Lit Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: SHADOW OF THE SITH (spoilers)

*cough* Anyone home? Anyway-

Adam Christopher takes a dive into a story hinted at in The Rise of Skywalker- why was Rey abandoned on Jakku, and why were Luke and Lando searching for Exegol. Some of the best Star Wars stories spring up from tidbits alluded to in other works, and Shadow of the Sith is no exception as we enter a tense chase across the galaxy involving Luke and Lando, a desperate family on the run from malevolent forces, and an unpredictable and unconventional assassin.

Right away we get a great feel for the family. Dathan and Miramir are a pair of caring and living parents who want nothing more than to live out a peaceful existence on the frontier with their daughter Rey, and their faith in the galaxy slowly diminishes as they’re continually let down on their journey for freedom. It’s hard not to sympathize with them, especially considering Dathan’s “upbringing” on Exegol; despite being a clone of Palpatine, he’s inherited none of his “father’s” malevolent will, and is almost a picture of an alternate reality version of Palpatine where he didn’t turn to evil. Though I did find one part of his story amusing- when he thinks about how easily he charmed his way into getting a job after running away from Exegol, I realized Christopher was likely showing that Dathan did have some of old Sheev’s traits, but he’s just too pure to utilize them for anything other than good. Miramir is well-developed too, coming to appreciate Dathan’s sincerity and willing to fight to protect the life they’ve started together. These developments make it very easy to feel for the family as they try to evade the Sith assassin Ochi of Bestoon, a washed up yet still capable and dangerous foe who also continually throws kinks into the plans of the other people involved in the chase- Luke and Lando. These two have had quite a while to settle down and enjoy the peace they helped bring about from the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War, but evil always tends to rear its ugly head, and both of them feel the call to action that drives them right on the same path Dathan and Miramir are traveling. There’s something out there, and L&L are just the type of people to spring into action to try and suss out what is causing darkness to spread.

I thought it was a great angle focusing on Lando’s predicament of losing his daughter to unknown abductors, as it’s not just juxtaposition for Dathan and Miramir’s situation with Rey, but it’s exactly the impetus Lando needs to really become invested in helping this family from potentially suffering the same fate, especially where the Sith are involved. And speaking of which that’s the perfect impetus for Luke to get involved, and he’s about the most capable person in the galaxy to combat the shadow of the Sith. He feels the darkness of Exegol somewhere out there, and even without Lando arriving on his doorstep he knows he needs to see this feeling play out. Luke and Lando didn’t get a lot of adventures together, so it was nice seeing them not only working together but working together well and appreciating each other’s skills as they try to get to the family before Ochi and his goons do.

Besides the heroes there’s a lot of great antagonists strewn throughout. Ochi is in tune with his portrayal in the Darth Vader comics, but a little more unhinged as years have passed and he begins to obsess with re-experiencing the darkness of Exegol. There’s also a great dark mirror of a character in Zargo Anaximander, whom the family seek out, only for him to favor profiting from their bounty over providing them safe haven. We also get a little glimpse of future General Pryde as a business military officer briefly providing service to Ochi and his cohorts. But the greatest threat facing L&L and the family is Kiza, a dark side acolyte who’s been entranced by a haunted Sith mask with promises of salvation on Exegol. Kiza continually submits to the will of the mask as she attempts to deliver Rey to Exegol and Luke keeps getting in her way. Even a tenured Jedi has difficulty when faced with raw dark power such as the mask’s, and it takes all of Luke’s wisdom and experience to overcome this deadly foe. Komat is interesting ally of Luke’s, as she was once allied with Kiza until the latter’s descent into madness, and as someone who once embraced the dark but now seeks atonement, she proves to be the perfect companion for Luke and Lando as they do their best to keep the family safe.

There’s a lot of great world-building in this book. Christopher takes great pains to really paint detailed pictures of some of the locales utilized here, from Nightside station to Komat's home on Polaar. The story is about the chase to hunt/save Rey’s family, but Christopher takes plenty of time building the world and the characters so the story can be more than just a flash in the pan and feel like an integral chapter of the Star Wars saga. Many stories have come and gone, but this one leaves an indelible mark thanks to Christopher’s great skills as a writer. And considering where Luke and Lando end up by the sequel trilogy, he really nails this transitional period for them. Christopher also deftly weaves in connections to various disparate stories, further tying the universe together.

I give this a 9.2 out of 10 for a great story bridging two eras and shedding light on some unresolved mysteries.