Lost Stars
I’d seen “Star Wars: Lost Stars” by Claudia Gray recommended several times, so I borrowed it when I saw it was available with Kindle Unlimited. It is not my normal type of read, but I could barely put it down. I wanted to know what happened next and how it would end. Unfortunately, the ending did not match my expectations. I’m finding that with more of the Star Wars books I read though.
This novel was published in 2015 as part of the lead-up to The Force Awakens. It follows Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell over the events of the original trilogy movies. Both start training to become Imperial officers, but Thane eventually defects to the Rebel Alliance. It is a love story, though, so little details like war do not stop them from crossing paths.
I enjoyed the tie-ins with the original trilogy movies and almost all of the characters. The world-building around Ciena and Thane’s home planet was also well done. A few situations and characters did seem forced, but it didn’t stop me. Overall, I would recommend this novel.
Characters
Our main characters are Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell. Both were born on Jelucan, a planet in the outer rim. Ciena came from the rural area and Thane from a more affluent family, but they hit it off immediately as children during an Imperial ceremony celebrating the annexation of the planet into the Galactic Empire. They trained together so they could become Imperial officers.
Thane’s family was abusive, and his father regularly beat him. No real reason for this is given, but it is a simple and understandable reason why he wanted to go anywhere else as soon as he could. He didn’t like bullies as a result, and this likely informed his conscience when evaluating the Empire’s deeds as an adult.
Thane was otherwise likable and apparently attractive. He was a great pilot, earning him a place at the Imperial Academy and later respect with the Rebellion. He had a lot of doubts about his ability to fight his former friends and Ciena once he defected, but he hated the Empire enough to do it anyway. Later, he came to appreciate the New Republic and thought they’d be better than the Empire, fighting FOR something as opposed to against something he hated.
Ciena’s family was a little more difficult to understand. Their heritage on Jelucan came after their ancestors were exiled from somewhere else for remaining loyal to the former ruler. A major character trait shared by this group and her family is their dedication to loyalty above all, definitely to a fault. When Ciena’s mother was falsely accused of a crime and imprisoned, Ciena’s father refused to speak ill of the Empire, even in private. Ciena used loyalty as a shield to explain away the actions of the Empire.
Her thoughts on the Empire developed over the book, but she valued honor and loyalty too much to break her oath and go against it. She did not actively engage in all the atrocities they committed, at one time even stopping to pick up civilians who would otherwise die in a disaster (for which she was reprimanded). She also did not turn in Thane, even though she had multiple opportunities to do so.
The two had good chemistry together, though never overwhelming like some romance novels. The sex scenes were all of the fade-to-black variety, as one might expect from this universe. It was enjoyable to read about them.
All of the supporting characters were unique and had interesting stories as well. Thane and Ciena both had friends, some who lived and some who died and some who joined the Rebellion. I was genuinely sad at the death of one of the characters, Jude, who died at the Battle of Yavin.
Imperial Support
I think understanding what would cause millions of people to support the Galactic Empire is hard for us to do, possibly precisely because we know exactly how it happens. Look at Nazi Germany as the obvious example, but there have been (and will be) many more. What would you do if it meant more stability for your family? If there was someone to safely blame for all the problems? We all say we wouldn’t do that, but how far would we go, and where would that slope lead us?
In this book, we can see the thought process of our two main characters. Thane does what we all hope we would do, but we also see the effect of that decision. He must fight and kill people he knows and loves. There is a cost.
Ciena does what we tell ourselves we would not, but the author does a good job giving the character reasons. I think the family situation is a bit odd, but the perfect backstory for this thinking.
That explains one person out of billions, though. It is hard to wrap my head around.
The Ending
I’ve been disappointed in most of the Star Wars novel endings I’ve read so far. I assume it is because they have to leave a lot of open threads. After all, they have more to explore, but I don’t know why this one couldn’t end in happily ever after.
Instead, it ends with Ciena in prison for war crimes. Don’t get me wrong, war crimes should be punished. But as I noted in the a recap of an Ahsoka episode, the New Republic can’t arrest everyone. Millions of people served in the Imperial ranks. War crimes also assume someone did something far and away outside the scope of normal, moral actions during a war, which Ciena did not.
I can understand the author wanted to show there were consequences for those in power, but I never felt like at any time during the book Ciena fell into that group. She was twenty-four years old at the Battle of Jakku where she was captured; clearly not the ideal candidate to blame for a conflict that arose around the time of her birth.
So we leave the story with her in a cell, awaiting release for her expertise and skill in the New Republic she’s not all that fond of, seeing as they were terrorists to her only weeks before the end. At least Thane is visiting her, but I was unsatisfied with how this all finished.
That said, if there ever was a sequel, I’d grab it in a heartbeat to hopefully find that happily ever after!
What did you think of this novel?
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