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Star Wars Disney Canon Novel
Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss
Jedi Master Mace Windu travels to a dangerous, remote planet on a mission that challenges even his deadly prowess—all to fulfill Qui-Gon’s last request.
The Jedi are reeling from Qui-Gon Jinn’s sudden death at the hands of a Sith. Jedi Master Mace Windu’s feelings about Qui-Gon have always been complicated, and have not been made any simpler in death. While they often disagreed, Mace valued Qui-Gon's unique perspective, and their shared dedication to the Force made them allies. Without Qui-Gon and his unorthodox views, Mace feels out of balance.
While considering his fallen friend’s legacy, Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui-Gon, marked to be delivered to Mace on the event of Qui-Gon’s death. The message contains a last request: a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos.
Many years ago, a violent solar flare transformed the surface of the desert planet into a landscape of irradiated glass—as beautiful as it is dangerous. Now most of the surviving inhabitants live underground, where rival clans fight to control the planet’s limited resources. As a young Jedi, Qui-Gon protected the Sa’ad farming clan from the planet’s less scrupulous factions. The Sa’ad practice the art of dream-weaving, retaining their waking minds upon sleep in order to communicate and coexist with the wild creatures around them. Qui-Gon vowed to return if they ever required his aid, but now it falls to Mace to fulfill that promise. The Sa’ad’s leader, KinShan Nightbird, has begged for the Jedi’s help in freeing Megatos from the crime lords who threaten to eradicate her people’s way of life.
Intent on fulfilling Qui-Gon’s final wishes, Mace travels to Megatos and infiltrates the enemies of the Sa’ad. But as the Jedi Master investigates the intricate web of adversaries and allies, Mace finds himself pushed to the boundaries of the Jedi code, challenging his beliefs and his relationship to the Force itself.
The Jedi are reeling from Qui-Gon Jinn’s sudden death at the hands of a Sith. Jedi Master Mace Windu’s feelings about Qui-Gon have always been complicated, and have not been made any simpler in death. While they often disagreed, Mace valued Qui-Gon's unique perspective, and their shared dedication to the Force made them allies. Without Qui-Gon and his unorthodox views, Mace feels out of balance.
While considering his fallen friend’s legacy, Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui-Gon, marked to be delivered to Mace on the event of Qui-Gon’s death. The message contains a last request: a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos.
Many years ago, a violent solar flare transformed the surface of the desert planet into a landscape of irradiated glass—as beautiful as it is dangerous. Now most of the surviving inhabitants live underground, where rival clans fight to control the planet’s limited resources. As a young Jedi, Qui-Gon protected the Sa’ad farming clan from the planet’s less scrupulous factions. The Sa’ad practice the art of dream-weaving, retaining their waking minds upon sleep in order to communicate and coexist with the wild creatures around them. Qui-Gon vowed to return if they ever required his aid, but now it falls to Mace to fulfill that promise. The Sa’ad’s leader, KinShan Nightbird, has begged for the Jedi’s help in freeing Megatos from the crime lords who threaten to eradicate her people’s way of life.
Intent on fulfilling Qui-Gon’s final wishes, Mace travels to Megatos and infiltrates the enemies of the Sa’ad. But as the Jedi Master investigates the intricate web of adversaries and allies, Mace finds himself pushed to the boundaries of the Jedi code, challenging his beliefs and his relationship to the Force itself.
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First published October 15, 2024
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About the author
Steven Barnes
130 books478 followersSteven Barnes (born March 1, 1952, Los Angeles, California) is an African American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician. He has written several episodes of The Outer Limits and Baywatch, as well as the Stargate SG-1 episode "Brief Candle" and the Andromeda episode "The Sum of its Parts". Barnes' first published piece of fiction, the novelette The Locusts (1979), written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo Award nominee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 249 reviews
October 25, 2024
Ooof. I've got to be honest...I did not care for this book.
The first issue I have with this book is the characterization. Mace Windu is a difficult character to nail in a book, and he has a very specific dialect and tone to his speech and I don't believe that Steven Barnes really got it. If Mace Windu was subbed out for an original character and some of the set-up was changed a bit, I think it probably would have been better.
I also thought that the book delved way too much into wierd Science Fiction. Most of the Star Wars books that try this don't work for me and a lot of readers, and I think this book further cements that idea for me. Almost the entire book (like 95% of it,except for like 3 really short chapters at the beginning and end) take place in this planet of Metagos exclusively. This planet has some really in depth and crazy worldbuilding, particularly around its' spiderlike creatures. Unfortunately, Barnes spends a long time explaining the worldbuilding and going into the species and history that it made the book a chore to read, rather than a breeze.
If I can give the book some praise, I thought the villain Chulok was absolutely fascinating and interesting. The concept of a combined creature that is basically 2-in-1 was unique and made Chulok stand out. I also enjoyed the implications behind how Chulok made decisions, being 2 creatures combined.
I also thought it was competently plotted, I just was not interested in what that plot presented.
The original characters Kinshan and the Mayas and the Sybils and the other characters just didn't work for me. I never felt I could connect with them.
Overall, I'll give the book a 4 out of 10. Just was not entertaining. Sorry.
The first issue I have with this book is the characterization. Mace Windu is a difficult character to nail in a book, and he has a very specific dialect and tone to his speech and I don't believe that Steven Barnes really got it. If Mace Windu was subbed out for an original character and some of the set-up was changed a bit, I think it probably would have been better.
I also thought that the book delved way too much into wierd Science Fiction. Most of the Star Wars books that try this don't work for me and a lot of readers, and I think this book further cements that idea for me. Almost the entire book (like 95% of it,except for like 3 really short chapters at the beginning and end) take place in this planet of Metagos exclusively. This planet has some really in depth and crazy worldbuilding, particularly around its' spiderlike creatures. Unfortunately, Barnes spends a long time explaining the worldbuilding and going into the species and history that it made the book a chore to read, rather than a breeze.
If I can give the book some praise, I thought the villain Chulok was absolutely fascinating and interesting. The concept of a combined creature that is basically 2-in-1 was unique and made Chulok stand out. I also enjoyed the implications behind how Chulok made decisions, being 2 creatures combined.
I also thought it was competently plotted, I just was not interested in what that plot presented.
The original characters Kinshan and the Mayas and the Sybils and the other characters just didn't work for me. I never felt I could connect with them.
Overall, I'll give the book a 4 out of 10. Just was not entertaining. Sorry.
November 22, 2024
Samuel L. Jackson was, in my opinion, one of three great actors criminally underutilized in the Star Wars prequels: Terence Stamp (Chancellor Valorum) and Christopher Lee (Count Dooku) being the other two. As Jedi Master Mace Windu, Jackson was relegated to a handful of scenes and four or five lines in the whole series.
Thankfully, efforts have been made to flesh out his character with more depth and backstory than he received in the films. In 2017, there was a short-run graphic novel series. This year, another short-run graphic novel series hit newsstands. Also, sci-fi author Steven Barnes was invited to pen a Mace Windu novel.
"The Glass Abyss" is the result, and, while I must admit to being disappointed with the latest run of novels being put out by Disney/Lucasfilm (especially the High Republic series), this novel did not disappoint at all.
Despite a slow start, Barnes's contribution to the new canon is a wonderfully entertaining and exciting novel that breathes more life into the character of Windu.
Set immediately after the events of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace", "The Glass Abyss" sees Windu grieving for his fellow Jedi and friend, Qui-Gon Jinn (played by Liam Neeson). Jinn left Windu a death-bed request to travel to an Outer Rim planet called Metagos. Very few details were included about why, other than Jinn was seriously injured the last time he was there and could not complete the mission. He felt Windu was better suited to finish the mission.
Upon arrival, Windu learns that the planet (actually a giant geode in space, in which the inhabitants live within partitioned cities inside the geode) is overrun with two warring gangs who are using the indigenous peoples as slave labor. Befriending the impoverished locals, Windu immediately gets to work in fomenting dissension and rebellion among the lower castes. He also pits the two warring gangs against each other, with the intent of having them distracted with their own conflict that they neglect to see the rebellion happening under their noses.
Meanwhile, Windu is having troubling dreams about his childhood. Something about Metagos is triggering memories (false or real? he can't tell) about what happened to his parents and his initiation into the Jedi Brotherhood.
Overall, this is one of the better books in the newer crop of Star Wars novels that I have read, and I hope Barnes will be invited back to continue the adventures of Mace Windu.
Thankfully, efforts have been made to flesh out his character with more depth and backstory than he received in the films. In 2017, there was a short-run graphic novel series. This year, another short-run graphic novel series hit newsstands. Also, sci-fi author Steven Barnes was invited to pen a Mace Windu novel.
"The Glass Abyss" is the result, and, while I must admit to being disappointed with the latest run of novels being put out by Disney/Lucasfilm (especially the High Republic series), this novel did not disappoint at all.
Despite a slow start, Barnes's contribution to the new canon is a wonderfully entertaining and exciting novel that breathes more life into the character of Windu.
Set immediately after the events of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace", "The Glass Abyss" sees Windu grieving for his fellow Jedi and friend, Qui-Gon Jinn (played by Liam Neeson). Jinn left Windu a death-bed request to travel to an Outer Rim planet called Metagos. Very few details were included about why, other than Jinn was seriously injured the last time he was there and could not complete the mission. He felt Windu was better suited to finish the mission.
Upon arrival, Windu learns that the planet (actually a giant geode in space, in which the inhabitants live within partitioned cities inside the geode) is overrun with two warring gangs who are using the indigenous peoples as slave labor. Befriending the impoverished locals, Windu immediately gets to work in fomenting dissension and rebellion among the lower castes. He also pits the two warring gangs against each other, with the intent of having them distracted with their own conflict that they neglect to see the rebellion happening under their noses.
Meanwhile, Windu is having troubling dreams about his childhood. Something about Metagos is triggering memories (false or real? he can't tell) about what happened to his parents and his initiation into the Jedi Brotherhood.
Overall, this is one of the better books in the newer crop of Star Wars novels that I have read, and I hope Barnes will be invited back to continue the adventures of Mace Windu.
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December 8, 2023MACE WINDU I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU; YOUR TIME HAS COME
October 17, 2024
Mace Windu is a character who, besides an excellent Legends novel, we have had very little exploration of in the Star Wars universe. So when this book was announced I was very excited. I did, however, go into this with a bit of trepidation because of the author. Steven Barnes wrote The Cestus Deception, a Legends novel that I found very strange in its concepts and middle of the road in terms of enjoyment. Barnes leans very heavily into the weird side of sci-fi, think some of the weirder parts of the later Dune novels for example. I don’t mind weird sci-fi but Star Wars is such a lived in universe that when you introduce something you better hit it out of the park. I’m sorry to say that did not happen for me with this book, and Barnes repeats a lot of his tropes from his previous work. I wouldn’t call this a bad sci-fi story, but it’s certainly a mediocre Star Wars novel.
Let’s start with the positives. I really loved the book’s opening. I liked getting inside Windu’s head and listening to his inner dialogue. I liked the book showcasing Windu’s strong relationship with Qui-Gon Jinn (the story takes place right after his death). In fact, Jinn serves as a bit of a MacGuffin to move the story forward as Mace goes on a quest to resolve one of Jinn’s previous missions. Barnes creates an interesting world, culture, and species with the planet Metagost and the capital city of New Xaxxis. We have very few authors in canon Star Wars who’ve been willing to do that. Watching Windu have to navigate this complex world is interesting enough.
The problem is that Windu feels like a side character at times in his own book. He gets swept up in the conflict of this planet but these other characters take up a lot of page time, and if I’m being honest I found a lot of them to be so weird that I had a hard time caring about the story being told. It felt like Windu ended up taking a backseat while Barnes told the story he really wanted to tell about these insectoid and worm-like aliens at war with each other. Since I didn’t care about these characters, I found it to be a chore to read.
Overall, it’s not the worst Star Wars novel but it is a huge letdown for me. I don’t think Barnes was the right writer to tell a Mace Windu story unfortunately. Some people will probably love it, but I didn’t. I just thought it was okay in the end, but I did appreciate the world building and risk taking.
This has to be one of the most beautiful covers though.
Let’s start with the positives. I really loved the book’s opening. I liked getting inside Windu’s head and listening to his inner dialogue. I liked the book showcasing Windu’s strong relationship with Qui-Gon Jinn (the story takes place right after his death). In fact, Jinn serves as a bit of a MacGuffin to move the story forward as Mace goes on a quest to resolve one of Jinn’s previous missions. Barnes creates an interesting world, culture, and species with the planet Metagost and the capital city of New Xaxxis. We have very few authors in canon Star Wars who’ve been willing to do that. Watching Windu have to navigate this complex world is interesting enough.
The problem is that Windu feels like a side character at times in his own book. He gets swept up in the conflict of this planet but these other characters take up a lot of page time, and if I’m being honest I found a lot of them to be so weird that I had a hard time caring about the story being told. It felt like Windu ended up taking a backseat while Barnes told the story he really wanted to tell about these insectoid and worm-like aliens at war with each other. Since I didn’t care about these characters, I found it to be a chore to read.
Overall, it’s not the worst Star Wars novel but it is a huge letdown for me. I don’t think Barnes was the right writer to tell a Mace Windu story unfortunately. Some people will probably love it, but I didn’t. I just thought it was okay in the end, but I did appreciate the world building and risk taking.
This has to be one of the most beautiful covers though.
November 25, 2024
Yes, it's everyone favourite Jedi Council Party Pooper off on his own solo adventure.
I've always felt Mace Windu was a cool, if underutilized, character from the Prequels. I have been gratified to see his story continue and expand thanks to The Clone Wars, comics and books like Shatterpoint which, while I suppose it is no longer canonical still sits for me as the high water mark in Windu content.
This book (as the author freely acknowledges) owes an awful lot to the now classic story structure of Kurosawa's Yojimbo (a movie so great they had to remake it- at least twice! see: A Fistful of Dollars, Last Man Standing, et al.) with the as-yet-unnamed Jedi walking into a rough town incognito to go to work for both sides in a simmering criminal conflict while trying to keep the interests of the regular folk caught in the middle in mind. And if that had been the only thrust of the book I probably would have perfectly fine with it but there are many layers of secondary characters and worldbuilding thrown in that mostly served as a distraction from Mace's quest of self-discovery and mission to fulfill a promise made by the now-deceased Qui-Gon Jinn.
I'll give the writer marks for originality for the primary antagonist, Chulok, but for the life of me I couldn't picture how such a dual person would actually look and move, particularly as comprised of more than one species. Maybe more my lack of imagination than an indictment of the writing, though.
Final analysis, this one can be skipped unless you are an avowed MW or Sam Jackson fan and want to experience more galactic adventures at his side.
Sorry bro that's just how I see it.
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December 8, 2023MACE WINDU ENJOYERS WE WIN AGAIN!!!! 💜
January 24, 2025
"Jedi do not ignore their feelings. They integrate them. Own them."
dnf at 16%
dnf at 16%
November 5, 2024
The stoic and often cold-seeming Jedi Master Mace Windu gets to shine in this adventure after Mace receives a a post-death message from Qui-Gon Jinn, asking Mace to help the Outer Rim planet Metagos.
Its people have been driven underground after its surface was irradiated by a solar flare. The survivors are a complex mix of different peoples; Qui-Gon had worked to protect the Sa'ad farming clan from the criminals troubling them. The Sa'ad are fascinating, as they practice the art of dream-weaving, which allows them to communicate with the wild creatures who inhabit the planet, while the Sa-ad sleep.
Qui-Gon was unable to complete his task there, and sends Mace to the planet as a last favour. Though Mace has always had complicated feelings about Qui-Gon, he appreciated the other Master's unique perspectives on the Force and life.
Mace arrives in Metagos, and get to know the different factions, and admires KinShan Nightbird, the leader of the Sa'ad. Actually, the two admire each other a lot, and we see a softer side of Mace here, which was lovely.
Taking on the identity of the Solver, Mace meets the ambitious and ruthless head of a criminal organization, Chulok, who has plans far beyond dominance on this planet. Mace must convince the beaten down inhabitants to rise up and fight if he has any hope of removing the malignant influence of this criminal.
So, I've not been a big Mace fan, but this book turned me around on him. It was wonderful getting to know the man behind the stoic façade, and he cares so much. He is also interested in how species evolved on different planets, and shows a respect for droids I had not expected (I loved Maya-12 and their relationship).
Author Steven Barnes creates a nuanced portrait of a stern and often forbidding Jedi Master, and shows us his past, and his reasons for maintaining his impassiveness. Mace is a passionate, caring person, who loves and engenders love and respect in others for him. This is so far from the dark and world weary person we meet in RoTS; mind you, he's been through years of war by that point, and that's not who he is in this book.
I liked Mace, and found the complexities of the interactions amongst everyone he meets intriguing. I will say that there were so many characters and motives that I did have some trouble keeping them all straight. But overall, I liked the chance to revise my opinion of this character, and chuckled at Yoda's amused recounting of what a chaotic and frustrating child the man was. Though not my favourite Star Wars novel, I liked this.
3.5 stars.
Its people have been driven underground after its surface was irradiated by a solar flare. The survivors are a complex mix of different peoples; Qui-Gon had worked to protect the Sa'ad farming clan from the criminals troubling them. The Sa'ad are fascinating, as they practice the art of dream-weaving, which allows them to communicate with the wild creatures who inhabit the planet, while the Sa-ad sleep.
Qui-Gon was unable to complete his task there, and sends Mace to the planet as a last favour. Though Mace has always had complicated feelings about Qui-Gon, he appreciated the other Master's unique perspectives on the Force and life.
Mace arrives in Metagos, and get to know the different factions, and admires KinShan Nightbird, the leader of the Sa'ad. Actually, the two admire each other a lot, and we see a softer side of Mace here, which was lovely.
Taking on the identity of the Solver, Mace meets the ambitious and ruthless head of a criminal organization, Chulok, who has plans far beyond dominance on this planet. Mace must convince the beaten down inhabitants to rise up and fight if he has any hope of removing the malignant influence of this criminal.
So, I've not been a big Mace fan, but this book turned me around on him. It was wonderful getting to know the man behind the stoic façade, and he cares so much. He is also interested in how species evolved on different planets, and shows a respect for droids I had not expected (I loved Maya-12 and their relationship).
Author Steven Barnes creates a nuanced portrait of a stern and often forbidding Jedi Master, and shows us his past, and his reasons for maintaining his impassiveness. Mace is a passionate, caring person, who loves and engenders love and respect in others for him. This is so far from the dark and world weary person we meet in RoTS; mind you, he's been through years of war by that point, and that's not who he is in this book.
I liked Mace, and found the complexities of the interactions amongst everyone he meets intriguing. I will say that there were so many characters and motives that I did have some trouble keeping them all straight. But overall, I liked the chance to revise my opinion of this character, and chuckled at Yoda's amused recounting of what a chaotic and frustrating child the man was. Though not my favourite Star Wars novel, I liked this.
3.5 stars.
November 6, 2024
I was never the biggest fan of Mace Windu, but when I saw that he was getting a novel I felt excited for it. But I ended up being kind of disappointing to be honest. It wasn't all that interesting for the most part. I did enjoy the final fight though.
2.75 stars
2.75 stars
Want to read
March 11, 2024THE COVER IS STUNNNNINNNN
October 30, 2024
The best thing about this book is the cover. It just didn’t seem like a Mace Windu story, it felt more like a run of the mill science fiction book with Mace Windu inserted into the story. Any random SW character could’ve been the main character in this book. Other than one or two chapters that tie in to the larger SW universe of established characters, it’s just not worth reading.
December 29, 2024
I honestly appreciate that Steven Barnes was trying to do something fresh here, but it just doesn't work as a piece of franchise lore. And yes, that has to count for something when you're making a piece of franchise lore.
The greatest sin of the piece from that perspective is that the character arc for Windu makes little sense in the greater known arc of the character. It's working to resolve something that doesn't need to be resolved in the character and, if it is resolved, breaks the onscreen arc of the character as understood by audiences.
The second greatest sin, but the one transferrable outside the franchise limitations, is that the attempted philosophical moments in the book ring hollow. They read too much like a dimestore self-help book's impression of what self-improvement looks like. It's a lot of flowery nonsense that also doesn't work within the philosophical framework of the franchise's stronger and more meaningful works. The philosophy instead plays like what we saw in The Last Jedi or The Acolyte; it's Cliff's Notes from class but lacking the meaningful nuance.
There are also some themes and subtext I think the author is trying to convey. They are either clumsily woven into things or too personal that I don't know that the average reader is going to find resonance with them.
The author's refusal to write himself out of a corner is particularly frustrating. The story resolves in a remarkably unsatisfying way.
There's also a tremendous opportunity missed here to explain and connect something that the general public doesn't know about Mace Windu's lightsaber, but instead the reach for relevance through Qui-Gon Jinn zips right by it. The other franchise material references are also oddly jarring and, instead of being "Easter Eggs" for fans, don't make sense at certain points.
The final sin is that the new characters aren't particularly compelling. They seem like they should be, but they're more flash than substance.
None of this is to say that the author is not good. His writing style is fine, and I might even read something else he wrote based on that. But it doesn't work to his advantage here.
The greatest sin of the piece from that perspective is that the character arc for Windu makes little sense in the greater known arc of the character. It's working to resolve something that doesn't need to be resolved in the character and, if it is resolved, breaks the onscreen arc of the character as understood by audiences.
The second greatest sin, but the one transferrable outside the franchise limitations, is that the attempted philosophical moments in the book ring hollow. They read too much like a dimestore self-help book's impression of what self-improvement looks like. It's a lot of flowery nonsense that also doesn't work within the philosophical framework of the franchise's stronger and more meaningful works. The philosophy instead plays like what we saw in The Last Jedi or The Acolyte; it's Cliff's Notes from class but lacking the meaningful nuance.
There are also some themes and subtext I think the author is trying to convey. They are either clumsily woven into things or too personal that I don't know that the average reader is going to find resonance with them.
The author's refusal to write himself out of a corner is particularly frustrating. The story resolves in a remarkably unsatisfying way.
There's also a tremendous opportunity missed here to explain and connect something that the general public doesn't know about Mace Windu's lightsaber, but instead the reach for relevance through Qui-Gon Jinn zips right by it. The other franchise material references are also oddly jarring and, instead of being "Easter Eggs" for fans, don't make sense at certain points.
The final sin is that the new characters aren't particularly compelling. They seem like they should be, but they're more flash than substance.
None of this is to say that the author is not good. His writing style is fine, and I might even read something else he wrote based on that. But it doesn't work to his advantage here.
July 5, 2025
⭐️⭐️
Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss leans heavily into sci-fi, which wasn’t quite my taste, though I appreciated the insights into Mace’s thoughts on Anakin and glimpses of Anakin’s early days at the Jedi Temple—ideas that could inspire a great story on their own. The book explores Mace’s background and his home planet, adding some depth, but much of the plot focuses on the politics of Metagus, which didn’t fully capture my interest. Additionally, the romance subplot felt unnecessary, and Mace’s character didn’t stand out much compared to other Jedi. While the world-building had some memorable moments, the story overall didn’t quite resonate with me.
3 out of 10
Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss leans heavily into sci-fi, which wasn’t quite my taste, though I appreciated the insights into Mace’s thoughts on Anakin and glimpses of Anakin’s early days at the Jedi Temple—ideas that could inspire a great story on their own. The book explores Mace’s background and his home planet, adding some depth, but much of the plot focuses on the politics of Metagus, which didn’t fully capture my interest. Additionally, the romance subplot felt unnecessary, and Mace’s character didn’t stand out much compared to other Jedi. While the world-building had some memorable moments, the story overall didn’t quite resonate with me.
3 out of 10
July 20, 2025
reading this felt like trudging through knee deep sand.
November 22, 2024
Mace Windu’s journey throughout “The Glass Abyss” was an expedition I got lost in as soon as Mace stepped foot on Metagos. It was a refreshing experience to meet new characters with storylines that are uncharted territories for the reader—and revisiting some of our favorites such as Yoda, Qui-Gon—and Anakin.
I think Barnes is an excellent world and character builder, however my personal preferences would have loved to spend more time with characters such as Kinshan, Marta, and Chulok. The dinner scene was perhaps my favorite part of the book because of how much time we spent with each character at the table. It felt that when Barnes was truly exploring each of the character’s facial expression, movements, and thoughts, his writing soared.
The quick chapters also kept me engaged and moved the story along at a pace that was still easy to keep up with. I did not feel lost despite switching gears. If anything, it showed me how time is of the essence in this specific situation for Mace and co.
I would have enjoyed to learn a little bit more of Mace and Qui-Gon’s relationship, however, that’s a personal preference as someone who cherishes those types of relationships in Star Wars.
I applaud Steven Barnes for handling Mace Windu with such care and adoration! I was so happy to read Mace laugh in a time of great stress—and sorrowful for him when he tossed and turned at night. He truly made me feel, as the reader, more connected to the master Jedi.
I think Barnes is an excellent world and character builder, however my personal preferences would have loved to spend more time with characters such as Kinshan, Marta, and Chulok. The dinner scene was perhaps my favorite part of the book because of how much time we spent with each character at the table. It felt that when Barnes was truly exploring each of the character’s facial expression, movements, and thoughts, his writing soared.
The quick chapters also kept me engaged and moved the story along at a pace that was still easy to keep up with. I did not feel lost despite switching gears. If anything, it showed me how time is of the essence in this specific situation for Mace and co.
I would have enjoyed to learn a little bit more of Mace and Qui-Gon’s relationship, however, that’s a personal preference as someone who cherishes those types of relationships in Star Wars.
I applaud Steven Barnes for handling Mace Windu with such care and adoration! I was so happy to read Mace laugh in a time of great stress—and sorrowful for him when he tossed and turned at night. He truly made me feel, as the reader, more connected to the master Jedi.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2024
Perhaps I lean closer to 4 stars than 5, but I'll round it up because this book is beautifully written, takes its time to develop storylines in depth, and uses imagination and character in a way that puts most of the recent High Republic novels to shame. This is a novel that's just on a different level to recent Lucasverse fare, and reminds me of the great days of the "Legends" era, when Timothy Zahn and Kevin Anderson ruled the novel-writing roost. One interesting caveat: the powerful, complicated, passionate Mace Windu of this novel is so unlike his prequel-era screen appearance as to be all but irreconcilable. Don't watch Episode III after reading this...your soul will be crushed.
June 9, 2025
Reading and loving “Shatterpoint” earlier this year made me more appreciative of the character of Mace Windu and thus more willing to give “Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss” a chance. While Shatterpoint is “Mace Windu in Apocalypse Now”, Glass Abyss is “Mace Windu in Yojimbo”, as Mace honors a posthumous request from Qui-Gon Jinn to free a planet from the yoke of two criminal organizations. Reading Shatterpoint before this might have unfairly set the bar too high for The Glass Abyss because in general I was unimpressed despite wanting to enjoy it.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with The Glass Abyss, I just don’t think there’s anything groundbreaking about the book in regards to Mace Windu. Shatterpoint really felt like it was pushing Mace to the edge of madness and his capabilities as a Jedi. Steve Barnes meanwhile tries to explore Mace’s personality here but it's not as compelling. It’s just a series of undercover missions for Mace that don’t really push him too hard and the explorations of Mace’s childhood just felt kind of flat. The inclusion of a love interest of Mace’s likewise doesn’t add too much and could have been cut all together as the book needs to align with the films’ portrayal as a chaste Jedi to better set him apart from Anakin. If anything this just makes Mace/the Jedi hypocrites for letting him try romance briefly while Anakin is in constant agony over his own. Besides not being wowed by the exploration of Mace’s character, a lot of the book could be fairly dull. There were long stretches of time when I’d just zone out as Barnes goes too into detail about the surrounding environments, characters within them, world building, deep philosophical/spiritual discussions, etc. In a good/great Star Wars book all of those can work really well. It’s just not working here like it should have been working.
That’s not to say the book isn’t without its positives. The action sequences are generally pretty entertaining. Likewise, whenever Glass Abyss leans into its Yojimbo influences (or its Spaghetti Western cousin “A Fistful of Dollars”) the book does shine. No surprise, Star Wars usually doesn’t go wrong with channeling its Akira Kurosawa influences. Finally I did enjoy some of Barnes’ world building. The main alien antagonist, two bodies joined together with limited Force abilities, was a pretty neat design for a one off Star Wars villain. Likewise some of the exploration and usage of dreams as a tool/weapon was a neat expansion of how Star Wars previously looked at dreams in relation to The Force.
“The Glass Abyss” had some decent and/or pretty cool moments. But unlike “Shatterpoint” which left quite an impression both in terms of content and its exploration of Mace Windu. It’s just not really all that interesting and is otherwise pretty forgettable.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with The Glass Abyss, I just don’t think there’s anything groundbreaking about the book in regards to Mace Windu. Shatterpoint really felt like it was pushing Mace to the edge of madness and his capabilities as a Jedi. Steve Barnes meanwhile tries to explore Mace’s personality here but it's not as compelling. It’s just a series of undercover missions for Mace that don’t really push him too hard and the explorations of Mace’s childhood just felt kind of flat. The inclusion of a love interest of Mace’s likewise doesn’t add too much and could have been cut all together as the book needs to align with the films’ portrayal as a chaste Jedi to better set him apart from Anakin. If anything this just makes Mace/the Jedi hypocrites for letting him try romance briefly while Anakin is in constant agony over his own. Besides not being wowed by the exploration of Mace’s character, a lot of the book could be fairly dull. There were long stretches of time when I’d just zone out as Barnes goes too into detail about the surrounding environments, characters within them, world building, deep philosophical/spiritual discussions, etc. In a good/great Star Wars book all of those can work really well. It’s just not working here like it should have been working.
That’s not to say the book isn’t without its positives. The action sequences are generally pretty entertaining. Likewise, whenever Glass Abyss leans into its Yojimbo influences (or its Spaghetti Western cousin “A Fistful of Dollars”) the book does shine. No surprise, Star Wars usually doesn’t go wrong with channeling its Akira Kurosawa influences. Finally I did enjoy some of Barnes’ world building. The main alien antagonist, two bodies joined together with limited Force abilities, was a pretty neat design for a one off Star Wars villain. Likewise some of the exploration and usage of dreams as a tool/weapon was a neat expansion of how Star Wars previously looked at dreams in relation to The Force.
“The Glass Abyss” had some decent and/or pretty cool moments. But unlike “Shatterpoint” which left quite an impression both in terms of content and its exploration of Mace Windu. It’s just not really all that interesting and is otherwise pretty forgettable.
March 22, 2025
While I enjoyed the general plot and setting of this book, the two main conflicts (Mace's inner conflict with his identity and the conflict on Metagos) felt very disconnected from each other, and that the story in general felt very isolated from the rest of the Star Wars universe.
I also felt like Mace's inner conflict regarding his identity and relationship to the Jedi to both be very shallow and also out of place for his character.
It was shallow in the sense that it's never delved into why it's a conflict for him in the first place.
That brings me to my second issue with his inner conflict, the fact that it feels out of place for a character that is both a middle-aged man and the Master of the Order at this point. This crisis feels like something he would have come to terms with during his time as a padawan or even as a new knight, not as a Jedi Master in his 40s.
Also, semi-related, but that romance came out of nowhere for me and was completely unnecessary.
That being said, I really enjoyed the glimpses that we got of the Jedi and their culture in this book! The idea of the Jedi feeling Othered when comparing their lifestyle to non-Jedi because of their choice to dedicate themselves to discipline and duty, Mace's relationship with Vaapad and his fighting style in general, the small peek we get to see of his quarters in the temple, the fact that the Jedi consider themselves one big family! I only wish we got more of Mace's relationship with the other Jedi and spent more time in the temple itself.
Finally, as much as I enjoyed having Mace as the main character, he was completely unnecessary in the larger plot on Metagos. Like, I understand why he played the role that he did, but also literally anyone else could have been substituted in and done just fine.
I also felt like Mace's inner conflict regarding his identity and relationship to the Jedi to both be very shallow and also out of place for his character.
It was shallow in the sense that it's never delved into why it's a conflict for him in the first place.
That brings me to my second issue with his inner conflict, the fact that it feels out of place for a character that is both a middle-aged man and the Master of the Order at this point. This crisis feels like something he would have come to terms with during his time as a padawan or even as a new knight, not as a Jedi Master in his 40s.
Also, semi-related, but that romance came out of nowhere for me and was completely unnecessary.
That being said, I really enjoyed the glimpses that we got of the Jedi and their culture in this book! The idea of the Jedi feeling Othered when comparing their lifestyle to non-Jedi because of their choice to dedicate themselves to discipline and duty, Mace's relationship with Vaapad and his fighting style in general, the small peek we get to see of his quarters in the temple, the fact that the Jedi consider themselves one big family! I only wish we got more of Mace's relationship with the other Jedi and spent more time in the temple itself.
Finally, as much as I enjoyed having Mace as the main character, he was completely unnecessary in the larger plot on Metagos. Like, I understand why he played the role that he did, but also literally anyone else could have been substituted in and done just fine.
January 27, 2025
I truly feel so lucky to have read close to 130 Star wars novels now. Especially when I get to read one like this. While I think THR has strong 4 and 5 star books there is a clear difference between this and those. Here we find a deep character study focusing on one very popular character. Barnes takes the time to explore Mace Windu in a totally unexpected but thrilling way, one that totally subverts expectations and adds to the character in an incredibly meaningful way. Windu was always a complex character but I think this novel has really defined the man, the Master, and the General.
February 27, 2025
I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Barnes' previous book didn't blow me away, and most of the modern direction has been poor. I definitely think barnes has limitations as a writer, as he struggled with characterisations in both books. My biggest problem with this story was Mace windu did a lot of very non-jedi things. It could have worked if he had been younger, or if it had been another character, but not Mace in his prime, atop the jedi council.
I will say, surpsingly nothing really blew me away, but everything was done solidly. The plot, characters, world building. All above average. It made for an enjoyable book, but far from being 5 stars. I think the different factions, and not spending enough time on each also hurt the story. It was tough to follow the different groups
I will say, surpsingly nothing really blew me away, but everything was done solidly. The plot, characters, world building. All above average. It made for an enjoyable book, but far from being 5 stars. I think the different factions, and not spending enough time on each also hurt the story. It was tough to follow the different groups
April 10, 2025
So this was a bit jarring. Started off promising then slowed down and then the middle was really enjoyable and now it’s dragging a bit again, but I feel like we’re seeing a different side of mace that we haven’t seen before since legends aka expanded universe books pre-dating the Disney takeover. However, this also didn't quite feel like the Mace we've come to know from the films. I did enjoy the way this book tackled romantic love and attachment. That was interesting and I felt had Anakin known the possibilities and what that could look like, things perhaps would've looked different.
October 22, 2024
This was a fine book. The writing style was fine and the plot was fine. It might even have been good if it wasn’t supposed to be about Mace Windu. The author seemed to have done little research about Mace. This resulted in a story that the main character could have been replaced with a nameless mercenary and the story would be the same.
Mace hardly even used the force.
Mace hardly even used the force.
August 30, 2025
Barnes is back in SW with his first canon novel, and it’s a strange one. Much like his Cestus Deception, The Glass Abyss features extensive worldbuilding and perhaps overwrought detail for geography, politics, philosophy, and economic alliances. Taking clear inspiration from Dune (and seemingly from Dante as well), he breathes endlessly fascinating life into a wholly new planet — indeed, a new *kind* of planet we’ve never yet seen — while making sure it feels real and believable in the context of SW. Even when things get weird, and they do: Barnes writes weird fiction quite well here, eschewing the more fantastic elements in favor of more classical and speculative science fiction. Some won’t like the insular, even defiantly unique nature of this story and how it fits into the timeline, but I personally love when SW takes big swings with its storytelling, especially in the new canon. And while Barnes’s prose is not my preferred style, with his broad descriptions of action and bizarre imagery without clarity, his plotting is quite reliable, his thematic interests are both timely and thoughtful, and his conceptual work is without peer. I’d prefer clearer ideas of certain alien species on Metagos, and an easier way to imagine the floating castle among other things, but you certainly can’t accuse Barnes of not stimulating your imagination and curiosity while you read! I even liked his ties to Legends, including some ghostly hints from Shatterpoint and the presence of holodroids like PROXY from The Force Unleashed. And while it’s nominally a Mace Windu novel, I confess not to understand the character any better despite being in his perspective for so much of the novel; if this becomes a series of its own, Barnes (or whoever) will need to do some work on making the character development richer and more insightful (i.e., Mace learning that war requires a certain allowance and dedication to violence feels prescient for the coming Clone Wars but ultimately less foreboding than more obvious in a common-sense kind of way).
November 2, 2024
Finished listening to this in audiobook form last night. The audiobook narrator did well sounding like Mace Windu in my opinion.
My favorite parts of this book were in the beginning where we saw more of Mace among his fellow Jedi. Those were the bits that felt more connected to Star Wars and the PT in particular to me.
Overall, I found this to be a strange, surreal book (not bad per se, which is why it gets three stars from me and not a harsher mark) that definitely leaned more toward the sci-fi side of Star Wars rather than the space fantasy end, while I usually prefer more of the space fantasy aspects of Star Wars.
Structurally, I felt things became a bit muddled and confusing at times. In terms of characterization, Mace often felt like a side character in his own book, and what character development he did get in terms of a poorly explored romance and a minor identity crisis (did he really choose to be a Jedi angsts the middle-aged Jedi Council member who has the freedom to leave the Order at any time) just didn't seem consistent with his characterization in the PT itself.
I had been looking forward to this book as the sort of New Canon version of the spectacular Shatterpoint from Matt Stover, but where Shatterpoint succeeds because it is so intensely focused on Mace Windu and delving into his character, the Glass Abyss never really succeeded at being able to penetrate the depths of Mace's mind and heart for me.
Mace mostly felt like a flat character in Glass Abyss, so I would easily recommend Shatterpoint instead.
All in all, this feels like a skippable read to most Star Wars fans.
My favorite parts of this book were in the beginning where we saw more of Mace among his fellow Jedi. Those were the bits that felt more connected to Star Wars and the PT in particular to me.
Overall, I found this to be a strange, surreal book (not bad per se, which is why it gets three stars from me and not a harsher mark) that definitely leaned more toward the sci-fi side of Star Wars rather than the space fantasy end, while I usually prefer more of the space fantasy aspects of Star Wars.
Structurally, I felt things became a bit muddled and confusing at times. In terms of characterization, Mace often felt like a side character in his own book, and what character development he did get in terms of a poorly explored romance and a minor identity crisis (did he really choose to be a Jedi angsts the middle-aged Jedi Council member who has the freedom to leave the Order at any time) just didn't seem consistent with his characterization in the PT itself.
I had been looking forward to this book as the sort of New Canon version of the spectacular Shatterpoint from Matt Stover, but where Shatterpoint succeeds because it is so intensely focused on Mace Windu and delving into his character, the Glass Abyss never really succeeded at being able to penetrate the depths of Mace's mind and heart for me.
Mace mostly felt like a flat character in Glass Abyss, so I would easily recommend Shatterpoint instead.
All in all, this feels like a skippable read to most Star Wars fans.
May 4, 2025
“They had never seen anything quite like Mace Windu.”
Only Mace Windu would be invited into some weird throuple entity or honored as a consort without knowing it.
What Mace demonstrates in this book is something that a lot of Star Wars fans seem to forget: the Jedi are not eunuchs. They are allowed love and intimacy. The thing they are not allowed is attachment. They cannot allow themselves to be shackled to any one place or any one person. Mace is full of love, but his love is for the galaxy. As much as he cared about KinShan, he never would have stayed.
“And no one had noticed that of the hundred threads she had intwined into the necklace she had given Mace Windu, a dozen remained uncut. This was just a little gift to her own heart. A hope that somehow, in some way, the web would be kind, and her love might one day return. But if he did not, what a time they had had. What a wonderful, wonderful time.”
I genuinely believe the worst crime Anakin Skywalker is guilty of is killing this man.
“He was not the fastest Jedi nor the most elegant. But it was possible that Mace Windu was the most lethal of them all. And he was just getting started.”
Only Mace Windu would be invited into some weird throuple entity or honored as a consort without knowing it.
What Mace demonstrates in this book is something that a lot of Star Wars fans seem to forget: the Jedi are not eunuchs. They are allowed love and intimacy. The thing they are not allowed is attachment. They cannot allow themselves to be shackled to any one place or any one person. Mace is full of love, but his love is for the galaxy. As much as he cared about KinShan, he never would have stayed.
“And no one had noticed that of the hundred threads she had intwined into the necklace she had given Mace Windu, a dozen remained uncut. This was just a little gift to her own heart. A hope that somehow, in some way, the web would be kind, and her love might one day return. But if he did not, what a time they had had. What a wonderful, wonderful time.”
I genuinely believe the worst crime Anakin Skywalker is guilty of is killing this man.
“He was not the fastest Jedi nor the most elegant. But it was possible that Mace Windu was the most lethal of them all. And he was just getting started.”
May 2, 2025
Having watched all Star Wars media currently available, I was excited to read something from this universe for the first time. However, I was disappointed in the story of a character I really liked and wanted to learn more about. Mace is a unique jedi and cool in many ways, however the book depicts him in a way I feel was not consistent with who he is as a Jedi
July 6, 2025
The issue with doing books on pre-determined characters/completed eras is that the stories don't always work. Like, I really like this one, it was a different take on Mace...but like, in the prequel movies the lessons he learned and this softer side he established here don't translate. This happens after Episode 1 and he's not like this in Episodes 2 and 3. Maybe it's just Mace is hard to capture in prose; but it was a great story that doesn't fit too well in the character's timeline.
March 11, 2025
It was definitely not what I expected but in a good way. Really enjoyed it. A lot of good sci-fi weirdness. Mace Windu rules.
Also, mushrooms.
Also, mushrooms.
December 24, 2024
Trying to figure out why I disliked this book so much and then it struck me that it feels like the author is constantly writing down to us. All of the other faults, and there are many, stem from that.
January 6, 2026
not my cup of tea
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