Shadows of the Empire - Book Review

“He had not purged all of Anakin Skywalker, that blemished and frail man from whom he had been born. Until he did, he could never give himself over totally to the dark side. It was his greatest weakness, his most terrible flaw.”

Twenty-five years after its initial publication in 1996, Shadows of the Empire continues to remain one of the most memorable and important additions to the Legends timeline. Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Steve Perry’s first Star Wars novel explores the straining relationship between Vader and the Empire as well as those who would seek to rise in the Imperial ranks, namely crime lord of the Black Sun syndicate Prince Xizor. Simultaneously, Perry navigates the complex, dangerous and emotional journey of our heroes; Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian as they endeavour to rescue Han Solo from the clutches of frozen carbonite.

Prior to delving into the world of Star Wars literature, I often felt as if there were many stories that were missing from the films as the majority feature a significant time lapse between episodes. Steve Perry does a remarkable job in covering the story in the months between episode five and six in a way that pays homage to the films and characters while also being delightfully entertaining and introducing a few new faces into the Legends-verse. Prince Xizor, leader of the Black Sun crime syndicate, becomes the central villain in Shadows of the Empire across all media. Xizor is without a doubt one of the most charismatic characters in the Expanded Universe. Not only does he nearly succeed in the seduction of Leia, he comes dangerously close to destroying Vader and becoming the Emperor’s right hand man. Despite this, you can’t really fault the Falleen; Vader and the Emperor’s scheming for galactic domination resulted in the death of nearly everyone and everything Xizor had ever cared about. Ironically, Xizor and the object of his desires, Princess Leia, have a lot in common with one another—both rightfully blame Vader for the loss of their worlds.

It is not only the introduction of new and compelling characters that makes Perry’s writing great. In a story that is so closely connected with the timing and events of the original films it is essential that the original characters remain true to themselves. Luke, Leia, and Lando exist on the page exactly how they would on film, which is rare to find in some of the earlier Legends novels. Leia was not only the fierce and fiery princess that fans have always known and loved, we get to see a deeper more emotional side to her in Shadows of the Empire. This new level to her character allows readers see her as more than a political figurehead and hero of the Rebellion, she is an orphaned daughter who has lost her entire world and now is dangerously close to losing the man she loves. As a female reader, getting to see this dynamic representation of Leia is fantastic. Yes, women should be shown as strong and fearless, but that doesn’t mean that we should only see that side of women who are represented as heroines in film and literature.

Shadows of the Empire is a true Star Wars classic filled with the perfect combination of old and new, villains and heroes, light and dark. It shouldn’t take a Falleen’s pheromones to convince you to sneak into the shadows and enjoy this time honoured tale today.