Expanded Universe Round-Up #27

Star Wars Missions Gamebook Series

​#1 - Assault on Yavin Four
by Ryder Windham

This is not a particularly good story, but it's not meant to be read as a novel the whole way through. I lack the extra components required to play. Interestingly, for the later Episode I Adventures they used two books for each mission, one a novel and one a gamebook (which works out much better if you just want the story). Windham is NOT one of my favourite authors, though I will note he didn't do too badly with the limited second person perspective.
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#2 - Escape from Thyferra
by Ryder Windham

Unsurprisingly, this instalment is not enjoyable due to the gameplay getting in the way of the prose (yes, it's by design, but I can't shake my annoyance). The "you" character seemed a bit gullible to be believable, even if younger readers are the target audience.
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#3 - Attack on Delrakkin
by Ryder Windham

More exciting than the previous two instalments (bonus space battles) and the Imperial plot is also becoming more interesting. I'm now used to skipping through the game sections.
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#4 - Destroy the Liquidator
by Ryder Windham

This one was a tad too ridiculous at times and Windham's stilted prose is wearing on me (I feel like I'm being spoken down to, though that might be because I'm much older than the target audience).
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#5 - The Hunt for Han Solo
by Dave Wolverton

A marginally better entry, thanks to Wolverton taking over this section. I can't say I'm thrilled about our Rebels visiting Jabba before ESB and I'm even less thrilled about a kidnapped baby Hutt (there's even a freaking Clone Wars movie with this concept lol). That said, I enjoyed the non-Rebel perspective in this book. it made the second person passages more believable since they weren't supposed to be attributed to a main character.
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#6 - The Search for Grubba the Hutt
by Dave Wolverton

This one was at times amusing and I liked that C-3PO was useful instead of a hindrance. But other times it didn't really feel like Star Wars. Earth-based insects appear and their names are altered a little - but not enough.
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#7 - Ithorian Invasion
by Dave Wolverton

I've always found Momaw Nadon to be a fascinating character, so I'm pleased to find a book covering his return to Ithor (just because I have most Legends books released does not mean I've read them all ha!). I really quite enjoyed this one.
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#8 - Togorian Trap
by Dave Wolverton

These are starting to feel annoyingly repetitive. I had less tolerance for this book in that regard as the mission itself wasn't plotted particularly well.
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#9 - Revolt of the Battle Droids
​by Ryder Windham

The weakest book in the series, due to no recognisable characters being part of the action. Well, apparently I've encountered Boonda in other Legends media during my semi-chronological reading, and I must say I find him interesting.
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#10 - Showdown in Mos Eisley
by Ryder Windham

Windham seems to like writing about rebellious droids (I've read those comics already in my epic Legends re-read), but I'm kind of over this theme. Plus, I have no attachment to any of the characters who appeared in this gamebook.
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#11 - Bounty Hunters vs. Battle Droids
by Ryder Windham​

I'm so over those droids, but the bounty-hunter-vs-droids concept was mildly interesting. The story itself was... okay.
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#12 - The Vactooine Disaster
by Ryder Windham

I thought Olag Greck sounded familiar and it only twigged for me when C-3PO mentioned Kalarba where I knew this guy from. Basically, this annoying droid arc is a sequel to events that occurred the Droids comics. I remain very fond of Boonda and he made this book for me. A heroic Hutt! I will now proceed to the other books, happy in the knowledge that I will not be distracted by the name "Admiral Groot" ever again (or until I re-read my collection...).
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#13 - Prisoner of the Nikto Pirates
by Dave Wolverton

The mission itself was fine and I was impressed with an addition to the gameplay, which involved a part needed for the Millennium Falcon (if it broke during retrieval, you would later have to deal with it). But the new protocol droid is annoying AF. Did C-3PO really need a crush? Ugh.
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#14 - The Monsters of Dweem
by Dave Wolverton

There are some silly elements here (including a Grand Moff who is a droid, for some reason) but the gameplay is more complex and more interesting than in previous instalments. You can choose to translate the language of the creatures you need to escape, for instance, though I don't think it'd help much lol. This book was actually okay.
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#15 - Voyage to the Underworld
by Dave Wolverton
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I don't like that two story arcs in this series have been reliant on dodgy droids propelling the plot, but the mission in this book wasn't terrible. It also had more choose-your-own-adventure opportunities.
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#16 - Imperial Jailbreak
by Dave Wolverton

I found this instalment to be quite exciting and pretended that I'd chosen the pirate character for the mission (honestly, the droid Grand Moff would not make sense for most of it, even if playing him would have given you immunity against the gas). Kassihm is pretty cool. It seems - according to Wookieepedia - that we don't see him again. Dang it.
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#17 - Darth Vader's Return
by Ryder Windham

If I was still a kid, this gamebook would have frustrated me to the point of hurling it out a window, but for advanced players it would have been a welcome challenge (your character can actually DIE!). It was a passable instalment... except I'm so over droids being so integral to the series' story arcs.
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#18 - ​Rogue Squadron to the Rescue
by Ryder Windham

A mission with the OG Rogue Squadron boys! Heck yeah. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the gameplay seemed pretty good too - at one point, you can even choose to feed a stormtrooper to a tentacled creature. How amusing.
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#19 - Bounty on Bonadan
by Ryder Windham

Nothing brilliant here, though it was interesting to revisit the Corporate Sector - and having the Millennium Falcon hidden inside another ship felt like a nice little homage to The Han Solo Adventures.
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#20 - Total Destruction
by Ryder Windham

I am unsure how I became attached to Q-7N, but I know I'm sad to see him go. Honestly, though... I'm not sad to reach the end of the series, because these gamebooks were at times difficult to get through. If I had the components needed to play, I'm not sure I'd have finished them at all.
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