Dark Apprentice (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)I can't say that I was particularly pleased with the first book in this trilogy, Jedi Search. However, this fact did not stop me frombeing even less pleased with the second entry into the series. Once again, we are treated to a lengthy series of escapades involving incompetant Imperials, grandoise superweapons and, of course, the omnipotent Jedi. Why did I read this series?
I'll start with the Imperials, more specifically Daala. Somehow, despite all the build up Anderson gave her, she manages to come off as little more than a cartoon villian, who dreams up wild plots, pats herself of the back for her supposed cleverness, and then fails miserably. If I wanted to see this type of character, I would turn on a children's cartoon! On a side note, the original idea behind Daala seems a little derivitive of Thrawn (character whose brilliance allows him/her to overcome a prejudiced environment). Sadly, unlike Thrawn, Daala is never able to live up to her reputation.
What the heck is up with the suncrusher? I could live with the Death Star (it was a very original idea the first time). Heck, I can tollerate a second Death Star. However, taking basically the same concept and going one better with it (we destroy stars now, instead of planets) pushes my limit. Especially when said weapon is invencible (it survives supernovas) and has the manueverability of a TIE fighter. Death Star? Who needs it? We can wipe out entire star systems with this little number. And, for good measure, its utterly indestructable. (Of course, we can't have such a weapon in Imperial hands. So, naturally, the rebels somehow get a hold of it. Go figure.)
Kyp. I rarely hate characters in Star Wars (why waste hatred on people who don't exist?), but Kyp annoyed me terribly. A brazen young hotshot whose limitless power in the force (conviently overlooked by the Empire) seems to me to be little more than a testiment to Anderson's ego, demonstarting that he can create a seemingly allmighty character.
Oh well. I shouldn't complain TOO much, since I honestly enjoy writing rants more than pleasent reviews (where's the fun in just saying nice things about a book?). Still, I can think of better ways to spend one's time, such as reading The Thrawn Trillogy, or The Hand of Thrawn. It is a free country, so I therefore conclude by saying that you are, as always, entitled to form your own opinions.

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As the New Republic takes devastating losses in the ongoingwar with the scattered remnants of the Empire, the galaxy's future depends on three small children -- among them the Jedi twins -- born to incredible powers and perils, as an extraordinary new saga unfolds... While the New Republic struggles to decide what to do with the deadly Sun Crusher -- a new doomsday weapon stolen from the Empire by Han Solo -- the renegade Imperial Admiral Daala uses her fleet of Star Destroyers to conduct guerrilla warfare on peaceful planets. And now she threatens the watery homeworld of Admiral Ackbar. But as the battle for a planet rages, an even greater danger emerges at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy. A brilliant student delves dangerously into the dark side of the Force and unleashes the spirit of an ancient master of the evil order that warped Darth Vader himself. Working together, they may become an enemy greater than the New Republic has ever fought... more powerful than even a Jedi Master can face.

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Darksaber (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)Uh oh. The remnants of the Empire are gathering together to form a threat to the New Republic. Uh oh. There is a giant superweapon being constructed using the original plans and scientists who worked on the Death Star. Sigh. Out of all the possible stories that able to be told in the Star Wars Universe (see the Medstar Duology and the Republic Commando novels for examples), this is the story that Darksaber tells. For Star Wars, one must say "how prosaic". It's all been done before. Two movies and danced around in the novels. This is the best that Kevin Anderson and Lucasfilm could come up with for the novel?
Oh, well. Here's the deal: The Hutts are gathering components to build said superweapon, the title weapon. Remnants of the Empire, Admiral Daala and Pallaeon (second in command to Grand Admiral Thrawn) are pulling together various warlords to strike at the heart of the New Republic and hurt the New Republic bad. Luke Skywalker is seeking to find a way to restore the Jedi Powers of his love Callista. Leia, Han, and Chewbacca are investigating the Hutts to find out what the Hutts are planning. This all comes together with a major threat to the New Republic.
If it wasn't for the fact that this book is much of the same old same old for Star Wars fiction Darksaber wouldn't be that bad. Kevin Anderson has crafted a fast paced classic feeling Star Wars novel. The word "classic" is used here in the sense that the style is reminiscent of the original Star Wars trilogy. So, the action is fun and there are quips and back talk and little guys vs the Big Bad, but the novel just felt like a retread. It is a tired story. Anderson's writing isn't strong enough to overcome a story that does not add anything significant to the Star Wars Universe. It's middle of the road Star Wars. Nothing special to see here. Not truly worth the effort.
-Joe Sherry

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The Crystal Star (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Chrystal Star entralles the reader with a pretty cool cover, but that is about all it does. This book is absolutely terrible. Having read every other Star Wars book ever written, I can speak with some authority on the subject. The characterizations are weak and the behavior of the main characters erratic. Leia hates Chewie because he failed to save her children, even though he took a terrible wound attempting to help them? Doesn't make much sense. The Waru villain is simply [weak], it's a vampire blob, and Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, that Jedi who has fought pretty much every evil in the universe and won is tempted by the blob. Tempted to do what? and why? are two questions that the author never answers. The Empire Reborn angle is almost laughable in its ineptitude. The whole cutting off from the force idea is [weak], and speaking of erratic plotting, if Skywalker is so affected that he and the good Jedi almost die from the slow cutting off of the Force then why aren't the bad guys similarly affected? Yeah, Hethrir can't kill someone when he wants and he can't turn on his lightsaber but other than that he and his minions remain basically unaffected. Speaking of lightsabers, what's up with lightsabers that can only be turned on with the force? It's an impractical and ludicrous idea. The Han Solo/Luke Skywalker relationship is terribly handled, Luke and Han are more like uneasy allies than best friends. Han Solo is done decently well, but overall this story should never have been published. I have never read anything else of McIntyre's, she might be a very good writer, but her talent does not show here. If you wish to read about the Star Wars universe, read Tim Zahn or Michael Stackpole not The Crystal Star.

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Planet of Twilight (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)Barbara Hambly has twice proven to be incapable of handling the reins of the Star Wars Universe. She is supposedly an accomplished science fiction. While that may be true in other stories, she lacks the understanding and ability to embrace the Star Wars novels and create compelling episodes in this ongoing series. Her first attempt was "Children of the Jedi", which was a long, ponderous, and slow book. If a novel like this is slow, it's a cardinal sin in writing. The reader gets bored and then frustrated with the book and is tempted to put it down permanently. The disappointing thing about "Children of the Jedi" was that the story, itself, had a great deal of potential and could have (should have) been a rousingly exciting novel.
"Planet of Twilight" is Ms. Hambly's second attempt at a Star Wars novel. Sadly, it fails for all the same reasons that "Children of the Jedi" did. It is long, ponderous, and slow. Her prose is so wordy that she sometimes takes up to an entire page to describe items or scenes that should only take a sentence or two to describe. An editor could have helped her dramatically here. Her 'cutesy' terminology also causes the reader to do a double- take and wonder if they read what they just read. Some examples have her referring to a coffee-like beverage as 'coffeine' and a potato-like substance as 'topatoes'. It seems to indicate a lack of true imagination and it's slightly insulting to the reader who would much rather she used the original words or develop completely different words.
"Planet of Twilight" is comparable to "Children of the Jedi" in the sense that it has an equally interesting plot that is completely muted by Hambly's writing style. In this story, there appears to be a Death Seed plague that is infecting the galaxy and causing massive loss of life. In an attempt to find out what has happened and establish diplomatic ties with the Chorios system, Princess Leia traveled to the planet of Nam Chorios, where most of the distress seems to originate. It seems the Death Seed plague is actually a species of insect-like creatures called 'drochs' that can suck the life energy out of people. Unfortunately for Leia, she gets trapped on the planet by its evil ruler, Seti Ashgad and he suspicious assistant Dzym. Because of the strong defensive system set up on the planet, she is also unable to be rescued for quite some time. Luke Skywalker, of course, tries to save his sister while also tying up the loose ends of the Calista romance.
There are moments when this story seems like it could really take off and captivate the reader. Alas, Hambly continually confounds the reader with her writing. I can only hope that Hambly does not get another chance to write Star Wars novels. People read these stories because they are looking for an escape. They want an entertaining read that flows and isn't too much of a struggle to read. This isn't a novel for a school book report. If the writer's style makes the novel too much of a chore to read, the reader is just going to put it aside and not read it anymore. That is the true mark of the failure of a Star Wars novel and it is exactly what has happened with "Planet of Twilight".

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Children of the Jedi (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)Children of the Jedi, the first book of the Callista Trilogy, has some intriguing qualities to it, but overall this book is too weak, repetative and convoluted to be considered good. I would give it 1.5 stars if possible, but its not so one will have to do. Yet another superweapon comes into being, the super-automated ship, Eye of Palpatine, whose mission to destroy the children of the Jedi on Belsavis was stopped 30 years earlier by a young female Jedi. Someone restarted the ship's programs, and its up to Luke Skywalker, who i accedentaly on board the vessel, to destroy the ship before it reaches the planet Belsavis where Han and Leia are currently vacationing/investigating. The superweapon story just keeps being used over and over again. IT'S OLD GET OVER IT! Luke and 2 student companions are investigating some random coordinates when they are shot down and captured by the Eye, a super-intelligent ship that does everything it possibly can to kill Skywalker and his friends, but can't tell the difference between alien species. Um ok. After an attack/warning by an old smuggler friend, Han Solo and Chief of State of the New Republic Leia Organa Solo (without escorts, bodyguards or anything) travel to Belsavis seeking out the mythical place where the children of the Jedi were hidden. Right, like the Chief of State of a galactic republic can just wander around without a planet's population of guards orbiting her. Um NO! Luke gets hurt making his job that much more difficult, but to comfort him in his time of need the Jedi who originally stopped the Eye reappeares. It seems Callista had jammed her spirit into the Eyes gun system and existed for the last 30 years by herself. Right! Han & Leia fight a former concubine/Emperor's Hand and her son, who has been implanted with a device that allows him to use the Force to control droids. Menwhile, Luke & Callista fall in love, and eventually she is able to enter the vacated body of one of Luke's students and they can live together except Callista has lost her force powers. The Eye is destroyed and they all live happily until the next galactic crisis. The biggest problem with this story is that the plot is too convoluted and confusing, the story makes little sense and the characters are written out of character. There are some good lines, the Dr. Breen line was very funny, but overall this book is very poorly done. It is probably the weakest of the Callista Trilogy, although all three books are among the weakest in the exapanded Star Wars universe.

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Shield of Lies (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)Here, again, this series has been heavily panned in favor of other books by other favorite Star Wars authors, but I think it's only fair to say that not everyone can write in the same style.
What I liked:
The Yevetha crisis. Something to get the Republic off their butts and back into the action. It brings the military back into the picture, which, other than in the X-Wing series, occasionally gets glossed over. I, for one, am interested in the politics of the New Republic - we must remember that politics are behind much of the action. It's not always all about the shoot-em-up action on some remote planet. The ideas behind Nils Spaar - a megalomaniacal character who is incapable of holding equal ground with any species but his own.
Surprise! Leia's human. We, the readers, get so accustomed to her superhuman mentality that some can't accept when she stumbles or questions her judgement. This self-doubting keeps her three-dimensional, instead of turning into an Ivory Tower heroine. She's forced to do without Luke for a while, which is refreshing.
What I didn't like:
The whole "Luke looks for mom" storyline. I had been under the impression that in the "old days" (ie Heir to the Empire), that it was an established rule not to discuss this. Now, especially in light of the new movies, this storyline comes dangerously close to contradicting itself, I fear. When Luke first went into hiding, I though that this might be an interesting devlopment, that we might find some things out about what goes on in Luke's head. Instead, he gets drawn into the whole mom thing, by this girl who plays on his momentary lapse of self assuredness. I did not like this female character, and I didn't like the "White Current" storyline behind her. Nowhere in the Star Wars universe have we heard of this sect before, yet the stories of the Jedi and the Sith go back for millenia. Even in "Courtship of Princess Leia," the women acknowledge the Force. I have really yet to understand what this "White Current" is all about - are they healers? witches? What can they do?
The Lando/ship thing is dragging badly, and that's sad. I love Lando's character, especially after reading the Han stories, and this could have been something really interesting to drop him into, but instead, well, it's just blah. The mystery of what the ship is, and what it's for is dragging on too long. We want answers; cool, plot-twisty ones, and so does Lando. And LOBOT! Wow, we haven't heard from him since Bespin - and frankly we haven't heard much from him here either. In the future, please don't treat Lando as an expendable character. He's got an great background, and deserves more than he got here. I know he must be bored by now.
This series is ok, but before Mr. McDowell writes more Star Wars, the writing needs a bit more spit and polish.

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The New Rebellion (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)Every now and then I have the displeasure to find out what happens when a writer publishes something that with a little touch up could have been a lot better. The New Rebellion is one such book. The plot was there, the enemies were there, but something is missing. The plot involves yet another Dark Jedi trying to kill everyone in the New Republic by putting a bomb into every droid off the assembly line. It sounds okay, but as the book goes on you realize how impractical this plot is. Kueller is a reasonably frightening, if callow, enemy. He does everything right up to the point when someone tries to stop him. Then he seems to shut down, and allow himself to be slain.
The climaz was rather well done, actually, but the rest of the book felt like it was just taking up space. Maybe the book was about a hundred an fifty pages of information crammed into 300. The writing also felt dry at times, like the author knew that the book wasn't turning out properly, but didn't know how to fix it. Indeed, it feels like Rusch knew what the beggining and end of the book were going to be, but didn't have a clue how to connect the two.
If you can put up with pieces of dry, boring writing here and there, you can find some fun in this book. Otherwise, you should read the Jedi Academy Trilogy, or The Courtship of Princess Leia.

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The Courtship of Princess Leia (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)Dave Wolverton's Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia chronicles the desperate campaign waged by Han Solo to win Princess Leia's heart even as the New Republic leadership encourages the former senator from Alderaan to marry Prince Isolder of Hapes.
It is a time of transition in the galaxy. The Emperor and Darth Vader are dead, and the Galactic Empire is now one-fourth its former size. Without the unifying influence of Emperor Palpatine and his dark-side powers, Imperial moffs, admirals, and self-appointed warlords are vying for power. Some fight among themselves, while others, such as Warlord Zsinj, employ their Star Destroyers and stormtroopers against the fledgling New Republic.
While Han Solo is tracking the elusive and dangerous Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, the Iron Fist, Luke Skywalker is scouring the galaxy for data about the Jedi Order, which had been nearly exterminated by Emperor Palpatine and his henchman Darth Vader, who once had been Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father. Knowing that the New Republic can only survive with the aid of a new order of Jedi, Luke has made it his life's mission to learn all he can about the training of Jedi Knights so he can set up a Jedi Academy. On the planet Toola, in the ruins of a Jedi Master's last hiding place, he finds, with guidance from the Force, a data cylinder which, although damaged by the effects of Imperial grenades, contains a hologram containing mission reports from various Jedi...including his own former Master, Yoda. "We tried to free the Chu'unthor from Dathomir, but were repulsed by the witches..." Yoda says. The words don't make much sense to the last of the Jedi Knights, but he's determined to find out what, or who, the Chu'unthor was, and to discover how several Jedi Masters and their acolytes could have been forced to retreat.
Meanwhile, Han has returned to Coruscant from a long and frustrating search for Zsinj and the Iron Fist, only to find a huge Hapan Battle Fleet in orbit. Having had run-ins with the xenophobic and closed society of the 63-world strong Hapan Cluster in his early days as a smuggler, Han is apprehensive. His apprehension turns to dismay when he discovers that the Machiavellian Queen of Hapes, Ta'a Chume is willing to ally her realm with the New Republic if Princess Leia agrees to marry her son, Prince Isolder.
Leia is torn between her love for Han and her sense of duty to the Republic, in whose service she has been since her teens. She doesn't accept right away, but under pressure from both Mon Mothma and the surviving Alderaanian refugee leadership, she does agree to consider it. Angry and dejected, Han goes to a bar and casino in the seamier parts of Coruscant, and joins in on a sabbacc game. In one lucky hand, the smuggler-turned-General wins the deed to a planet...a planet known as Dathomir.
Elated and somewhat recklessly, Han attempts to impress Leia with his new property, hoping that Dathomir can be set up as a substitute for Leia's now-defunct home-world of Alderaan, which had been destroyed by the Empire's first Death Star almost a decade before. But when Leia seemingly rejects them, Han takes one of Leia's engagement gifts, a Hapan Gun of Command, and uses it to force the strong-willed Princess to accompany him on a trip to Dathomir....a trip that Han hopes will rekindle Leia's love for him.
But Ta'a Chume and the New Republic leadership are determined that the wedding take place, so Prince Isolder and Luke Skywalker follow the Millennium Falcon to the mysterious planet of Dathomir, where the witches who defeated Yoda and several other Jedi still reside....
Wolverton's novel is fast paced and entertaining, and Han-Leia fans will enjoy reading the ups and downs of this chapter in their romantic history. As in every good Star Wars novel, there are space battles, suspense, political intrigue, and the classic clash between the forces of good and evil.

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Champions of the Force (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a Star Wars maniac, pure and true, and this book I would not have finished if it weren't for my devotion. I didn't read the rest of the trilogy, and talking to a friend who had, I found out I didn't need to. The story just went in a hundred different directions all at once, which in the beginning was captivating--many Star Wars novels have done this-- but what really turned my attention off was the fact the conflicts--Mon Mothma's disease, Kyp going completely insane and blowing things up, Lukes illness, Anakin's kidnapping, and so on and so forth-- never had anything to do with each other. It was just like the writer, Anderson, said, "Okay, let's write about the everyday lives of some well-known Star Wars characters in a completely random way for no apparent reason in the form of a trilogy." All the plot line really did was run around in little circles over, and over, and over, and over, and over again like hamsters on an exercize wheel. And the ending was really abrupt, like "Blah, blah, everything's going terrible for our heroes, but the book is ending, so we'll just say that everybody lives happily ever after, shall we? Alrighty then-- this and this and this happened, The End!" Whoopie. Absolutely "edge-of-you-seat", gripping, climatic, and altogether totally NOT. Then there are the not-so-small nits; General Garm Bel Iblis's last name is spelled, well, Bel Iblis. In COTF, though, his name is mispelled Bel-Iblis. Then there's the Threkin Horm, whose name is mispelled BIG TIME in COTF as Hrekin Thorm. What in all the worlds is UP WITH THAT?! Then, we have the fact that just about every quote is ended in "!". So I plan to do the same, from here on! I'll write every sentance with over-exaggerating exclamation points! We'll see just how ANNOYING this can get! Finally, that little speech made by Leia in the jadi temple was sappy! That's it; just plain-old sappy! It wouldn't happen, I guarente it! Well, at least the cover art was good! My final word to buyers: don't! Read the Thrawn trilogy instead, and if you've finished, then READ 'EM AGAIN! They're good! And if you really must know what happens in this time period, then read I, JEDI! I think I have made my point with the exclamation marks, haven't I?! I think so! Cya'll!
Ps! Sorry about all the bashing here! I really am a cruel critic here, aren't I?!

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Suspended helplessly between life and death, Luke Skywalker lies in state at the Jedi academy. But on the spirit plane, Luke fights desperately for survival, reaching out physically to the Jedi twins. At the same time, Leia is on a life-and-death mission of her own, a race against Imperial agents hoping to destroy a third Jedi child -- Leia and Han's baby Anakin -- hidden on the planet Anoth. Meanwhile, Luke's former protÚgÚ Kyp Durron has pirated the deadly Sun Crusher on an apocalyptic mission of mass destruction, convinced he is fighting for a just cause. Hunting down the rogue warrior, Han must persuade Kyp to renounce his dark crusade and regain his lost honor. To do it, Kyp must take the Sun Crusher on a suicide mission against the awesome Death Star prototype -- a battle Han knows they may be unable to win... even with Luke Skywalker at their side!

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I, Jedi (Star Wars) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fellow Readers,I have read nearly all the Star Wars novels and though many are forgetable, and a few downright awful, "I, Jedi" stands out as probably the best single Star Wars written book to date. The only books that come close are others written by Mike Stackpole, Timothy Zahn or Aaron Allston. The difference is that they are all part of a series, while this novel stands on its own."I, Jedi", written in the first person, follows a fighter pilot (Corran Horn) who has recently discovered he has the potential to be a Jedi Knight. The sudden disappearance of his wife spurs him to embark on a journey to start his training under Master Luke Skywalker at his new training academy and use his abilities to rescue her. Unlike most books of this type, character development is included in spades as Corran is torn between his strong law enforcement background, his new Jedi instruction at the hand of an unsteady teacher and his desire to search for his wife rewgardless to his level of preparation. His journey has him seeking out his father's past and then infiltrating a band of mercenaries to gain information and access to his wife's captors. Expect personal reflection, detailed action and even some humor.While this book is excellent on its own, it alludes to events which happen in the deeply disappointing "Jedi Academy" trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson. Reading "I, Jedi" without the previous three books will probably leave the reader wondering about the outcomes of plots resolved in the trilogy.The only thing I disliked about the book was that it ended somewhat abruptly and all too soon. Enjoy!

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Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura Review

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(More customer reviews)Truce at Bakura is a riveting action packed tale of the days directly after Return of the Jedi. Luke injured by the Emperor during the final battle aboard the Death Star II, is receiving treatment for those life threatening electrical convulsions you see him go through, when he receives a visitation from the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi bidding him to go to Bakura which is in great danger. So Luke in command of a task force with diplomats Han and Leia in tow heads out to Bakura. It was interesting to see Luke Skywalker in command of a military force, something not seen in any of the other Star Wars books. At Bakura our heroes find Imperial forces about to be destroyed by soul sucking aliens. In the interests of the innocents enemies join force and the fun begins. The battles both on land and in space are well written and the story is great. Love, death, betrayel, everything a Star Wars reader could possibly want is here. Han's gloating over the defeat of the Empire at Endor in front of Bakura's Imperial governor is classic, Leia's confrontation with the spirit of Anakin Skywalker is an imporatant aspect to the story, while Luke's romantic feelings for a lovely Bakuran senator are a humanizing influence on a character to often viewed as above human emotions. Overall Truce at Bakura is a great read, well written and I highly recommend it.

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Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Jedi Academy trilogy was the first major effort to follow the outstanding-beyond-words Timothy Zahn trilogy that relaunched the Star Wars frenzy in the early 90s. As such, Kevin Anderson had a VERY tough act to follow and there is inevitably a bit of a let down for readers coming straight from the Zahn books. That said, Anderson is a pretty decent author who does a good job keeping the books exciting with interesting story lines and good action scenes. So if you're looking for an entertaining way to pass some time, read no further - this book is for you.
But unfortunately, Anderson also had to contend with another hurdle other than following in Zahn's footsteps. Lucasfilm has a policy that all Star Wars spinoff literature has to be consistent and not contradict each other. This meant that when Anderson was almost done with his first drafts, he was suddenly informed that he had to make his story fit in with the a comic book just release by Darkhorse - the rediculously implausible "Dark Empire." This means that Anderson had to rewrite into his story crazy stuff like the emperor getting resurrected and Luke turning to the dark side. This has gone on to become a weakness of the whole series - whenever an author makes a mistake and includes something stupid in a book or comic, it becomes canon and every other author has to accept it. Over time the series has less and less like Star Wars and more and more like an independent separate universe.
The Jedi Academy trilogy was the first of these books that didn't quite feel like Star Wars. Zahn was the only one not constrained by these requirements since he was first, and consequently, his original trilogy is the most internally consistent and the most Star Wars in feel. Anderson's books and a few of the later books might be worth reading, but be warned that they may put you on a path to the Dark Side.

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As the war between the Republic and the scattered remnants of the Empire continues, two children--the Jedi twins--will come into their powers in a universe on the brink of vast changes and challenges. In this time of turmoil and discovery, an extraordinary new Star Wars saga begins.... While Luke Skywalker takes the first step toward setting up an academy to train a new order of Jedi Knights, Han Solo and Chewbacca are taken prisoner on the planet Kessel and forced to work in the fathomless depths of a spice mine. But when Hans and Chewie break away, they flee desperately to a secret imperial research laboratory surrounded by a cluster of black holes--and go from one danger to a far greater one.... On Kessel, Luke picks up the trail of his two friends, only to come face to face with a weapon so awesome, it can wipe out an entire solar system. It is a death ship called the Sun Crusher, invented by a reclusive genius and piloted by none other than Han himself...

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Specter of the Past (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn #1) Review

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(More customer reviews)After reading Timothy Zahn's first Star Wars trilogy, and finding that it was good, I, being an avid SW fan, set my sights on the dozens of other books written afterward. They. . . weren't so good. In fact, some of them were downright bad, either using a tired device over and over again (superweapon anyone?) or destroying the characters. I began to lose faith in the franchise as literature-worthy.
Then Zahn wrote Specter of the Past, the first of The Hand of Thrawn Duology, and I believed again.
While his Thrawn Trilogy is usually considered best, this is perhaps his most daring work. With his first trilogy, he had no canon material he had to follow, allowing him an essentially clean slate with which to work. However, after five years and over a dozen novels, there was a lot of histroy that he just couldn't ignore. However, once again, Zahn proved to be more than equal to the task, using characters and events from the earlier and inferior novels to further his story or expand his characters. And, being Zahn, it worked.
The story of Specter of the Past is one of galactic conflict on a familiar Star Wars scale, but it also weaves threads intrigue and shadow plots into the play, giving the novel a fresh feel from the usual "The Imperials have a new superweapon!" arc, and it works well. One of the two main threads focuses on the supposed return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who we saw die in The Last Command, in all his strategic genius and glory. The second thread involves the framing of the Bothans for the destruction of a pacifist planet. While Leia tries desperately to hold the New Rupiblic together in the face of a catastrophic backlash, Han and Lando struggle to acertain if Thrawn really has returned.
Meanwhile, on a covert mission, Luke and Mara run into an Imperial style ship manned by clones, which vanishes into deep space. As Mara gives chase, she discovers a strange planet with a mysterious link to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Luke, recieving a disturbing premonition of her possible death, races to join her.
Behind it all is a brilliant mind and a daring con, backed by a ruthless and greedy warlord bent on galactic domination. However, where others have failed, they may very well succeed.
All the characters that Zahn introduced us to are back, and better than ever. Captain Pelleon holds a nominal authoritative position in the Imperial Remnant, struggling to find a way to end the decades-long conflict that has toppled an empire, while also wondering at the possible return of his mentor. Talon Kardde, smuggler and business man, journeys to the edge of the galaxy to meet a man he betrayed to uncover the truth about the Bothans. And Mara Jade is, of course, just as we remember her; smart, sassy, strong, and a perfect foil for Luke. Damn, but they make a great team.
While there's plenty of swashbuckling and space battling in Specter of the Past, the stage is only being set for something much MUCH bigger. Zahn is creating something grand in this volume, something which has ties not only with the SW books by other authors, but also brings back seemingly unimportant details from the Thrawn Trilogy as all too important. It really makes you admire his genius in storytelling and planning, and wonder whether he had planned follow-ups to the Thrawn Trilogy from the very beginning.
Any way you slice it, The Hand of Thrawn Duology is a wonderful addition to the Star Wars franchise, and is a wonderful set-up for a grand finale.

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Vision of the Future (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 2) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Some of these reviews are great; they really are. Almost as good as reading the book itself. Its good to see that so many readers get so emotionally attached to the characters; emphasised particularly well with the war of words between Mara and Callista fans. And to think that the two women didn't even feature in the movies. People seem to either love or hate the outcome, and that is always a sign of a great novel. Personally, I loved the outcome!
As with any good SW novel, there is plenty of sci-fi action and plot enhancement here, but it does however take a back seat to character development. Yes, this is very much a character-driven novel; in particular with Jade and Skywalker (still can't get over how cool this name is!). OK, so the issue of the dynamic duo getting married is perhaps the worst kept secret on the Internet, but what makes this such compelling reading is down to the way in which Zahn executes this theme. There were so many barriers existing between the two, not to mention the emotional turmoil and personal demons which needed to be overcome before they could establish a relationship.
I also loved the way Zahn resolved the Lando/Mara issue without making Lando come across as the bad guy. For all his faults, Lando is a key figure in the SW universe and deserves positive attention, and it was nice to see him lead the Republic forces at the end against those nasty Imperial Star Destroyers.
It was also interesting to note that one or two readers felt too much of the novel was taken up by Luke and Mara. I wonder why they thought this; I for one would not have minded in the slightest had the entire book only consisted of these two characters. And lets face it people, we would have even willingly seen the Empire win if it meant Luke and Mara getting together in the process.
There is not much I can say to fault this novel, but there is one little aspect which affected me on a purely personal level and one which I felt we could have done without. I am referring to the smuggler's tale of the titanic battle between a dark Jedi and Yoda. I have always believed that Lucas depicted Yoda as the apotheosis of all that is Jedi with the exception of using the force to do battle. We did not see the little master fight in any movie and I firmly believe we will not do so in episodes 2 and 3, because to do so would degrade the single most unique character of the Star Wars universe. Therefore I felt Zahn could have easily omitted this part without detriment to the quality of the story. However this is just one minor flaw on a purely personal level.
On another personal level, as a huge Mara fan (who can never again watch "Return of the Jedi" in the same manner!), I thoroughly enjoyed the new insights we got to see in Mara. For example, other peoples' opinion of her matters greatly to her (such as Han's impression when seeing her wearing Lando's shirt). Moreover, the fact that (and why) she has never been in a relationship before was shrewdly fabricated and written. Its amazing how much a person can change in ten years. And she "highly respected and cared" for Luke during all those years (a fact which is also emphasised in Stackpole's "I, Jedi"). Needless to say, Zahn executed this character development flawlessly (I still think she is his best creation; better even than Thrawn - and that's saying something!). While on the subject, I'm very troubled by the comments referring to Mara's death in the future. It is blatantly obvious (from the word "forever" among other things) that Zahn intends both Mara and Luke to have a long, happy and prosperous future together and I hope other authors will respect his wishes when writing subsequent novels. Incidentally, there have been very few comments made about the picture of Mara on the cover art of this novel. There are so many disparate images of her around these days; however this is the one I like best and if this is how Zahn invisaged his enchantress turned Jedi Knight, then its good enough for me.
Apologies for using the term "Mara" 9 times (now 10!) in this review. What can I say? I'm just a humble fan!

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