STAR WARS: RESISTANCE REBORN / AUTHOR: REBECCA ROANHORSE / PUBLISHER: CENTURY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

With both the festive season and The Rise of Skywalker fast approaching, Resistance Reborn faces a tall order as both a lead-in and reminder of just what a state the Resistance is in prior to what is presumably its last hurrah. A handful of plucky pilots and agents survive, attempting to widen its net and recruit former heroes as a bit of a fillip- cue a nice cameo for Wedge Antilles, pulled out of retirement by stepson Snap Wexley in a literal meeting of old and new. Which, of course, Star Wars has always pulled out of the hat rather well since at least the prequel trilogy, plus there’s a house style to stick to even minus George Lucas.

So we have the now General Organa of the Resistance calling in a favour from an old friend as the First Order threatens to stick the galaxy under its jackboot (unless you collaborate, of course). The biggest problem is simply that we’ve been here before. Cynics might note that everything post – the original trilogy is an exercise in just that. But while The Rise of Skywalker promises to put things to bed most definitively, this step towards it just doesn’t feel all that necessary. Nothing about it screams that this is a stonewall essential, merely keeping things warm before the main event, and given the quality of similar novels in its orbit it proves more than a little disappointing.

The print characterisations of Rey, Leia et al is at least fairly faithful to what we’ve seen on screen, something of the performances of Daisy Ridley and Carrie Fisher coming across in their exchanges while Poe Dameron, redeemed following his demotion, spends a fair bit of time brooding. Understandably given his perception of his part in the recent failings of the movement he signed up to fly for perhaps. We do at least learn more of the mostly supporting character of Snap, a former student of Antilles who now, it’s implied here, fulfils much the same function as he did for Luke Skywalker when it comes to being Dameron’s wingman.

Far more interesting in a sense is his family history. His mother Norra, first introduced in Aftermath as a former Rebel pilot, is now married to Wedge – settled as they are on a nice little farmstead, she just can’t say no to the hankering to escape domesticity. As it happens nor can he, and so begins the first phase of a return to action. The First Order’s new involvement in the affairs of Corellia provides the backdrop as political prisoners are put to work in the shipyards of the planet providing the literal building blocks for a new wave of tyranny.

And so on and so on. The formula wins out once more – save your book tokens.