Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith

A really solid novel, held back by the restrictions of the current canon.

If you've read EU material, this book will feel very familiar. It takes elements, whether or not purposefully, from both the Bantam era of novels, and the later works of Troy Denning, such as Fate of the Jedi.

Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian have excellent chemistry, and their adventure is the height of the book, their every page interesting and entertaining, often with a touch of light comedy reminiscent of the original trilogy.

Kiza, the Sith Eternal, the wraiths and Exegol cultists were honestly awesome, written with a horror tone, they were incredibly creepy and fun villains for Luke to fight, even if the idea is kinda silly and dumb for what happens in The Rise of Skywalker. Kiza, especially, is an awesome character.

Rey's parents feature, and take way too much of the pages up, being focused on far too much for what little entertainment they provide, and following the same structure repeatedly. Escape, rest, escape, rest, escape, rest. They aren't very interesting characters, and Rey is merely a young girl with no personality or really anything slightly or remotely entertaining about her. These sections eventually become a slog and should've been cut down quite a lot.

It's a really great book, clearly held down by the restrictions of the current canon, but Adam Christopher is a superb author and does a sublime job writing a great book even with his story being pulled down by decisions he didn't make and can't do anything to counteract.

Shadow of the Sith is one of the Star Wars canon novels I've most looked forward to getting into - with the difficult task as it does of smoothing the rough edges of set-up hinted at during The Rise of Skywalker. 

Luke Skywalker is haunted by visions of Exegol, the hidden world of the Sith; Lando Calrissian, wracked by the kidnapping of his daughter years prior, is on the trail of a young family hunted by agents of the Sith Eternal. Together, the old friends will come face to face with the vastness of a galaxy which can never be fully known, their place within it, and cross paths with a young girl who will grow up to carry the Jedi Master's legacy into the future.

Christopher acquits himself well with a big task, coralling the disparate pieces of plot from a mess of a film into a pacey thriller that explores Lando's grief and sense of emptiness when the war you were a hero of is over, and the the people who matter most are taken from you; and gives greater depth to Luke's state of mind, and the mistakes he will inevitably make, as the timeline barrels towards conflict with the First Order. While it can never quite iron out the issues with Abrams's ham fisted plot decisions, it's a really decent attempt that gives more flair and flavour to an as yet vague part of the canon.

Basically Star Wars Episode 6.5.

Adds some much-needed context for all the nonsense that happens in Rise of Skywalker. It doesn't quite make all the nonsense work... but it definitely helps it go down a little more smoothly.

The audiobook was very well-produced with sound effects and music from the movies.

It was basically a fun Star Wars action movie of a book that helps Episode 9 be a little less dumb and was a fun listen while driving to work.