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laurmyfe's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was kind of chaotic and all over the place. Characters change their minds on a dime and are often kind of nonsensical. Ending was pretty dumb and felt rushed and too easy.
dmcke013's review against another edition
2.0
One of the earliest Star Wars EU books, this is also (IMO) one of the weakest of the early entries. I found neither Han nor Leia to be particularly like I remember them for the movies, and that's only the beginning of the problems wit the stories. For instance:
Han wins a planet (a freakin' planet!) I a card game??
The Hapes Consortium have a weapon called 'the gun of command' that robs someone of free will?
The Emperor - the man who oversaw the near-extinction of the Jedi - was afraid of a group of 'Force Witches' on a third-rate planet?
Rancors are (semi)intelligent?
If this had been the first Star Wars EU book instead of Zahn's Heir to the Empire series, I doubt the EU franchise as a whole would be as popular as it is.
Han wins a planet (a freakin' planet!) I a card game??
The Hapes Consortium have a weapon called 'the gun of command' that robs someone of free will?
The Emperor - the man who oversaw the near-extinction of the Jedi - was afraid of a group of 'Force Witches' on a third-rate planet?
Rancors are (semi)intelligent?
If this had been the first Star Wars EU book instead of Zahn's Heir to the Empire series, I doubt the EU franchise as a whole would be as popular as it is.
lrs002's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
3.5
3.5 Good Story, but I felt that dragged in some parts but nice to see Han and Leia get together enjoyed the new characters kinda wish we had explored Isoder's planet.
shawn_annets's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.75
beangreen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-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
3.5
storydude's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
branomir's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars is a high rating. Now, can I honestly, objectively say that this book has no flaws? No I can't and I'll get back to that in just a second. However, what book does? There is no such thing as a perfect book and I do want to give my five stars somewhere and honestly this book was so much fun. I got so much enjoyment out of this that I actually miss reading it now that I'm done and it gives me that old Star Wars joy that the new stuff just doesn't bring these days. Plus it has Han Solo telling a warlord to That alone makes the experience worthwhile. This thing gives me that original trilogy feel again and let's be honest, as much as I love SW, it's never been without its little imperfections and plot holes here and there. But we love it nonetheless and so it is for me and this book. It's a great rollicking adventure with awesome characters, fun plot and intriguing world building that expands upon the existing saga and lore and adds to it.
That being said, the book does have a couple of problems and if you're going to focus on those, you're not going to have a good time.
Han and Leia do act more like they did at the beginning of ESB than at the end of ROTJ, after which the events of this book are supposed to take place. Wolverton takes their personalities and exaggerates them somewhat in order to get the plot going and keep the story within limits length wise. One could argue that this sometimes causes them to feel a little out of character, but all in all I found it to be rather minor and it didn't really bother me much.
Dialogue is not Wolverton's strong suit and if you were to base Han & Leia's relationship on this book alone, you might be wondering how they fit together. Place it in the larger context of the original trilogy however, allowing for what I said earlier, it really is fine and it worked for me.
One thing that I can't really defend is that this book does have some sexual objectification. As much as I love Teneniel Djo, Wolverton had a serious case of "men writing women cliché" when he wrote her. She has a completely unnecessary nude scene and when a suitor was "falling in love with her", he seemed entirely too focussed on her breasts and shapely bare legs, especially considering the emotional state she was in. Luckily he does offer some counterbalance by objectifying the dashing Prince Isolder somewhat, but it happened with Teneniel and other women a lot more unfortunately. The good news is that on the whole there aren't too many instances of this happening. Despite its title, the book is an adventure story rather than a romance so it doesn't impact the story too heavily, but it made me cringe when it did happen.
Overall it's a great, fun SW story that doesn't take itself too seriously as it shouldn't. I greatly enjoyed it and if you don't decide to focus too hard on the imperfections, I see no reason why you couldn't as well.
Spoiler
"Kiss my wookie!That being said, the book does have a couple of problems and if you're going to focus on those, you're not going to have a good time.
Han and Leia do act more like they did at the beginning of ESB than at the end of ROTJ, after which the events of this book are supposed to take place. Wolverton takes their personalities and exaggerates them somewhat in order to get the plot going and keep the story within limits length wise. One could argue that this sometimes causes them to feel a little out of character, but all in all I found it to be rather minor and it didn't really bother me much.
Dialogue is not Wolverton's strong suit and if you were to base Han & Leia's relationship on this book alone, you might be wondering how they fit together. Place it in the larger context of the original trilogy however, allowing for what I said earlier, it really is fine and it worked for me.
One thing that I can't really defend is that this book does have some sexual objectification. As much as I love Teneniel Djo, Wolverton had a serious case of "men writing women cliché" when he wrote her. She has a completely unnecessary nude scene and when a suitor was "falling in love with her", he seemed entirely too focussed on her breasts and shapely bare legs, especially considering the emotional state she was in. Luckily he does offer some counterbalance by objectifying the dashing Prince Isolder somewhat, but it happened with Teneniel and other women a lot more unfortunately. The good news is that on the whole there aren't too many instances of this happening. Despite its title, the book is an adventure story rather than a romance so it doesn't impact the story too heavily, but it made me cringe when it did happen.
Overall it's a great, fun SW story that doesn't take itself too seriously as it shouldn't. I greatly enjoyed it and if you don't decide to focus too hard on the imperfections, I see no reason why you couldn't as well.
stephlunatic's review against another edition
3.0
This had my feminist hackles rising through some of it and I didn't like the characterization of Leia, Han, or Isolder. They all acted like high schoolers rather than grown adults who have fought wars.
It would have been a MUCH better book if it had focused more on Leia and her choices: how much she was willing to give up of her personal freedoms to serve the New Republic.
That being said, I would consider reading more from the EU, and the story was mostly fun and interesting. Really, this is a 2.5 rating but I'll give it the benefit.
It would have been a MUCH better book if it had focused more on Leia and her choices: how much she was willing to give up of her personal freedoms to serve the New Republic.
That being said, I would consider reading more from the EU, and the story was mostly fun and interesting. Really, this is a 2.5 rating but I'll give it the benefit.
wynwicket's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I first read this over 25 years ago. Nostalgia carried me through the first quarter or so this time, but by then I was invested all over again. What a fun story, often silly, but there's a lot of genuine heart and camaraderie here too. I love it.
jennygagne's review against another edition
4.0
Gosh, I was in love with this book in high school. Even now, when they mentioned the Witches of Dathomir on The Mandalorian, I squeed aloud. The romance aspect is problematic, but times have changed. The setting was awesome.