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twilliamson's review against another edition
4.0
The New Rebellion may very well be the best Star Wars novel from 1996, with just the right amount of good storytelling and bright character examinations, a self-contained epic with satisfying character arcs for the major players in Star Wars and just connected enough to existing continuity to pay off for attentive '90s-era readers.
What Rusch does best is finding something for every major player to do. Han and Chewbacca get plenty of space for adventure, Luke gets to demonstrate his mastery of the Force in a way that feels compelling to his character without overshadowing the rest of the cast, Leia has a complete character arc and matures in multiple dimensions by the time the book is over, and even Lando and the droids get to have their moment in the sun. While the book feels like it sprawls out, it also feels like it keeps pace satisfyingly.
One of its major strengths is that the book is a self-contained story, so there aren't any prequels, sequels, or trilogies to catch up on in order to keep pace with the book. And it manages to set up its stakes meaningfully, with a well-developed villain and plot that doesn't rely overtly on overused '90s tropes or a dizzying knowledge of EU continuity. That's not to say that the book exists completely in a vacuum of continuity, but that its focus is more on the characters and the stakes of the plot than it is on scaffolding a launching point for a new status quo. It helps to know what has happened in the saga to this point, but only so far as that knowledge can enrich the experience.
Rusch also delivers a fairly convincing villain for the book, and though I don't quite buy into the idea that Kueller is the most dangerous foe since Palpatine, I do think he sits as a more competent and believable antagonist to the New Republic than characters like Admiral Daala or some of the other villains the past several years has offered. What works best about Kueller is that he highlights the philosophies of the various main characters, showcasing their strengths and their weaknesses both for the benefit of the plot's conflict.
It's rare to see a book that feels as wholly true the characters and original trilogy as The New Rebellion, especially as the characters have developed for the EU. It doesn't quite strive for the same broad, thematic, allegorical explorations as the original trilogy or even some of the other books from 1996, but that doesn't hold it back from the spirit of a very good Star Wars book. If every novel in this series were as competently written, I think I'd have a hard time moving away from Star Wars to read literally anything else.
TLDR: I had a great time with The New Rebellion, and it's easy for me to include on a list of essential EU reading. With a strong villain and great character development across the board, I think this is a real gem.
What Rusch does best is finding something for every major player to do. Han and Chewbacca get plenty of space for adventure, Luke gets to demonstrate his mastery of the Force in a way that feels compelling to his character without overshadowing the rest of the cast, Leia has a complete character arc and matures in multiple dimensions by the time the book is over, and even Lando and the droids get to have their moment in the sun. While the book feels like it sprawls out, it also feels like it keeps pace satisfyingly.
One of its major strengths is that the book is a self-contained story, so there aren't any prequels, sequels, or trilogies to catch up on in order to keep pace with the book. And it manages to set up its stakes meaningfully, with a well-developed villain and plot that doesn't rely overtly on overused '90s tropes or a dizzying knowledge of EU continuity. That's not to say that the book exists completely in a vacuum of continuity, but that its focus is more on the characters and the stakes of the plot than it is on scaffolding a launching point for a new status quo. It helps to know what has happened in the saga to this point, but only so far as that knowledge can enrich the experience.
Rusch also delivers a fairly convincing villain for the book, and though I don't quite buy into the idea that Kueller is the most dangerous foe since Palpatine, I do think he sits as a more competent and believable antagonist to the New Republic than characters like Admiral Daala or some of the other villains the past several years has offered. What works best about Kueller is that he highlights the philosophies of the various main characters, showcasing their strengths and their weaknesses both for the benefit of the plot's conflict.
It's rare to see a book that feels as wholly true the characters and original trilogy as The New Rebellion, especially as the characters have developed for the EU. It doesn't quite strive for the same broad, thematic, allegorical explorations as the original trilogy or even some of the other books from 1996, but that doesn't hold it back from the spirit of a very good Star Wars book. If every novel in this series were as competently written, I think I'd have a hard time moving away from Star Wars to read literally anything else.
TLDR: I had a great time with The New Rebellion, and it's easy for me to include on a list of essential EU reading. With a strong villain and great character development across the board, I think this is a real gem.
siria's review against another edition
2.0
The plot is seriously sub-standard, even for something in this series, and there are times when Rusch works in lines from the original movies that I would pay good money to see no-one ever use again (starting with "I've got a bad feeling about this" and working from there). The characterisation is better than normal, though, and it's passably well-written - putting it far above the normal run of single volume SW books. About the level of an average fanfic, really.
colls's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
4.0
This book reminded me of things I loved about the original trilogy. It read like a movie and I rather wish it'd become one.
fandom4ever's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Star Wars: The New Rebellion takes place thirteen years after Return of the Jedi and continues the story of Luke, Leia, Han and company amidst the New Republic.
Overall, not a bad story, the lead up to the villain’s, Kueller, identity was good and had a real connection to Luke and a justification for wanting vengeance on Leia and the New Republic. What the weapon turned out to be was well done, I did not see that coming and it was far more elegant than any super-weapon, just as Kueller said it was.
I absolutely loved the bringing in of former Imperials to the New Republic Senate and how instead of portraying them as the typical bad guys, Leia’s inability to put aside past biases and her assumption that anything going wrong has to do with them makes her out as the bad guy. It was refreshing because she was being completely unreasonable; it’s been thirteen years since the Emperor died, when will she move on?!, and people were finally putting her in her spot.
The Smuggler’s Run plotline was meh. I liked the callback to Han’s smuggling days, and having read the Han Solo trilogy, the people he runs into there had more meaning especially with how they treat him and the events that take place there. But overall, it felt drawn out and unnecessary, just a long way to bring Han to where Luke and Leia are.
With about a third left in the book, the viewpoints started changing very frequently. Throughout the novel, I liked that many of these viewpoints ended with a cliffhanger, leaving you wanting to know what would happen to the characters, but as I neared the end there would be only a few paragraphs before it would leave you hanging as it switched to another character. I understand that these events are all happening simultaneously but when I’m in the midst of some big event I hated being dragged away for something less significant.
A solid entry in the Expanded Universe and a good one-book read after the lengthy Black Fleet Crisis trilogy.
Overall, not a bad story, the lead up to the villain’s, Kueller, identity was good and had a real connection to Luke and a justification for wanting vengeance on Leia and the New Republic. What the weapon turned out to be was well done, I did not see that coming and it was far more elegant than any super-weapon, just as Kueller said it was.
I absolutely loved the bringing in of former Imperials to the New Republic Senate and how instead of portraying them as the typical bad guys, Leia’s inability to put aside past biases and her assumption that anything going wrong has to do with them makes her out as the bad guy. It was refreshing because she was being completely unreasonable; it’s been thirteen years since the Emperor died, when will she move on?!, and people were finally putting her in her spot.
The Smuggler’s Run plotline was meh. I liked the callback to Han’s smuggling days, and having read the Han Solo trilogy, the people he runs into there had more meaning especially with how they treat him and the events that take place there. But overall, it felt drawn out and unnecessary, just a long way to bring Han to where Luke and Leia are.
With about a third left in the book, the viewpoints started changing very frequently. Throughout the novel, I liked that many of these viewpoints ended with a cliffhanger, leaving you wanting to know what would happen to the characters, but as I neared the end there would be only a few paragraphs before it would leave you hanging as it switched to another character. I understand that these events are all happening simultaneously but when I’m in the midst of some big event I hated being dragged away for something less significant.
A solid entry in the Expanded Universe and a good one-book read after the lengthy Black Fleet Crisis trilogy.
colinmcev's review against another edition
3.0
As I'm currently reading the Star Wars Legends books in chronological order, without skipping any, the quality has been hit-or-miss; some have been quite good, and others... significantly less so. I'm please to say that The New Rebellion fell into the former category for me. This one grabbed me right from the start, with the mysterious genocide event perpetuated by a new villain by unknown means, followed very quickly by a bombing at the Senate Hall in what appeared to be an assassination attempt against Princess Leia. The book started on a strong note and maintained my interest throughout.
While I sometimes feel like these books arbitrarily give subplots to characters just to keep them involved in the action, everybody had interesting roles in this one, from R2-D2 and C-3PO revealing a particularly dangerous situation, to Han Solo and Lando Calrissian getting involved with a smuggler station in a subplot that at first appeared completely unrelated to the main storyline, but ended up tying in nicely. (I also enjoyed how the author addressed Lando Calrissian's lingering guilt over having betrayed Solo so many years ago during the events of The Empire Strikes Back, something I don't recall other Star Wars authors having done.)
I also particularly enjoyed Leia in this one. While I feel like her character is often limited to being kidnapped by the given book's antagonist, or being constantly maligned by the politicians in the New Republic (which, to be fair, did happen again in this one), I liked that Leia was very strongly involved in fighting Kueller, the Big Bad of this book, rather than taking a back seat and letting Luke do all the work. (The revelation of how Kueller was committing his mass genocides was an interesting and creative twist as well.)
It's a shame Kristine Kathryn Rusch only wrote one Star Wars book, but I certainly enjoyed her entry into this wonderful universe.
While I sometimes feel like these books arbitrarily give subplots to characters just to keep them involved in the action, everybody had interesting roles in this one, from R2-D2 and C-3PO revealing a particularly dangerous situation, to Han Solo and Lando Calrissian getting involved with a smuggler station in a subplot that at first appeared completely unrelated to the main storyline, but ended up tying in nicely. (I also enjoyed how the author addressed Lando Calrissian's lingering guilt over having betrayed Solo so many years ago during the events of The Empire Strikes Back, something I don't recall other Star Wars authors having done.)
I also particularly enjoyed Leia in this one. While I feel like her character is often limited to being kidnapped by the given book's antagonist, or being constantly maligned by the politicians in the New Republic (which, to be fair, did happen again in this one), I liked that Leia was very strongly involved in fighting Kueller, the Big Bad of this book, rather than taking a back seat and letting Luke do all the work. (The revelation of how Kueller was committing his mass genocides was an interesting and creative twist as well.)
It's a shame Kristine Kathryn Rusch only wrote one Star Wars book, but I certainly enjoyed her entry into this wonderful universe.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
5.0
This was the first Star Wars novel I had ever read. I have since read 256 Star Wars novels and books so going back to reread the one that kicked off my love-affair with the Expanded Universe was quite exciting.
I had just finished trudging my way through that terrible Black Fleet Crisis (which took me a year) and was surprised and delighted with the immensely improved quality of writing and story-telling. I read this tome in 3 days.
The growth of the characters feels right and the myriad weaving plots work well together. There was also a nice role reversal with Lando being at the mercy of a crime lord and needing to be rescued by his future wife and his best friend.
The big bad may been formulaic for Star Wars but the threat has a nice new feel to it.
For me this book did everything right and is solely responsible for the 500+ Star Wars books I've got on my shelves.
I had just finished trudging my way through that terrible Black Fleet Crisis (which took me a year) and was surprised and delighted with the immensely improved quality of writing and story-telling. I read this tome in 3 days.
The growth of the characters feels right and the myriad weaving plots work well together. There was also a nice role reversal with Lando being at the mercy of a crime lord and needing to be rescued by his future wife and his best friend.
The big bad may been formulaic for Star Wars but the threat has a nice new feel to it.
For me this book did everything right and is solely responsible for the 500+ Star Wars books I've got on my shelves.
tmarso's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Great star wars story in just one book
earlapvaldez's review against another edition
5.0
Exactly the Star Wars Extended Universe that one would need: the tension between the New Republic's officials composed of old foes, more evil Jedi, Skywalker / Organa-Solo children, same Han adventures.