3/5 Rancors - Separating them from most of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Lando Calrissian Adventures by L. Neil Smith were actually written during the release of the original movies (all three were published in a six-month span right after Return of the Jedi in 1983). They take a sharply different tone from the largely more serious novels that started with Timothy Zahn's trilogy in 1991. Except for the inclusion of Lando and the Millennium Falcon, they barely feel like Star Wars stories at all.
In Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu, Lando is the brand-new owner of the Falcon and is just about to win Vuffi Raa, a quirky meter-tall starship-shaped droid who will be his constant companion through these three novels. Vuffi is a fun character and I did enjoy the banter between him and Lando; however, at the same time, Lando speaks in a way I find highly unbelievable and very little like his character in the films. Smith tends to amplify small characteristics of Lando's speech and use them mercilessly. For example, if you noticed Lando saying "you pirate" a couple of times in the films, be ready for dozens of variations on that.
Lando and Vuffi set off for the Rafa System, where they quickly find themselves in hot water with the local authorities and Rokur Gepta, the Sorcerer of Tund, who is to be their primary adversary throughout the three novels. Turns out not all is as it seems and they set out to discover the mysteries behind the legendary Mindharp and the strange disappearance of the Sharu people millennia ago. It's a fine story but doesn't feel like it is a Star Wars story; it could easily have been transplanted from any sci-fi franchise with Lando pasted on top.
Smith writes in a flowing manner that is easy to read and entertaining. He does a particularly good job with a chapter dealing with Lando escaping a deadly life-crystal tree and Vuffi essentially resurrecting himself after being shot with hundreds of arrows. The prose is strong and it's the kind of scene most of these books would blow by without pausing. Smith manages to make it gripping and interesting.
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu is a quirky and ill-fitting book when taken in context of the entire Expanded Universe. It hovers between two and three stars for me, but I'm rounding it to three for its sheer novelty value and readability.
1 comments:
I am reading this series right now and it's different for Star Wars EU material!
I really liked the first few chapters of this book - particularly Lando's Sabacc game on Oseon 2795. I agree that the chapter on Lando's near-death experience by being exposed to the cold elements of Rafa V was also well done. The portions of the book detailing Lando's travels through the Pyramid of the Sharu reminded me of the psychedelic portions of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Colonial Governor Duttes Mer and The Sorceror of Tund, Rokur Gepta - are sufficient villains - but their motivations are not really examined in this book. Vuffi Raa is a great addition to the Star Wars family of droids - his odd construction and resourcefulness throughout the book are great additions to the story.
However, I do have a lot of issues with this novel. First, Lando is pretty flamboyant throughout this novel (dare I say it - he is positively metrosexual). I appreciate that he has a debonair flare in the movies - but the sheer amount of preening and detailed thought directed to his clothing (how many times does he think about his cummerbund!), his tastes in fashion and the colour orange - is all a bit much.
I also found his dialogue quite uncharacteristic in certain sections of the story. There are portions of this book where I simply couldn't believe that Lando would use such verbiage - for example, his repetitive exclamation "By the Eternal (insert something random here)!"
There are also a lot of Earth-based references that come off as a bit sloppy. Dopler radar, dinosaurs, television, cigarettes, etc. Given that these novels came out in 1983, I was surprised that L. Neil Smith did not look to the earlier books for some guidance on how fairly regular items could be described in the SW EU.
I also think that L. Neil Smith could have spent a bit more time fleshing out the location of the story. By reviewing the Star Wars Encyclopedia, I have come to appreciate that the story is set in a unimportant backwater of the galaxy known as "The Centrality". It's an area of space settled long ago in the days of the Old Republic that is of no particular strategic importance to the Empire. Apparently, the Emperor has appointed Rokur Gepta, a dark force adept and "Sorceror of Tund", to the position of chief "Scrivener" and Central Administrator (e.g. ruler) of The Centrality. In many ways, The Centrality reminds me of Canada's Western frontier in the 1800's. It's a fairly untamed area - where local colonial governors have a lot of power over their territories. There is no democracy, plenty of neglect and outright slavery and little if any real central government. The Empire is faraway and a fairly distant concern. In fact, the word "Empire" is not even mentioned in the story - though there are references to Imperial weapons, gear and credits. Governor Duttes Mer is also involved in "Imperial concerns." The point is that The Centrality is a fairly unformed concept in the book and does not have the kind of detail about it that say The Corporate Sector enjoyed in Brian Daley's "Han Solo Adventures" novels. The author could have spent more time fleshing it out for the reader.
I would recommend that if you can get a copy of these adventures (you can buy all three in one consolidated anthology that was re-issued by Del Rey in 1994) - it's worth taking a look at "The Campaigner's Guide to The Centrality" that was published in the Star Wars Gamer No. 5.
While not as good a read as Brian Daley's Han Solo Adventures - it's worth reading if you are a Star Wars fan and want to get a sense of the quirky and pulpy nature of the books pre-Timothy Zahn.
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