 |
| Han, Chewie, and giant balls. |
Del Rey Books
April 1979
“Uul-Rha-Shan likes to know whom he kills. Who are you, imposter?”
Drawing himself up, Han let his hands dangle loosely at his sides,
fingers working. “Solo. Han Solo.”
The impetus behind this
book’s plot is pure Han Solo: he needs money to make some much-needed repairs
to the Millennium Falcon. This leads
him on a series of adventures within the Corporate Sector that eventually sees
Chewbacca arrested and imprisoned in a ultra high-security Corporate Sector
Authority prison facility named Stars’ End, and Han’s attempt to break in and
get his friend out. The story is fairly simple but it’s a lot of fun and moves
along at a fast clip. Some story elements are a little far-fetched (I felt how
cooperative all the myriad prisoners were with each other after they were
released was probably unrealistic, and the fate of the Stars’ End facility is
likely unfaithful to the laws of physics), but never really to the detriment of the story.
This book is a highly entertaining tale of one of Han and Chewie’s many pre-film
adventures.
Brian Daley is an author of uncommon skill and an extensive but accessible vocabulary. He has such a unique voice, and it’s a perfect fit for Han Solo and his world. Anyone familiar with his trilogy of Star Wars radio dramas from National Public Radio will instantly recognize Daley’s particular voice and idiosyncrasies in his books (or vice versa, of course). I also believe that the screenwriters for Episodes V and VI read Daley’s Han Solo books and took inspiration from several scenes. For example, in the opening chapter of this book, Han has to flip the Falcon on its side in order to pass through a too-narrow canyon, and the sensor dish is ripped from hull. This book (and the two that follow) is also responsible for the introduction of many now-familiar elements of the Star Wars EU, such as transparisteel, repulsorlifts, Z-95 Headhunters, the concept of “Standard” time parts, and, of course, the Corporate Sector. In the following book he’ll also introduce swoops, vibro weapons, force pikes, and Victory-class Star Destroyers, all ubiquitous elements of Star Wars (and not just the Expanded Universe).
Han Solo is written very well, exactly as one would expect a few-years-younger Han Solo than we see in Episode IV A New Hope to be. In the opening chapter, when Han is doing a little gunrunning, he encounters a group of primitive sentients fighting back against the CSA, and Han considers them “morons” for throwing their lives away doing so. Han’s grim determination to save Chewbacca from the Espos, and his reaction to any attempt to stop him, felt like genuine Han Solo. And Daley even has Han tell someone “I happen to like to shoot first, Rekkon. As opposed to shooting second.” Chewbacca, while still undeniably a sidekick, is more of a full-fledged character here than in most Star Wars novels.
The supporting characters are all distinctive and interesting. Bollux and Blue Max make for two of the most memorable droids from the EU (although Blue Max can grate at times). It’s interesting that Han becomes quite smitten with Bollux over the course of the story, the opposite from how we see him treat Threepio in the films — even Han’s almost-touching farewell to Bollux made me smile. The team of dissidents made up of Atuarre, Pakka, and Rekkon were all good characters, and while not quite effective as a villain, so was the story’s main antagonist, Hirken. Hirkin’s relationship with his wife, while understated in the book, nonetheless culminates in an entertaining and appropriate ending for them both.
Because of this trilogy of books, (but really more-so the Star Wars Radio Drama trilogy), Brian Daley will always be an author and writer who holds a special place in my heart. While in the literary sense it isn’t among the very top of Star Wars books, nearly everything here works, and if one takes time to truly soak in Daley’s words, I believe they’ll find an unexpectedly rewarding experience. Highly recommended.
8.5 / 10
