• Catalyst (Star Wars)

  • A Rogue One Novel
  • By: James Luceno
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
  • Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (11,517 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Catalyst (Star Wars)  By  cover art

Catalyst (Star Wars)

By: James Luceno
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The must-have prequel novel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - the upcoming film, set before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, that reveals the untold story of the rebel effort to steal the plans to the Death Star!

©2016 James Luceno (P)2016 Random House Audio

Featured Article: Jyn Erso—A Star Wars Character Guide


Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduced us to the titular squadron that retrieved and delivered the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance. Among those rebels were Captain Cassian Andor, droid K2-SO, Guardians of the Whills Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus, Imperial defector Bodhi Rook, and, of course, Sergeant Jyn Erso. Looking to learn more about Rogue One's fierce heroine, Jyn Erso? Our essential character guide will tell you everything you need to know.

Experience Star Wars Like Never Before

Experience Star Wars Like Never Before

Our stellar collection of intergalactic listens offers an expansive
universe of adventure anytime, anywhere.

What listeners say about Catalyst (Star Wars)

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,512
  • 4 Stars
    3,459
  • 3 Stars
    1,198
  • 2 Stars
    242
  • 1 Stars
    106
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7,906
  • 4 Stars
    2,220
  • 3 Stars
    461
  • 2 Stars
    73
  • 1 Stars
    38
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,583
  • 4 Stars
    3,047
  • 3 Stars
    1,474
  • 2 Stars
    387
  • 1 Stars
    180

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Intriguing prequel to Rogue One.

If you've seen the movie Rogue One and read this book, you may also feel as I did that the book didn't really add much to the movie. It's like they created the movie plot first and then the author, James Luceno, just tossed some stuff together to make a viable historical account of various events leading up to what we see in Rogue One.

Essentially, the book's plot follows the early life of Galen Urso, an engineering and theoretical physics genius, who comes up with the design that eventually provides the power to the Death Star, an ultra-super-weapon that we first see in the "first" Star Wars movie: A New Hope. Galen had no intent of creating such a destructive weapon, but was rather attempting to design a nearly unlimited source of power that would improve the lives of billions. Of course, the Empire, under the control of Emperor Palpatine and an ambitious Imperial officer, Orson Krenic, would rather create a super weapon and attempt to subvert Galen's work to their own ends.

Other characters include Galen's wife, Lira, their baby daughter Jyn (who is the main star in Rogue One), a younger rebel extremist, Saw Guerra, and a younger Tarkin.

The novel doesn't have a lot of action sequences and relies heavily on exposition/dialogue to provide the majority of the plot. Unfortunately, with so much exposition, the novel does tend to bog down.

Jonathan Davis is almost without equal as a narrator and once again gives a masterful performance, even matching closely to the accents/voices of the characters in the movie: Rogue One.

If you're a huge Star Wars fans, you'll appreciate this addition to the over-arching saga. Otherwise, this novel isn't absolutely essential to understanding the movie

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good Setup for Upcoming Movie

Catalyst is good to the SW universe in similar a way that the Silmarillon is good to the Lord of the Rings universe. It gives you good back story leading into but not right up to Rogue One. However, if you're looking for a book filled with the excitement and action you typically associate with the Star Wars films, don't expect to find it here.
This book is more about the subterfuge and trickery that takes place involving the Orso family and the development of the weapon portion of the Death Star.
Consequently, the action takes a back seat to the psychological drama going on behind the scenes.
You do get a broader picture of Grand Moff Tarkin in some of his earlier days as a Grand Moff and a clearer picture of his ruthlessness. You also are introduced to several other characters including another ambitious imperial officer and a smuggler who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe ultimately the opposite. I don't know that all the characters outlined in the book will appear in the movies, but certainly the background and understanding of their interactions with the characters in the movie will enrich the entire experience.


Johnathan Davis's performance is notable as well. He takes care to distinguish voices and accents to help give life to the words on the pages and give the listeners a sense of immersion in the SW universe. This is complimented by various background noises, musical quotes from the movies, and even the occasional sound effect on his voice itself.


Overall, it's an entertaining listen and/or read. Worth the time, if you love Star Wars and want to know more about the history of the mythos.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring story with zero action. Great Narrator

Would you try another book from James Luceno and/or Jonathan Davis?

Yes and Yes

Would you ever listen to anything by James Luceno again?

I own 5 books written by James Luceno. I was surprised that this one was so dull.

What does Jonathan Davis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's one of the best. I have several of his books and he always does a great job of making the characters distinguishable and fun to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Honestly, this is a story that could be summed up in a few minutes. I own nearly every Star Wars book that audible offers. I appreciate a good back story as much as the next guy...but this was just a long drawn out story with no action. I was disappointed that nothing ever really happened.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Didn't like Plagueis? Then don't bother with this.

What disappointed you about Catalyst (Star Wars)?

Just not an interesting story. I was wondering who the protagonist is for several chapters. This Galen guy who is imprisoned for most of the first half, pining for his pregnant wife. Then a description of childbirth and celebration that didn't seem to move the story forward at all. So much pointless description and not a single line of humor. I guess I like my Star Wars to be not so serious, to describe other-worldly things, and to have a clear protagonist.

Has Catalyst (Star Wars) turned you off from other books in this genre?

I think Luceno is not my kind of author. This is the second book of his that I tried. Probably a very thought-out backstory but it is pretty boring.

Any additional comments?

If you liked Darth Plagueis, then you will probably like this too. I couldn't finish Plagueis and don't understand why it is rated so highly either.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!!

This book was wonderful! Really got me excited for the movie!!! More excited, I should say. The reading was perfect and as always the music and sound effects make Star Wars audiobooks better than any others!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Storyline was very boring and drawn out.

The storyline was very slow and drawn out. I am a huge Star Wars fan but did not care for this story at all. It was a very boring book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome Story!

What did you love best about Catalyst (Star Wars)?

My favorite part of this novel is the interaction between Tarkin and Krennic. Orson Krennic is a snake who even tries to manipulate and betray fellow Imperial Officers.

What other book might you compare Catalyst (Star Wars) to and why?

I would say Tarkin would be the one I could compare it with. It isn't just like the book, but James Luceno wrote that novel as well. You can really hear Tarkin coming out in these books.

What does Jonathan Davis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a great job at making a definite distinction between the character voices. That can be a difficult thing to accomplish well. I could see actors that we know are going to be in Rogue One when he did those characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely! That would be a serious session at 11 hours and some change. It was one that I really looked forward to listening to. I finished it about as fast as I did Bloodline, and that was another Star Wars novel I didn't want to stop listening to.

Any additional comments?

This isn't an essential novel for Rogue One, but it will absolutely enhance the movie going experience. Especially, since I know what all took place leading up to the events in the movie. It also enriches the experience when one watches A New Hope. That backstory makes one think deeper about the events in the original trilogy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A while Lotta nothing.

This wasn't a bad book, but it was about nearly nothing. Decent character development and an OK flow, just I did not find it interesting at all. James Lucerno wrote my absolute favorite Star Wars book ever, Darth Plagius, but this one seemed like it was a concept pushed on him to act as backstory to the Rogue One movie.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Bad. Crystal Star bad.

one of the worst star wars books yet. nothing of note happens for the entire book. I understand it is a setup for the movie but in any book something meaningful should happen.

don't waste your time or money.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a Great Star Wars book!

this was one of the most fun and entertaining star wars books that I have read since Lost Stars. the characters are such dynamic people with great interpersonal connections.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful