Book Description
The embattled Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has marshaled the remnants of the Imperial forces and driven the Rebels back with an abominable technology recovered from the Emperor's secret fortress: clone soldiers. As Thrawn mounts his final siege, Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a coalition of smugglers for a last-ditch attack against the empire, while Leia holds the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins. Overwhelmed by the ships and clones at Thrawn's command, the Republic has one last hope--sending a small force, led by Luke Skywalker, into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines. There a final danger awaits, as the Dark Jedi C'baoth directs the battle against the Rebels and builds his strength to finish what he had already started: the destruction of Luke Skywalker.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
"Just when the Republic thought that the insidious and unfortunately
very clever Thrawn could sink no lower, he does. In other words, send
in the clones!
This gives him the manpower (clonepower?) he needs to crew enough
ships to blow the guts out of lots of the Republic forces and
fortresses.
Han and Chewie must gain aid from a smuggler fleet, to try and stop Thrawn. Luke contends with the evil Jedi Master C'Boath.
Leia, very heavily pregnant, desperately tries to hold things together politically.
Mara Jade usurps Luke Skywalker (minor spoiler).......2007-05-20
As post-Return of the Jedi novels about Luke, Han and Leia go, Timothy Zahn's breakthrough Thrawn Trilogy is the best. The author captures the epic spirit of Star Wars space opera overall, but the ultimate hero of climax of this book is NOT Luke or Han or Leia. As long as you're ok with that then you'll probably enjoy this book a lot. I would have given this book 4-stars if not for the let-down ending.
As for the best novels from the era of the movie saga, I recommend all of the following 5-star novels:
Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)
Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul)
Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars, Episode III Prequel Novel)
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)
The Best Way to Experience This Book.......2007-05-02
I want to highly recommend you get the audio versions of this trilogy which is amazing. As great as the books are (and if you've read them you know they are probably the most worthy of the title "Star Wars" of any book written in the entire star wars universe), now imagine hearing them dramatically performed complete with (and this is the best part) John Williams original soundtrack set to the events of these books. If you've read the books, try this out, you will enjoy it. If you've heard the book, go back and read it because the audio version is abridged. Hope you enjoy it. I know I did.
The Last Command Book Review.......2007-04-03
The Last Command is the ending book to a Star Wars trilogy. It is set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, and is a science-fiction book. It is about how the Empire, under Grand Admiral Thrawn, starts taking back lost territory at a furious rate and what Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and the New Republic do to stop it. I recommend it for ages eleven through fifteen. You also might want to read Heir to the Empire and Dark Force Rising, the two prequels.
I think the audience for this book is ages eleven through fifteen, especially those already acquainted with Star Wars. For example, the book mentions characters portrayed in the movies, and you need to know at least a little of their background, which is mentioned in the movies. The author does not use hugely advanced words, but words like sputter and glide, which are pretty easy to understand.
The book contains plenty of information but pieces it together just right, making it easy and informative reading. The novel is only around three-hundred to four-hundred pages long, but you learn a lot.
The Last Command is written in an easy to understand way. The writing flows quickly, and it is a real cliff-hanger. I read it in around four days.
Young s will enjoy this book because of the relatively easy vocabulary, speedy reading, and the dramatic writing. I highly recommend it.
Sprint to the End........2007-02-10
Remember Star Wars? Not that joke of a series that came out with the most recent three movies, but instead that sometimes hokey, sometimes brilliant, always engrossing space opera from the seventies. Luke Skywalker, hero for millions of boys, Han Solo, dreamed of by girls everywhere, and Darth Vader, feared by all. That's the series that changed science fiction. Timothy Zahn loved those movies as much as I did. Timothy Zahn stayed true to that vision where George Lucas didn't. The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 3) is the conclusion of the best Star Wars story since we first met Luke and Han Solo.
As should be, the book is action from beginning to end, but that action is varied and tense. From light saber duels to Horatio Hornblower sea battles in space to political intrigue and obsessed vindettas.
The new characters feel like they were just off camera when Lucas filmed the original movies. Mara Jade has dreams of fighting Luke. She's an enforcer for a brilliant smuggler, Talon Kardde. Talon is a political animal, playing alliances and allegiances like chess moves while remaining likable and understandable.
The greatest addition of all is our true villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn. The reader understands that it's a good thing that Thrawn wasn't around for the rebel victories over the Emperor because the result would have been different. He's a mastermind, both strategically and tactically, and can only be defeated by underhanded means or overwhelming force.
To complicate matters, Thrawn's ally, the insane Joruus C'baoth, is a dark Jedi master trying to turn Luke to the dark side and to possess Leia's children, raising them as the seed to a new Jedi army.
The action doesn't stop and the ending is fantastic. Pick it up, enjoy it, and remember those good old days.
- CV Rick
Book Description
It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Some years after the events in the Star Wars movie, the New Republic is
beginning to encounter political problems, and having to deal with
governing and routing out rebels.
Along comes something nastier. A grand admiral of the Empire, with
a very potent battle fleet at his command, and a very impressive
ability to utilise it.
The beginning of the publishing of 100 billion books of what I suppose you could call '21st century pulp'.
This series is pretty decent, however.
awful.......2007-08-23
i can't believe people like this book.it's realy awful.and i bought this book when there was no new star wars books out and i was starving for something new from star wars.i would keep reading the old brian dalye or alan dean foster books.but i guess being spoiled by those writers reading zahn's book coulnd only be a dissapointment.and i really wanted to like this book.he just copies too much from the other writers instead of making something new.i mean an old jedi master.hey people use your brain trying to make another obi-wan character,sheesh!.
best of the Star Wars stories.......2007-06-24
Heir To The Empire is part one of The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. This trilogy is set 5 years after Return of the Jedi. Han Solo and Princess Leia are married and are expecting Jedi twins. The Empire, lead by Grand Admiral Thrawn (best villian since Vader), plan to capture Leia and turn her and her twins to the Dark Side of the Force. Very highly recommended.
The Thrawn Trilogy consists of:
The Heir To The Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
Readable but annoyingly written continuation of original trilogy.......2007-06-13
My curiosity finally got the better of me, so I decided I would read the official continuation of the Star Wars story post Return of the Jedi. It starts out familiarizing the reader with a glossing over of the post Death Star V2 Emperor defeat happenings and jumps right into the activities of the new self appointed head of the Imperial forces, Admiral Thrawn who has been successfully raiding New Republic bases and supply lines. He has a plan to reinsert the Empire into their previous spot as bully overlord of the galaxy and Heir to the Empire is the jumping off point for this story, which takes three books to wrap up.
First off, it's an easy read. The story flows at a pretty good pace and seems to match the films in this respect. There are plenty of new characters that are realized relatively well and only seem out of place sometimes by name more than anything else. Some of the names of the characters just don't seem appropriate for Star Wars and it can be a little distracting, but not terribly so. What is more distracting however, and what makes these books less successful for me, is the lazy writing of the author. He can only describe moods with lip characterizations and most of the time, it's of the "so and so's lip twisted" variety, like...
Han is mad: His lip twists
Luke is worried: His lip twists
Leia is frightened: Her lip twists
Luke is determined: His lip twists
C3PO is acting dandy: His... Just kidding (Zahn probably had to hold himself back none the less)
He also comes up with new ideas of how to describe things and just starts using them all of a sudden but doesn't go back to insert them into earlier parts of the book. It's just weird when a character starts using a phrase all of a sudden, frequently, and they never used it for the first half of the book. How hard would it be to go back and place it in earlier parts of the book to make the character's use of language consistent?
And don't get me started on the Mynocks! "The thingy took off like a Mynock with a scorched tail." "It fell to the ground like a clipped Mynock." "He chortled like a bemused Mynock." "She ate like an anorexic Mynock."... and on and on.
Additionally,these characters, and maybe this was unavoidable but I don't think so, live completely in the past that is the 3 prequels. They are not given much of a life before them, in memory, so all of their recall harks back to the films (like we need to be reminded what happened) and that gets old real quick. Everything is "this is just like it happened on the Death Star" or "don't you remember what he did at Mos Eisley?" or "Luke thought back to the cave on Daigobah." Where's that extra mystery of the stuff we didn't see? It's like sitting around a bunch of people who only reminisce about a small period in their lives... Enough!
Well, I guess I'm trying to say that Heir to the Empire is not very well written, but the story is relatively interesting, easy to read, and, well, it tells us what happens to Luke and all of the rest after Return of the Jedi. I imagine a lot of people don't expect to find something literate in a book like this, but, maybe just once, I would like to be surprised.
Best of a shot-in-the-dark lot.......2007-05-27
Star Wars novels are often hit or miss, with many of them being completely unappealing to non-star wars nerds. Speaking as one of those nerds, I've read quite a few of the Star Wars novels, and the entire Hand of Thrawn trilogy is one of the few that stands on it's own not just as a good Star Wars series, but as an excellent general science fiction story as well. Timothy Zahn has an eye for detail that escapes most authors of any genre, and has carefully crafted a fantastic story that has something for every reader to enjoy.
The trilogy focuses both on the difficulties of setting up a new government to replace the old Empire, the number of things still mysterious and unknown even in a well-known universe, and the artful style with which a true strategist could use the resources of the Star Wars universe.
If I could rate it higher than five stars, I would.
Book Description
The dying Empire's most cunning and ruthless warlord--Grand Admiral Thrawn--has taken command of the remnants of the Imperial fleet and launched a massive campaign aimed at the New Republic's destruction. With the aid of unimaginable weapons long hidden away by the Emperor on a backwater planet, Thrawn plans to turn the tide of battle, overwhelm the New Republic, and impose his iron rule throughout the galaxy. Meanwhile, Han and Lando Calrissian race against time to find proof of treason inside the highest Republican Council--only to discover instead a ghostly fleet of warships that could bring doom to their friends and victory to their enemies. Yet most dangerous of all is a new Dark Jedi, risen from the ashes of a shrouded past, consumed by bitterness... and scheming to corrupt Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Grand Admiral Thrawn attacks the New Republic on many fronts. He forces
our intrepid band of heroes to flee assassins, and Leia takes off with
Chewie, and Han goes looking for help by himself.
The dodgy Mara Jade is also floating around, as is a not so nice Jedi Master.
Whoever controls the 'Dark Force' of ancient ships in the end will have a massive advantage in the battle for the galaxy.
Author captures the epic spirit of Star Wars space opera.......2007-05-22
As far as post-Return of the Jedi novels about Luke, Han and Leia go, Timothy Zahn's breakthrough Thrawn Trilogy is the best.
As for the best novels from the era of the movie saga, I highly recommend the following 5-star novels:
Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)
Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul)
Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars, Episode III Prequel Novel)
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)
A Star Wars Fix.......2007-01-19
Do you hate George Lucas for ruining his own creation like I do? I mean, Star Wars, the defining mythology of at least two generations, the story of heroes and redemption has become the joke of our times. How could it not? Did you see that idiot, Anakin, scratching his way up the hill, beaten and burned, destined to become the shell for James Earl Jones's ominous basso voice? Did it make you groan? Did it make you want to set fire to the Skywalker Ranch? Am I alone?
Now, I'm not a Star Wars Geek. I don't play the roleplaying game. Never have. I don't have the library of tie-in novels and I do poorly at the trivia compared to a lot of people. But I snuck into the theater when I was 11 years old to watch Luke Skywalker discover The Force. I know great stories and despite the slightly cheesy effects and the ham-handed acting, Star Wars was a great story.
Why am I going on and on about what was? Because Timothy Zahn does Star Wars better than George Lucas does Star Wars. If Lucas had just filmed these three books - Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command - he'd have a masterpiece to crown his early achievements.
In Dark Force Rising, Leia conducts a mission to influence an alien race heretofore loyal to one of the Emperor's warlords, Luke finds himself battling an insane Jedi Master, Joruus C'Baoth, and Han Solo races the forces of the warlord, General Thrawn, to get to a lost fleet of Dreadnaught cruisers. The tension is high throughout this second book in the series and the characters conduct themselves admirably, keeping to the heroic expectations and rebellious attitudes we expect.
Reading this series, and especially this book, will remind you why we loved Star Wars and why we now hate George Lucas.
- CV Rick
The middle of a saga is always the best!.......2006-07-13
Just like Empire Strikes Back, Dark Force Rising is the pinnacle of what the middle portion of a saga is all about. There is tons of action and the book is so well written that you won't want to put it down.
Highly recommend this one and I can't wait to finish the triology with The Last Command.
Zahn is the man!
The Force is with you!.......2006-07-13
"Dark Force Rising" Volume 2 of the Thrawn Trilogy. Grand Admiral Thrawn continues his attempt to finish off the struggling New Republic. Talon Karrde, the smuggler who took Jabba's place is slowly being pulled over to the New Republic's side even though his right hand Mara Jade (The Emperors' Hand before he died) wants nothing to do with the new republic and who's only goal has been to kill Luke Skywalker. The two opposing sides race for a lost fleet of about 200 ships. The winner will have the upper hand in the continuing battle. Meanwhile the newly surfaced Jedi master plots to capture Leia, her twins and Luke.
The Good: The whole book (along with the other 2 were all very good). It's good to read the old favorites including Han, Leia, Luke, Chewy and Lando. The plot stays strong throughout and this kept the book enjoyable.
The Bad: Nothing memorable
Overall: The book and series are both very good and I recommend them highly
Book Description
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, slipcased.
When this series was first broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, it generated the largest response in the network's history: 50,000 letters and phone calls in a single week, an audience of 750,000 per episode, and a subsequent 40-percent jump in NPR listenership.
This landmark production, perhaps the most ambitious radio project ever attempted, began when Star Wars creator George Lucas donated the story rights to NPR an affiliate. Writer Brian Daley adapted the film's highly visual script to the special demands and unique possibilities of radio, creating a more richly textured tale with greater emphasis on character development. Director John Madden guided a splendid cast--including Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels, reprising their film roles as Luke Skywalker and the persnickety robot See Threepio--through an intense 10 day dialogue recording session. Then came months of painstaking work for virtuoso sound engineer Tom Voegeli, whose brilliant blending of the actors' voices, the music, and hundreds of sound effects takes this intergalactic adventure into a realm of imagination that is beyond the reach of cinema.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful!.......2007-08-14
My husband had the original tapes and he can't stop raving about the sound quality on the DVDs. As far as the content, he is a huge SW fan and he loves the radio dramas almost as much as the movies.
Star Wars Radio Trilogy.......2007-01-17
My son absolutly Loves these cd's!! What a perfect gift this was for him for Christmas!!
Great on A Saturday Afternoon.......2006-03-05
My 7 year old (and of course mee too) loves all three of these. He'll actually sit still for hours and listen to them, and race to the CD player waiting for me to change discs. It was dissapointong to see these broadcasts get progressivly smaller with each movie. From 7 in the first, to 5 in the second, and the Return only three CD's long. The last is almost nothing but the movie, with very little additional material. It's still good, but after lstening to A New Hope, The Return of The Jedi feels very short. I would highly reccommend these. They're great for those cold or raining Saturday acfternoons.
Complete Star Wars Trilogy Radio Dramas, WONDERFUL SHOWS!!!.......2004-12-12
How did Luke come to know Biggs? How did Leia get the Death Star plans? What happened to her in her cell after Darth Vader came in with the interrogation droid? How did Luke become a Commander? These questions, which have been asked by many fans, are answered in the original radio dramatizations of the Star Wars Trilogy. Since some readers may be considering the purchase of one of the dramas or possibly the whole set, I will endeavor to give details of all the dramas. Please note that this is an in-depth review of all three dramas and is therefore somewhat more lengthy than many reviews you will encounter. If you would prefer a shorter review please feel free to scroll to the next review. I will start with the original Star Wars drama from 1981...
In 1981, the Star Wars radio drama was released. Many people were skeptical about the success of a completely sound-based Star Wars universe because Star Wars is a highly visual world that is based largely on visual special effects. They wondered how Star Wars could be experienced without the stunning special effects of the movies. Though the drama does lack visual effects, the sound effects from Ben Burtt and the wonderful score from John Williams provide a fabulous listening experience. Many of the characters from the movies have been replaced with substitutes. Mark Hamill takes on the role of Luke Skywalker and Anthony Daniels provides the voice of C-3PO. Although the substitutes take some getting used to, over all they make better representations of the characters than the movie actors do. Perry King provides a humorous Han Solo. Although his voice is gravelly, he seems to be the kind of guy who could be Han Solo. His wise mouth and humor enhance his image. Ann Sachs takes on the role of Princess Leia. Although she lacks the cold voice of Carrie Fisher, she displays more emotion. To illustrate my point, Carrie Fisher showed little audible horror when her planet and people were destroyed. Ann Sachs provides a more realistic outpouring of sorrow and grief as she screams and cries out as her planet is savagely blown into space dust. She also displays a great deal of emotion in the scene where Darth Vader is interrogating her in her cell. This scene was not in the movies. Though the scene is not for the squeamish, it does illustrate Vader's cruelty and utter lack of caring. His heartless mental attack and Leia's screams of anguish and pain serve to drive home the sheer evil of Darth Vader and the Empire. Brock Peters plays Darth Vader. Although he can not replace James Earl Jones, he has a deep booming voice that can turn from calm to anger in an instant. He also displays emotion more effectively than James Earl Jones. For example, in the freezing pit of Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back, he expresses glee, anger, pleading, and pain. It is obvious from his increasing tone, pitch and volume that he is becoming angry with Luke. Mark Hamill is irreplaceable as Luke Skywalker. He is the perfect Luke. No one can be Luke, not even a substitute. His cockiness at the beginning of the play when he races Fixer turns to fear and anger as he meets Ben and finds that the Imperial troupes have slaughtered his aunt and uncle. He eventually gives way to despair as Ben is killed, but he soon is filled with elation as he destroys TIE Fighters as the Millennium Falcon attempts to escape from the Death Star. He and he only could be Luke. Bernard Behrens plays Ben Kenobi. He does a wonderful job, especially in the scene where he and Vader fight. Anthony Daniels and Anthony Daniels only could play C-3PO. He does a stupendous job of enhancing the personality of C-3PO in this drama. We find out how he and R2-D2 met and how their relationship came into being. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and the electronic R2-D2 have a deeper friendship than is apparent in the movies. Their quarrels are often humorous. The special effects in the drama are absolutely staggering. Many of the sounds from the movies, and many more not found in the movies have been included. Despite the early time of its release, the original drama is in full surround sound. Unlike in the movies, the characters are also in full stereo. In the movies, the characters occupy the center channel while sounds occupy the side channels. However, in the radio dramas the characters, music and sound all are stereo. You can hear them moving in different directions. In the movies, it is apparent what they are doing by looking at them. With radio there is no visual. Therefore, there must be some way of letting the audience know what is going on. Since there is no narration besides that found in the beginning and end, the characters must let the audience know what is happening. In many radio plays, this can be quite annoying. However, Brian Daley has cunningly written the script to make the descriptions realistic. Here is an example. "Han, Storm trooper to your left!" Blast! "Aaargh!" Storm trooper falls. "Got em!" Although the drama is not perfect, I would highly recommend it due to its staggeringly advanced nature. I would expect something of this magnitude and nature to have been made nowadays. I can hardly imagine how such a monumental task was under taken without most of the computer and digitalized technology of today. Over all, it is a stupendous performance. It spans thirteen episodes, each approximately a half hour for an overall running time of six and a half hours.
The Empire Strikes Back radio drama is another delight. The cast remains the same. Billy Dee Williams plays Lando just as he does in the movies. Paul Hecht plays the Emperor. He does a passable imitation of the emperor's voice, though it could be more sibilant. John Lithgow does a great job as Yoda. Although Frank Ozz is still the only true Yoda, John Lithgow's imitation is pretty good. This production features a huge number of sound effects not found in any of the movies. Those that are found in the movies have been used to their fullest extent. This drama, like the first, is also in full surround sound. The music, just like in the first, is absolutely stunning. Mark Hamill puts on another phenomenal performance of Luke Skywalker. When he is attacked, he screams in fright and pain. He coolly kills the wampa and escapes. He attempts to walk through a blizzard back to base. His performance there is wonderful as he strives to overcome hypothermia and the desire to lie down. He actually seems to be freezing and shaking with cold. His greatest achievement comes when he acts with Brock Peters in the scene on Cloud City. He meets Vader with cocky confidence. Vader overcomes him and eventually he lets out an agonized scream of pain as his hand is cut from his body. He seems to be in terrible pain as he learns that Vader is his father. He eventually falls onto a weather vane. His desperate cries for Ben and Leia are heart-wrenching. As always, the other members of the cast have made this play a distinct pleasure. There are a wide variety of new characters and actors. They all have done a wonderful job. Over all, I would highly recommend this dramatization as well, especially if it is combined with the first radio play. The show has ten episodes, each running for about a half hour for an overall running time of about five hours. It's a superb listening experience.
The period after the Empire Strikes Back radio drama was a dark time for Public Radio. Due to circumstances not related to the plays mentioned here, funding of Public Radio was greatly lowered. No more dramas were produced for many years. Finally funds were increased in the nineties. HighBridge Audio released the first two dramas on tape and CD in 1993. Their great success led to the decision to finally make Return of the Jedi. The production team for the original dramas was brought together again and the actors who had starred in the previous dramas were called back to play in this new drama. Unfortunately, Mark Hamill does not play Luke and Billy Dee Williams does not play Lando, but substitutes have replaced them. The new Luke is more serious, but he still serves as a passable Luke. The new Lando also makes a passable imitation of Billy Dee Williams. As always, the music and sound effects are stunning again and in full surround sound. The performances of the actors are wonderful. Paul Hecht again plays the emperor. His voice, though lacking in the sibilant hiss of Ian McDiarmid does have a distinctly evil quality. John Lithgo's performance as Yoda however was a bit of a disappointment. Although he is great in The Empire Strikes Back, he sounds a great deal more human in Return of the Jedi. His death scene is moving though. There is one major flaw in this radio drama. The first two plays had ten to thirteen episodes, which allowed for a great deal of character and story expansion. However, Return of the Jedi only has six. Some of the scenes, such as the destruction of the shield generator, the Rebel fleet's jump into hyperspace, the crash of the Super Star Destroyer Executor and the bulk of the battles had to be abridged. This drama, although not as fulfilling as the previous two, is still a wonderful addition to the trilogy. It has six episodes, each about a half hour long with a total running time of three hours. I would most certainly recommend it for people who like swift entertainment instead of the slow but thorough plodding of the first two plays.
To conclude, I think personally that all three of the above mentioned dramas are astounding. I would recommend purchasing them all. There is a boxed set with all three dramas available for sale. However, another option is the Limited Collector's edition, which features some extras, such as deleted scenes, promotional spots by many of the actors, music, interviews with the cast, and a section that features the Speeder Bike scene without music or sound so we can see how it sounds as it is performed by the actors in the studio. This set also features the "get well" card that was made for Brian Daley just after the last recording session of Return of the Jedi. Although this set is the most expensive, it is much more extensive and provides some interesting little tidbits not found in the regular editions. I would highly recommend any of these sets.
Terrible.......2004-09-26
I am a huge audio book fan. I love almost every Star Wars audio put out to date.
This ranks as one of 3 out of hundreds of audiobooks I have listened to that I couldn't make it through.
The recasting of charecters is so bad as to severly distract from the story. The actors are of great caliber, but in these roles they just do not work.
If I pay $100 for something I want it to soar, not crash. Save you money and just listen to the audio from the movies.
Book Description
Build A Better Galaxy
·Complete character and vehicle descriptions with full info on how to unlock all playable characters
·Locations of all LEGO canisters and red power bricks to make sure you get 100% completion
·Secret LEGO levels revealed
·Thorough walkthrough for Story and Freeplay mode for every level. Don't miss a thing!
Customer Reviews:
Excellent, full color guide with lots of pictures........2007-03-14
Well illustrated and carefully thought out guide. I played the game through the first time without the guide but then bought and read the guide cover to cover before starting the game over again (in Free Play mode). Really added to my enjoyment the second time through. Helped me find things I simply missed the first time. Enjoyable read, especially for a game guide. Great screen captures and art work. Lots of nice extras.
Recommended.......2007-03-09
Good game guide, it's helpful, covering every chapter in full detail, history and free modes, even when sometimes it is not very clear it helps.
It misses some canister locations, among them, the most difficult to find, which is the one in the first chapter, but this is hidden in the elevator ramp behind the crane and it's accessed with one of the cars built in previous sections (attainable only in free mode)
It does not cover the locations for all the red bricks, this would help a lot.
MOM OF STAR WARS FANATIC.......2007-01-19
HE RECEIVED THIS AS A GIFT ALONG WITH THE GAME AND IT HAS BEEN REAL HELPFUL FOR HIM TO GO BACK TO SHOULD HE BE UNSURE AS TO WHAT TO DO IN A CERTIAN AREA OF THE GAME.
Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy Game Guide.......2007-01-04
Very insightful, helps me find most of the items I can't otherwise find.
Lego 2 Game Guide.......2006-11-12
Overall this game manual is helpfull execept for a couple of Minikit Locations are missing in both Episodes 5 & 6, but otherwise it is pretty thourough.
Amazon.com Audiobook Review
Book 3 of the Han Solo trilogy, Rebel Dawn tells the tale of young Han from his winning of the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian in a sabacc tournament to his fateful meeting in the Mos Eisley cantina with Luke and Obi-Wan. Along the way, Han gets his first taste of the Rebel Alliance, and runs afoul of Jabba the Hutt--which comes back to haunt him later. Performer David Pittu's delivery is quiet and controlled, relying more on the sound effects and John Williams's music from the Star Wars Trilogy films for dramatic effect. At times, Pittu's voice is positively deadpan--perhaps allowing the listener to find his own humor in events such as the Wookiee betrothal ceremony (FYI: it involves the male Wookiee killing a small Kashyyykan animal and offering it to the female. If she bites into its soft underbelly, she has accepted the proposal). Ah, romance. (Running time: 3 hours, 2 cassettes) --C.B. Delaney
Book Description
Here is the explosive conclusion of the blockbuster trilogy that chronicles the never-before-told story of the young Han Solo. Set before the Star Wars(r) movie adventures, these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler, and thief.
The Millennium Falcon is "the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy." So when Han Solo wins it in a game of sabacc, he and Chewbacca become kings of the smugglers--uncatchable, unstoppable. But with the Empire clamping down, Han knows his luck can't last. Still, when an old girlfriend who is now the leader of an insurgent Rebel group offers him a shot at an incredible fortune, Han can't resist. The plan seems a sure thing. The resistance will be light and the take enormous. Han and his friends will divide it equally with the Rebels. Too bad for Han that the planet of Ylesia is far from a pushover, that the Rebels have an agenda of their own, and that smuggler friends can often turn into enemies...quicker than lightspeed.
Customer Reviews:
"The Beginning....".......2007-06-28
A GREAT finish to the wonderful Han Solo Trilogy by A.C. Crispin. Alot happens in this book and questions are answered, gaps are filled, and even more insight is given to what makes Han Solo, as we've come to know him through the original set of movies, tick.
A few great things about this book...There's plenty of Boba Fett, Chewbacca AND Lando Calrissian.
What else is really cool about this read is that Crispin ties in several other stories with this book. She tides in the Han Solo trilogy of books into this one. Don't worry, if you haven't read them (I only read At Stars End, currently but am moving on to the next two) you won't be lost. It also ties in the events from the Lando Calrissian Adventures, which I have yet to read (but they're on the way). So, basically this book ties up things that happened from the first book, the second book as well as six other books that are centered around Han and Lando. Crispin did her homework on this one.
There's alot of Hutt scheming and politics in this book as well, just like it's predecessor the Hutt Gambit (another fantastic read) and those were alot of fun to read. You really get a sense of how they operate and what the Hutts are really all about from reading this Trilogy.
I'm sad that I finished all three books in such short order quite frankly, but I couldn't put them down. I would like to see A.C. Crispin come back to the Star Wars universe as she's got a great handle on the characters and the nuances of the galaxy far far away that Lucas created 30 years ago.
I can't recommend this book and the whole trilogy for that matter, highly enough! GREAT trilogy!.
Best of the Trilogy.......2007-03-31
This is the best of the Han Solo Trilogy. It ties in well with other books concerning the time period, and it does a good job of fleshing out the fledgling Rebel Alliance before Luke and Leia join, developing Boba Fett,the Hutts gang war, and has a satisfying conclusion to the Yelasia story. It also does a supurb build up to either New Hope, or the Tales of the Mos Eisely Cantina.
Han's not as cool as we thought.......2007-03-23
This book, though midly entertaining, is not for the old school Star Wars fans that grew up on the original Trilogy. The Han Solo Trilogy lacks the stories of a scoundrel that I expected not to mention creates a love sick sucker out of everyone's unlikely hero. This trilogy also has glaring contradictions and plot holes when taken with the movies and other Star Wars books. This book is for the younger Star Wars fan, the generation that believes Greedo shot first.
Han Solo sets the stage for A New Hope.......2007-03-16
The third book of A. C. Crispin's Han Solo trilogy deals primarily with Han's adventures as two separate Hutt dynasties try to wipe each other out. Chewbacca is back by his side, and Bria Tharen makes a final return appearance. The early part of the book is great fun as Han wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando in a sabacc game. Then Han and Chewie head off for Kashyyyk where Chewie marries his sweetheart Mallatobuck. From there on we are swept up in various Hutt Machiavellian schemes and the efforts of Bria Tharen, now an officer with the Rebel Alliance, to get Han and his smuggler friends to join the rebels. They plan to attack to wipe out slavery on Ylesia and acquire all of the spices and valuable items to fund rebel efforts and to pay Han and his friends.
During part of the book Han moves on to the Corporate Sector where he has numerous adventures that are described in other books. The real focus of this book is to get the characters to the point where A New Hope starts. Ms Crispin succeeds admirably in getting this done. We understand more and more how Han's personality developed, where his mistrust of authority came from, and why he seems to shy away from serious relationships with women. Clearly we know why he strongly resists all efforts to help the Rebel Alliance after Luke and Leia come along. At the conclusion of Rebel Dawn Han and Bria's efforts have led to a victory against the slavers on Ylesia. In return for his efforts and those of his smuggler friends, Han has been promised compensation in the form of valuable spices and extremely valuable antiques from the High Priest's collection. Bria has to break this arrangement to follow orders from her superiors, i.e., keep all of the spices and antiques solely for the rebels to use in funding an attack on what we know is the Death Star. Clearly this does not sit well with Han, and his friends feel that they have been double-crossed by both Han and Bria. The resultant split between Han and Lando that we see in the films now makes more sense.
You have to love the actual ending of the book. Han and Chewie are in Mos Eisley trying to figure out how to get the money they owe Jabba from a failed spice run. The scene feels very familiar.
"Then he started across the crowded cantina, where Chewie, the old man, and the boy sat waiting....
THE BEGINNING"
Excellent conclusion to the Han Solo Trilogy.......2007-01-05
A. C. Crispin brings the Han Solo Trilogy to a terrifically entertaining conclusion in Rebel Dawn. The many plot threads she began in the first two volumes are neatly sewn together. By the end, we have gained a much deeper understanding of what motivates Han and how he became the wary smuggler we met in the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope. In addition to concluding her own plots tidily, Crispin weaves in many entertaining elements of the Expanded Universe from both other novels and comic books.
Rebel Dawn gets underway with the story of how Han won the Millennium Falcon from Lando. The two meet up unintentionally in a sabacc tournament held on Cloud City (nicely tied to The Empire Strikes Back). Han is overjoyed at his victory and surprisingly, this is not the event that caused the bad blood we see between Lando and Han in the films - that happens in the novel's climax and wasn't something Han could have easily prevented.
From Bespin the story carries on to a variety of locales much like the first two books. One interesting challenge Crispin faced in this story, which literally takes Han all the way to his entrance in A New Hope, is she had to work in the three vintage-era Han Solo novels in some capacity, since their events would have to take place somewhere in this part of the timeline. She chose to use short interludes to summarize Han's absence from the main storyline and to recap his adventures in the Corporate Sector. These interludes are smart in that they do not make for any significant redundancy between the Han Solo Trilogy and the old Han Solo Adventures.
Many key elements of Han's character that weren't tackled in the first two books make an appearance here. From the installation of the Falcon's smuggling compartments to how Han made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs to the circumstances surrounding the infamous shipment of Jabba's spice Han was forced to dump, Crispin leaves almost no detail untouched. I also enjoyed the numerous cameos and EU tie-ins, such as Xizor and Guri's appearances (along with a somewhat superfluous "dash" of another Shadows of the Empire character), the final connections to the Nar Shaddaa crowd we meet in Dark Empire, and the raid on the Imperial planet of Toprawa to secure the Death Star plans.
Rebel Dawn cruises to an exciting and gripping climax, in which key characters we haven't seen since The Paradise Snare return and the final pieces all fall into place for Episode IV. Crispin did an excellent job with the Han Solo Trilogy, taking a beloved character and adding to his backstory in many memorable and provocative ways.
Average customer rating:
- Bravo!
- Read it if you must
- Oh dear...
- A good book!
- Better than Jedi Search
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Dark Apprentice (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 2)
Kevin Anderson
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ASIN: 0553297996
Release Date: 1994-06-01 |
Book Description
As the New Republic takes devastating losses in the ongoingwar with the scattered remnants of the Empire, the galaxy's future depends on three small children -- among them the Jedi twins -- born to incredible powers and perils, as an extraordinary new saga unfolds...
While the New Republic struggles to decide what to do with the deadly Sun Crusher -- a new doomsday weapon stolen from the Empire by Han Solo -- the renegade Imperial Admiral Daala uses her fleet of Star Destroyers to conduct guerrilla warfare on peaceful planets. And now she threatens the watery homeworld of Admiral Ackbar. But as the battle for a planet rages, an even greater danger emerges at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy. A brilliant student delves dangerously into the dark side of the Force and unleashes the spirit of an ancient master of the evil order that warped Darth Vader himself. Working together, they may become an enemy greater than the New Republic has ever fought... more powerful than even a Jedi Master can face.
Customer Reviews:
Bravo!.......2006-11-01
I just finished the second installment of the Jedi Academy trilogy and I cannot wait to read the final installment. I was wary at first due to some of the reviews I read about this trilogy but I have to disagree with the majority. I have been a Star Wars fan since birth practically and decided to explore the expanded universe novels. Up until this trilogy I have to say it has been hit and miss some were just lame and yes Timothy Zahn's trilogy was good but this one has more action, more plot and great character development I only hope the last book lives up to the first two.
Read it if you must.......2006-08-02
Good story, terrible writing.
Anderson's prose is trite, unimaginative, and, far too often, simply laughable. Which is a shame because the story is compelling.
This is a key part of the Star Wars extended universe, however. So, read it if you must. But you've been warned.
Oh dear..........2006-04-17
First off I'd like to tell you that this is only the second Star Wars book I've ever read, 'Jedi Search' being the first. I actually liked the first book, it drew upon the Star Wars lore well and was a decent read. However, this book made me groan in so many places that I felt almost compelled to create an account here to have a little rant about it (BE WARNED, THIS MAY CONTAIN A FEW SPOILERS). Thusly:
How much of the book was wasted with overly long descriptions? It reminds me of a 'Little Britain' sketch where a woman author is dictating her new book and starts reading the Bible out to make up the space! I don't mind the story being 20-odd pages shorter if it comes to the point!
For some bizarre reason the author seems to have taken every opportunity to 'ground' the story by CONSTANTLY relating to the Star Wars films. For example, when Wedge and the scientist go to that forest-resort planet and meet the alien ambassador there, he says something along the lines of: I was actually in the cantina in Mos Eisley when Luke met Han and Chewbacca, little did I know the brush I had with history there.... GAHHHHHHH!!! WHY!? HOW DID HE KNOW!? it didn't need it!! *bangs head on desk*
He does this throughout the two books I've read so far!! how about the will to stick your own neck out and come up with something new without 'proving' that it's true by telling the readers that it was from a certain scene in one of the films?
Then there's Admiral Daala. Made an Admiral because of her brilliant military skills and quick thinking.... so what is she doing in this? she's reviewing recordings of speeches given by Tarkin over military tactics and following them to the letter and losing! It's only the end of the second book and she's down to 1 star destroyer! She should live up to her reputation and at least have a few successful campaigns before the inevitable happens. (i.e. the rebellion win)
He then goes on to waste an absolutely brilliant idea, that of having a Jedi Academy (the point of the trilogy!). There's so much that could have been done here - new and original training for the Jedi, but no - he has the Jedi go two-by-two into the forest (holding hands?) to *sense* things... it's meant to be a sci-fi series! something could have been done to make this SO much better!
I was incensed to find that Luke was actually made 'boring' in this book. Part of my motivation for starting to read the series in the first place was to see how Luke had grown. It all started very promisingly in the first book, having learnt that Luke had turned to the dark side and come through it all with the love of his friends and was now more powerful than ever! (cool! I thought). It got to the stage where I'd dread coming back to the Jedi parts of the story because he was so dull.
The other trainee Jedi needed serious character development (they were 1 dimensional!) - entering every scene with Luke surveying them noting how well they were progressing just wasn't good enough.
As other reviewers have said - one of his students goes rogue, somehow gains the knowledge of building a super-lightsabre (great idea btw!! we need more of that!) then is discovered burnt to death in his quarters... and Luke just meditates about it!? *grr*
Okay all that being said it was 'okay' and on the strength of the first book I will be reading the next book (it's like a car accident - you've just got to look!).
A good book!.......2006-03-14
I thought that this was a very good book. Not really one of my favorites, but still a good one.
I also want to say to all of those that try to sniff out all of the little details about the book... Shut Up! Nobody cares if Han Solo was right handed but Kevin J Anderson made him left handed. Nobody cares if Luke wears one glove or two gloves. I mean SHUT UP! It is so annoying. Just enjoy the damn book! It was good and I thought it was very great.
p.s. Kyp Durron is awsome. He was and is my favorite Star Wars character. That is also why I liked this book.
Better than Jedi Search.......2006-02-18
Ok so this is book 2 of the academy trilogy and it is better then jedi search however at times it tends to drag going into detail... so any way the sun crusher is now in the hands of the new republic and the government is trying to figure out what to do with it some say it should be used against the empire others say no.
While this is going on Kyp Durron is now at the Jedi academy preforming briliantly he has surpassed all the other students the problem is he feels like he's being held back.
Admiral Daala has been harasing the New republic with gorilla tactics and is launching an attack against the world of Mon Calamire home world of admiral ackbar.
at the very end of the book the worst thing possible at this time happens and it spells doom for all that stands in its way.
the reading level is around teen and up
Average customer rating:
- Please, no more "kindler, gentler" Han Solo
- another fantastic chapter of Han Solo's back story!
- Midly Entertaining
- Han, Chewie, and the Hutts
- A great continuation of the series
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The Hutt Gambit (Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy, Vol. 2)
A.C. Crispin
Manufacturer: Spectra
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Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)
ASIN: 0553574167
Release Date: 1997-08-11 |
Book Description
Here is the second novel in the blockbuster new trilogy that reveals the never-before-told story of the young Han Solo. Set before the Star Wars(r) movie adventures, these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler and thief.
Solo is now a fugitive from the Imperial Navy. But he has made a valuable friend in a former Wookiee slave named Chewbacca, who has sworn Han a life debt. Han will need all the help he can get. For the Ylesian Hutts have dispatched the dreaded bounty hunter Boba Fett to track down the man who already outsmarted them once. But Han and Chewie find themselves in even bigger trouble when they agree to lend their services to the crime lords Jiliac and Jabba the Hutt. Suddenly the two smugglers are thrust into the middle of a battle between the might of the Empire and the treachery of their outlaw allies...a battle where even victory means death!
Customer Reviews:
Please, no more "kindler, gentler" Han Solo.......2007-09-06
Ann Crispin's "Han Solo Trilogy" fills out some interesting details of the Star Wars universe. However, it lacks the edge and grittiness of some of the better Star Wars novels (particularly those by Timothy Zahn). Although Han is supposed to be a "scoundrel," you'd never know it from these books; Crispin goes out of her way to portray him as a nice, sweet guy who might enjoy an afternoon feeding ducks in the park.
"The Hutt Gambit" feels almost like a young-adult novel; the dialogue is bright and cheerful and the characters never seem to be in any serious jeopardy. If you thought Greedo shooting first was an improvement, you'll probably enjoy this.
another fantastic chapter of Han Solo's back story!.......2007-06-23
Once again Crispin delivers a fast paced, fun and informative look at the early years of everyone's favorite Star Wars scoundrel, Han Solo.
This one picks up several years after The Paradise Snare. Lots has happened to Han between the first book and this one, and lots happens during this book as well!
Without getting into many spoilers (at lest nothing that's not on the back of the jacket of the book) we see how Han meets Jabba, Chewbacca, Lando, his first flight with a very special ship, how he becomes the reluctant hero YET AGAIN..all great stuff.
In addition, there's appearances from some 'old' faces, both from the original Trilogy of movies as well as the previous book.
Great action, characterization and nods to the Star Wars Universe are all over the place in this book.
Highly recommended to any star wars fan!
Midly Entertaining.......2007-03-23
This book, though midly entertaining, is not for the old school Star Wars fans that grew up on the original Trilogy. The Han Solo Trilogy lacks the stories of a scoundrel that I expected. This trilogy also has glaring contradictions and plot holes when taken with the movies and other Star Wars books. This book is for the younger Star Wars fan, the generation that believes Greedo shot first.
Han, Chewie, and the Hutts.......2007-03-16
In this second book of the Han Solo trilogy, Ms Crispin takes us on Han's journey from his days as a cadet at the Imperial Space Academy through a number of adventures working as a pilot for the Hutts and ending up fending off an attack by Imperial forces. At the Academy, Cadet Solo spends four years preparing for a career in the Imperial Navy and developing his skills as a pilot. He graduates and spends four years as an officer before his career is cut short when he rescues a Wookie slave from ill treatment at the hands of a superior officer. The result is a dishonorable discharge. However, the Wookie, who turns out to be our old friend Chewbacca, swears a life debt to Han and promises to follow him everywhere. Obviously the entire Star Wars experience is much richer because of this incident.
Han and Chewie then move on to Nar Shaddaa, the Smugglers' Moon, where they smuggle shipments of spice to designated locations and make various runs for the Hutts, including Jabba. It is also during this period that the High Priest on Ylesia realizes that Han Solo was in fact the individual who caused them so much trouble several years earlier. He contracts with the galaxy's best bounty hunter, who else but Boba Fett, to capture Solo and return him to Ylesia to be killed. Fett's efforts to capture Han are stymied by a new character, a charming rogue named Lando Calrissian. Such introductions are the most fascinating part of learning Han Solo's backstory. Han, Chewie, Lando, Boba, Jabba - they're all here.
The Empire begins to move against the Hutts' lawless territory by authorizing Moff Sarn Shild to blockade Nal Hutta and turn the Smugglers' moon into molten slag. Through a combination of bribes, devious machinations by the Empire, and heroic deeds by Han and his fellow smugglers, the Empire's forces are thwarted. At the end of the story, Han is trying to figure out how to make money and go on with the rest of his life. His plans include coming up with enough money to go to Bespin and participate in an extremely high-stakes sabacc game. I suspect there in the third book we will run in to Lando again and learn of the acquisition of the Millennium Falcon. All of this is simply great fun as we continue to understand the forces in Han Solo's life that got him to the character he was when we first met him in A New Hope. On to the third book of the trilogy.
A great continuation of the series.......2007-01-18
I have been re-reading this trilogy for the first time in ten years. Again, the books have held up great and are just as good as they were the first time I read them.
The Hutt Gambit expands the scope of the this trilogy and begins to introduce favorite characters from the original film trilogy. While the book skips over Han Solo's days in the Imperial Navy, it picks up with explaining how and why he was drummed out of the service and introduces Chewbacca and the start of his and Han's friendship. From there we learn about Han's first exploits in smuggling and his first shot at the Kessel Run, his first meeting with Jabba the Hutt, and how he develops into the famous smuggler that will appear in A New Hope.
Ann Crispin continues to write Han Solo in a way that feels genuine and faithful to Harrison Ford's performance. The story is bigger than that of The Paradise Snare, and the cast of characters includes old favorites, some additional characters from the Expanded Universe (like some of the smugglers on Nar Shaddaa) while introducing some original characters that I thought fit in nicely, even if they were only in the book briefly, like Xaverri.
For Star Wars fans it is a must read, and for everyone else it is definitely worth the time as a fun space opera book that is easy to read but still contains genuine emotion and heart.
Average customer rating:
- Read it if you must
- A Fine Book!
- What a great finale to the Jedi Academy Trilogy.
- Anderson's grand finale.
- The Jedi Academy Trilogy
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Champions of the Force (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 3)
Kevin Anderson
Manufacturer: Spectra
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ASIN: 055329802X
Release Date: 1994-09-01 |
Book Description
Suspended helplessly between life and death, Luke Skywalker lies in state at the Jedi academy. But on the spirit plane, Luke fights desperately for survival, reaching out physically to the Jedi twins. At the same time, Leia is on a life-and-death mission of her own, a race against Imperial agents hoping to destroy a third Jedi child -- Leia and Han's baby Anakin -- hidden on the planet Anoth. Meanwhile, Luke's former protÚgÚ Kyp Durron has pirated the deadly Sun Crusher on an apocalyptic mission of mass destruction, convinced he is fighting for a just cause. Hunting down the rogue warrior, Han must persuade Kyp to renounce his dark crusade and regain his lost honor. To do it, Kyp must take the Sun Crusher on a suicide mission against the awesome Death Star prototype -- a battle Han knows they may be unable to win... even with Luke Skywalker at their side!
Customer Reviews:
Read it if you must.......2006-08-02
Good story, terrible writing.
Anderson's prose is trite, unimaginative, and, far too often, simply laughable. Which is a shame because the story is compelling.
This is a key part of the Star Wars extended universe, however. So, read it if you must. But you've been warned.
A Fine Book!.......2006-03-14
I love the Jedi Academy Series and I love this book. I really like this book out of the series. A great way to wrap up a fantastic series.
Not much more to say, I just loved this book very much.
What a great finale to the Jedi Academy Trilogy........2005-12-19
My goodness. I deeply enjoyed this book and Dark Apprentice, both of which express the challenge of the jedi and the temptation of the dark side. The trilogy explains of how Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi praxeum (academy) and how his students are tempted to the dark side by Exar Kun, an ancient sith lord who had had his spirit entrapped in the New Jedi Order's temple on Yavin IV.
The highest ranked female officer in the Empire everywhere, Admiral Daala, is trying to become a force to be reckoned with in the galaxy, along with her force of four Star Destroyers (of which has been halved since the beginning of the trilogy). Daala is a suicidal commander, and is sacrificing ship after ship to the attempt to wound the New Republic. You can guess where this crusade will end.
Kyp Durron, the greatest of Luke's students, embraces the dark side and decides to become the Lord of the Sith. He takes a stolen doomsday device, the Sun Crusher (which destroys entire systems instead of just planets like the Death Star), and goes on a rampage throughout the core worlds, destroying three star bodies before coming to his senses again.
I will not give the entire book series, but that is a general outline. It is very good for any fan of Star Wars or the science fiction genre in general. Kevin J. Anderson is not the best author, and sometimes I notice screwups in his writing, and I am not exactly a professional. Also, I looked through his acknowledgements, and he says he has someone transcribe the story through tapes. There is lazy for you. :-)
This book contains much about the Star Wars Universe and I recommend it to all. It has a fairly complex plot, and yet is simple at the same time. Also, everyone should read the Thrawn trilogy. It is quite obvious that THAT book series is my most favorite.
Long live the Galactic Empire!
Your lord and master,
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Anderson's grand finale........2005-11-25
Champions of the Force concludes Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Academy Trilogy which began with Jedi Search and built up to the cliffhanger ending at the end of Dark Apprentice before delivering the payoff in this novel. Luke Skywalker lies comatose in the Jedi Academy hanging between life and death, the result of a battle with the spirit of Exar Kun, the Dark Lord whose spirit has corrupted Kyp Duron, Luke's most powerful student, and led him on the path to the Dark Side of the Force. Luke reaches out to Jacen and Jaina Solo, his nephew and niece for their help. Meanwhile, Luke's sister, Leia Organa-Solo, has a fight of her own, as she races to the planet Anoth to rescue her youngest son Anakin Solo before Imperial forces can destroy the young Jedi child. Kyp Duron is using the Sun Crusher to destroy star systems loyal to the Empire, which he believes to be a noble cause, but this is a heinous act which will continue to have impact decades after the end of this story. Admiral Daala is still seeking to strike at the New Republic, using her Death Star prototype. Other Star Wars favorites are included here--Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, C-3PO and R2-D2. Champions of the Force is a superb finale to Kevin Anderson's excellent trilogy, and I recommend these books for all Star Wars enthusiasts.
The Jedi Academy Trilogy.......2005-10-02
The Jedi Academy Trilogy (1994.) A three-book Star Wars saga by Kevin J. Anderson.
NOTE: This review is for the entire trilogy.
INTRODUCTION:
The Star Wars film series is, without question, the greatest science fiction series of all time. George Lucas captured the minds of people young and old across the world. But as anyone knows, there are only a limited number of films, and for many people, this just wasn't enough. And thus, the Star Wars Expanded Universe was born. The Expanded Universe consisted of comic books, video games, novels, and other media. Many of the stories focused on the characters in the films, many focused on unknown characters from the same universe. Among the authors who tried their hands at creating Star Wars novels was Kevin J Anderson. He was a fairly notable science fiction author, and the middle of the nineties, he wrote several Star Wars novels. One of his best-known Star Wars projects was the Jedi Academy Trilogy, released in the middle of the decade. Read on to see how the series measures up!
OVERVIEW:
The Jedi Academy Trilogy occurs seven years after Return of the Jedi. It takes place right between the Dark Empire comic book series and the novel Children of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker has a dream to find force-endowed beings across the galaxy, so that he may train them at his new Jedi Academy. This way, a new line of Jedi Knights can protect the New Republic, just as the original Knights defended the Old Republic before its collapse. Luke sets out to find candidates for his Academy, while Han Solo and Chewbacca get themselves into a dangerous situation. Even after escaping their first of these dangerous situations, they wander into something even worse - and discover some long-lost Imperial remants, working on a weapon capable of wiping out an entire solar system. This is a three-book saga.
REVIEW:
Overall, I would have to say that the Jedi Academy Trilogy is probably the finest multi-work piece of Star Wars literature that I have read thusfar. Kevin J. Anderson is an excellent author, and he does every aspect of the universe excellently. I'm surprised to see the stories in this saga get such a backlash from fans - I found them to be every bit as enjoyable as the more widely-revered Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. In fact, I prefer Anderson's writing style over Zahn's. A little word of advice - if you've just finished the Thrawn Trilogy, and you want to read what's next in the series, DO NOT IMMEDIATELY START THE JEDI ACADEMY TRILOGY! READ THE DARK EMPIRE COMIC BOOKS FIRST! I didn't read Dark Empire first, and it's a very important story occuring between Zahn's Trilogy and Anderson's. If you don't read it, you'll be left confused at many of the comments made in the book about a resurrected Emperor Palpatine. Overall I really enjoyed this Trilogy of Anderson's. He's one of the best Expanded Universe novels, and if you need proof, read this saga.
EDITION NOTES:
The Jedi Academy Trilogy remains very popular, so it's not surprising to see that its books are still in print and readily available. If you want to read them, most bookstores carry them, so they shouldn't be too hard to come across.
OVERALL:
In the end, this trilogy flat-out rules. Where many Expanded Universe authors have failed, Anderson succeeds with flying colors. If you're just getting into the Expanded Universe, I recommend starting where the movies left off and working your way through all of the stories up to this one before reading it. Trust me on that one. Overall, any Star Wars fan should get a real kick out of Anderson's Trilogy. Highly recommended! Five stars.
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- A VERY good start to an intriguing series
- Awful. Plain awful. Who ARE these characters?
- Do some Jedi re-search and don't search out this trilogy
- Terrible. I couldn't even finish it. It's that bad
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Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Vol. 1)
Kevin Anderson
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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I, Jedi (Star Wars)
ASIN: 0553297988
Release Date: 1994-02-01 |
Book Description
As the war between the Republic and the scattered remnants of the Empire continues, two children--the Jedi twins--will come into their powers in a universe on the brink of vast changes and challenges. In this time of turmoil and discovery, an extraordinary new Star Wars saga begins....
While Luke Skywalker takes the first step toward setting up an academy to train a new order of Jedi Knights, Han Solo and Chewbacca are taken prisoner on the planet Kessel and forced to work in the fathomless depths of a spice mine. But when Hans and Chewie break away, they flee desperately to a secret imperial research laboratory surrounded by a cluster of black holes--and go from one danger to a far greater one....
On Kessel, Luke picks up the trail of his two friends, only to come face to face with a weapon so awesome, it can wipe out an entire solar system. It is a death ship called the Sun Crusher, invented by a reclusive genius and piloted by none other than Han himself...
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
I think this is around when Star Wars publishing started to explode, and I gave up as it was looking to be not too interesting.
The Ambiguously Evil Woman vs Luke is a bit of fun, though.
As I have found out, Anderson writes things at a furious pace, so that he makes a nice living, so this is what you have to expect.
A VERY good start to an intriguing series.......2007-08-22
I was very sceptical before picking up this book. I read a lot of reviews saying it was boring and not well written, and boy am I glad I didn't listen. Jedi Search has a couple of great story lines going on. First and fore most is Luke's quest to find force sensitive canidates for his new Jedi Academy. The second story line is about Han and Chewie on a diplomatic mission to the planet Kessel that of coarse goes terribly wrong. I highly reccomend reading the Jedi Academy series BEFORE the novel I, Jedi since parts of I, Jedi will give away a lot of the story line in the rest of the series.
Awful. Plain awful. Who ARE these characters?.......2007-06-29
The entire Jedi Academy trilogy is terrible. The story has some potential, but the lackluster prose really doesn't serve it as well.
But perhaps worse than that...Kevin Anderson doesn't seem to know ANYTHING about the characters he is writing for. One of the things that Zahn does so well (and what makes the Thrawn series so good) is that he takes characters from the film, who we all know, and expands their story - but he stays true to them the entire way.
Throughout the Jedi Academy trilogy, I found myself constantly thinking "these characters are not true to the ones already created". Even their tone and dialogue does not ring true for me.
Also, let me just point out that, as described by Anderson, the game of sabbac has NO gambling involved, and it is purely a game of chance. Lando is supposedly a brilliant gambler, yet it appears that his game of choice (as Anderson sees it) is nothing more than a simple game of random chance, with no skill or cunning involved whatsoever.
Terrible, terrible books. I feel bad for Zahn for having to acknowledge, albeit slightly, the content of these books as canon when he wrote the last two Thrawn books.
Do some Jedi re-search and don't search out this trilogy.......2007-05-22
I read this trilogy when there wasn't any other Star Wars stuff out there I hadn't read. Even without the prequel trilogy invalidating the continuity of these novels, these novels had problems. I'm surprised that I made it to the end of Vol. 3.
We now know a lot more about being a Jedi Master than Luke did in these books, and his academy was not much like the Jedi Order as portrayed by Lucas. And the impossibility of a Sith retaining his identity beyond his physical death (when love is the key to doing so) d
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