Vaughan Book Reviews

As I own all of the Bantam-era Star Wars books that I bought and read in my childhood, I decided to re-read them all in chronological order and review them, based on my impressions of them.

To supplement this, I have also purchased two of the Del Rey-era stand-alone novels that are part of the relevant time period I am covering, plus the novelisations of the new films.

I will be reading novels only, with the exception of the Dark Empire comic series, of which I have the audio play and written transcripts to refer to. I will be reading all Bantam books, plus those five Del Rey books mentioned, from The Phantom Menace through to Vision of the Future.

If you do not want to read about my opinion, then go away. :P

I will be using the following scale for my review summaries, ranging from Embarrassing up to Awesome. As a point of example, I am expecting something like The Crystal Star or Darksabre to be Embarrassing, while Revenge of the Sith will be Awesome.

Here is the complete list of review summary terms, from best to worst:

• AWESOME — Oh my god! I want this book's offspring! I recommend everyone ready this book immediately, as I shall re-read it now!
• EXCELLENT — Wow! This was pretty damned good. This is one I'll definitely be re-reading at some point.
• VERY GOOD — A solid read that I would recommend to others.
• GOOD — A good book, above average.
• OKAY — An average read, but not excessively poor.
• POOR — Nothing spectacular, kind of boring.
• VERY POOR — This book was crap. I will make a point of never reading it again.
• PATHETIC — This book was so bad that I will go out of my way to urge others not to read it. I don't hate it as much as I just find it extremely low quality.
• EMBARRASSING — Words . . . cannot describe how bad I feel . . . this makes me feel embarrassed to be a Star Wars fan . . . I will be setting this book on fire and pretending it never existed!

Here are the list of stories already reviewed:

1. The Phantom Menace (Episode I of the Star Wars film saga)
2. Attack of the Clones (Episode II of the Star Wars film saga)
3. Revenge of the Sith (Episode III of the Star Wars film saga)
4. Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
5. The Paradise Snare (Book I of the Han Solo Trilogy)
6. The Hutt Gambit (Book II of the Han Solo Trilogy)
7. The Final Exit (Part III of Tales of the Empire)
8. Han Solo's Revenge
9. Rebel Dawn (Book III of the Han Solo Trilogy)

And the list of stories waiting to be reviewed:

1. Interlude at Darkknell (Part I of Tales of the New Republic)
2. Tinian on Trial (Part II of Tales of the Empire)
3. We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale (Part I of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
4. Drawing the Maps of Peace: The Moisture Farmer's Tale (Part XV of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
5. A New Hope (Episode IV of the Star Wars film saga)
6. Empire Blues: The Devaronian's Tale (Part VIII of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
7. Soup's On: The Pipe Smoker's Tale (Part XII of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
8. A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale (Part II of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
9. Trade Wins: The Ranat's Tale (Part X of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
10. Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale (Part VII of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
11. Swap Meet: The Jawa's Tale (Part IX of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
12. At the Crossroads: The Spacer's Tale (Part XIII of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
13. When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper's Tale (Part XI of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
14. The Sand Tender: The Hammerhead's Tale (Part V of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
15. Hammertong: The Tale of the "Tonnika Sisters" (Part III of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
16. Be Still My Heart: The Bartender's Tale (Part VI of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
17. Play It Again, Figrin D'an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe (Part IV of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
18. A Certain Point of View (Part VI of Tales from the Empire)
19. Doctor Death: The Tale of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba (Part XIV of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
20. Do No Harm (Part IX of Tales from the Empire)
21. Uhl Eharl Khoehng (Part VI of Tales from the New Republic)
22. The Last Hand (Part X of Tales from the New Republic)
23. No Disintegrations, Please (Part VII of Tales from the New Republic)
24. Side Trip (Part X of Tales from the Empire)
25. The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V of the Star Wars film saga)
26. The Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk (Part III of Tales of the Bounty Hunters)
27. Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM (Part IV of Tales of the Bounty Hunters)
28. Slaying Dragons (Part VIII of Tales from the Empire)
29. Shadows of the Empire
30. The Longest Fall (Part V of Tales from the New Republic)
31. That's Entertainment: The Tale of Salacious Crumb (Part III of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
32. Return of the Jedi (Episode VI of the Star Wars film saga)
33. A Bad Feeling: The Tale of EV-9D9 (Part XIII of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
34. A Time to Mourn, a Time to Dance: Oola's Tale (Part IV of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
35. Let Us Prey: The Whiphid's Tale (Part V of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
36. A Boy and His Monster: The Rancor Keeper's Tale (Part I of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
37. Taster's Choice: The Tale of Jabba's Chef (Part II of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
38. And Then There Were Some: The Gamorrean Guard's Tale (Part VII of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
39. Old Friends: Ephant Mon's Tale (Part VIII of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
40. Out of the Closet: The Assassin's Tale (Part XVI of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
41. Sleight of Hand: The Tale of Mara Jade (Part VI of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
42. Shaara and the Sarlacc: The Skiff Guard's Tale (Part XVII of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
43. The Great God Quay: The Tale of Barada and the Weequays (Part XII Tales from Jabba's Palace)
44. And the Band Played On: The Band's Tale (Part X of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
45. Goatgrass: The Tale of Ree-Yees (Part IX of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
46. Of the Day's Annoyances: Bib Fortuna's Tale (Part XI of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
47. One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid (Part XVI of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina)
48. Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88 (Part I of Tales of the Bounty Hunters)
49. The Truce at Bakura
50. Skin Deep: The Fat Danceer's Tale (Part XIX of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
51. Tongue-tied: Bubo's Tale (Part XV of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
52. Payback: The Tale of Dengar (Part II of Tales of the Bounty Hunters)
53. The Mandalorian Armour (Book I of The Bounty Hunter Wars)
54. Slave Ship (Book II of The Bounty Hunter Wars)
55. Hard Merchandise (Book III of The Bounty Hunter Wars)
56. Day of the Sepulchral Night (Part XVIII of Tales from the New Republic)
57. Gathering Shadows (Part III of Tales from the New Republic)
58. A Free Quarren in the Palace: Tessek's Tale (Part XIV of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
59. Epilogue: Whatever Became Of . . . ? (Part XX of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
60. A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett (Part XVIII of Tales from Jabba's Palace)
61. Missed Chance (Part IV of Tales from the Empire)
62. Rogue Squadron (Book I of the X-wing series)
63. Wedge's Gamble (Book II of the X-wing series)
64. The Krytos Trap (Book III of the X-wing series)
65. The Bacta War (Book IV of the X-wing series)
66. Conflict of Interest (Part VI of Tales from the New Republic)
67. Wraith Squadron (Book V of the X-wing series)
68. Iron Fist (Book VI of the X-wing series)
69. Solo Command (Book VII of the X-wing series)
70. The Courtship of Princess Leia
71. Hutt and Seek (Part IV of Tales from the New Republic)
72. Tatooine Ghost
73. First Contact (Part I of Tales from the Empire)
74. Heir to the Empire (Book I of the Thrawn Trilogy)
75. Dark Force Rising (Book II of the Thrawn Trilogy)
76. The Last Command (Book III of the Thrawn Trilogy)
77. Blaze of Glory (Part VII of Tales from the Empire)
78. Isard's Revenge (Book VIII of the X-wing series)
79. Retreat from Coruscant (Part V of Tales from the Empire)
80. Dark Empire (Book I of the Dark Empire series)
81. Dark Empire II (Book II of the Dark Empire series)
82. Empire's End (Book III of the Dark Empire series)
83. Jedi Search (Book I of the Jedi Academy Trilogy)
84. Dark Apprentice (Book II of the Jedi Academy Trilogy)
85. Champions of the Force (Book III of the Jedi Academy Trilogy)
86. I, Jedi
87. Children of the Jedi
88. Simple Tricks (Part XI of Tales from the New Republic)
89. Darksabre
90. Planet of Twilight
91. Starfighters of Adumar (Book IX of the X-wing series)
92. The Crystal Star
93. Before the Storm (Book I of The Black Fleet Crisis)
94. Shield of Lies (Book II of The Black Fleet Crisis)
95. Tyrant's Test (Book III of The Black Fleet Crisis)
96. The New Rebellion
97. Jade Solitaire (Part II of Tales from the New Republic)
98. Ambush at Corellia (Book I of the Corellian Trilogy)
99. Assault at Selonia (Book II of the Corellian Trilogy)
100. Showdown at Centrepoint (Book III of Corellian Trilogy)
101. The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett (Part V of Tales of the Bounty Hunters)
102. Spectre of the Past (Book I of The Hand of Thrawn Duology)
103. Vision of the Future (Book II of The Hand of Thrawn Duology)

Without further ado . . .

The Phantom Menace

Episode I of the Star Wars film saga.

OKAY (An average read, but not excessively poor.)

Felt more like a narration of the film than a book. The beginning was more descriptive, but towards the end it was merely outlining what was happening on the cinema screen. That said, it was an enjoyable read, and did explain some parts of the story better than the film.

Attack of the Clones

Episode II of the Star Wars film saga.

GOOD (A good book, above average.)

Better than The Phantom Menace. Possibly because I had never read this before, then again I could not remember much of the Episode I novelisation when I re-read it. . . Suffered from the same symptoms as The Phantom Menace towards the end, as it degenerated from book to mere narration of events happening on-screen. One point, though: the book made me actually care about Jango and Boba Fett, as it gave them more depth than 'villain' and 'evil son'. Almost made me sad that Windu chopped his head off.

Revenge of the Sith

Episode III of the Star Wars film saga.

AWESOME (Oh my god! I want this book's offspring! I recommend everyone ready this book immediately, as I shall re-read it now!)

This was so much better than the previous two, as it actually felt like a BOOK, not a mere adapted screenplay. Reminded me of the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy in places, structurally -- but not focused on humour, even though there was some decent humour throughout. This book took so long to get through because I made sure I stopped regularly to savour it, as I had not bough the next book, The Rise of Dark Vader, yet. I cannot stress how truly excellent this book is. It also ties in so many Expanded Universe elements, such as Carrack-class light cruisers, Garm Bel Iblis, and even a mention that the Sith could only be defeated by 'the new Jedi Order'. When I finish reading the entire collection, I intend to return to re-read this one, as it is by far the best novelisation of the three that I have read so far. The only part where it really falls down, is the last few chapters -- which fly past in a blur, with the last scenes of the film being condensed into single paragraphs each, which left my feeling ripped off and wanting. This seems to be a flaw present in all of the prequel novelisations.

Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader

OKAY — An average read, but not excessively poor.

I must confess that initially I was going to skip over Dark Lord, and not purchase this book. However I am glad that I did in fact read it. While it felt decidedly amateurish and juvenile compared to the awesomeness that was Revenge of the Sith, it still drew me into the story by the end. It was a quick and easy read, with short chapters that encouraged reading onward. Vader and Sidious's characters were handled . . . fairly ineptly, as far as I'm concerned, however despite that I still eagerly looked forward to scenes with Vader in it. I did like how it helped blend in the new trilogy material with the original trilogy, including the razing of Kashyyyk and the introduction of various characters, as well as the transition from the Seperatist/Republic conflict to Imperial tyranny. Chewbacca went from a cameo role in Revenge of the Sith to a minor character of importance in this one. I'm not sure how I feel about that; it wasn't too poorly done, and I did enjoy Wookiees running amok. However, the emotional content of the book felt a bit light, as the Jedi Knight we were introduced to in the beginning chapters was decapitated with deriving nothing more than a raised eyebrow from me. The previous book had me dreading the bad things that were to come, whereas this book didn't get me as emotionally invested in the characters. However, I was drawn into finding out how it ended. Again, I must stress that the Vader/Sidious dialogue didn't feel very authentic, but despite what I perceive to be its flaws, this was a fairly quick and enjoyable read. One thing this book did for me, was give me an interest in reading about the 'dark times' of the Imperial rule, whereas I was never particularly drawn to this era before. So, bravo to it, and I look forward to the live action series between Episodes III and IV . . . I just hope it's good and doesn't suck.

The Paradise Snare

Book I of the Han Solo Trilogy

VERY GOOD — A solid read that I would recommend to others.

I'm not sure where to begin. This isn't the best book I've read, but it was pretty damned good. Of all the characters to spend the Imperial Era with, there could be worse than the Corellian Han Solo. I must admit the pacing was much quicker than I seem to remember, which is kind of a blessing more than anything else — as much as the flashbacks to Solo's youth are good fleshing out of backstory, they are really too depressing to want to spend too much time in. I definitely appreciated the context of the state of the galaxy under the Empire from Solo's point of view, after having seen the rise of the Empire in Revenge of the Sith and Dark Lord. And little cameos like Senator Organa and his daughter when Solo visited Alderaan. Of course the bodyguard Muuurgh is just a stand-in until the introduction of Chewbacca at a later date, but the pronoun-deficient feline is likeable enough to get by with. Knowing how the book ended, I decided to pause at the cadence point that was the end of Solo's time on Togoria, when everything's at a temporary happy ending. That all gets turned on its head, of course, by the end, and the ending is a bit of a downer. All in all, I feel it describes Solo's growth as a person fairly well, a kind of joining the dots between the flashbacks of his childhood to eventually the character sitting in Chalmun's Cantina on Tatooine. Strangely enough, Ylesia seemed like a nice place to be at first, with the torrential rains, even if it was a bit too humid and muddy. Oh, and fungal. I especially liked the brief look into the affairs of Hutts, as I find their politicking interesting to read about. It seems as though the author made a concerted effort to reference other in-universe creatures in lieu of their Earthly counterparts. And while the fight scenes weren't as exciting as, say, Revenge of the Sith, there is something about the cocky young Corellian that makes fights enjoyable. One thing that makes me confused though, is the 'no weapons on Coruscant' rule. When the hell did that come about? I don't recall reading about that in any other material . . . perhaps some other sources reference it that I simply can't member. Oh, and CorSec Investigator Hal Horn freezing "Jenos Idanian's" account was a nice touch. Actually made you annoyed at Horn for doing that, easily overlooking the fact that Solo was selling stolen items. Even if they were stolen from bigger criminals in the first place. Ah, on that note: "they belong in a museum" — if that's not another reference to Indiana Jones, I don't know what is. During the earlier to middle parts of the books I couldn't help but envision Solo as River Phoenix in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. All in all, a nice read, and I can't wait to read more about the dealings of Hutts. Oh, and the author expresses the raw emotion in Solo's first romantic relationship extremely well, I feel. If anyone's had their emotions torn up, they can empathise with Solo towards the end of the book. It didn't really affect me this time around, but that's probably because I knew what was coming. I also liked it when Solo flipped out and started channelling the pent-up anger from his abused childhood. The release was always sent towards a worthy target, and was very satisfying to see.

The Hutt Gambit

Book II of the Han Solo Trilogy

EXCELLENT — Wow! This was pretty damned good. This is one I'll definitely be re-reading at some point.

This book is probably only VERY GOOD grade, however I like the context that much that of the entire collection of books this is one I would probably come back to read on its own, maybe. Apart from the start, which starts on a bit of a downer, compared to the success — if tragic — ending of the first book, the rest of it is really quite pleasant. The drama is not terribly emotionally wrenching or draining, and Solo finally fits into a community with friends and loved ones — such as his various girlfriends, and the ever-present Chewbacca — and enjoys life as a smuggler on Nar Shadda. The Hutt intrigue I was asking for was satisfied, but I was surprised that I would ever find myself feeling sympathetic for a Hutt! Durga and Aruk's interactions were surprisingly touching, especially towards the end . . . a number of the 'villainous' characters actually seemed sympathetic, to a degree . . . or at the very least they seemed to have motives, hopes and dreams, making them a bit more three-dimensional. A slight criticism is that relationships and characters tend to be introduced almost as afterthoughts just before action sequences, perhaps to raise the emotional stakes involved, but it didn't really work for me this time around. That said, the pace kept up very quickly, much faster than I remembered, and I didn't find myself getting bored with the story, wishing it to move on as I did with The Paradise Snare in less-happy places. There were numerous attempts at foreshadowing, that maybe wouldn't have seen so glaringly obvious if someone were reading through in chronological order for the first time . . . such as the prophesising crone, mention of an Imperial outpost to be set up in the Maw, Boba Fett flying over the Pit of Carkoon, etc. All in all, it was a nice read. Not the most exciting book, but not particularly boring, either. The Battle of Nar Shadda was engaging and detailed, and actually made battling with freighters seem somewhat interesting. In a way, I kind of want to rest here for a bit, because I know things go downhill by the end of Rebel Dawn, and like the happy ending that this book provides for most of the characters.

The Final Exit

Part III of Tales of the Empire

OKAY — An average read, but not excessively poor.

Overall, this was a nice little short story. The combination of moral discussion and story action seemed kind of . . . awkwardly done, and less impressed people might call the finished product 'amateurish'. However, it has a kind of charm that rises about what I perceive to be its writing flaws. For example, the settlement on Trulalis sounds like a nice little non-technological rural centre, a location more akin to the real world rather than the Galaxy Far, Far Away. One of the things I liked the most — apart from the ending — was the Kierra's consciousness, which would make flying a ship much more interesting. I want my own AI-integrated ship! The Dark Jedi was kind of addled and inconsistent, but I believe that was the intent. A Jedi turned Emperor-servant, that had partaken in unspeakable atrocities in His Imperial Majesty's name . . . and had been driven partly mad by it. The smuggler was kind of forgettable — I can't even recall his name — but I did like the sections involving the Old Corellian language. Now, if you're excuse me, I'm going to look up more information on Brandl, and the feisty ship Kierra . . .

Han Solo's Revenge

EXCELLENT — Wow! This was pretty damned good. This is one I'll definitely be re-reading at some point.

First up, I read this book after getting half-way through Rebel Dawn, as that was the appropriate place to swap books over, with Solo out of the main story, with only brief interludes summarising his adventures in the Corporate Sector. That said . . . at first I found it hard to get into this story, as I kept wanting to read more about the Hutt intrigue, and other plot points in the Han Solo Trilogy . . . however, it didn't take too long before the story sucked me into it. There is something about the writing style of this book that just made Solo sound much more like his character in the films — moreso than the Han Solo Trilogy books. The fact that it was written in International English, rather than American, was a refreshing change — not having to read through what my mind automatically perceives to be 'spelling mistakes' makes for a much more fluid read. The story is short, happily so, as it's more of a quick sojourn, rather than an epic tale that spans a galaxy. The adventures are quite enjoyable, and I really liked that the book explored quite a bit of different scene types. Probably the only thing missing were dogfights, as the space battles were with the Millennium Falcon, the hotted up freighter it is. Still, it's just not the same as darting starfighters weaving about shooting each other . . . That said, there are fistfights, vibroblade fighters, and swashbuckling galore. As well as a bit of political intrigue — basically this book just felt like it flowed really well. In fact, this brings me to another point: the book felt original. Meaning that it didn't feel used, or tired. It didn't feel like the author was hired to write "yet another Star Wars book". It just felt like a book. A short one at that; but enjoyable, and seemed more of an inspired tale rather than some marketing manager's cynical attempt at fishing for cash. One thing this book did, that was unintentional on the author's part, time-wise — it made me appreciate the level of dedication and research the author of the Han Solo Trilogy did when writing the books. It really feels like this book is related to the other trilogy, that the character is the same. Solo's hatred of slavery, and his mentioning of flying swoop races as a child — also his crazy knack for flying through tight spaces instead of around them — all come together to make it feel as though this is one consistent character. Very well done. However I think this book succeeds at invoking the Solo spirit more than the Han Solo Trilogy, not that the latter fails at all. Just this one is better for characterisation. That said, I'm now bound to return to where I left off in Rebel Dawn.

Rebel Dawn

Book III of the Han Solo Trilogy

EXCELLENT — Wow! This was pretty damned good. This is one I'll definitely be re-reading at some point.

The impression I got throughout the first half of this book was that it was even better than The Hutt Gambit, which surprised me, as I vaguely remembered it ended unhappily. Halfway through the book I took a detour via Han Solo's Revenge, as that was the appropriate place in the story to do so. My impression now, at the end of the trilogy . . . is that it was pretty damned good. The quality seemed to increase from book to book, and I definitely feel that this one was similar to The Hutt Gambit, but in a good way — it took that standard and built upon it. One scene that sticks out in my mind is the Hutt vs. Hutt death-match, which was pretty damned cool. And a bit off-putting, when Durga kept pounding at the corpse afterwards . . . Oh, and the second time I've felt sorry for a Hutt — Kibbick being murdered by Teroenza. Nasty stuff. And Kibbick was an idiot, which probably only adds to one's sympathy. The Hutt interplay of politics, and the inclusion of Black Sun, all reached its foregone conclusion, fairly satisfactorily. Solo's reaction when Tharen contacted him on Nar Shadda surprised me — I thought he'd be overjoyed instead of ragingly mad — but I sill appreciated his revenge. Although personally I would have liked to see him dish it out a bit more. Especially after she screwed him over and basically ruined his life. Exploitation of loved ones; all in a day's work for a good rebel operative . . . The only place I felt the book really fell down . . . or perhaps, 'wore thin' is more accurate, was towards the end. And I don't mean Revenge of the Sith-class ruination of an ending, which was the whole final act, but the last chapter or two felt a bit rushed, and sort of contrived. As if there were plot points that needed tying up, and the deadline was approaching. But like I said, nothing on the scale of the Revenge of the Sith novelisation ending. Currently I cannot recall much of the beginning of the book, but what most sticks in my mind is the Battle of Ylesia, and Tharen's betrayal of the smuggler and privateer forces that fought — and died — alongside them. In fact, I was surprised Solo didn't spit Jarik's death for nothing in Tharen's face, just to knock her off her moral high ground pedestal. As much as I liked her before she was a backstaber, it was very appropriate that she be slaughtered in battle against overwhelming Imperial odds. It was still saddening, though, no matter how appropriate. Well, I really can't remember much more at this point in time . . . but here I am, almost into the films of the Classic Era. Onward!