Darth Maul – Saboteur by James Luceno is a short story detailing a quick mission taken by Darth Sidious’s young apprentice, Darth Maul, prior to the events of The Phantom Menace. Put me in the category of being a Darth Maul fan without knowing actually why. Sure, he has the classic vicious villain look to him or it could be because he wields a dual sided lightsaber. Whatever the case may be, I’m glad there are dedicated stories and novels based on his character. Never would I have guessed though that Darth Maul is actually gifted in other arts besides being a Jedi sword master.

“What is done in secret has great power.”

Darth Sidious

Not much is known in regards to the Darth Maul character if you were like me who just watched the Star Wars movies and never getting to actually explore beyond that. He was a mysterious and quiet figure serving as apprentice to Darth Sidious but we all underneath that demeanor lurked a very powerful Jedi skilled in the way of fighting with his awesome looking, if unorthodox, duel sided red light saber. With Saboteur, we get to see that Darth Maul isn’t just all about using his lightsaber. Instead, we learn one of his other prized gift as a Jedi is actually in the arts of background deception and manipulation. Being able to sense and read people’s feelings allows him to better predict and manipulate an outcome of his choosing. This makes him the ultimate saboteur and perfect for stealth missions. That shocked me a bit at first but I really shouldn’t have been. Darth Maul is Darth Sidious’s apprentice and we all know how well of a manipulator he is.

“You need fear me only if you fail me.”

Darth Sidious

Saboteur is nice quick read on Darth Maul before going into other of his more length novels. If you’re just getting into the Darth Maul character like I am, be prepared for a surprise.