Book Review: Star Wars: Red Harvest

 

Red Harvest is a Star Wars Legends Novel written by Joe Schreiber and published in 2010. It is definitely a different kind of Star Wars novel. It does tie into the Sith vs Jedi conflict (before the rule of two was instituted by Darth Bane) to some extent, with almost all the action taking place at one of the Sith Academies. Without giving away too much, it basically involves a Sith's quest for immortality (that they all seemingly have) gone wrong and gets very out of control. A couple of Jedi end up at the academy, trying not only to get off the planet but also to keep the threat from getting out.

The hardcover version of the book is relatively short. It is around 270 pages and reads pretty quickly. Like most of the novels that predate Episode I, a stand-alone novel that does not really tie into the other Old Republic storylines. None of the characters from the other novels cross over, and it is, of course, prior to Darth Bane and his whole rule of two philosophy in which only two Sith existed and stayed hidden. Before the action gets going, the book does include some of the Sith infighting that is always hinted at in the Old Republic-era novels, which destroyed most of the order. Otherwise, it is really its own self-contained story that does not tie into the other Old Republic-era novels. It is a unique and enjoyable read, with quite a bit of suspense and unlikely alliances. While I would not say that this is one of the must-read novels, it is worth the time to read.