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Star Wars: Shadow Of The Sith Book Review

“Star Wars: Shadow Of The Sith” offers up plenty of surprises. 

Written by Adam Christopher, “Star Wars: Shadow Of The Sith” is set before the events of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” during the New Republic era. It also happens to tie heavily into “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker.” From the cover one might surmise this is a Luke and Lando adventure but that’s only partially true. There’s a lot more going on in this book than one might expect. 

At the start of the book, Luke is training students (including Ben Solo) while Lando is off on his own trying to find his kidnapped daughter. Luke begins to have visions of evil and even encounters a Sith relic. Lando, meanwhile, learns of a kidnapping plot by Ochi Of Bestoon and hears whispers of the Sith’s return. Yes, the kidnapping plot in question involves Ochi going after Rey and her parents. Anyway, Lando visits Luke and the two soon embark on a quest to try to rescue Rey and her parents (who are on the run). While all of this is going on, a mysterious woman (Kiza) who has two Sith relics (a mask and a lightsaber) is lurking around and may or may not be under the control of a Sith herself.

For the first 150 pages, “Shadow Of The Sith” is an exciting page turner. Not only were there surprises and deep cut references, but more importantly, this novel filled in gaps about such things as Exegol and the cultists, Rey’s father, Lor San Tekka, Ochi’s past, and a few characters we previously knew little about. It’s no secret that so many enticing story elements happened off screen in the sequel trilogy so it’s deeply rewarding for fans to see so much material expanded upon in this novel.

Of course, the main selling point here is getting to learn more about Luke and Lando post “Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi.” Adam Christopher does a fine job of creating scenes with the two characters interacting while also showing how the characters have (and haven’t) changed over time. And for those wondering, yes, Luke is certainly at the height of his powers in this. Expect some thrilling action set pieces with the Jedi.

After the 150 page mark though, the story loses a little momentum as it becomes more of a LONG chase with Ochi going after Rey and her parents while Luke and Lando try to find them (and help them) before Ochi can. We all know where Rey ends up and we know Ochi’s fate so that section wasn’t as engaging. Sure, there are still intriguing plots about crystal shards, a new character named Komat, Kiza (although it would have been nice to know a bit more about her), Sith mythology and Sith relics, but the juiciest material was in the beginning to be sure.

If you are a fan of the sequel era, “Shadow Of The Sith” (and “Resistance Reborn” for that matter) is a must read.

June 22, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Exegol, Lando, Luke Skywalker, Ochi Of Bestoon, Sith, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Shadow Of The Sith Book Review, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker