BOOK REVIEW: STAR WARS – MAUL: LOCKDOWN / AUTHOR: JOE SCHREIBER / PUBLISHER: CENTURY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Maul: Lockdown is the latest in the Star Wars Legends series of books. Within the mythology, the story is set around thirty years before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace and gives us more background into the sinister Sith apprentice himself, Darth Maul.
The story opens on Maul taking a serious beating amidst his time in prison; why is he there? What has he done? The facade is soon revealed to be that the tattoed Zabrak is essentially on a suicide mission to take hold of a weapon, a weapon that Sith Lords Darth Plaguieus and Darth Sidious hope will see them get their revenge against the Jedi and the Republic. However … a gang of cannibals, as well as famed crime boss Jabba the Hutt, stand in front of the Sith’s plans, but do they really know who they’re up against?
Maul: Lockdown benefits from variety within its description. What Joe Schreiber accomplishes in his writing is the variety of moods which he creates from chapter to chapter. From the Greek tragedy influenced Dramatis Personae introduction we are given as readers, through the noir-ish office sets of prison officer Sadiki Blirr, to the gritty fights that Maul is thrown into upon his arrival. By giving the reader variety within his writing, Schreiber is making science fiction refreshing to read.
Meanwhile, what Joe Schreiber also accomplishes is balancing the introduction of new characters with established characters from the Star Wars universe; this is a nice balance to strike as it will be something that fans will be adjusting to with the upcoming Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
However, where the story comes unstuck a tad is when you lose track of which character is which; this isn’t a problem unique to Star Wars novels, this has been a problem with other sci-fi tie-ins with a wealth of characters to draw on. Therefore, Schreiber could have done with losing some unnecessary characters and it not adjusted the overall story.
So to wrap things up, Maul: Lockdown is a wonderful addition to the array of stories in the Star Wars novel universe. It draws on the darker elements of sci-fi which makes it a refreshing turn, one that will be replicated in parts in the future.
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