Review: Tarkin | A Man of Questionable Morals

Tarkin by James Luceno
Narrated by Euan Morton 
Published by Random House Audio
Format Reviewed: Audiobook 
Publication Date: November 4th, 2014
Genre: Science Fiction
Time: 9 hrs, 27 min
Reviewed by: Stephanie
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a 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.

I may have blindly chosen to read Tarkin because Luceno wrote it, but it was an excellent decision on my part. This is one of the first novels in Disney's new line of literature that is officially considered canon, so I was really excited to see if and how some of Luceno's older works may affect this novel. (If I'm being truly honest, I hoped they would.)

As seems to be the case with Luceno's novels, they are best appreciated as a looking glass into the Star Wars universe more so than they are as stories to be enjoyed. The plot of Tarkin isn't anything to get excited over. Actually, it's rather dull and pretty straight forward. What makes this novel so interesting is the origins it reveals and the dynamics of the Empire and those serving it.

The Emperor and Tarkin are Made for Each Other

Tarkin is the only man (besides the Emperor) who can tell Lord Vader what to do. What kind of man is capable of that when he isn't a Sith Lord? What type of person do you have to be to achieve that sort of status? As it turns out, Tarkin had the perfect upbringing for his future role. A great portion of the novel deals in flashbacks showing the beginning of Tarkin's life on a hostile planet. His family considered dropping him in the middle of the wilderness (surrounded by things wanting to kill him) as a right of passage. Tarkin surpassed his ancestors with how skillfully he overcame this hurdle. If this doesn't speak to the type of man he is, I'm not sure what will.

Luceno shows us that the Emperor was interested in Tarkin from almost the moment he met him, not that we're surprised. Tarkin has absolutely no redeeming qualities. He is cold, calculated, and evil. I honestly can't even call him cruel because to assign such an adjective would suggest that he feels any type of emotion towards the people he hurts. Tarkin doesn't. He is solely focused on the objective at hand and the end goal. The Emperor couldn't have asked for a better Moff. (For those of you who don't know, a Moff is a sector governor.) With this new perspective, it's reasonable to say that Luke got lucky when Tarkin died on the Death Star. If Tarkin, instead of Vader, had hunted Luke down, the poor Jedi probably would've ended up with many more scars. Han would probably have died as well.

Death is Only the Beginning

Growing up, I always thought that the Emperor's death marked the end of the Empire. Luceno paints a wholly different picture. The Emperor may have been the puppet master, but the Galactic Empire has a dozen working parts and they are perfectly capable of functioning without him. In fact, much of the Empire does function without the interference of the Emperor. Luceno reveals the Galactic Empire to nearly be as domineering as Nazi Germany.

To top this all off though, I feel obligated to drop one treasure I found particularly interesting. In Tarkin, we come to learn that the Jedi Temple was built on top of a Sith shrine, implying that perhaps this is how a Sith Lord can function under the nose of a dozen Jedi, including Master Yoda himself. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the new canon explore the shrine and its history in further detail. There's a lot of possibility here and it would be a shame for them to waste it.

Brilliance in All Forms

As always, Random House Audio did a fantastic job. The sound effects and music were placed to perfection, dragging you into the story far more than just the narrative alone is capable of. Speaking of the narrative, Euan Morton is a brilliant narrator and is spot on in many of his vocal interpretations. Not for the first time, I find myself wanting to purchase the paperback novel and read the story for myself. I'm sure there are other gems I missed but the ones I found blew me away as I've never been a fan of Grand Moff Tarkin.

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