By Rebecca Roanhorse

Century, out now

After the disaster at Crait, the Resistance need to find allies desperately.

Prequel novels to the Star Wars movies have become part and parcel of the release schedule over the past few years, and there are some fans who pore over the pages looking for clues. I’ve preferred to go to them after seeing the film, and pick up some of the layers that that viewing reveals.

In this case, the course correction that people are spotting in The Rise of Skywalker is very, very apparent. We’re told in no uncertain terms that Dameron Poe feels – and indeed is – responsible for bringing the Resistance to its lowest ebb as a result of both his insistence on the bombing run at the start of The Last Jedi, and his mutiny. They are, not to put too fine a point on it, stuffed, and they need any and all help they can find. That’s a great reason to catch up with Snap Wexley’s mother Norra – a character in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy who hasn’t really mellowed as she’s got older!

There’s an intriguing blend of the Last Jedi’s look at the wider Star Wars universe and the more Resistance-focused Rise of Skywalker – Rey is far more in the background in this than you might expect, given how central she is to the trilogy, and there’s plenty for those shipping Finn and Poe.

One thing that comes as something of a surprise is the thread focusing on a bureaucrat with some serious lack of self-awareness and anger issues – although, to be fair, with The Mandalorian not pulling its punches, maybe a more adult approach to the Star Wars universe is being taken. Roanhorse doesn’t shy away from the presentation of the abuse and its consequences.

Verdict: An enjoyable prelude that tries to marry the differing character presentations in the eighth and ninth movies. 8/10

Paul Simpson