With the newest installment of the Star Wars saga, Rogue One hitting theaters very soon, author James Luceno adds to the expansive and intricate universe with his cannon work, Catalyst: A Rogue One novel.

First things first, the important thing about this book is while you don’t necessarily need to see every movie and know just how long Chewbacca’s fur is, it is definitely recommended that you have a strong general knowledge of at least the main plot points of each movie.

Luceno does rely on some of the some of the future events to add suspense and some comic relief. That being said, the story is still very stand alone.

We haven’t been able to feast our eyes on the the movie succeeding this book so there is no way to tell how much this author knows about the plot. However, based on the events at the end he must know at least how the movie starts.

Catalyst is an interesting read to say the least. The characters are well-rounded and well-written. It is pretty amazing how Luceno can still capture some of the quirky atmospheric feel that the movies portray, especially with the dialogue.

Some of the characters sayghyhu things that you would have seen in mainstream media back in the early Star Wars era. And the first film hit theaters back in the 70’s.

One of the best things about the story is the villain, Orson Krennic. He is exactly what a lot of villains in movies and books lack, motive (just taking over the world because you want to is not a motive).

He simply thinks that he is bending this back into place. He truly believes that what he is doing will be beneficial in the long run. And I found myself almost agreeing with some of the points he raised.

With a slow but developing plot, Luceno encapsulates the reader and doesn’t let go until the bitter end. Likable characters, realistic (with some cringing moments) story, and a language that can be easily picked up and read by just about anybody, Catalyst stirred up a great read.

I give it 4.5/5 stars and a rating 9/10.