The career of a tyrant

The career of a tyrant

Tarkin: Star Wars (Hardcover)

Customer Review

Grand Moff Tarkin was the Count Dooku the original trilogy. It was introduced as a great villain and he died before they could learn more about him. Since then, more novels, comics and short stories have dealt with Tarkins henchmen, as the governor of the Emperor himself. Those honor the Count Dooku is still withheld, was in TARKIN now the Grand Moff given, he receives a detailed background story told, as Moff was out of the ambitious war hero and confidant of the Emperor of the Grand.

With James Luceno has won a equal the most prolific writers of Star Wars, to make the second novel of the new unit continuity into something very special. Luceno already wrote Tie-ins to Episode I and III, all of which were highly praised because the expectations are naturally higher than that of other authors. But Luceno is also often criticized for it used in the past, too many pages to tell us the GFFA and their political intrigues. Must take into TARKIN some drawbacks in purchase to make good to the book for the masses of Luceno fan therefore. Thus, the novel was at least this fan with some mixed feelings. Anyway, it's not a recommendation within the meaning of: The definitive declaration as from the Republic of the Empire was!

- Content -

Five years have passed since the end of the Clone Wars, but the promised peace and prosperity is little evidence in the Outer Rim Territories. The former bastions of the separatists are in ruins, suffering from the imperial occupation and rampant corruption. So it surprised no one probably if in some places also encourages opposition to the imperial regime. A highly dangerous situation, the local resistance groups should eventually combine into an interplanetary movement, because in the exclusion zone declared orbit of Geonosis, the Empire is working on his most powerful weapon, the exiled after Sentinel Base Tarkin is her guardian. So far, the Imperials were able to prevent an unauthorized person could only take a look at the battle station under construction on Geonosis ...

- Premises -

Tarkin, the Death Star, the separatists rebels, go! - Tarkins Tags sound like a novel from which could make more. The book remains with regard to the scope of the events back sadly short of its potential. The fault lies perhaps in the series REBELS, should the beginning of the merger of local rebel movements are dated only in 1-5 years before Yavin. Although we 2014 do not yet know exactly how the birth of the rebellion will be in a few years, TARKIN must fit into this pattern and so we learn only superficial information about the dissatisfaction in the Outer Rim today.

TARKIN could be a book about many things, but one should pay attention to the time value - 5 years after Episode III - because that is clear, the novel is not a work about how a rebel group stumbled upon the plans of the Death Star. With the mention of security measures and previous successes of counterintelligence Lucenos TARKIN leaves the door for one of the spin-off films or another novel open gaping wide. The interested reader will however soon realized that neukanonische version of events should be clearly distinguished from the inscrutable stories Snarl from ancient Expanded Universe. So the Death Star will be built in the new canon on Geonosis, although Wookiee slaves could continue to be involved in the construction.

- A book for Tarkin-Versteher? -

Basically TARKIN has primarily a task and is Wilhuff Tarkin finally to provide a backstory. This task is performed the novel completely, even if you as a reader believes in some places a certain weariness of the author during the execution of this resume to recognize. Who was Wilhuff Tarkin? From the films we learn even more about Count Dooku as on the first Grand Moff of the Empire.

As early as now attributable to the Star Wars Legends CLOAK OF DECEPTION Tarkin was held in advance of Episode I as deputy governor of Eriadu mention. Legends have a grain of truth in it, so also Lucenos CLOAK OF DECEPTION. Tarkin had in his career much good stuff: Commander in Eriadus militia officer of the Judicial Forces, Governor of Eriadu, Captain and later Admiral in the GAR and finally one has moved from just 20 Moffs who himself the Emperor after the war in this rank. Apart from the interlude as governor of his home world Tarkin was therefore always especially an officer, which Tarkin can catch up to other admirals and generals of the early empire.

The first Star Wars novel ever dedicated to TARKIN also the Judicial Forces of the Old Republic (the training ground for the later Republican fleet, which also includes the Grand Moff later joined). So we allowed TARKIN also draw conclusions about the origin and setting of the first generation of imperial officers and it should not surprise anyone if that officer cadres also recruited mainly from the offspring of middle-class families Core Worlds. The Academy of Episode IV was in the Old Republic something that would be a Luke Skywalker hardly have been available yet. Only the Empire extended from the academies system and thereby gained a steady supply of recruits who were also preserved by the Empire before an existence on the margins of society.

Tarkin himself is also a figurehead of the recruitment efforts of the empire, even if it just like Yularen, Motti, Tagge came in truth & Co. from a family at the helm of the company due to its origin from Eriadu. But Eriadu located in the Outer Rim and without the iron will and the ruthlessness of Tarkins Eriadu never gets the reputation of a nuclear world in the Outer Rim. In a galaxy without a standing army, the Tarkins were such a thing as a military family. And talented offspring of the house Tarkin was given a special training in the wilderness. It lacks only log cabins and Pilgrims, then one could draw parallels to the US.

One wonders like in the case Tarkins whether this boy who learned on a plateau to kill native beasts was perhaps just damaged by his experiences. What must have happened to the young Wilhuff that it decades later the destruction of Alderaan ordered? Could have been avoided this imprint? James Luceno remains us a clear answer. There is no defintiven defining moment for Tarkin and there is no Seldon Crisis describe Tarkins conversion. For some readers, the lack of clear answers can be frustrating, because in the end can not be ascertained whether Tarkin is actually a sociopath or just brutalized. Anyway, Tarkin is a product of his environment. Others may have opposed this and rebelled, Tarkin has bowed to the pressure and can be formed into a living weapon that also uses the Emperor in Episode IV.

- Anti-hero -

One possible criticism of TARKIN is also the lack of a strong counter-pole to Tarkin. Tarkin is the protagonist of the novel, who is subject to an initially opaque and later hardly personal challenge. All this runs completely out on a story that would have fit more for a series or miniseries comic: Imperial Team-Up - Darth Vader and Moff Tarkin against a group dissidents. This also fits the intention of the Emperor to let the two through their joint efforts to develop a little more team spirit. The relationship between Vader and Tarkin is tense, since Tarkin led the charge against Ahsoka Tano and thus contributed to Ahsoka's exit from the Jedi Order. However, the Emperor can not do without both and hoped for a reconciliation or at least the strengthening of mutual respect.

The team-up missing, at least from my point of view, however, moments that would leave a lasting impression. For years we Vader was indeed present at the side of one or another Tarkin-set-off, but between Vader and the original spray initially no sparks. TARKIN it accomplishes namely to bring the TCW-Tarkin with the later Grand Moff in line, but it looks very much as this would be just the beginning of a possible love triangle between Vader, the Emperor and Tarkin. Perhaps this impression is also desired and intended to the imagination of readers encouraging because another Tarkin material it could be because of pending Episode VII-publication and thus potentially continuous focus change from the Rebels era to the decades between episodes VI and VII for the time being to not give. As a fan, you should therefore get out also rely as much as possible for themselves from this novel and therefore places a little milder to look at this novel, because there is simply no alternative.

Tarkin as the hero of his own novel, this concept seems to be difficult to implement. During the construction of the Death Star Tarkin was indisputably a merciless slave driver, erase an entire planet of left and later as governor in the Outer Rim was anything but appeased. Tarkin ruled with an iron fist and Stalinist zeal, how do you find such a character sympathetic, because it is not really presented as charismatic? Tarkin is inaccessible bureaucrat whose personal ideology is to spread fear of the power of the empire. Not a trace of remorse or pragmatism, what little disappointed in an otherwise very aiming at multi-faceted author James Luceno. Perhaps the conditions were Tarkin as possible iron represent also overwhelming for Lucenos style.

At least Tarkins talent is discussed as a strategist in some places, where he awakens particularly at the beginning of the novel hopes in the future canon might take the place of a Grand Admiral Thrawn advance. However, it soon becomes clear that the mighty Tarkin only very briefly stood during his military career in active combat and quickly behind the scenes vanished after his release from captivity in order to excel in administrative functions. The great warrior was thus primarily a desk jockey and could compensate for his excessive hardness missing successes on the battlefields of the Clone Wars.

In TARKIN the Moff faces opponents who do not pull all the stops and try Tarkin by clever tactics to outmaneuver. Tarkins opponent are pale and forgotten worthy characters, of which we will probably never hear again. You want to perpetrate high profile attacks on the Imperium, but their appearance is the same as if from nowhere. If Tarkins representation has been nothing really new or exciting to offer, then you would have to use his antagonists for this purpose. TARKIN would be exactly located in the right era to pick up another thread of The Clone Wars, namely the question whether the idealistic loyalists were not on the wrong side in the Clone Wars. Between Padme Amidala, Bail Organa and some separatist senators existed before the war, yet close alliances, we wanted to save the republic before the overwhelming corruption and yet both sides were playing at the end only the Sith in their hands. Disappointing, at least for me relates TARKIN no position with regard to the conditions after the Clone Wars, we learn nothing about euphoria over the order creating the empire, the depression of the war losers and the bare horror of the Republic faithful. Other novels, and even comics have this mood far better captured, but since 2014 all the Star Wars Legends assigned.

- Worth reading? -

Who would have expected some sort of biography TARKIN like Darth Plagueis will notice little excited that the only Biographical are the various flashbacks in the story. At the core of the novel does contain much good stuff, which makes it a worth reading for Star Wars fans reading, but he stands out neither by fascinating characters, an engrossing plot, or the description of the-need-to-have read-event in the new unit continuity. His place in the pantheon of Star Wars novels receives TARKIN just because the novel has illuminated the history of the Grand Moff and thus made important groundwork.

Super! 932 Rank: 5/5
March 24
Top sound for cheap money! Rank: 5/5
October 30
50% loss Rank: 1/5
December 2

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