dbzvin's review against another edition
4.0
Chuck Wendig hit a home run with his sequel to Aftermath.
Still lots of quirky writing found here and there that make you twitch like the first one. But you easily get past it when Wendig opens up the characters' scope.
Introducing new and old from Star Wars expanded universe, it paints a much clearer picture for the sequel trilogy.
Still lots of quirky writing found here and there that make you twitch like the first one. But you easily get past it when Wendig opens up the characters' scope.
Introducing new and old from Star Wars expanded universe, it paints a much clearer picture for the sequel trilogy.
dam_aaron's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
stef_readss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
My fav book in the trilogy so far.
kennaf's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
oles's review against another edition
5.0
Eine Trilogie, welche zwischen den Ereignissen von Episode 6 und 7 der Star Wars Saga spielt und von den Kritiken gelobt wurde.
Als ausgewachsener Star Wars Fan musste ich zuschlagen.
Wendig beschreibt die Geschichte angenehm und fesselnd. Er lässt beim Beschreiben genug Platz für die eigene Imagination.
Ich freute mich nahezu jeden Tag darauf abends in diesem Buch weiterzulesen. Man möchte förmlich gar nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen.
Die ganze Trilogie ist genial!
Eine Empfehlung für alle Star Wars Fans, die mal etwas anderes als Star Wars in Form von Filmen erleben wollen.
Als ausgewachsener Star Wars Fan musste ich zuschlagen.
Wendig beschreibt die Geschichte angenehm und fesselnd. Er lässt beim Beschreiben genug Platz für die eigene Imagination.
Ich freute mich nahezu jeden Tag darauf abends in diesem Buch weiterzulesen. Man möchte förmlich gar nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen.
Die ganze Trilogie ist genial!
Eine Empfehlung für alle Star Wars Fans, die mal etwas anderes als Star Wars in Form von Filmen erleben wollen.
theamazingmrg's review against another edition
4.0
Better than the first one by some margin. It gives some major clues about how the situation in TFA came about and the characters introduced in Aftermath are fleshed out further.
Wendifs writing style is still irritating though, and characterisations of iconic Star Wars characters are a little off. I'd rate this 3.5, but I'm giving it 4 to counteract some if the 1s I've seen here. To me, a 1 is reserved for those books with absolutely no redeeming features. This has new canon and lots of Cookies, so deserves a 2 even if you hate it!
Wendifs writing style is still irritating though, and characterisations of iconic Star Wars characters are a little off. I'd rate this 3.5, but I'm giving it 4 to counteract some if the 1s I've seen here. To me, a 1 is reserved for those books with absolutely no redeeming features. This has new canon and lots of Cookies, so deserves a 2 even if you hate it!
awishman's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this second installment a lot. I really love these characters. A found family vibe that just works for me.
jayspa65's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Life Debt picks up sometime after the first novel in the series Aftermath, still following our motley band of heroes as they track down Imperial war criminals and bring them back to the New Republic for justice. The novel takes a turn about halfway through when Princess Leia approaches our heroes telling them that her husband Han Solo has gone missing and she wants them to find him and bring him back home. Leia doesn’t have much to go on, but she knows that Han was wrapped up somehow in trying to liberate Chewie’s homeworld Kashyyyk from the Empire, so that is where our team starts looking. Since this is a Star Wars novel, it was never in doubt that Norra, Snap, Jas, Sinjar and Jom would ever find Han and it was simply about the journey and the obstacles they’d overcome to reach that point. Upon finding Han, the crew then sets off to achieve an even larger goal, the liberation of Kashyyyk a battle that takes up the third act of the novel.
Overall, the characters in this novel are competently written and I actually enjoyed the group dynamic between our heroes. Sinjar, a former Imperial loyalty officer, is earnestly seeking redemption for his past sins and Jas Emari a cold bounty hunter, much to her chagrin , is slowly drawn to the orbit of a cause greater than herself, something she never wanted. In a sense, Jas is almost the Han Solo of the group, she starts off as the same selfish, self-centered individual we see from Han at the beginning of a A New Hope but slowly finds herself enjoying the family and friends that her new liaison with the New Republic have brought her. These two characters show significant growth in the novel and I enjoyed them. The banter within our group of Imperial Hunters is well done, funny, sharp and quippy and you actually quite enjoy their group dynamic. Mr. Bones, a modified B1 battle droid made infamous in the Prequel trilogy is also a good addition here, (even if he is a blatant HK-47 ripoff, but I digress) as he provided some well needed humor. The group dynamic overall in this commando unit was well done.
This brings me to my soapbox. Star Wars is unique in the pantheon of Science Fiction/Fantasy in that it is both. None of the post Return of the Jedi books have dealt with either Luke or the Jedi, nor have they provided any insight into the Force, that hokey religion that provides the fantasy of the Universe. Sadly this is a sin committed by Life Debt. Without Luke, there is barely any mention of the Force; there are no cool Jedi feats, no Lightsaber battles, no force acrobatics and certainly no Force Lightning. Without that element, you are missing a key component of what makes Star Wars great, you lose the wonder, the sense of adventure, the mysticism that makes this universe work. In its stead all you have is space opera with a sprinkling of cool bounty hunters, a couple of great Space battles all of which are serviceable but nothing special.
Overall, I found Life Debt certainly better than Aftermath. It’s serviceable but not spectacular, good but not great. With the inclusion of characters like Han and Leia, its scope feels bigger this time and it does do a better job of moving the universe forward. We begin to see the nascent creation of the New Republic and how early but well-meaning mistakes will doom the Republic thirty years later in the Force Awakens. If you are a Star Wars buff this is obviously a must read, but I’d be hard pressed to recommend this novel to anyone outside the fandom.
Overall, the characters in this novel are competently written and I actually enjoyed the group dynamic between our heroes. Sinjar, a former Imperial loyalty officer, is earnestly seeking redemption for his past sins and Jas Emari a cold bounty hunter, much to her chagrin , is slowly drawn to the orbit of a cause greater than herself, something she never wanted. In a sense, Jas is almost the Han Solo of the group, she starts off as the same selfish, self-centered individual we see from Han at the beginning of a A New Hope but slowly finds herself enjoying the family and friends that her new liaison with the New Republic have brought her. These two characters show significant growth in the novel and I enjoyed them. The banter within our group of Imperial Hunters is well done, funny, sharp and quippy and you actually quite enjoy their group dynamic. Mr. Bones, a modified B1 battle droid made infamous in the Prequel trilogy is also a good addition here, (even if he is a blatant HK-47 ripoff, but I digress) as he provided some well needed humor. The group dynamic overall in this commando unit was well done.
This brings me to my soapbox. Star Wars is unique in the pantheon of Science Fiction/Fantasy in that it is both. None of the post Return of the Jedi books have dealt with either Luke or the Jedi, nor have they provided any insight into the Force, that hokey religion that provides the fantasy of the Universe. Sadly this is a sin committed by Life Debt. Without Luke, there is barely any mention of the Force; there are no cool Jedi feats, no Lightsaber battles, no force acrobatics and certainly no Force Lightning. Without that element, you are missing a key component of what makes Star Wars great, you lose the wonder, the sense of adventure, the mysticism that makes this universe work. In its stead all you have is space opera with a sprinkling of cool bounty hunters, a couple of great Space battles all of which are serviceable but nothing special.
Overall, I found Life Debt certainly better than Aftermath. It’s serviceable but not spectacular, good but not great. With the inclusion of characters like Han and Leia, its scope feels bigger this time and it does do a better job of moving the universe forward. We begin to see the nascent creation of the New Republic and how early but well-meaning mistakes will doom the Republic thirty years later in the Force Awakens. If you are a Star Wars buff this is obviously a must read, but I’d be hard pressed to recommend this novel to anyone outside the fandom.
cja3288's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jessseadoesstuff's review against another edition
3.0
I don't remember when I finished this or fully how it ended. But it was fun.