Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Tarkin: Star Wars

  • By: James Luceno
  • Narrated by: Euan Morton
  • Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (485 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Tarkin: Star Wars cover art

Tarkin: Star Wars

By: James Luceno
Narrated by: Euan Morton
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Star Wars: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader cover art
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan cover art
From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars) cover art
Shadow Hunter cover art
Star Wars: Ahsoka cover art
Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil cover art
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial cover art
Star Wars: Rebel Rising cover art
Shatterpoint: Star Wars Legends cover art
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed cover art
Dune cover art
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cover art
Fire with Fire cover art
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire cover art
Winter Wolf cover art
The Henry Gallant Saga cover art

Summary

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Best-selling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.

He’s the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly….and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.

Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkin's guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxy’s lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heel - by intimidation…or annihilation.

Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkin - whose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire's supremacy…and its enemies' extinction.

©2014 James Luceno (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Euan Morton channels the outstanding late British actor Peter Cushing, who played Grand Moff Tarkin, evil master of the Death Star, in the original Star Wars movie. One hears a voice that is precise and unspeakably heartless as he shrugs at ideas such as planetary destruction. Here is Tarkin’s biography from childhood to the time he is promoted to Grand Moff by Emperor Palpatine, learning a few tips from Darth Vader himself (nicely portrayed) as they both grow in influence and power. It’s better not to overanalyze the situations presented in the plot. Instead, listeners should just pretend they’re 14 again, hear the familiar music and sound effects, and enjoy." (AudioFile magazine)

What listeners say about Tarkin: Star Wars

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    328
  • 4 Stars
    119
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    325
  • 4 Stars
    71
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    280
  • 4 Stars
    100
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Vader & Tarkin crossover we needed

this book gave me something I never knew I needed.
Tarkin and Vader teaming up.
if your a fan of the empire winning this book is for you, if your a fan of Vader this book is for you.
it's gripping and reveals the dark past of a character who up to this point rarley has been fleshed out.

this audiobook comes highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Terrible voice acting

The voice acting for Tarkin was decent, the only one in the whole audiobook. The performnace done for Vader and the Emperor was shameful, it sounded like a guy trying to mimic Vader while he was drunk. Other Star Wars audiobooks have very good voice acting for Vades and the Emperor(Thrawn books, Lords of the Sith).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tarkin is a boss

Great back story for tarkin and full of Vader and Imperial might vs the Rebels

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tarkin's Origins

I really enjoyed this! Even though I still don't know the meaning of a lot of the words in this. Such as ISB? The start was fast paced and fun, the middle slowed down a bit. The ending was exhilarating. The narrator was very good, and the sound effects throughout made you feel like you were there. Shall we say this story shows a more human side to Grand Moff Tarkin.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant

loved it good novel well read. well written. would recommend this book. tarkin is a deep and interesting character

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great book

This is a masterpiece of writing my only problem is with the narrator who at certain parts of the story gets unnecessarily loudly this can be a surprise for headphone users

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent listen

brilliant to listen in my car. love the story tarkin is the boss. Vader voice not great but doesn't take anything away from this. long live the empire

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Decent story but lacking in some places

This is a really good insight to one of the most interesting characters in Star Wars but the at times it seemed to drag of or just be a similar outline. I would still recommend this a listen as it helps you understand the dynamic between Vader and Tarkin in a new hope

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

I absolutely loved the plagues book but this tarkin book is soooooo boring. I am on the 13th chapter and I could not tell you what has happened so far other than touching on tarkins younger years. Do not understand how the reviews are so high for this book it sends me to sleep.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

It's pretty good

it's a pretty good story. i enjoyed the vader tarkin scenes and palpatine ones, too it was pretty short in my opinion it wasn't as good as the darth plagueis and darth bane book 1 books but still its enjoyable i plan to listen to the thrawn books or finish the darth bane books

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!