REVIEW: STAR WARS – MAUL – LOCKDOWN / AUTHOR: JOE SCHRIEBER / PUBLISHER: CENTURY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
“Wham!” is how author Joe Schreiber kicks off his latest foray into the Star Wars Expanded Universe. With a sound effect. From the ’60’. In a medium where casual consumers often base their purchasing decisions on first impressions, it is certainly an aggressive decision.
Lockdown marks Schreiber’s third contribution to the EU, and it’s one that spins off both thematically and tonally from the galaxy far, far away in a manner that may be jarring for some: make no mistake, this is not your typical swashbuckling adventure story. No, this is a story for the new generation of younglings, younglings who’d rather read about blood and guts and alien warriors being ripped in half, than about that one time that guy did the Kessel run.
Maul is an inherently cool character, arguably the Fett of the prequels. And, much like Boba, so much of his appeal comes from that same mystique; Maul shows up, does a backflip and then kills some fools with a sweet dual sabre, before pulling his hood back up and returning to the shadows. The more you delve into the character the more you remove that power. And yes, the irony of his appeal being a double-edged sword cannot be overlooked.
The dialogue reads like a hundred little Annie Skywalkers. And in a galaxy rife with lasers and mystical powers, why on Earth is something described as being “bulletproof”? But, if you can get past that, you will be presented with a brutal yet intimate tale that adds another dimension to everyone’s favourite prequel-Sith.
