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monitaroymohan 's review for:
Star Wars: Last Shot
by Daniel José Older, January LaVoy, Marc Thompson
This was the most juvenile nonsense I've ever read. I mean, I knew it from the very first chapter, but I kept hoping it would improve and it never did.
Any book that seems to revel in the 'excitement' of Lando having to fight off a killer droid in nothing but a towel, accompanied by his Twi'lek (but of course) love interest in a similar state of undress, is definitely a write-off for me. This book was never able to transcend its high school nudge-nudge phase. Everyone seemed weirdly obsessed with Lando and his girlfriend's relationship, while Han is battling what all male characters in juvenile books do - the inability to be a dad. Leia, though, is a perfect mom, but Han is just itching for adventure and filled with doubts. Uh, has it occurred to the author that Han and Leia would have discussed for a long time before starting a family and they would both be in it as partners-in-crime? Nope.
This book relies heavily on 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' as its inspiration for the characters, and that's where it fails dismally. Some people like 'Solo', and that's ok, but the reason many don't is because the film was filled with tired tropes and characterizations that belonged in the 80s. Even the original Star Wars films became better at portraying characters than 'Solo'.
The backwards and forwards in time didn't help - I think it's mostly because the author just leaned into the philandering sides of both Han and Lando when that was never their most appealing characteristic. Han had eyes for Leia and Leia only from the moment they met - no one cares if Han had other romances, because they don't have any impact on his character. This book proves it.
Lando may be a scoundrel, but the reason he's a fan favourite is that he does the right thing despite the possible cost to his own life and livelihood. Those are the aspects we wanted to see in the characters, but the author writes this book for an audience of imaginary teenaged boys, who probably won't like this book either.
The body horror was another annoying aspect. It's there for shock value but there's no commentary on how many characters in the Star Wars universe use prostheses. The new trilogy is the only one where none of the main characters use them, but Luke and Anakin both spent an entire film each with prosthetic limbs. It just won't do to sensationalize that by making the story about some crazed droid takeover.
Some Star Wars books do a wonderful job of adding to the canon - be it the extended live-action canon, or the alternate universe book canon - others, like this book, are little more than silly outtakes that no one cares for.
Any book that seems to revel in the 'excitement' of Lando having to fight off a killer droid in nothing but a towel, accompanied by his Twi'lek (but of course) love interest in a similar state of undress, is definitely a write-off for me. This book was never able to transcend its high school nudge-nudge phase. Everyone seemed weirdly obsessed with Lando and his girlfriend's relationship, while Han is battling what all male characters in juvenile books do - the inability to be a dad. Leia, though, is a perfect mom, but Han is just itching for adventure and filled with doubts. Uh, has it occurred to the author that Han and Leia would have discussed for a long time before starting a family and they would both be in it as partners-in-crime? Nope.
This book relies heavily on 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' as its inspiration for the characters, and that's where it fails dismally. Some people like 'Solo', and that's ok, but the reason many don't is because the film was filled with tired tropes and characterizations that belonged in the 80s. Even the original Star Wars films became better at portraying characters than 'Solo'.
The backwards and forwards in time didn't help - I think it's mostly because the author just leaned into the philandering sides of both Han and Lando when that was never their most appealing characteristic. Han had eyes for Leia and Leia only from the moment they met - no one cares if Han had other romances, because they don't have any impact on his character. This book proves it.
Lando may be a scoundrel, but the reason he's a fan favourite is that he does the right thing despite the possible cost to his own life and livelihood. Those are the aspects we wanted to see in the characters, but the author writes this book for an audience of imaginary teenaged boys, who probably won't like this book either.
The body horror was another annoying aspect. It's there for shock value but there's no commentary on how many characters in the Star Wars universe use prostheses. The new trilogy is the only one where none of the main characters use them, but Luke and Anakin both spent an entire film each with prosthetic limbs. It just won't do to sensationalize that by making the story about some crazed droid takeover.
Some Star Wars books do a wonderful job of adding to the canon - be it the extended live-action canon, or the alternate universe book canon - others, like this book, are little more than silly outtakes that no one cares for.