by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: The New Rebellion, was written by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic era, 17 ABY(17 years after the battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
Terror strikes the galaxy! A great disturbance is felt through the force by both Luke and Leia as millions meet death.
Distrust grows within the Senate towards Leia, some discovered evidence leads many to suspect Han Solo is responsible for the destruction of the Senate Hall, and his unknown whereabouts!
Han, Luke, Lando and Leia each set out on their own mission to uncover the mysteries of the galactic threat, reigning terror on many planets, and even within The New Republic military equipment.
THOUGHTS
Not my favorite story. Some aspects of it are fine, the villain using terror tactics, and ends up capturing Luke and contacts Leia. He demands that Leia disband the government, and give leadership power over to him. No super weapon, just mind games and terror.
This story probably breaks records when it comes to death count. Explosives on ships and droids. Millions of deaths. The thing I really don’t care for about this book are the villains. Two failed students from the Jedi Academy, I think there would have been a bigger impact had we known these characters more, would’ve read about them in more Star Wars books.
I did like reading about Leia using the force, that’s always fun. I think Luke comes across as weak in the story as well. I had a hard time with this book, it was a reread, I hoped it would’ve been better… it wasn’t.
This is one of those books that has few memorable moments, but not in the best way. I still think it’s silly to have former imperials take part in the New Republic government.
RATING
Star Wars: The New Rebellion gets a D.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Ambush at Corellia, book one of the Corellion trilogy, was written by Roger MacBride Allen. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic era, 18 ABY(18 years after the battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
Leia and family are to attend a summit on Corellia, the business trip with double as a vaction for the family. Han is asked by an NRI (New Republic Intelligence) agent to be mindful of odd activity. As it turns out, an organization known as the Human League begins an uprising to overthrow the powers that be.
Lando looks for love! The smooth talker is getting bored and desires action… in a business sort of fashion. He wants to marry rich so he can take financial risks to grow richer. He manages to pull Luke along with him on this bizarre quest. That is until they are made aware of a massive interdiction shield preventing them to enter the Corellian system or have any communications there. They must return to Coruscant and inform New Republic leadership.
The Human League delivers an ultimatum, Corellia secede from the New Republic without pushback… or Star Systems will be destroyed. It’s not an empty threat, The Human League proves it has the ability to do as much.
THOUGHTS
I enjoyed this book! There are a few action moments, but mostly we focus on characters. I really like spending time with the kids, seeing how they interpret the galaxy and how they manage their force abilities. I’m excited to see how they grow, who they become in a new era of Star Wars with the New Jedi Order. This is just book one of a trilogy, so everything can change, but the setup to the conflict taking place in the Corellian system was done well.
Mon Mothma speaks with Luke about the future, she grills him on talents used and possibly abused. She gets a bit aggressive with her tone, she feels the poeple view Leia as someone who’s wasted her talents. [I think the author may have taken some of the fandom complaints or concerns about Leia being a wasted character, like people complain that she isn’t a jedi and just stuck with politics… No one bashes Luke for not going into politics to rule the galaxy. It’s an odd argument that felt really defensive coming from Mothma.] I like that she wants the Jedi to be more involved, a Jedi should be on every planet, not every Jedi on one planet. If they are separated or secluded, they could become dangerous. Luke still doesn’t have a solid plan as to the purpose of the Jedi.
Ha, Lando is money hungry and wants to drag Luke along on a wife shopping tour. That’s right, he’s looking for a wealthy woman. He truly sees women as objects, his true love, credits. He thinks THAT if Luke is with him, it gives him more credibility, to appear more respectable. A jedi, traveling with the smooth talker. He views marriage as sort of a joke, just a business deal.
The book gave me a good chuckle, A droid – Q9 is blabbering on to Han, telling him about its abilities and upgrades. Han responds, “Good for you.” He wonders why every droid feels the need to corner him and go on and on about their capabilities.
I like Han and Leia’s role in the story, Roger MacBride Allen gives them great chemistry, handling them well. However, the Lando and Luke storyline… is just too silly for me. Also, the usage of the phrase “hanky-panky” has completely different context than what probably comes to mind.
RATING
I will give Ambush at Corellia a B+.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Empire & Rebellion: Razor’s Edge was written by Martha Wells. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the Rebellion era, 2 ABY (2 years after the Battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
The Gamble, an alliance ship is thrown into a tough situation right off the bat. The ship, which contains a small crew including Leia and Han, drop out of hyperspace and are immediately attacked. The crew were on a mission to acquire materials for Echo-Base. The attack raises the big question… how did the Empire know where The Gamble was dropping out of hyperspace? It appears that there is a deep cover Imperial Agent within the rebel group.
The Gamble is now in need of repair after successfully fleeing the Imperial attack. Contact is made with a pirate ship which turns out to be full of former Alderaanians!
The story is all about building trust, relationships, and a fight of survival.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This book was fine. It starts off really strong and exciting, throwing Leia, Han, and a few others into a dangerous situation. I found this story to be okay overall. It has filler vibes, just a blip on the timeline, but written well. I wasn’t bored with the story, but not excited either.
I think the greatest thing about this book is the characterization of our leads, Han and Leia. In the films we get to see the friction between the two, this book dives deeper into the frustration these characters feel toward each other. Han really does come across as a difficult man to work with, hard headed and prefers to go rogue instead of following orders. I like that we get into Leia’s mind and her thoughts toward Han. She understands his distrust for others. I do think that Leia comes across a bit too harsh at times with a lot of attitude.
The banter between Leia and Han was great. However, the characters use air quotes with fingers to be sarcastic, which I thought was a dumb thing to put in the book
The story takes a route that made me think of a YA storyline. When Leia meets with the other Alderaanians they get hooked into meeting up with some other Pirates. It turns into a fight for survival game, it made me think of Hunger Games or Ender’s Game… that sort of thing. I am thankful though that the game they play wasn’t through the entire book. For me though, it went on a bit too long.
I’d say this book will be forgettable, the only takeaway is the stuff between Leia and Han; maybe the interaction with the Alderaanian pirates.
Do I recommend you read this story? Eh… sure. It wasn’t bad.
RATING
I will give Star Wars: Razor’s Edge, a B-.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Tyrant’s Test, was written by Michael P. Kube-McDowell. Book three of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic era, 16 ABY (16 years after the Battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
The conclusion of the Black Fleet Crisis! Lando, Lobot, and the droids are STILL in the Vagabond ship! Luke continues the search for his mother, and Leia is standing up against her political foes as well as the Yevethan threat.
Chewbacca, who had been back on Kyshykk to spend time with his family, receives word of Han’s capture. Once again, Chewy leaves his family behind, but does allow his son who was in the midst of his warrior testing, to come along.
Nil Spaar announces to the New Republic that they have allied with the Empire, leading Leia to declare war on the enemy of the New Republic.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy had a strong start. However, the story arch as a whole was weak, especially in the entertainment department. McDowell did fine with descriptive details and squeezing in some action in a rather boring tale. Though the story was boring, we did get to experiance some cool things that we haven’t before, such as Chewbacca with his son, Lumpawaroo.
The trilogy did have character arch’s for our heroes, the only one I’ll mention is Luke’s. The pointless goose chase that he had been on, searching for his biological mother, was a disappointment not only for the reader, but for the character. He was manipulated and somewhat humiliated by the Fallanassi woman that came to him. Through his disappointment however, Luke came to realize that the family he’d been searching for was with him all along, Leia and the kids.
Nil Spaar met his end and thankfully, I reached the end of this trilogy. It isn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be, as the story overall did have some good points and fun moments, but the way in which the story had dragged on, it wasn’t exciting.
Rating
I will give Star Wars: Tyrant’s Test a C+.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Shield of Lies, was written by Michael P. Kube-McDowell. Book two of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic era, 16 ABY (16 years after the Battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
The Adventure continues! Lando, Lobot, R2 & 3PO are trapped in the Vagabond as it blasts into hyperspace! Luke is getting frustrated as his search for his mother drags on. Leia faces the challenge set before her with Nil Spaar and the growing threat of the Yevethan.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
While I found the first book to be somewhat entertaining, I found this one to be more of a let down. There really isn’t anything negative I have to say about the writing style or the dialogue.
The Lando and Vagabond plot was is dull and just drags on and on. What I do appreciate though, is that the author really utilizes a character we never really think about or spent much time with in any other books, Lobot.
The New Republic really is run by a bunch of morons, and I hate to say it but Leia fits in that category as far as this story is concerned. It’s no wonder they still struggle so much with galactic affairs. Genocide is taking place and the council believes no action should take place because the event took place a few days, maybe weeks ago? However, Leia pushes forward and attempts to do something about the Yevethan problem, which may lead to a possible career ending action.
Luke continues his adventure searching for his mother, but is getting frustrated on the journey, he’s starting to believe that the search is a deceptive game by Akanah.
RATING
I will give Star Wars: Shield of Lies a C+.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Before the Storm, was written by Michael P. Kube-McDowell. Book one of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic era, 16 ABY (16 years after the Battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
Luke wants to step away from his responsibilities as the head of the Jedi Academy. He passes authority over to Streen, who understands Luke’s desire to leave and accepts his new role. Luke leaves the planet, seeking solitude.
Lando, bored with life goes on a mission to track down a legendary ship that skips across the galaxy, it’s origins unknown.
Residents of the New Republic grow leery of the Leia’s leadership. She deploys the new Fifth Fleet. Some consider this an act of aggression or suppression of the people, when it’s simply sent to patrol a sector struggling with pirates. The New Republic has been growing lately. Leia, speaks with Nil Spar, a representative of the Yevethan people. Leia struggles in her role as president of the Republic, not fully trusting in her advisors. Her poor decision making and trusting others outside of her leadership circle, brings certain doom to Coruscant and worlds across the galaxy.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I’m a fan of what McDowell did with this book/series. He took the characters we enjoy and puts them in uncomfortable, unpredictable situations. While we all know are we aren’t going to see the death of any major characters, putting the characters in high stakes situations that could alter the outcome of the New Republic or the people is a great way to make the story have weight.
The book has multiple storylines happening between Leia, Luke, and Lando. The author did a fine job being heavily descriptive. I believe he gave a good voice to each character and provided great dialogue that wasn’t dull. I’m happy to report that Luke Skywalker doesn’t come across as super annoying like he has in previous books, though there are some things he’s still working out with himself.
The book gets political, which I find far more entertaining than blasters and explosions. The political chess pieces being strategically placed on the board before chaos consumes the New Republic is more entertaining to me, than an author attempting to make it seem as though a main character is a bout to be killed off.
This book has a lot of entertaining moments sprinkled throughout. While there are many times the story drags, I’d say the exciting moments made this story worth the read.
RATING
I give Star Wars: Before the Storm, a B (plus).
