Lando Calrissian is on the search for his kidnapped daughter! But an even deeper shadow lurks in the farthest reaches of the corner…can Luke Skywalker help Lando stand against it? Read my review of Shadow of the Sith and see if you want to tag along!


Shadow of the Sith BN Poster Sith CharacterWhen a new Star Wars movie comes out, there’s an unspoken rule (maybe less unspoken lately) a novel will come along soon enough and start bridging some of the gaps between the current movie and the past movie. And boy howdy, when The Rise of Skywalker came out, fans were clamoring for a novel that would start to bridge some of the gaps between what we thought the story of the Sequel Trilogy was compared to what it turned out to be in the end. Shadow of the Sith does not seek to be a complete bridge (it is only one novel), but I think that the novel does a lot of heavy lifting to bridge those gaps and mostly does it really well.

This review will be hard to talk about without spoilers, which is both a good and bad thing. This book genuinely works well within the bridge between Endor and Exegol, and it shows really well how Luke Skywalker’s journey to rebuild the Jedi turned (subtly) into an attempt to destroy the Sith forever. But there are some surprising twists and turns along the way, including the main villain of this novel, which I think would be best experienced in the course of the novel.

I think the question on most people’s mind is: does this book answer all of my questions The Rise of Skywalker asked? Absolutely not. Does it try to? Thank the Maker, no it does not. Does it answer the ones it brings up? Very much so. I was pretty cynical going into the novel, thinking that it wouldn’t be able to do a satisfactory job in answering some questions I had about the movie. Not only did it answer them well, it answered some of them in really surprising ways. I was impressed how much writer Adam Christopher could fit in without overstuffing the novel (though it is long), and how many he could answer in almost off-handed ways. I almost want to recommend this novel based on this alone, as it really brought some sharp relief to the ST storyline in my mind. I’m not convinced every single person alive is going to find the answers satisfactory, but that’s almost okay. I think this book brings a lot of meat to the ST and a lot of new elements that I felt were missing. I might even revisit The Rise of Skywalker novelization after this one to see all of the ways that it connected.

I noted that this book is very long. It clocks in around 500 pages. It’s always good news to me when a Star Wars novel is longer rather than shorter – provided that they use the page count well. Since I read this novel initially with a digital ARC, I had no idea how long the novel was. I think this worked in its favor, as I was shocked to see the huge page count. The novel’s pacing moves quickly, and I felt myself unable to put it down at times. I hate to compare this novel with another, as comparisons are a bad way to write a review, but it did strike me how differently this novel and the third Thrawn: Ascendancy novel could use the same amount of pages.

Shadow-of-the-Sith-Full-CoverThat being said, I think part of why this novel feels so well-paced is it focuses on the plotting more than the character work. I applauded Mike Chen’s Brotherhood for deftly using a large cast to interrogate main characters, but that came at (in my opinion) the cost of the plotting. This novel uses a far smaller cast (really something like five protagonists and two antagonists, with a middle-sized supporting cast) to tell a singular story: what is Ochi after? The plot moves around believably, keeping characters apart who need to be separated and bringing some together who may need to be brought together more and more! The plot really only slows when I think it’s important to take breaks, and I never felt like too many scenes went on too long.

Now, I don’t want to imply that there was no character work. Lando and Ochi are the stand-outs of this novel. Ochi is one of the deutero-protagonists/antagonists (depending on who you are!) in Greg Pak’s current Darth Vader comic, and I’m not sure I really like the character in the comic. I find him too over the top and don’t always understand his motivations. But Christopher is able to make him into a pretty great character, pulling directly on stuff from Pak’s run. I thought the synergy here worked really well. Ochi is finally dangerous, not just an idiot with a knife, and I thought he served this novel well. I also thought that Christopher brought an interesting new angle to Lando, playing on both the Lando that we know and love and a new side of Lando, one of loss and regret. Seeing him years after his daughter is taken means we see someone whose whole world has been turned upside down, but has started to adjust yet again. I would love to see more of this Lando.

Really, I think this novel is well worth your time if you’re a fan of the Sequel Trilogy. Though, that being said, I’m sure most ST fans were already planning on picking this book up! Thankfully, I think it does well what we hoped it would: it answers important questions about the story and about the timeline, sometimes in surprising ways. (One HUGE problem I had with Episode IX was answered by the novel, and I am not sure it was intentional.) But it’s not just a novel that exists to tell one story or fix one plot device. It actually serves as an entertaining book in it’s own right and one that I think should give Adam Christopher a few more ST stories in the future, if he wants them.

You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor!

DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book, through NetGalley, from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.

ALSO BY ADAM CHRISTOPHER:
“The Witness” – From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (novel) | “End of Watch” – From a Certain Point of View (novel)

When Star Wars told the stories of Rey, her parents, and her mentors in the sequel trilogy, it hinted at the mysterious terrors of the past. Who was Ochi of Bestoon, really? What happened to Lando Calrissian's daughter? What set Luke Skywalker on a path that eventually prompted him to turn away from the Force?

Adam Christopher's SHADOW OF THE SITH gives backstory to many of these events, serving as the beginning of a well-constructed bridge between the original and sequel trilogies. It introduces readers to Rey's parents, it sends Luke Skywalker on a dangerous quest to learn more about the Sith, and shows just how long Sidious's shadow really was.

It was great to finally read Christopher's Star Wars novel debut and to get a story set seemingly midway between ROTJ and TFA (teenage Ben Solo does appear briefly). We haven't gotten many stories from that era, and here's hoping this one will pave the way for more.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to review. I truly loved this novel so much! Shadow of the Sith takes readers on a fun and exhilarating story that is, in my opinion, needed to understand the trajectory of the sequel trilogy. As someone who adores those movies for what they are, this novel fills in many blanks for fans who didn’t understand why The Rise of Skywalker went in the direction it did. It’s face-paced, enthralling, and overall really entertaining! You can read my full review on nerdsandbeyond.com!

Tremendous thanks to Del Rey for the electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

Thank the maker, a new Star Wars novel has been bestowed upon us! Shadow of the Sith, published by Del Rey and written by first time Star Wars author Adam Christopher, is a beast of a book (page count is nearly 500) that does quite a bit of heavy narrative lifting in a portion of the canon timeline that’s relatively unexplored. Filled with faces both familiar and new, Shadow of the Sith kept me captivated chapter after chapter with its mix of heart, action, and suspense.

Front and center is Ochi of Bestoon, a character whose introduction in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker was both brief and mysterious. For devotees of Star Wars comics, his backstory has been more fleshed out in the Darth Vader (2020) and Crimson Reign titles. If you’re only familiar with him from the film (like me), you’ll have no problems keeping up as Christopher does a great job of filling in Ochi’s backstory and displaying his – let’s call it specific – personality. What we learned about Ochi from Rise of Skywalker shouldn’t be a spoiler at this point, but it’s his motivation and how he works towards his goal that is the central plot of the novel.

Shadow of the Sith is set about 20 years after the Battle of Endor, and while The New Republic generally has things under control, there’s still plenty of evil in the galaxy. Old pals Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker are on very different paths at this point in their lives. Lando’s particularly traumatized by the capture of his young daughter years ago and he carries that burden with him wherever he goes. Luke’s focused on training the next generation of Jedi but can’t deny that the Force is trying to communicate an evil threat on the horizon. The events of the book kick into high gear when Lando overhears Ochi’s plan to kidnap a child and he recruits Luke to join his team to ensure he doesn’t succeed. It’s never that simple though as a new dark side menace is determined to take Luke and Lando down.

I really enjoyed how Adam Christopher handled the number of new characters in this book. As I said earlier, Ochi of Bestoon is well fleshed-out (pun sorta intended) and is deliciously despicable. The aforementioned dark side villain’s name is Kiza, who was first introduced in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy, and she’s dealing with some pretty intense physical and psychological torture via the form of a Sith relic. Without spoiling anything I will just say that her storyline is equal parts evil and entertaining (imagine if Jim Carrey’s The Mask had horror mixed in). As announced before Shadow of the Sith was published, Rey’s parents are given names, Dathan (father) and Miramir (mother). Dathan’s family tree would put a strain on any relationship, but these two handle their situation with maturity and love. I honestly wasn’t prepared for how charmed I was by these two, kudos to Christopher for surprising me with how endearing they are. As a parent I found myself sympathizing with their desire for normalcy amidst chaotic circumstances. Plus, getting to know them makes their fates that much more heartbreaking and give Rey’s backstory an impactful emotional weight.

Like I said before, Shadow of the Sith is a meaty read and that’s a compliment! Chapters are lengthy and Christophers prose isn’t difficult to read by any means, but he packs a lot into each chapter. This is a book that shouldn’t be devoured, rather savored for the rich feast it is. Shadow of the Sith stands apart as a Star Wars novel that skillfully combines the action and adventure we’d expect with elements of humanity and heart.

Written by Adam Christopher, Shadow of the Sith is one of the first big novels to explore a pivotal moment between the original and sequel trilogies, as it covers events first brought to light in The Rise of Skywalker regarding Rey’s past. While it wraps up several lingering threads which emerged once those details were revealed, in an entertaining, well-paced, and satisfying way, it builds off other works and injects some surprising and exciting new content to bolster the story to make for a memorable package that ascends its purpose. In a way, it reads like a classic Legends novel, expanding backstory only hinted at in the films whiling bringing in new elements, but also leaving a heavier dive into internal dialogue wanting.

No matter your feelings on The Rise of Skywalker, the backstory it revealed left a lot of questions the movie didn’t have time to answer or fully develop, but like the Expanded Universe days of old, Shadow of the Sith is publication’s attempt to step in and flesh out and smooth over the new additions. In question were several things: how and why Ochi of Bestoon wasn’t able to find Rey despite tracking down her parents, ending up sunken in the Shifting Mires aka quicksand of Pasaana instead; why she remembers seeing Ochi’s ship flying away after she’s dropped off on Jakku; why her parents would even leave her on such a desolate place; and more importantly how and why Lando Calrissian and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker never quite figured it out either, among other things. Not only is Adam Christopher’s prose entertaining, providing tension even with characters whose fates we already know, but he zips up all the seams for a satisfying series of revelations. And never once does Shadow of the Sith feel like it’s going out of its way to answer lingering questions, instead it reads like a natural set of events unfolding in the era, the decisions of characters and the outcomes all reasonable and feasible for what happens. A lot of this stems from Christopher’s internalizations for the book’s POV characters, and while I left SotS wanting more internal dialogue and exploration so the characters didn’t often feel like vessel for explaining what’s happening, the layer offered in the prose captures the characters we love and new ones enough we’re able to understand their reasonings and decisions, leading to the outcome we already know is coming. As I mentioned before, despite knowing the ending there’s plenty of tension throughout SotS, mainly from the return of a character from the Aftermath Trilogy and her part of the book, while Christopher uses that looming sense of failure to add an unnerving level of anxiety to the prose. That there’s a hopeful feeling at the end doesn’t stem from our knowledge with how the sequel trilogy ends, but rather how Christopher writes these characters’ journeys, and I found myself enjoying these characters more than uncovering the truth of what all went down. Shadow of the Sith will both manage to be everything you’d want it to be and so much more with its expansions and character focus.

One of the more fascinating aspects of SotS before reading it, for me at least, was the idea we’d meet Rey’s parents, their names revealed to be Dathan and Miramir, and discover their journey regardless of its tragic ending. It didn’t take long into Shadow of the Sith for me to start rooting for Dathan and Miramir and their attempts to escape his past for a better future for their daughter Rey, so when the inevitable strikes, it managed to bring me to some tears. If you’re looking to learn how Dathan fled Exegol, how he felt about his past, and how Miramir came into the picture and her hand in the decisions and fight for their daughter’s safety, Shadow of the Sith reveals just enough to be satisfying, while both characters’ hopes and dreams, and feelings about trust in regards to the larger galaxy, help make their ultimate choices and fate make even more sense. Miramir was my favorite of the two, and a standout in the overall novel, especially since it felt like Adam Christopher wrote her not only with Jody Comer in mind, but Rey as well, since may of Rey’s traits and gifts stem from her talented mother. Their deep love for Rey felt a little forced at first, but it’s so earnest and all-encompassing, it’s enduring and only adds to the growing emotional connection I had to the wayward parents, assisting in turning their fate from feeling inevitable to tragic, while how it still comes off as a victory of sorts only sweetens the deal. I would certainly enjoy exploring more of Dathan and Miramir’s past, especially with some teases about Miramir’s lineage, and it’s all thanks to the life Christopher breathes into them.

When it was revealed Lando’s daughter had been kidnapped and he never found her by the time of The Rise of Skywalker, it was quite the surprising turn of events, and saddening to hear for a much beloved character. While Shadow of the Sith doesn’t cover when his daughter, Kadara, was stolen from him or the search he conducted with friends and eventually alone, it does pick up some 6 years after and such a tragic outcome continues to haunt him. The emotional development and exploration, of how this has affected Lando, from his path, friendships, to his future, while still not as deep as I’d like, is fascinating to say the least and one of the strongest parts of the novel. Seeing a man we usually associate with so much confidence, swagger, and self-love diminished, hollow from the lack of resolution, was almost jarring, but Christopher manages to capture Lando’s charm and personality enough it’s easy to see the character we all know and love hiding underneath. It’s abundantly clear how important assisting Dathan and Miramir escape with their child is to Lando (and it feels naturally that he nor Luke ever learn their names), especially when he learns the Sith might be involved with their problems and maybe also with Kadara, but knowing the tragic ending to their story, I was biting my nails trying to figure out how Christopher would manage to bring Lando to the place we see him in TRoS, delightfully charming as ever while chilling on Pasaana, and that journey pulled me along page after page, and is thankfully a journey full of choices he makes on his own. Seeing him interact with Luke was also a highlight, as while the two have grown apart, considering Luke’s somewhat surprisingly strict adherence to some aspects of the Jedi Code/training the next era of Jedi and Lando’s own desire to escape the guilt he carries over how he feels about his missing daughter, they were close once and helped each other so them working it out again added a lot of flavor to their trajectories and gave some bittersweetness both to how it seems they won’t see each other again before Luke dies and to stories yet to be told in this timeframe. Shadow of the Sith definitely makes Lando’s renewed desire to search for his daughter/help Jannah find her family even more of a poetic and a fitting next place for the character to go after The Rise of Skywalker.

As we saw recently in The Book of Boba Fett (still weird to think it’s where it happened), Luke seems to, despite compassion and attachment helping him save his father and begin a new future for the Jedi, leaned rather hard into the non-attachment aspect of the Jedi Code. Regardless of how you feel about this choice, Shadow of the Sith makes it concrete, though Christopher explores how it’s affected various aspects of his life, even in the short moments with Padawan Ben Solo at his Temple on Ossus, but mainly in his interactions and time with Lando as they attempt to help this family escape the Sith and hunters chasing them. As I mentioned earlier, Lando and Luke together was a highlight of the book, especially with how Lando pushes against the aloof shell Luke’s built around himself just by being in his presence, but also how it helps Luke get out of his shell somewhat and be a friend again, not just a Jedi Master. But the Jedi Mastery on display here is riveting, as Luke has full trust and control of his place in the Force, happy with his choices and lack of attachments, the sacred duty of restoring the Jedi all he feels he needs, though how Christopher manages to challenge that through the return of a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond only aids in cementing Luke’s confidence in his place in the Force, his choices, and his path so far. Also, having Lor San Tekka join him for part of the book teases the great future of tales we could have about the two of them going around the galaxy, exploring and rounding up artifacts, but it also dives into the cracks of Luke’s choices, as keeping Ben at arm’s length (no longer taking his nephew on expeditions) and confiding only in Lor regarding a foreboding dream also help lead to the situation he finds himself in by the sequel trilogy; it makes sense why he feels he needs to be secluded, but it also sets the stage for how everything could go down. Once again with SotS, more internalization in Luke’s sections could’ve brought more depth to the character and help explore his reasoning for choices or let us hear a bit about his thoughts on family (like Leia and Han, though I guess that’s part of his non-attachment goals we don’t read him thinking of them much), but what Christopher does bring to the page allows us a big enough window to get a good read on him during this timeframe and how he feels about the incomplete end of his quest alongside Lando. Seeing Luke on Tython, and it acknowledging the Doctor Aphra series’ visit to a polar region, was fulfilling, and if you read the thrilling first excerpt, well, let me tell you, the following chapter after that reveal is even more emotional, especially how it brings in a unused concept from the films. Fans will have plenty to pick apart and explore about this slice of Luke, though there’s no question it is Jedi Master Luke Skywalker on full display here, and will enjoy all the avenues it opens for future stories by not treading to far in either direction from this timeframe.

Which brings me to Kiza, the other character gracing the cover, whom was once an Acolyte of the Beyond, a group of dark side fanatics whom rose to prominence shortly after Return of the Jedi, and featured briefly in the Aftermath Trilogy. While I won’t dive into how she became separated from the group or what happened to them overall, that’s the book’s story to tell, her connection to the Sith mask she wears and the power reaching through it to control her is a creepy and fascinating aspect of the book. In fact, her whole story is spooky and the inevitability of her trajectory is a cautious tale hiding a lesson for other characters (and readers), while her part, and later Kiza’s fellow Acolyte Luke saved some time ago, are original slices in a tale full of expected moments that add memorable and unique flair to SotS the main story just wouldn’t be able to on its own. Learning the story of the mask is stunning and dark, fitting for the fun Dark Legends novel SotS does find inspiration from, and how Kiza does and doesn’t deal with its power pushes Luke and his abilities, his adherence to Jedi Codes, in interesting places. As much as I liked what Kiza brings to the story, her old friend and fellow Acolyte Komat was my favorite overall character in the book, as her isolated lifestyle after her time with the group, and how Luke and Lando’s presence challenges it for her, was a unique and compelling part of SotS. The planet she’s found to live her solitary lifestyle, alongside another stand out droid (itself a Legends reference!) that steals a few scenes, is one of the most beautifully described and distinctive planets I’ve read in a while, and the lesson one can learn from it also plays into the theme of inevitability; Kiza’s lair is unique in its own way, though not as memorable as Komat’s. The big showdown with Kiza and the mask is the culmination of Christopher’s riveting action scene sensibilities and several character arcs, while also being my favorite scene in Shadowsof the Sith.

Shadow of the Sith also features Ochi of Bestoon, a character I’ve sort of come around on recently and I know is a lot of people’s Glup Shitto, aka obscure fan favorite, and Christopher mostly makes his spiral towards the Shifting Mires of Pasaana a sympathetic journey, so both myself and his fans will be pleased. Ochi’s time in the comics has been hit or miss for me since he’s been central to the Darth Vader run, though it was neat to have scenes from the series be important to his character development and mentioned here (and in another character’s POV section…), but Christopher does a great job on filling in the vital aspects so non-comic readers won’t feel left out. Ochi’s looking to be made whole again after his first visit to Exegol broke him in more than one way, though since he can’t find his way back, he’s eager for a way there, which drives his choices throughout and lead to his ultimate fate. When the Sith Eternal, and Palpatine’s ghastly voice itself, request him to bring home Rey, he sees his chance to be healed, but they give him a Sith dagger with the ominous line the blade will tell him the way to Exegol, and its influence slowly takes a deadly hunter into a bloodthirsty killer, and there’s palpable tension from his slide into madness, as the more unhinged he gets, the more dangerous it gets for anyone to be around him. Sith artifacts are dangerous, something we’ve seen before in the comics with Lord Momin and his helmet (which Lando wonderfully references at one point!), and SotS cranks their destructive influences up to harrowing levels, offering, like many other things in the novel, more avenues for stories.

Adam Christopher’s Shadow of the Sith is the book fans have been waiting for to explore the still mysterious timeframe between original and sequel trilogies, revealing important details, clearing up some lingering questions, and offering several surprises along the way, all in a stylish, exciting read, even if it could’ve benefited from more internalization for its characters.

{Included link will be live 6/14}