Princess Leia is on her way to a conference vital to the Rebellion's efforts, accompanied by Luke Skywalker (and, of course, two particular droids). But then a technical malfunction strands them on Mimban - a supposedly uninhabited world on which the Empire has set up an energy mine. Luke and Leia are soon on the hunt for the Kaiburr crystal. Too bad Darth Vader might also want it!

The first ever Legends novel! Published long before Legends was even known as the Expanded Universe. Obviously, there are some inconsistencies with canon (particularly with characterisations and oh God the inkling of incest) but this is a serviceable 1970s sci-fi novel. Foster wrote a story that was typical of the day and doesn't stand out among its peers - that's not to say that it's not entertaining because it is. Unintentionally entertaining, at times; Darth Vader disappears like a Saturday cartoon villain and that was kind of funny.

There are some issues directly due to the book's age. Sexism, of course, though it's the standard stuff from that era. But then there's the racism. I cringed when the indigenous inhabitants of Mimban were depicted as alcoholics. There's a loaded history in that stereotype. And a word that's a slur in my country also made an appearance. I suppose if one was generous, they could argue it's a clumsy attempt to depict the Empire as villainous colonialists.

But I digress... this is an average tale. It's dated. It's limited by the fact that Foster was told to write a sequel that would be cheap to film, in case things went terribly wrong at the box office (spoiler alert: things went very right). But it does the job - and it contains a pulpy spirit that would've made the Flannelled One happy.