Catalyst (Star Wars)

A Rogue One Novel

By: James Luceno

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

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

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.

Good to meet a new family!

Excellent writing and performance. Great story in preparation for the new film! Started off a little slow and at times seemed verbose. However very important information regarding Khyber crystals and other important plot points. Also it was good to meet the Erso family and other new characters, as well as the connections to existing characters such as Tarkin.

Interesting story following Krennic and the Ersos

If you liked Rogue One, you’ll enjoy this novel following how Galen Erso was manipulated by Krennic, how the Death Star project began, plus more on the rivalry between Krennic and Tarkin. Another solid Star Wars novel with a good performance by Jonathan Davis. Only problem I really had was how stuffed in Saw Gerrera felt into the story.

The movie might make up for it.

I have to say that I have enjoyed many of James Luceno's books in the past; he' a fine writer, but the last two I listened to were... boring. The other being Darth Plageus.

I think I've read too many Star Wars books in the last 40 years, starting with Alan Dean Foster's adaptation and Splinter of the Mind's Eye. I realize he had limitations thrust upon him but I hoped that there would be action to match the name Star Wars. As I think back I really only recall one major battle. If there was more they haven't registered.

Other books have had action and been enjoyable. The performance was very well done but the story didn't grab me. I really want to see the movie, and I'm sure I have insight I'm not aware of yet. December 16 can't come soon enough.

If you enjoyed it, that's great. I was thinking I'd get a different kind of story. I think I'm gonna call it quits for expanded stories for a while...

A MUST LISTEN FOR THE ROGUE ONE FANS!!!

Jonathan Davis does a remarkable job narrating this epic prequel!!! Luceno molded this perfectly into the Star Wars canon. Can't wait for Episode VIII this winter!!!

Gives a lot more depth to Rogue One

Jonathan Davis does a great job narrating as always. Story was good & having listened to this made watching the Rogue One movie so much richer.

A little pretentious, but well-presented

Other than a few slip-ups in name pronunciation consistency, Jonathan Davis does an exceptional job narrating this book, and his voices are varied and enjoyable.

The story itself drags at times, mostly due to unnecessarily florid wording and an excessive amount of time being used to describe exactly how the characters are posed when they're standing around. Still a very good read.

Surprisingly Good

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

This is the first Star Wars novel I have listened to and I was very surprised how good a novel it is.The narrator's performance was excellent. The story of a scientist who is seduced by the Empire to weaponize the death star is analogous to the Manhattan Project of WW2. There are other parallels to our current times that make this novel very topical. The funny thing is that I was looking for something lite to listen too, but ended up listening to a novel that reflects the serious times we live in now, not a galaxy far far away. This is what makes this novel as good as it is, and entertaining to boot.

Great audio, ok story

The narration for this book was great and made it much easier to read. The story itself is a little dull. It adds a lot to the characters of Gaelen and Lyra but not much to the overall star wars story. I guess the opening cut of Rogue one would be more relatable and you get a little more understanding of how the death star works so it's enjoyable if you're into that sort of stuff but otherwise there are only like 2-3 action scenes in the entire book. Given action is not what makes a story but it's a lot of Gaelen did this and Tarken did that and reading between the lines to understand details. If you zone out for a couple of seconds you will miss important plot points. It is that detailed. I did enjoy the writing style and even learned some new words but it is not for everyone.

Awesome Companion Novel to 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

I absolutely loved this book. The narrator's voices of the different characters and the accompanying sound effects really helped to immerse me in the story and world of Star Wars. I feel like I understand the characters more, and that it'll make watching 'Rogue One' even better. I can't be any more hyped for 'Rogue One!'