David's Review of Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor

4/5 Rancors - Shadows of Mindor is set in the period after the battle of Endor. Palpatine and Vader are dead, and the New Republic is in charge. However, not everyone agrees that this is the way things should be. Serious bad guys still exist, and Luke Skywalker and his friends are called upon once again to set things right in the galaxy. This time they face a legion of black-armored stormtroopers who are led by Warlord Shadowspawn and who operate from an extremely unusual position on the planet Mindor. To further complicate matters, the Sith appear to be involved as well. Fortunately, Luke has help from Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, R2-D2, and C-3P0 in this mission. Needless to say, having all of these folks back in action is great fun for the reader.

Luke is the reigning hero in the galaxy, but he is still very young and does not have a clear understanding of his role in reestablishing the Jedi, much less a clear understanding of the Force itself. He is now General Skywalker and not at all sure that he should be. Luke’s struggles in trying to find his way and win victories for the Republic while minimizing loss of life make for extremely interesting reading.

Mr. Stover is a highly respected author in the Star Wars world. He was responsible for the novelization of Revenge of the Sith as well as the novel Shatterpoint. Both were excellent. For the most part, he does not disappoint in Shadows of Mindor. He does a great job of portraying the characters. Luke is in doubt much of the time, but you would always want to have him on your side. Han is presented as he was in the films – easily bored, extremely loyal, highly effective in pressure situations, and one of the best pilots anywhere. You also have an opportunity to hear Han’s true opinion of Mandalorians. Very funny, especially if you have read the Rebel Commando series by Karen Traviss. Chewie remains Han’s loyal companion and continues to prove his worth in tight scrapes time after time. Leia remains a remarkable woman - handy in a fight and a true leader. The relationship between Han and Leia is shown as I always thought it should be – loving, respectful, and humorous.

Our favorite droids also play key roles in this tale. C-3P0 does his usual thing and unwittingly provides comic relief on several occasions. R2 is probably the most useful droid ever. You have to love him. Mr. Stover gives him a remarkable scene near the end of the book where he ejects from the Millennium Falcon through the garbage chute to land on an asteroid in an attempt to save Luke from impending doom. In the midst of this, R2 has time to philosophize about his likely final shutdown and his realization that C-3P0 is his true friend. Truly a beautiful scene.

The book is extremely well done. I only had two reservations. The first is that I felt Mr. Stover had a little too much fascination with the technical side of Star Wars a few times. I think some description of ships, weapons, and technology is extremely useful to the reader, but it is possible to go overboard. My second reservation is harder to pin down without giving away some key plot points. Let me just say that I found the concepts of Shadowspan and the meltmassif substance to be difficult to grasp clearly. I believe the story could have been just as effective with Shadowspawn and his evil machinations presented in a different way.

Basically, I am quibbling here. I enjoyed the book very much and I believe any Star Wars fan would have a great time reading Shadows of Mindor.