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Catalyst (Star Wars): A Rogue One Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

James Luceno (Author), Jonathan Davis (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
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The must-have prequel novel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - the upcoming film, set before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, that reveals the untold story of the rebel effort to steal the plans to the Death Star!

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  1. Part of series
    Star Wars (Standalone Novels)
  2. Listening Length
    11 hours and 15 minutes
  3. Author
    James Luceno
  4. Narrator
    Jonathan Davis
  5. Audible release date
    November 15, 2016
  6. Language
    English
  7. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  8. ASIN
    B01J6GNK6O
  9. Version
    Unabridged
  10. Program Type
    Audiobook
  11. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 15 minutes
Author James Luceno
Narrator Jonathan Davis
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 15, 2016
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01J6GNK6O
Best Sellers Rank #20,774 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#497 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#767 in Adventure Science Fiction
#1,406 in Space Operas

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
5,097 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the content complex and realistic. They also describe the book as interesting and decent all around. Readers say the plot is good and gives deeper insight into the characters. They say the characters are well developed. They praise the writing style as very well written. However, some customers feel the writing quality is horrible and the pacing is slow.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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Entertainment valuePlotCharactersWriting styleContent complexityBackgroundPacingWriting quality
272 customers mention "Entertainment value"255 positive17 negative

Customers find the book interesting, rewarding, and illustrious. They also say it provides answers and background to questions that most readers would ask. Readers also say the book is a must-read before Rogue One hits theaters.

"The book is enjoyable...." Read more

"...Quite possibly it's the best of the new canon novels with the possible exception of Gray's Lost Stars." Read more

"...He is illustrious and visceral with his writing, and what impresses me most about Catalyst is how it expands the science of Star Wars...." Read more

"...Good intro for the Rogue One characters and motivations, but not something I'll ever go back and read again." Read more

207 customers mention "Plot"147 positive60 negative

Customers find the plot of the book very good, with a great mix of action and political suspense. They also say it's a prequel to Rogue One, with few and far between action scenes that are done just right.

"...It is one of the richest stories in the Star Wars saga to date, which gives me even more confidence in the Lucasfilm team...." Read more

"...The characters are mostly compelling, and there is some sense of drama on numerous occasions, including a pretty neat narrative shift in the..." Read more

"...Ultimately, I think this is a very good ancillary story, but not necessarily a must-read story." Read more

"...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...." Read more

78 customers mention "Characters"72 positive6 negative

Customers find the characters well developed over the course of the book. They also appreciate the narrator's ability to read well and have a variety of voices.

"...There's not a lot of action, but the characters are rich, complex, and well developed...." Read more

"...The characters are mostly compelling, and there is some sense of drama on numerous occasions, including a pretty neat narrative shift in the..." Read more

"...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...." Read more

"...The character development is very good throughout, and we even get to see some old friends, including Grand Moff Tarkin...." Read more

72 customers mention "Writing style"61 positive11 negative

Customers like the writing style. They say it's very well written, has great dialogue, and the author's words paint a thousand pictures.

"...but it's well-written and a tour-de-force in how a character driven novel should be done in..." Read more

"...He is illustrious and visceral with his writing, and what impresses me most about Catalyst is how it expands the science of Star Wars...." Read more

"Surprisingly, Catalyst is actually a very compelling, well written novel...." Read more

"The novel that ties into the movie is a good work by James Luceno. Great dialogue, tension and intrigue are integral to the novel...." Read more

47 customers mention "Content complexity"38 positive9 negative

Customers find the book does a great job setting up the context and creative setting for the movie. They also say it fleshes out the characterizations and helps them understand the relationships. Readers also say the book provides colorful battle scenarios and makes it easy to picture everything in their head.

"...Catalyst is an enthralling, epic story of love, war, greed, betrayal, and the will of the Force...." Read more

"...All in all the novel does a great job setting up the context of the state the galaxy in the years immediately following Episode III...." Read more

"...I liked the hints of world building that Luceno slipped in for an evolving Coruscant...." Read more

"...The one quality about this novel that stands out to me is its realism--much like Rogue One's realism...." Read more

23 customers mention "Background"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book really lays a good background for the Rogue One movie, and they say it's a wonderful lead up to the movie.

"...However, there definitely are bright spots to the book: Tarkin's motivations, Krennic's background, canonical confirmation on the Dark Side usage of..." Read more

"[minor spoilers]Catalyst makes for a good set-up to Rouge One; I certainly feel like I will have the upper hand in understanding the..." Read more

"...It has a cool cover and it comes in hardback, plus it's about the phenomenal Rogue One--despite convincing negative reviews, I decided to buy it...." Read more

"...It's interesting, it's well-written, and it complements the film quite well...." Read more

45 customers mention "Pacing"16 positive29 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it great and quick, while others say it's slow.

"...Though it started off just a tad slow, I ended up loving it...." Read more

"...Can't say much without spoilers!Catalyst was a quick read, very entertaining and worth the time...." Read more

"...There were some slow parts, but that's to be expected.- The balance between page-time for Lyra, Galen, and Orson was nicely done...." Read more

"...The Empire is evil.That's most of the tale.There were pacing problems, overly technical detail, and just when you think something is..." Read more

43 customers mention "Writing quality"11 positive32 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book horrible, boring, and a waste of time and money. They also mention that the lives of the characters are boring and the book is very un-Star Wars.

"...Catalyst</i> is really no more than a very average novel, set in a universe that deserves better...." Read more

"...It doesn't really stand out on its own and does nothing to benefit the movie. You'd be better off reading Lost Stars or watching Rebels." Read more

"...Great character development and a well thought out storyline. Worth a read!" Read more

"...make the book uninteresting and sleepy...." Read more

A Great Lead In to Rouge One with a few surprises
3 Stars
A Great Lead In to Rouge One with a few surprises
“Science doesn’t take sides, does it?”― James Luceno, Catalyst: A Rogue One NovelConfession, when I first heart of this book I was indifferent. Don’t get me wrong! Rouge One is one of my favorite recent Star Wars movies. But that also maybe why I wasn’t quite sure what to think or feel about this particular novel as it’s leads are in the movie so briefly or had, sadly, very little screen time despite having brilliant actors and actresses.But all the same I looked forward to seeing little Jyn and getting to know her parents, Galen and Lyra a bit more as well as really get to know Krennic a bit more as I sat down to read.I honestly should have known better, as when it really kicked off it became a bit of a bear to put down. Finding the origins of the Death Star was one thing, but finding out what powers it (no spoilers but… Dang) and seeing the Empire start to show it’s true colors to the scientists who, honestly, had no idea that they were creating a super weapon… Added a bit more tension and thrill to the book that I really liked.In fact, watching the characters start to piece together what was happening and their true situation was probably one of the best things of this novel, adding a bit of suspense to a book that’s not very action packed save for a few scenes here and there. I would have really really liked it expanded on as it felt like it was building and then ended a bit abruptly but that’s my personal preference.If you are wanting to know a bit more of Jyn’s back story, Krennic, a little bit on Moff Tarkin as well as a bit more lore into the Death Star I say pick it up as it’s a good companion to the movie. Don’t expect it to be super action packed but it may surprise you as it did me a few times.
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Top reviews from the United States

christine falco
5.0 out of 5 stars Origin Story leading into Rogue One
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
The book is enjoyable. Seeing how Galen Erso becomes involved with working on the Death Star and his evolving relationship with Orson Krennic is good reading. The story starts as Lyra is pregnant with Jyn and Galen is working as a research scientist trying to manufacture synthetic kyber crystals. I am about halfway through the book now but I can see how it is faithful to the storyline we know in the Rogue One movie.
The narrative I thought most interesting so far is the way the Empire speaks about Order 66 and the Clones from the Grand Army helping to defeat the Jedi and eradicate them. From the point of view of citizens in mid-to outer rim worlds the Jedi are cast as villans who hurt Palpatine . Beings who had no real contact with Jedi are, over time, coming to accept the propaganda the Empire is telling.
Maybe most surprising so far is that Lyra seems to be force sensitive and is not accepting that line of thinking. Enough so that you can begin to see how the Lyra and Krennic story line will eventually bring us to the conclusion we see in Rogue One.
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W. Kurtz
4.0 out of 5 stars Very excellent tie in to Rogue One film with better character development.
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
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.
3 people found this helpful
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Chip
5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of Being a Film Itself
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
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.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in Canada on June 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
Another good story in the franchise
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CedLikan
5.0 out of 5 stars so good...
Reviewed in India on January 12, 2024
Verified Purchase
i didn't know what to expect when i purchased it and .... woa, need to be read before watching the movie
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Sonia Regina Ribeiro
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read!
Reviewed in Brazil on February 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
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!
6 people found this helpful
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lorenzo 90
4.0 out of 5 stars un bel prequel
Reviewed in Italy on August 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
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.
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Ole Heydt
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein muss für alle Star Wars Nerds!
Reviewed in Germany on April 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
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!
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