Fans of the STAR WARS film ROGUE ONE will certainly enjoy the prequel novel, STAR WARS CATALYST! Starting off during the final years of the Clone Wars, the 330 page hardback deals with brilliant scientist Galen Erso as he attempts to uncover the mysteries of the Kyber crystals – used by the Jedi in their lightsabres – to extract their power for energy purposes. Aided by his resilient Lyra, who soon gives birth to their daughter Jyn, Galen refuses to join sides as he believes either the Republic or Separatist movement will use his valuable research for military advancement. Yet an old friend who is now with the Republic Engineer Corps, Orson Krennic, uses his influence to secure Galen an important research position – but is covertly creating a new super-weapon with the ability to destroy an entire planet! I found STAR WARS CATALYST a great read and author JAMES LUCENO, having written several previous novels set in the STAR WARS universe, certainly knows his stuff. He skilfully bridges the years following the film ATTACK OF THE CLONES to ROGUE ONE with a myriad of interesting characters and one new addition, the Dresselian smuggler Has Obitt, thoroughly deserves to grace further stories! Fan favourites are either mentioned in passing, Count Dooku for example, or make several appearances throughout the novel as is the case of Poggle The Lesser and Mas Amedda, while Saw Gerrera from the CLONE WARS series is introduced during the second half of the story. Much of the novel explores the relationship between the Erso family and Orson Krennic, who constantly tries to manipulate Galen much to Lyra's exasperation, while we also witness Krennic's dealings with the devious Wilhuff Tarkin as their bitter rivalry escalates with the creation of the new super-weapon. Galen spends much of his time totally consumed in his research, even on war-zone planets, while galaxy changing events such as the destruction of the Jedi and formation of the Galactic Empire, seem to pass him by. Here LUCENO nicely gives his readers as much information as Galen receives while shut away in his isolated laboratories! Things finally come to a head when Galen belatedly discovers Orson's plans and, fearing for the safety of Lyra and Jyn, decides to take drastic action... After finishing STAR WARS CATALYST I decided to re-watch ROGUE ONE on Blu-ray and all the background information supplied in the novel endeared me to the film characters even more. The novel is a fantastic read in its own right but STAR WARS fans will lap it up and is highly recommended!Read full review
Verified purchase: No
Loved It
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This book is an excellent thing for people who want to know more about the events leading up to Rogue One.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Books
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Books