Book Review: Low Red Moon

The latest Star Wars novel release was the Outlaws prequel book Low Red Moon by Mike Chen (of Brotherhood fame). Low Red Moon is an absolute goldmine for fans of ND-5. As a huge Outlaws fan I knew that I would love the book, but I was surprised by just how much I did- I think its easily one of my favorite recent Star Wars reads (with some pretty tough competition)!

Low Red Moon is not your typical spin-off book. Sure, it's a fun side-quest from the main game about two supporting characters, but it also lays out some really rich backstory that recontextualizes not just those characters and their relationship, but much of the main story from the game. The struggle between outlaw Jaylen Vrax and (spoilers for the game) his Imperial brother Sliro is a huge part of Outlaws storyline, driving the plot forward and the source of some big twists in the game. But since we are playing as Kay Vess- an outsider to that relationship- we only get to learn about them from what is said in front of us. It's plenty to go on and I still found the story incredibly effective, but the details were shadowy at best. But with this book, we learn all about that relationship, from their childhood to their separation and how Jaylen handled it all in the years following until we meet him in Outlaws. It really made me want to replay the entire game again just to see everything with the added context we get about this relationship. If you're someone who loved Outlaws and want more of that story, you will really be fulfilled by this book, because it all builds up to the story of the game and ties in perfectly. It is so much more than just some interesting lore about these characters, it truly is a proper prequel to the game's main storyline and adds so many layers.

Whether you've played Outlaws or not, you can get into this adventure full of twists, betrayal, action and more with references and pop-ins from all across the galaxy far, far away. Low Red Moon takes a lot of care in building on these characters in a way that feels fresh and revelatory, but also perfectly aligning with the characters we know from the games. They both change a lot throughout the book while still being completely recognizable the entire time, which is some really impressive writing in my book.

If you've played Outlaws then this is definitely a book you want to read, as it gives a lot of really interesting context and layers to the main plot of the game, plus some backstory on everyone's favorite commando droid. Even if you haven't played Outlaws, there is still a lot for you to enjoy here if you like character-driven stories about the criminal underworld of Star Wars. And hey, maybe it'll pique your interest and get you to play the game!

Pick up a copy of Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon for yourself!

Spoilers ahead for Low Red Moon by Mike Chen!

One thing I was surprised by is some of the fun little cameos and shout-outs in the book to characters we know from other stories in the galaxy far, far away. Some were expected- we spend some time with Qi'ra towards the end of the book, which makes perfect sense because of the considerable role (well, depending on your playthrough I suppose) that she plays in Star Wars Outlaws, plus just the fact that she is an important player in the criminal underworld of Star Wars at this time, and this is very much a criminal underworld book. One that I was surprised by though was Fennec Shand. The fearsome bounty hunter is more than a cameo too, we actually spend quite a bit of time with her as Jaylen and ND-5 work a job with her, where she pulls of a characteristic near-impossible shot. She's a character that I am quite fond of thanks to The Book of Boba Fett and The Bad Batch, so it's always fun to catch up to her and see what she's up to at any given time. Mubo is another character referenced- while we don't see him, the Galaxy's Edge droidsmith is very frequently mentioned as a potential solution for some of the problems ND-5 is having with his hardware.

But the biggest shock was definitely Vivert and Mill. I had to do a Wookieepedia search mid-book to make sure I wasn't misremembering the names- but Vivert and Mill are indeed two young Jedi from one of Mike Chen's other Star Wars books, Brotherhood. While they don't discuss their Jedi past with Jaylen for obvious reasons, the two are working as bounty hunters who undertake jobs with the goal of helping people, buying (and sometimes stealing) medical supplies for those in need. They were a really fun duo and it was great to see more Jedi survivors doing their best to keep the Jedi tradition of helping others alive in a galaxy that wants to punish them for it. The dynamic of the pair with Jaylen and ND-5 was also really fun to read on the mission they undertake together, the way that they clash but and differ but ultimately find synergy was really satisfying.

One thing that really, really struck me about the book was Chen's use of prose across different chapters. The book flips between two different points of view- Jaylen's perspective and ND-5's perspective. In both perspective's we get to learn a lot about what each character is thinking in a given scenario, where their priorities lie, how they feel and change throughout the story. But it's not just through an internal dialogue that Chen illustrates the differences between them, it's through the very way that he writes. Jaylen's chapters are written in third person limited and ND-5's are written in first person, but that's not the only difference. In Jaylen's chapters we get a lot of long, complex sentences. Flowery descriptions of what he sees, smells and hears all around him, what things feel like and the memories that arise. Jaylen's chapters feature a lot of analogies, trains of thought that run away from what's in front of him- its all very human.

ND-5's, on the other hand, don't have that. At least, not at first. ND-5's descriptions of what is around him are short, matter of fact and focused on what's relevant to him. Sometimes something might trigger a memory or a protocol, or bits of programming come in and out as they are and aren't relevant. It's often a jarring shift coming from a Jaylen chapter (in a good way), and really effective at showing the difference between us organics as messy and squishy and emotional, versus a droid that is logical and factual.

But the best part, and something I found to be genuinely very impressive on Chen's part, was the subtle change in ND-5's prose. We know that as droids go longer without memory wipes they gain more and more personality and ability to adapt rather than stick to basic programming, and I think that ND-5 in this book may be my favorite display of that in a single piece of media. The further into the book you get, the longer and more detailed the sentences in ND-5's chapters are. He begins to offer his opinions more, he has private thoughts and motives aside from the directives programmed into him. It's incredibly well done, and I think really cements Chen as a top Star Wars author to pull it off so perfectly.

As for those character arcs, its hard to do them justice in the review. While I was certainly not a fan of Jaylen Vrax after the story of Outlaws (he did my girl so dirty), I did gain a lot more understanding for him in this book, and even really felt for him. He's often selfish and misguided, sure, but it does come from a pretty sympathetic place. He begins the book as an incredibly sheltered and privileged rich kid who, while well-meaning, did try to help but also didn't ever want to stick his neck out too far for anyone else. His family's company, influence and fortune fall apart completely and mysteriously (though players of the game and I think even attentive readers who don't know the game can easily piece together exactly who is behind that). A droid mysteriously programmed to wipe out Jaylen and his family almost succeeds, though Jaylen is able to successfully use a restraining bolt on the droid and turn him into a companion sworn to protect and serve him- ND-5.

The arc of these characters and their relationships is just so delicious and layered throughout the entire book. Jaylen is thrust into a life and role unfamiliar with him- instead of politicking at galas as a soon-to-be CEO he has to use those skills to charm and swindle his way through the criminal underbelly of the galaxy. He has to develop skills he never needed before like gunslinging or piloting, and the stakes are life and death- though luckily ND-5's skillset as a commando droid can cover him while he learns. Jaylen faces a whirlwind of emotions that sometimes calms, but never goes away through the whole book- a desperate hunt for revenge and to discover who is behind his family's deaths, to find his brother Sliro who has seemingly gone missing since the family's reputation fell apart, a desire to forget the pain of his old life and build a name for himself in the underworld, and a mix of gratefulness for how useful ND-5 has proven to be while also resenting and even fearing him. He keeps ND-5 tightly controlled with the restraining bolt (as seen in the game) not just because he is a controlling or cruel person that doesn't care for the droid, but with some amount of fear that ND-5 may go back to that directive to kill him. Jaylen's ever-fluctuating emotional state and attempts to juggle so many priorities is incredibly compelling to read, and I found myself equally rooting for him and mad at him at many points.

ND-5 goes through a really big arc where he discovers his own autonomy and ability to care in the game, so I wasn't expecting terribly much for him here- and I was very wrong. While ND-5 isn't able to free himself from Jaylen until Outlaws, he does a lot of growing to get to the point where he is even able to think about that choice in this book. Starting off simply following his programmed directives, we see ND-5 gain confidence in himself as not just a killing machine, but as a being throughout the book. He forms relationships with those he works with and becomes invested in their safety beyond just the mission. He starts to make decisions without orders from Jaylen, ones unconventional to the programming of a commando droid. He even starts to form his own goals and priorities, wanting to do things for himself instead of just for Jaylen. Knowing the heights he's able to reach in the game, it was really special to see the beginnings of that arc for ND-5, and it only endeared me to him even more.

Have you read Low Red Moon, or do you plan to? And are you a fan of Star Wars Outlaws? Let us know in the comments or on social media!

Before finishing this review, I do want to leave you with one of my absolute favorite (of many) little exchanges in the book from one of ND-5's chapters:

"'Thanks Endee. You're a sweetie.' "I do not know what her last word means. Jaylen has never used that term before. Internally, I look up the definition of the term and determine that it has reasonable accuracy. "'I am,' I reply."