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cyris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
elctrc's review against another edition
2.0
I can't believe I'm even bothering to review this, but, hell. I picked it up at the library on a whim as an impulse "buy". It was likely due to my horrendous sinus infection and the need for something cozy and comfortable.
It was ok. That's the best I can do. It's barely a Star Wars novel. As other reviewers have said, it's more "Ocean's Eleven" than anything else. I remember reading Zahn's initial trilogy with so much excitement and wonder, but I was, uh, twelve. Not sure if it would stand up to my current level of snobbery and scrutiny.
It was a fun read and it did what I needed it to do.
It was ok. That's the best I can do. It's barely a Star Wars novel. As other reviewers have said, it's more "Ocean's Eleven" than anything else. I remember reading Zahn's initial trilogy with so much excitement and wonder, but I was, uh, twelve. Not sure if it would stand up to my current level of snobbery and scrutiny.
It was a fun read and it did what I needed it to do.
nenya_kanadka's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lot of fun. I got surprisingly invested in all the new characters, especially Bink and Winter. All the twists and turns and ridiculous technobabble were highly entertaining. And the bad guys bite it in the end. A good fun read. Pretty sure there was an extended Indiana Jones joke in there, too, but as I haven't seen the specific movie it's a riff off of I'm not quite sure.
Anyway, pretty fun, and lots of emotions between Han and Lando too, even if those are "Does he hate me??" Heh.
Anyway, pretty fun, and lots of emotions between Han and Lando too, even if those are "Does he hate me??" Heh.
clarks_dad's review against another edition
3.0
Ocean's 11 in space? With Han freaking Solo filling the Clooney role? Set in the past where Chewie is still alive? Written by Timothy Zahn? IT HAS TO BE FIVE STARS. But sadly, it's not.
What does work for Zahn in this volume is a brilliantly unexploited idea within the EU. Seems like everybody is applying the layered heist plot to great success across genre lately and really, with characters like Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, I'm surprised it wasn't thought of sooner. Zahn places it in that murky region between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back that has never really been subject to story-telling. What did Han do with the buckets of credits he received as reward after the Battle of Yavin and rescuing Leia? What happened with the bounty hunter on Ord Mantell that has him thinking of leaving the alliance to go pay off Jabba as they're abandoning Hoth? What is Lando referring to when he greets Han on Bespin with, "You got a lot of nerve showing up here. After the stunt you pulled..."? Zahn's answers, with a completely original, intricate and finely woven tale that is pure page-turner. There are certain tropes establishing themselves within this budding genre that warrant obligatory inclusion, but even with some of the more obvious plot twists, the cast is so nostalgically lovable you can't help but enjoy the experience.
Han and Chewie have left the rebels in the wake of Yavin to look for work to get Jabba off their back. Drawn to the annual elemental festival on the planet of Wukkar, they're approached by a victim of Black Sun (YES, Zahn even weaves them into the tale!) who asks them for help stealing back 163 million credits fro the criminal organization. The problem: the cash is in the mansion of the local Black Sun sector chief in an appropriately impenetrable vault with ingenious sci-fi security measures. Han assembles the ultimate team of scoundrels - con men, ship boosters, thieves, explosive experts and droid security experts - for the ultimate payday. Along the way, we meet characters old and new as Zahn cleverly fills in the blanks between episodes IV and V the way Steve Perry did with episodes V and VI in [b:Shadows of the Empire|9549|Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)|Steve Perry|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320513836s/9549.jpg|858558].
The large cast of new characters with niche skills are well thought-out and have tremendous potential for deep exploitation, but their very number, by default, sort of prevents that. Most upsetting of all for long-time readers of the EU who've suffered a spate of pretty miserable stories since the death of Chewbacca, there's distressingly little page time devoted to the big guy. About the only really good thing that EU authors have done since his death is add real emotional depth to Han, who struggled with alcoholism and distanced himself from his family after the death of his longtime friend. To finally have Chewie back, after we've suffered through so much and literally felt Han's pain putting the character into greater perspective, nothing is done with him at all. When I first heard the pitch for this book I expected it to give more time to their friendship as a sort of nostalgic throwback to the good old days, but it was anything but. Focused primarily with clever plotting, Zahn lets perhaps the most profound friendship in all of science fiction slip through his fingers and who knows how much longer we'll have to wait for a good story that involves the pair again.
I'm sorely tempted to think this book is actually four stars for its really superior plotting and twisty-clever plot especially when placed on the shelf next to the truly horrible writers and stories of the EU, but the disappointment at not seeing more Chewie is still too fresh to get over.
What does work for Zahn in this volume is a brilliantly unexploited idea within the EU. Seems like everybody is applying the layered heist plot to great success across genre lately and really, with characters like Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, I'm surprised it wasn't thought of sooner. Zahn places it in that murky region between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back that has never really been subject to story-telling. What did Han do with the buckets of credits he received as reward after the Battle of Yavin and rescuing Leia? What happened with the bounty hunter on Ord Mantell that has him thinking of leaving the alliance to go pay off Jabba as they're abandoning Hoth? What is Lando referring to when he greets Han on Bespin with, "You got a lot of nerve showing up here. After the stunt you pulled..."? Zahn's answers, with a completely original, intricate and finely woven tale that is pure page-turner. There are certain tropes establishing themselves within this budding genre that warrant obligatory inclusion, but even with some of the more obvious plot twists, the cast is so nostalgically lovable you can't help but enjoy the experience.
Han and Chewie have left the rebels in the wake of Yavin to look for work to get Jabba off their back. Drawn to the annual elemental festival on the planet of Wukkar, they're approached by a victim of Black Sun (YES, Zahn even weaves them into the tale!) who asks them for help stealing back 163 million credits fro the criminal organization. The problem: the cash is in the mansion of the local Black Sun sector chief in an appropriately impenetrable vault with ingenious sci-fi security measures. Han assembles the ultimate team of scoundrels - con men, ship boosters, thieves, explosive experts and droid security experts - for the ultimate payday. Along the way, we meet characters old and new as Zahn cleverly fills in the blanks between episodes IV and V the way Steve Perry did with episodes V and VI in [b:Shadows of the Empire|9549|Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)|Steve Perry|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320513836s/9549.jpg|858558].
The large cast of new characters with niche skills are well thought-out and have tremendous potential for deep exploitation, but their very number, by default, sort of prevents that. Most upsetting of all for long-time readers of the EU who've suffered a spate of pretty miserable stories since the death of Chewbacca, there's distressingly little page time devoted to the big guy. About the only really good thing that EU authors have done since his death is add real emotional depth to Han, who struggled with alcoholism and distanced himself from his family after the death of his longtime friend. To finally have Chewie back, after we've suffered through so much and literally felt Han's pain putting the character into greater perspective, nothing is done with him at all. When I first heard the pitch for this book I expected it to give more time to their friendship as a sort of nostalgic throwback to the good old days, but it was anything but. Focused primarily with clever plotting, Zahn lets perhaps the most profound friendship in all of science fiction slip through his fingers and who knows how much longer we'll have to wait for a good story that involves the pair again.
I'm sorely tempted to think this book is actually four stars for its really superior plotting and twisty-clever plot especially when placed on the shelf next to the truly horrible writers and stories of the EU, but the disappointment at not seeing more Chewie is still too fresh to get over.
surfmonkey01's review against another edition
4.0
A very fun read, with brisk pacing, good characters, and a heck of a twist at the end. Plus, Indiana Jones jokes! And it was great to see Chewie again, even if he didn't do much. Definitely recommend this one
crankyoldnerd's review against another edition
3.0
Star Wars + Oceans 11 + snatch.
Not horrible, but been done before. Good way to pass the time on airplanes
Not horrible, but been done before. Good way to pass the time on airplanes
eatenbysharks's review against another edition
3.0
Should have been better. Felt like it was trying to blend Ocean's Eleven with Star Wars and did not quite make it.
jnamadan's review against another edition
4.0
Fun read. Several connect the dots to characters in the EU.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't think I would like Star Wars novels, but then I was given an audio CD copy of [b:Honor Among Thieves|18050080|Honor Among Thieves (Star Wars Empire and Rebellion, #2)|James S.A. Corey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385232527s/18050080.jpg|24581828] and I loved it, so I figured I would give other Star Wars novels a chance. I chose this one because it was also about Han Solo, my favorite character, and it had the same narrator -- it is worth noting that the narrator does an amazing job mimicking Solo's voice, and the Star Wars audiobooks are all great in terms of sound effects like droid beeps, blaster fire, and wookie noises.
But this novel just fell so short I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. It was impossible to follow, had tons of technobabble explanations that didn't really serve the plot in any important way, had way too many characters, didn't focus on the characters I did care about, and was trying way to hard to be Ocean's Eleven in Space. It was a mess, and I don't mind not knowing the conclusion of the heist -- oh, except since Han took the job because he owes Jabba the Hut money, and he still owes Jabba money in the Empire Strikes Back film... well, I'll let you do the math there.
But this novel just fell so short I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. It was impossible to follow, had tons of technobabble explanations that didn't really serve the plot in any important way, had way too many characters, didn't focus on the characters I did care about, and was trying way to hard to be Ocean's Eleven in Space. It was a mess, and I don't mind not knowing the conclusion of the heist -- oh, except since Han took the job because he owes Jabba the Hut money, and he still owes Jabba money in the Empire Strikes Back film... well, I'll let you do the math there.