Low Red Moon

As more novels are written within the Star Wars Universe, I start to realise that I am drawn increasingly towards the wider Universe and not the core Skywalker saga. On TV, The Mandalorian, and in the book world the stories I have enjoyed most were adapted from a Star Wars comic, and one even based on the theme park location. Computer Games have some great writing, but not always, and tie-in novels are not always the best. However, can Mike Chen continue the trend of creating some of the best Star Wars novels by using the wider IP in Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon? They sure can.

Few people have a simple life in Star Wars and that is true of both ND-5 and Jaylen Vrax. One is a decommissioned assassination droid, the other the son of a powerful family specialising in arming the Empire. Things become complicated when they meet for the first time – ND-5 has been sent to kill Jaylen and all his family. By the end of the day these two will be on the run together and over the next decade develop an unlikely partnership.

The seedy underbelly has always been one of the strengths of Star Wars and a novel that highlights both this and the obnoxious Empire is a plus. Low is a riches to rag story, and an odd couple tale. Jaylen was once rich and had it all, but it was taken away from him by the mysterious Low Red Moon. He is now a smuggler making ends meet whist trying to uncover who programmed ND-5 for the kill.

The story is set over several years, starting with the events of Jaylen’s early life and the attack on his family. ND-5’s infiltration of the compound is well written and tense. Jaylen’s family is not the nicest themselves so seeing a logical droid taking them out has a dark humour. The story has a split narrative, some chapters are from ND-5’s POV, others Jaylen. This helps build up the tension and allows for twists throughout as they are not always on the same page.

The relationship between Jaylen and ND-5 is one of the highlights of the story. They seem to have a symbiotic relationship, relying on one another, but Jaylan also won’t tell the truth. Jaylen is using ND-5, but he likes him, he wants to trust him but can’t. ND-5 on the other hand has complete trust in Jaylen, he is programmed to do so, but the longer he stays active, the more he moves away from his core programming.

In between the great relationship are some fun heists and characters that you may, or may not, know from the wider world of Star Wars. Although the book is based on the Outlaw computer game, you do not need to have played it or know any of the characters previously. Chen does a good job of using the wider universe to carry the story, it is just another Star Wars tale, not something inextricably linked with the game. Low is one of the most solid and entertaining Star Wars tie in novels of recent years, a book that shows once again what a great playground the IP is to play in.