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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Horribly written. Probably not the target demographic. May be awesome for due hard fanboys?
Listened to this on audio. I don't know if all of the new Star Wars audiobooks are like this as this is my first, but the production quality was AMAZING. There are lots of sound effects - droid bleeps, Wookie howls, background music, blaster fire, wooshing doors - that really make this a first-rate listen. My only complaint - and unfortunately it's kind of a big one - is that 36-42 Han (depending on which timeline you like) sounds like 73-year-old Harrison Ford with his gruff, crotchety old man voice. Han isn't that old yet this in this book, much closer to Original Trilogy Han than Force Awakens Han, and it seemed a bit too much with so much grumbling. Otherwise the voice acting for the other characters - Lando in particular - was superb.
Overall I found the story itself to be quite good. The real focus was on Han and Lando's growth in their respective relationships and their new roles in the galaxy, which I know some people will like and others will find tedious (I liked it). The Fyzen Gor plot was nonetheless very engaging, though I wasn't always able to follow how the jumps in time tied in with the present plot. That's probably (?) on me as a listener, not on the writing.
The new characters really make this story work. Taka in particular is pretty fantastic, and Peekpa has a very soft place in my heart. Fyzen Gor is a good villain, and I appreciate that he's not yet another Imperial remnant but still has the capacity to greatly impact the galaxy.
As is all of the new Star Wars stuff, this book is pretty woke. There's a super cool non-binary character who uses they/them pronouns without it being an actual plot point. There's an entertaining scene involving a Gungan with commentary on making assumptions and gentrification.
Overall I found the story itself to be quite good. The real focus was on Han and Lando's growth in their respective relationships and their new roles in the galaxy, which I know some people will like and others will find tedious (I liked it). The Fyzen Gor plot was nonetheless very engaging, though I wasn't always able to follow how the jumps in time tied in with the present plot. That's probably (?) on me as a listener, not on the writing.
The new characters really make this story work. Taka in particular is pretty fantastic, and Peekpa has a very soft place in my heart. Fyzen Gor is a good villain, and I appreciate that he's not yet another Imperial remnant but still has the capacity to greatly impact the galaxy.
As is all of the new Star Wars stuff, this book is pretty woke. There's a super cool non-binary character who uses they/them pronouns without it being an actual plot point. There's an entertaining scene involving a Gungan with commentary on making assumptions and gentrification.
This is what Star Wars can be without the Sith/Jedi clash we are so used to!! Just some scoundrels saving the galaxy. I feel like Older did a great job at characterizing both Han and Lando and their relationship. It was surprisingly funny. Though my favorite moment was the meeting of Aro where he absolutely roasts Han when he says "meesa" . I am looking forward to Olders work in the coming High Republic era.
Han and Lando doing Han and Lando things. What’s not to love 8.4
Jumping between 3 different time periods at random was ridiculous. I was thoroughly enjoying the story that takes places post Episode VI but it’s constantly interrupted by what felt like meaningless flashbacks
Of all of the new Disney canon Star Wars novels I have read (which is almost all of them except some of the YA novels) this is my least favorite by far. I had a love/hate relationship with this novel because there are many things I really liked in it. The premise was extremely engaging and presented a real and believable threat in this universe. It is too bad that the writing is such a letdown.
The novel presents 3-4ish different but connected storylines across several time periods. The bulk of the story takes place a few years post ROTJ, which is exciting as this is a time period that has been seldom explored in the new canon other than by the films. While this novel doesn't provide any insight into the plot of the sequel trilogy it does expand the picture of what the New Republic looks like post-Empire. The other timelines focus on Han from 10 years ago and Lando from 15. This is where the Solo movie tie in comes from. The problem is that the book has too many chapters that are far too short and the placement of the different storylines is all over the place. It was sometimes difficult to keep track of what was happening, when and where it was happening, and to whom.
The other HUGE problem is how Older writes the characters. I'm not sure what he was trying to do but the Han and Lando in this novel are not the same Han and Lando in the rest of the canon. It almost felt like Older had a novel that was 95% finished and then decided to make it a Star Wars novel. It is hard to explain so here is an example of what I'm talking about.
"Gor yelled as Han danced a little jig to the thrashing riffs and manic screams."
Come again? Han danced a jig? This is Kinect Star Wars Han apparently. Here is another:
"Han turned back to the steering wheel and shoved the Chevalier out of the way as a torpedo slung past."
Yep, you heard it here first folks. Spaceships in Star Wars have steering wheels. Like a car.
I'll leave the review with this thought of Lando's that I felt was particularly compelling and not at all terrible writing.
"Lando had learned long ago that if you give someone what they want, then usually they’re happy and they go away without bothering to see if you actually gave them everything they wanted or just most of it."
Please make it stop.
The novel presents 3-4ish different but connected storylines across several time periods. The bulk of the story takes place a few years post ROTJ, which is exciting as this is a time period that has been seldom explored in the new canon other than by the films. While this novel doesn't provide any insight into the plot of the sequel trilogy it does expand the picture of what the New Republic looks like post-Empire. The other timelines focus on Han from 10 years ago and Lando from 15. This is where the Solo movie tie in comes from. The problem is that the book has too many chapters that are far too short and the placement of the different storylines is all over the place. It was sometimes difficult to keep track of what was happening, when and where it was happening, and to whom.
The other HUGE problem is how Older writes the characters. I'm not sure what he was trying to do but the Han and Lando in this novel are not the same Han and Lando in the rest of the canon. It almost felt like Older had a novel that was 95% finished and then decided to make it a Star Wars novel. It is hard to explain so here is an example of what I'm talking about.
"Gor yelled as Han danced a little jig to the thrashing riffs and manic screams."
Come again? Han danced a jig? This is Kinect Star Wars Han apparently. Here is another:
"Han turned back to the steering wheel and shoved the Chevalier out of the way as a torpedo slung past."
Yep, you heard it here first folks. Spaceships in Star Wars have steering wheels. Like a car.
I'll leave the review with this thought of Lando's that I felt was particularly compelling and not at all terrible writing.
"Lando had learned long ago that if you give someone what they want, then usually they’re happy and they go away without bothering to see if you actually gave them everything they wanted or just most of it."
Please make it stop.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
It was a pleasure to read a book that focused so much on Han Solo from someone who *gets* Han Solo - and incidentally, his relationship with Leia (and son). I enjoyed the plot very much, the flashbacks, and Lando's arc. A really good Star Wars adventure!