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46 reviews for:
Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina: Star Wars Legends
Kevin J. Anderson, Kevin J. Anderson
3.49 AVERAGE
46 reviews for:
Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina: Star Wars Legends
Kevin J. Anderson, Kevin J. Anderson
3.49 AVERAGE
Some of the stories were great but not all of them really hooked me.
repetitive, but has its good moments. also has its bad moments.
malloc eating a dead rat while naked and sitting on the floor of his shower is iconic
if shada d'ukal isn't a lesbian, timothy zahn owes me $300,000
malloc eating a dead rat while naked and sitting on the floor of his shower is iconic
if shada d'ukal isn't a lesbian, timothy zahn owes me $300,000
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of my absolute favorite things about Star Wars is how rich and expansive its fictional universe really is. This is a story that doesn't simply end when the movies are over; there is seemingly endless potential to build upon these characters, places, and storylines. I remember watching Star Wars for the first time as a kid and wanting to know the back story of every single alien in the background at the places like Mos Eisley Cantina and Jabba the Hutt's palace. And thanks to the Expanded Universe (regardless of whether the new movies have rendered them non-canon or not) and books like these, characters who had only a few seconds of screen-time are able to come alive, adding further richness to the Star Wars universe.
That's why, even though most of the individual stories are not as well written as such novels as such Star Wars novels as Heir to the Empire or Jedi Search, I have a soft spot for books like Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina. Watching the movie, who would have thought that the Hammerhead-looking alien briefly seen in the background is an exiled priest struggling to preserve his pacifism amid a violent galaxy? Or that the guy with the devil horns is a music-loving fugitive who committed war atrocities on his home world? Or that the wolfman and snake-looking creature are actually lovers whose romance would lead them to roles in every major battle in the original trilogy of Star Wars films?
Not every story is a winner, of course. The tale that casts Dr. Evazan (the scar-faced man who picks a bar fight with Luke Skywalker, only to get lightsabered by Obi-Wan Kenobi) as some sort of grotesque mad scientist is a bit too goofy for me. But several of these stories build upon the Star Wars galaxy in quite unique ways.
For example, the story in which a moisture farmer futilely attempts to make peace with his neighboring Jawas and Sand People shows how the galactic Star Wars conflict affects local planetary politics in a way the larger novels could never dedicate time toward. And the portrayal of Davin Felth, the stormtrooper who proclaims "Look sir, droids!" in the film, being a stormtrooper wrestling with a crisis of conscience is an interesting take on the otherwise faceless bad guys, coming two decades before similar themes would play into Finn's back story in the Force Awakens film. (There are also several delightful WTF moments in this book, like the macabre nature of the pipe-smoking Dannik Jerriko character, and key ingredient bartender Wuher ultimately discovers to make his perfect drink.)
I personally prefer Tales from Jabba's Palace a bit more (although I haven't read that one since my childhood) if only because the setting is a bit more interesting for me than the Cantina. Nevertheless, Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina is likely to satisfy Star Wars lovers who are looking for more stories from this fantastic fictional universe.
That's why, even though most of the individual stories are not as well written as such novels as such Star Wars novels as Heir to the Empire or Jedi Search, I have a soft spot for books like Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina. Watching the movie, who would have thought that the Hammerhead-looking alien briefly seen in the background is an exiled priest struggling to preserve his pacifism amid a violent galaxy? Or that the guy with the devil horns is a music-loving fugitive who committed war atrocities on his home world? Or that the wolfman and snake-looking creature are actually lovers whose romance would lead them to roles in every major battle in the original trilogy of Star Wars films?
Not every story is a winner, of course. The tale that casts Dr. Evazan (the scar-faced man who picks a bar fight with Luke Skywalker, only to get lightsabered by Obi-Wan Kenobi) as some sort of grotesque mad scientist is a bit too goofy for me. But several of these stories build upon the Star Wars galaxy in quite unique ways.
For example, the story in which a moisture farmer futilely attempts to make peace with his neighboring Jawas and Sand People shows how the galactic Star Wars conflict affects local planetary politics in a way the larger novels could never dedicate time toward. And the portrayal of Davin Felth, the stormtrooper who proclaims "Look sir, droids!" in the film, being a stormtrooper wrestling with a crisis of conscience is an interesting take on the otherwise faceless bad guys, coming two decades before similar themes would play into Finn's back story in the Force Awakens film. (There are also several delightful WTF moments in this book, like the macabre nature of the pipe-smoking Dannik Jerriko character, and key ingredient bartender Wuher ultimately discovers to make his perfect drink.)
I personally prefer Tales from Jabba's Palace a bit more (although I haven't read that one since my childhood) if only because the setting is a bit more interesting for me than the Cantina. Nevertheless, Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina is likely to satisfy Star Wars lovers who are looking for more stories from this fantastic fictional universe.
A mixture of characters and their varied stories, all tied together by the most famous cantina in the Star Wars univese. It does get a little tedious that every story had to include the Kenobi fight or Han Solo shooting Greedo. A few of the stories intermingle with each other while others are more stand alone. Overall the stories are not too bad and give further insights into the lives of the various individuals who frequent the cantina, i'd have given this one more star if the stories hadnt all included the same scene, even if it is shown from different viewpoints, getting it 16 times is beyond dull.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
See my blog post on it:
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/2005/07/booknote-tales-from-mos-eisley-cantina.html
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/2005/07/booknote-tales-from-mos-eisley-cantina.html
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, edited by Kevin J. Anderson.
SOME HISTORY:
Anderson edited the first of the short story collections, this one taking a Rashomon-like approach to Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi’s fateful visit to the Mos Eisley Cantina. Writers range from established Star Wars authors like Timothy Zahn and Tom Veitch, to future SW authors like A.C. Crispin, and then some sci-fi writers unfamiliar to me. I was initially glad to see that Kenneth C. Flint contributed a story, after Bantam cancelled his full-length novel. And for the first time, I have no New York Times paperback bestseller list data to report: Tales must not have made it within the top 15, because I couldn’t find it on any lists.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I think the only story I remembered from this collection was “Soup’s On” by Jennifer Roberson, mostly because the revelation that the weird-looking pipe smoker was an assassin who drinks people’s brains was...well, bizarre yet memorable.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Jump into the dark and dangerous setting of the Mos Eisley Cantina with sixteen short stories about the minor characters seen there in Episode IV: A New Hope.
THE STORIES:
“We Don’t Do Weddings: The Band’s Tale” by Kathy Tyers
One of the shorter stories, and a pretty straightforward look at how the Modal Nodes ended up playing in the cantina—they worked for Jabba, they took a gig for his rival’s wedding, and now they’re hiding out with no money. What elevates it above some of the other stories, though, is that Tyers is a musician, so I think she captures the relationships between band members and the tedium of playing at a wedding.
“A Hunter’s Fate: Greedo’s Tale” by Tom Veitch and Martha Veitch
This was a long story, covering Greedo’s almost entire life. He’s a young Rodian on a jungle planet, then he’s living on Nar Shaddaa, then he becomes a bounty hunter. Then he dies! Greedo doesn’t know what he’s doing, and that leads to his demise. I appreciated, though, that not everyone in the cantina is a seasoned killer.
“Hammertong: The Tale of the ‘Tonnika Sisters’” by Timothy Zahn
This was one of my top three stories, and introduced the characters of Shada D’ukal and Karoly D’ulin. They’re Mistryl guards who stole something important from the Empire, they need a ship off Tatooine, they pretend to be the Tonnika sisters, they get thrown in jail… It’s not a complex story, but I like Zahn, so I enjoyed this. (I also liked the foreshadowing of the Death Star II.)
“Play It Again, Figrin D’an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe” by A.C. Crispin
A decent story about two thieves. But I finally have a mental image of the Talz! While reading [b:Children of the Jedi|555313|Children of the Jedi (Star Wars The Callista Trilogy, #1)|Barbara Hambly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327008546l/555313._SY75_.jpg|1230005], I couldn’t picture them but was too lazy to Google. Now I know that they’re like the fuzzy white fellow with a weird tube mouth!
“The Sand Tender: The Hammerhead’s Tale” by Dave Wolverton
I was not a fan of Wolverton’s first work in the Star Wars universe, but I liked this one better. Momaw Nadon has a moral quandary: Ithorians don’t approve of murder, but the Imperial lieutenant on Tatooine destroyed his life. How can he resolve that?
“Be Still My Heart: The Bartender’s Tale” by David Bischoff
This was one of my bottom three stories. Wuher wants to brew a drink for Jabba the Hutt? Ehhhhhhhh.
“Nightlily: The Lovers’ Tale” by Barbara Hambly
Another of my top three! Hambly gave us such a distinct sense of Feltipern Trevagg’s character—he works for the Empire but he’s only concerned about himself—and I loved the twist ending. M’iiyoom seems like a naive, stupid girl, but she’s much more dangerous than she appears.
Empire Blues: The Devaronian’s Tale” by Daniel Keys Moran
I know that Moran wrote two stories about Boba Fett in the other two Tales collections, but this one is about Kardue’sai’Malloc, the devil-headed Devaronian. It was one of the longer stories. I did like the Machiavellian scheming that Malloc undertook to get the Modal Nodes in the cantina.
“Swap Meet: The Jawa’s Tale” by Kevin J. Anderson and “Trade Wins: The Ranat’s Tale” by Rebecca Moesta
Anderson and Moesta’s stories flow very closely from one to the other. Het Nkik is a Jawa who discovers that his friend’s sandcrawler was slaughtered by Imperials. He wants revenge, so he buys a Sand People talisman from Reegesk the Ranat and exits the cantina to go out in a blaze of glory. In Moesta’s story, we find that Reegesk has stolen the power pack from his blaster, so while the Jawa goes out, there’s no glory involved.
“When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper’s Tale” by Doug Beason
This is another one of the long stories. It covers the most of the life of Davin Felth, the stormtrooper who said “look sir, droids!” I think my favorite part was that Felth was originally training to be an AT-AT pilot until he figured out the flaw with their legs; however, General Veers doesn’t want anyone to rain on his parade, so Felth is reassigned to the stormtroopers on Tatooine. (And it’s strongly hinted that he’s going to defect to the Rebellion and give them that insider AT-AT info.)
“Soup’s On: The Pipe Smoker’s Tale” by Jennifer Roberson
Who would have thought that the weird-looking pipe smoker at the bar was an assassin named Dannik Jerriko who used these things in his cheeks to drink people’s brains? (As I said above, this was highly memorable for me.) Roberson’s prose style is closer to, say, Hambly than Zahn, so there’s a certain ornate quality to her writing. I like ornate, but others may not.
“At the Crossroads: The Spacer’s Tale” by Jerry Oltion
BoShek is the guy in the spacesuit that Obi-Wan first talks to at the bar. He’s Force sensitive, he knows Han and Chewbacca, he works for the monks, he’s hiding out from the Imperials. That’s pretty much it.
“Doctor Death: The Tale of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba” by Kenneth C. Flint
I was excited to see a story by Kenneth C. Flint, but I hated this one. Bottom three for sure. It’s set entirely after the cantina scene, on the Aqualish homeworld of Ando, Cornelius Evazan is trying to mind swap people? Ponda Baba’s just there. Nope nope nope.
“Drawing the Maps of Peace: The Moisture Farmer’s Tale” by M. Shayne Bell
But then the last of my top three stories! Ariq Joanson is a moisture farmer who wants good relations between the humans, the Jawa, and the Tusken Raiders. (He’s usually identified as the unnamed moisture farmer in the cantina, but that’s not official from Lucasfilm.) It was a neat look into the tensions between those communities, and I loved seeing a hitherto undeveloped part of Tatooine culture.
“One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid” by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Oh boy. Another bottom three story. Lak Sivrak the wolfman and Dice Ibegon the lamproid have this epic romance, and she died in the Battle of Hoth and he died in the Battle of Endor, and most of the story is his life flashing before his eyes. Very little is set in the cantina, which you think I would like. But nope, I just couldn’t get past their relationship, because she’s like a disembodied throat with teeth??
ISSUES:
The concept behind Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina is pretty cool, in that you get to see those cantina scenes from different viewpoints and perspectives. But in reality, it just gets tedious. Everyone mentions the bar fight between the wanted duo and Ben Kenobi; everyone notices when Han shoots Greedo. I appreciated the stories that gave us more insight into their characters, other than just “observed some standoffs in the cantina.” The execution of this can also vary, however. Kathy Tyers’s band story gave us the backstory behind why the Modal Nodes are playing in a dingy cantina, and I thought it worked pretty well; Kenneth C. Flint’s story about Evazan and Ponda Baba is set at some unspecified point afterwards, and I really didn’t enjoy it.
There was also more of an attempt at cohesiveness and connectivity than has been demonstrated in the Bantam books so far. Kevin J. Anderson’s Jawa story and Rebecca Moesta’s Ranat story were a great example of two stories that fit together, with Moesta’s story giving you further insight into the story that came previously by Anderson. There were numerous occasions where things didn’t quite mesh, though, especially in the different authors’ portrayal of Greedo. In the Veitchs’ story, Greedo is a naive kid who’s completely out of his depth. Other characters seem to view Greedo as rude or pompous or threatening in a way that he absolutely does not seem in the first story.
IN CONCLUSION:
Completionism is not necessary here. If you want to read all the stories, go ahead—but take your time about it. I read this book in a week, and I wish I hadn’t! I think these stories would benefit from only being read one at a time, spread out over time. Otherwise, I think it’s perfectly fine to compile a list of the best reviewed stories, and only read those.
Next up: the conclusion to the Corellian trilogy by Roger MacBride Allen, [b:Showdown at Centerpoint|424587|Showdown at Centerpoint (Star Wars The Corellian Trilogy, #3)|Roger MacBride Allen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327869044l/424587._SY75_.jpg|1177758].
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/8xYHlf5H_tw
This week’s focus: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, edited by Kevin J. Anderson.
SOME HISTORY:
Anderson edited the first of the short story collections, this one taking a Rashomon-like approach to Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi’s fateful visit to the Mos Eisley Cantina. Writers range from established Star Wars authors like Timothy Zahn and Tom Veitch, to future SW authors like A.C. Crispin, and then some sci-fi writers unfamiliar to me. I was initially glad to see that Kenneth C. Flint contributed a story, after Bantam cancelled his full-length novel. And for the first time, I have no New York Times paperback bestseller list data to report: Tales must not have made it within the top 15, because I couldn’t find it on any lists.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I think the only story I remembered from this collection was “Soup’s On” by Jennifer Roberson, mostly because the revelation that the weird-looking pipe smoker was an assassin who drinks people’s brains was...well, bizarre yet memorable.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Jump into the dark and dangerous setting of the Mos Eisley Cantina with sixteen short stories about the minor characters seen there in Episode IV: A New Hope.
THE STORIES:
“We Don’t Do Weddings: The Band’s Tale” by Kathy Tyers
One of the shorter stories, and a pretty straightforward look at how the Modal Nodes ended up playing in the cantina—they worked for Jabba, they took a gig for his rival’s wedding, and now they’re hiding out with no money. What elevates it above some of the other stories, though, is that Tyers is a musician, so I think she captures the relationships between band members and the tedium of playing at a wedding.
“A Hunter’s Fate: Greedo’s Tale” by Tom Veitch and Martha Veitch
This was a long story, covering Greedo’s almost entire life. He’s a young Rodian on a jungle planet, then he’s living on Nar Shaddaa, then he becomes a bounty hunter. Then he dies! Greedo doesn’t know what he’s doing, and that leads to his demise. I appreciated, though, that not everyone in the cantina is a seasoned killer.
“Hammertong: The Tale of the ‘Tonnika Sisters’” by Timothy Zahn
This was one of my top three stories, and introduced the characters of Shada D’ukal and Karoly D’ulin. They’re Mistryl guards who stole something important from the Empire, they need a ship off Tatooine, they pretend to be the Tonnika sisters, they get thrown in jail… It’s not a complex story, but I like Zahn, so I enjoyed this. (I also liked the foreshadowing of the Death Star II.)
“Play It Again, Figrin D’an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe” by A.C. Crispin
A decent story about two thieves. But I finally have a mental image of the Talz! While reading [b:Children of the Jedi|555313|Children of the Jedi (Star Wars The Callista Trilogy, #1)|Barbara Hambly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327008546l/555313._SY75_.jpg|1230005], I couldn’t picture them but was too lazy to Google. Now I know that they’re like the fuzzy white fellow with a weird tube mouth!
“The Sand Tender: The Hammerhead’s Tale” by Dave Wolverton
I was not a fan of Wolverton’s first work in the Star Wars universe, but I liked this one better. Momaw Nadon has a moral quandary: Ithorians don’t approve of murder, but the Imperial lieutenant on Tatooine destroyed his life. How can he resolve that?
“Be Still My Heart: The Bartender’s Tale” by David Bischoff
This was one of my bottom three stories. Wuher wants to brew a drink for Jabba the Hutt? Ehhhhhhhh.
“Nightlily: The Lovers’ Tale” by Barbara Hambly
Another of my top three! Hambly gave us such a distinct sense of Feltipern Trevagg’s character—he works for the Empire but he’s only concerned about himself—and I loved the twist ending. M’iiyoom seems like a naive, stupid girl, but she’s much more dangerous than she appears.
Empire Blues: The Devaronian’s Tale” by Daniel Keys Moran
I know that Moran wrote two stories about Boba Fett in the other two Tales collections, but this one is about Kardue’sai’Malloc, the devil-headed Devaronian. It was one of the longer stories. I did like the Machiavellian scheming that Malloc undertook to get the Modal Nodes in the cantina.
“Swap Meet: The Jawa’s Tale” by Kevin J. Anderson and “Trade Wins: The Ranat’s Tale” by Rebecca Moesta
Anderson and Moesta’s stories flow very closely from one to the other. Het Nkik is a Jawa who discovers that his friend’s sandcrawler was slaughtered by Imperials. He wants revenge, so he buys a Sand People talisman from Reegesk the Ranat and exits the cantina to go out in a blaze of glory. In Moesta’s story, we find that Reegesk has stolen the power pack from his blaster, so while the Jawa goes out, there’s no glory involved.
“When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper’s Tale” by Doug Beason
This is another one of the long stories. It covers the most of the life of Davin Felth, the stormtrooper who said “look sir, droids!” I think my favorite part was that Felth was originally training to be an AT-AT pilot until he figured out the flaw with their legs; however, General Veers doesn’t want anyone to rain on his parade, so Felth is reassigned to the stormtroopers on Tatooine. (And it’s strongly hinted that he’s going to defect to the Rebellion and give them that insider AT-AT info.)
“Soup’s On: The Pipe Smoker’s Tale” by Jennifer Roberson
Who would have thought that the weird-looking pipe smoker at the bar was an assassin named Dannik Jerriko who used these things in his cheeks to drink people’s brains? (As I said above, this was highly memorable for me.) Roberson’s prose style is closer to, say, Hambly than Zahn, so there’s a certain ornate quality to her writing. I like ornate, but others may not.
“At the Crossroads: The Spacer’s Tale” by Jerry Oltion
BoShek is the guy in the spacesuit that Obi-Wan first talks to at the bar. He’s Force sensitive, he knows Han and Chewbacca, he works for the monks, he’s hiding out from the Imperials. That’s pretty much it.
“Doctor Death: The Tale of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba” by Kenneth C. Flint
I was excited to see a story by Kenneth C. Flint, but I hated this one. Bottom three for sure. It’s set entirely after the cantina scene, on the Aqualish homeworld of Ando, Cornelius Evazan is trying to mind swap people? Ponda Baba’s just there. Nope nope nope.
“Drawing the Maps of Peace: The Moisture Farmer’s Tale” by M. Shayne Bell
But then the last of my top three stories! Ariq Joanson is a moisture farmer who wants good relations between the humans, the Jawa, and the Tusken Raiders. (He’s usually identified as the unnamed moisture farmer in the cantina, but that’s not official from Lucasfilm.) It was a neat look into the tensions between those communities, and I loved seeing a hitherto undeveloped part of Tatooine culture.
“One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid” by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Oh boy. Another bottom three story. Lak Sivrak the wolfman and Dice Ibegon the lamproid have this epic romance, and she died in the Battle of Hoth and he died in the Battle of Endor, and most of the story is his life flashing before his eyes. Very little is set in the cantina, which you think I would like. But nope, I just couldn’t get past their relationship, because she’s like a disembodied throat with teeth??
ISSUES:
The concept behind Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina is pretty cool, in that you get to see those cantina scenes from different viewpoints and perspectives. But in reality, it just gets tedious. Everyone mentions the bar fight between the wanted duo and Ben Kenobi; everyone notices when Han shoots Greedo. I appreciated the stories that gave us more insight into their characters, other than just “observed some standoffs in the cantina.” The execution of this can also vary, however. Kathy Tyers’s band story gave us the backstory behind why the Modal Nodes are playing in a dingy cantina, and I thought it worked pretty well; Kenneth C. Flint’s story about Evazan and Ponda Baba is set at some unspecified point afterwards, and I really didn’t enjoy it.
There was also more of an attempt at cohesiveness and connectivity than has been demonstrated in the Bantam books so far. Kevin J. Anderson’s Jawa story and Rebecca Moesta’s Ranat story were a great example of two stories that fit together, with Moesta’s story giving you further insight into the story that came previously by Anderson. There were numerous occasions where things didn’t quite mesh, though, especially in the different authors’ portrayal of Greedo. In the Veitchs’ story, Greedo is a naive kid who’s completely out of his depth. Other characters seem to view Greedo as rude or pompous or threatening in a way that he absolutely does not seem in the first story.
IN CONCLUSION:
Completionism is not necessary here. If you want to read all the stories, go ahead—but take your time about it. I read this book in a week, and I wish I hadn’t! I think these stories would benefit from only being read one at a time, spread out over time. Otherwise, I think it’s perfectly fine to compile a list of the best reviewed stories, and only read those.
Next up: the conclusion to the Corellian trilogy by Roger MacBride Allen, [b:Showdown at Centerpoint|424587|Showdown at Centerpoint (Star Wars The Corellian Trilogy, #3)|Roger MacBride Allen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327869044l/424587._SY75_.jpg|1177758].
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/8xYHlf5H_tw