– Spoiler Review –
Queen’s Shadow follows the trials and tribulations of Padmé Amidala Naberrie as she transitions from Queen of Naboo to its Senator, captured in captivating, engaging detail by writer E.K. Johnston.
It’s not just Obi-Wan and Anakin who go through changes and adjustments to their lives following the events of The Phantom Menace, but so too does Padmé, though she’s never received the coverage she deserves for her momentous life change from Queen to Senator, but Queen’s Shadow corrects that regrettable oversight in excellent fashion. In fact, it easily makes the argument Padmé’s journey has been the far more complex and taxing one all along, and I’m damn glad we finally got to see it. Since it is both an adjustment for procedure/customs and of her mindset/goals, the latter does mean the book slows a bit in the middle to late half as Padmé makes peace with her new life, but it’s an important aspect of the book and it really helps broaden our view of her. Broadening is something Queen’s Shadow does in spades, making 20 years of waiting to gain a more personal perspective about Padmé, her handmaidens, and this section of her life totally worth it.
There’s so much in QS that I never really considered or thought about, and because Johnston makes each connection and development natural, important, and basically feel like a no-brainer for this part of Padmé’s life, reading QS made me feel like a fool (in the best way possible) for never thinking about such progressions for Padmé and her handmaidens. A big part is my overlooking of the handmaidens, as their roles are far more complex than I initially figured or gave them credit for, and I’m glad QS was here to set the record straight and reveal their nuanced lives. Before I dive into the handmaiden aspect, let’s cover the cover gal herself, Padmé. Ruling a planet is far different than representing it in the Galactic Senate, and her struggles in these early days to overcome the stigma from her previous appearance in the Senate, finding a way to make a difference in the galaxy over while still helping her planet, sometimes feel more difficult than her struggles during the Clone Wars against the Separatists, or even the invasion of the Trade Federation in Ep. I. In those conflicts, the enemies were clear and the hardships stemmed more from the battles than the politics, but in this era of peace, Padmé has to find which of her fellow Senators are allies through forming partnerships with them, those worth appeasing for now, and those to wonder on their ultimate goals. One of the aspects of QS I found most interesting, and again was something I hadn’t considered, was how many in the Senate, like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, aren’t sure they can trust her to have the needs of the greater good in mind over just those of her planet, a worry formed due to her circumventing the Senate years prior when she called for a vote of no-confidence to help her planet in its time of crisis. By the time Attack of the Clones opens, Padmé’s been a Senator for a number of years, and she’s already made friends with familiar faces, but of course these friendships didn’t simply happen, she had to fight for them and overcome everyone’s impression of her due to her actions in TPM, and QS reveals that fight to be an exciting mental challenge/adjustment for her and those around her. Even more intriguing was the revelation Padmé had alternative plans once her Queen-ship was over: free slaves on Tatooine, with Shmi Skywalker’s freedom being an important part of that goal. As she is called away to the Senate after the new Queen requests her to, Padmé sends Sabé (the main handmaiden in TPM played by Keira Knightley) in her steed to get the job done, but she’s only able to get so far due to the deeply seeded institutions keeping the slave market alive, and ultimately is pulled away as Padmé needs her because Senator-ship has become more complex and ultimately important to her goals.
To help her learn to give up the quest to free the slaves, with her considerable resources, and double-down on working through a system full of compromises she’s not so sure she’s willing to make, the middle to late section of the book sees Padmé making a series of visits where she hopes to gain perspective (on purpose or not) and permission to carry on as Senator of Naboo, as she knows she wants to but she wants to hear affirmation from those she cares the most about. The visits include: spending time with the Naberrie family back home on Naboo, a group of characters cut out of AotC and only seen by those who have watched the deleted scenes (or their cameo at Padmé’s funeral), so it was extremely welcomed to have them see the light of day again, and show how important they are to Padmé; Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan and Senator Organa on their homeplanet, as the two monarchs are able to discuss their lives of servitude and Padmé hears more of how the royal couple work together to better the galaxy and their planet; and of course some time with Sabé, Padmé’s most important handmaiden, as well as visits with a few others whom no longer work for/with her. How often do we get a book/story in the Star Wars galaxy where the character actually gets to go through a process many of us do when making big life choices, especially if the choice is leading towards something we didn’t exactly hope or want to be doing but ended up liking regardless? It’s extremely rare we get a book about such a moment, and even more rare where it goes about showing such a moment in the relaxed fashion QS does, as there’s a good portion of the book where the biggest stress on Padmé is committing to her new life as she hops from planet to planet, important person in her life to important person. At first when reading this part, I’ll admit I got a little bored, but once I realized how important this section was to change Padmé’s headspace for something so different and important as her time as a Senator, I became far more interested, even if I felt it still dragged, just a little. Overall, this part of QS is integral to making Padmé a truly relatable character, and not just during her time married to Anakin and fighting in the Clone Wars as we got in the animated show, but at a moment in time where those connections don’t matter as she forges out on her own to create connections. There’s also a little reveal regarding a humanitarian mission she and her father partake in with a less than favorable ending and Padmé’s feelings about it and willingness to do it again if she had to, speaks volumes to her character and might be the most intriguing “new” fact Johnston adds to the character. Overall, Queen’s Shadow is everything any Padmé fan needed and wanted, but also it’s everything someone who hasn’t been the biggest fans needs as it’s a strong showing of what makes the character so compelling.
Like I mentioned earlier, I mistakenly overlooked the handmaidens, but some recent fan work, including the recent and excellent A Star Wars Comic about them, brought their real importance to light. But Queen’s Shadow reveals the deep, unbreakable bond between these sisters, these friends, these comrades, in such an intimate, profound way I’ll never watch The Phantom Menace the same way again. For some of the handmaidens, their lives post-Queen-ship take them in directions focusing on their best skills, away from being with Padmé, and it was intriguing to see them carry their handmaiden names with them as well to honor the connections they created. Some of those who go onto their own wants and desires find themselves useful to Padmé’s first big political win in the Senate, while others enjoy a newer relaxing life: Eirtaé strengthens Naboo’s crops with her algae research and this increase is helpful to a world devastated by natural disaster; Saché joins the legislature and helps smooth things over for Padmé’s big deal, with lots of respect earned by her actions in the invasion of Naboo; Yané helps out orphans; and Rabé goes onto studying music; and as I mentioned early, Sabé first tries to help out her friend’s plans for Tatooine but soon gets embroiled with her work in the Senate. Out of these, there’s a heavily implied relationship brewing between Yané and Saché, but it’s never given any solid confirmation beyond a few yearning looks, which might be the only disappointment in the handling of the handmaidens. We also get introduced to Dormé, Cordé, and Versé, with the first two seen more prominently in AotC, and it was really interesting to learn how they ended up in Padmé’s service and how integral they were in learning how to change their job under once she joined the Senate. Of course the one who gets the most time in the book is understandably Sabé, as she and Padmé were the closest match and Sabé was heavily involved with the decoy aspect of the job, therefore forcing her to think the most like Padmé because at times she had to make decision on the latter’s behalf. Their friendship, and how much Sabé cares for Padmé and how careful Padmé is ensure her friend won’t have to sacrifice herself for her, is a multifaceted one and one I wish we saw more in Star Wars, similar to the excellent female friendship as seen in Captain Marvel. There’s even a great little tease regarding Sabé’s future in an epilogue which definitely needs a follow-up (UPDATE: the follow-up is here in the most unexpected of places), but the scene also puts into perspective Padmé’s life and work with a focus on everything but the man she married. Among the million of little things I never considered that QS makes important/fleshes out, I really loved how all the handmaidens, plus Padmé, call “Amidala” the personality they assumed when being Queen, hence an explanation for her more formal speech patterns than “wooden” acting. The depth Johnston goes to breathe new life into the handmaidens, from their relationships with one another and giving everything they do an impactful form and focus, might just be the ultimate highlight of the book.
Here are a few other things:
- No only does QS flesh out Padmé and her handmaidens, it introduces us to other characters we see in the films and TV shows: Captain Typho, with an explanation why it wasn’t still Panaka by AotC guarding her; the swarmy Senator Rush Clovis from TCW, who kind of makes up for his actions in the end; Mina Bonteri, a Senator who joins the Separatist cause, something many Senators already worry about her by the timeframe of QS; Onaconda Farr, the Rodian Senator whom Padmé calls ‘uncle’ due to his working friendship with her father; Padmé beginning to use Artoo as her personal droid; and of course Senator Organa and Mothma and how Padmé begins her friendships with both. These connections felt natural and not forced thankfully, and it was neat to see the beginnings of many relationships with great importance in life of Padmé. I also appreciated how revered Qui-Gon Jinn is to Naboo and its people, as he did give his life to save theirs, but, once again, I never really thought they’d be so honored by his sacrifice.
- It’s all well and good to listen to little ol’ me shower praises on Queen’s Shadow, but it’s far more important to hear the opinions of the wonderful women of fandom about the book, so here’s a little collection of female reviews of QS: Rebecca Harrison’s at The Mary Sue; Sarah Dempster’s great piece over at Eleven-ThirtyEight; Bria’s at Tosche Station; Megan Crouse’s at Den of Geek; and Katie’s at Revenge of the Fans. There are so many more, but I wanted to highlight a few of the great voices in fandom and their enjoyment of the book!
- And of course, how about some thoughts from Queen’s Shadow’s author, E.K. Johnston herself! Amy over at the official site interviewed her, with a few slight spoilers, about the process for writing the book and the importance of the handmaiden’s/that wonderful line. “We are brave, your Highness.” and so much more; Johnston was recently on the Star Wars Show discussing the book, her excitement about writing it, and getting to weaponize every clothing item of Padmé (also a favorite reveal of mine); Johnston also got to share her top 6 favorite Padmé moments; she revealed the news that QS made the New York Time’s YA Hardcover Bestseller list at #4!; and lastly, when asked which she enjoyed writing more, Ahsoka or QS, her answer was physically the latter and emotionally the former. Love that type of answer!
- Bria also had two other great articles all about QS and Padmé: for starters, over at the official site she put together a run down of all the handmaidens to get readers up to speed, and a personal essay about the Padmé Renaissance over at her own site.
- It was Padmé Week when this novel came out, as the Wednesday following it, Marvel released Jody Houser’s Age of Republic – Padmé Amidala #1, a smaller, but very fine slice about the character. It was fitting said week happened when it did, as International Women’s Day was on the Friday following, a day which the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first female-front film, Captain Marvel, released!
- I feel like I enjoy Johnston’s Ahsoka novel just as much as I do Queen’s Shadow, but I would say this one was more structurally sound, in the sense that the interludes in Ahsoka were distracting and QS stayed focus on its main players all the way through.
- I really loved how Anakin isn’t even mentioned directly in this book, only a few indirect nods here and there, really hammering the point home how unimportant he was to her life for a large chunk of it. But it’s also a great reminder he was not what gave her agency and she doesn’t need him to be shown as an interesting character.
Queen’s Shadow was a long overdue moment for the character and writer E.K. Johnston more than lives up to such high expectations.
+ Padmé getting the spotlight she needed and deserved
+ The handmaiden bond and their distinct personalities
+ Both transitions between the films and helps set up TCW material
+ Living up to incredible expectations
– Pacing towards the middle/late part of the book
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
ALSO BY E.K. JOHNSTON:
Queen’s Peril (Novel) | Ahsoka (Novel) | “By Whatever Sun” – From a Certain Point of View (Novel)