Star Wars: Hiding from the Dark Is a Fun, Creepy Adventure and a Great Gateway into the Star Wars Galaxy
Hiding from the Dark is a middle-grade Star Wars novel and Lucasfilm’s latest foray into the galaxy far, far away’s darker side. It’s certainly not the first time the franchise has dipped its toes into horror, with Red Harvest and Death Troopers taking readers into considerably more terrifying territory over a decade ago. Having read Red Harvest, I can confidently say that it succeeded spectacularly in delivering genuine horror. That book was genuinely unsettling, and I remember thinking that if it were ever adapted into a live-action movie, I’d probably be too terrified to sit through it in a cinema!
I was initially skeptical that Hiding from the Dark could do the horror genre justice, since it was a middle-grade novel and naturally couldn’t go into the blood and gore that horror stories often do. Death Troopers and Red Harvest featured zombies, and most zombie stories are inevitably gory and mature by their very nature. While Hiding did not live up to a true horror moniker, it was successful in a different way, and I was very surprised by how much I liked it.
DARTH VADER
Hiding from the Dark was a tale of a child being hunted by none other than Darth Vader (not great with kids), one of the most terrifying figures in SW lore. The main character is a young human girl named Bia, who lives a privileged life on Coruscant with her mother. She attends school, has lots of friends, and all her needs are met. It’s very rare to get a full story from the perspective of someone who isn’t living in strife and poverty, so I was immediately intrigued. Bia is an intelligent and resourceful girl who regards her mother as the picture of ethics and kindness. She is proud that her mother works for the Empire, and when her mother doesn’t return home after three days on a business trip, Bia is thrust into a brand-new world of fear and uncertainty.
What I loved about this novel was that Kiersten White really nailed the psyche of a terrified kid. Bia’s fear was palpable, and I could relate to a 12-year-old’s perpetual, looping terror of the dark after she is nearly captured by Darth Vader. Throughout the narrative, Bia constantly fears the shadows, as she regards Vader as a monstrous creature with unimaginably far-reaching powers. She hears his breathing everywhere, and like a small toddler afraid of imaginary monsters under their bed, she constantly looks over her shoulder, no matter how far she flees into the galaxy. She doesn’t have the time or the state of mind to logically assess the situation and really thinks Vader can instantaneously follow her across the galaxy like some ghost or wraith—not realizing he is, well, a person….. Kinda.
HEROES
Many Star Wars characters become heroes at a young age. Anakin. Luke. Leia. Rey. They are all thrust into insurmountable odds and, every time, (unrealistically so) overcome obstacles that most young people would certainly not be able to overcome on their first try. Kiersten understands this, and shows how confused and inexperienced Bia is when she tries to flee Coruscant and find her missing mother. She only has hunches. Memories of things her mother told her growing up. And her luck. Yes, a wise Jedi said there is no such thing as luck, but Bia has a believable small amount of it, along with sharp instincts that serve her well.
However, it is wrapped in a layer of helplessness as she constantly looks for adults who can instantly fix her problems. I’ve never felt more anxious and anticipatory while reading a character, as I did with Bia, and I was constantly turning the page to find out what would happen next. As someone who has read more narratives than I can count, I find it always refreshing to genuinely wonder what will happen next. It’s a true treat.
A MENACING VADER
I also liked Vader’s depiction in this novel. Bia has no clue what he is or how he is able to do the things he does. The Force is never even mentioned in passing, and it’s amazing how effective Palpatine’s suppression of the Republic and the Jedi was for children who grew up without them. Bia, snuggled in the upper layers of Coruscant, never learned about the Force or the Jedi, and one of the only rational conclusions she draws about him was that Vader was an exotic type of droid using some advanced, new technology to make things move without touching them. Her ignorance speaks volumes, making Vader seem even more unstoppable.
A SILENT SITH
Much like the climax of Season 1 of Maul: Shadow Lord, Vader says virtually nothing to Bia as he hunts her (he actually only says one thing to her at the end), and every attempt of hers to escape him is only temporary—he always stubbornly reappears behind her, relentless and inescapable. Bia uses her wits to delay him, and many of those “lucky breaks” are actually structurally sound and acceptable, without making Bia look too clever or Vader too incompetent. Kiersten clearly understands how formidable Vader is, and she does not diminish his abilities as the hunt unfolds in the underground mines of the Outer Rim planet Worim.
I also love how Kiersten slowly pulls the wool off Bia’s eyes as her adventures continue. She goes from respecting and trusting the government to realizing that the Empire is truly foul and mistreats its citizens. She realizes in hindsight that her mother always thought the Empire was a bully and strove to help those trampled under its cruel and uncaring boot. However, she has an a-ha moment regarding all her instructors, who seemed terrified that someone was listening to them and that certain terms and ideologies could not be uttered under the Empire’s jurisdiction. They are NOT Rebels. They are terrorists, and to call them Rebels amounts to an… infraction.
Bia also learns that without her mother, she is truly alone in the galaxy. She does not know who she can trust or who her true friends are (if she has any). She, however, does find one true friend on Worim—but constantly tortures herself wondering if she can truly trust him.
VERDICT
At no point did I forget that I was reading from the perspective of a scared little girl, and while I did not find this book to be that of “bloodcurdling” horror, I was indeed afraid. I was afraid of how easily the minds of the young could be warped and distorted. I was afraid of how the dark side does not care if you are just an innocent kid. And, of course, I was afraid of how, deep down, we are all just alone and forever hiding from the dark.
The ending was, unfortunately, a bit anticlimactic. It’s like Spider-Man 3, where the truth about Norman Osborn’s death was there all along, and the butler suddenly speaks up and reveals what really happened that fateful night. In the end, Bia’s mother did leave her instructions on what to do if she were to vanish someday. Bia was just too afraid to stop and ask. While that didn’t work so well for the plot of Spider-Man 3, it is acceptable here, as we are dealing with a pre-adolescent whose brain is not fully developed.
All in all, Star Wars: Hiding From the Dark was a fun, little, self-contained adventure and a great first foray into the Star Wars canon for new fans.
Star Wars: Hiding From the Dark is available to buy now.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
