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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Better than the first one by some margin. It gives some major clues about how the situation in TFA came about and the characters introduced in Aftermath are fleshed out further.
Wendifs writing style is still irritating though, and characterisations of iconic Star Wars characters are a little off. I'd rate this 3.5, but I'm giving it 4 to counteract some if the 1s I've seen here. To me, a 1 is reserved for those books with absolutely no redeeming features. This has new canon and lots of Cookies, so deserves a 2 even if you hate it!
Wendifs writing style is still irritating though, and characterisations of iconic Star Wars characters are a little off. I'd rate this 3.5, but I'm giving it 4 to counteract some if the 1s I've seen here. To me, a 1 is reserved for those books with absolutely no redeeming features. This has new canon and lots of Cookies, so deserves a 2 even if you hate it!
Enjoyed this second installment a lot. I really love these characters. A found family vibe that just works for me.
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Life Debt picks up sometime after the first novel in the series Aftermath, still following our motley band of heroes as they track down Imperial war criminals and bring them back to the New Republic for justice. The novel takes a turn about halfway through when Princess Leia approaches our heroes telling them that her husband Han Solo has gone missing and she wants them to find him and bring him back home. Leia doesn’t have much to go on, but she knows that Han was wrapped up somehow in trying to liberate Chewie’s homeworld Kashyyyk from the Empire, so that is where our team starts looking. Since this is a Star Wars novel, it was never in doubt that Norra, Snap, Jas, Sinjar and Jom would ever find Han and it was simply about the journey and the obstacles they’d overcome to reach that point. Upon finding Han, the crew then sets off to achieve an even larger goal, the liberation of Kashyyyk a battle that takes up the third act of the novel.
Overall, the characters in this novel are competently written and I actually enjoyed the group dynamic between our heroes. Sinjar, a former Imperial loyalty officer, is earnestly seeking redemption for his past sins and Jas Emari a cold bounty hunter, much to her chagrin , is slowly drawn to the orbit of a cause greater than herself, something she never wanted. In a sense, Jas is almost the Han Solo of the group, she starts off as the same selfish, self-centered individual we see from Han at the beginning of a A New Hope but slowly finds herself enjoying the family and friends that her new liaison with the New Republic have brought her. These two characters show significant growth in the novel and I enjoyed them. The banter within our group of Imperial Hunters is well done, funny, sharp and quippy and you actually quite enjoy their group dynamic. Mr. Bones, a modified B1 battle droid made infamous in the Prequel trilogy is also a good addition here, (even if he is a blatant HK-47 ripoff, but I digress) as he provided some well needed humor. The group dynamic overall in this commando unit was well done.
This brings me to my soapbox. Star Wars is unique in the pantheon of Science Fiction/Fantasy in that it is both. None of the post Return of the Jedi books have dealt with either Luke or the Jedi, nor have they provided any insight into the Force, that hokey religion that provides the fantasy of the Universe. Sadly this is a sin committed by Life Debt. Without Luke, there is barely any mention of the Force; there are no cool Jedi feats, no Lightsaber battles, no force acrobatics and certainly no Force Lightning. Without that element, you are missing a key component of what makes Star Wars great, you lose the wonder, the sense of adventure, the mysticism that makes this universe work. In its stead all you have is space opera with a sprinkling of cool bounty hunters, a couple of great Space battles all of which are serviceable but nothing special.
Overall, I found Life Debt certainly better than Aftermath. It’s serviceable but not spectacular, good but not great. With the inclusion of characters like Han and Leia, its scope feels bigger this time and it does do a better job of moving the universe forward. We begin to see the nascent creation of the New Republic and how early but well-meaning mistakes will doom the Republic thirty years later in the Force Awakens. If you are a Star Wars buff this is obviously a must read, but I’d be hard pressed to recommend this novel to anyone outside the fandom.
Overall, the characters in this novel are competently written and I actually enjoyed the group dynamic between our heroes. Sinjar, a former Imperial loyalty officer, is earnestly seeking redemption for his past sins and Jas Emari a cold bounty hunter, much to her chagrin , is slowly drawn to the orbit of a cause greater than herself, something she never wanted. In a sense, Jas is almost the Han Solo of the group, she starts off as the same selfish, self-centered individual we see from Han at the beginning of a A New Hope but slowly finds herself enjoying the family and friends that her new liaison with the New Republic have brought her. These two characters show significant growth in the novel and I enjoyed them. The banter within our group of Imperial Hunters is well done, funny, sharp and quippy and you actually quite enjoy their group dynamic. Mr. Bones, a modified B1 battle droid made infamous in the Prequel trilogy is also a good addition here, (even if he is a blatant HK-47 ripoff, but I digress) as he provided some well needed humor. The group dynamic overall in this commando unit was well done.
This brings me to my soapbox. Star Wars is unique in the pantheon of Science Fiction/Fantasy in that it is both. None of the post Return of the Jedi books have dealt with either Luke or the Jedi, nor have they provided any insight into the Force, that hokey religion that provides the fantasy of the Universe. Sadly this is a sin committed by Life Debt. Without Luke, there is barely any mention of the Force; there are no cool Jedi feats, no Lightsaber battles, no force acrobatics and certainly no Force Lightning. Without that element, you are missing a key component of what makes Star Wars great, you lose the wonder, the sense of adventure, the mysticism that makes this universe work. In its stead all you have is space opera with a sprinkling of cool bounty hunters, a couple of great Space battles all of which are serviceable but nothing special.
Overall, I found Life Debt certainly better than Aftermath. It’s serviceable but not spectacular, good but not great. With the inclusion of characters like Han and Leia, its scope feels bigger this time and it does do a better job of moving the universe forward. We begin to see the nascent creation of the New Republic and how early but well-meaning mistakes will doom the Republic thirty years later in the Force Awakens. If you are a Star Wars buff this is obviously a must read, but I’d be hard pressed to recommend this novel to anyone outside the fandom.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent follow-up to Aftermath. This time, the reader is presented with a widescreen STAR WARS tale that includes many--but not all--of the Original Trilogy characters we know and love. It also fills in a wealth of blanks with regard the new continuity ushered in with THE FORCE AWAKENS and provides some interesting backstory to minor characters introduced in the latest movie. I can't help but think that the third volume, due to be released in the New Year, will tie-in intimately with the events of THE FORCE AWAKENS.
Wendig is clearly enjoying himself, and reading his take on Han, Leia, Wedge and Mon Mothma was tremendous fun. Make no mistake--the tone of Aftermath: Life Debt is 100% STAR WARS. It is much more accessible--and much more fun--than the first volume. And I loved the first volume. A must read for any STAR WARS fan.
Wendig is clearly enjoying himself, and reading his take on Han, Leia, Wedge and Mon Mothma was tremendous fun. Make no mistake--the tone of Aftermath: Life Debt is 100% STAR WARS. It is much more accessible--and much more fun--than the first volume. And I loved the first volume. A must read for any STAR WARS fan.
Band zwei der Trilogie bringt uns die Figuren aus dem ersten Teil zurück und vertieft erneut das offizielle Star Wars-Universum. Wir erfahren mehr über Chewbacca und seine Heimatwelt, Leia ist schwanger und das Universum ein Durcheinander.
Leider will die beliebte Trilogie bei mir einfach nicht so recht ziehen. Schon Band eins war für mich ein bisschen mau und das ist hier leider ebenfalls der Fall. Irgendwie ist diese Reihe einfach nicht für mich gemacht. Dafür beinhaltet sie eigentlich alles, was einen guten Star Wars-Roman ausmacht.
So wirklich erklären kann ich es mir leider nicht...
Leider will die beliebte Trilogie bei mir einfach nicht so recht ziehen. Schon Band eins war für mich ein bisschen mau und das ist hier leider ebenfalls der Fall. Irgendwie ist diese Reihe einfach nicht für mich gemacht. Dafür beinhaltet sie eigentlich alles, was einen guten Star Wars-Roman ausmacht.
So wirklich erklären kann ich es mir leider nicht...
Liked it better than the first book but it’s not a massive improvement. Characters are definitely much more enjoyable in this book though. I’ll probably read the third book cos I still liked it more than I didn’t, mainly because of the characters.
I read the first aftermath book when it first came out, and time constraints alway kept me from finishing the series. Now, book one was admittedly slow, it was my first new EU Star Wars book and I was wading through new characters, and the beginning of the end of the empire. So many great characters were introduced and we expanded on them in this installment. We have a lot of the people we love, plus all the new characters we want to know more about! A none stop action roller coaster that leaves you shocked, excited; and sitting at the edge of your seat at a sewing machine. Lol now I audiobook these, so it's even more engaging! I'm writing this review having already read the last book! And I can't wait to get to that one!
A huge step up from the previous installment of the series. Wendig still likes to over-exaggerate every time a character gets knocked unconcious to make it seem as though they could die and that irks me beyond all belief. Seriously Wendig stop that. Other than that though and a few other small complaints. Life Debt is a much more interesting and better read than the first Aftermath. Han and Leia being added in as prominent characters makes a world of difference and more Wedge only made it better. The absence of Luke has me sad but I understand I suppose. I am glad I read this now and can quickly acquire the last novel in the trilogy because Life Debt ends off with multiple loose ends that just cannot wait to be tied.
