Star Wars: Tarkin [2015, PDF/EPUB, ENG]

by James Luceno

(4,754 ratings)
Book cover
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

Bestselling
Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing the legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.

He’s the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.

Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkin’s guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxy’s lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heel—by intimidation . . . or annihilation.

Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkin—whose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire’s supremacy . . . and its enemies’ extinction.

Praise for Tarkin
 
Tarkin tells a compelling tale of mystery while revealing much about a character who has fueled debate among fans since 1977, as well as the oppressive regime he represents. [James] Luceno has proven once again that the villains of Star Wars are as much fun as the good guys.”—New York Daily News
 
“Another home run in the new canon . . . This is the highest and best distillation of Tarkin stories, old and new, we’ve ever been given.”
Big Shiny Robot
 
“A spectacular novel, with the intrigue, action, and profound characterization we have come to expect from the pen of Luceno . . . [
Tarkin] provides a nuanced, multi-faceted anti-hero who is captivating, ominous, and calculating; in many ways, this is an origin tale of the Empire [and] a fascinating portrait of one of the more popular characters in the Original Trilogy. It may very well be one my favorite Star Wars novels.”Coffee with Kenobi
 
“A fascinating look at the pathos of one of the galaxy’s most criminally underused characters.”
TheForce.net.
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Book details


  • Retail price : from $7.89
  • Author : James Luceno
  • Publisher : Random House Worlds; Reissue edition
  • Published : 06-29-2015
  • Language : English
  • Pages : 352
  • ISBN-10 : 0553392905
  • ISBN-13 : 978-0553392906
  • Reader Reviews : 4,754 (4.4)

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  • Status : available for FREE download
  • Downloads : 3548

About the Author


James Luceno


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Reader Reviews

J
Cristian
Grand Morfin Tarkin
Reviewed in Brazil on 05-12-2023
A book that portrays well the origin of the great imperial villain that is presented to us in ep 4.
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J
William A. Ronke
Tarkin and the Imperialism of Genre: Moriarty, Rhodes, and Nelson
Reviewed in the United States on 05-04-2016
'Tarkin,' like many Star Wars novels, is not a book of one genre. While it's certainly part of a greater space fantasy environment, 'Tarkin' has much in common from genres of historical fiction set in the Victorian and Napoleonic eras.

James Luceno, who wrote the excellent 'Star Wars: Darth Plagueis' shortly before the Lucasfilm canon reset, takes a rather different tone with his villainous protagonist. Wilhuff Tarkin isn't a Sith Lord. He's not the sort of boldly despicable villain that you love to hate. He's not maniacal or all-powerful. He's neither Byronic nor dashing. He doesn't have a complicated inner good person struggling to get out. Tarkin is cold and calculating, and as the novel shifts between the genres of mystery, savage survival, and naval warfare, Tarkin echoes characters of Imperial literature and history like Professor Moriarty, Cecil Rhodes, and Admiral Nelson.

Like Moriarty or his rival, Tarkin has strong deductive reasoning skills. A good portion of the novel reads like a Victorian-era Sherlock Holmes mystery, albeit with a ruthless amoral genius at the helm rather than a drug-addicted defender of the meek. Tarkin doesn't make it through the novel without making a few incorrect predictions, but his mind is sharp, and his ability to unravel conspiracy is impressive.

Interspersed throughout the mystery are flashbacks to the Tarkin family's brutal rites of passage on the planet Eriadu. Like Cecil Rhodes, most infamous of Victorian colonialists, young Wilhuff adapts to survival in the savage savannahs and jungles of his homeworld. Accordingly, Eriadu's Carrion Plateau could have been the setting of a Star Wars 'Heart of Darkness.' Eriadu is the Darkest Africa of diamond mines and Boer wars, and like a good Victorian, Tarkin is taught the importance of order and fear. He rises to power treating both the natural and civic aspects of his universe as things to be tamed.

Finally, like Lord Horatio Nelson (or the fictional Horatio Hornblower), Tarkin takes on the role of Napoleonic-era naval strategist. Star Wars media more often depicts dogfights between small craft, making quick turns and dodging beams of energy. Though the space battles of this novel are exciting, they primarily focus on larger, slower vessels. So instead of evasive maneuvers, the novel's ships have to predict the path of their bulky opponents, turning and positioning their starboard cannons to hit the enemy's port with a massive broadside. This last element of 'Tarkin' is less dominant than the others, but the relevant passages could have come from a C S Forester novel.

I quite enjoyed Luceno's 'Tarkin.' It won't be everyone's cup of tea, as the protagonist is neither particularly likeable nor particularly fascinating. Wilhuff Tarkin's shade of evil is instead a bit too close to home, embracing an ugly imperialism that has shown its face frequently on our own little planet.

One final aside for fellow Star Wars enthusiasts: fans of 'Darth Plagueis' should be happy to see some small details from this previous work pop up in 'Tarkin.' It's not particularly explicit, but Luceno references a few characters and plot points from his earlier book as if it had never been extricated from the canon. It's almost as if Del Rey should publish a second edition of 'Darth Plagueis,' revised to fit the new editorial and canon standards but with at least 75% of the story intact. One can dream.
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J
Daniel JK
Grand Moff
Reviewed in the United States on 02-01-2023
Never would I have thought that seeing things through the eyes of Tarkin would I sympathize, even cheer on the Empire. But here I am following Tarkin through his journey to become the Grand Moff. We learn what shaped him into the man he becomes, a cunning warrior. This is just the start of the relationship of Tarkin, Vader and The Emperor..
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