What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Wars Legends: Novels
Maul: Lockdown
Set before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, this new novel is a thrilling follow-up to Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
It's kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy’s worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object capable of obliterating the Jedi and conquering the galaxy.
Sith lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul.
It's kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy’s worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object capable of obliterating the Jedi and conquering the galaxy.
Sith lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
292 people are currently reading
3994 people want to read
About the author
Joe Schreiber
25 books323 followersJoe Schreiber was born in Michigan but spent his formative years in Alaska, Wyoming and northern California. Until recently, he has never lived in the same address for longer than a year. Before settling in Hershey he lived in New York, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland (OR), and Philadelphia. Becoming a parent forced him to consider a career with more reliable income, and he got a job as an MRI tech at Hershey Medical Center. Joe is married and has two children. He is the author of Chasing The Dead, Eat The Dark, and his newest tale of terror; No Doors, No Windows, which went on sale the same day as STAR WARS: DEATH TROOPERS. You can find him on the web at his blog ScaryParent.Blogspot.Com and on Suvudu.Com, where he is an occasional horror columnist.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 509 reviews
September 12, 2025
Joe Schreiber specialises in writing horror (personally I hate horror stories), Star Wars is rich with species right out of horror stories and you have them locked in a fight club you cannot get more of a personification of a horror than Darth Maul. Horns, red skin covered in tattoos, yellow-eyed, ferocious, and completely devoid of compassion. All that, and he is Sith. Could you possibly get a better character for a story like this? However, I think Joe went a bit out of his comfort zone and added more mystery and complicated the plot more than it needed to be.
Maul goes undercover in a prison called Hive 7, the prison is famous for 2 things and infamous for another. It is famous for hosting death matches between the inmates, which are broadcast throughout the galaxy, and no one has ever escaped. It is infamous for a legendary arms dealer using it as their base of operations. A maul's mission is to find this arms dealer and purchase a nuclear device from him. There are 2 catches, one going into prison, and he will be unarmed, so there is no Lightsaber staff. Also, he is not allowed to use the force in any way as it might compromise his identity as Sith. There is a bit of manoeuvring between Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious in the background. The usual apprentice preparing to become the master.
If I were judging the book by the first chapter, it would have been brilliant. Maul’s first fight is with the prison’s current champion. A captured but unidentified species (Yuuzhan Vong). The fight is short, gory, and most of all, brutal. This is the theme for 80% of the book. If he had left out the overly overcomplications in the plot, the book would have been perfect. I fully appreciate Maul using all of his skillset, especially things he learned in the assassin’s academy, but I don’t think this was the right book for some of them.
The violence of this is as stated brutal. There is a lot of neck snapping, stabbing, biting, clawing, deboning, and even cannibalism. The fights themselves are technically incorrect (if you are a martial arts fan or practitioner, you will notice many of these), but I think they were hoping to hide this under the brutality of it. The other letdown for me was the ending. The final fight was a bit confusing, but the ending just seemed out of Maul’s character and conditioning. I am not going to give it away here.
The book is in short chapters of varying length. In some cases, there is a chapter of just 2 pages or at most 10 pages. I quite like this format as it feeds information in easy chunks. I think the book would have been better with fewer twists and more fights, but that is just me as that is what I was expecting from the book as soon as I saw it. I would have given the book 3 1/2 stars, but I thought it deserved a round-up then a round-down.
Maul goes undercover in a prison called Hive 7, the prison is famous for 2 things and infamous for another. It is famous for hosting death matches between the inmates, which are broadcast throughout the galaxy, and no one has ever escaped. It is infamous for a legendary arms dealer using it as their base of operations. A maul's mission is to find this arms dealer and purchase a nuclear device from him. There are 2 catches, one going into prison, and he will be unarmed, so there is no Lightsaber staff. Also, he is not allowed to use the force in any way as it might compromise his identity as Sith. There is a bit of manoeuvring between Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious in the background. The usual apprentice preparing to become the master.
If I were judging the book by the first chapter, it would have been brilliant. Maul’s first fight is with the prison’s current champion. A captured but unidentified species (Yuuzhan Vong). The fight is short, gory, and most of all, brutal. This is the theme for 80% of the book. If he had left out the overly overcomplications in the plot, the book would have been perfect. I fully appreciate Maul using all of his skillset, especially things he learned in the assassin’s academy, but I don’t think this was the right book for some of them.
The violence of this is as stated brutal. There is a lot of neck snapping, stabbing, biting, clawing, deboning, and even cannibalism. The fights themselves are technically incorrect (if you are a martial arts fan or practitioner, you will notice many of these), but I think they were hoping to hide this under the brutality of it. The other letdown for me was the ending. The final fight was a bit confusing, but the ending just seemed out of Maul’s character and conditioning. I am not going to give it away here.
The book is in short chapters of varying length. In some cases, there is a chapter of just 2 pages or at most 10 pages. I quite like this format as it feeds information in easy chunks. I think the book would have been better with fewer twists and more fights, but that is just me as that is what I was expecting from the book as soon as I saw it. I would have given the book 3 1/2 stars, but I thought it deserved a round-up then a round-down.
April 22, 2014
I would give "Star Wars--Maul: Lockdown" by Joe Schreiber about two and a half stars. I decided to round down. This is the story of Darth Maul (everyone's favorite underused Sith) in an insidious space station prison known as Cog Hive Seven, where the inmates are pitted against each other in violent battles that the galaxy gambles on.
I have not read the other Star Wars books by this author...as they seem to be about adding zombies to the Star Wars universe. The Star Wars universe is in enough trouble from J.J. Abrams, I didn't see the need for zombies as well.
Why is Maul in this prison? Orders from Darth Sidious. And for that same reason, Maul must pretend to be a highly skilled mercenary and not a Force-user. His goal? To find an elusive arms dealer named Iram Radique who is hiding and operating within the prison.
So...most of the book is spent trying to distract us from the fact that if Maul could use his powers, his mission would probably be completed in no time at all. We get a lot of Maul fighting in battles to the death with various beasties and inmates for the pleasure of the galactic gamblers. This is also how Jabba the Hutt gets involved. As in he wants a piece of the action at Cog Hive Seven and is willing to do awful things to get it.
Meanwhile, we're supposed to ignore the fact that Maul is gaining fame as a fighter all through the underworld and yet neither Darth Sidious (a.k.a. kindly Senator Palpatine) nor his master Darth Plagueis--whose cat and mouse game with each other is more interesting to me than most of the actions in the prison--make any mention of the fact that their Sith apprentice is gaining notoriety. And it makes the fact that the Jedi couldn't identify him from some kind of database later on somewhat hard to believe.
The search for Iram Radique, which involves Maul and several different characters in the prison, takes up most of Maul's time and effort. That is, in between death battles and gang wars and long-distance abuse from his master. Anyway, the quest to find Radique is a long one. A far too long one. It's a path piled high with red herrings and even a "twist" straight out of Scooby-Doo (I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for that meddling Sith dude).
I can see the "elevator pitch" for this book going well--Darth Maul trapped in a prison and fighting the scum of the universe. Might even make a good video game. But as a novel, it falls flat for a number of reasons.
Here's the main problem--Darth Maul is a cipher. We know very little about him. It's hard to identify with a main character who doesn't really think too much or speak too much, just acts. Yes, he's a tattooed badass Sith (who died way too soon...while Jar-Jar Binks lives on...sigh), but he never elevated much from the status of "cool minion." Meaning he has no real personality other than he likes to kill stuff and do his master's bidding.
So the author has to fill the book with people we're supposed to care about...the sexy/vicious warden and her weird tech-genius brother...the cast of quirky and/or brutal inmates...the "innocent" father and son duo just trying to get by...and the guest stars--Sidious, Plagueis, Jabba, Komari Vosa. Plus, don't forget the giant icky worm that eats all the losers of the brutal fights. And so on.
Darth Maul's quest to find Iram Radique is so long and involved that it almost takes on an existential quality. Almost. Is Radique real? Is it all just a test? Is Radique even in the prison? And on and on and on. There is a huge list of suspects and no easy way to filter them out, except when Maul kills them. As a reader, though, it becomes a wearying intellectual exercise after a while. By the time the "mystery" of Iram Radique is solved, it's hard to care.
So...then...in the third act..."fallen" Jedi Komari Vosa (she's not a Sith, just a psychopath) shows up to try and make things interesting. It does work, after a fashion. Komari does add a definite element of interest to the tale. Yet bringing in a new character late in a novel with no real introduction is not the best idea. Having her around earlier (probably not possible, though, given the structure of the story) might have made this a more interesting tale.
And there's the ending...? What ending? The book just sort of runs out of steam without much in the way of resolution. I kept looking for another chapter, but there wasn't one. Sigh.
I give this book two stars (two and a half in my head, rounded down) because the writing isn't bad and the book is fun and engaging in some parts. Yet the thinking behind the writing is seriously flawed and doesn't hold up to much scrutiny. But if you're looking for a lot of action and not much in the way of plot (okay, there's a lot of plot...just not a lot of good plot) and are a fan of Sith doing Sith-y things, then "Maul: Lockdown" may be for you.
I have not read the other Star Wars books by this author...as they seem to be about adding zombies to the Star Wars universe. The Star Wars universe is in enough trouble from J.J. Abrams, I didn't see the need for zombies as well.
Why is Maul in this prison? Orders from Darth Sidious. And for that same reason, Maul must pretend to be a highly skilled mercenary and not a Force-user. His goal? To find an elusive arms dealer named Iram Radique who is hiding and operating within the prison.
So...most of the book is spent trying to distract us from the fact that if Maul could use his powers, his mission would probably be completed in no time at all. We get a lot of Maul fighting in battles to the death with various beasties and inmates for the pleasure of the galactic gamblers. This is also how Jabba the Hutt gets involved. As in he wants a piece of the action at Cog Hive Seven and is willing to do awful things to get it.
Meanwhile, we're supposed to ignore the fact that Maul is gaining fame as a fighter all through the underworld and yet neither Darth Sidious (a.k.a. kindly Senator Palpatine) nor his master Darth Plagueis--whose cat and mouse game with each other is more interesting to me than most of the actions in the prison--make any mention of the fact that their Sith apprentice is gaining notoriety. And it makes the fact that the Jedi couldn't identify him from some kind of database later on somewhat hard to believe.
The search for Iram Radique, which involves Maul and several different characters in the prison, takes up most of Maul's time and effort. That is, in between death battles and gang wars and long-distance abuse from his master. Anyway, the quest to find Radique is a long one. A far too long one. It's a path piled high with red herrings and even a "twist" straight out of Scooby-Doo (I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for that meddling Sith dude).
I can see the "elevator pitch" for this book going well--Darth Maul trapped in a prison and fighting the scum of the universe. Might even make a good video game. But as a novel, it falls flat for a number of reasons.
Here's the main problem--Darth Maul is a cipher. We know very little about him. It's hard to identify with a main character who doesn't really think too much or speak too much, just acts. Yes, he's a tattooed badass Sith (who died way too soon...while Jar-Jar Binks lives on...sigh), but he never elevated much from the status of "cool minion." Meaning he has no real personality other than he likes to kill stuff and do his master's bidding.
So the author has to fill the book with people we're supposed to care about...the sexy/vicious warden and her weird tech-genius brother...the cast of quirky and/or brutal inmates...the "innocent" father and son duo just trying to get by...and the guest stars--Sidious, Plagueis, Jabba, Komari Vosa. Plus, don't forget the giant icky worm that eats all the losers of the brutal fights. And so on.
Darth Maul's quest to find Iram Radique is so long and involved that it almost takes on an existential quality. Almost. Is Radique real? Is it all just a test? Is Radique even in the prison? And on and on and on. There is a huge list of suspects and no easy way to filter them out, except when Maul kills them. As a reader, though, it becomes a wearying intellectual exercise after a while. By the time the "mystery" of Iram Radique is solved, it's hard to care.
So...then...in the third act..."fallen" Jedi Komari Vosa (she's not a Sith, just a psychopath) shows up to try and make things interesting. It does work, after a fashion. Komari does add a definite element of interest to the tale. Yet bringing in a new character late in a novel with no real introduction is not the best idea. Having her around earlier (probably not possible, though, given the structure of the story) might have made this a more interesting tale.
And there's the ending...? What ending? The book just sort of runs out of steam without much in the way of resolution. I kept looking for another chapter, but there wasn't one. Sigh.
I give this book two stars (two and a half in my head, rounded down) because the writing isn't bad and the book is fun and engaging in some parts. Yet the thinking behind the writing is seriously flawed and doesn't hold up to much scrutiny. But if you're looking for a lot of action and not much in the way of plot (okay, there's a lot of plot...just not a lot of good plot) and are a fan of Sith doing Sith-y things, then "Maul: Lockdown" may be for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2025
Oh my word, I loved this book so much.
This book brings a much needed jolt of energy to the Expanded Universe. I thought Death Troopers was fine, and I loved Red Harvest, but Joe Schreiber knocked it out of the park here. It's brutal, but it absolutely fits the story.
Schreiber is able to tell a very small and contained story, and it feels like he excels with the constraints. Maul is in a prison and is trying to find Radique, and he engages in many fights to continue to survive and solve the mystery.
All fascets of the story, the secondary characters, the villains, the Sith lords, and Maul himself were all excellently handled. I was interested in every element of the story (which is pretty rare for a book like this with me).
The one element of the book I didn't like was the ending. I thought the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been. That is partially the way the mystery unfolds, but also the way Schreiber wanted to end the story.
Cog Hive Seven was perfectly described and felt like a well realized place. And the whole concept of gambling on prisoner fights was just superbly handled.
I could keep heaping praise on this book, but man its just so good. Well worth the read. 9.4 out of 10. Top tier EU/Legends book for me.
This book brings a much needed jolt of energy to the Expanded Universe. I thought Death Troopers was fine, and I loved Red Harvest, but Joe Schreiber knocked it out of the park here. It's brutal, but it absolutely fits the story.
Schreiber is able to tell a very small and contained story, and it feels like he excels with the constraints. Maul is in a prison and is trying to find Radique, and he engages in many fights to continue to survive and solve the mystery.
All fascets of the story, the secondary characters, the villains, the Sith lords, and Maul himself were all excellently handled. I was interested in every element of the story (which is pretty rare for a book like this with me).
The one element of the book I didn't like was the ending. I thought the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been. That is partially the way the mystery unfolds, but also the way Schreiber wanted to end the story.
Cog Hive Seven was perfectly described and felt like a well realized place. And the whole concept of gambling on prisoner fights was just superbly handled.
I could keep heaping praise on this book, but man its just so good. Well worth the read. 9.4 out of 10. Top tier EU/Legends book for me.
February 1, 2025
So, this could have been 46 chapters shorter.
I am not fond of books that have insane number of chapters, but each chapter is about 3 to 5 pages.
Still, it wasn't excellent, and I have read amazing Star Wars novels, but it wasn't too bad either.
Maul, I feel, is still n patsy. Sent by his master to a prison where gamblers bet on fighting games, but he has to find someone to deliver n weapon to.
So Maul has to do what he was trained to do, fight to live, and do as he is told. This novel showcases his lack of using his intellect to the fullest.
The author tried to play Darth Plagiues and Darth Sideous against each other, but I felt it was immensely lacking in wit.
The plot got lost between numerous plot lines happening in the shadows. It was still action-packed. . . But I felt a tad of disappointment in the pages, and I failed to see how this fits in the grand scheme of the revenge of the Sith.
I am not fond of books that have insane number of chapters, but each chapter is about 3 to 5 pages.
Still, it wasn't excellent, and I have read amazing Star Wars novels, but it wasn't too bad either.
Maul, I feel, is still n patsy. Sent by his master to a prison where gamblers bet on fighting games, but he has to find someone to deliver n weapon to.
So Maul has to do what he was trained to do, fight to live, and do as he is told. This novel showcases his lack of using his intellect to the fullest.
The author tried to play Darth Plagiues and Darth Sideous against each other, but I felt it was immensely lacking in wit.
The plot got lost between numerous plot lines happening in the shadows. It was still action-packed. . . But I felt a tad of disappointment in the pages, and I failed to see how this fits in the grand scheme of the revenge of the Sith.
March 19, 2014
Joe Schreiber introduces something different to the Star Wars universe: creature horror. I haven't read his other work yet, but I know from the brief descriptions that it's his signature. It's in full effect here. Lockdown is a brutal, violent, claustrophobic novel. There's a unique monster that manages to be quite creepy in a universe where giant gaping maws digest you for a thousand years. That's no mean feat and the creepifying nature of that particular monster was my personal highlight for the book. I love a good monster and Schreiber delivers.
You're not going to experience any real scares, though, because our protagonist (our villain-protagonist, I should say) is Darth Maul.
Maul is exactly as brutal, violent, and frightening as his appearance has always suggested. It makes for an interesting inversion of the normal horror aesthetic. Maul doesn't get scared, so we don't get scared since he's our vehicle. In fact, this plays into one of my favorite tropes: "mugging the monster," where a monstrous or brutal character is brought down by its attempt to take on a victim that ends up being even more monstrous. It's very satisfying to see evil pay unto evil. If it were a Jedi under such a threat, we'd be more inclined to be worried since the Jedi is a good guy. But when monsters go after a Sith Lord? We just want to see how much ass is going to be kicked. And Maul does kick a LOT of ass.
Despite my glowing opinion of the visceral aesthetic, the novel is undone by an unwieldy plot.
The basics of the plot are straightforward and encompass some pretty good twists along the way. The "what" is solid and isn't my issue here.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to follow the "who" and the "why" in this novel. This is a problem that comes up in a lot of franchise fiction, especially for the sprawling Star Wars Expanded Universe. Lockdown doesn't have it as bad as some other novels, but it's still an issue that I feel needs to be addressed.
In my opinion, a franchise or Expanded Universe novel needs to be accessible to a person who hasn't done anything more than watched the movies that spawned the franchise. You're a fan of the movie, you see a Star Wars book, you pick it up and go. You shouldn't have to do a lot of homework outside of the novel itself to understand the "who" and "why."
The problem here is that Lockdown draws on a LOT of Expanded Universe material. If you haven't read "Darth Plagueis" by James Lucerno, you're probably going to be confused by the presence of Darth Sidious' Sith Master. Komari Vosa and the Bando Gora are likely going to confuse you unless you're a true Expanded Universe scholar. We don't get any explanation here about who these plot relevant characters are. I don't think that's acceptable; it's what made the Bantam-era of Star Wars novels so difficult for newcomers towards the end of its run. You needed a degree in Expanded Universe-ology to know what was going on.
Thankfully, Lockdown isn't THAT complex. You can understand enough about Darth Maul just from his movie appearance; he's a Sith and he can kill EVERYTHING. And since 90% of the novel is Darth Maul killing things, you'll be fine in that regard. But there's a deeper plot going on in which Maul is a chess piece in a game played between Sidious and Plagueis and as it's that game that sets all the other events in motion, I think it's a mistake to have it buried so deeply in EU material without providing us a shovel to unearth it on our own.
You're not going to experience any real scares, though, because our protagonist (our villain-protagonist, I should say) is Darth Maul.
Maul is exactly as brutal, violent, and frightening as his appearance has always suggested. It makes for an interesting inversion of the normal horror aesthetic. Maul doesn't get scared, so we don't get scared since he's our vehicle. In fact, this plays into one of my favorite tropes: "mugging the monster," where a monstrous or brutal character is brought down by its attempt to take on a victim that ends up being even more monstrous. It's very satisfying to see evil pay unto evil. If it were a Jedi under such a threat, we'd be more inclined to be worried since the Jedi is a good guy. But when monsters go after a Sith Lord? We just want to see how much ass is going to be kicked. And Maul does kick a LOT of ass.
Despite my glowing opinion of the visceral aesthetic, the novel is undone by an unwieldy plot.
The basics of the plot are straightforward and encompass some pretty good twists along the way. The "what" is solid and isn't my issue here.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to follow the "who" and the "why" in this novel. This is a problem that comes up in a lot of franchise fiction, especially for the sprawling Star Wars Expanded Universe. Lockdown doesn't have it as bad as some other novels, but it's still an issue that I feel needs to be addressed.
In my opinion, a franchise or Expanded Universe novel needs to be accessible to a person who hasn't done anything more than watched the movies that spawned the franchise. You're a fan of the movie, you see a Star Wars book, you pick it up and go. You shouldn't have to do a lot of homework outside of the novel itself to understand the "who" and "why."
The problem here is that Lockdown draws on a LOT of Expanded Universe material. If you haven't read "Darth Plagueis" by James Lucerno, you're probably going to be confused by the presence of Darth Sidious' Sith Master. Komari Vosa and the Bando Gora are likely going to confuse you unless you're a true Expanded Universe scholar. We don't get any explanation here about who these plot relevant characters are. I don't think that's acceptable; it's what made the Bantam-era of Star Wars novels so difficult for newcomers towards the end of its run. You needed a degree in Expanded Universe-ology to know what was going on.
Thankfully, Lockdown isn't THAT complex. You can understand enough about Darth Maul just from his movie appearance; he's a Sith and he can kill EVERYTHING. And since 90% of the novel is Darth Maul killing things, you'll be fine in that regard. But there's a deeper plot going on in which Maul is a chess piece in a game played between Sidious and Plagueis and as it's that game that sets all the other events in motion, I think it's a mistake to have it buried so deeply in EU material without providing us a shovel to unearth it on our own.
March 11, 2023
Entertaining and gory Star Wars mayhem ! You really do need to have read Darth Plagueis to get the most out of Maul : Lockdown as characters and events in that book tie directly into this one. Please ignore the massive plot holes and just enjoy the full on, non stop action as Maul cuts a bloody swathe through a prison facility.
A great anti-hero action novel that puts one of the Star Wars Universe best characters front and centre.
3.75 Death Stars.
A great anti-hero action novel that puts one of the Star Wars Universe best characters front and centre.
3.75 Death Stars.
February 6, 2014
This review is courtesy of topoftheheapreviews.com
Is a prison enough to hold the likes of the powerful Sith known as Darth Maul? Joe Schreiber attempts to answer that question in Star Wars: Lockdown!
Darth Maul is a character that has captivated audiences, but however didn’t get the screen time nor the necessary attention in the movies to really build up who he is, and how dangerous he can be. Thankfully the extended universe has attempted to answer these questions in novel form.
In Lockdown, Darth Maul gets sent into a prison that has been deemed inescapable in order to find and acquire an item that someone, deemed almost a myth, holds in his possession.
The entire story takes place in one location. Star Wars readers hoping to find planet hopping, epic space battles, and fantastic lightsaber duels, and use of the force may be shocked to find out that there really isn’t anything of the sort here. It’s quite a stark contrast to most of the Star Wars novels with the exception of a handful of books. That’s not to say there isn’t any use of the above, but it doesn’t play as much into the story.
What you do have here, is a well written, tight, locked room mystery type of story, with a Star Wars twist on it. Joe Schreiber does well here. As in all of his thriller and suspense and horror, he pulls you along with quick action, and fast, frantic pacing. You really get the sense that time is of the essence.
The use of the prison as a corrupt entity to make money off the fighting of the inmates creates a good catalyst to really figure out a bit more about Darth Maul. He has to overcome obstacle after obstacle, all without letting on that he is a force user and a Sith. You almost see him break, which is kind of nice. Visiting inside the mind of this force user, and viewing his feelings of failure, and his thoughts in the face of certain death, creates a bit of sympathy for this Zabrak, whom you know is actually evil at heart.
The characters are painted well, and the emphasis on each is pressed upon you at exactly right right moment.
The Bottom Line: No force, no lightsabers, no planet hopping, no star battles, and yet, this as the name Star Wars on it. That’s the beauty of this universe, and the beauty of Joe Schreiber’s writing. It’s a great book, and you could easily take the Star Wars out of it and make it something else. People that don’t have a lot of Star Wars knowledge, or would pass it up because it’s a Star Wars book in general, should stop and give this one a look. Yes, it has fantastical aliens, and you’ll find names like Darth Sidious, and Darth Maul, but those are all secondary elements. The winner here is the story. Star Wars or not, it’s just a great piece of fiction.
Is a prison enough to hold the likes of the powerful Sith known as Darth Maul? Joe Schreiber attempts to answer that question in Star Wars: Lockdown!
Darth Maul is a character that has captivated audiences, but however didn’t get the screen time nor the necessary attention in the movies to really build up who he is, and how dangerous he can be. Thankfully the extended universe has attempted to answer these questions in novel form.
In Lockdown, Darth Maul gets sent into a prison that has been deemed inescapable in order to find and acquire an item that someone, deemed almost a myth, holds in his possession.
The entire story takes place in one location. Star Wars readers hoping to find planet hopping, epic space battles, and fantastic lightsaber duels, and use of the force may be shocked to find out that there really isn’t anything of the sort here. It’s quite a stark contrast to most of the Star Wars novels with the exception of a handful of books. That’s not to say there isn’t any use of the above, but it doesn’t play as much into the story.
What you do have here, is a well written, tight, locked room mystery type of story, with a Star Wars twist on it. Joe Schreiber does well here. As in all of his thriller and suspense and horror, he pulls you along with quick action, and fast, frantic pacing. You really get the sense that time is of the essence.
The use of the prison as a corrupt entity to make money off the fighting of the inmates creates a good catalyst to really figure out a bit more about Darth Maul. He has to overcome obstacle after obstacle, all without letting on that he is a force user and a Sith. You almost see him break, which is kind of nice. Visiting inside the mind of this force user, and viewing his feelings of failure, and his thoughts in the face of certain death, creates a bit of sympathy for this Zabrak, whom you know is actually evil at heart.
The characters are painted well, and the emphasis on each is pressed upon you at exactly right right moment.
The Bottom Line: No force, no lightsabers, no planet hopping, no star battles, and yet, this as the name Star Wars on it. That’s the beauty of this universe, and the beauty of Joe Schreiber’s writing. It’s a great book, and you could easily take the Star Wars out of it and make it something else. People that don’t have a lot of Star Wars knowledge, or would pass it up because it’s a Star Wars book in general, should stop and give this one a look. Yes, it has fantastical aliens, and you’ll find names like Darth Sidious, and Darth Maul, but those are all secondary elements. The winner here is the story. Star Wars or not, it’s just a great piece of fiction.
May 6, 2020
"Maul sat motionless, observing everything around him without giving any indication that he was doing so. Although his peripheral vision still hadn't fully recovered from last night's attack, he saw enough to realize that he had become the current object of everyone's attention. Even the guards up in the catwalks overhead seemed to have gone on high alert, each with one hand on their blasters, the other resting on the small flat consoles that they wore on their belts. From both inmates and guards, Maul could smell a certain unmistakable commingling of fear, desperation, and the grinding monotony of paranoia that emerged when living things were penned up together in close quarters for indefinite spans of time."
Joe Schreiber's Star Wars novels have been a mixed bag for me. While I fucking loved the brutally bonkers Death Troopers, I thought the prequel story of Red Harvest wasn't as strong. Both horror books are gory as fuck, which is clearly a signature of Schreiber's! I'm happy to report that Maul: Lockdown was closer in quality to that of Death Troopers. The action did not let up!
Taking place a year before the events in Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Maul: Lockdown is set inside Cog Hive Seven, a high-security space prison where inmates are matched against each other as gladiator-style combatants. So basically it's like some kind of intergalactic Fight Club! Needless to say, things get bloody. Quickly.
Darth Sidious has sent Maul in undercover to the prison as a mercenary named Jagannath, aka the Tooth. He must find the mysterious Iram Radique, a weapons merchant, in order to purchase a nuclear device that will be delivered to Bando Gora. Maul, ever loyal to Master Sidious, is instructed to refrain from using the Force. Rather, he must rely on his skills to not only complete the mission, but to survive.
During his stay in the prison system, Maul meets several characters that will hinder, and help, him along on his mission. One such individual is the powerful crime lord, Jabba the Hutt.
“It was as if the door to an asylum had been flung open inside his skull, allowing a wave of incoherent screams, individual cries, and desperate fragmented phrases into his mind.”
Wampas, Wolf Worms, bloody gore, underwater battles, a cannibal gang and breathless action sequences. Lockdown was pure unadulturated fun! Did I mention that Maul rips out a heart and crushes it with his bare hands?! Because he does.
This is the Star Wars prison movie you didn't know you needed!
May the Force be with you!
Joe Schreiber's Star Wars novels have been a mixed bag for me. While I fucking loved the brutally bonkers Death Troopers, I thought the prequel story of Red Harvest wasn't as strong. Both horror books are gory as fuck, which is clearly a signature of Schreiber's! I'm happy to report that Maul: Lockdown was closer in quality to that of Death Troopers. The action did not let up!
Taking place a year before the events in Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Maul: Lockdown is set inside Cog Hive Seven, a high-security space prison where inmates are matched against each other as gladiator-style combatants. So basically it's like some kind of intergalactic Fight Club! Needless to say, things get bloody. Quickly.
Darth Sidious has sent Maul in undercover to the prison as a mercenary named Jagannath, aka the Tooth. He must find the mysterious Iram Radique, a weapons merchant, in order to purchase a nuclear device that will be delivered to Bando Gora. Maul, ever loyal to Master Sidious, is instructed to refrain from using the Force. Rather, he must rely on his skills to not only complete the mission, but to survive.
During his stay in the prison system, Maul meets several characters that will hinder, and help, him along on his mission. One such individual is the powerful crime lord, Jabba the Hutt.
“It was as if the door to an asylum had been flung open inside his skull, allowing a wave of incoherent screams, individual cries, and desperate fragmented phrases into his mind.”
Wampas, Wolf Worms, bloody gore, underwater battles, a cannibal gang and breathless action sequences. Lockdown was pure unadulturated fun! Did I mention that Maul rips out a heart and crushes it with his bare hands?! Because he does.
This is the Star Wars prison movie you didn't know you needed!
May the Force be with you!
May 1, 2015
Oh, was this awful. Just wretched. Ordinarily I would've just pitched this after the first few chapters, but sometimes you just gotta watch the train crash.
The problem with making villains the protagonists of novels is that you're supposed to identify with the protagonist. He (or she) is the window through which you are experiencing the universe. When that character is a horn-crowned Sith Lord with no personality and no emotional range outside of unconvincing rage, that becomes a bit of a liability.
When said Sith Lord is placed upon a ridiculous deep space prison ship with ridiculous physics, ridiculous regular deathmatches, and a ridiculous nigh-omniscient arms dealer, it's just too much to take.
But what I really take issue with in this novel is that the author apparently has no idea how a sports book works, making the whole gambling-on-deathmatches part of the novel beyond ridiculous. (Prepare ship for ludicrous speed!)
There's also a giant, blind, psychic worm that eats everyone. On a spaceship.
Joe Schreiber actually did okay with Death Troopers and somewhat less so with Red Harvest. He did not acquit himself well with Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown.
Avoid like a starving wampa.
The problem with making villains the protagonists of novels is that you're supposed to identify with the protagonist. He (or she) is the window through which you are experiencing the universe. When that character is a horn-crowned Sith Lord with no personality and no emotional range outside of unconvincing rage, that becomes a bit of a liability.
When said Sith Lord is placed upon a ridiculous deep space prison ship with ridiculous physics, ridiculous regular deathmatches, and a ridiculous nigh-omniscient arms dealer, it's just too much to take.
But what I really take issue with in this novel is that the author apparently has no idea how a sports book works, making the whole gambling-on-deathmatches part of the novel beyond ridiculous. (Prepare ship for ludicrous speed!)
There's also a giant, blind, psychic worm that eats everyone. On a spaceship.
Joe Schreiber actually did okay with Death Troopers and somewhat less so with Red Harvest. He did not acquit himself well with Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown.
Avoid like a starving wampa.
January 2, 2026
⭐ A Brutal, Boring, Pointless Disaster
If I could have given this book less than one star, I would have. I approached Maul: Lockdown as part of a committed reading of the Star Wars Legends chronology, fully expecting a narrative that expanded the mythology of the Sith and provided genuine insight into one of the franchise’s most compelling figures. What I encountered instead was a remarkably hollow novel that fails on nearly every level: conceptual, narrative, structural, and thematic.
The pacing is the first and most persistent problem. The book moves with an astonishing sluggishness, weighed down by scenes that neither develop character nor advance plot. The narrative stalls so often and so thoroughly that the entire middle section becomes indistinguishable in its monotony. The constant cycle of fights, each staged with the same lack of variation or tension, drains the story of any sense of purpose. Maul’s victories, inevitable and unchallenged, generate no suspense, and after dozens of such encounters, the repetition becomes almost numbing.
The single moment with genuine promise occurs when Maul asserts control over the gangs, revealing a glimpse of the strategic mind that defines him elsewhere in canon. It is a rare instance in which the novel briefly aligns with the character’s established intelligence, discipline, and cunning. Unfortunately, the book immediately abandons this thread. Instead of allowing Maul’s political and psychological dominance to shape the narrative, the story collapses back into directionless violence and scenes that exist merely to fill pages.
The world-building is equally weak. Cog Hive Seven is meant to be a brutal, atmospheric setting, but it is rendered with such inconsistency and such an absence of internal logic that it becomes impossible to visualize or believe. Its physical structure seems to shift as the plot requires, rather than adhering to any coherent design. The atmosphere relies almost entirely on gore and brutality rather than genuine suspense or tension, which gives the book a strangely empty, performative darkness divorced from emotional or narrative weight.
Most disappointing is the book’s almost complete failure to engage with Star Wars itself. This story contains almost no meaningful connection to the Force, the Sith, or the philosophical and political tensions that define the era. Sidious and Plagueis appear so rarely and so superficially that their presence borders on ornamental. Nothing in the novel advances our understanding of Maul’s training, his psychology, or his place within the larger Sith narrative. It is as though the author removed the core elements of Star Wars and filled the void with an endless prison tournament that could belong to any generic science-fiction setting.
The supporting characters are uniformly forgettable, lacking depth, distinction, or narrative function. Even Maul, the focal point of the story, is flattened into a repetitive instrument of physical violence. He emerges from the novel unchanged, unchallenged, and unexplored, which is a remarkable failure for a book ostensibly centered on one of the franchise’s most enigmatic figures.
I considered abandoning the novel multiple times, but continued in the hope that it might redeem itself in later chapters. It did not. What remains is one of the weakest entries in the Legends catalog, a book that misunderstands its protagonist, its genre, and the narrative universe it attempts to inhabit.
Maul deserved better. So did readers.
If I could have given this book less than one star, I would have. I approached Maul: Lockdown as part of a committed reading of the Star Wars Legends chronology, fully expecting a narrative that expanded the mythology of the Sith and provided genuine insight into one of the franchise’s most compelling figures. What I encountered instead was a remarkably hollow novel that fails on nearly every level: conceptual, narrative, structural, and thematic.
The pacing is the first and most persistent problem. The book moves with an astonishing sluggishness, weighed down by scenes that neither develop character nor advance plot. The narrative stalls so often and so thoroughly that the entire middle section becomes indistinguishable in its monotony. The constant cycle of fights, each staged with the same lack of variation or tension, drains the story of any sense of purpose. Maul’s victories, inevitable and unchallenged, generate no suspense, and after dozens of such encounters, the repetition becomes almost numbing.
The single moment with genuine promise occurs when Maul asserts control over the gangs, revealing a glimpse of the strategic mind that defines him elsewhere in canon. It is a rare instance in which the novel briefly aligns with the character’s established intelligence, discipline, and cunning. Unfortunately, the book immediately abandons this thread. Instead of allowing Maul’s political and psychological dominance to shape the narrative, the story collapses back into directionless violence and scenes that exist merely to fill pages.
The world-building is equally weak. Cog Hive Seven is meant to be a brutal, atmospheric setting, but it is rendered with such inconsistency and such an absence of internal logic that it becomes impossible to visualize or believe. Its physical structure seems to shift as the plot requires, rather than adhering to any coherent design. The atmosphere relies almost entirely on gore and brutality rather than genuine suspense or tension, which gives the book a strangely empty, performative darkness divorced from emotional or narrative weight.
Most disappointing is the book’s almost complete failure to engage with Star Wars itself. This story contains almost no meaningful connection to the Force, the Sith, or the philosophical and political tensions that define the era. Sidious and Plagueis appear so rarely and so superficially that their presence borders on ornamental. Nothing in the novel advances our understanding of Maul’s training, his psychology, or his place within the larger Sith narrative. It is as though the author removed the core elements of Star Wars and filled the void with an endless prison tournament that could belong to any generic science-fiction setting.
The supporting characters are uniformly forgettable, lacking depth, distinction, or narrative function. Even Maul, the focal point of the story, is flattened into a repetitive instrument of physical violence. He emerges from the novel unchanged, unchallenged, and unexplored, which is a remarkable failure for a book ostensibly centered on one of the franchise’s most enigmatic figures.
I considered abandoning the novel multiple times, but continued in the hope that it might redeem itself in later chapters. It did not. What remains is one of the weakest entries in the Legends catalog, a book that misunderstands its protagonist, its genre, and the narrative universe it attempts to inhabit.
Maul deserved better. So did readers.
May 28, 2023
Set in 32BBY
Maul in prison!
What more can a Star Wars fan ask?
This one was good. You're a fan of Maul? You'll like it. He's in character, and he's not replying on stupid questions, or even answering if it's not worth the time. His mind is on his mission and that is infiltrating a prison as an inmate and finding a guy who's known to have lethal weapons, all of that because Palpatine wants to...oh wait, you'll find out in the book.
So Maul is searching for a guy named Radique and while searching for him, he's going against lots of prisoners over there (and not only prisoners), getting in fights and all that, but without his lightsaber (of course) and without using any of his force powers.
“Don’t get too big for your britches or Iram Radique will come and get you.” - Zero
And, in general, his search for this guy is interesting with lots happening and the story doesn't drag too much or anything, so that was good too. I would rate it 2,5 stars, but decided to go with 3 instead of 2 just because I had a good time most of the time while reading this.
“I have killed men in eleven systems. I have fought well and withstood much and have not given quarter. I will not be broken by the likes of you today, nor will my son. And I will not beg for mercy.” - Artagan Truax
I'm a sucker for stories that take place in prisons and also a sucker for a good Maul story and believe me, while I'm reading everything Star Wars chronologically, this one might be the very first that was really in character and it was fun to read without being a Maul story that has nothing to do with Maul but with secondary characters or something, like some previous stories *coughs* looking at you The Fury of Darth Maul and Saboteur
“I’m asking you to stop hiding your inadequacy under the pretense of idiotic speculation.” - Darth Plagueis
Is it worth your time? Sure, it's a fun read if you like the character. Is it a Star Wars must? I wouldn't say so, no. But a nice ride nonetheless.
Maul in prison!
What more can a Star Wars fan ask?
This one was good. You're a fan of Maul? You'll like it. He's in character, and he's not replying on stupid questions, or even answering if it's not worth the time. His mind is on his mission and that is infiltrating a prison as an inmate and finding a guy who's known to have lethal weapons, all of that because Palpatine wants to...oh wait, you'll find out in the book.
So Maul is searching for a guy named Radique and while searching for him, he's going against lots of prisoners over there (and not only prisoners), getting in fights and all that, but without his lightsaber (of course) and without using any of his force powers.
“Don’t get too big for your britches or Iram Radique will come and get you.” - Zero
And, in general, his search for this guy is interesting with lots happening and the story doesn't drag too much or anything, so that was good too. I would rate it 2,5 stars, but decided to go with 3 instead of 2 just because I had a good time most of the time while reading this.
“I have killed men in eleven systems. I have fought well and withstood much and have not given quarter. I will not be broken by the likes of you today, nor will my son. And I will not beg for mercy.” - Artagan Truax
I'm a sucker for stories that take place in prisons and also a sucker for a good Maul story and believe me, while I'm reading everything Star Wars chronologically, this one might be the very first that was really in character and it was fun to read without being a Maul story that has nothing to do with Maul but with secondary characters or something, like some previous stories *coughs* looking at you The Fury of Darth Maul and Saboteur
“I’m asking you to stop hiding your inadequacy under the pretense of idiotic speculation.” - Darth Plagueis
Is it worth your time? Sure, it's a fun read if you like the character. Is it a Star Wars must? I wouldn't say so, no. But a nice ride nonetheless.
March 2, 2017
This is by far my favorite Star Was book. I like how Maul is fierce and how he is able to defeat his enemies quickly without causing them a ton of pain. I like how he saves the old man's son at least as long as he can. I definitely thought that some parts were scary, but this was an amazing book. This is a 6 star book.
February 13, 2014
Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber is out and fans of the Dark Side should rejoice. Lockdown delivers a can’t-put-this-down tale of scum and villainy.
Set before The Phantom Menace, Lockdown has Darth Maul sent undercover to infiltrate a space station prison to find an elusive arms dealer operating out of inescapable penitentiary. Maul quickly becomes a contender in the warden’s profitable prison fight circuit, but there’s more to finding someone who doesn’t want to be found in a prison than just cracking heads all the way to the top. Plus, more than just prisoners and guards lurk in the dark confines of this station. And throw in Jabba the Hutt, dangerous cultists, and Darth Sidious scheming under his own master’s nose.
Darth Maul has gone through a renaissance in the past few years – he has gone from being the weapon of rage back in 1999 in The Phantom Menace and the related EU (Michael Reaves’ Shadow Hunter & Ron Marz’ comic), to his resurrection on The Clone Wars (along with Tom Taylor’s Darth Maul: Death Sentence and James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis) as some one able to scheme his way into power as he seeks vengeance on both Obi-wan Kenobi and his old master, while taking on his brother Savage as his own apprentice. And now this year, we get more of Darth Maul, with Lockdown and the upcoming Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir comic. Maul: Lockdown adds to this modern character and builds some of Maul’s roots as a plotter as this mission tests his abilities to not only survive but achieve his objective before time runs out.
Minor spoilers beyond this point.
I enjoyed reading Lockdown quite a bit. Schreiber brings his own voice again to the Star Wars galaxy, this time taking on a major saga character as protagonist, and getting into his head at an earlier state of his development. At this point Maul is not fully tested, and this mission brings an additional challenge: to maintain his cover, he is ordered from using the Force. And he has to track down a being who is only rumored to exist, and no one is talking. And so Maul has to do something that we wouldn’t expect ol’ tattooed-and-creepy to do: make allies and fit into the pecking order in a prison where guards hold a kill switch over everyone’s head.
There’s a lot of scum and villainy in this prison/pay-per-view fight center, and even something more horrifying in the dark spaces between cells of Cog Hive Seven, but there is a good mix of characters – even one or two that might be considered ‘decent’, and a few that are definitely on the crazy side of the tracks. Plus we get more interaction between Darth Sidious and Darth Plagueis as the apprentice walks a fine line to keep his master from finding out the real mission that Maul is on, while Plagueis has his own agent in place. There’s intrigue! There’s action as Maul is forced to duel to the death for the profit of the warden and her whiz-kid brother. And since Joe Schreiber of Death Troopers and Red Harvest is at the helm, there’s also some monsters! Not really any romance – just maybe a little hero worship. And there’s Jabba the Hutt being awesome.
While I enjoyed going on this ride, I felt the climax to be a little rough. A lot of things collide, and I felt like I missed a piece or two relating to the motivations of some of the characters who figure prominently in the end. Still with the last third, when the Sith hits the fan, the ending is both action-packed and provides some growth for the characters. And if you’re a fan of the Expanded Universe, there are some neat nods here and there.
If Sith Lords are your specialty, get this book! And if you’re a fan of scum and villainy, the denizens of Cog Hive Seven makes the Mos Eisley Cantina look like Alderaan.
Set before The Phantom Menace, Lockdown has Darth Maul sent undercover to infiltrate a space station prison to find an elusive arms dealer operating out of inescapable penitentiary. Maul quickly becomes a contender in the warden’s profitable prison fight circuit, but there’s more to finding someone who doesn’t want to be found in a prison than just cracking heads all the way to the top. Plus, more than just prisoners and guards lurk in the dark confines of this station. And throw in Jabba the Hutt, dangerous cultists, and Darth Sidious scheming under his own master’s nose.
Darth Maul has gone through a renaissance in the past few years – he has gone from being the weapon of rage back in 1999 in The Phantom Menace and the related EU (Michael Reaves’ Shadow Hunter & Ron Marz’ comic), to his resurrection on The Clone Wars (along with Tom Taylor’s Darth Maul: Death Sentence and James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis) as some one able to scheme his way into power as he seeks vengeance on both Obi-wan Kenobi and his old master, while taking on his brother Savage as his own apprentice. And now this year, we get more of Darth Maul, with Lockdown and the upcoming Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir comic. Maul: Lockdown adds to this modern character and builds some of Maul’s roots as a plotter as this mission tests his abilities to not only survive but achieve his objective before time runs out.
Minor spoilers beyond this point.
I enjoyed reading Lockdown quite a bit. Schreiber brings his own voice again to the Star Wars galaxy, this time taking on a major saga character as protagonist, and getting into his head at an earlier state of his development. At this point Maul is not fully tested, and this mission brings an additional challenge: to maintain his cover, he is ordered from using the Force. And he has to track down a being who is only rumored to exist, and no one is talking. And so Maul has to do something that we wouldn’t expect ol’ tattooed-and-creepy to do: make allies and fit into the pecking order in a prison where guards hold a kill switch over everyone’s head.
There’s a lot of scum and villainy in this prison/pay-per-view fight center, and even something more horrifying in the dark spaces between cells of Cog Hive Seven, but there is a good mix of characters – even one or two that might be considered ‘decent’, and a few that are definitely on the crazy side of the tracks. Plus we get more interaction between Darth Sidious and Darth Plagueis as the apprentice walks a fine line to keep his master from finding out the real mission that Maul is on, while Plagueis has his own agent in place. There’s intrigue! There’s action as Maul is forced to duel to the death for the profit of the warden and her whiz-kid brother. And since Joe Schreiber of Death Troopers and Red Harvest is at the helm, there’s also some monsters! Not really any romance – just maybe a little hero worship. And there’s Jabba the Hutt being awesome.
While I enjoyed going on this ride, I felt the climax to be a little rough. A lot of things collide, and I felt like I missed a piece or two relating to the motivations of some of the characters who figure prominently in the end. Still with the last third, when the Sith hits the fan, the ending is both action-packed and provides some growth for the characters. And if you’re a fan of the Expanded Universe, there are some neat nods here and there.
If Sith Lords are your specialty, get this book! And if you’re a fan of scum and villainy, the denizens of Cog Hive Seven makes the Mos Eisley Cantina look like Alderaan.
November 4, 2017
I wasn’t expecting too much from this book, to be perfectly honest. It is one of the very last Legends novels written just before the Disney acquisition of Star Wars, and it shows in the fact that the author is not really interested in swashbuckling space opera, but would rather write a violent and bloody prison drama.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. The Legends continuity suffered a surfeit of epic battles of good against evil with worlds under threat and unstoppable armies invading from beyond the stars, so a more intimate, character-based story is a welcome change.
In this story, Darth Maul has been tasked by his Sith master to infiltrate a maximum security prison-cum-gladiatorial arena to acquire a piece of useful technology - all without using the force.
The pace is fast, and the author pulls no punches in the description of violent duels between Maul and various other inmates (including a Yuuzhan Vong warrior and a Hoth Wampa). The setup is interesting, in a kind of Running Man-esque way.
The intrigue plotline is less interesting. Maul, Sidious and Plagueis are all playing some kind of treacherous game of loyalty versus betrayal, and it is not particularly clear what each is seeking to gain from the effort (besides the tech, which seems more like a weak macguffin than anything particularly compelling).
The other prisoners are supeficially colourful, but don’t really linger in the memory. Joe Schreiber likes to give the POV of minor characters, just before they reach a grisly end. This often comes across as a cheap way to garner empathy for the character, instead of making them complex or likeable. It is difficult to sympathise with anyone in this story - even Maul, the protagonist, is too uncomplex and too simply-motivated to be particularly enthralling.
There are a couple of howlers than a more diligent editor ahould have picked up - Schreiber overuses the word “threnody”, and there was one very amusing part where the author had clearly written inches, and the editor had just substituted centimetres without actually converting the values. I would quite readily believe that Maul could squeeze through a twelve by eighteen-inch hatch, but getting through a twelve by eighteen-centimetre gap (about 4.5 by 7.5 inches) stretches credulity. With those horns, I doubt if even Maul’s head would get through that gap.
Despite thes flaws, I found it an entertaining read. It is certainly unchallenging, and considerably less YA oriented than most of the new Disney canon. And it has he benefit of being something different. In this respect, it is similar to Schreiber’s previous Death Troopers - it’s not something we’ve seen in Star Wars before.
I think three stars is fair.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. The Legends continuity suffered a surfeit of epic battles of good against evil with worlds under threat and unstoppable armies invading from beyond the stars, so a more intimate, character-based story is a welcome change.
In this story, Darth Maul has been tasked by his Sith master to infiltrate a maximum security prison-cum-gladiatorial arena to acquire a piece of useful technology - all without using the force.
The pace is fast, and the author pulls no punches in the description of violent duels between Maul and various other inmates (including a Yuuzhan Vong warrior and a Hoth Wampa). The setup is interesting, in a kind of Running Man-esque way.
The intrigue plotline is less interesting. Maul, Sidious and Plagueis are all playing some kind of treacherous game of loyalty versus betrayal, and it is not particularly clear what each is seeking to gain from the effort (besides the tech, which seems more like a weak macguffin than anything particularly compelling).
The other prisoners are supeficially colourful, but don’t really linger in the memory. Joe Schreiber likes to give the POV of minor characters, just before they reach a grisly end. This often comes across as a cheap way to garner empathy for the character, instead of making them complex or likeable. It is difficult to sympathise with anyone in this story - even Maul, the protagonist, is too uncomplex and too simply-motivated to be particularly enthralling.
There are a couple of howlers than a more diligent editor ahould have picked up - Schreiber overuses the word “threnody”, and there was one very amusing part where the author had clearly written inches, and the editor had just substituted centimetres without actually converting the values. I would quite readily believe that Maul could squeeze through a twelve by eighteen-inch hatch, but getting through a twelve by eighteen-centimetre gap (about 4.5 by 7.5 inches) stretches credulity. With those horns, I doubt if even Maul’s head would get through that gap.
Despite thes flaws, I found it an entertaining read. It is certainly unchallenging, and considerably less YA oriented than most of the new Disney canon. And it has he benefit of being something different. In this respect, it is similar to Schreiber’s previous Death Troopers - it’s not something we’ve seen in Star Wars before.
I think three stars is fair.
October 15, 2018
A Brutal Adventure
Maul: Lockdown is a Legends novel that isn’t for the faint of heart. When tasked with a secret mission to find a weapons dealer, Maul must infiltrate a prison as one of the inmates. However, the inmates here don’t just serve time. They are gladiators pitted against one another in fights to the death for the benefit of the gambling public. Maul quickly finds himself in a number of fights as he ruthlessly pursues his objective.
Lockdown is not for the squeamish. The action is graphic and brutal. Schreiber wrote both Death Troopers and Red Harvest, and this novel has a similar level of gore and violence. It isn’t pretty. If you can get past that, this is an intriguing tale. There is a fair amount of mystery here that will keep you turning the pages.
Maul: Lockdown is a Legends novel that isn’t for the faint of heart. When tasked with a secret mission to find a weapons dealer, Maul must infiltrate a prison as one of the inmates. However, the inmates here don’t just serve time. They are gladiators pitted against one another in fights to the death for the benefit of the gambling public. Maul quickly finds himself in a number of fights as he ruthlessly pursues his objective.
Lockdown is not for the squeamish. The action is graphic and brutal. Schreiber wrote both Death Troopers and Red Harvest, and this novel has a similar level of gore and violence. It isn’t pretty. If you can get past that, this is an intriguing tale. There is a fair amount of mystery here that will keep you turning the pages.
September 17, 2016
Much darker than usual for this franchise, this look at the background of the villain The Phantom Menace made for interesting reading, even if Darth Maul isn't my favorite character.
January 10, 2023
[Read for the Category of 'A Book with a Character's Name in the Title']
This book gives you pretty much what you would expect of the cover and synopsis.
Darth Maul has to go undercover as a convict in the galaxy's deadliest prison, which also serves as a gladiatoral arena where inmates are pitted against each other to the delight of the galaxy's richest gamblers. His mission is to seek out a highly illusive man known as Radique, who everyone in the prison including the warden thinks is just a ghost.
I think I liked this book as much as I did thanks to the author's writing ability, but also just because it was a Star Wars book, and I'm a real sucker for those. The fights in this novel are great, especially the one-on-one death matches Maul had to endure which were very diverse in terms of opponents and challenges. I also found myself loving the mystery of Radique's identity, and trying to figure out which of the supporting characters might be him. Overall, his identity wasn't much of a reveal, but what alien species he was I thought was super clever. Made me think.
I also loved how Maul was portrayed here. While I could've done without his cheesy action one liners-especially the 'tough guy' ones ("Trouble. You want some?")-I loved how the emotion part of the story was told through Maul's loyalty to Sidious, his Sith Lord master. To Maul, a perfectly honed weapon, his only care in the galaxy is to not let his master down. That mixed feeling of wanting to do what his master conveys but also follow his own instincts was well explored here.
There are some other cliches that I didn't quite care for. Namely the one where the villain tries to kill the hero in an overly complicated manner but leaves before they have time they're killed. Most of the time, this took away from the threat of the prison and those who run it. Made them feel a bit stupid. I think they book does explain that 'maybe' keeping Maul alive was apart of the villain's plan all along, but that just felt messy and didn't quite make sense to me considering the book's conclusion.
Overall, this book is pretty much what you would expect of it.
What to see blood and gore in a Star Wars novel? You got it.
Want to see Maul bare knuckle box a Wampa? Its his second fight.
Want a good prison story full of action and intrigue? Its mostly all here.
If you're a Star Wars fan this will be a good different feeling novel that stands out against the grain of other Star Wars novels. And if you're a Darth Maul fan, this is definitely a must read.
This book gives you pretty much what you would expect of the cover and synopsis.
Darth Maul has to go undercover as a convict in the galaxy's deadliest prison, which also serves as a gladiatoral arena where inmates are pitted against each other to the delight of the galaxy's richest gamblers. His mission is to seek out a highly illusive man known as Radique, who everyone in the prison including the warden thinks is just a ghost.
I think I liked this book as much as I did thanks to the author's writing ability, but also just because it was a Star Wars book, and I'm a real sucker for those. The fights in this novel are great, especially the one-on-one death matches Maul had to endure which were very diverse in terms of opponents and challenges. I also found myself loving the mystery of Radique's identity, and trying to figure out which of the supporting characters might be him. Overall, his identity wasn't much of a reveal, but what alien species he was I thought was super clever. Made me think.
I also loved how Maul was portrayed here. While I could've done without his cheesy action one liners-especially the 'tough guy' ones ("Trouble. You want some?")-I loved how the emotion part of the story was told through Maul's loyalty to Sidious, his Sith Lord master. To Maul, a perfectly honed weapon, his only care in the galaxy is to not let his master down. That mixed feeling of wanting to do what his master conveys but also follow his own instincts was well explored here.
There are some other cliches that I didn't quite care for. Namely the one where the villain tries to kill the hero in an overly complicated manner but leaves before they have time they're killed. Most of the time, this took away from the threat of the prison and those who run it. Made them feel a bit stupid. I think they book does explain that 'maybe' keeping Maul alive was apart of the villain's plan all along, but that just felt messy and didn't quite make sense to me considering the book's conclusion.
Overall, this book is pretty much what you would expect of it.
What to see blood and gore in a Star Wars novel? You got it.
Want to see Maul bare knuckle box a Wampa? Its his second fight.
Want a good prison story full of action and intrigue? Its mostly all here.
If you're a Star Wars fan this will be a good different feeling novel that stands out against the grain of other Star Wars novels. And if you're a Darth Maul fan, this is definitely a must read.
March 20, 2023
7/10.
This one starts slow and picks up somewhere around the midpoint, remaining pretty enjoyable and action-packed throughout. A certain Darth *Spoiler* appears, much to my delight. I wish that more EU books had been written prior to the buyout solely so he could have gotten more screentime in formats like this.
I think that this does more for Maul's character than Shadow Hunter did, and I enjoyed it more overall. Though it took me much longer to read thanks to not having as much time for audiobooks and ultimately just winding up reading mostly the physical version for the last 80%. It's also written with more of a horror twist, being a lot more violent and bloody than a typical Star Wars book. Coming off several Warhammer 40K books, it still didn't phase me.
There are some confusing plot points that lack detail or don't seem to go anywhere, but that could have been me taking so long to read it and in any case, they really are far and few between. Overall this is a fairly typical SW read of the time and anyone who is a Darth Maul fan should like it well enough.
This one starts slow and picks up somewhere around the midpoint, remaining pretty enjoyable and action-packed throughout. A certain Darth *Spoiler* appears, much to my delight. I wish that more EU books had been written prior to the buyout solely so he could have gotten more screentime in formats like this.
I think that this does more for Maul's character than Shadow Hunter did, and I enjoyed it more overall. Though it took me much longer to read thanks to not having as much time for audiobooks and ultimately just winding up reading mostly the physical version for the last 80%. It's also written with more of a horror twist, being a lot more violent and bloody than a typical Star Wars book. Coming off several Warhammer 40K books, it still didn't phase me.
There are some confusing plot points that lack detail or don't seem to go anywhere, but that could have been me taking so long to read it and in any case, they really are far and few between. Overall this is a fairly typical SW read of the time and anyone who is a Darth Maul fan should like it well enough.
November 9, 2022
4.5/5
Les avis sont divisés mais pour ma part j'ai adoré. L'ambiance est très sombre voire gore par moment. L'auteur n'y va pas de main morte dans ses descriptions et je trouve que ce style d'écriture convient parfaitement au personnage de Dark Maul. Ce roman lui rend hommage, bien plus que les films de Lucas. Je pensais que l'environnement carcéral serait lassant mais cela n'a pas été le cas. J'ai été happé tout au long de 440 pages. Les chapitres sont très courts et nous avons axé à de nombreux points de vue. Les personnages secondaires tiennent la route ! Je recommande cette lecture aux fans de l'univers Star Wars.
Les avis sont divisés mais pour ma part j'ai adoré. L'ambiance est très sombre voire gore par moment. L'auteur n'y va pas de main morte dans ses descriptions et je trouve que ce style d'écriture convient parfaitement au personnage de Dark Maul. Ce roman lui rend hommage, bien plus que les films de Lucas. Je pensais que l'environnement carcéral serait lassant mais cela n'a pas été le cas. J'ai été happé tout au long de 440 pages. Les chapitres sont très courts et nous avons axé à de nombreux points de vue. Les personnages secondaires tiennent la route ! Je recommande cette lecture aux fans de l'univers Star Wars.
March 22, 2025
Love the other 2 Star Wars Novels by Joe Schreiber but can't say I'll be recommending this one. A solid story overall but full of plot twists that just didn't really do it for me. I see where the story was going but just didn't love it completely. Not a bad book by any stretch just not my favorite.
August 21, 2020
It was fine I guess. It was pretty well done but not really my thing. A disappointing end to the Maul stories.
January 30, 2014
Set before Episode I, Maul: Lockdown is horror writer Joe Schreiber's latest foray into the SWEU.
If you aren't a fan of Schreiber's previous SW novels, you probably won't like this one either, and skipping it won't leave leave you confused. But if you're like me and like what Schreiber does, you'll enjoy it.
If you aren't a fan of Schreiber's previous SW novels, you probably won't like this one either, and skipping it won't leave leave you confused. But if you're like me and like what Schreiber does, you'll enjoy it.
December 5, 2020
Original review at https://ericmikols.com/2017/12/13/boo...
Maul: Lockdown, by Joe Schreiber, had me excited for a long time. I thought, originally, the concept was great. However, while reading the book, I realized I had misunderstood the summaries and dust jackets. I had thought the book was about Darth Maul trying to escape from the most dangerous prison in the galaxy. A Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, if you will. It’s not that at all.
Darth Maul is sent, by Darth Sidious, to Cog Hive Seven to find an elusive arms dealer. Maul must remain undercover, so he’s forbidden to use his lightsaber or force powers. The book follows Maul exploring the layout of the prison, participating in televised death matches and surviving gang politics.
Maul: Lockdown is entertaining…to a point. The death matches are well done with visceral action, some of the new characters are interesting and there’s general mystery to the identity of the arms dealer. It also helps that, like some of favorite Star Wars books, this is a standalone one-shot. However, the book has a few faults that kept it from being the thrilling and dark adventure it could have been.
For one, taking away Maul’s force powers and lightsaber, while an interesting challenge, means the book denies the reader what they might have come for in the first place. Taking away his weapons for a few chapters might have been exciting, but when it’s the whole book there’s a certain element of false advertisement. Maul, the character, still has that tiger-like cool, but is less interesting than your classic Darth Vader. Maul is all rage and hate and, after a while, that stops being interesting. He comes across as one note in this book and it doesn’t help that we learn nothing new about the character.
The book is dense, which isn’t always a problem, but I was coming in for something more akin to a thriller. The chapters are short and you can clear through pages easily, but it goes on for longer than necessary, reaching a climax weighed down by cameos and dull exposition. Near the end, I was trying to get to the finish line quickly not because I was interested, but because I was ready to be done. There’s not enough story, character or intrigue to carry this book.
I’m surprised by how critical I am of this book, because the concept seemed like a slam dunk. But, when compared to other Star Wars villain books, such as Darth Plagueis, Darth Bane, Dark Disciple and Lords of the Sith, it falls short. Maybe Darth Maul isn’t that intriguing of a character, or at least, not during this part of life. I still haven’t finished the Clone Wars show, so I haven’t seen the character resurrected and given robotic legs. Maybe then he has more depth, but here, there’s not enough.
Now, someone, please go write that Star Wars prison break I wanted.
Maul: Lockdown, by Joe Schreiber, had me excited for a long time. I thought, originally, the concept was great. However, while reading the book, I realized I had misunderstood the summaries and dust jackets. I had thought the book was about Darth Maul trying to escape from the most dangerous prison in the galaxy. A Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, if you will. It’s not that at all.
Darth Maul is sent, by Darth Sidious, to Cog Hive Seven to find an elusive arms dealer. Maul must remain undercover, so he’s forbidden to use his lightsaber or force powers. The book follows Maul exploring the layout of the prison, participating in televised death matches and surviving gang politics.
Maul: Lockdown is entertaining…to a point. The death matches are well done with visceral action, some of the new characters are interesting and there’s general mystery to the identity of the arms dealer. It also helps that, like some of favorite Star Wars books, this is a standalone one-shot. However, the book has a few faults that kept it from being the thrilling and dark adventure it could have been.
For one, taking away Maul’s force powers and lightsaber, while an interesting challenge, means the book denies the reader what they might have come for in the first place. Taking away his weapons for a few chapters might have been exciting, but when it’s the whole book there’s a certain element of false advertisement. Maul, the character, still has that tiger-like cool, but is less interesting than your classic Darth Vader. Maul is all rage and hate and, after a while, that stops being interesting. He comes across as one note in this book and it doesn’t help that we learn nothing new about the character.
The book is dense, which isn’t always a problem, but I was coming in for something more akin to a thriller. The chapters are short and you can clear through pages easily, but it goes on for longer than necessary, reaching a climax weighed down by cameos and dull exposition. Near the end, I was trying to get to the finish line quickly not because I was interested, but because I was ready to be done. There’s not enough story, character or intrigue to carry this book.
I’m surprised by how critical I am of this book, because the concept seemed like a slam dunk. But, when compared to other Star Wars villain books, such as Darth Plagueis, Darth Bane, Dark Disciple and Lords of the Sith, it falls short. Maybe Darth Maul isn’t that intriguing of a character, or at least, not during this part of life. I still haven’t finished the Clone Wars show, so I haven’t seen the character resurrected and given robotic legs. Maybe then he has more depth, but here, there’s not enough.
Now, someone, please go write that Star Wars prison break I wanted.
April 13, 2016
Darth Maul vs. an entire prison of psychos that make him seem friendly and well-balanced by comparison! It had its enjoyable moments, but the very dark and gruesome tone was a few steps removed from the Space Operatic stylings one has come to associate with Star Wars books.
And that Radique reveal...was he supposed to be some relation to Thrawn? or just an homage? I felt in the end it was something of a cop-out to have him as a charcter we had not yet met. Where was he hiding out all that time? and how does one enjoy the proceeds of one's criminal empire hiding out in a prison? these questions were not satisfactorily addressed for me
And that Radique reveal...was he supposed to be some relation to Thrawn? or just an homage? I felt in the end it was something of a cop-out to have him as a charcter we had not yet met. Where was he hiding out all that time? and how does one enjoy the proceeds of one's criminal empire hiding out in a prison? these questions were not satisfactorily addressed for me
October 19, 2018
Personal Response
I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author wrote in different events that were happening at the same time, yet they all intertwined.
Plot Summary
Darth Maul is dispatched by Darth Sidious to the prison colony of Cog Hive Seven in order to find the mysterious weapons merchant known as Iram Radique. In Cog Hive Seven, Maul, under the guise of a mercenary known as Jagganath, finds himself in a prison that also holds gladiatorial contests between prisoners. Maul is forced to partake in several of these matches during his investigation into Iram Radique's whereabouts. However, as his investigation unfolds, Maul soon discovers the true nature of his mission; he is to contact Radique in order to buy a nuclear device that had been secretly built inside Cog Hive Seven. The purpose of buying this nuclear device is to sell it to the Bando Gora, whom Radique hates with a passion.
Unfortunately, during Maul's investigation, Cog Hive Seven's warden, Sadiki Blirr, finds out that Jabba Desilijic Tiure has sent several of his minions into the prison as guards in order to find Radique. Blirr has these guards summarily executed, provoking Jabba's wrath as he sends a team to intercept the prison barge known as the Purge. After Jabba's team hijacks the Purge, they attack Cog Hive Seven, prompting Blirr to initiate the prison's self-destruct sequence. However, Blirr is killed by the Syrox, a creature embedded in Cog Hive Seven who feeds on the ceased consciousnesses of dead inmates.
As Cog Hive Seven meets its destruction, Maul, with the help of inmate Eogan Truax, attempt to escape with the nuclear device that Maul bought from Radique. But when Radique betrays them by refusing to help them detach the bombs embedded in their hearts (which is what every prisoner in Cog Hive Seven gets when he enters), Eogun kills Radique just as the Bando Gora arrive. Maul and the Gora's leader, Komari Vosa, have a brief fight before they are confronted by the Syrox. Maul decides to help Vosa kill the Syrox so he can fulfill his mission of giving the nuclear device to the Bando Gora, and then Maul, Vosa, and Eogan escape the prison before it completely destroys itself.
Characterization
Maul is the main character of this book. He is new to Cog Hive Seven and is thrown into battle right away. He beats the champion with ease and now everyone is afraid of him. He needs to gain the trust of certain people in order to complete his mission.
Warden Sadiki Blirr is proud of Maul at first, but her feelings change as he gets closer to completing his mission. She and her brother run Cog Hive Seven. The prison is used as a place to gamble.
Impacts of Setting
This book takes place in the Star Wars universe before Episode I. Maul is still alive in this book, he dies in the movie. Also, Sidious's Master, Darth Plagueis, is alive. This book takes place in a different galaxy, a long time ago. This allows different kinds of weapons, vehicles, and species of intelligent life to be around.
Thematic Connection
Maul has a fear of failure throughout the book. His master gives him specific directions not to use the Force and to find Iram Radique. Maul is able to contact Darth Sidious in the middle of the story, but Sidious is not happy with the progress made and tells Maul to hurry up. When Maul makes more progress, he ends up fighting a body double for Radique and Maul thinks that this is the real person that he killed. He is scared that he failed his mission and his master will leave him in the prison. Later, Maul is growing more impatient and he uses the force once to scare one of the IBC people. Maul fears that his master will find out and punish him.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to male Star Wars fans in their late teens. I believe the male population will enjoy the violence more than the female population. This book is sometimes hard to follow because it changes storylines. Some of the words are hard to understand and they talk about things that are just in Star Wars.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author wrote in different events that were happening at the same time, yet they all intertwined.
Plot Summary
Darth Maul is dispatched by Darth Sidious to the prison colony of Cog Hive Seven in order to find the mysterious weapons merchant known as Iram Radique. In Cog Hive Seven, Maul, under the guise of a mercenary known as Jagganath, finds himself in a prison that also holds gladiatorial contests between prisoners. Maul is forced to partake in several of these matches during his investigation into Iram Radique's whereabouts. However, as his investigation unfolds, Maul soon discovers the true nature of his mission; he is to contact Radique in order to buy a nuclear device that had been secretly built inside Cog Hive Seven. The purpose of buying this nuclear device is to sell it to the Bando Gora, whom Radique hates with a passion.
Unfortunately, during Maul's investigation, Cog Hive Seven's warden, Sadiki Blirr, finds out that Jabba Desilijic Tiure has sent several of his minions into the prison as guards in order to find Radique. Blirr has these guards summarily executed, provoking Jabba's wrath as he sends a team to intercept the prison barge known as the Purge. After Jabba's team hijacks the Purge, they attack Cog Hive Seven, prompting Blirr to initiate the prison's self-destruct sequence. However, Blirr is killed by the Syrox, a creature embedded in Cog Hive Seven who feeds on the ceased consciousnesses of dead inmates.
As Cog Hive Seven meets its destruction, Maul, with the help of inmate Eogan Truax, attempt to escape with the nuclear device that Maul bought from Radique. But when Radique betrays them by refusing to help them detach the bombs embedded in their hearts (which is what every prisoner in Cog Hive Seven gets when he enters), Eogun kills Radique just as the Bando Gora arrive. Maul and the Gora's leader, Komari Vosa, have a brief fight before they are confronted by the Syrox. Maul decides to help Vosa kill the Syrox so he can fulfill his mission of giving the nuclear device to the Bando Gora, and then Maul, Vosa, and Eogan escape the prison before it completely destroys itself.
Characterization
Maul is the main character of this book. He is new to Cog Hive Seven and is thrown into battle right away. He beats the champion with ease and now everyone is afraid of him. He needs to gain the trust of certain people in order to complete his mission.
Warden Sadiki Blirr is proud of Maul at first, but her feelings change as he gets closer to completing his mission. She and her brother run Cog Hive Seven. The prison is used as a place to gamble.
Impacts of Setting
This book takes place in the Star Wars universe before Episode I. Maul is still alive in this book, he dies in the movie. Also, Sidious's Master, Darth Plagueis, is alive. This book takes place in a different galaxy, a long time ago. This allows different kinds of weapons, vehicles, and species of intelligent life to be around.
Thematic Connection
Maul has a fear of failure throughout the book. His master gives him specific directions not to use the Force and to find Iram Radique. Maul is able to contact Darth Sidious in the middle of the story, but Sidious is not happy with the progress made and tells Maul to hurry up. When Maul makes more progress, he ends up fighting a body double for Radique and Maul thinks that this is the real person that he killed. He is scared that he failed his mission and his master will leave him in the prison. Later, Maul is growing more impatient and he uses the force once to scare one of the IBC people. Maul fears that his master will find out and punish him.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to male Star Wars fans in their late teens. I believe the male population will enjoy the violence more than the female population. This book is sometimes hard to follow because it changes storylines. Some of the words are hard to understand and they talk about things that are just in Star Wars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2014
The Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2014/02/...
“A flawed but fun Star Wars novel, Joe Schreiber proves that he isn’t a one-trick pony and doesn’t have to rely on Zombie Stomtroopers to make Lockdown an entertaining read – but just don’t go in expecting a perfect one as the end result is quickly forgettable and not as excellent as it could have been.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY…
"It’s kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy’s worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object that will enable the Sith to conquer the galaxy.
Sith lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul."
Darth Maul was easily the best thing about The Phantom Menace movie and given the fan reception to the character it’s easy to see why he has not only appeared several times since then in various different mediums, including the animated TV series The Clone Wars, but it’s always good to see a fully fledged novel devoted to a particularly awesome character with the only real worry being what happens if everything goes wrong. Joe Schreiber also seemed like a strong choice for writing duties as well – he has written both Sith, Han Solo and zombies before in his two previous Star Wars novels (Death Troopers & Red Harvest) both of which have been highly enjoyable – so the book seemed like a great chance to impress as the first book release in the franchise in 2014.
However, the book isn’t quite as good as it looks on paper. That’s not to say it’s all bad though – there have been far worse Star Wars novels out there after all – it’s just that with the strength of other recent books set in the franchise, including John Jackson Miller’s Kenobi, Martha Wells’ Razor’s Edge, and the recent Timothy Zahn novel Honor Among Thieves, you’d expect Maul: Lockdown to reach the hieghts set by these two novels, especially given Schreiber’s reputation with his two previous very strong Star Wars books. However, Lockdown suffers as a result of this, with the end result being whilst still enjoyable, underwhelming and ultimately forgettable from a character who deserved much more. For starters, this could have easily been an original character in place of Maul and with a few changes you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. There’s nothing distinctive that makes Maul really standout, which is a shame. If he were a newcomer and this were his first book he would not be more memorable than the supporting cast, with the only reason his name being a standout is his reputation.
The book itself also suffers due to its decision to use Maul in a setting where he’s forced to keep his abilities hidden. Whilst it was interesting to explore how he handles things without the use of the Force, this came at a cost – if you’re not going to use what makes the character so memorable (his double-edged lighstabers) then why use that character at all? This is perhaps the biggest problem that is present in Maul: Lockdown, but if you put that aside the book itself turns out to be a very enjoyable read, and Schreiber manages to make use of his excellent pacing skills to create a book that you will not be able to put down. It’s fast paced, brutal and action packed.
Speaking of action, Schreiber manages to pull it off well. As the book is mainly full of fight scenes, this is a crucial element and whilst there is not much use of Lightsabers to be found here the book is still very much entertaining – it will have you captivated from the beginning and all the way through, even though the characters may not be that great. If you’re a fan of action then you should enjoy this – it’s quick and easy to read as well, like what most recent Star Wars books have become – so if you want something to read in order to break up two massive epic fantasy novels that’s fun and quick, then Maul: Lockdown will be right up your street.
As expected from a quick read, the plot is fairly basic. Sidious has tasked Maul to track down a weapons dealer, allegedly hiding on a prison in a space station, named Cog Hive Seven. In order to find the Dealer, Maul has to enter the prison – with the idea actually working quite well, and it’s interesting to see how the character reacts when in an environment where nobody can be trusted and everybody is out for themselves. It certainly will be a nice break for those who are sick of the endless Jedi vs. Sith novels that the Star Wars franchise has spawned, with the line between good and evil being more morally grey than it has been in the past in this book.
However, the characters are not the only problem found in Maul: Lockdown. Despite it being enjoyable for the most part, The novel suffers from an ending that’s too underwhelming with all plot threads being connected in an ending that doesn’t really make it worth it. The book will also confuse readers who haven’t read James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis, as this book serves as a sort-of sequel as you’ll want to read that book in order to see why the mission was so important in the first place. If you read this book without knowledge of what goes down in Darth Plagueis then it’ll cause only confusion, and this isn’t blatantly clear at first especially as both books are written by two different writers so you should take this into consideration. Darth Plagueis also comes recommended if you haven’t got around to reading that novel yet – it is far better than Maul: Lockdown.
The novel itself has an interesting premise but is sadly underwhelming and ultimately forgettable. However, it serves as a nice quick read and a very entertaining one – even if it could have easily been somebody else other than Darth Maul in the lead role. The book also loses itself in the final act, but for the most part – the novel remains enjoyable and you won’t be able to put it down – so if you can get past these problems then you should end up enjoying it despite this.
VERDICT: 3/5
PREVIOUS STAR WARS BOOK: Cloak of Deception by James Luceno | NEXT STAR WARS BOOK: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves
“A flawed but fun Star Wars novel, Joe Schreiber proves that he isn’t a one-trick pony and doesn’t have to rely on Zombie Stomtroopers to make Lockdown an entertaining read – but just don’t go in expecting a perfect one as the end result is quickly forgettable and not as excellent as it could have been.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY…
"It’s kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy’s worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object that will enable the Sith to conquer the galaxy.
Sith lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul."
Darth Maul was easily the best thing about The Phantom Menace movie and given the fan reception to the character it’s easy to see why he has not only appeared several times since then in various different mediums, including the animated TV series The Clone Wars, but it’s always good to see a fully fledged novel devoted to a particularly awesome character with the only real worry being what happens if everything goes wrong. Joe Schreiber also seemed like a strong choice for writing duties as well – he has written both Sith, Han Solo and zombies before in his two previous Star Wars novels (Death Troopers & Red Harvest) both of which have been highly enjoyable – so the book seemed like a great chance to impress as the first book release in the franchise in 2014.
However, the book isn’t quite as good as it looks on paper. That’s not to say it’s all bad though – there have been far worse Star Wars novels out there after all – it’s just that with the strength of other recent books set in the franchise, including John Jackson Miller’s Kenobi, Martha Wells’ Razor’s Edge, and the recent Timothy Zahn novel Honor Among Thieves, you’d expect Maul: Lockdown to reach the hieghts set by these two novels, especially given Schreiber’s reputation with his two previous very strong Star Wars books. However, Lockdown suffers as a result of this, with the end result being whilst still enjoyable, underwhelming and ultimately forgettable from a character who deserved much more. For starters, this could have easily been an original character in place of Maul and with a few changes you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. There’s nothing distinctive that makes Maul really standout, which is a shame. If he were a newcomer and this were his first book he would not be more memorable than the supporting cast, with the only reason his name being a standout is his reputation.
The book itself also suffers due to its decision to use Maul in a setting where he’s forced to keep his abilities hidden. Whilst it was interesting to explore how he handles things without the use of the Force, this came at a cost – if you’re not going to use what makes the character so memorable (his double-edged lighstabers) then why use that character at all? This is perhaps the biggest problem that is present in Maul: Lockdown, but if you put that aside the book itself turns out to be a very enjoyable read, and Schreiber manages to make use of his excellent pacing skills to create a book that you will not be able to put down. It’s fast paced, brutal and action packed.
Speaking of action, Schreiber manages to pull it off well. As the book is mainly full of fight scenes, this is a crucial element and whilst there is not much use of Lightsabers to be found here the book is still very much entertaining – it will have you captivated from the beginning and all the way through, even though the characters may not be that great. If you’re a fan of action then you should enjoy this – it’s quick and easy to read as well, like what most recent Star Wars books have become – so if you want something to read in order to break up two massive epic fantasy novels that’s fun and quick, then Maul: Lockdown will be right up your street.
As expected from a quick read, the plot is fairly basic. Sidious has tasked Maul to track down a weapons dealer, allegedly hiding on a prison in a space station, named Cog Hive Seven. In order to find the Dealer, Maul has to enter the prison – with the idea actually working quite well, and it’s interesting to see how the character reacts when in an environment where nobody can be trusted and everybody is out for themselves. It certainly will be a nice break for those who are sick of the endless Jedi vs. Sith novels that the Star Wars franchise has spawned, with the line between good and evil being more morally grey than it has been in the past in this book.
However, the characters are not the only problem found in Maul: Lockdown. Despite it being enjoyable for the most part, The novel suffers from an ending that’s too underwhelming with all plot threads being connected in an ending that doesn’t really make it worth it. The book will also confuse readers who haven’t read James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis, as this book serves as a sort-of sequel as you’ll want to read that book in order to see why the mission was so important in the first place. If you read this book without knowledge of what goes down in Darth Plagueis then it’ll cause only confusion, and this isn’t blatantly clear at first especially as both books are written by two different writers so you should take this into consideration. Darth Plagueis also comes recommended if you haven’t got around to reading that novel yet – it is far better than Maul: Lockdown.
The novel itself has an interesting premise but is sadly underwhelming and ultimately forgettable. However, it serves as a nice quick read and a very entertaining one – even if it could have easily been somebody else other than Darth Maul in the lead role. The book also loses itself in the final act, but for the most part – the novel remains enjoyable and you won’t be able to put it down – so if you can get past these problems then you should end up enjoying it despite this.
VERDICT: 3/5
PREVIOUS STAR WARS BOOK: Cloak of Deception by James Luceno | NEXT STAR WARS BOOK: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves
November 14, 2025
As somebody who has watched a lot of Star Wars material but is still fairly new to Star Wars novels, this book scratched an itch that I didn't know I had.
I was drawn to this book (as I'm sure many others have been) due to recently rewatching TPM and being frustrated at how little screen time the Sith Lord was given before being underwhelmingly bisected. I didn't know much about this storyline, only that this book in particular seems to split opinion and is seen as inferior to its sequel. All I can provide from my opinion.. is that I thought it was excellent.
Being granted an insight to the inner monologue of this otherwise quiet and reserved warrior was incredibly satisfying. The Zabraks emotional depth is cast inward in the way of doubt, rage and an unrelenting loyalty to his master that forbades him from drawing on the powers of the force. This was a welcome aspect of the book which allowed us to fully appreciate the strength and mental resolve of Maul.
The concept of Cog Hive Seven was fun. A gambling operation masked as a prison with its inmates selected to engage in a gladiator style deathmatch, the opponents decided by a complex algorithm. Outside of Maul and his mission, the prison space station hosts a story of its own filled with secrecy and horror, explained well in short chapters that compliment the story well.
Add in the cat and mouse power struggle between Sidious and Plaguies.. suffice to say that I'm looking forward to reading the next few installments.
5⭐️
I was drawn to this book (as I'm sure many others have been) due to recently rewatching TPM and being frustrated at how little screen time the Sith Lord was given before being underwhelmingly bisected. I didn't know much about this storyline, only that this book in particular seems to split opinion and is seen as inferior to its sequel. All I can provide from my opinion.. is that I thought it was excellent.
Being granted an insight to the inner monologue of this otherwise quiet and reserved warrior was incredibly satisfying. The Zabraks emotional depth is cast inward in the way of doubt, rage and an unrelenting loyalty to his master that forbades him from drawing on the powers of the force. This was a welcome aspect of the book which allowed us to fully appreciate the strength and mental resolve of Maul.
The concept of Cog Hive Seven was fun. A gambling operation masked as a prison with its inmates selected to engage in a gladiator style deathmatch, the opponents decided by a complex algorithm. Outside of Maul and his mission, the prison space station hosts a story of its own filled with secrecy and horror, explained well in short chapters that compliment the story well.
Add in the cat and mouse power struggle between Sidious and Plaguies.. suffice to say that I'm looking forward to reading the next few installments.
5⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2018
This is less a "Star Wars" novel and far more a rather bloody and violent pastiche; "Star Wars" having its say on prison films...or the exceptionally violent TV series "Oz". At times it is distinctly off-putting and uncomfortable, but not without its charms...even though Darths Sidious and Plagueis behave more like genteel gangsters than Sith Lords. There will be some who wholeheartedly embrace the dark balls-to-the-wall attitude of this book, while others will want to simply throw it against the wall. I think I come down somewhere in between; it's not to my taste, but there are many fascinating things to be discovered in these pages...if you can stomach the violence.
May 26, 2024
Plagueis and Sidious trying to one-up each other, Maul being a badass, some elaborate criminal underworld gambling architecture behind it all: This book basically has the essentials of what you would want from a horror prison breakout story like this. While Maul is rightly portrayed so one-dimensionally focused and fierce in this novel, I like this decision as it gives room for other characters and their respective complexities to shine as well. I personally liked the parts that highlighted Sidious' and Maul's relationship the most, and would have wanted more insight or resolution into this. Still an epic and fun read.
February 3, 2025
More like 4.5 stars! This was my first Star Wars book I’ve read, and being a big Star Wars fan since I was a kid I really really enjoyed it! I loved the detail and brutality especially in the gorey-ness of Maul’s fights.
I also really enjoyed getting to see a bit more of Darth Maul, getting to see how he interacts with others and even with Sidious and the force, especially for someone who’s only ever watched him in The Phantom Menace! Loved it though! 🥰
I also really enjoyed getting to see a bit more of Darth Maul, getting to see how he interacts with others and even with Sidious and the force, especially for someone who’s only ever watched him in The Phantom Menace! Loved it though! 🥰
Displaying 1 - 30 of 509 reviews