Black Spire by Delilah Dawson is an interesting and unique entry into Star Wars canon: it’s a tie in to a theme park expansion. Specifically Galaxy’s Edge, which opened at Disneyland in May and will open August 29 at Walt Disney World. Black Spire is named for the main settlement on the planet Batuu, which the locals refer to as Black Spire Outpos (BSO). When I started this novel, I had not yet visited Galaxy’s Edge, but I finished it in between my two visits, which made exploring the land a little more interesting. (I say “a little more” because the land in and of itself is amazing without any outside knowledge.) But the parts of the novel that described BSO, while making me excited to visit Galaxy’s Edge myself, also took me out of the larger story. Does that mean the novel is bad? No, just different. It’s not every day you read a Star Wars book set in a place you can actually visit.
The novel starts with Resistance spy Vi Moradi, fresh from the events of Dawson’s previous novel Phasma, sent on a mission by Leia to find allies and establish a base on the out-of-way planet Batuu. Vi is eager to go on another mission, but less so when she finds out Leia wants to partner her with Archex, previously known as Captain Cardinal–aka the First Order stormtrooper who tortured her for information about Captain Phasma. Vi rescued Cardinal at the end of that novel, and he’s been recuperating on Cerea ever since, breaking free of his programming, taking on his childhood name, and healing his physical wounds. (Although his leg and lungs will never be the same, thanks to Phasma’s poison.)
One of the best things this novel does is explore the theme of trauma. Vi and Archex both lived through extremely traumatic events and are not the best at working through their past. It doesn’t help that Vi’s trauma came at the hands of her current partner. The Star Wars films have not always explored the topic of redemption with nuance and care, but the novels and other supplemental material seem to get this right. Vi trusts Archex, but doesn’t forget the things he did as Cardinal. Archex is eager to prove himself as valuable to the Resistance, but the things he learned in the First Order–and the person he became–are still a part of him. He misses wearing the armor. He misses the order. He misses feeling useful. I was reminded of Mara Jade, from Legends, while reading about Archex’s longing for the First Order while still wanting to fight against it. Mara missed what she had in the Empire, but didn’t want to be part of it anymore. It’s a fine line that I think is really interesting to explore, and I’m glad Dawson wasn’t afraid to tackle such a nuanced topic.
The characters in the novel are interesting and varied, the kind that jump off the page and are hard to confuse with one another. Dawson has described this novel as Brooklyn 99 in space, and while I don’t necessarily agree with that comparison plot-wise, I definitely agree with it when it comes to the characters. In addition to Vi and Archex, we meet Dolin, a farm boy from a rural settlement; Kriki, a skittish Chadra-fan technician; and Zade, a suave but down on his luck smuggler. Then there’s Pook, the very acerbic droid who accompanies Vi and Archex to Batuu and is left to deal with all the humans. On the First Order side, we meet Lieutenant Kath, who’s just as ruthless as Phasma and also a sociopath. Vi quickly learns that running afoul of him is not the best course of action.
Unlike Phasma, which featured alternating timelines, the plot of Black Spire is a lot more straightforward. Vi and Archex and Pook crash land on Batuu, and subsequently have all their cargo stolen by minions of Oga Garra, the crime boss who basically runs BSO. Vi is left with no credits, no way to contact the Resistance, and oh yeah, the First Order knows she’s there and desperately wants to capture her. Lieutenant Kath also wouldn’t mind getting his hands on Captain Cardinal for his defection. Did I mention that Oga isn’t the type of being you want to piss off, and Vi has to work for her to win back her cargo? The situation is Not Great. Vi, being a crafty spy, quickly finds a spot for a Resistance base and begins working for Savi, the local salvager, to earn credits. (Yes, the same Savi who runs the workshop where you can build lightsabers!) But with the First Order in BSO, it’s not going to be easy for Vi to establish her base. She must figure out a way to get rid of the First Order without bringing down their wrath on the entire planet and the people she’s come to appreciate as friends. I found the climax to the novel particularly compelling, especially when we got to delve into the POVs of the other characters, and as a bonus the novel ends right where your adventure in Galaxy’s Edge begins.
That tie-in aspect really worked for me; however, a lot of the other tie-in aspects did not. When Vi first visits BSO, we’re treated to what amounts to a travelogue of all the places you can see during trips to Galaxy’s Edge. If you’re not familiar with the land and haven’t kept up with the news, it might not be as jarring. But for me, reading about Vi going to Ronto’s Roasters and the different shops in the marketplace made me snicker and pulled me out of the story. After a few chapters it reminded me of Rick Steves: Batuu. Perhaps if Vi had been more familiar with the planet going in, it wouldn’t have come off like a full-on tour, and the places and people could have been introduced more gradually.
Another aspect that pulled me out of the novel was the structure. As I said before, I really enjoyed the climax of the novel and getting into the different characters’ POVs. The problem with that was for the majority of the book we’re only in Vi’s POV. Early on I found myself assuming we’d only see her POV and Kath’s POV. When Dawson started delving into the other protagonists, I was glad, but I felt like we should have been following them a lot earlier in order to get a deeper connection. Especially Archex, who in my opinion should have gotten as much POV time as Vi, if not more.
All that said, Black Spire is a fun read and provides a great lead-up to the events that happen while you’re visiting Galaxy’s Edge. If you’re unable to visit the land anytime soon, the book will allow you to experience the Batuu on your own. If you are planning a trip to Galaxy’s Edge, the book will provide fun Easter eggs and background information that serve to enhance your visit. Although a word of caution that I found myself more hesitant to visit Oga’s Cantina once I read about her. She’s not a very nice person. But I was only slightly more hesitant; it is a Star Wars cantina, after all.
Thank you to Del Rey for providing a review copy of this novel.
