SW Novel Review 6
The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers
No sooner has Darth Vader's funeral pyre burned to ashes on Endor than the Alliance intercepts a call for help from a far-flung Imperial outpost. Bakura is on the edge of known space and the first to meet the Ssi-ruuk, cold-blooded reptilian invaders who, once allied with the now dead Emperor, are approaching Imperial space with only one goal; total domination. Princess Leia sees the mission as an opportunity to achieve a diplomatic victory for the Alliance. But it assumes even greater importance when a vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears to Luke Skywalker with the message that he must go to Bakura-or risk losing everything the Rebels have fought so desperately to achieve.
I've known about this novel a long time... but I always ended up not having the time to read it; in favour for other novels. But then again it's partially because I didn't manage to find the actual book and back then, I got distracted at other available SW novel that I did ended up finding in the library. I had less attention span back then on reading e-books. Kinda regretted that a bit because this novel is quite good.
Since this novel started almost right after the second Death Star's destruction, it really felt like you just continued your journey after reading/ watching the Return of the Jedi. If you're left wanting more after RotJ, delving into this novel right after would certainly be enjoyable. I mean, certainly you'd have some questions remain unanswered after Jedi; like how do Han, Luke and Leia do now after knowing about Luke and Leia being siblings, or how did Luke spent the moments after... his grief over his father's death still fresh? What about the battle damage Luke received from the Emperor... what kinds of thoughts Luke would have afterwards, realizing about how close he was to being dead, to fall to the dark side. What should his future path be? What would Leia's reaction be afterwards? Because Leia didn't just found out that the close friend she had grown to care deeply was her twin brother; she also found out that the enemy that she most hated was actually her real father. She also found out that she also inherit the same ability that Luke had. How would all these affect the Alliance?
Not all of the questions were answered completely in this novel, but it does give some more development and growth to the characters. We get to see Luke selflessly went out to help his friend despite his own body was still unhealed. We get to see how Mon Mothma and some of the other leaders of the Alliance sought to protect Luke; knowing his importance.
Through this novel, we get to see a new world... a world controlled by the Empire. And with the new enemy threat, we get to see how the Alliance, remnants of the Empire and the Bakurans sought to overcome this adversity. As per the Star Wars theme, there is a battle between the Light side and the Dark side. There is a battle in the good side and bad side; and how some choices affects the outcome. There's politics and there's some clashes of opinions. I won't say that it's a perfect read--every SW had it's own charm--but it's quite balanced. Then again, there are a lot of issues being 'balanced' here. There are some bittersweet moments here and there; but there's also a sense of new hope.
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover
It's been six months since Return of the Jedi, and the Rebel Alliance has become the New Republic while the Empire is in the early stages of splitting into rival factions. Luke Skywalker is now General of the Rapid Response Task Force, a small fleet that the Republic sends as needed to patch up the front and execute special missions. Their current assignment: to track the forces of a theatrical and megalomaniacal Imperial warlord with the unlikely name of Lord Shadowspawn to his home base and bring him to justice. This base turns out to be on Mindor, a former vacation world devastated by repeated meteorite impacts.
When Luke tracks Shadowspawn's forces there, he gets drawn into a trap, as do Han, Leia, and Rogue Squadron who come after him, and Lando Calrissian and the gang of Mandalorian mercenaries who come after them. It turns out that a dark presence has been waiting on Mindor to make its move with a scheme that threatens not only Luke's life, but his very soul...
First thing that needed to be said about this novel. Don't let the cover... and the (sort of) lame title fooled you. Despite how this novel looked like some cheap kiddy paperback adventure novels you might think only a kid would want to read... this novel is really a great read. A bit too philosophical at many parts... but very enjoyable.
Set some time after Bakura, you'd have thought it would have been easy for Luke to avoid being given any other higher military position considering the fact Luke wasn't one who felt fitting to sit down and order people around. But things don't always happened as you want. Our villain was someone who had a connection to Palpatine and perhaps the Prophets of the Dark Side, but believed in the One Truth... the Dark instead of the Force.
Well... this concept of Dark played a lot of influence in the story and set stage to one of the toughest battles Luke had to face. To be honest, a lot of the things in the novel touched me on a personal level. Since the novel, in its way... touched on the issue of depression and how that affects a person. Well, in this universe... the Dark represented a different side of the dark side; the type Luke never faced before. And in his own way, Luke fought against the despair brought by the Dark and saved every one. Of course... not without a lot of casualties; in which led to his decision to end his military career once and for all.
It's a great read, and there are plenty of parts that'll make you laugh and relate with the characters. It's really enjoyable. I think, the only issue I have over this novel would be... the slight discontinuity between this novel with the X-Wing series as well as Courtship of Princess Leia. Since there was an implied mention of Han being part of Shrike Squadron (which won't happen til Solo's Command) and the fact that in Courtship, Han was still a General. In which you could argue that he might have been reinstated after Luke resigned his commission (it was mentioned that Ackbar did threaten Han with that earlier in novel). So other than that, it's good.
The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton
Seeking rich, powerful allies to bring into the Rebel Alliance and a new home planet for the refugees of her native Alderaan, Princess Leia considers a proposal that could tip the balance of power against the evil Empire. The Hapes Consortium of 63 worlds is ruled by the Queen Mother, who wants Leia to marry her son, the dashing and wealthy Prince Isolder. Han Solo has always dreamed of marrying Leia himself, and now he makes a desperate last gamble to win her back. Soon he, Isolder, Luke Skywalker and Artoo will be at the center of an adventure leading to an awesome treasure, a group of Force-trained "witches," and a showdown with an invincible foe.
Have to say, I love this novel. This was the first Star Wars novel I bought and I had a good memory of it. And it was kinda fun to see Han trying to fight to reclaim Leia's love. And having also a side plot where Luke also gets another love interest, in the form of Teneniel Djo, a Force-strong witch from Dathomir. She's somewhat similar to Gaeriel Captison, but not quite.
This novel was published way earlier than Mindor, yet i love how Matthew Stover had written his novel to compliment the elements from this novel. In Courtship, the novel started with Luke having been travelling the galaxy in search of the records of the Jedi. Which led him to Dathomir. And in Dathomir, Luke ended up facing an enemy that might be as powerful as the Emperor. And much more dangerous than the Emperor due to the more numbers of enemies present. Also amidst his battle with the Nightsisters, Luke gained a deeper understanding about the light side of the Force. The Light. Something neither Yoda nor Ben had been able to explain to him completely. So if in Mindor, Luke was forced to face the Dark; in Dathomir, he experienced the opposite of it. It was a nice contrast.
The novel also allowed Leia and Han re-evaluate their feelings with each other. Because you know, even those two can fall out of love from each other... and with all the fights they had with the Empire; sometimes it can wear on their relationship. And these two had always fought like oil and water.
The witches of Dathomir were also quite interesting themselves. While not quite similar to the Jedi; the Force seemed to mostly manifested amongst the females and they also sing their 'spells' in order to use the Force, they were quite as formidable as the Jedi despite the lack of technology. Similarly, the Nightsisters were like the parallel equivalent of the Sith. Although, unlike the Siths... the Nightsisters did not follow the Sith's Rule of Two. Which was the reason why they were even more dangerous than the Sith. This entry was originally posted on Kaleidoscope World.
No sooner has Darth Vader's funeral pyre burned to ashes on Endor than the Alliance intercepts a call for help from a far-flung Imperial outpost. Bakura is on the edge of known space and the first to meet the Ssi-ruuk, cold-blooded reptilian invaders who, once allied with the now dead Emperor, are approaching Imperial space with only one goal; total domination. Princess Leia sees the mission as an opportunity to achieve a diplomatic victory for the Alliance. But it assumes even greater importance when a vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears to Luke Skywalker with the message that he must go to Bakura-or risk losing everything the Rebels have fought so desperately to achieve.
I've known about this novel a long time... but I always ended up not having the time to read it; in favour for other novels. But then again it's partially because I didn't manage to find the actual book and back then, I got distracted at other available SW novel that I did ended up finding in the library. I had less attention span back then on reading e-books. Kinda regretted that a bit because this novel is quite good.
Since this novel started almost right after the second Death Star's destruction, it really felt like you just continued your journey after reading/ watching the Return of the Jedi. If you're left wanting more after RotJ, delving into this novel right after would certainly be enjoyable. I mean, certainly you'd have some questions remain unanswered after Jedi; like how do Han, Luke and Leia do now after knowing about Luke and Leia being siblings, or how did Luke spent the moments after... his grief over his father's death still fresh? What about the battle damage Luke received from the Emperor... what kinds of thoughts Luke would have afterwards, realizing about how close he was to being dead, to fall to the dark side. What should his future path be? What would Leia's reaction be afterwards? Because Leia didn't just found out that the close friend she had grown to care deeply was her twin brother; she also found out that the enemy that she most hated was actually her real father. She also found out that she also inherit the same ability that Luke had. How would all these affect the Alliance?
Not all of the questions were answered completely in this novel, but it does give some more development and growth to the characters. We get to see Luke selflessly went out to help his friend despite his own body was still unhealed. We get to see how Mon Mothma and some of the other leaders of the Alliance sought to protect Luke; knowing his importance.
Through this novel, we get to see a new world... a world controlled by the Empire. And with the new enemy threat, we get to see how the Alliance, remnants of the Empire and the Bakurans sought to overcome this adversity. As per the Star Wars theme, there is a battle between the Light side and the Dark side. There is a battle in the good side and bad side; and how some choices affects the outcome. There's politics and there's some clashes of opinions. I won't say that it's a perfect read--every SW had it's own charm--but it's quite balanced. Then again, there are a lot of issues being 'balanced' here. There are some bittersweet moments here and there; but there's also a sense of new hope.
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover
It's been six months since Return of the Jedi, and the Rebel Alliance has become the New Republic while the Empire is in the early stages of splitting into rival factions. Luke Skywalker is now General of the Rapid Response Task Force, a small fleet that the Republic sends as needed to patch up the front and execute special missions. Their current assignment: to track the forces of a theatrical and megalomaniacal Imperial warlord with the unlikely name of Lord Shadowspawn to his home base and bring him to justice. This base turns out to be on Mindor, a former vacation world devastated by repeated meteorite impacts.
When Luke tracks Shadowspawn's forces there, he gets drawn into a trap, as do Han, Leia, and Rogue Squadron who come after him, and Lando Calrissian and the gang of Mandalorian mercenaries who come after them. It turns out that a dark presence has been waiting on Mindor to make its move with a scheme that threatens not only Luke's life, but his very soul...
First thing that needed to be said about this novel. Don't let the cover... and the (sort of) lame title fooled you. Despite how this novel looked like some cheap kiddy paperback adventure novels you might think only a kid would want to read... this novel is really a great read. A bit too philosophical at many parts... but very enjoyable.
Set some time after Bakura, you'd have thought it would have been easy for Luke to avoid being given any other higher military position considering the fact Luke wasn't one who felt fitting to sit down and order people around. But things don't always happened as you want. Our villain was someone who had a connection to Palpatine and perhaps the Prophets of the Dark Side, but believed in the One Truth... the Dark instead of the Force.
Well... this concept of Dark played a lot of influence in the story and set stage to one of the toughest battles Luke had to face. To be honest, a lot of the things in the novel touched me on a personal level. Since the novel, in its way... touched on the issue of depression and how that affects a person. Well, in this universe... the Dark represented a different side of the dark side; the type Luke never faced before. And in his own way, Luke fought against the despair brought by the Dark and saved every one. Of course... not without a lot of casualties; in which led to his decision to end his military career once and for all.
It's a great read, and there are plenty of parts that'll make you laugh and relate with the characters. It's really enjoyable. I think, the only issue I have over this novel would be... the slight discontinuity between this novel with the X-Wing series as well as Courtship of Princess Leia. Since there was an implied mention of Han being part of Shrike Squadron (which won't happen til Solo's Command) and the fact that in Courtship, Han was still a General. In which you could argue that he might have been reinstated after Luke resigned his commission (it was mentioned that Ackbar did threaten Han with that earlier in novel). So other than that, it's good.
The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton
Seeking rich, powerful allies to bring into the Rebel Alliance and a new home planet for the refugees of her native Alderaan, Princess Leia considers a proposal that could tip the balance of power against the evil Empire. The Hapes Consortium of 63 worlds is ruled by the Queen Mother, who wants Leia to marry her son, the dashing and wealthy Prince Isolder. Han Solo has always dreamed of marrying Leia himself, and now he makes a desperate last gamble to win her back. Soon he, Isolder, Luke Skywalker and Artoo will be at the center of an adventure leading to an awesome treasure, a group of Force-trained "witches," and a showdown with an invincible foe.
Have to say, I love this novel. This was the first Star Wars novel I bought and I had a good memory of it. And it was kinda fun to see Han trying to fight to reclaim Leia's love. And having also a side plot where Luke also gets another love interest, in the form of Teneniel Djo, a Force-strong witch from Dathomir. She's somewhat similar to Gaeriel Captison, but not quite.
This novel was published way earlier than Mindor, yet i love how Matthew Stover had written his novel to compliment the elements from this novel. In Courtship, the novel started with Luke having been travelling the galaxy in search of the records of the Jedi. Which led him to Dathomir. And in Dathomir, Luke ended up facing an enemy that might be as powerful as the Emperor. And much more dangerous than the Emperor due to the more numbers of enemies present. Also amidst his battle with the Nightsisters, Luke gained a deeper understanding about the light side of the Force. The Light. Something neither Yoda nor Ben had been able to explain to him completely. So if in Mindor, Luke was forced to face the Dark; in Dathomir, he experienced the opposite of it. It was a nice contrast.
The novel also allowed Leia and Han re-evaluate their feelings with each other. Because you know, even those two can fall out of love from each other... and with all the fights they had with the Empire; sometimes it can wear on their relationship. And these two had always fought like oil and water.
The witches of Dathomir were also quite interesting themselves. While not quite similar to the Jedi; the Force seemed to mostly manifested amongst the females and they also sing their 'spells' in order to use the Force, they were quite as formidable as the Jedi despite the lack of technology. Similarly, the Nightsisters were like the parallel equivalent of the Sith. Although, unlike the Siths... the Nightsisters did not follow the Sith's Rule of Two. Which was the reason why they were even more dangerous than the Sith. This entry was originally posted on Kaleidoscope World.