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Star Wars: Tarkin Paperback – June 30, 2015
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Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing the legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.
He’s the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.
Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkin’s guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxy’s lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heel—by intimidation . . . or annihilation.
Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkin—whose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire’s supremacy . . . and its enemies’ extinction.
Praise for Tarkin
“Tarkin tells a compelling tale of mystery while revealing much about a character who has fueled debate among fans since 1977, as well as the oppressive regime he represents. [James] Luceno has proven once again that the villains of Star Wars are as much fun as the good guys.”—New York Daily News
“Another home run in the new canon . . . This is the highest and best distillation of Tarkin stories, old and new, we’ve ever been given.”—Big Shiny Robot
“A spectacular novel, with the intrigue, action, and profound characterization we have come to expect from the pen of Luceno . . . [Tarkin] provides a nuanced, multi-faceted anti-hero who is captivating, ominous, and calculating; in many ways, this is an origin tale of the Empire [and] a fascinating portrait of one of the more popular characters in the Original Trilogy. It may very well be one my favorite Star Wars novels.”—Coffee with Kenobi
“A fascinating look at the pathos of one of the galaxy’s most criminally underused characters.”—TheForce.net
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRandom House Worlds
- Publication dateJune 30, 2015
- Dimensions4.16 x 0.77 x 7.51 inches
- ISBN-100553392905
- ISBN-13978-0553392906
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Discover the events that created one of the most iconic villains in Star Wars history. | When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail. | Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and discover what happened after the events of 1983’s Return of the Jedi. | More than forty contributors lend their vision to this retelling of A New Hope. Each of the forty short stories reimagines a moment from the original film, but through the eyes of a supporting character. |
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Another home run in the new canon . . . This is the highest and best distillation of Tarkin stories, old and new, we’ve ever been given.”—Big Shiny Robot
“A spectacular novel, with the intrigue, action, and profound characterization we have come to expect from the pen of Luceno . . . [Tarkin] provides a nuanced, multi-faceted anti-hero who is captivating, ominous, and calculating; in many ways, this is an origin tale of the Empire [and] a fascinating portrait of one of the more popular characters in the Original Trilogy. It may very well be one my favorite Star Wars novels.”—Coffee with Kenobi
“A fascinating look at the pathos of one of the galaxy’s most criminally underused characters.”—TheForce.net
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
In the Outer Rim, meanwhile, the myriad species of former Separatist worlds find themselves no better off than they were before the civil war. Stripped of weaponry and resources, they have been left to fend for themselves in an Empire that has largely turned its back on them.
Where resentment has boiled over into acts of sedition, the Empire has been quick to mete out punishment. But as confident as he is in his own and Vader’s dark side powers, the Emperor understands that only a supreme military, overseen by a commander with the will to be as merciless as he is, can secure an Empire that will endure for a thousand generations . . .
1
The Measure of a Man
A saying emerged during the early years of the Empire: Better to be spaced than based on Belderone. Some commentators traced the origin to the last of the original Kamino-grown soldiers who had served alongside the Jedi in the Clone Wars; others to the first crop of cadets graduated from the Imperial academies. Besides expressing disdain for assignments on worlds located far from the Core, the adage implied that star system assignment was a designator of worth. The closer to Coruscant one was posted, the greater one’s importance to the Imperial cause. Though on Coruscant itself most effectives preferred to be deployed far from the Palace rather than anywhere within range of the Emperor’s withering gaze.
For those in the know, then, it seemed inexplicable that Wilhuff Tarkin should be assigned to a desolate moon in a nameless system in a remote region of the Outer Rim. The closest planets of any note were the desert world Tatooine and equally inhospitable Geonosis, on whose irradiated surface the Clone Wars had begun and which had since become a denied outlier to all but an inner circle of Imperial scientists and engineers. What could the former admiral and adjutant general have done to merit an assignment most would have regarded as a banishment? What insubordination or dereliction of duty had prompted the Emperor to exile one he himself had promoted to the rank of Moff at the end of the war? Rumors flew fast and furious among Tarkin’s peers in all branches of the military. Tarkin had failed to carry out an important mission in the Western Reaches; he had quarreled with the Emperor or his chief henchman, Darth Vader; or his reach had simply exceeded his grasp, and he was paying the price for naked ambition. For those who knew Tarkin personally, however, or had even a passing familiarity with his upbringing and long record of service, the reason for the assignment was obvious: Tarkin was engaged in a clandestine Imperial enterprise.
In the memoir that was published years after his incendiary death, Tarkin wrote:
After much reflection, I came to realize that the years I spent at Sentinel Base were as formative as my years of schooling on Eriadu’s Carrion Plateau, or as significant as any of the battles in which I had participated or commanded. For I was safeguarding the creation of an armament that would one day shape and guarantee the future of the Empire. Both as impregnable fortress and as symbol of the Emperor’s inviolable rule, the deep-space mobile battle station was an achievement on the order of any fashioned by the ancestral species that had unlocked the secret of hyperspace and opened the galaxy to exploration. My only regret was in not employing a firmer hand in bringing the project to fruition in time to frustrate the actions of those determined to thwart the Emperor’s noble designs. Fear of the station, fear of Imperial might, would have provided the necessary deterrent.
Not once in his personal writings did Tarkin liken his authority to that of the Emperor or of Darth Vader, and yet even so simple a task as overseeing the design of a new uniform was perhaps a means of casting himself in garb as distinctive as the hooded robes of the former or the latter’s signature black mask.
“An analysis of trends in military fashion on Coruscant suggests a more tailored approach,” a protocol droid was saying. “Tunics continue to be double-breasted with choker collars, but are absent shoulder-boards or epaulets. What’s more, trousers are no longer straight-legged, but flared in the hips and thighs, narrowing at the cuffs so as to be easily tucked into tall boots with low heels.”
“A commendable alteration,” Tarkin said.
“May I suggest, then, sir, flare-legged trousers—in the standard-issue gray-green fabric, of course—accented by black knee boots with turndown topside cuffs. The tunic itself should be belted at the waist, and fall to mid-thigh.”
Tarkin glanced at the silver-bodied humaniform couturier. “While I can appreciate devotion to one’s sartorial programming, I’ve no interest in initiating a fashion trend on Coruscant or anywhere else. I simply want a uniform that fits. Especially the boots. The stars know, my feet have logged more kilometers aboard Star Destroyers than during surface deployments, even in a facility of this size.”
The RA-7 droid canted its shiny head to one side in a show of disapproval. “There is a marked difference between a uniform that ‘fits’ and a uniform that suits the wearer—if you take my meaning, sir. May I also point out that as a sector governor you have the freedom to be a bit more, shall we say, daring. If not in color, then in the hand of the cloth, the length of the tunic, the cut of the trousers.”
Tarkin considered the droid’s remarks in silence. Years of shipboard and downside duties had not been kind to the few dress and garrison uniforms he retained, and no one on Sentinel Base would dare criticize any liberties he might take.
“All right,” he said finally, “display what you have in mind.”
Dressed in an olive-drab body glove that encased him from neck to ankles and concealed the scars left by wounds from blasterfire, falls, and the claws of predators, Tarkin was standing on a low circular platform opposite a garment-fabricator whose several laser readers were plying his body with red beams, taking and recording his measurements to within a fraction of a millimeter. With his legs and arms spread, he might have been a statue mounted on a plinth, or a target galvanized in the sights of a dozen snipers. Adjacent to the fabricator sat a holotable that projected above its surface a life-sized hologram of him, clothed in a uniform whose designs changed in accordance with the silent commands of the droid, and which could be rotated on request or ordered to adopt alternate postures.
The rest of Tarkin’s modest quarters were given over to a bunk, a dresser, fitness apparatus, and a sleek desk situated between cushioned swivel chairs and two more basic models. A man of black-and-white tastes, he favored clean lines, precise architecture, and an absence of clutter. A large viewport looked out across an illuminated square of landing field to a massive shield generator, and beyond to the U-shaped range of lifeless hills that cradled Sentinel Base. On the landing field were two wind-blasted shuttles, along with Tarkin’s personal starship, the Carrion Spike.
Sentinel’s host moon enjoyed close to standard gravity, but it was a cold forlorn place. Wrapped in a veil of toxic atmosphere, the secluded satellite was battered by frequent storms and as colorless as the palette that held sway in Tarkin’s quarters. Even now an ill-omened tempest was swooping down the ridge and beginning to pelt the viewport with stones and grit. Base personnel called it “hard rain,” if only to lighten the dreariness such storms conjured. The dark sky belonged chiefly to the swirling gas giant that owned the moon. On those long days when the moon emerged into the light of the system’s distant yellow sun, the surface glare was too intense for human eyes, and the base’s viewports had to be sealed or polarized.
“Your impressions, sir?” the droid said.
Tarkin studied his full-color holo-doppelgänger, focusing less on the altered uniform than on the man it contained. At fifty he was lean to the point of gaunt, with strands of wavy gray streaking what had been auburn hair. The same genetics that had bequeathed him blue eyes and a fast metabolism had also granted him sunken cheeks that imparted a masklike quality to his face. His narrow nose was made to appear even longer than it was courtesy of a widow’s peak that had grown more pronounced since the end of the war. As well, deep creases now bracketed his wide, thin-lipped mouth. Many described his face as severe, though he judged it pensive, or perhaps penetrating. As for his voice, he was amused when people attributed his arrogant tone to an Outer Rim upbringing and accent.
He turned his clean-shaven face to both sides and lifted his chin. He folded his arms across his chest, then stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and finally posed akimbo, with his fists planted on his hips. Drawing himself up to his full height, which was just above human average, he adopted a serious expression, cradling his chin in his right hand. There were few beings to whom he needed to offer salute, though there was one to whom he was obliged to bow, and so he did, straight-backed but not so low as to appear sycophantic.
“Eliminate the top line collars on the boots, and lower the heels,” he told the droid.
“Of course, sir. Standard duranium shank and toes for the boots?”
Tarkin nodded.
Stepping down from the platform, out from inside the cage of laser tracers, he began to walk circles around the hologram, appraising it from all sides. During the war, the belted tunic, when closed, had extended across the chest on one side and across the midsection on the other; now the line was vertical, which appealed to Tarkin’s taste for symmetry. Just below each shoulder were narrow pockets designed to accommodate short cylinders that contained coded information about the wearer. A rank insignia plaque made up of two rows of small colored squares was affixed to the tunic’s left breast.
Medals and battle ribbons had no place on the uniform, nor in the Imperial military. The Emperor was scornful of commendations for sand or pluck. Where another leader might wear garments of the finest synthsilk, the Emperor favored robes of black-patterned zeyd cloth, often concealing his face within the cowl—furtive, exacting, ascetic.
“More to your liking?” the droid asked when its cordwainer program had tasked the holoprojector to incorporate changes to the boots.
“Better,” Tarkin said, “except perhaps for the belt. Center an officer’s disk on the buckle and a matching one on the command cap.” He was about to elaborate when a childhood recollection took him down a different path, and he snorted in self-amusement.
He must have been all of eleven at the time, dressed in a multipocketed vest he thought the perfect apparel for what he had assumed was going to be a jaunt on the Carrion Plateau. On seeing the vest, his grand-uncle Jova had smiled broadly, then issued a laugh that was at once avuncular and menacing.
“It’ll look even better with blood on it,” Jova had said.
“Do you find something humorous in the design, sir?” the droid asked in what amounted to distress.
Tarkin shook his head. “Nothing humorous, to be sure.”
The foolishness of the fitting wasn’t lost on him. He understood that he was simply trying to distract himself from having to fret over delays that were impeding progress on the battle station. Shipments from research sites had been postponed; asteroid mining at Geonosis was proving unfeasible; construction phase deadlines had not been met by the engineers and scientists who were supervising the project; a convoy transporting vital components was due to arrive . . .
In the ensuing silence, the storm began to beat a mad tattoo on the window.
Doubtless Sentinel Base was one of the Empire’s most important outposts. Still, Tarkin had to wonder what his paternal grand-uncle—who had once told him that personal glory was the only quest worth pursuing—would make of the fact that his most successful apprentice was in danger of becoming a mere administrator.
His gaze had returned to the hologram when he heard urgent footsteps in the corridor outside the room.
On receiving permission to enter, Tarkin’s blond-haired, clear-eyed adjutant hastened through the door, offering a crisp salute.
“A priority dispatch from Rampart Station, sir.”
A look of sharp attentiveness erased Tarkin’s frown. Coreward from Sentinel in the direction of the planet Pii, Rampart was a marshaling depot for supply ships bound for Geonosis, where the deep-space weapon was under construction.
“I won’t tolerate further delays,” he started to say.
“Understood, sir,” the adjutant said. “But this doesn’t concern supplies. Rampart reports that it is under attack.”
Product details
- Publisher : Random House Worlds; Reissue edition (June 30, 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0553392905
- ISBN-13 : 978-0553392906
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 4.16 x 0.77 x 7.51 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #104,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #522 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction
- #2,603 in Space Operas
- #4,149 in Science Fiction Adventures
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![James Luceno](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/01Kv-W2ysOL._SY600_.png)
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the writing style well-written and enjoyable. They also enjoy the fantastic storyline and background on Tarkin. Readers like the character development, artwork, and plot. Opinions are mixed on the pacing, with some finding it fast-paced and others saying it's a little slow-paced in the beginning.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the storyline fantastic, interesting, and insightful. They also say the flashbacks are a plus. However, some readers feel the end is disappointing, with paragraph-long run-downs about the structure of the Empire. Overall, they say the book does a good job of humanizing Tarkin.
"...you will not miss anything critical if you skip this, but it is a very good story and one that I think is worth reading at least once." Read more
"...Overall, this is a fun book to read, with a story that keeps you guessing. The central character, Tarkin, is well developed and compelling...." Read more
"...Each chapter did not disappoint." Read more
"...The characters are well-developed, and the story is loaded with action...." Read more
Customers find the plot interesting from beginning to end, with exciting sequences. They appreciate the author's extensive knowledge of the Star Wars universe and sharp mind.
"...the novel without making a few incorrect predictions, but his mind is sharp, and his ability to unravel conspiracy is impressive...." Read more
"...There’s more to this list but ultimately while Tarkin was informative and interesting I didn’t find it as fun and as worthwhile a read as the only..." Read more
"...The central character, Tarkin, is well developed and compelling...." Read more
"This book had some very valuable insights into who Tarkin is, as well as the dynamic between him, Vader, and the Emperor...." Read more
Customers find the writing style enjoyable, well-written, and fluid. They also appreciate the clear descriptions and recollections.
"...Not that Tarkin is a bad book by any means, it was as well written and detailed as Luceno’s other SW entries, it’s just not near as captivating as I..." Read more
"...It's fluid, never lingers, descriptions and recollections are clear but deep and rewarding at the same time...." Read more
"...I still give this novel a full 5 stars for the enjoyable and well-written experience it gave as a canon background story to the military governor we..." Read more
"Very well written book. It gives great insight into Tarkin and makes rewatching A New Hope even better!..." Read more
Customers find the character development in the book excellent, providing an excellent look into his cunning, intelligence, and tactical nature. They also say the book sheds new light on the relationships between Palpatine, Vader, and Tarkin.
"...The characters were accurately portrayed and my brain couldn’t help but play out the dialogue in my head in the voices of James Earl Jones and Peter..." Read more
"...Vader is masterfully taken and you can simply hear Peter Cushing voicing every line in the book...." Read more
"...No, but I did enjoy it and it was a decent story. It had adequate character development and we knew who was who without be force fed a bunch of..." Read more
"...-in to the Star Wars movies and was very wide in scope and has great character detail...." Read more
Customers find the artwork fascinating, cool, and brilliantly tells the background to Tarkin and how he and Vader interact together.
"...knows how Tarkin's story ultimately ends, but this book gives a fine background look into Tarkin's rise to power as one of the most influential..." Read more
"...This piece is so wonderfully fleshed out by Luceno and I wonder if this was his choice or the Lucasfilm Story Group's...." Read more
"Tarkin was a nice entry in the Star Wars book series. It gives a good look at what makes Tarkin tick and goes into nice depth about his..." Read more
"James Luceno does a fantastic job giving us a solid look at a character most of us remember, but few know anything about...." Read more
Customers find the book introduction good, decent, and solid. They also describe it as an awesome addition to the new canon and a great world builder.
"...I wasn't wrong. Learning how he became the ruthless Grand Moff was very exciting. Each chapter did not disappoint." Read more
"...I think this book is a great starting point for others like me, looking to start over in relearning their Star Wars lore...." Read more
"...Overall, a very good and quick read and I would recommend it for any Star Wars fan." Read more
"Honestly, this is a good, well written book that happens to take place in the Star Wars universe...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it very fast paced, while others say it's a little slow paced in the beginning.
"...as a few honorable mentions from the old EU, but to me this book felt rushed as so much more could’ve been included to fully round out this iconic..." Read more
"...This book was a quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it...." Read more
"...And there’s more. While Tarkin’s thin plot is both predictable and slow moving, the novel never ignites because Luceno ignores the key storytelling..." Read more
"...This book is 258 pages long. It took me longer to read this book than it did read one of the Game of Thrones books that are well over 1000 pages...." Read more
Customers find the scope of the book narrow and vague. They also say the storyline is a little too short in length.
"...help that the main character isn’t terribly exciting and the book is short enough that it probably just barely breaks out the novella mold...." Read more
"...These parts are short and don't utilize a lot of the exotic planets that is common in the Star Wars universe...." Read more
"...Tarkin fits in beautifully with Luceno's previous work, but can also work as a standalone read for those who are new to SW literature...." Read more
"...Not bad exactly just didn't make me care much either way. It is also to short...." Read more
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While the novel is centered around Tarkin, Vader and Palpatine appear quite a bit and we see the seeds of the early rebellion against the Empire being planted. We do find out that Tarkin suspected Darth Vader's real identity, having worked with Anakin before during the Clone Wars, but he keeps that to himself. In the end of the book, the construction of the Death Star above Geonosis is mentioned.
This novel is interesting in that it was written just before Disney's takeover of Lucasfilm and was grandfathered into the canon, whereas the prior book, Darth Plageius was not. This book does have a couple of tie-ins to the Darth Plageius novel, however, so some of that novel is brought into the canon by this one. Of course, at the time this novel was written, characters like Orson Krennic and Galen Erso were not yet created, so some of Tarkin's control over the Death Star project hinted at in this book was changed by Rogue One because the events of the movies trump the books. Overall, I do not necessarily think the book is a must-read if you are a person who picks and chooses which of the Star Wars books to read. If you read all of them then you will read this anyway, but if you read some, but not all, of them, you will not miss anything critical if you skip this, but it is a very good story and one that I think is worth reading at least once.
James Luceno, who wrote the excellent "Star Wars: Darth Plagueis" shortly before the Lucasfilm canon reset, takes a rather different tone with his villainous protagonist. Wilhuff Tarkin isn't a Sith Lord. He's not the sort of boldly despicable villain that you love to hate. He's not maniacal or all-powerful. He's neither Byronic nor dashing. He doesn't have a complicated inner good person struggling to get out. Tarkin is cold and calculating, and as the novel shifts between the genres of mystery, savage survival, and naval warfare, Tarkin echoes characters of Imperial literature and history like Professor Moriarty, Cecil Rhodes, and Admiral Nelson.
Like Moriarty or his rival, Tarkin has strong deductive reasoning skills. A good portion of the novel reads like a Victorian-era Sherlock Holmes mystery, albeit with a ruthless amoral genius at the helm rather than a drug-addicted defender of the meek. Tarkin doesn't make it through the novel without making a few incorrect predictions, but his mind is sharp, and his ability to unravel conspiracy is impressive.
Interspersed throughout the mystery are flashbacks to the Tarkin family's brutal rites of passage on the planet Eriadu. Like Cecil Rhodes, most infamous of Victorian colonialists, young Wilhuff adapts to survival in the savage savannahs and jungles of his homeworld. Accordingly, Eriadu's Carrion Plateau could have been the setting of a Star Wars "Heart of Darkness." Eriadu is the Darkest Africa of diamond mines and Boer wars, and like a good Victorian, Tarkin is taught the importance of order and fear. He rises to power treating both the natural and civic aspects of his universe as things to be tamed.
Finally, like Lord Horatio Nelson (or the fictional Horatio Hornblower), Tarkin takes on the role of Napoleonic-era naval strategist. Star Wars media more often depicts dogfights between small craft, making quick turns and dodging beams of energy. Though the space battles of this novel are exciting, they primarily focus on larger, slower vessels. So instead of evasive maneuvers, the novel's ships have to predict the path of their bulky opponents, turning and positioning their starboard cannons to hit the enemy's port with a massive broadside. This last element of "Tarkin" is less dominant than the others, but the relevant passages could have come from a C S Forester novel.
I quite enjoyed Luceno's "Tarkin." It won't be everyone's cup of tea, as the protagonist is neither particularly likeable nor particularly fascinating. Wilhuff Tarkin's shade of evil is instead a bit too close to home, embracing an ugly imperialism that has shown its face frequently on our own little planet.
One final aside for fellow Star Wars enthusiasts: fans of "Darth Plagueis" should be happy to see some small details from this previous work pop up in "Tarkin." It's not particularly explicit, but Luceno references a few characters and plot points from his earlier book as if it had never been extricated from the canon. It's almost as if Del Rey should publish a second edition of "Darth Plagueis," revised to fit the new editorial and canon standards but with at least 75% of the story intact. One can dream.
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Reviewed in Mexico on June 9, 2024
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Reviewed in Brazil on May 12, 2023
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Furthermore I always have Peter Cushings face in my head - obviously - for he is on the cover and most of the time through the different movies and series, looks similar, but also his voice when he is talking. Other than with Thrawn, where due to the fact that there are at least three “versions” of Thrawn, one in Star Wars: Rebels, one in Ahsoka and the pictures on the covers of the books.
That beeing said, the book is a good read. I finished the book in a few days and enjoyed it tremendously. One gets a lot of background information on one of the most evil characters in the Star Wars universe.
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Desde su niñez, su entorno, su familia, como llegará a ser la figura que fue y su relación con Vader.
Destacar que en este último aspecto me hubiera gustado saber mucho más, pues me ha dado la sensación de que se presenta de manera muy, muy superficial.
Aun así es un libro MUY recomendable. Me ha gustado mucho