hstapp's review against another edition
2.0
I'm always excited for books that don't focus on the main cast, especially if they don't even feature in them. Han, Luke and Leia can't do everything. I however, didn't find this book particularly exciting.
I feel like I didn't get a good feel for the characters. The heroes and the villains both remain distant to me in my mind. The plot itself was interesting enough, though nothing outstanding.
The book is set up as a mystery. Our protagonists are trying to find who is behind the trade in a dangerous new spice. And I think the clues we get don't add greatly to the tension and are a little to obvious. The reveal isn't exciting. The reader probably figured it out long ago, and isn't invested enough in the characters for it to have the punch that it should.
I feel like I didn't get a good feel for the characters. The heroes and the villains both remain distant to me in my mind. The plot itself was interesting enough, though nothing outstanding.
The book is set up as a mystery. Our protagonists are trying to find who is behind the trade in a dangerous new spice. And I think the clues we get don't add greatly to the tension and are a little to obvious. The reveal isn't exciting. The reader probably figured it out long ago, and isn't invested enough in the characters for it to have the punch that it should.
colinmcev's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't have high expectations when I started Scourge. This is partially because it's the novelization of a roleplaying game sourcebook and, although Star Wars are my "guilty pleasure" reading and I don't necessarily expect great literature for them, the idea of that still didn't appeal to me. (I also have to admit that the cheap-looking book cover turned me off a bit too; it literally looks like something off of the package of a knockoff Star Wars Halloween costume package.) But I was pleasantly surprised to find that Scourge was a quite enjoyable read. It's perhaps not the greatest Star Wars books out there, but it's well-written, fast-paced, and maintained my interest from beginning to end. In fact, you can tell it's adapted from an RPG sourcebook because of the many action sequences throughout the book. Nearly as soon as one ends, another one starts, and so the book certainly never gets boring.
None of the main heroes from the films like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Princess Leia are present for this one, but fans of Star Wars books already know that novels set in this fictional universe can be very enjoyable even with completely new characters, and Scourge is no exception. In fact, the characters were one of the book's biggest strengths. The trio of Jedi Knight Mander Zuma, blue-skinned spacer Reen Irana, and Bothan mechanic Eddey Be'ray were strong protagonists with a good dynamic with each other. Zuma in particular is a Jedi Knight quite unlike the ones we're used to seeing (as the other characters in the book constantly point out to him). At least at the start of the story, his combat skills are quite limited; he has little connection with his lightsaber, a weapon that most Jedi feel as if it were an extension of themselves. But his experience as an "archivist" (or a "librarian," as Irana repeatedly calls him) gives him unique approach to the Force. He thinks outside the box, is able to process and analyze dangerous situations in creative ways, and it made Zuma a more enjoyable character than your straightforward Jedi would have been.
Plus, I personally love Star Wars stories involving Hutts (I was a huge Jabba fan back in my childhood) and the fact that Hutts were so central to this story meant a lot of interesting secondary characters as well. I mean, this book actually gives us Force sensitive Hutts, and a Hutt wearing body armor and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. How cool is that?! A particularly strong character (perhaps the strongest) is Mika the Hutt, the youngest son of a minor crime lord, who is unlike any Hutt character we've ever seen in a Star Wars story before, and who is constantly full of surprises throughout the entire progression of the book.
If I weren't such a completionist when it comes to Star Wars novels, I probably would have skipped Scourge, particularly because it's a standalone novel with little connection to the franchise's major characters and storyline. But I'm ultimately glad I read it, and I imagine most Star Wars fans would find it to be a quick, enjoyable read.
None of the main heroes from the films like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Princess Leia are present for this one, but fans of Star Wars books already know that novels set in this fictional universe can be very enjoyable even with completely new characters, and Scourge is no exception. In fact, the characters were one of the book's biggest strengths. The trio of Jedi Knight Mander Zuma, blue-skinned spacer Reen Irana, and Bothan mechanic Eddey Be'ray were strong protagonists with a good dynamic with each other. Zuma in particular is a Jedi Knight quite unlike the ones we're used to seeing (as the other characters in the book constantly point out to him). At least at the start of the story, his combat skills are quite limited; he has little connection with his lightsaber, a weapon that most Jedi feel as if it were an extension of themselves. But his experience as an "archivist" (or a "librarian," as Irana repeatedly calls him) gives him unique approach to the Force. He thinks outside the box, is able to process and analyze dangerous situations in creative ways, and it made Zuma a more enjoyable character than your straightforward Jedi would have been.
Plus, I personally love Star Wars stories involving Hutts (I was a huge Jabba fan back in my childhood) and the fact that Hutts were so central to this story meant a lot of interesting secondary characters as well. I mean, this book actually gives us Force sensitive Hutts, and a Hutt wearing body armor and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. How cool is that?! A particularly strong character (perhaps the strongest) is Mika the Hutt, the youngest son of a minor crime lord, who is unlike any Hutt character we've ever seen in a Star Wars story before, and who is constantly full of surprises throughout the entire progression of the book.
If I weren't such a completionist when it comes to Star Wars novels, I probably would have skipped Scourge, particularly because it's a standalone novel with little connection to the franchise's major characters and storyline. But I'm ultimately glad I read it, and I imagine most Star Wars fans would find it to be a quick, enjoyable read.
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
This novel isn't that bad. I didn't know what to expect of it -- I've never seen it come up in lists of the better Expanded Universe books -- but Grubb does a decent job of telling a Star Wars story without featuring any key franchise players and genuinely expanding the universe.
It's unfortunate that the key twist of the story was obvious, and the story suffers a bit for feeling out of place in the timeline (it feels much more like a Clone Wars-era story than one set after the Thrawn novels), but it surprised me. I have to give it credit for that alone.
It's unfortunate that the key twist of the story was obvious, and the story suffers a bit for feeling out of place in the timeline (it feels much more like a Clone Wars-era story than one set after the Thrawn novels), but it surprised me. I have to give it credit for that alone.
internpepper's review against another edition
3.0
A very slow start, but once the story gets going, it never lets go. There are no references to movies or other books; this is very much a standalone adventure.
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