Teaser

In the shadows, the Sith plan their revenge against the Jedi. Maul is but an apprentice, yet he is among the galaxy’s deadliest killers. At the bidding of his dark master, Maul stalks the streets of Coruscant for a traitor who could expose Sidious’ plans to the Republic. This hunt will only end in death . . .

Review

Considering how little screen time he had in The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul is an instantly recognisable character. Part of it is the Iain McCaig design, part of it Ray Park’s physical embodiment of rage, and part of it the fact that he has a really cool lightsabre. Whatever the reasons, and in spite of being killed in his first appearance, Maul has lived on. The death would be undone, and with a pair of robotic legs he would go on to stalk his prey through comic books, animated series, and even a cameo in the film Solo. Though his single line of dialogue in The Phantom Menace was performed by Peter Serafinowicz, the man who became the voice of Maul in future endeavours was Sam Witwer. So it’s perfectly fitting that Witwer return to narrate this rereleased audiobook.

Shadow Hunter takes place in the days leading up to The Phantom Menace, with the Trade Federation’s upcoming blockade of Naboo under threat from internal strife, and Maul dispatched to eliminate the traitor. All things considered, it’s a relatively straightforward story. the sort you’d expect given that it was written between the release of major films, and couldn’t push at the boundaries of established canon too firmly. There’s a pretty standard chase narrative at work. Maul tracks his prey to a location, the prey escapes through some fluke or miracle, and then the chase begins again. It’s repetitive, but the tension never lets up.

Though there isn’t a whole lot of character advancement of worldbuilding in this book, par for the course for the books being written around the prequel trilogy, there are some elements that reward a richer reading of the old Expanded Universe. Along the way, Maul’s target becomes one Lorn Pavan, a human information broker. We learn that Lorn has a son named Jax, who is in training at the Jedi Temple. It was then that I realised where I’d heard the name before. Jax Pavan is the protagonist of Reave’s Coruscant Knights trilogy, which ranks highly in my favourite Star Wars novels. Add in the fact that Lorn’s droid I-5 later ends up working alongside Jax in those other novels, and it’s easy to treat Shadow Hunter as a prequel to them. I’d have to read Coruscant Knights again to be sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see other crossover locations and characters.

Sam Witwer is name well-known to Star Wars fans. As well as voicing Maul in animation, he voiced Starkiller in The Force Unleashed, which is where I know his voice from. He brings that voice actor’s flair to Shadow Hunter. His Maul is a gravelly, tormented thing, while his Sidious is spot on. I do feel he is somewhat weaker when it comes to female characters, though one of these is killed off quickly enough to not be an issue in that regard. Witwer is at his best when revelling in the darkness of the setting, though arguably weaker in the more tender moments. He’s certainly a lot more theatrical than some other narrators, which lends the book a little something extra.

Shadow Hunter is a far cry from the hallowed greats of the Expanded Universe, but it’s a good book for the foundations it lays, and a fun enough adventure that you won’t regret the hours you spend in its company.

Audio Stats

• Narrated by Sam Witwer
• A Standalone Novel
• First published 2001
• This edition published by Penguin
• 10hrs runtime