Reviews
My over all opinion: This is not necessary to read before the film, but gives a very good rationale why Orson Krennic is so villainous. I thought the last two chapters were very compelling particularly. It also shows us Saw's relation to Jyn, which is nice. Personally the more technical things were boring (besides knowing that Kyber Cyrstals were used to construct the Death Star rays). Be warned: There is a lot of information dumping in this book! Rather, what is compelling about this book is the dynamic between Galcen, Lyra and Krennic, as the book progresses. Krennic attempts to manipulates the couple for his personal gain and to harness the intelligence of Galcen's mind for evil purposes. Lyra acts as the moral voice of the story and it is refreshing to read in a Star Wars book about a couple who are so devoted to each other as Galcen and Lyra are. You can sense their love and their bond. Give me more of the humanity within this story and less of the political/technological mumbo-jumbo. I liked the book but didn't love it. Parts were slow and not dramatic enough. If you can skim the book at your leisure and still get the basic plot arc, do so.
Hmm... a rather uninspired and lethargic read for me. Perhaps I should have read it back in 2017 when I bought it after the Rogue One hype, as I feel I would've been a lot more invested then than now. The novel definitely adds detail to the Star Wars universe, with its coolest moments in Part 1 being the links to the Clone Wars episodes I have been recently watching and then later showing us how the Empire enforces worlds and kept the Death Star a secret during Parts 2 and 3. However, the characters of Krennic, Galen, Lyra and Saw are already fully-developed from the film and new additions like Has Obitt don't really add much to the story. Further, the dialogue was wieldy and there were long stretches of exposition spent inside a character's head spoon-feeding the reader - and don't even get me started on the scientific and mathematical jargon which was omnipresent throughout the book. Ultimately, it didn't feel like an entertaining or rewarding enough novel on its own, and whilst it added to the worldbuilding and presented new perspectives on the Empire's dictatorial power and Krennic's crafty ambitious moves, I don't see myself recommending this unless to the die-hard fans.
Oh, this was amazing, well written, and the chapter titles are excellent. I love the view of somewhat ordinary life in the galaxy far, far, away. There is so much more development of non-Jedi characters that have a sense of the force. It was great to get Lyra's story and her connection to nature, as well as her interest and support of her husband's work. This book had all the vibes of Schindler's List in the second half of the book. My heart ached as the 'disbandment' of Jedi order was written. The genuinely horrifying moment of a collection of small Kyber Crystals got me. I'm afraid that if I write any more on this book, I will spoil it, so all I'm going to say is ... GO ... READ IT NOW! Especially if you loved Rogue One.
