Star Wars: Tarkin (Book Review)

I admit, watching the Star Wars movies, I never really paid attention to the character Grand Moff Tarkin, maybe because he was overshadowed by the more prominent figure and presence of Darth Vader. However, during this read, there were times that I feel like I want to be Tarkin.

I like how the book is structured. It started with a chapter where Tarkin was on the construction site of the first Death Star. It did well in illustrating Tarkin’s personality and character - what kind of person he is. The story then flashes back to a time when Tarkin was younger and had to follow his uncle to learn survival skills in the harsh jungles of his home planet. These lessons became the basis of subsequent chapters as he and Darth Vader travelled across the galaxy to investigate an incident as well as hunting a band of Imperial oppositions.

I also like the way the story tries not to show who the more dominant character is: Tarkin or Vader, but rather points out the strengths and weaknesses of each of them, and how they make an effective duo (at least from my point of view). This is made stronger by pitting them with not just a simple team of ‘rebels’, but quite a formidable one. Although I think that made the story a bit draggy at the middle.

The story takes place between Episode III and Episode IV during the construction of the first Death Star (canon). Written by James Luceno.