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A review by evaburgers
The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton
2.0
EU #8
2.5 Stars
I'll get this out of the way first by saying that there were things I loved about this novel.
- The Nightsisters
- Rancor riding and the rancors being portrayed as more than just mindless beasts.
But the one thing that puts all of this novel's potential aside is the terrible portrayal of Han and Leia.
Both these characters do things that completely betray their movie characterisation as well as characterisation in other EU novels.
- Leia would never just leave Han for some hot prince the minute she saw him. She turned Lando down in Empire... She'd turn Isolder down too. This book turns her into a shallow person. I've found some EU authors just don't know what to do with Leia and devolve to sexist tropes in their portrayal of her. It happened in Splinter of the Mind's Eye and it happens here too.
- Han would accept Leia's choice and not KIDNAP her against her will to win her back. When Han asks Leia if she loves Luke in RotJ he says that he won't get in the way. Of course he had nothing to worry about in the end there as Leia only meant love in a sibling way.
This could have been a romance book showing Han and Leia's marriage instead of making it a love triangle for cheap drama. It is a shame because this book has so much going for it lore and story wise. It just makes me sad.
2.5 Stars
I'll get this out of the way first by saying that there were things I loved about this novel.
- The Nightsisters
- Rancor riding and the rancors being portrayed as more than just mindless beasts.
But the one thing that puts all of this novel's potential aside is the terrible portrayal of Han and Leia.
Both these characters do things that completely betray their movie characterisation as well as characterisation in other EU novels.
- Leia would never just leave Han for some hot prince the minute she saw him. She turned Lando down in Empire... She'd turn Isolder down too. This book turns her into a shallow person. I've found some EU authors just don't know what to do with Leia and devolve to sexist tropes in their portrayal of her. It happened in Splinter of the Mind's Eye and it happens here too.
- Han would accept Leia's choice and not KIDNAP her against her will to win her back. When Han asks Leia if she loves Luke in RotJ he says that he won't get in the way. Of course he had nothing to worry about in the end there as Leia only meant love in a sibling way.
This could have been a romance book showing Han and Leia's marriage instead of making it a love triangle for cheap drama. It is a shame because this book has so much going for it lore and story wise. It just makes me sad.