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A review by colinmcev
Scourge by Jeff Grubb
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.