mareliweb1's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
All the points of view were very confusing. I thought the choice to write in third person limited was an interesting choice but the characters thoughts seemed so childish that it didn’t match up with reality. The ending was lackluster for me.
darthktulu's review against another edition
1.0
This author tried to make "Battlestar Galactica meets Star Wars" and failed at it. I honestly don't know why Disney keeps giving canon novels to people who don't know Star Wars enough to write a story set in it. DJ Older is a good writer but I don't think his style worked here. Disney should be more careful making sure writers can fit their storytelling to this universe......and I have to say this: Also more careful hiring actual writers *cough* Chuck Wendig *cough cough*
hamlet71's review against another edition
5.0
oh wow I really loved this book. Older really got all the parts of Han and Lando correct and it was fun to see them together again. This is the first Star Wars book that I really want to read again. I really enjoyed where we went and the characters we met and getting to see more into characters that we already knew.
taberiusrex's review against another edition
3.0
This book was... interesting. As a science fiction adventure, it was great. As an examination of how galactic heroes approach their respective mid-life crises amidst the specter of their pasts coming back to haunt them, it's intriguing. But as a Star Wars book... Well, my biggest issue is with the ending, so read no further if you want to avoid spoilers.
The thing is, I think this is an important story to tell, especially in the new canon. We know that Han Solo and Leia Organa aren't the best of parents, so reading Han's struggles with fatherhood and what that means for his self-image (and how the life of a scoundrel didn't emotionally prepare him to be a father and husband) gives us a critical idea of why not. But it comes across as hollow.
Lando's story has a similar ring to it, though for him it's the question of whether or not he's ready to settle down. Lando's story rings truer because... well, his future isn't set like Han's is. We don't know what happens next for Lando, so we don't draw any conclusions. Maybe he'll be happy being committed to Kaasha, or maybe he'll decide he's not ready. We can hope for a happy ending, but we'll also understand it doesn't work out.
I think a more natural ending would have involved Han deciding he wasn't ready to be completely tied down—earlier scenes with him as a quasi-politician foreshadowed that conclusion. Instead, he might have realized that he could still do some good as a scoundrel, and gone looking for a balance between the role he understands (smuggler) and the one he doesn't but wants to learn (father). It would give us more tension as we realize this decision puts some of the strain on his relationship with his family that later makes Ben Solo vulnerable to the Dark Side.
Instead, we get a forced happy ending, with everyone preparing to settle into traditional family roles, albeit flipped somewhat, with Leia being the breadwinner and Han as the caretaker. I get that it's supposed to be more tragic if Ben's transformation into Kylo Ren shattered the family, but I think it would make more sense if the fractures were already there, driving Ben to this future.
Three stars, since it's easily readable and hard to put down, but it's a low three.
The thing is, I think this is an important story to tell, especially in the new canon. We know that Han Solo and Leia Organa aren't the best of parents, so reading Han's struggles with fatherhood and what that means for his self-image (and how the life of a scoundrel didn't emotionally prepare him to be a father and husband) gives us a critical idea of why not. But it comes across as hollow.
Lando's story has a similar ring to it, though for him it's the question of whether or not he's ready to settle down. Lando's story rings truer because... well, his future isn't set like Han's is. We don't know what happens next for Lando, so we don't draw any conclusions. Maybe he'll be happy being committed to Kaasha, or maybe he'll decide he's not ready. We can hope for a happy ending, but we'll also understand it doesn't work out.
I think a more natural ending would have involved Han deciding he wasn't ready to be completely tied down—earlier scenes with him as a quasi-politician foreshadowed that conclusion. Instead, he might have realized that he could still do some good as a scoundrel, and gone looking for a balance between the role he understands (smuggler) and the one he doesn't but wants to learn (father). It would give us more tension as we realize this decision puts some of the strain on his relationship with his family that later makes Ben Solo vulnerable to the Dark Side.
Instead, we get a forced happy ending, with everyone preparing to settle into traditional family roles, albeit flipped somewhat, with Leia being the breadwinner and Han as the caretaker. I get that it's supposed to be more tragic if Ben's transformation into Kylo Ren shattered the family, but I think it would make more sense if the fractures were already there, driving Ben to this future.
Three stars, since it's easily readable and hard to put down, but it's a low three.
nicole12's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
jadsam_'s review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
jarichan's review against another edition
4.0
Dieses Star Wars-Buch hat sich inner kürzester Zeit zu einem meiner Lieblinge hochgearbeitet. Und dabei schien es noch nicht einmal anstrengend zu sein. Ich las und das Buch nistete sich in meinem Herzen ein.
Anfangs verwirrten mich die Zeitsprünge ein wenig. Mal Gegenwart, dann zehn Jahre zurück, zwanzig, fünfzehn... Aber bald hatte ich den Dreh raus und wusste, war sich wann in welcher Zeitachse bewegt. Man muss sich einfach etwas an diese Rückblenden gewöhnen. Wer aber sonst schon etwas Mühe mit Zeitsprüngen hat, sollte hier aufmerksam sein.
Ansonsten hat dieser Titel alles, was mein StarWars-Fanherz begehrt: gute Dialoge, eine rasante Handlung und vor allem Eiblicke in das Leben, Denken und Fühlen der geliebten Figuren, wie man sie bisher nicht kannte. Beziehungen werden vertieft oder entdeckt (Papa Han!), Geheimnisse gelüftet und überhaupt erlebt man seine Helden auf eine ganz neue Weise.
Older schreibt flüssig, einfach gehalten, wie man das von den Star Wars-Büchern kennt, aber trotzdem nicht allzu simpel. Jede Seite war ein Genuss, der Lesespass enorm. Definitiv eines jener Bücher aus dem Universum, das Seinesgleichen sucht.
Anfangs verwirrten mich die Zeitsprünge ein wenig. Mal Gegenwart, dann zehn Jahre zurück, zwanzig, fünfzehn... Aber bald hatte ich den Dreh raus und wusste, war sich wann in welcher Zeitachse bewegt. Man muss sich einfach etwas an diese Rückblenden gewöhnen. Wer aber sonst schon etwas Mühe mit Zeitsprüngen hat, sollte hier aufmerksam sein.
Ansonsten hat dieser Titel alles, was mein StarWars-Fanherz begehrt: gute Dialoge, eine rasante Handlung und vor allem Eiblicke in das Leben, Denken und Fühlen der geliebten Figuren, wie man sie bisher nicht kannte. Beziehungen werden vertieft oder entdeckt (Papa Han!), Geheimnisse gelüftet und überhaupt erlebt man seine Helden auf eine ganz neue Weise.
Older schreibt flüssig, einfach gehalten, wie man das von den Star Wars-Büchern kennt, aber trotzdem nicht allzu simpel. Jede Seite war ein Genuss, der Lesespass enorm. Definitiv eines jener Bücher aus dem Universum, das Seinesgleichen sucht.
farrawayreads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
delapatent's review against another edition
Horribly written. Probably not the target demographic. May be awesome for due hard fanboys?
sandraagee's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to this on audio. I don't know if all of the new Star Wars audiobooks are like this as this is my first, but the production quality was AMAZING. There are lots of sound effects - droid bleeps, Wookie howls, background music, blaster fire, wooshing doors - that really make this a first-rate listen. My only complaint - and unfortunately it's kind of a big one - is that 36-42 Han (depending on which timeline you like) sounds like 73-year-old Harrison Ford with his gruff, crotchety old man voice. Han isn't that old yet this in this book, much closer to Original Trilogy Han than Force Awakens Han, and it seemed a bit too much with so much grumbling. Otherwise the voice acting for the other characters - Lando in particular - was superb.
Overall I found the story itself to be quite good. The real focus was on Han and Lando's growth in their respective relationships and their new roles in the galaxy, which I know some people will like and others will find tedious (I liked it). The Fyzen Gor plot was nonetheless very engaging, though I wasn't always able to follow how the jumps in time tied in with the present plot. That's probably (?) on me as a listener, not on the writing.
The new characters really make this story work. Taka in particular is pretty fantastic, and Peekpa has a very soft place in my heart. Fyzen Gor is a good villain, and I appreciate that he's not yet another Imperial remnant but still has the capacity to greatly impact the galaxy.
As is all of the new Star Wars stuff, this book is pretty woke. There's a super cool non-binary character who uses they/them pronouns without it being an actual plot point. There's an entertaining scene involving a Gungan with commentary on making assumptions and gentrification.
Overall I found the story itself to be quite good. The real focus was on Han and Lando's growth in their respective relationships and their new roles in the galaxy, which I know some people will like and others will find tedious (I liked it). The Fyzen Gor plot was nonetheless very engaging, though I wasn't always able to follow how the jumps in time tied in with the present plot. That's probably (?) on me as a listener, not on the writing.
The new characters really make this story work. Taka in particular is pretty fantastic, and Peekpa has a very soft place in my heart. Fyzen Gor is a good villain, and I appreciate that he's not yet another Imperial remnant but still has the capacity to greatly impact the galaxy.
As is all of the new Star Wars stuff, this book is pretty woke. There's a super cool non-binary character who uses they/them pronouns without it being an actual plot point. There's an entertaining scene involving a Gungan with commentary on making assumptions and gentrification.