Catalyst (Star Wars): A Rogue One Novel

I don’t know why the rating on this is mediocre. It was one of the most interesting reads of all Star Wars canon or legends. I could be wrong but I don’t recall reading about kyber crystals anywhere else that brought it to life and made it the important integral character that it is in all of Star Wars. Though it started off just a tad slow, I ended up loving it. The science and mystery of the kyber crystal and its personality when maneuvered or subjugated was also fascinating. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it. Not only was the “study” of the kyber crystal itself interesting, but it also indirectly shed a different and incredible light on the Jedi and their understanding of it through the Force. I did not expect that at all though it’s very brief but enlightening. The expanded personalities here of Galen and Lyra represented in the movie Rogue One, even though we only saw them for a very short time, gave them the depth we needed. I love how Krennec is fleshed out to be the strategic manipulative weasel that we got a taste of in the movie. The duel of wits between him and Tarkin is fun. If you haven’t already, check out Luceno’s Tarkin. Unfortunately you’ll become a Tarkin fan but you won’t be able to put it down like me. Wonderful character portrayal, just like I feel that this was as much about the kyber crystal as it was the story of the Erso family. I also enjoyed all the unsung side characters that are part of the Erso’s makeup that informed their decision in the end to run. Now we know how they were acquainted with Saw Guerrera, which made perfect sense. Great read, I’m only sorry I kept putting it off months after I bought it, but you won’t regret it. I’m a nerd at heart and I love the science, both real and fake of science fiction. You might be put off a little by the technical jargon but you’ll gain a fuller appreciation if you stick with it.

If I have one criticism of Rogue One the movie it's that it throws out a lot of superficial references to many different things and ideas and doesn't spend a lot of time developing two of the more interesting characters, Orson Krennic and Galen Erso.I think this book is one of Luceno's best. There's not a lot of action, but the characters are rich, complex, and well developed. At times, Galen seems incredibly obtuse for no reason at all other than the book would end too quickly if he came to his sense about Orson, but I came away impressed with Orson's competence and depth as a character much more than I did in the film which barely goes into his motivations at all. In this book, he is so much more than a stock Imperial villain: he is smart, manipulative, and generally one step ahead of everyone else. His competition with Tarkin is very interesting. Lyra Galen is also very well done in this book.Although at the end of the day, like in the rest of the canon novels, not too much of great significance happens in the book (again holding back for the movies/other favored media like Marvel comics), but it's well-written and a tour-de-force in how a character driven novel should be done in the Star Wars universe. Quite possibly it's the best of the new canon novels with the possible exception of Gray's Lost Stars.

I am a massive Star Wars fan who first got into the books last year, when Disney first began releasing its new canon material. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the majority of the canon novels that I've read, my favorites being Lost Stars, Lords of the Sith, and Bloodline in that order. With Catalyst, I have to crown a new champion.The Force Awakens is arguably the most I have ever anticipated a film in my 22 years of life last year. More than anything, I was anticipating a return to a galaxy far, far away. I loved the film, so my expectations going into Rogue One are partially based on my happiness with what we got in 2015. My hype for The Force Awakens was almost instantaneous, while my Rogue One hype has been a slow burn that really picked up toward the end. After reading Catalyst, I can say that I am even MORE excited for Rogue One as a FILM than I was for The Force Awakens, while I was more excited for The Force Awakens as an EVENT.I will not divulge spoilers. But I will say that Luceno introduces a rich cast of characters from Galen, Lyra, and Jyn Erso (Jyn being the star of Rogue One), Orson Krennic (a villain worthy of Tarkin, Thrawn, Palpatine, and Vader just from these pages alone), to Has Obitt. I have not yet read Luceno's other Star Wars novels, but now I have an incredible incentive to do so. He is illustrious and visceral with his writing, and what impresses me most about Catalyst is how it expands the science of Star Wars.Catalyst is an enthralling, epic story of love, war, greed, betrayal, and the will of the Force. It is one of the richest stories in the Star Wars saga to date, which gives me even more confidence in the Lucasfilm team. At this point, we only have a few days until Rogue One hits theaters. Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK BEFORE SEEING THE FILM. It's NOT required, and both the book and the film can stand on their own, but boy will it likely make the experience seeing the film even richer. I could see Catalyst as a film itself, but I suppose we would be missing out on James Luceno's captivating prose.Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.

Another good story in the franchise

i didn't know what to expect when i purchased it and .... woa, need to be read before watching the movie

Uma das melhores histórias do cânon de Star Wars! Uma porta de entrada perfeita para quem assistiu os filmes, e quer iniciar a leitura dos livros!

un buon romanzo che fa da preludio alla storia di rogue one, vengono approfonditi i personaggi secondari del film: vediamo la carriera di krennic e tutte le sue manipolazioni, lyra ne guadagna tanto, è un bel personaggio, molto legato al pacifismo e alla fede nella forza oltre ad essere una donna molto determinata, galen è lo scienziato che si perde nello studio dei cristalli, e in dei punti diventano quasi un'ossessione perdendo di vista il suo lavoro e la sua famiglia. sullo sfondo c'è la nascita della morte nera, e tutti i problemi connessi, dove trovare la manodopera, le risorse, tenerla nascosta e infine sviluppare l'arma.ho trovato alcuni termini in inglese un pò ostici, quando si parla di cose scientifiche o di ingegneria lì un pò mi sono perso, però son dettagli.come al solito peccato che per ora non sia uscito in italiano.

Wunderbar fesselnd von der ersten Seite an!Catalyst zeigt viele Motivationen der Rogue One Charaktere sehr viel deutlicher auf, als der Film selbst.Mit persönlich kam der Film daher absolut Gigantisch vor!Dies war mein erstes Star Wars Buch und es wird definitiv nicht das letzte sein.Wenn Ihr tiefer in die Rogue One Geschichte eintauchen wollt, dann ist das Buch das richtige für euch!