I like to read these novels to get my Star
Wars fix. I do not keep up with all of the ins and outs of the Star Wars
EU (extended universe), particularly how the novels or comic books
affect the Star Wars time line. I take each book on its own face and its
own separate adventure. That being said, this is decent entry into the
Star Wars universe and fairly enjoyable read.
The events of this
story take place soon after Return of the Jedi. The Rebel Alliance has
won but there are still a few hold outs that want to see the Empire
return. All the major characters, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, R2, Lando,
etc., are present and well represented. Mr. Stover also introduces some
new characters and reuses other characters that have only appeared in
the EU. One of the new characters, Nick Rotsu, quickly became a favorite
of mine.
Mr. Stover does a reasonable job of getting the voices right
of the well known characters. Some do seem a little off, like Han making
a joke after joke after joke. But, some of the humor is truly laugh out
funny. Nick Rotsu’s constant bickering with Luke Skywalker had me
continually chuckling.
The plot is decent and set up well. Cronal
is an adequate bad guy since the major baddies, Darth Vader and
Palpatine, are no longer around. Cornal’s version of the Dark is an
interesting and different take of the Dark Side. Think of it as the
Darkest of the Dark Side. His scheme to reconstitute the Empire is also
plausible and much more interesting than the brute force method used in
the movies.
I won’t go into too much detail but Mr. Stover’s
constant making fun of the Luke and Han’s reputations via the holo-image
thrillers adds a nice detail and especially made ending more satisfying.
Read the book and you will know what I mean.
This is sad, but there was so much action that it became tiresome after
awhile. After the rebel forces enter the system it is essentially one
long running battle. That constitutes about 2/3rds of the book and I
would have preferred a few breaks.
Overall this was
an enjoyable and fun book. Recommended for any Star Wars fan a reader
who enjoys a good sci-fi yarn.
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