Andrew's Review of Tatooine Ghost

5/5 Rancors - Written after the theatrical release of Attack of the Clones but before Revenge of the Sith, in Tatooine Ghost author Troy Denning leverages the first two prequels to weave a tale of Princess Leia confronting specters from her past. Set four years after Return of the Jedi, this book has Han and Leia visiting Tatooine to attend an art auction featuring a relic from Alderaan, the beloved painting Killik Twilight. While the painting is rich in nostalgia for Leia, having hung in the palace she grew up in, far more urgent is the communication key for Shadowcast, a secret Rebel broadcasting mechanism, which is concealed in the painting's frame. If the Imperials were to get their hands on the key, many Rebel lives would be lost.

Let me say this up front: I am a fan of all three prequel movies. I thoroughly enjoyed each one and felt they added considerable richness and interest to the Star Wars universe. Therefore, I'm firmly in favor of books such as Tatooine Ghost which attempt to merge the sometimes disparate flavor of the original trilogy with the prequels. This book is heavy on links to the prequels, particularly the scenes set on Tatooine, of course, so readers that exclusively prefer the originals may not find much of interest here. However, those like me that enjoy the whole saga will likely have a great time.

Particular elements brought out of the prequels include extensive time spent in Mos Espa, an adult Kitster as a recurring character, Teemto Pagalies and the Podracing Arena, and a climatic scene involving the Tusken oasis where Anakin found his mother in Attack of the Clones. Leia also gets her hands on Shmi Skywalker's journal and entries from it are scattered throughout the tale. Shmi's perspective on the ten years after Anakin left for Coruscant adds great poignancy to her story and especially to its brutal ending. Leia has been grappling with the knowledge of Anakin being her father ever since the Battle of Endor, and all the information she finds here on Tatooine aids her in healing and making peace with her past.

Another tantalizing element of this story is the inclusion of the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera under the able command of Captain Pellaeon. Very lightly alluded to is the presence of Grand Admiral Thrawn, soon to be the greatest enemy of the New Republic in the galaxy. Denning does a superb job of seeding these characters and preparing the way for the Thrawn Trilogy, next in chronological order in the Expanded Universe. Particularly compelling is the idea of Thrawn suited up in stormtrooper armor going with his troops on ground missions. Timothy Zahn's portrayal of Thrawn as a calculating and intelligent opponent made him into one of the most memorable Star Wars villains and this book is a nice addition to his storyline.

The Courtship of Princess Leia featured some rather dubious characterizations of Han and Leia, and thankfully Denning brings them back to the hero and princess we know and love from the films. The events of Dathomir are touched upon, but most interestingly Denning explores their different viewpoints on whether to have children or not. Reasonably enough, Leia is reluctant to bring children into the galaxy knowing what she does of her Skywalker heritage, whereas Han believes children are an expression of hope for the future. Denning's handling of their evolving relationship is sensitive and presents a nice contrast to the stereotypical reluctant man being pressured into children by his wife.

Denning accomplishes much with Tatooine Ghost. It presents compelling links between Star Wars' past, present, and future, fleshes out a key part of Han and Leia's relationship, and even throws in several illuminating glimpses of events still decades away down the timeline (for instance, the opening scene of the book is deliberately echoed in a scene with Jacen Solo in the nine-book Legacy of the Force saga, and the Killiks are prominent players in the Dark Nest Trilogy). The best part is the book manages to weave all this in while still being an adventurous and brisk romp. Highly recommended!