free to order this book right now.
On to the writing style - I have read quite a number of books from the Star Wars EU, however this was the first book I've read by John Jackson Miller. This book was very well written, and very captivating from the very beginning. It was one of those books that just keeps moving, page after page. The character development is well done, the scene descriptions are perfect, and the action leaps off of the page. I can honestly say that after reading this book I will definitely seek out more John Jackson Miller books in the future.
I don't feel the need to really get into a summary of the story. I feel that the book description does enough to whet anyone's appetite for a book, and I don't like stumbling across spoilers, no matter how small when I'm reading reviews. I prefer to just dive into a book and go along for the ride from the very beginning. I will say that the story was fantastic, and did a great job giving us more insight into the personality of Hera and Kanon.
The character of Kanon was greatly built upon from how he appears in the Rebels show. As many have said, he has much more of a "Han Solo-esque" personality. This look into him really helps give credence and grit to the Kanon character on the Rebels cartoon, all while making him feel more grown up. The character of Hera, while not the main character of this story, is well built upon as well, and you get more of an idea as to her passions and her talents. This again does a great job to build into her character on the cartoon.
I've seen a few people compare the Vidian character to Darth Vader, and even saw one review that said they were almost the same person. I couldn't disagree more. Vidian was a well written villain, and you really got to know his character, and what makes him tick as you read. Outside of the droid type of enhancements, I did not see anything Vader in his character. He was physically a blend of General Grevious and Darth Vader, but that is where any comparisons stop. He is a well written new villain in the Star Wars universe, and his story was well covered in this book to where you really get a deep feeling for the character. He definitely wasn't just thrown in.
To sum this all up, I think that the future of the EU has been pointed in a good direction. I am as bummed as the next person to see all the stories and history that have become home in my personal Star Wars universe wiped away and now declared "Legends". I understand the reasoning, and if this first book is any indication of where the universe is headed, I think we'll be okay. You can read this book and it would fit into the current EU without issues, and that is something that I appreciate.
I would highly recommend this book to those who were fans of the old EU and those who may be directed here because of an interest in the new personalities in the Rebels show. This is a well written story that flows incredibly well from start to finish and feels as much Star Wars as any book I've read in the past.
35 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
a decent start to Rebels and the new Star Wars
By Arnold
“Star Wars: A New Dawn” is an important entry into the Star Wars library for a few reasons. First, it is the first book in Disney’s new Star Wars canon. In other words, this book is just as much a part of the Star Wars saga as any of the movies. Second, this book introduces readers to a few of the main characters in the upcoming animated TV show “Star Wars: Rebels.”
To be perfectly honest, I had not been particularly excited about “Rebels.” I had some issues with “The Clone Wars” and the same creative team is heading “Rebels.” From what I’d seen thus far, it seemed like the beginning of the Disneyfication of Star Wars. So I was initially somewhat skeptical of this book. That said, John Jackson Miller is one of my favorite Star Wars authors, so it had that to its credit.
WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
I was pleasantly surprised by the main protagonist, Kanan Jarrus. In the trailers for the TV show, Kanan appeared to be just a “cowboy Jedi” (Dave Filoni’s words, not mine). However, in “A New Dawn,” Kanan comes across as a character with real depth. To some extent, he’s another “smuggler with a heart of gold,” but the novel takes that trope much further than we’ve seen in Star Wars before. Kanan is an inveterate womanizer. I am pretty sure that he’s the biggest “player” we’ve ever seen in the Star Wars galaxy. He has some great lines. Yet, it’s also clear that he’s hiding real pain as he tries to cope with the loss of the Jedi Order. JJM uses point of view in interesting ways to contrast Kanan’s self-perception – that he’s hard-edged and cynical – against the reality – that can’t help himself from helping others. I’d go so far as to say that he’s potentially the most interesting Jedi in the current Star Wars canon.
Hera Syndulla, the main pilot of the “Rebels” TV show, also gets some nice characterization. She’s not quite as interesting as Kanan, but I appreciated her competence and wit. I love how she regularly cuts through Kanan’s flirtations and other nonsense with a quick barb. We don’t learn as much about her background, but it’s clear that she has deep and personal reasons for hating the Empire.
Unfortunately, the villains don’t fare nearly as well. The primary antagonist, Count Vidian, is a business executive and management consultant working for Emperor Palpatine. Although having a businessman as a villain could have provided for some unique and interesting scenarios, in practice Count Vidian comes across as mix between Mitt Romney and General Grievous. Like Grievous, Vidian is a cyborg who kills subordinates for flimsy reasons. Unlike Darth Vader, Vidian never really acquires much depth. He is a sadist who uses his brawn rather than his brain. Aside from a few consulting catchphrases (“Forget the old way!”) there’s really nothing that distinguishes him from other generic Star Wars villains.
This is all a bit disappointing because JJM is usually excellent at creating memorable multidimensional villains. The Sith Lords in “Knight Errant” remain some of my favorites in Star Wars. Ironically, the book seems almost self-aware of this problem as several characters comment that they’d expected Vidian to be more reasonable or unlike other Imperials. Given that much of the plot later in the book focuses on Vidian and secrets of his identity, the fact that I just didn’t care about him ended up being a real drag on the book.
We’ve seen a bit of the Dark Times in comics but haven’t had many stories set in this era of Star Wars. JJM does a great job setting up the context, showing readers why it’s called the “Dark Times.” The Empire appears omnipotent and omnipresent. It trammels on individual lives carelessly and casually. JJM clearly took inspiration from real-world dictatorships to describe the Empire’s security state. We even get some insight into the people who work for the government through a Zaluna, a Sullustan who works at a surveillance firm. It’s fascinating hearing her attempting to justify her actions spying on ordinary citizens.
The plot itself is a bit less exciting. In short, Count Vidian wants to mine more resources from a moon, but doing so risks its destruction. The protagonists set out to stop him. Seems like a standard story akin to Avatar or Fern Gully. Yet, the book never really engages with those types of environmental themes. One is never really given a reason to care for the moon (aside from the general fact that we don’t like Imperials blowing up moons). We hear that the moon has a nature reserve but never get a sense of its beauty. I found myself more interested in seeing Kanan and Hera interact than in how the plot unfolded.
If this book were an advertisement for the “Rebels” TV show, I’d say it’s mostly a success. Mostly. The book is stronger on characters and context than on plot. The protagonists are much more interesting than I’d expected and I’ll be interested to see where they go from here. Count Vidian might not appear in “Rebels” so I don’t know if he is typically of the villains we’ll see in the TV show (hopefully not). This is not the best Star Wars novel by JJM, but I’m definitely more excited for the TV show than I was before. I do hope it matches the tone and characterizations found in this book.
[I received an advance version of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
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