This article was originally published on TatooineTimes.com
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, written by Michael Reaves, was first published on January 30, 2001 by Del Rey, and was among the latest wave of The Essential Legends Collection released August 2, 2022. For those unfamiliar with the book, Shadow Hunter is essentially a prequel to a prequel, taking place in the lead up to the events of The Phantom Menace. Thankfully, there aren’t just easter egg connections to the film but a fully fledged action adventure with brand new characters and settings that equal one thrilling read.
To sum up the plot, a Neimoidian who’s a part of Darth Sidious’ evil schemes with the Trade Federation has gone missing, so it’s Darth Maul’s task to hunt him down. Maul’s job gets even more complicated as the Neimoidian sells the intel to human information broker Lorn Pavan, who immediately is added to Maul’s hit list. All the while Jedi Padawan Darsha Assant is on a mission from the Jedi Council—one that lands her solidly in the mix of Maul’s hunt. Pavan and Assant become unlikely allies in the race to keep the Republic safe while sparing as many lives from Maul’s wrath as possible.
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter has a number of elements working in its favor. For one, the majority of it takes place in Coruscant’s seedy lower levels, a setting that even today remains relatively unexplored. Secondly, there are a number of new characters that are very well fleshed out, with motivations and feelings that are both relatable and work well within the Star Wars framework. Lastly, Shadow Hunter provides an in depth peek at the psyche of Darth Maul and his relationship with his Master. All of these elements combined makes Shadow Hunter a book that will keep readers on their toes with its unpredictable plot, while providing so much context and backstory to established characters. You’ll probably never watch The Phantom Menace in the same light again after reading this book.
The Essential Legends Collection edition of Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter has an all-new unabridged audiobook version as well. Acclaimed Star Wars voice actor Sam Witwer makes his full book narration debut, and it truly must be listened to to be believed. Witwer’s voiceover work has made him a longtime fan favorite, especially for his time on The Clone Wars and Rebels. Most particularly his time spent voicing Maul makes him more than qualified for narrating Shadow Hunter, making for a thrilling audiobook listening experience. While his voice skills are clearly evident (can anyone even compare to his Palpatine?), he uses his strengths to serve the story first and foremost. Shadow Hunter’s chapters are all written from a single character’s point of view, and Witwer takes this opportunity to perform each one as that character, non-speaking portions and all. Instead of having one single narrator voice for the entire book, Witwer’s choice of having each character narrate their own chapters is very cool and something I’ve never experienced in an audiobook before. It works amazingly well as a device to submerge listeners into the psyche of each character.
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter The Essential Legends Collection, featuring an awesome new cover by artist ToK, is on sale now!
Buy Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter The Essential Legends Collection
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