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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
An improvement over the last Aftermath book. I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about Chuck Wendig’s style within the context of Star Wars, particularly using the present tense. That said, I think he’s doing an overall good job. This book felt more like Star Wars to me.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disney really did have a plan the whole time. Wild.
My original STAR WARS: AFTERMATH: LIFE DEBT audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
I read and enjoyed the print (well, ebook) edition of Chuck Wendig’s prior Star Wars: Aftermath novel, but after hearing good things about the production qualities of the Star Wars audiobooks decided I would give this format a shot for the second go-round. Holy moly, have I been missing out! It’s safe to say that from here on out, any Star Wars titles I dive into will be in audio format, especially if narrated by Marc Thompson.
The audio production of this novel is absolutely superb. Random House Audio, in conjunction with Lucasfilm Ltd., put together a fully engaging and visceral listening experience. In print, Wendig’s writing style is short and punchy, but as read by Thompson it takes on a wonderfully dramatic effect. Thompson excels at giving each of Wendig’s characters unique voices, and combined with sound effects and a musical score, this audiobook is more like a one-man radio drama. Listeners are thrust into the heart of each battle (and boy, are there ever some battles!), with the whizzing hum of laser bolts blasting by, the thrum of ship’s engines beneath their feet, and the familiar notes of John William’s score overlaying it all. It’s quite a remarkable work all around.
On the story side of thing, Life Debt picks up a short while after the close of Aftermath, and brings a story element teased in the prior novel straight to the center stage. Serious Star Wars fans will know immediately that the title refers to the bond between rogue scoundrel and smuggler, Han Solo, and his co-pilot and friend, the Wookie Chewbacca. After Solo goes missing, Princess Leia presses Norra Wexley and her band of rebels into service to find them. Wexley and her crew, now hunting down fugitive Imperial officers for the New Republic, find themselves embroiled in a battle to wrest Kashyyyk from the Empire’s control and free the enslaved Wookies.
Life Debt is an epic Star Wars tale, filled with political intrigue within both the fledgling New Republic’s ranks and the Empire itself, as Admiral Rae Sloane squares off against a new opponent vying for control of the Emperor’s throne, and battles large and small. While there are plenty of wars among the stars, it’s the story’s heart and sense of fun that really makes this production so enriching.
Listening to Life Debt reminded me what it was like to be a kid again, lost in these stories of the heroes of the rebellion and the insidious forces of darkness within the Empire. This sucker is just flat-out enjoyable, and while I enjoyed the first Aftermath novel quite a bit, Life Debt is significantly better. Wendig has found his feet with his original characters, and he does a great job bringing in old favorites like Leia, Solo, and Chewie (there’s a series of wonderfully heartfelt moment between these three late in the book that are just sublime). And with Wendig’s occasional Interludes, to show how the war between these opposing forces has affected and disrupted day-to-day life for the galaxy’s citizens, there’s an epic and expansive feel that gives the narrative a much wider context. This is Star Wars at its grandest, and I’m eager to see how Wendig’s story culminates in Aftermath: Empire’s End.
[Note: This audiobook was provided for review by the audiobookreviewer.com.]
I read and enjoyed the print (well, ebook) edition of Chuck Wendig’s prior Star Wars: Aftermath novel, but after hearing good things about the production qualities of the Star Wars audiobooks decided I would give this format a shot for the second go-round. Holy moly, have I been missing out! It’s safe to say that from here on out, any Star Wars titles I dive into will be in audio format, especially if narrated by Marc Thompson.
The audio production of this novel is absolutely superb. Random House Audio, in conjunction with Lucasfilm Ltd., put together a fully engaging and visceral listening experience. In print, Wendig’s writing style is short and punchy, but as read by Thompson it takes on a wonderfully dramatic effect. Thompson excels at giving each of Wendig’s characters unique voices, and combined with sound effects and a musical score, this audiobook is more like a one-man radio drama. Listeners are thrust into the heart of each battle (and boy, are there ever some battles!), with the whizzing hum of laser bolts blasting by, the thrum of ship’s engines beneath their feet, and the familiar notes of John William’s score overlaying it all. It’s quite a remarkable work all around.
On the story side of thing, Life Debt picks up a short while after the close of Aftermath, and brings a story element teased in the prior novel straight to the center stage. Serious Star Wars fans will know immediately that the title refers to the bond between rogue scoundrel and smuggler, Han Solo, and his co-pilot and friend, the Wookie Chewbacca. After Solo goes missing, Princess Leia presses Norra Wexley and her band of rebels into service to find them. Wexley and her crew, now hunting down fugitive Imperial officers for the New Republic, find themselves embroiled in a battle to wrest Kashyyyk from the Empire’s control and free the enslaved Wookies.
Life Debt is an epic Star Wars tale, filled with political intrigue within both the fledgling New Republic’s ranks and the Empire itself, as Admiral Rae Sloane squares off against a new opponent vying for control of the Emperor’s throne, and battles large and small. While there are plenty of wars among the stars, it’s the story’s heart and sense of fun that really makes this production so enriching.
Listening to Life Debt reminded me what it was like to be a kid again, lost in these stories of the heroes of the rebellion and the insidious forces of darkness within the Empire. This sucker is just flat-out enjoyable, and while I enjoyed the first Aftermath novel quite a bit, Life Debt is significantly better. Wendig has found his feet with his original characters, and he does a great job bringing in old favorites like Leia, Solo, and Chewie (there’s a series of wonderfully heartfelt moment between these three late in the book that are just sublime). And with Wendig’s occasional Interludes, to show how the war between these opposing forces has affected and disrupted day-to-day life for the galaxy’s citizens, there’s an epic and expansive feel that gives the narrative a much wider context. This is Star Wars at its grandest, and I’m eager to see how Wendig’s story culminates in Aftermath: Empire’s End.
[Note: This audiobook was provided for review by the audiobookreviewer.com.]
I was only going to give this three stars until I read the line “therapy Ewok,” and then the narrative came together. I hated the first book so much it took forever for me to decide to get to this one. Still not a fan of the present tense.
Interesting to read in terms of content- learning what happened between ROTJ and TFA. The characterization and character interactions are a bit simplistic- they feel very new writer. Also, the characterizations of the characters we already know ( Han, Leia) seem a bit off.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a better written book than the first. The different groups have finally met and things are moving forward toward Jakku. The story suffers a bit from jumping forward in places and not giving any clear narrative as to what happened. An example of this is what happens to Jom Barell. It almost reads as if it wants to be in the same vain as Empire Strikes Back, the darker of the trilogy. But it doesn't quite reach this level. Flawed but good.
Throughout the first half of the book most characters suddenly became very annoying and the general plot was ok but added nothing to the main plot that was touched upon later on. Not to mention I immediately took away one star for the senseless pairing that appeared out of nowhere and had zero chemistry, that was just so poorly written.
The second part of the book was better, we finally got some action and characters finally started being less annoying. Han, Leia and Chewie were well written and their story line was interesting, it was really nice to see them here. Also I still stand by what I said earlier - Rae Sloane is very interesting and I can't wait to see what she does in the last book.
The second part of the book was better, we finally got some action and characters finally started being less annoying. Han, Leia and Chewie were well written and their story line was interesting, it was really nice to see them here. Also I still stand by what I said earlier - Rae Sloane is very interesting and I can't wait to see what she does in the last book.