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A review by luvlyra
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was good, but not great. Set between Episodes 5 and 6, this book ties together both films perfectly, and shows us basically everything that happened in that time gap. The gang is focused on rescuing Han from Boba Fett, while Luke is also enhancing his Jedi skills, learning to build his own lightsaber and practicing what he has previously been taught.
I really enjoyed Luke’s arc in this book, as I’ve always found the progression in his skill and confidence to be quite steep from Episode 5 to 6, but this ties the two versions of Luke together well, showing how dedicated he was in this time gap.
Most of the books I’ve read from this universe have been set before or after the OT, so to have a book set within the films was a nice change, and it really feels like one of the films put on a page.
With the other protagonists, they were written okay. Leia was good, but could’ve been better. Lando could’ve been used a lot better, and Dash Rendar was just so obviously a stand-in for Han. C-3PO and R2D2 were hilariously argumentative as always.
The main problem I had with this book was the villain. Prince Xizor is set up to be a very powerful, intelligent being who is the leader of one of the greatest criminal organisations in the galaxy. I liked the idea of him wanting to basically uproot and replace the Empire by lending huge favours to the Emperor, and I enjoyed his rivalry with Vader. What disappointed me with Xizor was his execution through most of the books I’ve read, especially in his conflict with Leia. For a lot of the books I’ve read, I just imagined him as a bargain bin Thrawn, if Thrawn was a massive pervert. I don’t think I’ve ever actually pulled a face of disgust while reading a book until I read some of Xizor’s inner monologues.
Overall a nice bridge for between the two films, could’ve been better, but could’ve definitely been much worse.
I really enjoyed Luke’s arc in this book, as I’ve always found the progression in his skill and confidence to be quite steep from Episode 5 to 6, but this ties the two versions of Luke together well, showing how dedicated he was in this time gap.
Most of the books I’ve read from this universe have been set before or after the OT, so to have a book set within the films was a nice change, and it really feels like one of the films put on a page.
With the other protagonists, they were written okay. Leia was good, but could’ve been better. Lando could’ve been used a lot better, and Dash Rendar was just so obviously a stand-in for Han. C-3PO and R2D2 were hilariously argumentative as always.
The main problem I had with this book was the villain. Prince Xizor is set up to be a very powerful, intelligent being who is the leader of one of the greatest criminal organisations in the galaxy. I liked the idea of him wanting to basically uproot and replace the Empire by lending huge favours to the Emperor, and I enjoyed his rivalry with Vader. What disappointed me with Xizor was his execution through most of the books I’ve read, especially in his conflict with Leia. For a lot of the books I’ve read, I just imagined him as a bargain bin Thrawn, if Thrawn was a massive pervert. I don’t think I’ve ever actually pulled a face of disgust while reading a book until I read some of Xizor’s inner monologues.
Overall a nice bridge for between the two films, could’ve been better, but could’ve definitely been much worse.