Star Wars: Sanctuary Book Review (Spoiler-Free)

Star Wars: Sanctuary brings back The Bad Batch. Hunter, Omega, Wrecker, and Tech end up in a difficult situation after a mission doesn’t go as planned.

The article contains no spoilers from this book’s story, but it includes a few references to events from Seasons 1 and 2 of the TV Series. The book releases in text and audio format on August 5. We received an early copy for review. We have not yet listened to the Audio version.

This book isn’t illustrated; the images are just for reference.

The Bad Batch we all know and love

Sanctuary takes place during Season 2 of The Bad Batch. Omega, Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker are trying to figure out what to do after finally leaving Cid and finding refuge on Pabu. Pabu is a paradise, full of nature, good people, and hidden from the Empire. Meanwhile, Echo is away helping Captain Rex, and Crosshair continues to serve the Empire.

At this point, they haven’t embraced Pabu as a home. As former soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, Clone Force 99 is not used to staying in a single place for long periods of time. Even as mercenaries, they only took a few days between jobs.

Not just because credits don’t grow on trees, but because that’s how they are wired. Always on the move, thinking about their next mission. While Omega’s presence definitely changes the dynamic of the group, it’s still not enough to fully reprogram her brothers.

Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech have traits that make them very different from other clones, including themselves. Sanctuary does a good job of showcasing all of their individuality without any of them taking the spotlight.

Contrary to other books, this one doesn’t develop any of the main characters, but that’s because of its timeline. These events happen before the heartbreaking finale of Season 2. Changing any of them drastically would create an immediate problem.

What it does is have Clone Force 99 face a problem they’ve never encountered before. The interesting thing is that this issue can’t be solved with mere guns and explosives.

The dilemma presented is complicated and requires Clone Force 99 to search deep within them before deciding what to do, especially Hunter.

A different Bad Batch formula

My experience with Sanctuary could be described as a mix of The Bad Batch with Rogue One/Andor. We have the standard Bad Batch mission that goes wrong quite fast, combined with multiple stories shrouded in lies, deception, and a dark past.

Omega, Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Phee Geona are exactly what we saw in the series. Their individual personalities are very well captured, and the best thing was that I could hear the voices of Dee Bradley Baker and Wanda Sykes every time I read one of their dialogues. Obviously, this might not be the case for everyone, but it made my time reading it 10x better.

What makes Sanctuary stand out is the introduction of four characters, which makes everything a lot more complex. Their backgrounds aren’t happy or simple stories. All of them have experienced how cruel the galaxy can be, whether because they have experienced suffering or inflicted it on other beings.

As a result, their allegiances can shift if/when the right conditions are met. You can’t tell what they are up to until you have read at least half of the book. Out of these four characters, my favorite one is the most dangerous of them.

She is smart, charismatic, educated, and capable of tremendous cruelty. She’s capable of turning almost anyone into a pawn in her game. It doesn’t matter whether it’s pirates, Imperial forces, or anyone else.

Using any means to achieve her goal, regardless of who has to suffer. In a way, she reminds me of Palpatine, which is not that big of a surprise considering she refers to herself as a friend of the Emperor himself.

Emperor Palpatine, in a scene from The Bad Batch

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one

To be honest, I thought that Sanctuary would be a very predictable story because the series already shows the most important moments in the lives of Clone Force 99. I wasn’t expecting to be surprised at all. I’m glad to admit that I was wrong.

Whenever I remember The Bad Batch, I usually think of what happened in the Season 2 finale and the entirety of Season 3, where Omega was the center point of everything.

Even though they have crossed paths with Anakin, Obi-Wan, Hera Syndulla, Asajj Ventress, Director Krennic, and Saw Gerrera.

For some reason, most of the time, I conceive the Bad Batch as an isolated story in the Star Wars universe, forgetting many of their interactions with other important characters. Obviously, that is not the case, and Sanctuary reminded me that in the best way possible with the appearance of an iconic character near the end of the book.

This moment is brief but exciting; if it had happened in the series, it would be among the top three moments of the entire show, without a doubt. The best thing is that this character has an encounter with the person I mentioned in the last paragraph of the previous segment.

I’d love to say more, but that could hint at who it is, and I definitely don’t want that to happen. All I’m going to say is that it was a terrific surprise that lasted long enough to excite me, but not to a degree that takes the spotlight from the main story.

Listening to the audio version

Listening to the audio of a Star Wars book has become a common practice of mine. I really enjoy being able to listen to how the names of odd planets, creatures, and new characters are pronounced while also enjoying the music and sound effects that add an extra level of immersion.

I was very curious about the audio format of this specific book because of how unique and important the voices of each member of Clone Force 99 are. To be honest, I think Marc Thompson’s attempt to replicate Dee Bradley Baker’s job is a very respectable one.

I tried just listening to the audio without reading for a few chapters to see if I could tell which member of The Bad Batch was talking, and it was very easy to do. Though I gotta admit that I still missed the original voices.

A small issue I had is the fact that Thompson’s voice of female characters is exactly the same as in other stories. For example, one of the antagonists of Sanctuary sounds just like Xiri A’lbaran from The High Republic. This is something that probably only those who are very familiar with Marc Thompson’s work in Star Wars will notice, but it’s still something worth pointing out.

This is a solid audiobook, but if you are too attached to the original voices, then it’s not the worst idea to skip this one. If you are open to hearing a different (but still good) take on the voices of The Bad Batch, you should give it a try.

Final thoughts

Star Wars: Sanctuary is a very entertaining novel for everyone who loves Clone Force 99. It brings familiar elements while also introducing an extra layer of complexity, creating a different experience for anyone who is a fan of Omega, Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Phee.

Sanctuary comes with funny dialogues from Wrecker, Omega’s incredible ability to befriend people, Hunter’s commitment to be a good brother, Tech’s clutch factor, and Phee’s sasiness.

Though it also has a high dose of drama, action, and intrigue. It doesn’t match what we experienced in Season 3, but it’s right under it.

This book could be an entire season of The Bad Batch by itself. It has every good quality of the show, minus the missions that aren’t too exciting.

When it comes to the members of The Bad Batch, the book is predictable for obvious reasons, but the author did a very good job of adding the surprise factor with the new characters.

One downside is that to read this, you must have watched Seasons 1 and 2 of the show. Though I doubt that anyone who isn’t a fan of the Bad Batch would be interested in this story. Nonetheless, I consider that an important point to be mentioned.

With that said, I can say that my experience was very pleasant. It’s an easy story to read, with some topics that are more on the “adult side”. The new characters were really good additions, and that appearance from the iconic character was the cherry on top. Definitely a good read for anyone who misses Clone Force 99.

This entire review, as well as the summary in the review card below, are all based on our own opinions as fans of the franchise. We would love it if you shared your thoughts.

Full Title:

Star Wars: Sanctuary (A Bad Batch Novel)