AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'QUEEN'S SHADOW'

Crafting a new young heroine to follow in the footsteps of Princess Leia Organa, as inimitably brought to life onscreen by Carrie Fisher, was surely not going to be an easy one for the Prequels debuting from 1999 onwards, yet writer/creator/director George Lucas rose to the challenge considerably with his reveal of the enigmatic, loyal and courageous Queen Amidala of Naboo, an even younger regal player and powerful female role model for fans to enjoy as she, alongside her valiant Jedi Knight protectors, valiantly fought to rescue her people from the oppression of the slimy Trade Federation. To this legion of new and impressionable generation of SW female fans, Queen Amidala, as played with sincerity and beauty by Natalie Portman, was their new saga favourite. One of those beguiled and impressed female fans would be fifteen-year old E.K. Johnston, whose love and affection for the Prequel opus and Naboo's finest leader is now effectively showcased in her adult life as an acclaimed novelist, via an all-new adventure launched within the 20th Anniversary of EPISODE I. Queen's Shadow, here next month in UK paperback from Disney/Egmont, is truly a worthy and affectionate tribute in all the best ways.

The young Queen of Naboo, as seen in EPISODE I.

Four years on from the invasion of Naboo, where the inaugural queen proved herself valiantly against the thuggish brutality of the aforementioned Trade Federation, and was not the malleable puppet ruler they'd originally hoped for, the time has now come for Amidala, no longer involved with the Jedi or her young friend in former slave Anakin Skywalker, to pass the torch of power and responsibility on to a new, older Queen. But Padme's dutiful and inspiring work will not be forgotten by her adoring people, some of whom will even try to amend Naboo's constitution in order for her to stay in office. Recognising this popularity and her strengths, it isn't long before her successor offers Padme - herself at a crossroads and pondering the future now that she is separating from many of her loyal handmaidens - the new and soon hard to resist opportunity of being a senator for her people and system, operating between Naboo and the galactic core world of Coruscant- a task that will soon prove to be as considerably challenging as her once position at the centre of her home world. And one that will not be without controversy (targeted and plagued by the kind of 'fake news' smear campaigning we're all seeing in our own modern world) or potential life-threatening danger, engineered by lingering forces possibly out for revenge after the failed Naboo invasion.

Though used to the senate by the time of EPISODE II, Padme's early dealings are on shaky grounding.

Being quite the stranger in a very strange land on Coruscant, discovering the unique characters and ways of the 'Lion's Den' Republic's unique political affairs of ego, greed and powerplays - indeed, a place not for the timid, Padme must become inventive and responsive in interactive ways beyond anything straightforward, especially as many senators are wary of the newly inaugurated senator after she prior deposed the beloved Chancellor Valorum and helped replace him with one of her own in the seemingly benign former Naboo senator, Palpatine. In and out of the main diplomatic chambers, this is a book that gives us important first meetings with the key political figures of the Star Wars universe that will shape her life and destiny by the doom-laden turn of events that will be EPISODE III, including Alderaan's influential Bail Organa, the quietly powerful Mon Mothma, and Padme's future lover who'd go on to appear in The Clone Wars animated series- the slippery and ultimately corrupted senator/banker Rush Clovis.

Senator Amidala and her handmaiden/aide Dorme enter the new and complex political arena on Coruscant.

Further filling in important gaps in the timeline of the Prequel movies (one little moment in the book that we would have loved more of - Padme's dealings with the Wookiees: a potentially great solo tale in itself!), critical events build that will see-in approaching Separatist disharmony (egged on by a mysterious figurehead of respected intellect), leading to Padme and her new allies having to use all their ingenuity and skill-sets to fight the counter-productive, overriding greed and corruption of the senate once an humanitarian crisis beckons, amidst the build-up of rampant space piracy in the mid-rim sectors. Cleverly, the book also leaves room for events years down the line, initiating sequel avenues linked to those surviving characters of Naboo from the aftermath period of Padme's ultimately heart-breaking demise.

Queen Amidala hides as 'Padme' amidst her decoy handmaidens, during the events of EPISODE I.

As the book's star, Johnston's vision of Padme Amidala is every inch the character from the movies transferred to the page for this new story, and in my mind's eye I could effectively imagine Natalie Portman playing out certain scenes had they been filmed- certainly, were this story slipped onto the actresses dressing room table, I'm sure she'd read it and be impressed with the thought and care taken with the character. The new senator even gets a detail-descriptive wardrobe that costume designer Trisha Biggar would be proud of! In between heavy diplomatic duties, Padme's return visits to Naboo see her reunited with her cherished family (sadly necessary casualties of the EPISODE II editing process), providing her with welcome stress relief and initiating the vital heart-to-heart decisions needed in shaping both her life and her new status in helping the weak and the vulnerable.

The ever-loyal Sabe, as played in EPISODE I by Kiera Knightley.

Beyond politics and duty, another intriguing aspect to The Phantom Menace linked to Amidala would be the fascinating nature of protective duality she'd share with her elusive, enigmatic and ultra-loyal handmaidens, always in the background and ready to serve. With Queen's Shadow, we're given an equally thorough exploration of those handmaidens personalities and backstories unlike anything attempted before. alongside vivid development of the affection and emotional bonds they share, almost like symbiosis. The most important of them, Sabe, the handmaiden who was Padme's closest confidante and chief bodyguard/decoy (originally played by Kiera Knightley in EPISODE I), notably her own unique sub-plot missions, including a special trip to Tatooine, and undercover work on Coruscant linked to Padme's safety. All of which goes some way to explaining the character's absence by the time of EPISODE II.

The decoy Queen and her Handmaidens on Naboo.

Continuing the post 2015 LUCASFILM initiative to shake up the status quo and bring more female participation into all the saga's realms, Queen's Shadow further introduces Captain Panaka's wife in the role of successive security chief, plus a feisty new pilot replacing Ric Olie. Though, in all honesty, these additions add very little to the overall existing strong collective.

AFICIONADO RATING: More a book of character incidents rather than having an overall story, Queen's Shadow is a worthy read, better than Miss Johnston's previous, Ahsoka. Though specifically aimed at the female Star Wars side of the market (indeed, the UK cover is very much geared for the young 11-15 year old territory that's now so strong in buying power), it's also one that generic Prequel fans will nonetheless greatly appreciate. 3.5 out of 5.

Available from May 2nd, 2019. Get the book here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Queens-K-Johnston/dp/1405293381/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=QUEEN%27S+SHADOW&qid=1556186718&s=gateway&sr=8-2