Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray- Book Review
By Nadia Ranaputri
Star Wars: Bloodline takes place a couple of years before the events of The Force Awakens and decades after the fall of the Empire, where after having to sacrifice her wish to return to a normal family life, Leia must take full responsibility in the Galatic Senate. Pitted against the people who do not see eye to eye with her beliefs, Leia is forced to fight for both the good of the established Senate as well as her relationships with the people on her side and with those who aren’t.
Gray’s characterization of Leia is an absolute cherry on top of the cake. Bloodline is essentially Leia’s story. Everything that is built from the ground up, whether it can come from Casterfo’s (more on him later) point of view or from some of the New Republic fighters; is built around Leia, the sole core of the entire novel. She is still the same woman we’ve seen in the films: compassionate and driven; but with more depth and layer. We see her struggle as not only a Senator, but as a wife and a mother who had to leave her family behind for the sake of the galaxy’s fate. Leia is thrust into the whirlwinds of both her duties to the Galactic Senate and confronting the looming shadow of her hatred and pity towards Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire.
Because this novel has more than one point of view, Gray has more opportunities to explore the mind and motives of other characters. Gray takes this opportunity so willingly and passionately, that the characterizations are amazingly deep and profound. But the one character other than Leia that I was absolutely intrigued with, and also became one of my favorite characters of the Star Wars universe, despite never appearing in any of the films; was Ransolm Casterfo. Casterfo is a Centrist, which means he opposes the Populists, therefore opposes Leia. His character is something of an enigmatic wonder. He starts off as someone Leia despises, since he has different views regarding the Galactic Empire, in which he highly values the Empire’s tactics, but the more you get to know him, the more intricate and complex he becomes. I don’t want to spoil his arc, but his arc and characterization in this novel is simply put, one that becomes increasingly more interesting the more we unravel his true intentions. This is in some way, the complex characterization that Holdo should have possibly gotten in The Last Jedi.
Bloodline is filled with multidimensional characters and some of the best structure and pacing that I have ever read in a novel. Gray is intent on creating her own world from scratch as well as create tension and introductions to several new characters in which Leia meets and eventually forms bonds with. It’s a character driven story with diverse motivations. You can’t simply jump to an assumption as to whether or not a character is a threat because of what he or she believes, or if someone is merely doing the right thing, but seen as another. Every quick assumption that you might have had in the beginning about some characters, Gray diminishes with some wickedly subtle twists.
It is very much a sci-fi action adventure that delves into the expansion of a galaxy far, far away; as it is politically rooted. Beyond the Hosnian Prime, there’s always an uncharted territory in an already established world, and Gray digs deep into the world beyond what we have seen in the films. Gray unravels these unseen planets and reveals them one by one, each more intriguing than the last. Furthermore, Gray addresses what has never been fully addressed in any of the Star Wars films except for the prequels: the issues within the Galactic Senate itself. The Galactic Senate, despite their efforts on ridding the galaxy of threats, has to have issues of their own, and Bloodline digs deep into those issues. Not everyone in the Senate is perfect, not even Leia. A senate can crack when there is a flaw in the system, and that’s what Leia sees.
Not everything is fleshed out though. Some of its arcs and character developments are either cut short or placed on hold, one of them being the revelation of a group called the Elder Houses, which is mentioned a couple of times in the book; but never fully elaborated on. Other revelations are only mentioned once or twice for the sake of one arc, and are never mentioned again; shadowing on what could have been an interesting arc to delve in to.
Other than that, this book was a fantastic read. This is the first Star Wars novel that I read, and I am eager to read more. Since this is set in the years before The Force Awakens, much of its buildup is intent on leading us on to the Leia we see in Episode VII. It’s a great read for Star Wars fans that are eager to discover more about the expansion of the Star Wars universe. It’s also a particularly bittersweet journey, given Carrie Fisher’s passing, but Claudia Gray honors the Princess turned Senator in the best way she could. Beyond the characters, the world building is spectacular. Gray has managed to create this world her own, all while draping it over with that same familiarity of a galaxy far, far away.
But at its core, Gray presents us with not only a woman who knows how to be a badass and show everyone how it’s done; but also a woman who is complex, who’s not perfect, who makes mistakes, whose assumptions towards others aren’t always proven right, and most importantly, a woman who learns from her mistakes and her past. We see a woman on the verge of becoming the General of the Resistance the moment The Force Awakens begins.
Stars: 4.4/5
 |
| Image source: StarWars.com |
Star Wars: Bloodline takes place a couple of years before the events of The Force Awakens and decades after the fall of the Empire, where after having to sacrifice her wish to return to a normal family life, Leia must take full responsibility in the Galatic Senate. Pitted against the people who do not see eye to eye with her beliefs, Leia is forced to fight for both the good of the established Senate as well as her relationships with the people on her side and with those who aren’t.
Gray’s characterization of Leia is an absolute cherry on top of the cake. Bloodline is essentially Leia’s story. Everything that is built from the ground up, whether it can come from Casterfo’s (more on him later) point of view or from some of the New Republic fighters; is built around Leia, the sole core of the entire novel. She is still the same woman we’ve seen in the films: compassionate and driven; but with more depth and layer. We see her struggle as not only a Senator, but as a wife and a mother who had to leave her family behind for the sake of the galaxy’s fate. Leia is thrust into the whirlwinds of both her duties to the Galactic Senate and confronting the looming shadow of her hatred and pity towards Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire.
Because this novel has more than one point of view, Gray has more opportunities to explore the mind and motives of other characters. Gray takes this opportunity so willingly and passionately, that the characterizations are amazingly deep and profound. But the one character other than Leia that I was absolutely intrigued with, and also became one of my favorite characters of the Star Wars universe, despite never appearing in any of the films; was Ransolm Casterfo. Casterfo is a Centrist, which means he opposes the Populists, therefore opposes Leia. His character is something of an enigmatic wonder. He starts off as someone Leia despises, since he has different views regarding the Galactic Empire, in which he highly values the Empire’s tactics, but the more you get to know him, the more intricate and complex he becomes. I don’t want to spoil his arc, but his arc and characterization in this novel is simply put, one that becomes increasingly more interesting the more we unravel his true intentions. This is in some way, the complex characterization that Holdo should have possibly gotten in The Last Jedi.
Bloodline is filled with multidimensional characters and some of the best structure and pacing that I have ever read in a novel. Gray is intent on creating her own world from scratch as well as create tension and introductions to several new characters in which Leia meets and eventually forms bonds with. It’s a character driven story with diverse motivations. You can’t simply jump to an assumption as to whether or not a character is a threat because of what he or she believes, or if someone is merely doing the right thing, but seen as another. Every quick assumption that you might have had in the beginning about some characters, Gray diminishes with some wickedly subtle twists.
It is very much a sci-fi action adventure that delves into the expansion of a galaxy far, far away; as it is politically rooted. Beyond the Hosnian Prime, there’s always an uncharted territory in an already established world, and Gray digs deep into the world beyond what we have seen in the films. Gray unravels these unseen planets and reveals them one by one, each more intriguing than the last. Furthermore, Gray addresses what has never been fully addressed in any of the Star Wars films except for the prequels: the issues within the Galactic Senate itself. The Galactic Senate, despite their efforts on ridding the galaxy of threats, has to have issues of their own, and Bloodline digs deep into those issues. Not everyone in the Senate is perfect, not even Leia. A senate can crack when there is a flaw in the system, and that’s what Leia sees.
Not everything is fleshed out though. Some of its arcs and character developments are either cut short or placed on hold, one of them being the revelation of a group called the Elder Houses, which is mentioned a couple of times in the book; but never fully elaborated on. Other revelations are only mentioned once or twice for the sake of one arc, and are never mentioned again; shadowing on what could have been an interesting arc to delve in to.
Other than that, this book was a fantastic read. This is the first Star Wars novel that I read, and I am eager to read more. Since this is set in the years before The Force Awakens, much of its buildup is intent on leading us on to the Leia we see in Episode VII. It’s a great read for Star Wars fans that are eager to discover more about the expansion of the Star Wars universe. It’s also a particularly bittersweet journey, given Carrie Fisher’s passing, but Claudia Gray honors the Princess turned Senator in the best way she could. Beyond the characters, the world building is spectacular. Gray has managed to create this world her own, all while draping it over with that same familiarity of a galaxy far, far away.
But at its core, Gray presents us with not only a woman who knows how to be a badass and show everyone how it’s done; but also a woman who is complex, who’s not perfect, who makes mistakes, whose assumptions towards others aren’t always proven right, and most importantly, a woman who learns from her mistakes and her past. We see a woman on the verge of becoming the General of the Resistance the moment The Force Awakens begins.
Stars: 4.4/5
0 Comments