Star Wars: Maul

Lockdown

By: Joe Schreiber

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Set before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, this new novel is a thrilling follow-up to Star Wars: Darth Plagueis.

It's kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy’s worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object that will enable the Sith to conquer the galaxy.

Sith lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul.

Praise for Lockdown

“Schreiber . . . was a great choice for this novel, imbuing the story with a dark, foreboding tone while never quite stepping into the horror territories that Death Troopers and Red Harvest took us.”—Jedi News

“Fans of the dark side should rejoice. Lockdown delivers a can’t-put-this-down tale of scum and villainy.”—Club Jade

“[Lockdown is] an action-packed ride that spins one entertaining chapter after another. The multiple layers of story keeps readers guessing what will happen next and just who will live and who will die. . . . It certainly adds to the character of Darth Maul while matching [Darth] Plagueis’s complexity with sheer fun. . . . Five out of five metal bikinis.”—Roqoo Depot

“Somehow, Schreiber is able to skate the line between hard-hitting prison story and the adventure and excitement I love from Star Wars in a way that doesn’t betray either genre. It’s really quite masterful.”—Big Shiny Robot

“Lockdown is an exciting, engaging read. . . . It actually lines up beautifully for a sequel, which I, for one, would love to read.”—Coffee with Kenobi

“The novel makes The Clone Wars better. It also illuminates The Phantom Menace. I think it’s the hallmark of the best tie-in fiction to resonate throughout other parts of the expanded universe in that way.”—Knights’ Archive

“By the fiftieth page, I was hooked. . . . Lockdown is a wonderful ‘antihero’ novel, where it’s just fine to root for the villain, because there are even worse things out there. This book was so fun and entertaining. I’ll have to keep an eye out for more Star Wars books from Schreiber.”—Seattle Geekly

©2014 Joe Schreiber (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[Lockdown is] an action-packed ride that spins one entertaining chapter after another. The multiple layers of story keeps readers guessing what will happen next and just who will live and who will die. . . . It certainly adds to the character of Darth Maul while matching [Darth] Plagueis’s complexity with sheer fun. . . . Five out of five metal bikinis.” (Roqoo Depot)

“Schreiber . . . was a great choice for this novel, imbuing the story with a dark, foreboding tone while never quite stepping into the horror territories that Death Troopers and Red Harvest took us.” (Jedi News)

“Lockdown is an exciting, engaging read. . . . It actually lines up beautifully for a sequel, which I, for one, would love to read.” (Coffee with Kenobi)

Great story

If you’re interested in Maul’s background, this is a great place to start. The story is exciting and well-told.

Wild ride

Loved this book! I'm almost scared to read any others on Mail for fear it will ruin this one for me! Fun fun fun!

Amazing

Great story and good intro to new characters. Great for working out too. Exciting story

Great book

The book was great! Wish there was more to it but definitely still recommend to give it a read/listen.

You Can't Lockup The Dark Side!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Very much so. Aside from having an amazing plot with loads of fast-paced tension, Jonathan Davis managed to translate those expertly crafted pages, the distinctive voices of the characters and the different tones of voice remarkably well for the audiobook version. It was an excellent production.

What did you like best about this story?
That there was never a dull moment and I am not one to use that description often when it comes to books because in my mind, that means that there were exciting highlights in every single chapter. Which makes this book even more impressive as far as I am concerned because while most chapters were short, it was still the longest Star Wars book in terms of quantity of chapters I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Never a dull moment in 76 chapters? By the Force, this SW book had me hooked in the way only my all time favorite pieces of Star Wars literature ever got me and I have listen to well over 60 SW audiobooks in my life. As a result. I have to rank this book within the best of the best of my personal list in terms of constant delight.

Which scene was your favorite?
Oh, this book was full of many enjoyable scenes that could have made the cut. But I am gonna have to pick the scene that ended up becoming the "turning point" scene to me, the one that convinced me to keep watching for more hours without stopping until I finished this amazing tale.



Spoiler Alert




Last Warning




The moment where the "first" inmate that went by the name of Zero is unmasked. I was almost sure that Iram Radique was going to end up being the man that Zero turned out to be. And then, to top my shock, this important behind the scenes character gets shot on the orders of the true arms dealer despite the fact he created and runs the incredibly precise program of the unique prison. This scene had me at the edge of my seat wondering who the Holy Force was this mysterious Iram Radique. As soon as finished that tense chapter, I refused to let go of my audiobook until I was done and true to my word I finished the book that day.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When a father dies right after having just seen his son do something to make him very proud of his son and tells him so, before passing away.

Any additional comments?
If Disney ever decides to make an R-ated anthology film with content adapted from a Legends book, this one would definitely be a crowd-pleaser.

Must hear

This book provided some great insight on how great Darth Maul as a character in Star Wars really is.

Oz/Stephen King Novel In Space!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Star Wars, whether they enjoyed the prequel movies or not. This novel gives an in depth and extremely gory look into Darth Maul, and gave me new appreciation for the character. The story itself is easy to follow, and the setting being a prison makes it easy to capture in your minds eye, despite it being a crazy space prison in the outer rim. It also ties into the Darth Plagueis novel, so one more reason to give it a read. Whatever order you read them in, there's a fun realization to be made when you see exactly why, and how the stories intersect.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Obviously Maul, but Zero was a close second. Maul was more or less devoid of a character in Phantom Menace, as he acted more as a quiet assassin. In this story you get a feel for his personality, and just how effective he is as a warrior. The fact that he is bereft of his lightsaber and forbidden to use the force makes the story more compelling, since without those things he has only his wits and skill to rely on.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

The first person Maul actually attempts to have a conversation with. A creepy little alien who seemed to be collecting bones, which wasn't creepy enough already without his odd speech pattern. He tends to end most sentences with a rhetorical question, doesn't he? (like that!). The voice Jonathan Davis gave him, and how he delivered the lines came across as believably psychotic.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Maul's vivid nightmare. It seemed predictable at first, but then hit me with something that actually made me go "Whaaa?" out loud.

Any additional comments?

The book itself isn't that deep. It isn't as deep as other entries such as Darth Plagueis or Kenobi, it's very straight forward until the mid point where the plot begins to thicken. However, this suits the tone of the book, it's gory and action packed enough to keep you entertained without the entire galaxy having to hang in the balance. The words accompanied by the various sounds at some points even made me feel squeamish, and at times made my hairs stand on end.

Very Cool Story

This was a really good story. Too bad Disney killed this book as canon. Plagueis and this book were very good.

What a real star wars story should be like.

Best star wars book I've read/listened to ever. and the narrative was top notch by all accounts.

Badass!!!

Definitely the bloodiest Star Wars story ever, Maul is a beast!!! A must listen if you're a fan of him!!!