Catalyst is a prequel to the Star Wars spinoff film
Rogue One, which is a prequel to the original
Star Wars film. As such, you can correctly guess that it is a story that really did not need to be told. My apprehensions with this one were heightened by it being authored by James Luceno, whose earlier publication
Tarkin made for dull reading. Luceno continues his obsession with the character Tarkin, who has ample coverage in this book. The tale centres on Galen Erso and his wife Lyra, energy researchers for the Empire who are unwillingly coerced into weaponising their research by the manipulative Orson Krennic. The novel is supposed to set the stage for the events of
Rogue One, which it succeeds in doing adequately, although in my opinion it simply did not need to exist. The backstory of the Ersos is fully fleshed out in the film, and presumably the novelisation, which I will read next.
Unlike the majority of the other Star Wars writers, there is nothing glaringly wrong with Luceno's writing, beyond what could be considered dry prose and boring themes. The reviews of the book like to paint it as a political intrigue on par with popular TV shows such as
House of Cards, but this is overblown silliness aimed at impressionable consumers. Some may find the intrigue of
Catalyst clever and tense, but it does not come close to Claudia Gray, who manages to weave layers of mystery and double dealings with far greater efficiency whilst retaining the general droll humour of the Star Wars universe. Luceno's main fault is that he takes himself too seriously in his attempt to draw clear parallels between the fantasy events and real world politics.
Rating: 2/5
No comments:
Post a Comment