In the Star Wars universe, there are characters who we see for brief moments but never know their backstory. Shatterpoint attempts to give more depth to the character of Jedi Master and Jedi Council member Mace Windu. Set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Mace must return to his homeworld. He’s only been there once since he was sent to the Jedi Academy. His former Padawan, Depa Billaba, was sent to drive out the separatists. She sends Mace a cryptic message, which causes the Jedi Council to send Mace in to either bring her back from the planet or destroy her.

Haruun Kal is a jungle world with settlements throughout. Mace is sent in to make contact with the local Republic agents on the planet. His journey is somewhat harrowing, and he soon finds himself caught up in the internal disputes of the planet’s inhabitants. The war may have been fought here, but what was left behind was a disaster that threatens everyone on the planet. The balance between warring factions has been tipped in favor of one side, and it seems Depa had something to do with it.

Much of the story is told in the first person in the form of log entries from Mace Windu’s viewpoint. This gives him the ability to add in background material, both regarding the world of Haruun Kal and the relationship between him and Depa. She is an extraordinary Jedi, as one would expect of a Padawan who had Mace for a Jedi Master. Haruun Kal suffered in the war and its aftermath. The jungle seems to be actively trying to murder the intelligent beings Mace finds himself among. There’s danger at every turn, and that doesn’t include the people trying to kill them.

Mace fears Depa has turned to the dark side. In Shatterpoint, it’s driven home that war itself has dark consequences, even when you’re fighting for what’s “right.” When he finds Depa, he finds someone who has mentally given up, who cannot determine right from wrong any longer. Up until now in the Star Wars universe, it’s been easy to determine good and evil. The lines started to be blurred when Padme first questioned Anakin about whether they were on the right side by being against the Separatists. Here, we have a planet “saved” from the Separatists, then abandoned to chaos and civil war between the native Korunnai and the foreign Balawai. Shatterpoint wants to drive home the point that war is not all black and white, good versus evil.

Mace is developed nicely here. We learn more about his background and the few memories he has from an early childhood on Haruun Kal before he was sent for Jedi Training as part of a negotiated treaty. As he flashes back, it’s easy to see how delicate the balance was on the planet before there was an issue with the Separatists. It’s something the politicians who are running the war don’t realize as they declare victory and move on. There’s a vacuum, and the delicate truce that once existed between the Korunnai and the Balawai is gone. Mace is descended from the Korunnai, which is where he finds Depa. She’s under the influence of Kar Vastor, a dark side user and the last of Gösh Windu besides Mace. He represents what Mace might have become had he stayed on Haruun Kal.

The audiobook is narrated by Sullivan Jones, who does a great job for the most part. I imagine some of those names were hard to keep track of, but his pronunciation is consistent. The one thing I did notice was the was he grunted or “harumphed” quite a bit. I’m sure there was some indication of this in the written book, but it seemed to occur far too often. I don’t know whether to blame the author or the narrator. Other than that, I really enjoyed listening to him and would recommend the audiobook without reservation.

Shatterpoint is a good novel as it shows the messiness of war in any universe. It also makes the events of Revenge of the Sith all the more tragic. Mace struggles with learning that what he thought was right isn’t always right. He’s tempted by the dark side and even has regrets about allowing someone to live when he should have taken the opportunity to kill him in a good bit of foreshadowing. I understand now why he was conflicted about killing Palpantine and leaned toward murdering him instead of allowing him to stand trial. Matthew Stover has created a great backstory and adventure for a character that definitely deserved it.