New and Improved Review Index

I've enhanced our list of all the books we are reading to include direct links to each of our reviews. The list page is now the easiest way to find a review if you're looking for something in particular. Take a look and let us know what you think!

Complete Novel and Review Index

We are finally done moving!

After several months of moving reviews from our legacy site, www.pruette.net, we are finally done re-posting our old content here. Huzzah! We also have a spiffy new domain name for easier access for our loyal readers. It is www.rancorslovetoread.com.

We're excited to have gotten this far after 2.5 years and look forward to continuing through the post-ROTJ Expanded Universe. Right now I'm a little ahead of David - he's in the middle of the Thrawn Trilogy and I've finished the Jedi Academy trilogy. I'll be posting my reviews of the rest of the Thrawn books and the JAT soon, and from here on we'll be posting reviews as they're written, rather than tidily rotating between us like we've been doing so far.

I'm happy with our progress of roughly 70 books. Something that's not apparent from our old site or our new blog is that we both cheat frequently on the program and are seeing a lot of other books on the side. I've been on a classic literature kick lately and David is always spending time in nautical/adventure fiction and various acquisitions from the Amazon Vine program.

Thanks for reading thus far and we look forward to moving ahead with the new Rancors Love to Read!

Andrew's Review of Heir to the Empire

5/5 Rancors - The cornerstone of the modern Star Wars Expanded Universe, Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire was published in 1991 in an environment where Star Wars was considered a dusty relic of the 70s and 80s, except to some die-hard enthusiasts. At least, that was the perception going around. The reality was there was enough latent interest in the franchise to send this book soaring up the New York Times bestseller lists. I remember at the time believing there would never be any more Star Wars films and that this trilogy would act as a surrogate Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. Well, here we are eighteen years later and we've gotten three (soon to be four with the animated Clone Wars) more films, but still no sign of the infamous sequel trilogy. So, for the time being, perhaps the Thrawn Trilogy can be considered the closest thing we've got.

In light of that, the great news is this is one of the best books of the Expanded Universe and also one of its most cinematic. Zahn moved the timeline forward to five years after Return of the Jedi, and in doing so permitted the main characters to develop beyond what we saw in the films. Han and Leia are married with twin children on the way, and Luke is laying the groundwork for the future course of the Jedi. All the usual sidekicks are back and true to their film selves.

The key, though, is the new villain Zahn introduces, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn is a character of chilling intelligence, methodically plotting and executing a return to power for the scattered remnants of the Empire. He is ably assisted by Captain Pellaeon and a well-trained Imperial force of warships and troopers. Thrawn's earliest chronological appearance in the Expanded Universe was in the excellent novel Outbound Flight, set decades earlier. Heir to the Empire does not reveal much of the intervening decades in his life but readers of the other book will immediately recognize the portrayal and development of Thrawn here.

Another significant addition to the Star Wars galaxy in this book is Mara Jade, former Emperor's Hand and Force user turned smuggler. Mara is a strong character who tends to dominate any scene she's in, but she makes a great foil to Luke Skywalker. They are connected by surprising events from the past, casting a new light on the battle at the Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi. Mara's adversarial relationship to Luke creates many opportunities for growth in both her and Luke and Zahn handles this well.

The best thing about Thrawn is he brings a true sense of danger that was lacking in the Empire's leaders since the Battle of Endor. Ysanne Isard was smart and malicious but lacked a sweeping vision. Warlord Zsinj was somewhat clever but also a bit silly and trite. The New Republic has faced many other opponents but not any with the potential for complete ruin that Thrawn brings. The addition of the rogue Jedi Joruus C'baoth to Thrawn's forces completes building the most credible threat the fledging government has faced in the Expanded Universe.

The storyline itself works well both as a largely standalone episode, not dissimilar to A New Hope, but also in planting the seeds for the two sequels. The storyline itself is well-crafted and marries perfectly with Zahn's strong characterizations. This book is essential reading for any fan wanting to enter the Star Wars Expanded Universe but also continues to be a rewarding read for fans saturated in the tales of that galaxy far, far away.

David's Review of Tatooine Ghost

4/5 Rancors - I highly recommend Tatooine Ghost. The book has many of our favorite characters, e.g., Han, Leia, C-3PO, and Chewie. The action sequences are outstanding. Han gets in trouble, and Leia helps him. Leia gets in trouble, and Han helps her. Chewie helps everybody as he continues in his usual role of Unbeatable Wookie. 3PO tags along and does what he can to help out. The Millennium Falcon roars into life a couple of times and helps out the entire merry band of adventurers. It’s funny how, after years of seeing the Falcon and its quirks and reading even more about it, one comes to think of the battered freighter as an entity having a life of its own. It is much loved by Han and Chewie, and they seem to know the precise limits of everything on the ship.

That is an excellent group of characters, but there is certainly more. The Imperials are on the scene in force, and some of their troopers are led by a new officer who appears to be an alien and who is much more capable than the normal run-of-the-mill Imperial officer. Reliable insiders tell me that this is our first glimpse of Thrawn. He turns out to be one of the saga’s more memorable characters in other books. We also spent time with Squibs and Askajians during important parts of the tale.

The best part of the book to me was the return of Leia to Tatooine and her efforts to understand the impact of the trip on her soul. She is influenced by several hazy directions from the Force. She gets to meet individuals (Kitster, for example) who had firsthand experience with her father in his early days as Anakin Skywalker, and she is given an electronic journal kept by her grandmother Shmi. As she advances through the journal and talks with people who knew her father, her feelings begin to change. She realizes finally that it might be possible for her to have children with Han and not have them succumb to the temptations of the Dark Side. All of her emotional struggles and soul-searching are extremely interesting.

I only had one real problem with the book and that is with the reason that brings our heroes to Tatooine in the first place. An extremely valuable Alderaanian painting called Killik Twilight is to be auctioned on Tatooine, and it is imperative to the security of Rebel Alliance agents that the painting be recovered before any Imperial forces find that an encrypted Shadowcast containing Rebel Alliance codes is hidden in the painting. I just never got over my feeling of silliness that all of this effort and danger was directed at recovering a painting. However, this is a minor quibble. Mr. Denning tells an excellent tale, and it is extremely interesting to follow Leia as she comes to understand her ancestry.

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!

David's Review of A Forest Apart

3/5 Rancors - The paperback version of Tatooine Ghost contains the e-book version of A Forest Apart. This short story takes us on an adventure with Chewbacca and his family. We meet his wife Malla and their cub Lumpy. We are exposed to family strife among the Wookiees as Chewie and Malla struggle with how much freedom to give Lumpy while they also try to teach him how to handle himself in a dangerous situation. Chewbacca is a hero to his son, and the entire family gets a change to strut their stuff as they deal with a theft of Leia’s datapad that could lead to significant problems for the New Republic. A fun read for Wookie fans.

Andrew's Review of A Forest Apart

3/5 Rancors - Originally published as an e-book coinciding with the release of the novel Tatooine Ghost, Troy Denning's A Forest Apart is a short story following Chewbacca, his wife Mallatobuck, and his son Lumpy on a adventure into the bowels of Coruscant. Malla and Lumpy are visiting Chewie at his Coruscant apartment when a break-in at the next-door Solo place turns out to have more serious ramifications. The Wookiees follow the burglars and end up unearthing an Imperial plot set in place by an old tool of the villainous Ysanne Isard.

There's a lot of action in a short space but not much time for meaningful character development. Lumpy is a pre-teen striving to find his place in the world, and Chewbacca's perpetual absence in his life may have left a gaping hole as far as having a father figure to look up to. There's not enough pages to explore this theme with much depth, and in the end the issue is dropped, since on a practical level Lumpy can't live with his father chasing all over the galaxy anyway. The theme of the impact a Wookiee Life Debt has on the Wookiee holding it and on his/her family is an interesting one that could be explored in more detail with a longer story.

Unlike many novels which handle Chewie's communications by having him grunt and then having a nearby character paraphrase what he said, Denning makes the wise choice of letting the Wookiees speak as normal characters and simply puts brackets to indicate they are actually using their native tongue. It's always enjoyable seeing Chewbacca in action, and even though this story doesn't really add anything significant to the larger saga, it's an entertaining diversion.

David's Review of The Courtship of Princess Leia

3/5 Rancors - Mr. Wolverton's book continues the pursuit of Warlord Zsinj but ties the tale in with Han's courtship of Leia and Leia's apparent admiration for another suitor. At the beginning of the book, General Solo returns from a five-month campaign against Zsinj and believes that he has won a major victory. Arriving at Coruscant he is startled to find dozens of saucer-shaped Battle Dragons from the Hapan fleet. The Hapan Consortium is an extremely powerful, wealthy, and mysterious political entity that would be a valuable ally to the New Republic. Leia had paid a diplomatic visit to the Hapans several months earlier to explore the possibility of joining forces. Now the Hapans have come to Coruscant to give the terms they would insist upon in a joint effort. The only problem that arises is that Leia is expected to marry Isolder, the Queen Mother's son and heir.

From this point the book moves on to Han's kidnapping of Leia, their journey to the planet of Dathomir, their difficulties with the legendary Witches of Dathomir, and the discovery that Warlord Zsinj's ship Iron Fist is actually undergoing repairs in an orbital stardock above the planet. Fortunately, Luke Skywalker also shows up on Dathomir to help our heroes. The book ends well and has some great battle scenes.

However, Mr. Wolverton's problem lies in his depiction of Leia as a lovesick damsel who has suddenly decided to spurn the advances of her previous true love, Han Solo. Almost uniformly throughout the Star Wars saga Leia is an extremely strong and capable woman. Now all of a sudden she has reversed her feelings completely and has fallen for the Hapan prince. The whole sequence just falls flat. I didn't believe it for a minute.

On the other hand, the book has some great characters and scenes, especially the Nightsisters, i.e., the witches. They are memorable and would be a welcome addition to future books. Also, we learn a lot more about one of my favorites, the rancor. On the planet of Dathomir the rancors have flourished and developed a place of their own. There is a lot more to the rancors than simply serving as a killing machine for Jabba the Hutt.

Read the book and enjoy it. Just skip through the romance novel scenes of Leia trying to decide who she really loves.

Andrew's Review of The Courtship of Princess Leia

3/5 Rancors - Dave Wolverton's The Courtship of Princess Leia was one of the first books published by Bantam Spectra after the resounding success of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy in the early 1990's. As such, it has the exciting, adventurous, and sometimes plain wacky feeling that a lot of the early books had (especially before the advent of the prequel films and the onslaught of stories about Jedi, Sith, and clone troopers). It is an enjoyable romp of a story with some very puzzling characterizations.

The setting is four years after the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. Princess Leia and Han Solo have been involved over this period but are still not in a fully committed relationship. Han has spent the prior five months commanding a task force hunting Warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist: the tale of his search is ably documented by Aaron Allston in the fifth through seventh novels of the superb X-wing series. Leia has been attempting to kickstart diplomatic relations between the New Republic and the secretive Hapan Cluster, an alliance of sixty-three wealthy and powerful planets.

The plot of The Courtship of Princess Leia hinges on an unexpected marriage proposal from Hapan heir-to-the-throne Prince Isolder, son of the mighty Ta'a Chume. The manner in which Wolverton handles this storyline bothered me quite a bit. I can accept that Leia might consider a political marriage to serve the New Republic's interests. What I can't accept as readily is how quickly she buries her feelings for Han and starts swooning over Isolder. Sure, it could be "realistic" - relationships turn on a dime in real life all the time - but still, the romantic in me prefers envisioning a less turbulent Han/Leia relationship after the ending of Return of the Jedi.

Regardless, this storyline moves forward with Han kidnapping Leia to win her heart back and dragging her off to the obscure planet of Dathomir. Much to Han's surprise, Dathomir turns out to be Zsinj's base of operations and chaos ensues, with our heroes getting stuck on the planet and running afoul of Force-wielding witches called Nightsisters. Dathomir itself is a well-realized setting. Wolverton has many scenes that conjure evocative images, such as rancors playing in a river at dusk, windswept plains with a giant crashed starship, and the forbidding mountain fortress of Dathomirian Tenenial Djo and her people. His use of rancors throughout the book is a particular high point, fleshing out one of the most remarkable designs of the films into creatures with intelligence and culture of their own.

The book tends to veer into rather goofy humor at points. Notably, there is a storyline about Han supposedly being the "King of Corellia" which feels wildly out of place and falls flat. A place where the silliness did work is a short song C-3PO composes about Han; it's ridiculous but I can actually easily picture 3PO belting it out. I'll also concede that some modern Star Wars has become so grim and bleak that it is a refreshing change to at least have some things not be treated so seriously.

The seventh X-wing novel, Solo Command, ends with a solicitation to read this book to get the conclusion of the Han Solo/Warlord Zsinj story. While it's true that their battle does conclude here, don't read this book expecting much focus on that conflict. Zsinj is more like a cameo than a substantial character and the majority of the plot has little to do with him directly. I found this disappointing, but it's also a bit of an unfair critique, as this book was written before the X-wing series and wasn't meant to be a follow-up or grand conclusion.

Other nice touches in the story are the portrayal of Luke, who was much more in line with his film self than Han and Leia. There's a tiny glimpse of Yoda's history relating to the wrecked ship Chu'unthor. The Hapans are an intriguing culture and a cornerstone of the Expanded Universe stories to come. Isolder is not the one-dimensional character he first seems likely to be, and Teneniel makes a nice foil travelling with him and Luke on Dathomir.

The Courtship of Princess Leia is a fun and breezy read, introducing some key concepts to the larger Star Wars universe. While I'd quibble with the entire Han/Leia/Isolder setup, I'm happy with the resolution. Wolverton does a solid job of authoring a memorable Star Wars story in what is becoming an increasingly crowded universe.

David's Review of X-wing: Solo Command

4/5 Rancors - Solo Command is the seventh book in the X-wing series and the third one by Aaron Allston after four by Michael Stackpole. In Mr. Allston's books, we travel primarily with Wraith Squadron, a group of highly capable, but possibly not yet well trained, pilots put together by Wedge Antilles with the specific goal of finding and destroying Warlord Zsinj and his ship Iron Fist. The members of Wraith Squadron are a mixed band representing a multitude of different skills. Each one also appears to have been somewhat of a misfit along the way. Additional characters play major roles in this tale. Flight Officer Lara Notsil is a woman with a hidden background, varying loyalties along with a multitude of names and identities with appropriate backgrounds to match. Rogue Squadron also gets to help out in this book. It's good to have them back.

General Han Solo has been leading the efforts to find and deal with Warlord Zsinj. However, all efforts so far have failed to flush out Zsing in an attempt to win a final battle. So after hearing a joking suggestion from a pilot in Wraith Squadron, Solo agrees to the construction of a fake Millennium Falcon that will be flown on various missions. The hope is that Zsinj will be unable to resist a possible opportunity to capture his nemesis Han Solo. Along the way, we are also introduced to a nefarious plan of Zsinj's to biomedically transform various sentients into vessels who will perform specific attacks upon receipt of a codeword. A major battle takes place on Saffalore at a Binring Biomedical facility where Piggy of Wraith Squadron underwent a biological transformation.

The plot of this book wanders aimlessly a few times, but the conclusion and the various battles taking place during the wandering make up for it. Wraith Squadron is an interesting band of unusual pilots, and their adventures are well worth reading.

Andrew's Review of X-wing: Solo Command

4/5 Rancors - Solo Command is the seventh book in the excellent Star Wars: X-wing series and the third by author Aaron Allston. In this entry, Wraith Squadron continues to pursue Warlord Zsinj and his fearsome Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist. Helping the Wraiths out are their teammates in Rogue Squadron and several other fighter groups, all under the able command of General Han Solo. Han has been pursuing Zsinj fruitlessly for months on end, and he is anxious to end this battle and return to Coruscant and Princess Leia. However, every time he manages to engage Zsinj in battle Zsinj simply slips through his fingers.

In light of this, a new plan is developed. Evidence shows Zsinj has been tracking the activities of the Millennium Falcon closely and making plans based on its movements. The New Republic task force develops a copy of the Falcon, the cleverly named Millennium Falsehood. The Falsehood begins moving from system, seemingly to stir up pro-New Republic sentiments and local rebellions against the Imperial remnants, but in reality attempting to draw Zsinj out for a final confrontation.

As in the last two books, Allston's greatest strength is his characterizations. The pilots are easily differentiated and the reader quickly comes to care for them. Particularly moving in Solo Command is the relationship between former Imperial spy Lara Notsil and tormented pilot Myn Donos. Lara's relationship with her astromech Tonin and their plot involving the mouse droids on the Iron Fist are priceless. Allston also further deepens Piggy's story as we visit a Binring Biomedical facility on Saffalore where he was biologically altered, and we meet several other sentients in the book's climax who have undergone similar traumatic transformations.

Similarly to the sixth book, Iron Fist, I found the plot of this volume to be a bit disjointed and unfocused. Also comparable to every book in this series, the various disparate plot pieces eventually lead to a spectacular conclusion. Zsinj is forced to employ every tactic in his arsenal in an attempt to save the Iron Fist and retain his grip on power. I found Zsinj in these three X-wing books by Allston to be an entertaining break from the typical Star Wars villain. He comes across as weaker and really, nicer than what I'm accustomed to. I wouldn't rank him as one of the most engaging antagonists of the Expanded Universe but he does present a nice contrast to Grand Admiral Thrawn, Admiral Daala, Ysanne Isard, and others of their ilk.

I thoroughly enjoyed Solo Command. Allston's three entries in the series thus far feel more standalone than Stackpole's earlier four, and where that may mean the plots have less focus, it also gives Allston ample room to provide the reader with some very memorable characters to root for. There is plenty of humor scattered throughout this book and overall it is a highly entertaining read.

David's Review of X-wing: Iron Fist

4/5 Rancors - Iron Fist is the sixth book in the X-wing series and the second one by Aaron Allston after four by Michael Stackpole. In both of Mr. Allston's books, we follow the adventures of Wraith Squadron, a group of skilled pilots put together by Wedge Antilles basically to wreak havoc on Warlord Zsinj. The members of Wraith Squadron can certainly fly, but they are also competent commandos, snipers, spies, and infiltrators. The cast of characters has not changed dramatically from the previous book. They are an interesting mix of humans and aliens, and Antilles gives them a lot of freedom to innovate as they move from fight to fight.

In this book the members of Wraith Squadron changed tactics and posed as a pirate band in order to gain Zsinj's confidence and join his loose organization of raiders. In order to pull this off, they participate in several raids as pirates and manage to attract the attention of Warlord Zsinj. I found some of these raids to be confusing and kind of helter-skelter. However, Mr. Allston makes up for that with a huge battle at the end of the book. He also manages to leave plenty of room for the next book in the series.

Each of the books in the X-wing series includes a list of characters at the front of the book. The list also specifies species and home planets. This information is very handy and helps the reader to draw a mental picture of individuals, especially if you go to the trouble to read about the species in some of the Star Wars reference books such as The New Essential Guide to Alien Species. The characters are uniformly interesting even though some of their exploits are completely over the top. That really shouldn't bother most readers. If you are worried about things being over the top, you wouldn't be a Star Wars fan anyway.

The next book, X-wing: Solo Command, will continue the adventures of Wraith Squadron, and I look forward to it.

Andrew's Review of X-wing: Iron Fist

4/5 Rancors - The adventures of Wraith Squadron continue in Iron Fist, book six in the X-wing series and Aaron Allston's second contribution. The Wraiths have successfully completed their first covert mission, although there were losses along the way. One of the elements that keeps these books engaging is that characters are actually killed once in a while, giving them an element of danger sometimes lacking in the books following the main film characters. To replace Wraith's losses, they pick up Dia Passik, a Twi'lek and former slave dancer, Shalla Nelprin, a martial arts expert, and Castin Donn, a computer hacker who has issues with non-human species.

As the story begins, the Wraiths are brainstorming in an attempt to discern Zsinj's overall plan. Several entertaining team sequences lead to the conclusion that the key to Zsinj is his Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist. But how to draw him out? They develop a plan to pose as pirates in the hopes of gaining Zsinj's attention and eventually taking a shot at him. The first mission involves stealing equipment including TIE Interceptors for the pirate charade they've planned. From there the missions involve staged pirate assaults on various shipping and planetary concerns aligned with Zsinj.

The Wraiths' fake pirate band is named the Hawk-bats and skilled actor Garik "Face" Loran poses as their leader, General Kargin. The Wraiths walk a delicate line between pretending to be pirates and not actually inflicting harm on innocent civilians. It's an intriguing tactic and it feels more like a strategy of the Rebellion rather than the legitimate government of the New Republic. However, it's part and parcel of the infiltration tactics Wedge established as a cornerstone of Wraith Squadron. In the end this pretend-pirate strategy does not force the team into any significant moral dilemmas with one exception that takes place in a memorable dinner sequence with Warlord Zsinj himself on the Iron Fist.

A small concern I had with the fifth book, Wraith Squadron, was somewhat magnified in Iron Fist. Allston's plots feel a shade unfocused, as the team seems to drift from mission to mission. I believe this may a deliberate tactic by Allston to capture the feel of being sent on missions that don't always have clearly explained objectives; it also plays into the chaotic vibe of the Wraiths as a group as they try to figure out who they are and what they can do stop an elusive enemy. However, for the reader it can come across as disjointed, and occasionally in the middle of a chapter I had to back up a bit to remind myself exactly what planet and what mission they were currently on.

Rich characterizations continue to be Allston's strength in this volume. The arc of Lara Notsil, a former Imperial agent now aligned with the Wraiths and struggling to find her true identity, is compelling. Castin Donn's arrogance coupled with his keen computer skills lead him to an unnecessary end but also to a key aspect of the final plan to take on Zsinj. Face and Ton Phanan have a moving sequence together mid-book and almost every character in this large cast gets an opportunity to shine.

The climactic battle is fantastic as I've come to expect from the prior books in the series. Zsinj is not content with just one Super Star Destroyer, and he makes a play for a second being built at the Kuat Drive Yards in a move which places various members of the Wraiths and Rogues on both sides of the battle (although all working for a common purpose, of course). Great action, high stakes, and as usual not all the pilots come through unscathed.

Iron Fist is a worthy continuation of the X-wing saga. Allston is one of the most amusing writers in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and more jokes hit than miss. His characterizations are a strong point and aid in overcoming any lack of focus in the plot.

David's Review of X-wing: Wraith Squadron

5/5 Rancors - Wraith Squadron is the fifth book in the X-wing series but the first one by Aaron Allston after four by Michael Stackpole. As is fitting for a new author, we also have a new squadron and a mostly new cast of characters. Not to worry - the book continues the excellent series of adventures that we have followed so far in the X-wing series. The flying is great, the plans are outrageously inventive, and the pilots capture your attention.

The basic idea in this tale is that Wedge Antilles creates a covert-action unit of X-wing fighters with the majority of its pilots being castoffs from other places. Wedge is looking for people who have skills other than being excellent pilots. Computer wizards, actors, spies, snipers - all have skills that can be used in military actions outside of the X-wings. Wedge selects his candidates for Wraith Squadron and launches into their training. Unfortunately, the training is cut short by an attack on their base and the pilots need to prove their worth in a hurry. As part of their initial action they succeed in capturing an Imperial warship and then plan to impersonate the crew while intensifying efforts to capture former Imperial Admiral Trigit, the man who led the attack on their training base. If they can accomplish the removal of Trigit, their way may be cleared to help with efforts to find and defeat Warlord Zsinj.

Wraith Squadron is not a one-book deal. We will be able to follow the adventures of the Wraiths in future books, and I look forward to it. Mr. Allston has done an excellent job.

Andrew's Review of X-wing: Wraith Squadron

5/5 Rancors - For the fifth book of the Star Wars: X-wing series, Wraith Squadron, Aaron Allston takes over writing duties from Michael Stackpole. Happily, the handoff is extremely smooth and Allston brings some new perspectives and strengths to the table. This series continues to be a very solid concept, bringing a welcome change from the many books focused on the main film characters and illuminating a side of the conflict sometimes overlooked in today's focus on Jedi, Sith, and clone troopers.

Allston's first job is to introduce us to the titular group of fighter pilots. Wedge Antilles believes based on his many experiences with Rogue Squadron that a new team with a different focus is needed. Rogue are pilots first and commandos second; this new squadron will be the other way around, with the highest level of competency in ground-based missions supplanted by keen piloting experience. Allston does a superb job of quickly fleshing out over a dozen new characters, employing an entertaining interview sequence followed by training missions and various short scenes of exposition to get the reader comfortable with so many new additions at once. Within a hundred pages, I was easily able to differentiate the pilots and had already started picking my favorites, no mean feat in a book of this nature.

Several pilots are of particular note. Wedge heads up the squadron with the help of his old squad mate Wes Janson, and they provide a necessary connection back to the earlier stories and the Rogue Squadron comics. Myn Donos, fresh from seeing his entire Talon Squadron wiped out around him in a mission gone awry, brings heaps of survivor's guilt and angst to his new job. Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh, who is depicted essentially as an bipedal horse, must grapple with his multiple personalities, making for some very entertaining dialogue. Garik "Face" Loran, a former child star of Imperial propaganda, and Ton Phanan, a cynical cyborg with medical skills, offer some great comical interludes between missions. Finally, Voort "Piggy" saBinring is a genetically altered Gamorrean with superlative mental abilities - my favorite character of the bunch.

The plot of the book can be readily broken into two segments: the setting up of the squadron and the move to Folor Base for training, and then the missions that come after the surprise assault on Folor by Admiral Apwar Trigit. Trigit works for Admiral Zsinj, the warlord that has been lurking in the shadows of the prior few books. With Ysanne Isard out of the way, it's time for Zsinj to assume the spotlight. I had some trouble envisioning Zsinj as depicted to be truly threatening, but his character does make an interesting break from the stereotypical Star Wars villain.

In an early mission, the Wraiths manage to capture a Corellian Corvette employed by Zsinj, the Night Caller. This capture drives the remainder of the plot, as the Wraiths pose as Imperials and take the Night Caller on through her schedule of stops. The hints of a larger plot by Zsinj begin to unfold, although they are not woven together in this particular volume. The Night Caller storyline is a great one, and it allows Allston to tie together a variety of ground and space-based missions that otherwise might feel somewhat disjointed.

Wraith Squadron receives highest marks for its outstanding characterizations and deftly-handled humor. There were more moments that made me chuckle aloud in this book than any other Star Wars book I've read recently. Allston takes the baton from Stackpole with no glitches and introduces enough new twists to keep this book from feeling like a copy of the first four.

David's Review of X-wing: The Bacta War

5/5 Rancors - The Bacta War is the fourth book in the X-wing series. Mr. Stackpole has done an admirable job with the first three, and he continues to do so with this one. All of these books are great fun to read. The characters grab your attention, and the action sequences are outstanding. The reader also should be entitled to credit for continuing education in the Star Wars realm because the mechanics of actually flying an X-wing fighter are described in some detail. Read these books and then watch the films again. See if you don't have a finer appreciation for what the pilots are doing and a better understanding of the challenges they face.

In this fourth episode the Alliance Fleet has mounted a major campaign against a deadly warlord. Our old friend Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence and wanna-be leader of the Empire, is still on the scene as she has moved to Thyferra with the intention of controlling the galaxy's production of bacta. If successful, she could destabilize and destroy the New Republic. Of course it falls to our heroes in Rogue Squadron to take her down even though they have resigned their positions in the Rebel Fleet and must act as a rag-tag band of stalwart adventurers without official assistance from the Alliance.

Andrew's Review of X-wing: The Bacta War

4/5 Rancors - The Bacta War by Michael Stackpole is the fourth book in the X-wing series and it brings the first major story arc to its conclusion. The stage set at the climax of the third book, The Krytos Trap, has Ysanne Isard escaping Coruscant and taking over the government of Thyferra, the primary producer of bacta in the galaxy. With the Krytos virus running rampant through the New Republic's alien populations, it is critical that access to Thyferra's bacta is restored and it is distributed as fairly as possible.

Unfortunately, since Isard is the legitimate head of the Thyferran government, the New Republic cannot overthrow her directly. In light of this, Wedge and the Rogues resign and take matters into their own hands, acquiring a new squadron of X-wings and making weapons deals with Huff Darklighter and Talon Karrde along the way. The task before the Rogues is to find a way using their limited resources to topple Isard from power and bring Thyferra back into the New Republic.

As always, Stackpole does an excellent job of managing a large cast of characters. Corran Horn continues as the primary focus of the story. Corran is grappling with revelations concerning his Jedi heritage and is unsure of how his potential ability with the Force jives with his service to the military. In this book Stackpole does a good job of not overly deifying Corran; he is confident of his pilot abilities but he is humanized by his fledgling explorations into the Force and his burgeoning relationship with Mirax Terrik. The introduction of Mirax's father Booster into the storyline is an immediately welcome addition.

Isard and her partners-in-crime Fliry Vorru and the traitorous pilot Erisi Dlarit spend many of their chapters plotting in Isard's office. Some of their dialogue is a bit too much in the mustache-twirling, stereotypically evil villain vein, but that was the case in parts of the prior books as well. The shifting alliances and power struggles in their group are engaging as they try to consolidate their power and take on the indomitable Rogues.

The methods Rogue Squadron use to take on Isard and her followers are quite cleverly written and thought out. Since the New Republic cannot officially back the effort, Wedge takes on the comfortable role he always had in the Rebellion, leading a small, scrappy group against seemingly insurmountable odds. The varied minor actions the Rogues take throughout the book build to a gripping climatic sequence starting at the Yag'Dhul space station they have been using as a base of operations and ending, of course, at Thyferra where Isard has made her lair.

Kudos to Stackpole for such a satisfying four-book storyline. He introduces a host of characters and plot points and does an admirable job of differentiating them enough to be easily memorable and of bringing them to solid conclusions at the end. Being free of the chains of using the primary Star Wars film characters has really paid off in this series, and the sense of danger is much higher when characters may actually die (and do). These four books are highly recommended.

David's Review of X-wing: The Krytos Trap

5/5 Rancors - X-wing: The Krytos Trap by Michael Stackpole is the third book in the X-wing series, and it continues Mr. Stackpole's success in weaving a fascinating tale about the stalwart members of Rogue Squadron. In the previous book (Wedge's Gamble) the Rebel Alliance captured Coruscant thanks to the efforts of the Rogues in bringing down the planet's shields and allowing the Rebel fleet to move in and attack. In this book the Rebels are quick to learn that their problems are not over. A killer virus called Krytos is wiping out the indigenous population in accordance with the plans of the vanished Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence. Chaos is rapidly taking over on Coruscant.

At the same time, Rebel hero Tycho Celchu is on trial for treason and for the supposed death of Corran Horn. Celchu's trial is an indispensable part of the story, but Corran Horn's imprisonment by Isard in the hidden fortress of Lusankya is the really gripping tale in this book. His efforts to escape from a place that is supposed to be impregnable will keep you turning the pages.

Towards the end of the book we are treated to one of the most amazing images of the entire Star Wars saga. It involves Lusankya, Isanne Isard, and the planet of Coruscant. I will say no more about it, but you must read the book to see what I'm talking about. Don't miss it.

Andrew's Review of X-wing: The Krytos Trap

4/5 Rancors - Michael Stackpole's The Krytos Trap, the third volume in the X-wing saga, picks up almost immediately after the galaxy-shaking events of Wedge's Gamble. The tone is entirely consistent with the other books and once again we have dynamic space combat blended with political intrigue and relationship building among the stalwart members of Rogue Squadron. The primary plotlines of this volume focus on the capture of Corran Horn by the Empire, the efforts of his squad mates to procure bacta for the unfortunate victims of the Krytos virus, the trial of Tycho Celchu for treason, and the terrorist acts sponsored by Corran's old nemesis Kirtan Loor.

Corran disappeared in the battle to take Coruscant at the end of Wedge's Gamble. The New Republic believes he is dead, but he has actually been taken by the Empire to the infamous hidden prison facility Lusankya. Lusankya is notorious for turning prisoners into sleeper agents and releasing them, converting them into walking time-bombs. Tycho's past imprisonment here meant the New Republic leaders never fully trusted him, and in this volume it's that history that is the catalyst for pinning the blame for Corran's "death" on Tycho (hence the treason trial). Ysanne Isard has also relocated to Lusankya after the taking of Coruscant and is directly involved in the attempts to turn Corran into a new sleeper.

I found the over-dramatization of Corran's death to be a bit tiresome. Rogue Squadron loses pilots on a frequent basis, and death is a constant companion for these elite warriors. Why would Wedge and his pilots be so overly focused on Corran's death out of all the people they've lost? I understand that the real reason is Corran is the focal character of these novels, but the lingering over solemn statements and tears for him lessened the impact of other pilots who have been killed in the squadron's history. I'm OK with the idea that the New Republic might make Corran's death a rallying point in the post-Coruscant aftermath, but I don't think his perceived death should have had such a disproportionate impact on Rogue Squadron.

The Krytos virus continues to be a compelling and nasty plot device. The affected alien populations are basically melting into piles of goo when they contract the disease (over several horribly painful days) and the New Republic is strapped for bacta to cure it. The government needs to fix the problem to help legitimize themselves and win the hearts of the population, so to that end Rogue Squadron is set on the track of getting more bacta or finding the right people to develop an alternate cure. They make some progress in this book, but the storyline looks like it will be wrapped in the next book, The Bacta War.

Stackpole's portrayal of the post-takeover Coruscant is well-executed. There is a lot of fear generated by the spread of the Krytos virus, and abetting that fear are the efforts of Kirtan Loor and his organization of Imperials gone underground as terrorists. Admiral Ackbar, Princess Leia, Borsk Fey'lya, and the other government leaders are struggling valiantly to keep the New Republic afloat, and so the trial of Tycho Celchu for treason essentially makes him into a scapegoat for the government's ills. Twi'lek Rogue Squadron pilot Nawara Ven has a great role as Tycho's counsel, and I found the trial more compelling reading than the activities of Wedge and his people in this volume.

Generally this volume reminded me somewhat of the first book, Rogue Squadron, in that there is a lot of setup for events yet to come. Corran's story takes an exciting turn near the end as his heritage is revealed and the final scenes involving Lusankya are absolutely stunning. Warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist continue to be a distant third-party menace as the New Republic and the remnants of the Empire wait for him to make his move for power. The Krytos Trap was an entertaining read, leaving me ready to roll directly into the fourth volume and presumably the resolution of the Krytos situation.

David's Review of X-wing: Wedge's Gamble

5/5 Rancors - X-wing: Wedge's Gamble by Michael Stackpole is the second book in the X-wing series that got off to such a rousing start with Rogue Squadron. In this book the Rebels are continuing with their campaign to capture Coruscant, the heart of the Empire. We are about three years after the Battle of Endor, and Wedge Antilles and his band of X-wing pilots are selected to infiltrate Coruscant to obtain vital intelligence information. Capture would mean death or enslavement by Ysanne Isard ("Iceheart"), the Director of Imperial Intelligence by job title but actually the de facto Emperor. The odds for success are heavily stacked against Rogue Squadron as they are not flying the X-wings in battle but are clearly outside their comfort zones skulking through the intrigues of Coruscant in disguise. However, as Corran Horn would say - "Never tell me the odds." Also, to add to their challenges, one of Rogue Squadron's members is a slave to Iceheart and a traitor to the squadron.

To further complicate matters, Rogue Squadron earlier had been sent to the spice mines of Kessel to arrange for the freedom of sixteen of the galaxy's worst criminals. These freed criminals were then let loose on Coruscant with hopes that they would foster chaos. This turns out later on to have been a shaky decision. Rogue Squadron spends the majority of the book setting up and carrying out an extremely complicated plan to knock out Coruscant's shields and allow an armada led by Admiral Ackbar to attack the planet.

Wedge's Gamble is an excellent follow-up to the first book. The by-play among the squadron members is great fun; the action scenes are extremely well done: and Mr. Stackpole leaves you at the end of the book wondering what has happened to Corran Horn and ready to move straight on in to the third book in the series. Don't miss this one.

Andrew's Review of X-wing: Wedge's Gamble

5/5 Rancors - Picking up one month after the Rebels take the planet of Borleias, Wedge's Gamble not only successfully follows the first volume Rogue Squadron as a worthy sequel but manages to significantly ratchet up the stakes and the excitement. The Rebels defeated the Emperor and the second Death Star II at the Battle of Endor, but however critical this victory may have been, it did not assure the Rebels a place as a legitimate galactic government. In the two and a half years since Endor, the Rebel leadership has toured the galaxy, winning hearts and minds, but they will never be able to assert real control without owning the heart of the galaxy: it is time for the Rebellion to take Coruscant.

The primary conceit of this plotline is somewhat curious: Rogue Squadron, the most elite group of fighter pilots in the Rebellion, is tasked with what is essentially a reconnaissance and espionage mission. The Rebel leaders, notably including Admiral Ackbar, Princess Leia, Mon Mothma, and the shifty Bothan Borsk Fey'lya, disagree frequently on strategy but are in alignment over the need to invade Coruscant. Wedge and his Rogues are split into cells (unaware of each other) and go in to see what they can learn and to take any action they can to undermine the Imperial government led by Ysanne Isard. I found the set up of the mission fascinating, and Fey'lya, first introduced by Timothy Zahn in the Thrawn Trilogy, brings a wonderful uncertainty to the proceedings. He's essentially a good guy, but his methods and vision along with his untamable ambition make him hard to trust and like.

Speaking of trust, Tycho Celchu, a pilot introduced in the first book, assumes a more important role in this sequel. Tycho was a valued member of the Rebellion until his imprisonment at Lusankya, an infamous Imperial facility noted for producing sleeper agents. After his release, the Rebel leaders have been unable to extend much trust to him, as they fear he may betray them despite his affirmations that he will not. The truth behind Tycho's character is building into a compelling central plotline of the series (and is not resolved in Wedge's Gamble).

Agent Loor continues in his antagonist role, trying to do Isard's bidding while staying alive himself. Stackpole focused heavily on the conflict between Loor and Corran Horn (well, the books focus heavily on Corran overall, really), which brings a degree of personalization to a battle that involves planets and governments warring on a galactic scale. Stackpole also does a nice job of weaving in Warlord Zsinj as a somewhat distant but still impossible-to-ignore third party in the conflict. Zsinj is interested in what benefits Zsinj, and the Rebels and Imperials are both forced to keep an eye on his activities while slugging it out.

Isard's strategy for defeating the Rebels is intricately woven and will likely surprise readers with the twists it takes. A key component is the Krytos virus, a horrific Empire-designed superbug that only afflicts non-humans and that brings further tension and moral complexity to the battle for Coruscant. The end battle itself is absolutely spectacular. One of the best compliments I can pay the Expanded Universe novels is to say a scene reads like the movies, and it is extremely easy to visualize this climax as a film. The last page of Chapter 43 (p. 332 in my edition) has a scene depicted in a single sentence that brought home to me the end of the Dark Times and the Empire and the hope of the New Republic in a way that nothing else except for the explosion of the second Death Star and the defeat of the Emperor in Return of the Jedi did. Major kudos to Stackpole.

I thoroughly enjoyed Wedge's Gamble. It took all the promise of the first volume and delivered upon it in an absolutely satisfying way. I had a few minor quibbles, such as the bizarre ability of Rogue Squadron to bump into each other on a planet with a population numbering in the trillions, but I'm not going to detail them all here. This is a great book and a page-turner that I wholeheartedly recommend.

David's Review of X-wing: Rogue Squadron

5/5 Rancors - X-wing: Rogue Squadron by Michael Stackpole is an outstanding first book in the series about the Rogue Squadron. Rebel hero Wedge Antilles has been given the task of rebuilding the legendary Rogue Squadron - a team of pilots charged with using their X-wings in the most difficult assignments that the Rebel Alliance has to face. Rogue Squadron exemplifies heroism to the Rebel side and fear to the Imperial side. This first book kicks off the series in a rousing fashion. The time period is two and a half years after the Battle of Endor. Isolated, but still powerful remnants of the Empire are scattered throughout space. These pockets of evil must be dealt with before they can act to overthrow the Rebel Alliance.

Wedge Antilles faces a huge task in reestablishing the Rogue squadron. The original squad of pilots defeated the Death Star, and the new pilots will face challenges equally as daunting. Wedge first has to mold a band of young, rowdy, undisciplined pilots into a well-oiled fighting machine. How this is accomplished is the primary basis for this first book in the series.

Rebel Alliance leadership has determined that the most effective approach to destroying the Empire once and for all is to capture the planet of Coruscant, the ultimate symbol of government power and authority. Instead of just launching a massive, all-out attack on the planet, the plans developed involve a stepping-stone approach of capturing a string of planets ever closer to Coruscant. Wedge Antilles is brought back from a propaganda tour and restored to active duty to form the new Rogue Squadron and lead the campaign against Coruscant.

The bulk of this first book is devoted to the formation of the squadron and the training of the pilots through simulators and actual flying time. The reader develops a whole new appreciation for the skills and the psychological makeup needed to be a successful X-wing pilot, i.e., to remain alive against overwhelming odds. Wedge is charged with training an unusual assortment of characters from different species with differing backgrounds and unique personalities. That he succeeds in getting the job done is impressive, and his methods are very interesting to read about. The action scenes in the book are outstanding, a touch of humor moves the tale along, and you find yourself pulling for the characters - Wedge Antilles (human male from Corellia), Tycho Celchu (human male from Alderaan), Corran Horn (human male from Corellia), Mirax Terrik (human female from Corellia), and a number of others. On the opposite side, the bad guys are exemplified by Ysanne Isard (Director of Imperial Intelligence) and Kirtan Loor (Imperial Intelligence Agent).

X-wing: Rogue Squadron is a great beginning to a series that promises to bring hours of reading pleasure to the Star Wars aficionados. Highly recommended.

Andrew's Review of X-wing: Rogue Squadron

4/5 Rancors - Michael Stackpole's first book in the X-wing series, Rogue Squadron, was an exciting breath of fresh air when it was published in 1996. Bantam Spectra had offered a variety of novels focusing on the main characters from the Original Trilogy, but Rogue Squadron brought us an almost completely new group to follow. The story begins as Wedge Antilles, the only survivor of both Death Star runs (Luke was preoccupied with his father and the Emperor during the attack on the Death Star II in Return of the Jedi), is reassembling Rogue Squadron two-and-a-half years after the Battle of Endor.

Wedge has been touring around the New Republic as a political figurehead, helping convince worlds uncertain of their allegiance to join the new government founded by the Rebellion. The fledging diplomatic corps is anxious to assemble a Rogue Squadron that has broad representation among various key constituent worlds, meaning Wedge can't quite assemble the exact team he would desire. Squadmates Hobbie and Janson from the Battle of Hoth are off training squadrons of new recruits, so Rogue Squadron's new roster is comprised entirely of non-film characters.

The array of new characters gives Stackpole a superb opportunity to add significantly to the Expanded Universe and he seizes it. His focal point is Corran Horn, a Corellian and ex-member of Corsec who has been on the run from the Empire for a couple of years. Corran is a superb pilot and also possesses keen investigative skills from his years in Corsec, hunting down smugglers, spice dealers, and folks on the wrong side of the law, including members of the Rebellion. There are places in the book where I felt Stackpole verged on focusing on Corran to the exclusion of other intriguing characters; however, I understand the need to maintain a steady focal point. The cast is quite large and Corran gives him more room to develop a character than if the novel was focused on Wedge, for example.

Naturally, a series named X-wing would be expected to contain liberal amounts of starfighter action and Rogue Squadron does not disappoint in this regard. Whenever there's a gap between space battles, Stackpole throws in an occasional chapter with the pilots in simulators, so anyone who enjoys visualizing X-wings going head-to-head with TIE fighters will be more than satisfied. I admit, there were places where I glazed over a bit on the details mid-combat, but I found that when I slowed down and paid close attention, Stackpole did an excellent job of depicting complex battles in down-to-earth language.

The Empire has been existing in a state of disarray since the Emperor's death at Endor, but there is still a nominal government holding together substantial pieces of it. The government is led by Ysanne Isard, a devious Imperial Intelligence officer who has clawed her way to the top by a path which included betraying her own father, the prior head of the Intelligence division. The rise of Ysanne Isard is one of several stories told in the Rogue Squadron comic books series published by Dark Horse. Stackpole took a writer's role in the comic series, making it an excellent prequel to this novel and something I highly recommend reading.

Assisting the Empire in its efforts is Intelligence agent Kirtan Loor, a survivor in the truest sense of the word. Kirtan and Corran have history dating back to Corsec days, when Kirtan was the assigned Imperial officer for Corran's division. There is no love lost between the two and their antagonism adds an intriguing personal touch to the Imperial/Rebel conflict throughout this book. Loor is scheming and ambitious, but it remains to be seen if he has the backbone to carry out the more unpleasant aspects of his job.

This first volume's purpose is largely to introduce the large cast of characters and lay groundwork for a bigger storyline, which is how the Rebellion managed to take over Coruscant and legitimize themselves as the galaxy's government. Stackpole succeeds in creating a new cast of interesting characters without relying on the films much or on the archetypal Jedi/Sith conflicts. Rogue Squadron is a great kickoff to the X-wing series.

David's Review of The Truce at Bakura

4/5 Rancors - The Truce at Bakura picks up with the Star Wars saga just after Return of the Jedi. After reading the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy and various collections of tales in the preceding books from the Expanded Universe, a return to our familiar heroes is welcome indeed for me. In this book we are back with Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, R2, and Threepio as they head to the far-flung Imperial outpost of Bakura in response to an Imperial drone ship that carried a message to the late Emperor Palpatine. The message stated that Bakura was under attack by an alien force and needed help urgently. The leadership of the Rebel Alliance decided that Luke should lead a relatively small fleet of ships to Bakura to see what help could be provided. Leia is responsible for trying to forge an alliance with the Bakurans despite the control there of an Imperial Governor named Wilek Nereus.

The attack on Bakura was by the Ssi-ruuk, a species of warm-blooded saurians who were engaged in a campaign of conquest. Their fearsome technology called entechment could transfer the life-energy of a human prisoner into the circuits of a battle droid. Their goal was to entech the population of Bakura to give them enough mechanical warriors to pose a threat to the entire galaxy.

The Alliance fleet arrives in Bakuran in the middle of a Ssi-ruuk attack and provides valuable assistance to the Imperials to win the day. The Ssi-ruuk fleets backs away but does not leave. From that point the story moves to diplomatic maneuvers by Leia to obtain Bakuran support for the Alliance. Her efforts are offset by the devious maneuvering by Governor Nereus who clearly cannot be trusted.

The Ssi-ruuks have a young human boy named Dev Sibwarra in the fleet. Dev has been brainwashed to the point where he willingly helps his alien masters with their entechment process. Dev also has some Force presence, and he senses the presence in the opposing fleet of Luke Skywalker. The Ssi-ruuk then adjust their plans to focus on capturing Luke with the idea of enteching his Force skills and creating an even more powerful force of battle droids. Governor Nereus agrees to give Skywalker to the aliens while at the same time placing a lethal parasite in Luke's food. Things look bad for a while, but in the end our heroes come through in a battle with many ups and downs.

The tale also has a number of interesting side stories which occur along the way. Leia has a visit from the spirit of her father Anakin Skywalker, and she does not welcome him with love. Luke becomes extremely interested in Gariel Captison, the niece of the Bakuran Prime Minister. She returns the interest, but in the end duty pulls them in opposite directions. However, we do get to understand Luke's feelings of loneliness and his wondering of where he might end up in the future. Wife? Family? Kids? The farm boy from Tatooine is growing up. We also get a great scene late in the book where Threepio, wearing a stormtrooper suit, tries to get back on the Millennium Falcon and is not warmly welcomed by Chewie.

Ms Tyers has written an extremely entertaining book covering a very important period in the Star Wars saga. Well worth reading.

Andrew's Review of The Truce at Bakura

3/5 Rancors - There are no vacation days for the heroes of the Rebellion. Finally, the Emperor's reign of terror has been ended, the Empire is in disarray, and the Rebellion is suddenly in a position to start laying the groundwork of a new galactic government. Unfortunately, mere hours after these tumultuous events a distress call from the remote system of Bakura arrives at Endor and it's back in the proverbial saddle for Luke Skywalker and his buddies. The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers tells the story of an alien invasion of the Bakura system, a place "protected" by the Empire but in desperate need of aid. The Rebels must find a way to help the Bakurans while maintaining an uneasy alliance with Imperial Governor Wilek Nereus and his forces.

The alien invaders are an extra-galactic reptilian species named the Ssi-ruuk. Total enslavement of all other life is the Ssi-ruuk reason for their assault on Bakura and other systems. The most unusual aspect of these creatures is the method they use to power their fleet. It is called entechment and involves draining living beings of life to power the vessels and droid fighter with their energy, essentially like transferring their soul to a mechanical device. It is a grotesque concept and certainly serves to underscore the pure unadulterated evil that Tyers' Ssi-ruuk characters represent.

Dev Sibwarra is a Force-sensitive human slave aboard the Ssi-ruuk vessel Shriwirr. Dev is able to soothe prisoners with his Force powers while they are enteched, making for a more efficient process. Spurred by their knowledge of Dev's special abilities, the Ssi-ruuk hope to find a more powerful Force user, one who will be able to facilitate mass-scale entechment of entire worlds. Inexorably their paths and that of Luke Skywalker intersect and Luke becomes the keystone of the Ssi-ruuk scheme for complete galactic domination.

On Bakura, an unbalanced system of government exists where the Imperial Governor holds the real power but the Bakurans are allowed nominal control under his oversight. This system seems to be what the Emperor has envisioned when it is mentioned in A New Hope that the Senate has been totally dissolved and regional governors will hold direct control over their populations. On Bakura, it required a nasty purge to establish Imperial power but things have been relatively peaceful since. Initially the Rebels have difficulty establishing trust with the native leaders, but as the severity of the Ssi-ruuk threat makes itself clear, rapid progress is made toward a new alliance.

One Bakuran Senator is particularly interesting to Luke. Her name is Gaerial Captison and her intelligence and beauty captivate him from the moment they meet. Through the book they develop a strong affinity for one another, but both are at a point in their lives where their careers are going to destroy any serious chance for a relationship. In the novels, Gaerial is Luke's first love interest (well, excepting Leia), although other sources indicate there were women before Gaeri. I found this plotline to be a good attempt at developing Luke further but there were no real sparks between the two.

Plans are forming in Luke's head to find other Force-sensitive individuals in the galaxy and take them under his wing for protection and training. He does everything within his power to bring Dev to his side and help eradicate the damage the years of Ssi-ruuk abuse have done to the boy. This development in Luke's character feels quite natural and a logical extension of his unshakeable belief that there is good in everyone, including his father, Darth Vader.

Tyers does a great job of conveying the after-effects of Luke's electrocution via Force lightning on the second Death Star. His exhaustion and hindered abilities drive home the feel of this story taking place right after Return of the Jedi. I also enjoyed the exploration of Leia's emotions towards her newly-revealed father. While Luke has had time to digest his troubled heritage, Leia has just had the news dumped on her at Endor and is quite understandably extremely resentful.

The other main characters assume fairly typical roles in this story. Chewbacca and Han run around Bakura stirring up trouble and doing some great flying, the droids help out to the best of their ability, and supporting favorites such as Wedge Antilles, Mon Mothma, and Admiral Ackbar make appearances.

The strongest aspects of The Truce at Bakura are the insights into the long road ahead of the Rebellion in building a new government and in dealing with the substantial remnants of the Empire. The Ssi-ruuk themselves are memorable but fit uneasily with the larger Star Wars universe. Entechment feels more like a hard sci-fi than a Star Wars plot device, and the Ssi-ruuk's complete lack of redeeming characteristics make them into one-sided villains. Their unpleasant role as shallow antagonists counterweights the intriguing Imperial/Rebel dynamics to make a solid if not extremely memorable novel.