Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)After the classic Paradise Snare and the excellent but slightly flawed Hutt Gambit, A.C. Crispin ties everything together in the grande finale to the Han Solo Trilogy.
The main complaint about this book seems to be that out of all the seperate plots, it's Han who recieves the short end of the stick, and in a way, this is true. While the Hutts have their power struggle and Bria is busy helping build the Rebel Alliance, Han basically bounces around on different adventures and side quests that have nothing to do with one another. In fact, for a few chapters he even disappears into the corporate sector, and we only get brief snippets about him. However, this doesn't mean the book is boring. Exactly the opposite, we see Han in situations that set up the movies and the rest of the expanded universe, including how he won the Falcon, his meeting with Chewie's family, why he dislikes the Rebel Alliance, dumping the Kessel Run spice, and why Lando hates him so much in Episode V. After reading this novel, it really puts a whole new spin on their confrontation in Cloud City, to the point where the viewer believes Lando is seriously mad at Han. As for the corporate sector interludes, while they do detract from the novel, they blend seamlessly with Brian Daley's classic adventures. Lucas has said that his prequel trilogy needs to be seen as a whole to be fully enjoyed, and the same applies here.
Another chunk of the novel, like mentioned, revolves around Durga, Jilac, Jabba, and the Hutt power struggle. None of this has been mentioned before, so it's continually facinating. The Hutts are more fleshed out and articulate than they appear anywhere else, and the reader gains more respect for them. The relationship between Jabba and Han is expanded on, and thier meeting in the docking bay in the special edition makes more sense now; like a mafia don, Jabba was always friendly with Solo until he didn't pay him back. Also note another cool cameo, Prince Xizor and his droid replicant Guri.
By far the best parts of the novel are the scenes with Bria. This character has truly come full cricle, from an insecure addict to a tough Rebel officer. To clarify complaints from other reviewers, A.C. Crispin does not try and make Bria the founder of the Rebel Alliance, but does make her the agent who persuades all the groups to talk to Mon Mothma and Bel Iblis, who then cement the idea and make the treaty. If I have to make a complaint, it's that Crispin delays the reunion between Bria and Han for too long, especially after the circumstances Han found her in during The Hutt Gambit. But when the characters finally do reunite, after the accusations and anger have been let out, their romance is rich and powerful, reflecting their years of seperation. It's worthy of a John Williams score, the "Luke and Leia" theme from ROTJ being particularly effective. After the novel ends and the reader finds out why Han and Bria are ultimately seperated, one can't help but feel that, before he fell in love with Leia, the reason Han goes back to help Luke in ANH and become a rebel general is because of Bria's influence.
A fantastic, fast-paced read all around, with the major complaint being forgivable when the reader finds Brian Daley's books and realizes that everything in the SW universe is part of a greater whole. Not to be missed.
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