Suvudu Universe

Gaunt, arrogant, calculating, cold, evil. These are words that we associate with Grand Moff Tarkin. He is a character that we only see for a single Star Wars film, but who’s power and relationship Darth Vader and Princess Leia have long made him a fascinating and much talked about character.

Publisher’s Summary:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.

He’s the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.

Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkin’s guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxy’s lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heel—by intimidation . . . or annihilation.

Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkin—whose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire’s supremacy . . . and its enemies’ extinction.

How many times after seeing Return of the Jedi did you go back and wonder just how much Tarkin knew about Darth Vader? We have learned a little about him in prequel era novels, seeing him in action in original trilogy era novels or seeing him referenced in novels set after the original trilogy.

In these novels pieces of back-story were created for Tarkin, did you know that he once enslaved Admiral Ackbar? Did you know that he was once Governor of a planet called Eriadu? Did you know that Tarkin seduced and groomed Imperial Admiral turned Galactic Alliance Head of State Natasi Daala? Did you know he once visited the living planet Zonama Sekot?

Well, all of those stories are now merely Legends about Wilhuff Tarkin. Some may still be true, some no doubt will be false, but with his new book Star Wars: Tarkin, James Luceno embarks on a literary journey that explores and establishes the canonical biography of Grand Moff Tarkin.

What the reader should realize going into Tarkin is that all that we “know” about the books protagonist is what we see in the film Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, his brief appearance at the end of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, seven episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and what has been said about him in the new series Star Wars Rebels.

One other thing to keep in mind before reading Tarkin is that perhaps no author is better qualified to write this book. Tarkin will be Luceno’s 9th novel for the franchise and he is perhaps best known for his ability to weave bits of the Expanded Universe together. No author seems to have as deep a knowledge or deft a hand at integrating elements of the continuity together.

Luceno’s most recent novel, Darth Plagueis focused on the Sith Lord and his apprentice Palpatine was received to rave reviews from fans. Beautifully blending elements of the Expanded Universe, the prequels and The Clone Wars together. Luceno’s novel gave even prequel-haters a new perspective on The Phantom Menace.

What Luceno’s does in this novel is something that has been talked about by representatives of Lucasfilm over the course of the past year. He tells a new story but draws inspiration and draws elements from what was the Expanded Universe but is now referred to as Legends. He also connects this novel to even the most recent The Clone Wars that we have seen.

In Tarkin we get a story set five years after the formation of the Empire by Palpatine. It is a time in which the Empire is continuing to grow and expand its grip across the galaxy, yet you get a sense that resources are spread rather thin and there is some vulnerability here. The Death Star is under construction under the watchful eye of Moff Tarkin, but Imperial politics and the discovery of a potential renewed Separatist/rebel threat to the Holonet conspire to return Tarkin to Coruscant and then send him on an adventure with Vader.

Through flashbacks and Tarkin’s own writing we learn about Tarkin’s upbringing, early career and patronage from Palpatine. While reading Tarkin it is both easy and impossible to forget that this is the man who murdered millions in a second.

I particularly loved the stories of young Tarkin and his uncle Jova on the Carrion Plateau. Jova reminds me of a science fiction version of Teddy Roosevelt. He takes the patrician Tarkin and bloodies him. His experience on the Carrion is what shapes the man we see later in life. In this wild and dangerous area of Eriadu young Wilhuff Tarkin is tempered, crafted into a lean and hard man, his character traits being personified in his personal appearance.

But that is only one aspect of Tarkin, throughout the novel we see other glimpses of his character that reveal more about the man, the arrogance and elitism we see reflected in his moments of uniform design and conversations about the Outer Rim fits perfectly with the character portrayed by Peter Cushing.

For long time Expanded Universe fans there is also a strand of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s DNA in Tarkin. A brilliant man, Tarkin is not only a master strategist and incredibly perceptive, but he also has that air of mystery surrounding his promotions, assignments and rumors about his favor with the Emperor that was prominent in Thrawn’s story.

Tarkin’s relationship with the rest of the Imperial government both civilian and military is something that is fascinating to see and fits well with the commanding presence that we see in the Death Star’s meeting room.

There is a truly interesting dynamic that exists between Tarkin, Palpatine and Vader. In this novel we get not only a new name for Palpatine but also a different portrayal of the Emperor, he is a much more reclusive and mystical character than we saw in the Expanded Universe. It is Vader that seems to straddle the worlds of Tarkin and Palpatine. It is stunning to see just how highly Palpatine seems to think of Tarkin, I doubt there is any other individual in the Empire that Palpatine would treat the way that he treats Tarkin in this novel, in fact Luceno gives a special moniker to the grouping that these three characters form.

I was blown away by the Empire building that Luceno did in this novel, bringing in a mix of old characters and new characters, he introduces us into an Imperial Court that seems to be every bit as deadly as any battlefield. I am fascinated by the structure that has been assembled here, how it relates to Star Wars Rebels and how it may relate to the Empire in Episode VII.

At 288-pages Tarkin is an incredibly lean and efficient novel and one that you cannot miss if you care about learning the canonical story of Star Wars and this pivotal character’s role in that saga.

Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno will be on-sale November 4, 2014 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook formats.

Visit Random House’s Tarkin page for an excerpt and more information.

Editor’s Note: A review copy was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.