Delilah S. Dawson

Phasma (Journey to Star Wars

Ryan LaFerney

There have been a lot of Mad Max comparisons to Delilah S. Dawson's Phasma, particularly to Mad Max Fury Road. The tale of Phasma’s journey across the irradiated desert on the planet Parnassos certainly has a lot in common with George Miller’s blood-and-gasoline opus but ultimately beyond the ruthless desperation, backstabbing, and war and bleak, desert like setting, there isn't really any characters to root for, the way Miller had you rooting for the women in Fury Road. Phasma in Dawson's cannon novel remains elusive, distant, and cold. But what we do learn is that she is a ruthless killing machine, who will stop at nothing to survive. It's sad that the films never really capitalized on just how brutal and frightening of a character she really is because it is intriguing stuff. I would have loved a plot thread where she was hunting down Finn killing everyone in her path. Who knows maybe she isn't dead? She is resourceful and I mean if Darth Maul can survive being cut into half, surely phasma can survive being blown up in space right?

Anyway, I digress. This is a fine and often intriguing novel that fills us in on not only how Phasma came to the first order, but how the first order formed and recruited, and how General Armitage Hux achieved his rank. The story is framed by an interrogation. Resistance agent Vi Moradi finds herself in the clutches of Cardinal, a stormtrooper training officer who wants to get revenge on Phasma for usurping some of his duties and his value in the Supreme Leader’s eyes. Vi knows Phasma’s history second hand, and so it’s through this thirdhand account that we get the Parnassos sequence. It's actually the characters VI and Cardinal the story short of centers around and they are clearly the most fascinating characters. For all the history we dig up on Phasma, we never dive deep into her state of mind, we never see her as an innocent little girl, we just see her a ruthless, cunning warrior who will stop at nothing to survive. This might be for the best.

 Phasma is simply a juggernaut. With Phasma, maybe it's better to keep her thoughts a mystery. We don't need everything spelled out for us.

Michael Stuckey

Mad Max meets Star Wars?! Phasma = Furiosa

Fun story, also some cool insights on the universe at large.

Riley

Started a little slow, but with time away from the immersion (and the immersion was very good at times) I realise that was quite clever if intentional, as the story itself began as a stalling tactic. What made Cardinal most sympathetic to me was the frustration I shared with him at the dragging pace of the story, and again if that was intentional, I give it credit, but even if it was, it made the reading experience less enjoyable, so it ultimately loses points from me for that.
Still, I enjoyed learning about this mysterious character, it provided insight necessary to form a more personal connection to her character, one that I haven't managed at all through the films (no disrespect to the films, that's just the sort of role her character fills and it's fine, it works). I also very much enjoyed a look at life in the First Order and the extent of their brainwashing, as well as a classic planetside adventure through the perspective of a native.

libby g

I listened to this as an audiobook and I'm so glad I didn't try reading this off an actual page. This story is such a mess and the only things I really enjoyed were the sound effects and the fact that this was the only thing keeping me awake during a looong ass drive.

Phasma (Journey to Star Wars

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