Sometimes it seems like the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe is under attack by “The Clone Wars,” what with the premature killing off of Even Piell and the reimagining of Mandalore. But the last two episodes, “Darkness on Umbara” and “The General” actually enhanced the October paperback release, Paul S. Kemp’s “Riptide.”
One of the villains of the book is Nyss, an Umbaran. Meanwhile, on “The Clone Wars,” we see the planet Umbara, one of the most visually striking in “Star Wars” lore — it’s completely dark, but illuminated in an eerie way by luminescent plants and animals. The Umbarans are tall and lithe, they wear breathing suits on their own planet and they don’t talk much.
Thus, a lot of Kemp’s work was done for him as I pictured Nyss, who has the ability (unique to him, I assume, and not all Umbarans) to project a dark bubble that blocks out the Force. Previously, only the salamander-like ysalamiri, invented by Timothy Zahn, had the ability to block the Force. In a similar vein, the Yuuzhan Vong, extragalactic invaders from the “New Jedi Order” series, don’t show up in the Force.
“Riptide” — set just before the “Fate of the Jedi” series — is a sequel to Kemp’s “Crosscurrent”; he also wrote “The Old Republic: Deceived,” about Darth Malgus. Again, the author is in his wheelhouse writing about small groups or individuals off on their own adventures. This is a refreshing change from both “The Clone Wars,” where our heroes get assignments and huge battles ensue, and from “Fate of the Jedi,” where galactic politics overshadows everything.
Continuing from “Crosscurrent,” Kemp’s ragtag trio of heroes coalesce in “Riptide”: Jaden is a member of Luke’s Jedi Order, Marr is a Cerean (the conehead-looking humanoids) with Force ability who wants Jaden to train him as a Jedi, and Khedryn is just a simple spacer trying to make his way in the galaxy. Kemp writes good banter between the trio and also gives them a good adversary to pursue: a bad batch of Force-using clones from the end of “Crosscurrent.”
Thematically, “Riptide” isn’t the deepest “Star Wars” novel out there, but it does touch upon the nature of humanity vis-a-vis the clones. These clones end up having a rather personal connection to Jaden. And the Umbaran Nyss — along with his sister, Syll — are the wild card factor. They are hired by Darth Wyyrlok — a nice tie-in to the “Legacy” comics series that takes place much further along the timeline. (I know the math doesn’t totally add up on that, but Wookieepedia has some answers. Beware of spoilers, though.)
As with “Crosscurrent,” “Riptide” limps to an ending because Kemp aims for grand spectacle in a bizarre sci-fi/horror environment. The clones keep mentioning a “Mother” they need to find that will heal them, and the payoff is disappointing. Also at the end, though, there’s a twist that Jaden will have to deal with going forward. That, along with the fact that Marr is still in the midst of his Jedi training, makes me think we’ll get more books with the Jaden-Marr-Khedryn team.
If you like your “Star Wars” to be more about people and less about politics and war, Kemp is an author you’ll want to keep an eye on.