I've been intrigued recently about the new Galaxy's Edge portion of Disney World that's opening up, enough so that I picked up this novel that ties into it. I wasn't expecting much, given that I haven't much cared for the "adult" Star Wars novels that have been published since Disney bought Lucasfilm.
This time I was pleasantly surprised, though.
Black Spire does a good job of telling how two Resistance operatives go to a new world and and work to set up a new base of operations. While the story was a little slow in starting, in my opinion, it introduces interesting characters and really sets the scene for that location. Since these are not necessarily ones who'll be in the next movie, there is real risk involved for them. That heightens the action and drama, especially since many of them are likable. The action does build, too, to an exciting conclusion--and one that might connect to events around The Rise of Skywalker. (Time will tell about that.)
There is some violence in this novel of the gritty type, which I don't love, but it's not enough to detract from the overall story.
All in all, I strongly recommend this novel to anyone who's interested in this time period.
-Nate
