Lockdown: Star Wars Legends (Maul‪)‬

The use of current slang words was a little lazy on the author's part, but didn't ruin a great Maul story. Definite must-read for SW fans.

It’s grotesque. It’s gruesome. It’s grueling. But it’s so good!

Due to some negative reviews I’d read about this book, it was far down my list of Star Wars books to read. I finally picked up a copy and behold! I was incredibly surprised that a book so different from the usual gaunt in the galaxy far, far away would be so enjoyable. Additionally, I don’t do horror, whether it’s in books or movies (not that Lockdown is necessarily horror… But it’s certainly much more grim than a hero’s journey about a farm boy, princess, wizard, pirate, and a space bear with a crossbow). When it was all said and done, I found Maul: Lockdown to be well-worth the time and money!

If you’re going to make a solo adventure about Darth Maul, it might as well be set in a gladiatorial space prison with a Yuuzahn Vong, a Wampa, a consciousness-sucking death worm, cannibalistic prison gangs, and even a dark-Jedi crime lord. It’s the Darth Maul story I never knew I wanted. Thrown into the mix are occasional appearances from Palpatine, Plagueis, and Jabba – and they steal the show. Schreiber’s writing was so descriptive in a dark way, I feel like he unlocked a part of my imagination that should probably be imprisoned with Maul and his counterparts.

I recommend Maul: Lockdown to those who like Star Wars and also like horror. If you don’t like the darker corners of literature, maybe it’ll be a good horizon-expanding read around Halloween. It’s also a good follow-up to the villain-centric novels like Darth Plagueis and Darth Bane. I think the only Star Wars book you need to have read before opening Lockdown is Darth Plagueis.

I am a huge fan of Joe Schreiber, and his two previous Star Wars contributions, "Death Troopers" and "Red Harvest," are excellent stories, full of gore, frantic panic and zombies. "Maul: Lockdown" is a different book. Based on the mention of Maul having been disappointed at not being a part of the Eriadu summit from James Luceno's "Cloak of Deception," we can assume that this book is perhaps a month or so from the beginning of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace." Maul will still have his adventure in Michael Reeves' "Shadow Hunter," which leads directly into the events of the movie, but this is close.

What Joe Schreiber does with this book is three amazing things:

1. Cog Hive Seven, the prison in space, in which inmates are selected to engage in battles, literally reshapes itself for every match, moving prisoners' cells to connect with their competitor. The reshaping and constant twisting and turning of the prison, is, in many ways, the style of the book, which is a constant twist of unpredictable changes. This has always been a strength of Schreiber's: he can create a multi-layered and constantly moving story that leads you up one path and then throws you down another. You think you have things figured out, when suddenly you are left clueless. The mystery and sudden turns are a major success.

2. Darth Maul, Schreiber's first film character to be utilized as the main character of a novel (Han and Chewie were secondary in "Death Troppers"), shines. He is given the physical ability we saw depicted in the first film, but also a keen intelligence and yearning dependence on his master that makes him far more real. Maul wants nothing more than to be involved in the "Grand Plan," the Revenge of the Sith. When Darth Sidious tells him that this mission involves him in that, Maul begins to see the Force in new ways, believing he is destined to participate in certain ways. He even has a possible flirtation with a fallen Jedi - Yes, he shoots her down when she makes her move, but Maul is shown to be tempted.

3. There is tremendous continuity between "Maul: Lockdown", "Darth Plagueis," "Cloak of Deception," and "Death Troopers." In the style of James Luceno, Joe Schreiber has intertwined continuity into a masterful tale that fits just right. This is a skill, and fleshing out the pre-Episode I era is very important in understanding the motivations of the Sith. Plagueis, himself, makes a few appearances, and there are some uncomfortable scenes between he and Darth Sidious in which their trust seems very tenuous.

The book was great. Schreiber's violence is intense, but of the three Star Wars novels he has written to date, I would rate this novel as the least gory. There are brutal beatings, bone removals, town flesh, and serious injurious, but these are a part of the story, and not a reason to place this book in the Star Wars: Horror genre. If you want to learn more about Darth Maul, read about Sidious and Plagueis, get some tremendous continuity and action, and be kept guessing, check this out!