Written by Aaron Allston
The darkness was eternal, all powerful, unchanging.
It was unchangeable, but change would take place. The Force said so.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve read a genre novel outside of the Doctor Who universe. The reason isn’t hard to divulge…I simply can’t follow so many huge geek universes (books/films/tv) at one time…something has to give. In my teens and 20s, I could manage all my Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars reading without a single care in the world. Nowadays, priorities call, and I’ve stuck with Doctor Who (though I’ve kept tabs on developments in the other lines).
Star Wars - Outcast was the first full Star Wars book I’ve read in years. It was a gift from a friend who insisted it was superb…and I can’t agree with him more. And the reasons why…?
(1) It’s a great starting point for newcomers. Past storylines are given enough mention to keep long-term fans secure & in the loop, while new readers won’t feel burdened with any new-and-cumbersome continuity. In every respect, it works as a brilliant first episode…
(2) …which leads us to the second reason: it’s a shorter book than previous Star Wars novels — part of a cunning plan to make the new series of novels feel more episodic…like a television serial, that continues to build week-after-week (subtitled “Fate of the Jedi”). It doesn’t complicate itself with a lot of heavy plotting, and instead focuses on two or three storylines, and milks them for all their action-adventure & dramatic potential. A tighter focus which makes for a tighter novel.
(3) The final success comes from the writing style, which is most suited to this crisp, fast moving, new episodic style. Aaron Allston’s writing features no padding, captures all the character voices perfectly (especially Luke and Han), and pushes the story forward at lightning pace. I raced through this book, and never felt cheated by the speed or efficiency. It was quite refreshing.
Outcast was a nice dip back into the Star Wars universe…and if anything, continues to prove that the output of George Lucas’ initial genius has been successfully mined by writers FAR more talented than the man who gave us the staggeringly poor prequels. He may have created this universe…but other authors play with it in a far more satisfying manner.
