In the years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and before Star Wars: A Force Awakens a lot happened. Well, a lot was chronicled and is now considered “Legend,” but with the push to reinvigorate the Star Wars universe, Disney/Star Wars have turned to some newer voices to help fill in the gaps, like Claudia Gray. After the very well-received Lost Stars in 2015, Claudia was tapped to write a novel about Princess Leia Organa Solo, and what led to the political factions of the Resistance and First Order. As it turned out, Star Wars Bloodline just might be the definitive story about Leia. A bold statement, but one that feels appropriate after reading and thinking more about Bloodline.
The events don’t take place immediately after Return of the Jedi, but rather much closer to the events of The Force Awakens by only a few years. Leia and Han are married and their son Ben is young. Leia is struggling to keep maintain patience in her life as a politician, she wants to step away and almost yearns for the adventures she had taking down the Empire. One problem is the government is unsettled by the Empire’s fall, which is compounded by the departure of Mon Mothma who was the glue that held the New Republic Senate together. The factions of the New Republic Senate are vying for power, namely the Centrists and the Populists. Leia finds herself reluctantly at the forefront of the Populist movement.
Serving as foil, enemy, ally, to Leia is the rising young senator Ransolm Casterfo. He is introduced as a charming, somewhat arrogant Centrist senator who across the proverbial political aisle from Leia. When she first meets him, in his residence, she’s appalled by what seems to be a shrine of Empire memorabilia. As his character is revealed over the course of the novel, Gray managed to evoke sympathy for the man despite that initially off-putting introduction. He argues for some of the stability the Empire brought even though he realizes their obviously darker methods. The interaction between Casterfo and Leia made for a very engaging and compelling relationship and proved to be the emotional backbone of the novel. Their contentious relationship felt so genuine because Leia was able to, most of the time, at least empathize with the point of view of her ideological counterpart.
Gray also gives Leia a nice support system which includes C-3PO. There is also, of course, her roguish husband Han Solo who makes brief appearances, as well as the pilots Joph Seastriker and Greer Sonnel who do not sway in their devotion to Leia despite every accusation and revelation about Leia in the novel.
The thematic parallels of the novel – political maneuverings and an action-adventure story – is a nice parallel to Leia herself. Her frustration and entrenchment in the political landscape is where she is as a character now, but her reminiscences of times past push her to take action and get a first-hand account of the threat to her and the post-Empire government of the galaxy.
I would have liked to see a little bit more of Ben Solo, the boy who would become Kylo Ren, but understandably this is a Princess Leia Novel. As such, Gray delves into what it means to Leia to be the daughter of Darth Vader. Much of Star Wars has focused on Luke being the son of Darth Vader, but here in Bloodline, the focus is on the ramifications of living in the shadow of Darth Vader.
What makes this novel such a hook into The Force Awakens is how the early seeds of the First Order are revealed. Where Chuck Wending’s enjoyable Aftermath was very much a post-Return of the Jedi novel, Bloodline is that much more a predecessor to The Force Awakens. That combined with this being such a definitive story for Leia gives readers and fans a wonderful insight into the most famous woman in Star Wars lore.
Recommended
© 2016 Rob H. Bedford
Hardcover 400 Pages
Published by Del Rey/Lucas Books | May 2016
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
Excerpt: http://suvudu.com/2016/02/exclusive-excerpt-star-wars-bloodline-by-claudia-gray.html
http://www.claudiagray.com/
