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From time to time, I say that I “didn’t know what to expect�� when I picked up a particular book. Never has that been so true as in the case of Crosscurrent: all I knew was that it was Star Wars and it took place during the Old Republic. I had no prior reviews, no specific recommendations, not even a back-cover blurb. I knew a little bit about both Old and New Republic eras from Wookieepedia and TV Tropes, but for the most part, I was going in blind.

Given that, it’s hardly surprising that I was confused for the first few chapters. The time jumped back and forth between past and present, names of people and species and places and events were thrown about as if I ought to know who and what they were, and several names I did recognize (Kyle Katarn, for example, and Jaden) seemed to not line up with what I knew about them.

Once I got my bearings, however (a process aided by the memory of a few bits of trivia I’d picked up somewhere, that certain names and characters had been repurposed from the early Star Wars EU books into something new), I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I didn’t connect much to Relin, true, or even to Jaden until a fair way through the book, but I liked Khedryn and Marr a lot, and a certain pivotal plot twist was, quite frankly, awesome. I rather want to see if I can pull off something similar in a roleplay, if I get the chance. Kell was a fairly creepy villain, in a disgusting sort of way- though Saes was a better one. The action was well-done, whether in ship-to-ship or hand-to-hand combat, as was the element of suspense and mystery about Jaden’s destination. The themes of this book were also interesting- some I agreed with; some I’m less certain about.

I was slightly disappointed to not have more in the Old Republic, but probably wouldn’t have been bothered by that if I’d actually had a description before starting the book. There were also some scenes of carnage later in the book that tended towards the gory. It didn’t bother me, but that’s mostly because I didn’t allow myself to pause long enough to really think about it. I might’ve liked a touch more resolution to the ending, but on the whole it was fine.

Overall, Crosscurrent is an exciting and enoyable read for fans of Star Wars and sci-fi.