Welcome to my Star Wars Novels section. This site will expand
(hopefully) as I manage to read more books. I have read
quite a few though. I have rated them as follows:
Poor!
Ok
Average
Good!
AWESOME!!!
Jedi Search
By Kevin J. Anderson
Book 1 of 3
This book is the first book in a 3 book cycle, called the
"Jedi Academy Trilogy". It is about how Luke Skywalker
sets up a Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to train Jedi. This
series has a very nice story, and is also written very well.
The ruthless Admiral Daala is also introduced in this series.
My Rating:
See the cover. (No text, just the picture)
Dark Apprentice
By Kevin J. Anderson
Book 2 of 3
This book is book 2 (of 3) in the "Jedi Academy Trilogy".
It continues the fight against Admiral Daala and her
fleet of Star Destroyers. The New Republic now is in
possesion of the Sun Crusher, the strongest ship ever.
This book also introduces Kyp Durron and Exar Kun.
Together, they could spell doom for Luke Skywalker
and his new Jedi Academy.
My Rating:
See the cover. (No text, just the picture)
Champions of the Force
By Kevin J. Anderson
Book 3 of 3
This is the final book in the "Jedi Academy Trilogy" saga.
This is when everything clashes together in a great ending,
kind of like how "Return of the Jedi" ended. Kyp takes
an impossible mission in which he flies the Sun Crusher
to destroy the Death Star prototype at Maw Installation.
My Rating:
See the cover. (No text, just the picture)
Overall, this series could have been better, but it
was still pretty good. It had a very nice story, and
introduced many important characters in the ever-changing
Star Wars Universe.
The Truce at Bakura
By Kathy Tyers
This book takes place one day after the destruction
of the second Death Star. It is about how the Rebellion
(they haven't formed the New Republic yet) must join forces
with the remnants of the Empire to take down a ruthless
reptilian species called the Ssi-Ruuk. Sounds interesting?
Not so. This book was poorly written, and got confusing
at many places.
My Rating:
See the cover.
The New Rebellion
By Kristine Kathryn Rusch
This book is pretty good. It's about how a new Dark Jedi,
named Kueller, tries to take over the galaxy by killing
millions of innocent people. It has the basic "against all
odds" storyline, but is written very well. I enjoyed it,
although I expected more out of the ending.
My Rating:
See the cover.
The Courtship of Princess Leia
By Dave Wolverton
This is one of the more interesting books in the Star Wars
Universe. It's the story about how Han and Leia initially
got married. Some conceded prince from a place they call
the Hapes Cluster tries to seduce Leia. She also like him,
(the prince's name is Isolder) and Han is caught in the
middle of it. Han kidnaps Leia and takes her to the planet
of Dathomir, where he regains Leia's love...blah blah blah.
My Rating:
See the cover.
Darksaber
By Kevin J. Anderson
This book was great! A sinister Hutt named Durga is trying
to take over the New Republic. At the same time, Admiral
Daala is re-taking over the Empire and preparing it for
battle. All this was contained within one book too! Awesome!
My Rating:
See the cover.
Children of the Jedi
By Barbara Hambly
This book stinks. An old Imperial Dreadnaught, named the
Eye of Palpatine has powered up and is targeting
to destroy a planet that Leia and Han are on. If it was
written better, it actually might have made sense.
My Rating:
See the cover.
Before the Storm
By Michael P. Kube McDowell
Book 1 of 3
This book was slighty confusing at first, but I caught on
later. This trilogy is called "The Black Fleet Crisis".
Apparently, some idiot aliens led by some supreme
visceroy named Nil Spaar are trying to take over the New
Republic and the galaxy. It is written pretty well, and
is quite enjoyable.
My Rating:
See the cover.
Shield of Lies
By Michael P. Kube McDowell
Book 2 of 3
This is the second book in "The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy"
and it also good. Nil Spaar is beating the crap out of the
New Republic, and it looks as if they are going to lose.
My Rating:
See the cover.
Tyrant's Test
By Michael P. Kube McDowell
Book 3 of 3
This is the last book in the trilogy. It was all great,
until the end. The ending could have been a lot better.
I expected a great big space battle, but I got surrender.
My rating:
See the cover.
This series had lots of action, but the ending was totally
dissapointing, as I said earlier. Oh well.
Ambush at Corellia
By Roger MacBride Allen
Book 1 of 3
This is the first book in the Corellian Trilogy. Han goes
to some trade summit at his homeworld of Corellia with Leia.
Then they get stuck there because Han cousin, Thracken Sal-Solo,
(haha nice name) puts some field around the system. (I forgot
what the field is called) Yeah. So go read it. It's pretty good.
My Rating:
See the cover.
Assault at Selonia
By Roger MacBride Allen
Book 2 of 3
This is the second book in the Corellian Trilogy. This
book is strangely important because it introduces the
VERY strange powers that Anakin Solo has with the force.
(When he locates the planetary repulsors) Very interesting. (As Obi-Wan would say it)
My Rating:
See the cover.
Showdown at Centerpoint
By Roger MacBride Allen
Book 3 of 3
The is the last book in the Corellian Trilogy. It has
a very nice ending, and the truth about Centerpoint Station
is quite cool. Neat.
My Rating:
See the cover.
This series was very good. The only thing I could find
wrong with it was that it practically used Jacen, Jaina,
and Anakin as the main characters. Hey, the kids are cool,
but we don't need any extras.
Heir to the Empire
By Timothy Zahn
Book 1 of 3
This is book 1 in this trilogy. (It never really had a name,
but some of my friends tended to call it either the "Thrawn Trilogy",
or the "Zahn Trilogy".) It introduces the super tactical
genius Grand Admiral Thrawn. I was completely impressed
by his smarts.
My Rating:
See the cover.
Dark Force Rising
By Timothy Zahn
Book 2 of 3
This is the second book in the "Zahn Trilogy". It has the
same old stuff every "book 2" has, plus a little extra
here and there. Nicely written.
My Rating:
See the cover.
The Last Command
By Timothy Zahn
book 3 of 3
This is the last book in the "Zahn Trilogy". This book
was good, but the ending really pissed me off. My friends
kept on telling me how great this trilogy was, and I trusted
them. I expected MUCH more out of the ending. Otherwise,
it was still pretty good.
My Rating:
See the cover.
The Crystal Star
By Vonda McIntyre
This book has an ok storyline, but a bad author. On the
back, it says Hugo Award Winning Author so I thought
that it must be an awesome book. I was wrong. Basically,
it's about how Leia's children get kidnapped and they try
to get them back. The book itself looked big and long,
but the text was so huge that I thought I was reading Dr.
Suess.
My Rating:
See the cover.
Shadows of the Empire
By Steve Perry
This is the book adaptation of Lucasfilm's "Shadows of the Empire"
project. It takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and
Return of the Jedi. It was pretty good, and I was surprised
when Leia almost screwed that Xizor guy. (Kids, you shouldn't be
reading this) The book takes place in many exotic locales, ranging
from the backwater planet of Gall to Coruscant, the Imperial Center.
The overall plot is that Luke, Leia, and everyone else is trying
to get Han back before he gets delivered to Jabba the Hutt, but they run
into some trouble with the Black Sun, the criminal organization run
by that Xizor guy. (His race is a Faleen or something)
My Rating:
See the cover.
Planet of Twilight
By Barbara Hambly
This book was a little confusing, but not too bad. Apparently, there
is a planetful of these little pests called Drochs, and it turns out
that the big bad guy is a giant droch, and it's kinda gross. Luke
can't use the Force either.
My Rating:
Cover not available.
Tales of the Bounty Hunters
By Various Authors, edited by Kevin J. Anderson
Just to make it simple: Get it. This has got to be one of the best
Star Wars books ever written, except for the sole fact that the
tale of Bossk sucked. If Bossk's tale was good, this would have
received 5 Stars, er..., Imperial Logos..or whatever.
My Rating:
Cover not available.
The Han Solo Trilogy, Volume One: The Paradise Snare
By A.C. Crispin
This is the best. This brand new series has an interesting and entertaining
storyline, where Han Solo is still in his young years. The first book
in this exciting trilogy tells the tale of how Han Solo escapes Corellia
to make some credits by being a pilot. His journey takes him to the
planet of Ylesia, where things are not what they seem to be. His
dream is to eventually become a respected Imperial pilot.
My Rating:
Cover not available.
The Han Solo Trilogy, Volume Two: The Hutt Gambit
By A.C. Crispin
This is the excellent sequel to The Paradise Snare. It continues the
young adventures of Han Solo and what his life was like before he became
affiliated with the Rebel Alliance. In this book, he meets many important
characters, such as Jabba the Hutt, Lando Calrissian, and many other smuggling
friends. If you haven't read this yet, then get it, because it's really good.
My Rating:
Cover not available.
The Han Solo Trilogy, Volume Three: Rebel Dawn
By A.C. Crispin
Here is the final installment in the young Han Solo Trilogy. This
novel is a masterpiece in every way; flawlessly written, perfect
storyline, etc. Although there are many books that fit these traits,
Rebel Dawn seemed to have that "oomph" that boosts it into the "classics"
category. We all know that Han Solo won the Millenium Falcon from Lando
in a game of sabacc. This book describes it in every glorious detail. What
is so great about this book though, is how it describes the events leading
up to Han's historical meeting in the Mos Eisley Cantina with Obi-Wan and co.
After reading this book, I was aware of a whole new world that existed beyond
the movies, and although the other books describe this "otherworld", Rebel Dawn
pulls it off clearly, and easily emerges as the top Star Wars book written so far.
Not reading this book would be like missing out on the Prequels for any Star Wars
fan.
My Rating:
Cover not available.
Han Solo at Stars' End
By Brian Daley
This book is a little boring. There's not much action, and lots of talking,
which makes the book a bit dull. It's not totally bad though, so if
you haven't read it yet, you might as well go pick it up.
My Rating:
Cover not available.
Splinter of the Mind's Eye
By Alan Dean Foster
This book started out a bit slow and boring, but it got much better. This was
the very first Star Wars book (other than the movie adaptations written in, like, 1977 or
something) ever written that added more background to the Star Wars Universe. It takes
place right after A New Hope. Luke and Leia are going to Circapous V for a
rebel conference, but they acidentally crash land on Circapous IV, where they
find a secret Imperial Facility.
My Rating:
Cover not available.
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron
By Michael A. Stackpole
This book was ok, if not a little bit confusing at times. The X-Wing series
is sort of a spin-off off Star Wars, concentrating on the stories of the life
of the fighter pilots and veterans that fly for the Rebellion, so not many main
characters are in, although there is mention of some names, such as Luke
Skywalker and Princess Leia. Wedge Antilles IS in it though, of course, because
he is the commander of Rogue Squadron. At least when Luke's not around.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet)
X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble
By Michael A. Stackpole
This is the sequel to X-Wing: Rogue Squadron. Did you ever wonder how the
Rebellion took over Coruscant and converted it once again to their home base?
This book tells that story. (Well, starts it, at least) It seems that Rogue Squadron
has been inserted into Coruscant to cause mischief and bad things like that. This
book also features some characters such as Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma. It was pretty good,
but like the first book, it was a little confusing at some times.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet)
X-Wing: The Krytos Trap
By Michael A. Stackpole
I'm kind of casting doubt on my reviews of the first two X-Wing books. You see,
the third book was excellent. This book continues the story of Rogue Squadron's
battle against Ysanne Isard, the commander of Imperial Intelligence. I now know that
a Star Wars book doesn't have to have the main characters (i.e. Luke, Han, Leia) to be
good. Rogue Squadron is awesome.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet)
X-Wing: The Bacta War
By Michael A. Stackpole
Now I'm pretty sure that I should go back and read X-Wing #1 and #2 again, because
once again, Rogue Squadron kicks ass. The Rogue Squadron series is probably
one my of favorite Star Wars series of all time. If you haven't read it yet, you haven't
lived.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet)
X-Wing: Wraith Squadron
By Aaron Allston
Wraith Squadron is brand new, and I haven't finished it yet, but I decided
to give my say about it while I was updating. It's pretty good so far,
not good enough for five Imperial things, but nevertheless, it's good. Partially
confusing sometimes, but gets back on track very smoothly.
My Rating: Probably about & 1/2 so far
Cover not available. (Yet)
Specter of the Past
By Timothy Zahn
When I first opened Specter of the Past, I expected to be blown away by Timothy Zahn's
masterful writing. I was right....partially. This new novel by Timothy Zahn is good,
but Tim, you could've done better. There was a big dissapointment at one part, but you should
go read it yourself to find out. Overall though, good job. The sequel, Vision of the Future,
isn't going to be released until next year, so I've heard, which is another dissapointment. If this
rumor is true, I probably would've already forgotten the story by then. What is interesting though,
is that Vision of the Future seems to be sort of like, an ender. You know, sort of like
a conclusion, to all the Star Wars novels ever written. I'm not very sure though, so we'll just have
to wait and see.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet)
Tales from the Empire
By Various Authors
Tales from the Empire was concurrently released with Specter of the Past. After the partial dissapointment
in Specter of the Past, I wanted something new and fresh. TftE was where it was. Each and every story
in this book was riveting. The end story, Side Trip, by Zahn and Stackpole, was a masterpiece. This
book was perfect in every way. Zahn, why couldn't you have written SotP like you wrote Side Trip? Tales
from the Empire is perfect, yet another great addition to the Star Wars Novels Universe.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet)
Han Solo's Revenge
By Brian Daley
One word. Terrible. I don't even remember what it was about, much less actually whip out a review for it.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet)
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
By Brian Daley
One word. Well...not exactly one word. Very..good. It's strange that Daley writes so poorly
on one story...then awesome on the next. Oh well, if it's good, I'll read it. Actually, if it's Star
Wars, I'll read it. Read this book. You won't be sorry.
My Rating:
Cover not available. (Yet. <-- Is it just me, or do I keep saying this)
Books that I have yet to read:
By the way, I just bought a new scanner so I can scan in the book covers for all the books I don't have pictures for yet. 30-Bit (Billions of Colors), 600 by 1200 resolution, flatbed scanner. Hella buff.
