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Book Reviews

Return of the Novelisations

24/4/2025

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​Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (novelisation)
​by James Kahn

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Han Solo is still in carbonite and now in the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, a grotesque gangster who keeps his base on Tatooine. But there is a plan to rescue him. A gambler, a Wookiee, a princess, two droids and a Jedi enter Jabba's palace. Hopefully they'll return. Because the Rebel Alliance is going to need every body it can get - the Empire has built another Death Star. The time to strike is now.

Most movie novelisations from last century are pretty ordinary. Run of the mill. Authors are pretty much dressing the skeleton that is the script. This novelisation on the other hand... Kahn did not have to make it so damn good, but I definitely appreciate his efforts. His prose draws you in, pauses and dwells in all the right places, and yet it still moves fluidly. Characters feel like themselves, even when there's no script dialogue for Kahn to use. All the little extra insights in the text ring true.

There are some canon issues of note (eg. Owen Lars is Obi-Wan's brother for some reason), but they don't spoil the experience. Or at least, they didn't for me. Such a short adaptation can't really be compared with the beefier prequel novelisations that came later... but this is excellent for what it is.
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EDIT: Before I forget... I loved the dig at "jaded critics". Still relevant.

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The Bad Guys Fight Each Other

19/4/2025

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Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars Legends)
by Steve Perry

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Content warning: sexual assault

​Han Solo has been frozen in carbonite and is the prisoner of Boba Fett. His Rebel friends won't let that stand - but this won't be an easy rescue. Darth Vader wants Luke Skywalker alive. Therefore, Prince Xizor, current head of the criminal organisation Black Sun, wants him dead. Only one of them will prevail. Fortunately, Luke has friends - and a new companion by the name of Dash Rendar.


How do I review this? Just as a book - or the entire multimedia campaign? Well, I suppose this isn't the place to exalt about the accompanying soundtrack (go find it on Spotify!) - or to lament my inability to progress through the game without cheats. But it's worth mentioning the sheer excitement I had for Shadows of the Empire at the time, which ramped up a LOT after I saw the ads on TV.

I remember this book being muuuuch better when I was a kid. But in 1996, I only had the junior novelisation (I was restricted by my meagre pocket money and the meagre offerings at the local K-Mart) and that was a tight story. As an adult novel, which I think I've only read a handful of times, it's not tight enough and wanders all over the place. I now understand the general complaints about Dash Rendar - and have just realised that the version of this character I loved only existed in the adventures I created with his action figure (yes, there were action figures!). Perhaps Perry's over-reliance on cringeworthy comedy was also more palatable when I was younger.

Xizor could have been a really interesting villain. Unfortunately, in order to make him Totally Super Bad We Swear, he was written as a sexual predator who sexually assaults (and no doubt rapes) his conquests. There's no discussion about consent...I mean, this was a different time, but it's reaaaaally not great to read in 2025. The junior novelisation was the best option for me as a child, so I'm thankful I happened upon that first. I wish I still owned a copy.​

Also, why was Leia given nothing to do? Arrghhhh. And don't get me started on the almost complete absence of the actual Rebel Alliance in the storyline.

In short, I no longer love this book. But it did evoke some pleasant childhood memories.

EDIT 25/04/25: I do feel I need to add, given recent canonical events in the IP, that I don't necessarily object to sexual assault and rape being on the page/screen in Star Wars, but I do object to it not being named for what it is. This book failed to do that.​

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The Bad Guys Win

14/4/2025

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Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (novelisation)
​by Donald F. Glut

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The Rebel Alliance are hiding out in a new base on the frozen world of Hoth, but they won't stay hidden for long. Darth Vader wants Luke Skywalker and he'll destroy everything in his path to do it. The battle that follows sends our heroes out on separate paths - Luke to a Jedi Master for instruction and the rest on a desperate flight to freedom. But this time the Empire might win the day.

The Empire Strikes Back is often considered the best Star Wars film. The novelisation is not the best one on offer, but neither is it wholly.terrible. Glut's writing is tight and manages to echo the fast pacing of a film. Even the additional scenes of Luke on Dagobah don't slow things down too much. But the Han/Leia interactions were incredibly lacking, especially on Leia's side. Glut didn't seem to know how to properly complement their dialogue with his prose and he didn't make their budding relationship feel believable at all. He handles it very clumsily. I guess this kind of problem was normal for a male author in 1980.

Since this was based on a script rather than the film (due to print publication lead times), there are some notable differences (eg. Yoda is blue). Potentially distracting, but not all that important in the long run. This is an adequate adaptation for the time.

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Impostors Among Characters

12/4/2025

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Honour Among Thieves (Star Wars Legends)
by James S. A. Corey

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A Rebel spy needs urgent extraction from an Imperial world and Han Solo will regret accepting this mission. The spy - Scarlet Hark - isn't particularly competent and she's also a thorn in his side. But he'll have to work with her if the Alliance has any hope of survival. The Empire has made a crucial discovery and if they aren't stopped they will truly control the galaxy. Forever.

If this book had been written and released in the 1980s, I think I might have given it a pass (the way I did Splinter of the Mind's Eye - this book feels very similar to that one, actually and I'm wondering if that's not a coincidence). But it was published in 2014. A very different time.

Scarlet Hark is less a character in her own right and more a two-dimensional cardboard cutout that, for no discernible reason, seems to replace Leia. I will say that Han was mostly in character, as was Chewbacca, but Luke and Leia were a little off. While I'm on the topic of things that don't feel quite right... the conference. With a big public hall. Leia, one of the Empire's Most Wanted, standing in there and giving a speech to hundreds of people without any loyalty to the Alliance. And the Empire didn't show up earlier. As opposed to only showing up when a McGuffin was at stake. Yeah. Surrrre.

Hmm. What did I like about this book...oh, the blink-and-miss-it reference to the Katana fleet. If that's what it was. The pacing and flow were also fairly decent.

My copy of Honour Among Thieves came with a short story called "
Silver and Scarlet". Not a particularly memorable story, but if you pretend it's not starring Scarlet Hark (ugh) then it's a decent read.

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The Rebel Diaries

8/4/2025

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Razor's Edge (Star Wars Legends)
​by Martha Wells

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The Rebel Alliance needs supplies to set up Echo Base and it also needs to source said supplies in a discreet way. Princess Leia Organa joins a mission to do just this, except things immediately go awry - thanks to some Alderaanian pirates. In her attempt to sway them to her side, Leia ends up trapped in a clearinghouse with no seeming way out. It's a good thing Han Solo is stuck there with her.

I've owned this one a while, but I can't honestly say I've cracked it open before. I'll admit I was excited to read a Star Wars novel written by Martha Wells. I knew she'd nail the characters and their dialogue because I've read novels of hers set in another IPs (Stargate Atlantis, if you're wondering). She's also since become a true sci-fi queen because of the Murderbot Diaries (go read that series nowwww) but I digress.

Wells' writing is always very tight, which I like, and she left no room for plotholes or continuity errors in Razor's Edge. Everything is well thought out - though perhaps too well thought out at times, since some of the pacing is thrown off by her meticulous planning. I liked how she handled Han and Leia's interactions, since so many authors go too hard in the bantering department, which often makes them act like toddlers. Wells avoids that. She did so well with characterisation that it's a pity the plot fell a little by the wayside (i.e. event after event after event). But it's still a good read.

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Splinter of an IP Legacy

7/2/2025

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​Splinter of the Mind's Eye (Star Wars Legends)
​by Alan Dean Foster

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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.

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A Ghost of a Chance

2/2/2025

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Girl Haunts Boy by Cesar Vitale

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Shortly after she steals a ring from a museum, Bea meets her timely end when a streetcar strikes her down. She regains consciousness as a ghost a century later and finds herself haunting her old house - which Cole has just moved into. Cole doesn't believe in ghosts and he's definitely not in the mood to share a bedroom with one. But maybe he and Bea aren't as different as they seem.

This is your typical YA ghost romance fare. The way it was written reminded me of the kinds of stories I inhaled back in the late 1990s and early 2000s - but I have to admit that some of them, just like this book, badly needed more depth. Bea also didn't seem authentically 1920s. Her dialogue felt forced whenever Vitale peppered it with older phrases. This all said, it was a sweet, short read.

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Choices of Zahn

1/2/2025

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Choices of One (Star Wars Legends)
by Timothy Zahn

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An Imperial governor has reached out to the Rebel Alliance and his offer is too good to refuse. A new base is exactly what they need. Our usual faves - Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie - are sent to check things out. Meanwhile, Mara Jade's orders are to deal with the treasonous governor. She needs Stormtroopers and the Hand of Judgement will do nicely. But of course, nothing is at it seems.

This is a fun follow-up to Allegiance and is just as well written, but the plot is less engaging. Personally, I'm tired of the usual we-need-a-new-base premise. It was incredibly overdone in the Legends canon (so many comics and so many books...) and even the newer Disney canon has had a crack at it. So I wasn't really into that side of the story. Zahn also stretches the suspension of belief here; Mara and Luke get too close not for this to come up later in the timeline. On the other hand, how long can you keep them apart without it becoming too forced?

I found it harder to overlook the flaws this time around. Choices of One is a decent read and I like it more than I should, but it's really just ordinary.

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A Bumpless Ride

25/1/2025

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Allegiance (Star Wars Legends)
by Timothy Zahn

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The Empire has lost its Death Star but the people who serve within it are as loyal as ever - or they should be, anyway. Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, is chasing a lead that reeks of treason. The Rebels are attempting to strengthen their position by appeasing the factions that represent the "Alliance" part of their name. And a group of Stormtroopers are about to make a momentous decision. All three parties are destined to meet.

I thoroughly enjoyed Allegiance and devoted every spare minute to devouring its pages, though I couldn't quite ignore the niggling feeling that perhaps it wasn't as good as it seemed. But when you're reading a book, enjoyment outweighs quality. Always.

If I hadn't read his more recent work (ahem - the Disney Thrawn trilogy), I'd say Zahn was at the top of his game here, because in another's hands, this might have felt like filler or completely unnecessary (especially given the timeline restrictions on Allegiance's plot and character interactions). The Stormtrooper plot thread was undoubtedly the strongest of the three presented here and my favourite part of the book. Not that I don't enjoy spending time with Mara Jade, Leia, Han, Luke and Chewie, of course. Even when the stakes are so low. But admittedly I needed to read something with low stakes in this stressful stage of my life (backed up by fluid writing, of course).

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Expanded Universe Round-Up #31

13/12/2024

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The Newspaper Strips (Epic Collection)

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​Vol 1
These comics are fairly typical of the 1970s and 1980s, though I've definitely encountered worse from that time period. None of this stuff is going to wow anyone. But it's a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of Star Wars media and there are some interesting articles at the back, including one that explains the process behind converting the newspapers strips into comic book form. I will add that I found the adaptation of Han Solo at Stars' End to be a tad underwhelming but it was serviceable, given the era.
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​Volume 2
Another volume of Star Wars newspaper strips, though this time all of them are from the 1980s. It was good to see information from ESB being incorporated into the stories, such as Hoth becoming a new Rebel base, Ord Mantell shenanigans, and Darth Vader's connection to Luke. I was also impressed with how well the stories flowed into one another, which felt almost seamless at times (and is probably due to how the strips were remastered). Still nothing brilliant here, and yet...I enjoyed this volume far more than the previous one.
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​Early Victories (omnibus)

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A collection of exceedingly average Star Wars comics that were released in the 1990s, though one is an adaptation of a 1970s novel and another seems to be a prequel to a story in the newspaper strips (so I'm glad I read those beforehand!). Most of these stories focus on random characters who we have never been seen before and nor do they appear in the Legends canon ever again. So that made it hard to care about them. It's been a while since I've read Splinter of the Mind's Eye, but the adaptation seems alright... even if the story isn't great.
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​Vol 1
Some of these issues are very 1970s and are unfortunately typical of the time. It doesn't help that the stories following the movie adaptation lack the same slick action and cracking dialogue - the difference in quality is stark. The Empire doesn't reappear for a very long time, but at least when they finally do it feels like things pick up a bit.

I can't judge these comics too harshly. Too many decades have passed. And besides... this is the series that saved Marvel from dire financial straits, so without it our galaxy would be very different!
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A Long Time Ago... series


Volume 2
A stronger omnibus, mainly because it collects the adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back(with bonus deleted wampa content!) and features an ongoing story arc that was a huge improvement on previous stories. However, the omnibus ends with some lacklustre one-shots. Han's absence is keenly felt.

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Volume 3
I really enjoyed some of the stories in this volume, though again they were alongside the not-so-great stuff. With Han out of the picture, Leia really has a chance to shine and the writing improves markedly when Archie Goodwin isn't holding the pen. I also can't help but love the Hoojibs, ridiculous though they are. Shira Brie is introduced and she's an interesting character. She reappeared decades later in the Legacy of the Force novels (which are, incidentally, not as fun as these comics lol).
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Vol 4
Somehow, I survived reading nearly 600 pages.

After the fun I've had with the previous two omnibuses, this was something of a disappointment. To start with, there was too much supposed "humour", which put me off. Then I came across the adaptation of Return of the Jedi, which was horrifically condensed - it was squeezed into four issues instead of the six given to the previous movies. Now, I know that adaptations have to skip bits, but important bits were missing...it felt so jarring. And having to read another Archie Goodwin script made me realise just how much I'd been enjoying his absence in this series.

The stories that follow ROTJ in this omnibus aren't particularly great either. But I suppose the Boba Fett one made me snort with amusement at the end...
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​Vol 5
It is truly amazing that the same omnibus can contain both the excellent "Duel with a Dark Lady" (which holds up even now) and the abysmal "All Together Now" (why did the artist turn Luke into Rambo??). The series limps all the way to the end, though at least it got an ending... albeit a rushed and perplexing one. Most of these stories are average. Some are terrible. The ongoing plot and the new villains... meh. The rating is only as high as it is because "Duel with a Dark Lady" deserves its own star.

Wild Space


​Vol 1
The Dark Horse omnibuses were released with the intention of collection stories that might otherwise fall out of print. This omnibus serves that purpose... but doesn't do much else for readers. The stories included in Wild Space Vol 1 are not great or memorable (even if a couple of them are fun and tie into Star Wars Missions). Alan Moore's attempts, unfortunately, are terrible.
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    About

    ​Alyce Caswell, when she isn't drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, can be found dabbling in multiple genres and writing forms. She has self-published several titles in her space opera family saga, which is divided into two series: The Galactic Pantheon and The Pantheon War. Her most recent book is The Shadow of the Gods.

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