In this book, we follow the resistance spy, Vi Moradi, when she is captured by the First Order and taken for questioning at the hands of Captain Cardinal, Captain Phasma’s rival.

He captured Vi because he knew she was looking into Phasma‘s past and hoped to get some information about Phasma in order to dishonor her from the First Order and regain the power she had taken from him.

Rather than going the traditional route and giving the character an origin story, Dawson takes a different, unique approach. Most of Phasma‘s story is told by spy Vi, as was told to her by Siv, a Phasma companion from her home planet, Parnassos. We see Phasma mostly through other people eyes, and that makes her more frightening and unpleasant character.

The narrative is really strong and does a tremendous job of demonstrating the harsh conditions Phasma had to endure during her earlier years. After a nuclear explosion, of which we do not know the cause, Pharnassos became a war zone, with few resources and the population sick from radiation. Parnassos was a dying world, where all of the settled groups of people were at war with one another and there is no life of comfort. And in this context we find the protagonist, still a child, already showing herself to be a fierce warrior and leader of her tribe, sharing power with her older brother, Keldo.

Since her brother intends to seek peace, to perhaps rebuild the planet again in a normal society, the disagreements begin as Phasma only wants to win and overcome the enemy. From that moment on we realize that the blood ties have little value for her and she is someone who only looks out for herself. She is willing to do anything to reach her goals.

When she sees a ship falling on her planet, she considers it to be an opportunity to escape from that cursed desert. Upon finding the wreckage, Phasma meets General Brendol Hux (Armitage Hux‘s father we see in Episode VII – The Force Awakening, and creator of the First Order’s Stormtrooper program), who forms an alliance with her.

The story goes on showing us how Phasma conquered her position in the First Order and how this made her win so many enemies.

Although it’s possible that Vi‘s story to Cardinal may not be true, it seems very real and fits the type of personality we saw from the character, even in her brief appearances on the screen. Telling a story of her youth, growing up in an arid and desolate world, and her possible contact with Brendol Hux, leader of the First Order at that time, Vi is able to shed much light on the character.