Star Wars
I know what you're probably thinking. It's not time for a Star Wars post and this isn't about The Clone Wars. Correct on both counts. This is a special edition post, which we will have from time to time. I'm doing my best to cover the new canon in chronological order, but they are going to keep releasing new content, so sometimes we may have to backtrack a little bit, which is what we are doing today. We have a new entry into the life of Padmé Amidala that takes place after her election as Queen of Naboo.
"Queen's Peril" by E.K. Johnston
E.K. Johnston continues to enrich the backstory and legacy of Padmé Amidala with this book that acts as both a sequel and a prequel to the fantastic "Queen's Shadow."
The book tells the story of Padmé's initial election as Queen of Naboo, attempting to implement her agenda and bond with her new handmaidens much to the chagrin of her security chief Captain Quarsh Panaka. Just when things are starting to come together for Padmé, the Trade Federation blockade and invasion of Naboo threatens to tear down everything she has begun to build.
It was really great to follow Padmé post-"Phantom Menace" and pre-"Attack of the Clones." Really get a sense of what brought her to the Senate and the challenges she faced as a green, first term Senator. It was also interesting to witness the bonds that had formed and were strengthened between the handmaidens as they decided to continue to serve Padmé in her new role. "Queen's Peril" follows a similar path but instead of following an established Padmé, we meet her at the beginning of her historic political career.
I mentioned that Padmé is my favorite prequel trilogy character and re-watching "The Clone Wars," I've been super disheartened to see that she gets very little respect in that series. It was a treat to go back to these books after "Queen's Shadow" and enjoy the care that Johnston treats Padmé with. It's not just Padmé, that gets that treatment. The book is filled with interludes that help flesh out each of Padmé's handmaidens. It's nice to get this insight into the other young women tasked with protecting the queen.
This is really where the book excels. It is a joy to watch these young women evolve and show their personalities. We got a lot of Sabé and Padmé in "Queen's Shadow" and we really get to see how this relationship deepened and how they became the close friends they became. The book is super queer and I love it. Sabé falls for a girl visiting the palace during Amidala's summit. Two handmaidens clearly have feelings for each other. It's awesome. I even get some heavy bi vibes from Padmé which I would love to see explored.
If there is a negative to this book is that it is a really quick read. It clocks in at a scant 288 pages with the last third being devoted to a semi rehashing of "The Phantom Menace" except from the perspective of the various handmaidens left behind while Padmé is off with the Jedi. It was great to see these other POVs, but we are all so familiar with the story of "The Phantom Menace" that it kind of slows things down when they should be amping up. I was much more interested in Padmé's mission to re-establish relations with the other planets in Naboo's system. It seems like the previous queen was a bit more nationalistic and closed off and it would have been nice to have more time on these efforts than the Episode 1 stuff. I would have liked to see more of the fallout with Padmé and Sabé and more of the development of the relationship between Saché and Yané. Here's hoping that we revisit this time and these characters again.
Grade: B+
Next up, we return to the Clone Wars. Also, E.K. Johnston has another Padmé novel in the pipeline. "Queen's Hope," set during the Clone Wars.
Has anyone else read this? I would love to hear your thoughts. Hit me up with them in the comments.
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