The RebeLibrarian

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter

Michael Reaves.

A funny thing happened when I was reading another of the books I’m going to be reviewing here in the next couple weeks. I recognized one of the characters–and that was only funny because I thought I’d never read this book before. Yes, that’s right . . . the Star Wars Librarian forgot she’d read a SW book. Don’t let that stunt your opinion of it, though, because Reaves is far from forgettable! As soon as I saw the characters’ names again, I instantly remembered being 16, sitting at the end of my bed, devouring the text with my youthful desperation, biting back tears every now and again . . .

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter is a unique adventure. It doesn’t feature main characters heavily, relying on its own storytelling to keep your interest. It’s an interest well kept. Set 37 years before A New Hope (in the year 01101), Shadow Hunter tells the story not only of Darth Maul, but of Lorn Pavan and his partner, I-Five. They’re just a couple of simple fellows trying to stay alive on Coruscant. This is a proposition more and more difficult as time goes on. Lorn’s got a chip on his shoulder, and I-Five has a chip for a brain–he’s a sentient droid. The story is also about a Jedi Padawan and her master, and some Sith, and a plot to blockade the planet of Naboo.

We all know the blockade on Naboo isn’t prevented, but Michael Reaves puts together a fast-paced and compelling novel with richly interesting characters, some of whom pop up again later ;) Also worthwhile are the insights into Maul’s character. In short, like a lot of prequel material, it’s fast-paced, interesting, but not for people who must have a happy ending. Unlike a lot of prequel material, it’s well-written, too. Nothing tedious here!

Check it out on Amazon.

This entry was posted on 29 May 2011 at 12:06 PM and is filed under Reviews, Spotlight with tags books, expanded universe, Michael Reaves, Phantom Menace, Sith, star wars canon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.