Review: "Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear - City of the Dead"

As many Star Wars fans will no doubt be aware, Bantam Spectra launched a series of young readers novels in the late 1990s called Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear. The series lasted for a total of twelve books, which were all written by John Whitman, and they were published from 1997 to 1998. Clearly influenced by the success of the Goosebumps books, Galaxy of Fear took readers to some of the most terrifying reaches of the Star Wars galaxy. And there had been very few other Star Wars horror stories at the time, making Galaxy of Fear an essential series for anyone who loves both Star Wars and the horror genre.

The second book in the series was called Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear – City of the Dead, which was published in 1997. And it also proved to be one of the strongest entries the series had to offer. In this story, the orphaned humans Zak and Tash Arranda and their shapeshifting adoptive guardian Mammon Hoole arrive on Necropolis, a planet whose inhabitants are obsessed with honoring the dead. Shortly after arriving, Zak soon discovers that the evil Dr. Evazan has secretly constructed a laboratory underneath a large cemetery on the planet. Fans will recall that Evazan is the deformed human who harassed Luke Skywalker in the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, before Obi-Wan Kenobi quickly settled the dispute. Within the confines of his secret laboratory on Necropolis, the evil scientist has been conducting experiments on dead tissue in order to create an army of zombies to do his bidding. However, Boba Fett soon also arrives on Necropolis to collect the bounty on Evazan. Fett eventually finds and kills the sinister scientist, but even death does not prevent the crazed doctor from continuing his work. Whitman also needed to gain permission from George Lucas to kill off Evazan, since Lucas originally created the character.

However, some readers may be disappointed by the lack of focus on major characters from the films throughout the majority of the story. Since City of the Dead begins where the previous Galaxy of Fear book, which was titled Eaten Alive, left off, the story opens with Hoole and the Arrandas traveling through space in the Millennium Falcon. They were accompanied by Luke, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, but these familiar characters quickly vanished as soon as the central trio were dropped off on Necropolis. Aside from Boba Fett and Evazan, the book featured no other characters from the movies. This may deter fans who prefer stories to focus on familiar characters, but Zak, Tash, and Hoole each proved to be interesting characters with their own unique personalities, interests, and ambitions.

And Necropolis proved to be one of the most haunting locations in the entire Star Wars universe, and it certainly deserves to be re-introduced into canon at one point. The planet is described as being almost entirely covered with cemeteries filled with ominous tombstones, making it seem more like the setting of a gothic horror story rather than a location in the galaxy far, far away. Whitman also uses strikingly creative language in order to make Necropolis seem as grim and uninviting as possible. And the few areas of the planet which are not already covered with cemeteries are described as being filled with ancient stone buildings which resemble headstones. The theme of death is incredibly prominent throughout City of the Dead, as Whitman immediately makes clear. Therefore, the two children who the story focuses on clearly do not feel at ease when they arrive on the planet. City of the Dead also featured one of the most downright terrifying moments in the entire series, as Zak was literally buried alive in a coffin towards the end. And while he was trapped in the coffin, carnivorous Boneworms tried to burrow their way inside in order to eat his flesh. It seems almost mortifying to think that Whitman was actually allowed to include a sequence like this in a book aimed at children. Clearly, he did not hold back when it came to making the story relentlessly disturbing. The purpose of the Galaxy of Fear series was clearly to terrify its young readers, and City of the Dead certainly succeeded in this regard.

It was quickly revealed that the human population of Necropolis worshipped an ancient witch named Sycorax, who believed she could raise the dead. We also learned that Sycorax’s son was murdered by ignorant locals who feared and resented her, and the people of Necropolis have lived with the shame of this foul deed ever since. Sycorax has never been explored in any other Star Wars stories or reference materials. Therefore, it remains unclear if she actually did possess Force-related abilities which granted her power over the dead, or if her powers were simply exaggerated. However, the lack of details surrounding her backstory certainly adds to the deliberate level of inscrutability which surrounds the character, as we never quite know what she was truly capable of. One of the villains in the book named Pylum even mockingly describes how he believes that Sycorax had no power after learning that she died instead of achieving immortality. Although this particular villain’s fate does indeed suggest that Sycorax still had power over the people of Necropolis, even after her death. Sycorax proved to be a major enigma who will continually mystify Star Wars fans, making her an unforgettably haunting inclusion.

There is also a particularly heartbreaking sequence in City of the Dead where Zak begs a statue of Sycorax to resurrect his deceased parents, who were killed when Alderaan was destroyed. This section proved to be so emotional that it will almost bring tears to the eyes of readers. As the story progresses, Zak gradually learns to accept that he will simply have to deal with the loss of his parents instead of illogically hoping that he will eventually see them again. And this seemed like a surprisingly harsh lesson to be taught in a Star Wars story. Zak also experiences nightmares about his deceased parents which left him filled with guilt and remorse, which anyone who has loft loved ones will be able to relate to.

Although he was told not to leave his quarters at night, Zak eventually started sneaking out with a local boy he befriended called Kairn. However, the innocent Kairn quickly falls victim to Evazan, who murders him by forcing him to eat poisonous berries. Kairn was an amicable and pleasant character who certainly did not deserve to be murdered. And the fact that he was so abruptly killed off again proves how far these books were willing to go when it came to mortifying their readers. To make matters even more harrowing, the formerly innocent Kairn was soon resurrected as a zombie slave, although he thankfully manages to regain a semblance of his humanity before being permanently laid to rest. Kairn proved to be a memorable supporting character who will no doubt leave a lasting impression on readers, which made his fate seem all the more tragic.

Despite being aimed at children, the Galaxy of Fear books were spectacularly violent, and City of the Dead was no exception. Towards the end of the story, Fett is forced to battle waves of ravenous zombies in varying stages of decomposition. This spectacularly gruesome action sequence was described in graphic detail, so readers will be fully aware of the damage which Fett’s blaster does to the re-animated human corpses he blasts. The way in which Fett blasts away waves of zombies in a completely calm attitude will certainly help you to admire his level of professionalism. Even the living dead did not prevent him from focusing on his objectives. However, the sheer number of unstoppable zombies which attempt to overpower Fett means that he almost loses his life in the battle, before he receives assistance. Despite his advanced armor and weaponry and his incredible fighting skills, this story reminds us that Fett is still only human. Although the bounty hunter still manages to maintain his calm and collected demeanor as he starts to become overwhelmed.

Fett also only removes his helmet once throughout the story. He did this in a section where he arranges his armor in a lifelike position in order to fool his enemies so that he can attack them while they are momentarily distracted. However, his facial features were not described, as he quickly put his armor back on before anyone could catch a glimpse of him, and this perfectly matched his mysterious and enigmatic nature. He also only speaks when necessary, throughout the book, which amplifies the sense of secrecy which surrounded him at the time. His voice was described as sounding like gravel, which seems more than appropriate. And while the bounty hunter’s moral views were not explored in great detail in City of the Dead, he did save Zak’s life on multiple occasions throughout the book. This indicates that Fett at least possesses some semblance of morality underneath his armored exterior. Fett also deduced that he was being tailed by Tash immediately after leaving Slave I, because his analytical skills are clearly second to none. Tash then mistakenly tries to obtain information from Fett, who remains silent in response to her queries. Whitman clearly understood how to make Fett as intimidating as possible, and this was evident throughout City of the Dead.

Although City of the Dead is told primarily from Zak’s point of view, Tash was also given some notable things to do throughout the book, such as rescuing Zak after he gets himself into dangerous situations. There were also several brief segments told from Tash’s point of view, and it was heartbreaking to read about her sorrow after she believes that Zak has been killed. Whitman clearly wanted to tug on the heartstrings of his readers, and he no doubt succeeded. Hoole also played a notably smaller role in this story than he did in the other Galaxy of Fear books. But there was an exhilarating action sequence in which he used his shapeshifting Shi’ido abilities to transform into a Wampa and other fearsome alien species in order to fend off Evazan’s zombies. And while Hoole normally attempts to remain stoic and expressionless, there were some genuine warm moments in which he momentarily expressed joy upon learning that his niece and nephew were no longer in danger. These moments helped to make Hoole into a deeply relatable character underneath his hardened exterior.

The cover of the standard edition of City of the Dead featured a fairly basic image of Fett shooting at a zombie. But was also a limited edition of the book with a lenticular cover depicting a decaying corpse being devoured by Boneworms. It really did seem like the Galaxy of Fear series was attempting to destroy the sanitized image which some people had come to associate with Star Wars, which was certainly a bold endeavor. Clearly, these books really were unique when compared to the countless other Star Wars stories which were being released at the time.

Despite the grim tone of the Galaxy of Fear series, City of the Dead was also filled with plenty of darkly humorous moments. For instance, Evazan’s grave was also adorned with a headstone with an inscription saying that he will hopefully be able to find the peace which he did not give to his patients. Although the Necropolitans who engraved this inscription on the tombstone probably found it to be profound and meaningful, most readers will probably find it to be hilarious, in a deeply morbid kind of way. And Evazan also attempts to explain his sinister plans to his victims before he murders them, so that he can practice his bedside manner, which everyone says is his weakest quality. Despite clearly being insane, Evazan clearly never lost his ghastly sense of humor. And there was a comedic exchange of dialogue in which the witty droid known as DV-9 forces an unscrupulous starship dealer to sell him a ship which is in perfect working order. DV-9 achieves this by telling the dealer that Hoole will use the starship which ends up being purchased to visit a world known as Tal Nami. The droid then goes on to describe how the native Tal Nami species are known for tracking down and torturing unscrupulous merchants, which results in the best starship in the entire dealership suddenly becoming available. Another humorous moment occurs towards the start of the book, where DV-9 accidentally insults the Necropolitans by describing how burial customs have been largely replaced by cremation throughout the rest of the galaxy. He bluntly describes cremation as being a more civilized way of disposing of the dead, without realizing that he clearly caused offense. Although the primary goal of City of the Dead is to frighten its readers, the book will still manage to leave you smiling maniacally at various points.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear – City of the Dead is a book which will no doubt mortify and delight younger readers, and older fans are likely to be enthralled by it as well. Filled with plenty of deeply suspenseful moments and enough dramatic tension to thrill readers of any age, this is clearly a book which deserves to be cherished by Star Wars enthusiasts. Anyone who is looking for an unsettling and immensely emotional story taking place within the Star Wars galaxy will certainly need to track down this unforgettable book.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear City of the Dead
1997AVAILABILITY $8.52 Paperback Varies