The Shroud of the Dark Side Falls on the New Republic

Taking place roughly 13 years before The Force Awakens, Adam Christopher delivers a new adventure that helps bridge the gap between the original and sequel trilogies. Luke and Lando are at the center of the novel, embarking on a common adventure for vastly different reasons, while we also follow Rey's parents who are newly fleshed-out characters on their task of keeping Rey safe. For some time now Luke has been haunted by visions of Exegol, plaguing him with uncertainty and worry for what this could mean for the future of the galaxy, and this creates great disturbances in the Force. As for Lando, it has been six years since his young daughter, Kadara, was kidnapped and he has been searching for her to no avail. Just as Lando is giving up all hope, he overhears whispers of children being kidnapped for sinister plans and the Sith which reignites the spark to keep searching for his daughter and he turns to none other than Luke for help. Despite different motivations, their paths converge on the mystery of Exegol. Meanwhile, Dathan and Miramir are desperate to keep Rey safe as they determine what steps need to be taken next.

It's rare that I am completely taken back by the first chapter, and Christopher successfully subverted all of my expectations by opening with Rey's parents: Dathan and Miramir. Not only do we get a name for these characters, but Christopher gives them a tragically compelling storyline. We find Rey and her parents while they are on the run from the Sith Eternal - Exegol's band of Sith cultists - who want to bring Rey to Exegol, and the individual who is hunting the family is Ochi of Bestoon - a character that comic readers will be familiar with. Ochi, however, is not the only main antagonist and the other is someone readers will also be familiar with if they read the Aftermath trilogy.

While there are a handful of great moments throughout the book, I am disheartened that Shadow of the Sith is necessary in order to understand the sequel trilogy and the added lingering questions The Rise of Skywalker threw into the mix. Christopher does a great job at bridging the Luke we see in the original trilogy and The Mandalorian with the disgruntled man we see on Ahch-to and incorporates pertinent details in a way that makes them meaningful so they don't feel as much like a conveniency merely to wrap up the sequel's story. I strongly feel like aspects of this book should have been in The Force Awakens to make the entire trilogy's story more cohesive, but we all know what happened with that.

Despite my gripes, I appreciated various callbacks to other Star Wars media, like Battlefront II with Shriv's cameo and Solo by referencing the Calrissian Chronicles. In addition to those callbacks and more, we see glimpses of young Ben Solo training with Luke where Christopher successfully incorporates foreshadowing of the gaps in Ben's training. Of the Disney-era novel releases we have gotten so far, Shadow of the Sith is one of the frontrunners with a direct plug-in with the Skywalker Saga films that I feel most readers will enjoy.

Final thoughts: Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher is a long overdue necessary piece of the equation when looking at the sequel trilogy. Most of the lingering questions from The Rise of Skywalker are addressed in addition to setting up other story decisions made in the first two films of the trilogy; moreover, Christopher crafted a narrative that can stand on its own and is enjoyable in isolation. Regardless of opinion on the sequel trilogy, there are aspects of the novel that anyone can enjoy.

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