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Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis #1
Star Wars: Before the Storm
In the blockbuster bestselling tradition of Heir to the Empire comes this thrilling addition to the Star Wars(r) saga, as peace gives way to a new threat...
It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscant. Yesterday's Rebels have become today's administrators and diplomats, and the factions that fought against imperial tyranny seem united in savoring the fruits of peace.
But the peace is short-lived. A restless Luke must journey to his mother's homeworld in a desperate and dangerous quest to find her people. An adventurous Lando must seize a mysterious spacecraft that has weapons of enormous destructive power and an unknown mission. And Leia, a living symbol of the New Republic's triumph, must face down a ruthless leader of the Duskhan League, an arrogant Yevetha who seems bent on a genocidal war that could shatter the fragile unity of the New Republic...and threaten its very survival.
It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscant. Yesterday's Rebels have become today's administrators and diplomats, and the factions that fought against imperial tyranny seem united in savoring the fruits of peace.
But the peace is short-lived. A restless Luke must journey to his mother's homeworld in a desperate and dangerous quest to find her people. An adventurous Lando must seize a mysterious spacecraft that has weapons of enormous destructive power and an unknown mission. And Leia, a living symbol of the New Republic's triumph, must face down a ruthless leader of the Duskhan League, an arrogant Yevetha who seems bent on a genocidal war that could shatter the fragile unity of the New Republic...and threaten its very survival.
309 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1996
About the author
Michael P. Kube-McDowell
64 books56 followersMichael Paul Kube-McDowell's earliest science fiction stories began appearing in magazines such as Amazing, Asimov's, and Analog in 1979. His 1985 debut novel Emprise, the first volume of the Trigon Disunity future history, was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. The Quiet Pools, published as a Bantam hardcover in 1990, was a Hugo Award nominee.
In addition to his solo novels, Kube-McDowell has collaborated with Sir Arthur C. Clarke (The Trigger) and Isaac Asimov (for the YA series Robot City. He also wrote the popular Black Fleet Crisis trilogy for the Star Wars Expanded Universe; all three volumes were New York Times bestsellers.
A former middle school science teacher, Kube-McDowell has written about science and technology for a variety of periodicals, on topics ranging from gnotobiology to ultralights to spaceflight. He covered the launch of STS-4 for The South Bend Tribune.
Kube-McDowell has attended more than 80 SF fan conventions, and met his wife Gwen (then an artist) in a con huckster room. They both were later members of the Pegasus Award-winning electric filk ensemble The Black Book Band, which performed at cons in the Midwest in the 1990s and released the live album First Contact (Dodeka Records).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
August 28, 2016
I have an uncommon and slightly unhealthy addiction to Star Wars novels. I have read 54 of them, which is utterly ridiculous and not something I share with everybody. I could have read 54 other books and been a lot smarter, but I didn't. I mean, seriously, I even counted them. Ridiculous.
This is to hopefully give my opinion more credibility when I say that this is hands-down the smartest, most mature Star Wars novel I have yet to read. It has garnered a bad reputation since it certainly resides outside the typical Star Wars novel construction - it is slow-paced, light on action, and does stray from the canon in ways that will turn typical fans off. I welcome it. I really don't know if I can read another slapstick space battle or totally shallow deus ex machina laser fight escape. Kube-McDowell thankfully wrote a book brimming with intelligence and outstanding dialogue that, perhaps unfortunately, reinvigorated my interest in the series.
Instead of writing another implausible adventure story, Kube brings an outstanding sense of reality to the galaxy in which all the books take place, which lends credibility and substance to the Star Wars saga as a whole. He fleshes out numerous details of the New Republic's political and military structures, and paints a genuine picture of a massive governmental body in its infancy trying to use both diplomacy and morally-questionable black ops to protect its members. He weaves together more minor government branches and chain-of-command protocols into his story than in the rest of the 90's SW books combined. He understands the psyche and choices of military generals all the way down to the file clerks. You really will see the difference in his writing within the first two chapters - it's gritty and to-the-point, bothering very little with flourish or puerile humor. It's also more intense and captivating.
With his characterizations, he has obviously gone through all the previous chronological material and thought about what emotional state they would all be facing. They are all written with a heavier hand, less able to deal with the stresses that their adventures have put them through. It's nothing new, but Kube really puts a voice to what we already know about them.
And I will mention also that there is a high level of creativity in his unique alien technologies, and his obvious knowledge of real-world aviation and aircraft systems helps the realism of his science fiction. No Sun Crushers or Centerpoint Stations to worry about in this one.
This book has a unique militaristic adult style, which is sorely lacking from modern-day Star Wars. I was pretty disappointed when the Clone Wars we've all imagined as the galaxy's most intense and violent struggle was given practically no more story than a children's animated series. This book could not be more different. For other books unwilling to rehash the same style over and over again, I recommend Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Tales From Jabba's Palace, and The Lando Calrissian Adventures, since Star Wars needs more variety than what most of these authors are willing to dare.
This is to hopefully give my opinion more credibility when I say that this is hands-down the smartest, most mature Star Wars novel I have yet to read. It has garnered a bad reputation since it certainly resides outside the typical Star Wars novel construction - it is slow-paced, light on action, and does stray from the canon in ways that will turn typical fans off. I welcome it. I really don't know if I can read another slapstick space battle or totally shallow deus ex machina laser fight escape. Kube-McDowell thankfully wrote a book brimming with intelligence and outstanding dialogue that, perhaps unfortunately, reinvigorated my interest in the series.
Instead of writing another implausible adventure story, Kube brings an outstanding sense of reality to the galaxy in which all the books take place, which lends credibility and substance to the Star Wars saga as a whole. He fleshes out numerous details of the New Republic's political and military structures, and paints a genuine picture of a massive governmental body in its infancy trying to use both diplomacy and morally-questionable black ops to protect its members. He weaves together more minor government branches and chain-of-command protocols into his story than in the rest of the 90's SW books combined. He understands the psyche and choices of military generals all the way down to the file clerks. You really will see the difference in his writing within the first two chapters - it's gritty and to-the-point, bothering very little with flourish or puerile humor. It's also more intense and captivating.
With his characterizations, he has obviously gone through all the previous chronological material and thought about what emotional state they would all be facing. They are all written with a heavier hand, less able to deal with the stresses that their adventures have put them through. It's nothing new, but Kube really puts a voice to what we already know about them.
And I will mention also that there is a high level of creativity in his unique alien technologies, and his obvious knowledge of real-world aviation and aircraft systems helps the realism of his science fiction. No Sun Crushers or Centerpoint Stations to worry about in this one.
This book has a unique militaristic adult style, which is sorely lacking from modern-day Star Wars. I was pretty disappointed when the Clone Wars we've all imagined as the galaxy's most intense and violent struggle was given practically no more story than a children's animated series. This book could not be more different. For other books unwilling to rehash the same style over and over again, I recommend Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Tales From Jabba's Palace, and The Lando Calrissian Adventures, since Star Wars needs more variety than what most of these authors are willing to dare.
June 13, 2014
"What have you done with *Fill-in-the-Blank*?"
Luke Skywalker feels that he no longer can feel the Force the same way and decides to leave and search out a life of hermitude, like Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, a woman penetrates his fortress, with stories of his mother. Luke ventures out to find out more.
Meanwhile...
Lando is bored stiff and goes to Admiral Drayson, chief of Alpha Blue, for an interesting mission. Lando then gathers a team of Lobot, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to investigate a mysterious "ghost" ship.
Meanwhile...
Leia Organa Solo attempts to make an alliance with Viceroy Nil Spaar, Leader of the Duskan League and a Yevethan. But things turn for the worse very, very quickly...
I Liked:
Although not fond of how Lando aquires his mission, I do like the mission in general. In fact, I wish it had been divorced from this novel completely (because I've read the series, I know it has little to no import on the main story) and made into its own novel, like in the days of the Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley.
Han and Leia again appear as good parents, and I can't tell you how happy I am for that. Han even goes so far as to take an "easy" assignment so he can stay on Coruscant with his kids (with a further tie-in to the events of The Crystal Star--I love it when authors do tie-ins!!).
Han and Luke have a conversation about why Yoda and Obi-Wan became hermits (all of it retconned by this point). I thought Luke's discoveries or thoughts were interesting, and they did cast new light on Yoda and Obi-Wan (and the old Jedi Order in general).
I Didn't Like:
There are three stories here. One I don't mind, but has no bearing on the main story. One is okay (particularly by the end of this book, I found), but it hinges on Leia acting wildly out of character. The last is horrific and makes me want to sharped my teeth on a blackboard.
Firstly, the characters. The ones that stand out particularly horrible are Leia and Luke. Leia loses all sense and military keenness, giving valuable intel to a non-ally, Nil Spaar. She then refuses to listen to her counselors, including Admiral Ackbar. Now, I could understand if she wouldn't listen to a young counselor, but Ackbar?! He's got a lot of sense and she's worked with him for years! Is she really so hard up with a tenuous alliance with the Yevetha that she will put her opinon over his at all odds? What happened to her common sense? Or, as Han put it best: "Who was that person and what have you done with Leia?"
As for Luke, I could go on for years. What man creates an order then leaves it a mere two years later? How could he be so powerful to create a fortress from scratch and yet need to be a hermit? Why would he leave his siste when she needed him most, only to return to dig her for more information on his mother? Why the big hurry to find his mother now? Why isn't HE helping with this crisis?
As you can see, the characters tie in very, very closely to the plots. Lando has to act like a super-spy to penetrate Admiral Drayson's uber secret office. I didn't know there was training for that at Smuggler's Academy! Was that "How to Penetrate an Uber Secret Office 101"? And much of the Yevethan conflict could have been averted had Leia got her head out of her you-know-what and started using her brain instead of her hippie waving peace flag. As for Luke, bah, he's a lost cause. I have no idea why he was included in here. It seems like everyone wants to make him super strong in the Force yet a wuss at the same time (bowing to the whims of Akanah, who has to be the worst girlfriend he has ever had).
Speaking of Akanah, can you spell "Annoying"? Well, that's how you spell Akanah! I thought Callista was bad, no, Akanah is worse! She whines about Luke using the Force to protect them from people who try to kill them, bursts in on his sanctuary and lies about his mother (no secret to those of us who have seen the prequels). What is it with Luke and hooking up with these whiny women? Get a grip, Luke! You're a Jedi Master!
And about the title: "Before the Storm" could not be more apt. The action only happens at the very, very end and only is briefly seen. Now, if this were a long series, like the New Jedi Order, then this book would have worked perfectly. But for a trilogy? Uh, not so much.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Perhaps a d*** or h*** once in a while.
Luke travels with Akanah (and I'm sure there is some "Woohoo-ing" going on in the interim).
People die in the conflict, but it's only the beginning so you don't see much.
Overall:
With a fresh view in mind, I can easily say that this book is still bad. Characters don't act like themselves. Two plot threads don't have anything to do with the main one. And while the political machinations are interesting and Lando's plot is kinda interesting, do I really want to read through yet another bad Luke plot to get to it or read Leia ignoring everyone she cares about? The answer is: Not really.
Luke Skywalker feels that he no longer can feel the Force the same way and decides to leave and search out a life of hermitude, like Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, a woman penetrates his fortress, with stories of his mother. Luke ventures out to find out more.
Meanwhile...
Lando is bored stiff and goes to Admiral Drayson, chief of Alpha Blue, for an interesting mission. Lando then gathers a team of Lobot, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to investigate a mysterious "ghost" ship.
Meanwhile...
Leia Organa Solo attempts to make an alliance with Viceroy Nil Spaar, Leader of the Duskan League and a Yevethan. But things turn for the worse very, very quickly...
I Liked:
Although not fond of how Lando aquires his mission, I do like the mission in general. In fact, I wish it had been divorced from this novel completely (because I've read the series, I know it has little to no import on the main story) and made into its own novel, like in the days of the Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley.
Han and Leia again appear as good parents, and I can't tell you how happy I am for that. Han even goes so far as to take an "easy" assignment so he can stay on Coruscant with his kids (with a further tie-in to the events of The Crystal Star--I love it when authors do tie-ins!!).
Han and Luke have a conversation about why Yoda and Obi-Wan became hermits (all of it retconned by this point). I thought Luke's discoveries or thoughts were interesting, and they did cast new light on Yoda and Obi-Wan (and the old Jedi Order in general).
I Didn't Like:
There are three stories here. One I don't mind, but has no bearing on the main story. One is okay (particularly by the end of this book, I found), but it hinges on Leia acting wildly out of character. The last is horrific and makes me want to sharped my teeth on a blackboard.
Firstly, the characters. The ones that stand out particularly horrible are Leia and Luke. Leia loses all sense and military keenness, giving valuable intel to a non-ally, Nil Spaar. She then refuses to listen to her counselors, including Admiral Ackbar. Now, I could understand if she wouldn't listen to a young counselor, but Ackbar?! He's got a lot of sense and she's worked with him for years! Is she really so hard up with a tenuous alliance with the Yevetha that she will put her opinon over his at all odds? What happened to her common sense? Or, as Han put it best: "Who was that person and what have you done with Leia?"
As for Luke, I could go on for years. What man creates an order then leaves it a mere two years later? How could he be so powerful to create a fortress from scratch and yet need to be a hermit? Why would he leave his siste when she needed him most, only to return to dig her for more information on his mother? Why the big hurry to find his mother now? Why isn't HE helping with this crisis?
As you can see, the characters tie in very, very closely to the plots. Lando has to act like a super-spy to penetrate Admiral Drayson's uber secret office. I didn't know there was training for that at Smuggler's Academy! Was that "How to Penetrate an Uber Secret Office 101"? And much of the Yevethan conflict could have been averted had Leia got her head out of her you-know-what and started using her brain instead of her hippie waving peace flag. As for Luke, bah, he's a lost cause. I have no idea why he was included in here. It seems like everyone wants to make him super strong in the Force yet a wuss at the same time (bowing to the whims of Akanah, who has to be the worst girlfriend he has ever had).
Speaking of Akanah, can you spell "Annoying"? Well, that's how you spell Akanah! I thought Callista was bad, no, Akanah is worse! She whines about Luke using the Force to protect them from people who try to kill them, bursts in on his sanctuary and lies about his mother (no secret to those of us who have seen the prequels). What is it with Luke and hooking up with these whiny women? Get a grip, Luke! You're a Jedi Master!
And about the title: "Before the Storm" could not be more apt. The action only happens at the very, very end and only is briefly seen. Now, if this were a long series, like the New Jedi Order, then this book would have worked perfectly. But for a trilogy? Uh, not so much.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Perhaps a d*** or h*** once in a while.
Luke travels with Akanah (and I'm sure there is some "Woohoo-ing" going on in the interim).
People die in the conflict, but it's only the beginning so you don't see much.
Overall:
With a fresh view in mind, I can easily say that this book is still bad. Characters don't act like themselves. Two plot threads don't have anything to do with the main one. And while the political machinations are interesting and Lando's plot is kinda interesting, do I really want to read through yet another bad Luke plot to get to it or read Leia ignoring everyone she cares about? The answer is: Not really.
May 7, 2009
The worst Star Wars book I ever read. And truly, that is saying something to earn that distinction- it beat out Barbara Hambly and her off the charts absurdity. Congrats, Michael P. Kube-McDowell!
June 14, 2016
I had low expectations for this novel based on the recent Star Wars novels I've read (Crystal Star, Planet of Twilight) that have taken place at around the same timeline. I had also read a review of the book indicating that it would be heavy in military jargon and that it deviates from the usual SW style. So my hope was that it would be similar to the Republic Commando series. That one, while not my cup of tea and not central to the running SWU plotline, was at least very well written and fairly interesting.
But this turned out to not be the case at all. At least for the first book. I found it to be more political than military. The story takes place on three fronts. First of all, Luke Skywalker is approached by a woman claiming to be from the same race and planet as his mother. This one was confusing, because we all know who his mother is - and where she is from. Not only is it strange that he doesn't know about her (you'd think that Bail Organa would have told Leia, who could then tell Luke), but the story told in this book seems to indicate that his mother had powers different from the Force. This part of the storyline I didn't enjoy. I didn't like how Luke is stronger than I've ever seen Anakin (flying a ship just with the Force? Building a structure out of rock with the Force?). I didn't like how impatient and impetuous he was with this strange woman - is he a trained Jedi Master or not? And will this "mother" prove to be a fairy tale so things can make sense?
Second, Lando Calrissian, with the help of Lobot (his assistant in Empire Strikes Back with the metal band around his head that lights up), R2D2 and C3P0 goes with a Republic fleet to investigate a strange ship that isn't flown by anyone...but has defense mechanisms that can't be cracked. I found this storyline interesting and unique. It has me curious.
And finally, the main one is on Coruscant with Leia. She spends weeks negotiating with a new race on the outskirts of the Republic. A race that seems to control a sizable area of the galaxy. This race actually thinks all other races are beneath them and their leader, Nil Spaar, does a great job of getting the reader's blood boiling. The story had a strong finish and made me excited to pick up the next book immediately.
But this turned out to not be the case at all. At least for the first book. I found it to be more political than military. The story takes place on three fronts. First of all, Luke Skywalker is approached by a woman claiming to be from the same race and planet as his mother. This one was confusing, because we all know who his mother is - and where she is from. Not only is it strange that he doesn't know about her (you'd think that Bail Organa would have told Leia, who could then tell Luke), but the story told in this book seems to indicate that his mother had powers different from the Force. This part of the storyline I didn't enjoy. I didn't like how Luke is stronger than I've ever seen Anakin (flying a ship just with the Force? Building a structure out of rock with the Force?). I didn't like how impatient and impetuous he was with this strange woman - is he a trained Jedi Master or not? And will this "mother" prove to be a fairy tale so things can make sense?
Second, Lando Calrissian, with the help of Lobot (his assistant in Empire Strikes Back with the metal band around his head that lights up), R2D2 and C3P0 goes with a Republic fleet to investigate a strange ship that isn't flown by anyone...but has defense mechanisms that can't be cracked. I found this storyline interesting and unique. It has me curious.
And finally, the main one is on Coruscant with Leia. She spends weeks negotiating with a new race on the outskirts of the Republic. A race that seems to control a sizable area of the galaxy. This race actually thinks all other races are beneath them and their leader, Nil Spaar, does a great job of getting the reader's blood boiling. The story had a strong finish and made me excited to pick up the next book immediately.
October 12, 2013
Every once in a while, I have to let my sci-fi geek get its freak on (I have no idea what the hell that statement means, but it sounds appropriate), which usually entails a lazy day of watching six hours straight of cheesy science fiction movies. My wife loves it when I do this.
So, anyway, I just recently watched the original Star Wars trilogy again, for the 153rd time, and it still remains awesome. Now, of course, I am back on a Star Wars book-reading kick. There are roughly several hundred-plus novels in the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars, novels which have carried on the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, et al beyond creator George Lucas's six films.
I have only read about a dozen of these novels. I would say that 60% of what I have read is decent, 10% is garbage, and 20% is actually excellent writing. (I wish I could say that a very scientifically-based rubric of my own device went into those figures, but, alas, no. I kinda just made it up based on what I liked and disliked.)
I'm reading Michael P. Kube-McDowell's three-novel Black Fleet Crisis series now, starting with Book 1: "Before the Storm", and I have to say that it falls into the 20% category of excellent writing.
It's much better than Kevin Anderson's "Jedi Academy" trilogy and on a par with Timothy Zahn's superb "Thrawn" trilogy, in my opinion. Sadly, if you haven't read those series prior to this, parts may seem confusing as McDowell does reference characters and events from them. But, unless you are a die-hard Star Wars fan-boy like myself, you won't care.
Plot synopsis: The story takes place twelve years after the events of "Return of the Jedi". Leia and Han are married with three children, twins Jacen and Jaina, and baby Anakin. Leia is President of the New Republic, and she is currently in negotiations with the stubborn Yevethans to join the Republic. Unbeknownst to her, the Yevethans may not just be stubborn but plotting something nasty against the Republic.
Meanwhile, Admiral Ackbar learns of a missing "Black Fleet" of old Imperial star destroyers, rumored to have been destroyed but never confirmed. If it still exists, and it falls into the wrong hands, the New Republic would not be able to stand up to a fleet of that magnitude. Okay, actually it would be able to---I just wanted to use Ackbar's famous phrase.
Also meanwhile, Luke is feeling somewhat antsy and depressed and leaves the Jedi Academy to go searching for his long-lost mother (here is where the expanded universe kind of falls apart, because this was written obviously before the second prequel trilogy and McDowell obviously does not know, as we all now do, that Luke's real mother, Amidala, is dead).
Also also meanwhile, Lando Calrissian, Artoo, and Threepio are on a secret mission to investigate a mysterious ship that they have dubbed the "vagabond". When they attempt to sneak on board, the ship (which they begin to suspect is actually "alive") kidnaps them and hyper-drives them to a far corner of an unexplored galaxy. All of this is very fast-paced and exciting, and I pretty much devoured it in a sitting. I'm just starting the second book and loving it as well...
So, anyway, I just recently watched the original Star Wars trilogy again, for the 153rd time, and it still remains awesome. Now, of course, I am back on a Star Wars book-reading kick. There are roughly several hundred-plus novels in the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars, novels which have carried on the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, et al beyond creator George Lucas's six films.
I have only read about a dozen of these novels. I would say that 60% of what I have read is decent, 10% is garbage, and 20% is actually excellent writing. (I wish I could say that a very scientifically-based rubric of my own device went into those figures, but, alas, no. I kinda just made it up based on what I liked and disliked.)
I'm reading Michael P. Kube-McDowell's three-novel Black Fleet Crisis series now, starting with Book 1: "Before the Storm", and I have to say that it falls into the 20% category of excellent writing.
It's much better than Kevin Anderson's "Jedi Academy" trilogy and on a par with Timothy Zahn's superb "Thrawn" trilogy, in my opinion. Sadly, if you haven't read those series prior to this, parts may seem confusing as McDowell does reference characters and events from them. But, unless you are a die-hard Star Wars fan-boy like myself, you won't care.
Plot synopsis: The story takes place twelve years after the events of "Return of the Jedi". Leia and Han are married with three children, twins Jacen and Jaina, and baby Anakin. Leia is President of the New Republic, and she is currently in negotiations with the stubborn Yevethans to join the Republic. Unbeknownst to her, the Yevethans may not just be stubborn but plotting something nasty against the Republic.
Meanwhile, Admiral Ackbar learns of a missing "Black Fleet" of old Imperial star destroyers, rumored to have been destroyed but never confirmed. If it still exists, and it falls into the wrong hands, the New Republic would not be able to stand up to a fleet of that magnitude. Okay, actually it would be able to---I just wanted to use Ackbar's famous phrase.
Also meanwhile, Luke is feeling somewhat antsy and depressed and leaves the Jedi Academy to go searching for his long-lost mother (here is where the expanded universe kind of falls apart, because this was written obviously before the second prequel trilogy and McDowell obviously does not know, as we all now do, that Luke's real mother, Amidala, is dead).
Also also meanwhile, Lando Calrissian, Artoo, and Threepio are on a secret mission to investigate a mysterious ship that they have dubbed the "vagabond". When they attempt to sneak on board, the ship (which they begin to suspect is actually "alive") kidnaps them and hyper-drives them to a far corner of an unexplored galaxy. All of this is very fast-paced and exciting, and I pretty much devoured it in a sitting. I'm just starting the second book and loving it as well...
January 17, 2010
See, it can be done. Not may not please Star Wars fans, but it's better science fiction--and a better story--than most bearing the SW imprint. The first contact thread was fun. Speaking of which, yes, there are distinct threads (so far) interwoven to keep the tension up, if nothing else.
Luke has a crisis of faith, Leia has a crisis of confidence, Han smirks, and Lando plays the odds. Lando's thread is probably the most unique, and therefore most enjoyable. The Yevetha resonate with nineteenth century Japan.
Decent cliff-hanger to close with.
Luke has a crisis of faith, Leia has a crisis of confidence, Han smirks, and Lando plays the odds. Lando's thread is probably the most unique, and therefore most enjoyable. The Yevetha resonate with nineteenth century Japan.
Decent cliff-hanger to close with.
May 3, 2021
Intriguing. I would rate this closer to 3.5 stars; my one caveat is that the Lando plot, while perfectly in character & including a rather unorthodox character combination, doesn't seem to connect to the rest of the novel, and feels like a distraction. The rest of the novel is an intense political build-up to one hell of a public shaming for Leia, and a military disaster for the New Republic that leaves a pit in your stomach on the final page. This is a lovely dip back into my favourite era of the Legends saga -- it's not perfect, but if felt like coming home.
April 5, 2022
Meh. It was okay, but I REALLY don’t like the way he wrote Luke, or how he portrayed Jedi and the Force. Maybe eventually I’ll finish the trilogy, but I’m not going to bother right now.
July 6, 2020
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: Before the Storm, the first book in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
SOME HISTORY:
Michael P. Kube-McDowell (the “Kube” is part of his writer’s alias) had written some sci fi novels before his foray into Star Wars, most notably 1990’s Hugo nominee The Quiet Pools. Lucasfilm let the writers do whatever they wanted as long as it passed muster, so this trilogy hues more closely to military sci fi than previous Star Wars novels. Before the Storm made it to number ten on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of April 7, 1996, and was on the NYT list for two weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered Lando tearing off on a random mission, and Luke running off with a stranger. But I had no memories of the main plot of the book, mainly the Duskhan League intrigue. Leia’s political career is a huge aspect of this story! I just wish that she came across in a more believable manner.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
It is a time of peace for the New Republic. Leia begins negotiations with the Duskhan League, a group of planets deep within the Core. Luke heads off on a quest to find his mother’s people. And Lando joins a mission to unlock the secrets of the mysterious Teljkon Vagabond.
THE CHARACTERS:
First, Lando, because I love him! I actually don’t mind the Teljkon Vagabond subplot, but it does feel detached from the rest of the book. If it was a separate novella, I’d be all over that. But as it stands, it all feels a bit pointless. Lando and Lobot come into conflict with the Intelligence officer in charge of the mission, and Lando is not nasty towards Threepio like he was in the Corellian trilogy. There’s a lot of fun detective work here, and I also enjoy that when faced with the galaxy’s own version of the Flying Dutchman, Lando automatically assumes that there’s treasure onboard.
Once again, Luke is weird. He’s unsure of his place in the galaxy, and his use of the Force, so he heads off to find himself. (If you’re noticing that he constantly is unsure of himself and trying to find answers, this is classic Bantam-era Luke.) He leaves Yavin IV in the charge of Streen--nice to see him in a leadership position--and lands on Coruscant to live as a hermit in Darth Vader’s rebuilt rock fortress. There’s no doors, no furniture, and he doesn’t seem to eat either. Then a beautiful lady appears, says that she knows about his mother, and Luke...immediately takes off with her. Luke doesn’t look into her background or anything--no, since she could get into her rock fortress, she must be trustworthy!
Luke is also strangely dismissive of Leia. He doesn’t let her know where he is; he doesn’t want to help her instruct her children; he only invites Han to the rock fortress; and when he finally arrives at her home, he wants to grill her more about their mother. She’s understandably upset, and refuses to help.
Leia seems out of her depth when dealing with the Duskhan League, which is slightly unbelievable to me--she’s been Chief of State for five years at this point! My issues with her plot boil down to two main points: first, that she would remain personally involved in the negotiation process after Nil Spaar said (in their first meeting) that he wasn’t interested in joining the New Republic. Why is she there every day? She has so many duties and tasks to occupy her day, why wasn’t this delegated to a lesser Minister?
And second, I don’t buy that she was completely taken aback by Nil Spaar’s sudden but inevitable betrayal. Leia hasn’t spent a lot of time honing her Jedi skills in these books, but surely she would have sensed something? There’s a throwaway line that addresses this, and I have to agree. We know there are species like the Hutts that are resistant to the Force, but Leia doesn’t even try with the viceroy. And his maneuverings against her come so quickly that she’s slow to respond and seriously considers resigning. Leia’s crisis of conscience makes her appear improbably naive.
Leia’s complete dismissal of the existence of the Black Fleet is stupid. She’s so stubborn and resistant to the advice of others; what would it have really hurt for her to research that further. A pencil pusher suggests that they have 40+ ships unaccounted for, but Leia brushes it aside for most of the book.
Han is still a general somehow? I thought he resigned his commission during The Courtship of Princess Leia, but apparently not, because Admiral Ackbar has assigned him to be Leia’s personal security liaison or something. He’s basically a stay-at-home dad, until Leia mistrusts one of her generals and sends Han off to observe matters. I suspect he’ll play a bigger role in the next two books.
McDowell also introduces some new characters. Despite my hesitancy about trusting Akanah, I am interested in the Fallanassi. Similar to the Witches of Dathomir, I like when Star Wars introduces Force traditions outside of the Jedi Order. The Fallanassi manipulate something they call the White Current, and all we know thus far is that they can leave messages that way.
We meet Hiram Drayson, the intelligence officer in charge of Alpha Blue. He’s one of the advisors that Leia blows off. We also have General A’baht, in charge of the Fifth Fleet. I don’t have much to say about either of them, because we don’t know much about them right now.
ISSUES:
Being military sci fi, a fair amount of the book deals with fleet maneuvers, drills, and ships. Your mileage may vary here, but big fleet actions are not one of my favorite plot points. We have this huge new fleet (the Fifth), but all they do is enact a drill, start a tour, then get recalled to Coruscant. I’m sure there are battles to come in the next two books, because the closest we’ve gotten so far was the Yevethan massacre of the colony worlds. McDowell also introduces a new class of starfighter (the K-Wing starfighter/bomber), and reintroduces a starfighter from Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy (the E-Wing). I’m not a particular fan of either of them, mostly because it’s hard for me to picture ships in my head.
McDowell has some interesting speculation on the Jedi and hermits, but unfortunately it’s all retconned by the prequels. I’m not sure I agree, though, with his basic assumption: that the stronger you become in the Force, the more you have to withdraw from the universe as a whole. My platonic ideal of a Jedi has always been someone who heads out into the galaxy to do good where the Force leads them, and Obi-Wan and Yoda’s remoteness seemed more a consequence of the rise of the Empire than a sanctioned Jedi practice.
I’m not keen on his interpretation of Luke, either. He’s struggling with his sense of self and his place, but he won’t talk to his sister or other Jedi about it. On Lucazec, he kills some suspected Imperials, and Akanah is not pleased. Where is the Luke from the Corellian trilogy, who was opposed to taking lives and shoots at starfighters to disable, not to destroy? He also does some Superman feats, like rebuilding Vader’s rock fortress from scratch, and I dislike these over-the-top abuses of the Force.
Han is very worried that Jacen is pudgy, doesn’t like sports, and only wants to use the Force. He’s seven! Kids go through phases with activities and interests. If he doesn’t want to play catch with Dad, there are two other children (Jaina and Anakin) who might love to! What’s with all this emphasis on Jacen?
Perhaps it was just the small font on my library copy (307 pages!), but I found Before the Storm surprisingly short. The title was very apt--the “storm” doesn’t come until the last third of the book, so we’re left with a lot of setup. At this point, I am decidedly not a fan of filler, so I have to wonder (again) if this could have worked as a duology? However, Bantam seemed wedded to the idea of releasing one trilogy a year between 1994 and 1998, so it’s probably a moot point.
IN CONCLUSION:
Do you like military sci fi? Do you enjoy reading about fleet movements and drills? Then do I have the book for you! But if you’re more interested in the characters, be aware that Leia is hopelessly naive, Luke is troubled, Han doesn’t have much to do, and Lando is off on a pointless side quest. It’s OK, I guess, but it’s not great.
Next up: Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/cvgKHqehwSc
Black Fleet Crisis FAQs by McDowell: https://web.archive.org/web/200709271...
This week’s focus: Before the Storm, the first book in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
SOME HISTORY:
Michael P. Kube-McDowell (the “Kube” is part of his writer’s alias) had written some sci fi novels before his foray into Star Wars, most notably 1990’s Hugo nominee The Quiet Pools. Lucasfilm let the writers do whatever they wanted as long as it passed muster, so this trilogy hues more closely to military sci fi than previous Star Wars novels. Before the Storm made it to number ten on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of April 7, 1996, and was on the NYT list for two weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered Lando tearing off on a random mission, and Luke running off with a stranger. But I had no memories of the main plot of the book, mainly the Duskhan League intrigue. Leia’s political career is a huge aspect of this story! I just wish that she came across in a more believable manner.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
It is a time of peace for the New Republic. Leia begins negotiations with the Duskhan League, a group of planets deep within the Core. Luke heads off on a quest to find his mother’s people. And Lando joins a mission to unlock the secrets of the mysterious Teljkon Vagabond.
THE CHARACTERS:
First, Lando, because I love him! I actually don’t mind the Teljkon Vagabond subplot, but it does feel detached from the rest of the book. If it was a separate novella, I’d be all over that. But as it stands, it all feels a bit pointless. Lando and Lobot come into conflict with the Intelligence officer in charge of the mission, and Lando is not nasty towards Threepio like he was in the Corellian trilogy. There’s a lot of fun detective work here, and I also enjoy that when faced with the galaxy’s own version of the Flying Dutchman, Lando automatically assumes that there’s treasure onboard.
Once again, Luke is weird. He’s unsure of his place in the galaxy, and his use of the Force, so he heads off to find himself. (If you’re noticing that he constantly is unsure of himself and trying to find answers, this is classic Bantam-era Luke.) He leaves Yavin IV in the charge of Streen--nice to see him in a leadership position--and lands on Coruscant to live as a hermit in Darth Vader’s rebuilt rock fortress. There’s no doors, no furniture, and he doesn’t seem to eat either. Then a beautiful lady appears, says that she knows about his mother, and Luke...immediately takes off with her. Luke doesn’t look into her background or anything--no, since she could get into her rock fortress, she must be trustworthy!
Luke is also strangely dismissive of Leia. He doesn’t let her know where he is; he doesn’t want to help her instruct her children; he only invites Han to the rock fortress; and when he finally arrives at her home, he wants to grill her more about their mother. She’s understandably upset, and refuses to help.
Leia seems out of her depth when dealing with the Duskhan League, which is slightly unbelievable to me--she’s been Chief of State for five years at this point! My issues with her plot boil down to two main points: first, that she would remain personally involved in the negotiation process after Nil Spaar said (in their first meeting) that he wasn’t interested in joining the New Republic. Why is she there every day? She has so many duties and tasks to occupy her day, why wasn’t this delegated to a lesser Minister?
And second, I don’t buy that she was completely taken aback by Nil Spaar’s sudden but inevitable betrayal. Leia hasn’t spent a lot of time honing her Jedi skills in these books, but surely she would have sensed something? There’s a throwaway line that addresses this, and I have to agree. We know there are species like the Hutts that are resistant to the Force, but Leia doesn’t even try with the viceroy. And his maneuverings against her come so quickly that she’s slow to respond and seriously considers resigning. Leia’s crisis of conscience makes her appear improbably naive.
Leia’s complete dismissal of the existence of the Black Fleet is stupid. She’s so stubborn and resistant to the advice of others; what would it have really hurt for her to research that further. A pencil pusher suggests that they have 40+ ships unaccounted for, but Leia brushes it aside for most of the book.
Han is still a general somehow? I thought he resigned his commission during The Courtship of Princess Leia, but apparently not, because Admiral Ackbar has assigned him to be Leia’s personal security liaison or something. He’s basically a stay-at-home dad, until Leia mistrusts one of her generals and sends Han off to observe matters. I suspect he’ll play a bigger role in the next two books.
McDowell also introduces some new characters. Despite my hesitancy about trusting Akanah, I am interested in the Fallanassi. Similar to the Witches of Dathomir, I like when Star Wars introduces Force traditions outside of the Jedi Order. The Fallanassi manipulate something they call the White Current, and all we know thus far is that they can leave messages that way.
We meet Hiram Drayson, the intelligence officer in charge of Alpha Blue. He’s one of the advisors that Leia blows off. We also have General A’baht, in charge of the Fifth Fleet. I don’t have much to say about either of them, because we don’t know much about them right now.
ISSUES:
Being military sci fi, a fair amount of the book deals with fleet maneuvers, drills, and ships. Your mileage may vary here, but big fleet actions are not one of my favorite plot points. We have this huge new fleet (the Fifth), but all they do is enact a drill, start a tour, then get recalled to Coruscant. I’m sure there are battles to come in the next two books, because the closest we’ve gotten so far was the Yevethan massacre of the colony worlds. McDowell also introduces a new class of starfighter (the K-Wing starfighter/bomber), and reintroduces a starfighter from Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy (the E-Wing). I’m not a particular fan of either of them, mostly because it’s hard for me to picture ships in my head.
McDowell has some interesting speculation on the Jedi and hermits, but unfortunately it’s all retconned by the prequels. I’m not sure I agree, though, with his basic assumption: that the stronger you become in the Force, the more you have to withdraw from the universe as a whole. My platonic ideal of a Jedi has always been someone who heads out into the galaxy to do good where the Force leads them, and Obi-Wan and Yoda’s remoteness seemed more a consequence of the rise of the Empire than a sanctioned Jedi practice.
I’m not keen on his interpretation of Luke, either. He’s struggling with his sense of self and his place, but he won’t talk to his sister or other Jedi about it. On Lucazec, he kills some suspected Imperials, and Akanah is not pleased. Where is the Luke from the Corellian trilogy, who was opposed to taking lives and shoots at starfighters to disable, not to destroy? He also does some Superman feats, like rebuilding Vader’s rock fortress from scratch, and I dislike these over-the-top abuses of the Force.
Han is very worried that Jacen is pudgy, doesn’t like sports, and only wants to use the Force. He’s seven! Kids go through phases with activities and interests. If he doesn’t want to play catch with Dad, there are two other children (Jaina and Anakin) who might love to! What’s with all this emphasis on Jacen?
Perhaps it was just the small font on my library copy (307 pages!), but I found Before the Storm surprisingly short. The title was very apt--the “storm” doesn’t come until the last third of the book, so we’re left with a lot of setup. At this point, I am decidedly not a fan of filler, so I have to wonder (again) if this could have worked as a duology? However, Bantam seemed wedded to the idea of releasing one trilogy a year between 1994 and 1998, so it’s probably a moot point.
IN CONCLUSION:
Do you like military sci fi? Do you enjoy reading about fleet movements and drills? Then do I have the book for you! But if you’re more interested in the characters, be aware that Leia is hopelessly naive, Luke is troubled, Han doesn’t have much to do, and Lando is off on a pointless side quest. It’s OK, I guess, but it’s not great.
Next up: Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/cvgKHqehwSc
Black Fleet Crisis FAQs by McDowell: https://web.archive.org/web/200709271...
April 15, 2021
3.5 stars
With the majority of ratings and reviews being low-average to just plain low, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking Before the Storm is a terrible Star Wars novel. Hell, I let it sit on my shelf for months due the seemingly negative thoughts and feeling this book garners.
However, after finally biting the bullet and forcing myself to pick it up, I have to say Before the Storm isn’t bad at all.
Obviously it’s not perfect (I’ll talk about that in a second), but for a Star Wars novel written in that weird era of the mid 90’s, when Barbara Hambley was writing truly bizarre stories in this universe, it’s actually pretty decent.
I think, overall, this book works because McDowell wasn’t trying to reinvent the Star Wars wheel. Unlike other authors who had free rein and went with it, McDowell took his time and made his story for within the confines of the fictional universe. Some of what he wrote was quickly retconned with the new Prequel films, but between a maligned society angry at the New Republic and a search for lost Galactic Empire ships, there is a decent story here. Even Lando’s bit, which seems totally different from
the general plot was interesting...and I have a sneaky suspicion that he will be back in the second book.
I really thought about giving this a true 4 star rating but I honestly can’t. There are some pretty dumb moments in Before the Storm that prevented me from doing that. Chiefly among these is McDowell’s take on Leia. We know her as a bad ass bitch who’s cunning, smart, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. In Storm, though, she’s a bumbling, emotional idiot who gives away plans and sets up a coming disaster. She’s far too trusting and just doesn’t think things through. Furthermore, the raft of the New Republic makes some asinine mistakes that they wouldn’t normally make. Lastly, even though I can’t fault McDowell too much for this one since the prequels weren’t even a thing yet...Luke’s search for his mother takes some truly weird turns that make little sense. Obviously now, in 2021, we know the Skywalker lineage, but sending Luke to far off planets with the hint that his and Leia’s mother is a Falanassi, is utterly head scratching in its stupidity.
Still though, it’s an entertaining novel and it’s a nice break from the typical weirdness of this era of Star Wars novels. Ignore the negative reviews and give this one a shot.
With the majority of ratings and reviews being low-average to just plain low, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking Before the Storm is a terrible Star Wars novel. Hell, I let it sit on my shelf for months due the seemingly negative thoughts and feeling this book garners.
However, after finally biting the bullet and forcing myself to pick it up, I have to say Before the Storm isn’t bad at all.
Obviously it’s not perfect (I’ll talk about that in a second), but for a Star Wars novel written in that weird era of the mid 90’s, when Barbara Hambley was writing truly bizarre stories in this universe, it’s actually pretty decent.
I think, overall, this book works because McDowell wasn’t trying to reinvent the Star Wars wheel. Unlike other authors who had free rein and went with it, McDowell took his time and made his story for within the confines of the fictional universe. Some of what he wrote was quickly retconned with the new Prequel films, but between a maligned society angry at the New Republic and a search for lost Galactic Empire ships, there is a decent story here. Even Lando’s bit, which seems totally different from
the general plot was interesting...and I have a sneaky suspicion that he will be back in the second book.
I really thought about giving this a true 4 star rating but I honestly can’t. There are some pretty dumb moments in Before the Storm that prevented me from doing that. Chiefly among these is McDowell’s take on Leia. We know her as a bad ass bitch who’s cunning, smart, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. In Storm, though, she’s a bumbling, emotional idiot who gives away plans and sets up a coming disaster. She’s far too trusting and just doesn’t think things through. Furthermore, the raft of the New Republic makes some asinine mistakes that they wouldn’t normally make. Lastly, even though I can’t fault McDowell too much for this one since the prequels weren’t even a thing yet...Luke’s search for his mother takes some truly weird turns that make little sense. Obviously now, in 2021, we know the Skywalker lineage, but sending Luke to far off planets with the hint that his and Leia’s mother is a Falanassi, is utterly head scratching in its stupidity.
Still though, it’s an entertaining novel and it’s a nice break from the typical weirdness of this era of Star Wars novels. Ignore the negative reviews and give this one a shot.
September 3, 2023
I actually enjoyed this book more than the Corellian Trilogy previously reviewed by me on Goodreads. In this first instalment, the New Republic faces a crisis from enemies long thought to be destroyed. Apparently, some of the star destroyers managed to evade the Rebels after the battle of Endor. They are what makes up the black fleet, the name given to this trilogy. The usual cast of characters is involved, including Luke, Leia, Lando, Han and Chewbacca. A very good effort!!!
May 24, 2021
This was a pretty good and different Star Wars read. I really liked how it showed a lot of the political machinations of the new republic and a more shrewd characterization for Leia as a politician.
It only loses points because the lando and Luke side story are out of place and pale in comparison to the main story.
It only loses points because the lando and Luke side story are out of place and pale in comparison to the main story.
September 1, 2020
Much better than I expected. It’s fun to follow Lando around though his role was awfully small.
August 9, 2023
Before the Storm marks the onset of the Black Fleet Crisis series and as such its main purpose is to set the scene for what is to come. While this book does not work on its own, it is a decent read nonetheless that introduces the conflicts this series is going to deal with in a mostly engaging manner. It is a typical Star Wars novel, in which the main characters all become wrapped up in their own story arch, which will eventually coalesce (in book three at the latest) and be resolved in a final showdown of some sorts. One peculiarity here is that rather than just focusing on the original trio (Luke, Leia, and Han), an additional storyline featuring Lando is introduced, which I don’t mind one bit.
Let’s start off with Luke, who plays a relatively minor role in Before the Storm. No longer content with his life as a teacher at the Jedi Academy and striving to emulate his mentors, both of whom were hermits at some point in their lives, Luke decides it is now his turn to seclude himself. For this purpose, he uncovers his father’s secret hideout on Coruscant and repurposes it as his new dwelling. That he should choose to hide on Coruscant of all places seems somewhat strange, it being the most densely populated planed in the galaxy and all. However, it fits with his odd behavior throughout the novel and perhaps it shows that on some level he never really intended to withdraw himself. On top of that, it takes Luke like five minutes to uncover his father’s old secret fortress making it seem that, if they put their mind to it, other Jedi would probably be able to uncover him relatively easily.
Incidentally, he is discovered pretty quickly not by a Jedi but an individual adept in the Force even so. Said individual, Akanah, pertains to a mysterious people with its own understanding of the Force, the Fallanassi, from whom she has been separated for years. Akanah convinces Luke that his own mother belonged to her people and asks him to join her in her search for the Fallanassi. Despite the fact that Luke had just cast off all of his responsibilities and openly refused his sister any help with her Jedi children, Luke immediately agrees to join her on a paper chase across the galaxy, which may or may not unearth new information about his mother. Before leaving, he excitedly informs Leia of his plans and fails to understand why, for her, retracing the steps of their long-dead mother currently is not the number one priority. She had hoped he would offer her some support with the children, which Luke is unwilling to give. Luke does have a point in arguing that the children’s initial instruction should come from their mother – after all she has abilities in the Force herself. Still, it would not hurt him to at least give Leia some pointers. Taken aback by his sister’s lack of enthusiasm, Luke and Akanah take off and visit the last point of contact she has had with her people. There they immediately run into danger and unearth a clue as to where to continue their search. This novel certainly is not a compilation of Luke’s strongest moments. For the most part he comes across as a self-absorbed, ignorant jerk and because of that I am grateful that his is more of a side-plot in this book.
Compared to Luke, Leia has a bit more on her plate. Being Chief of State of the New Republic and mother of three unruly Jedi children, she must deal with many things at once. Hence, it is hardly surprising that she does not entertain her brother’s whims. Most of this novel Leia spends conducting lengthy negotiations with an emissary of the Duskhan League, during which she comes across as fairly naïve. The Duskhan League, a populace of the species Yevetha inhabiting planets within the Koornacht Cluster, controls a sector of the galaxy that is of strategic interest to the New Republic due to its location between the Core Worlds and the Deep Core. Therefore, it is in the New Republic’s interest to sway them towards becoming a member. However, the Yevethans establish from the very start that they have no interest in joining the New Republic whatsoever. All they want is to be left alone and to be free to do as they please within their jurisdiction. Accordingly, they negotiate with a completely different goal in mind, namely a treaty with the New Republic guaranteeing them their freedom and independence. Their point of view is the result of a deep-seated abhorrence toward any non-Yevethan species, of which Leia is ignorant until a gruesome act of genocide at the hands of the Yevetha takes place. Regardless, there are many indications that the Yevethan’s intentions aren’t pure before this drastic event, many of which Leia chooses to ignore as she is bent on a favorable outcome. In her position as leader of the New Republic, she is foundering a little here: she has this fixed idea that she must deal with the Yevethan delegation on her own even after the negotiations have gone on for literal months, she repeatedly casts aside reasonable objections by her aides, and when her authority is questioned and the Republic really needs a strong leader, she immediately goes incommunicado and it takes some serious convincing to get her to take action. In the end it is clear that the Yevethan crisis is a make-or-break test for her political career and whether she emerges from it unscathed remains to be seen.
While Leia expends all her resources to appeasing the Yevethans, New Republic intelligence uncovers traces of an Imperial fleet, the whereabouts of which are unclear. Leia personally feels that this is not an issue worth looking into and that a search mission would be a potential threat to her negotiations since it could intrude into the Koornacht Cluster. Eventually, Admiral Ackbar persuades her that a mission should be dispatched and, just to be safe, Leia sends along a general she trusts completely, Han. The mission is rather uneventful until – as a consequence of insubordination first at the hands of the general in charge, then at Han’s – they discover the disturbing truth about the Duskhan League. Although he takes more of a sideline position in this novel, Han comes across as the most reasonable main character, who calmly shares his opinions and more or less gently nudges others towards accepting them as their own. Given that Han usually is portrayed as being as much of a hothead as his wife, such a role allocation is surprising.
Finally, and mostly unrelated to all the other stuff that is going on Lando joins a mission that is trying to figure out the origin and purpose of a mysterious vessel floating around space (the way it is described just screams Yuuzhan Vong, but of course no one had invented them when this book was written). Thinking they might come in handy; he takes along both droids and also convinces Lobot to join him on this trip. Really half computer, half man Lobot is an interesting character, and it is nice that he plays a more prominent role in this story. Much like Han, Lando has his issues with authority figures and his mere presence irritates the mission leader. Feeling that his opinions aren’t being heard, Lando eventually takes matters into his own hands and tests a theory about the vagabond ship, whereby he promptly gets himself stranded aboard. Despite the Lando storyline not seeming to add anything to the overarching Yevethan crisis plot thus far, these chapters are fun intermezzos.
A lot is going on in this relatively short novel that sets the scene for the rest of the series. The different storylines are interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing how they each unfold (actually this is my second time reading this series, but I have no recollection of its details). While I enjoyed Before the Storm as a whole, there are two aspects that bothered me a little about it. First, it opens with a space battle, which I think is not the best choice for an opener as it is hard to get truly invested in a conflict of which little to know background information is revealed. In my opinion, such an uninteresting opening is a pretty big weakness for a novel and might cause a reader to put it aside prematurely. Second, and way more importantly, the main characters (except Lando) often did not quite seem like themselves behaving in unusual ways. As described above, this is worst for Luke, but also Leia acts out of character quite a lot. None of her usual wit, assertiveness, and perseverance comes through. I hope that in the following installments, Kube-McDowell will be able to capture the main characters a little better, although I kind of doubt it.
Irrespective of some grievances, Before the Storm remains a solid Star Wars novel and I am looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.
Let’s start off with Luke, who plays a relatively minor role in Before the Storm. No longer content with his life as a teacher at the Jedi Academy and striving to emulate his mentors, both of whom were hermits at some point in their lives, Luke decides it is now his turn to seclude himself. For this purpose, he uncovers his father’s secret hideout on Coruscant and repurposes it as his new dwelling. That he should choose to hide on Coruscant of all places seems somewhat strange, it being the most densely populated planed in the galaxy and all. However, it fits with his odd behavior throughout the novel and perhaps it shows that on some level he never really intended to withdraw himself. On top of that, it takes Luke like five minutes to uncover his father’s old secret fortress making it seem that, if they put their mind to it, other Jedi would probably be able to uncover him relatively easily.
Incidentally, he is discovered pretty quickly not by a Jedi but an individual adept in the Force even so. Said individual, Akanah, pertains to a mysterious people with its own understanding of the Force, the Fallanassi, from whom she has been separated for years. Akanah convinces Luke that his own mother belonged to her people and asks him to join her in her search for the Fallanassi. Despite the fact that Luke had just cast off all of his responsibilities and openly refused his sister any help with her Jedi children, Luke immediately agrees to join her on a paper chase across the galaxy, which may or may not unearth new information about his mother. Before leaving, he excitedly informs Leia of his plans and fails to understand why, for her, retracing the steps of their long-dead mother currently is not the number one priority. She had hoped he would offer her some support with the children, which Luke is unwilling to give. Luke does have a point in arguing that the children’s initial instruction should come from their mother – after all she has abilities in the Force herself. Still, it would not hurt him to at least give Leia some pointers. Taken aback by his sister’s lack of enthusiasm, Luke and Akanah take off and visit the last point of contact she has had with her people. There they immediately run into danger and unearth a clue as to where to continue their search. This novel certainly is not a compilation of Luke’s strongest moments. For the most part he comes across as a self-absorbed, ignorant jerk and because of that I am grateful that his is more of a side-plot in this book.
Compared to Luke, Leia has a bit more on her plate. Being Chief of State of the New Republic and mother of three unruly Jedi children, she must deal with many things at once. Hence, it is hardly surprising that she does not entertain her brother’s whims. Most of this novel Leia spends conducting lengthy negotiations with an emissary of the Duskhan League, during which she comes across as fairly naïve. The Duskhan League, a populace of the species Yevetha inhabiting planets within the Koornacht Cluster, controls a sector of the galaxy that is of strategic interest to the New Republic due to its location between the Core Worlds and the Deep Core. Therefore, it is in the New Republic’s interest to sway them towards becoming a member. However, the Yevethans establish from the very start that they have no interest in joining the New Republic whatsoever. All they want is to be left alone and to be free to do as they please within their jurisdiction. Accordingly, they negotiate with a completely different goal in mind, namely a treaty with the New Republic guaranteeing them their freedom and independence. Their point of view is the result of a deep-seated abhorrence toward any non-Yevethan species, of which Leia is ignorant until a gruesome act of genocide at the hands of the Yevetha takes place. Regardless, there are many indications that the Yevethan’s intentions aren’t pure before this drastic event, many of which Leia chooses to ignore as she is bent on a favorable outcome. In her position as leader of the New Republic, she is foundering a little here: she has this fixed idea that she must deal with the Yevethan delegation on her own even after the negotiations have gone on for literal months, she repeatedly casts aside reasonable objections by her aides, and when her authority is questioned and the Republic really needs a strong leader, she immediately goes incommunicado and it takes some serious convincing to get her to take action. In the end it is clear that the Yevethan crisis is a make-or-break test for her political career and whether she emerges from it unscathed remains to be seen.
While Leia expends all her resources to appeasing the Yevethans, New Republic intelligence uncovers traces of an Imperial fleet, the whereabouts of which are unclear. Leia personally feels that this is not an issue worth looking into and that a search mission would be a potential threat to her negotiations since it could intrude into the Koornacht Cluster. Eventually, Admiral Ackbar persuades her that a mission should be dispatched and, just to be safe, Leia sends along a general she trusts completely, Han. The mission is rather uneventful until – as a consequence of insubordination first at the hands of the general in charge, then at Han’s – they discover the disturbing truth about the Duskhan League. Although he takes more of a sideline position in this novel, Han comes across as the most reasonable main character, who calmly shares his opinions and more or less gently nudges others towards accepting them as their own. Given that Han usually is portrayed as being as much of a hothead as his wife, such a role allocation is surprising.
Finally, and mostly unrelated to all the other stuff that is going on Lando joins a mission that is trying to figure out the origin and purpose of a mysterious vessel floating around space (the way it is described just screams Yuuzhan Vong, but of course no one had invented them when this book was written). Thinking they might come in handy; he takes along both droids and also convinces Lobot to join him on this trip. Really half computer, half man Lobot is an interesting character, and it is nice that he plays a more prominent role in this story. Much like Han, Lando has his issues with authority figures and his mere presence irritates the mission leader. Feeling that his opinions aren’t being heard, Lando eventually takes matters into his own hands and tests a theory about the vagabond ship, whereby he promptly gets himself stranded aboard. Despite the Lando storyline not seeming to add anything to the overarching Yevethan crisis plot thus far, these chapters are fun intermezzos.
A lot is going on in this relatively short novel that sets the scene for the rest of the series. The different storylines are interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing how they each unfold (actually this is my second time reading this series, but I have no recollection of its details). While I enjoyed Before the Storm as a whole, there are two aspects that bothered me a little about it. First, it opens with a space battle, which I think is not the best choice for an opener as it is hard to get truly invested in a conflict of which little to know background information is revealed. In my opinion, such an uninteresting opening is a pretty big weakness for a novel and might cause a reader to put it aside prematurely. Second, and way more importantly, the main characters (except Lando) often did not quite seem like themselves behaving in unusual ways. As described above, this is worst for Luke, but also Leia acts out of character quite a lot. None of her usual wit, assertiveness, and perseverance comes through. I hope that in the following installments, Kube-McDowell will be able to capture the main characters a little better, although I kind of doubt it.
Irrespective of some grievances, Before the Storm remains a solid Star Wars novel and I am looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.
November 10, 2023
This is the first volume in another set of Star Wars stories that I haven’t reread in more than a quarter century.
I recall not being particularly impressed when I first encountered The Black Fleet Crisis, but hindsight and the wearying onslaught of ever-more-cynically-lazy Star Wars writing since the Disney acquisition has now lent a air of ‘classic-pre-prequel-EU’ innocence to this story.
Set 12 years after the turning point of the Galactic Civil War at the Battle of Endor, the story perfunctorily references the events of the more-recent Thrawn campaign as well as the best-left-forgotten Dark Empire clone/resurrected Emperor insurrection. With that out of the way, it moves into setting up the three largely unrelated strands that make up Before the Storm.
Lando is engaged on a mission to investigate a BDO, in a plot that is more reminiscent of a Star Trek TNG story (Tin Man), or Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama.
Luke has become wary of his increasing power and, after very briefly toying with becoming a hermit, he is soon lured off onto his own investigation by someone alleging that his mother is still out in the galaxy to be found (remember, this is before the prequels and all firm knowledge of Padmé Amidala).
Finally Leia, as the New Republic’s Chief of State is engaged in a diplomatic mission from an isolationist culture who, unbeknownst to her, have inherited a vast ex-Imperial fleet and who have put in motion a plot to tarnish her reputation and militarily cleanse their region of outsiders.
All intriguing plot strands, but there are some characterisation issues with Luke and Leia. First of all, I don’t believe Luke would ever abscond from his responsibilities, even briefly (we can safely ignore the Disney faithless betrayal portrayal), but since this self-isolation is so short lived it can be largely forgiven.
But Leia - I can only echo Han’s incredulous “I have jusy one question—who was that and what have you done with Leia?”
I appreciate that to move this plot forward someone in power needs to be handed the idiot ball, but this is a bad misuse of Leia even if it’s setting her up to grow later in the trilogy.
By the end of this first volume I’m definitely invested in the story, and in Lando’s most of all.
I’ll give it 4 stars overall, with the one star deducted because of Leia’s mischaracterisation. I hope it changes in volumes 2 and 3, because I’m really looking forward to them now.
I recall not being particularly impressed when I first encountered The Black Fleet Crisis, but hindsight and the wearying onslaught of ever-more-cynically-lazy Star Wars writing since the Disney acquisition has now lent a air of ‘classic-pre-prequel-EU’ innocence to this story.
Set 12 years after the turning point of the Galactic Civil War at the Battle of Endor, the story perfunctorily references the events of the more-recent Thrawn campaign as well as the best-left-forgotten Dark Empire clone/resurrected Emperor insurrection. With that out of the way, it moves into setting up the three largely unrelated strands that make up Before the Storm.
Lando is engaged on a mission to investigate a BDO, in a plot that is more reminiscent of a Star Trek TNG story (Tin Man), or Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama.
Luke has become wary of his increasing power and, after very briefly toying with becoming a hermit, he is soon lured off onto his own investigation by someone alleging that his mother is still out in the galaxy to be found (remember, this is before the prequels and all firm knowledge of Padmé Amidala).
Finally Leia, as the New Republic’s Chief of State is engaged in a diplomatic mission from an isolationist culture who, unbeknownst to her, have inherited a vast ex-Imperial fleet and who have put in motion a plot to tarnish her reputation and militarily cleanse their region of outsiders.
All intriguing plot strands, but there are some characterisation issues with Luke and Leia. First of all, I don’t believe Luke would ever abscond from his responsibilities, even briefly (we can safely ignore the Disney faithless betrayal portrayal), but since this self-isolation is so short lived it can be largely forgiven.
But Leia - I can only echo Han’s incredulous “I have jusy one question—who was that and what have you done with Leia?”
I appreciate that to move this plot forward someone in power needs to be handed the idiot ball, but this is a bad misuse of Leia even if it’s setting her up to grow later in the trilogy.
By the end of this first volume I’m definitely invested in the story, and in Lando’s most of all.
I’ll give it 4 stars overall, with the one star deducted because of Leia’s mischaracterisation. I hope it changes in volumes 2 and 3, because I’m really looking forward to them now.
March 15, 2017
I am giving this 4 stars, but it really is a 3 star book. The reason is the overall rating for the book is like 3.12 or something, which it deserves, but there are worse SW books out there that have 3.86 or so ratings...
Anyways, The Black Fleet is a lost division of ships that when the Emperor was defeated was supposed to self blow up and be destroyed so the Rebels wouldn't get it. But another alien race took over and stole it before it happened. The setting is 12 years after Return of the Jedi, so Luke/Leia are probably in their mid 30's. Ok, not bad story line, fine. This book has all the characters and is from 96' and part of the Bantan books were the best SW books probably were written. I like all the characters and how they are written about them except Leia. Like I said she is in her mid 30's, but she comes across as someone with no self confidence and just not a very smart person. If you read it you will understand. She is the President of the New Republic and she comes off as a loof and shouldn't be there or something. I didn't like that about her. The other books, except The Courtship of Princess Leia, don't have her like that. The other possible let down could be the Luke story line with him meeting this women and he is on a search for his mom. We will see about that... Otherwise it is better then what I was expecting.
UPDATE: After reading the 3rd book I have to downgrade it to 2 stars...
Anyways, The Black Fleet is a lost division of ships that when the Emperor was defeated was supposed to self blow up and be destroyed so the Rebels wouldn't get it. But another alien race took over and stole it before it happened. The setting is 12 years after Return of the Jedi, so Luke/Leia are probably in their mid 30's. Ok, not bad story line, fine. This book has all the characters and is from 96' and part of the Bantan books were the best SW books probably were written. I like all the characters and how they are written about them except Leia. Like I said she is in her mid 30's, but she comes across as someone with no self confidence and just not a very smart person. If you read it you will understand. She is the President of the New Republic and she comes off as a loof and shouldn't be there or something. I didn't like that about her. The other books, except The Courtship of Princess Leia, don't have her like that. The other possible let down could be the Luke story line with him meeting this women and he is on a search for his mom. We will see about that... Otherwise it is better then what I was expecting.
UPDATE: After reading the 3rd book I have to downgrade it to 2 stars...
September 2, 2012
Eh. Not as good as SW books can be (the X-Wing series), but not as horrible as many of them (Courtship of Princess Leia, for instance). The trouble with many of the SW books that feature the movie characters is that I find the characterizations in the book to be extremely inconsistent. Leia in this book is ineffectual, naive, and narrow-minded, pretty much the opposite of her movie character. Luke goes from peaceful hermit determined to take no more action in the world to an impatient jerk while in the company of the book's only other female character, another weak (despite her supposed power) and deceitful woman. Han is barely present except to give updates on the kids and do one minor thing to forward the plot, and old favorite Admiral Akbar seems a bit lame, too. Lando and the book's new characters, however, are interesting, and the plot is intriguing. I assume all the disparate plot elements will come together in the next book, and perhaps will make up for the jarring interpretations of beloved characters.
March 15, 2011
This was a thousand times better than Crystal Star. I still shudder when I mention that book. This novel had some intrigue, a reasonable plot, and some decent action sequences. I do believe the writers for Star Wars could condense these three book arcs into longer, but better edited single books. Like the Jedi Academy series, this one has such separate plots, you get the feeling that each could have been handled in its own book. Besides that, I didn't think Leia was so gullible. Is the position of Head of the New Republic weighing that much on her? Hopefully, she'll redeem herself in the next two books.
August 9, 2011
I've read a LOT of Star Wars books. The first time I tried reading this book was about 10 years ago. I couldn't make it past the first few pages. The writing it pretty horrible.
I tried to read the book again about three years ago. I figured maybe my reading skills weren't up to the task the first time. Nope, the book is still trash.
I've never come across another book before that I physically couldn't read. I just don't understand how a professional writer can write so poorly.
I tried to read the book again about three years ago. I figured maybe my reading skills weren't up to the task the first time. Nope, the book is still trash.
I've never come across another book before that I physically couldn't read. I just don't understand how a professional writer can write so poorly.
March 3, 2014
This was the book that caused me to abandon reading this Expanded Universe crap altogether. I picked up R.A. Salvatore's "contribution" a few years after this, and that confirmed that I had made the right decision. Pure garbage.
August 19, 2011
I read this series because I am a completist when it comes to reading (no more!). Please, take my advice and put the book down, don't order it, don't download it . . . just walk away.
August 18, 2017
I had heard bad things about Before the Storm and the Black Fleet Crisis series in general, and I went in with low expectations, especially given that I had found some of the other Star Wars novels I had read from this storyline era (I, Jedi, Children of the Jedi, Planet of Twilight) to be severely lacking. While this novel is largely a novel setting the scene for the rest of this trilogy (I mean, it’s called Before the Storm, for crying out loud), I found it enjoyable enough. Despite a few issues with it, I mostly enjoyed the introduction of an interesting new antagonist species, the political machinations and turmoil they create for Princess Leia and the New Republic, and the subplot involving Lando Calrissian investigating a mysterious phantom spacecraft.
Although Before the Storm obviously isn’t the first Star Wars novel to do it, I enjoyed having an entirely new bad guy who had nothing whatsoever to do with the Empire. The Yevethan were a fascinating species with a well-developed back story, an interesting set of customs and beliefs, and a clever scheme to attempt to undermine the New Republic and attain power for themselves. I enjoyed that much of their plotline (at least so far) was focused on politics, not warfare, in their attempts to create tension in the Senate and destroy Leia’s credibility. Michael P. Kube-McDowell focuses a lot on the inner workings of the New Republic military and government (including Alpha Blue, a cool shadowy, CIA-like spy organization), which I enjoyed.But when it did switch to action, like the Yevethan Purge, it was also very effective.
I also found Lando’s investigation of the Teljkon Vagabond to be surprisingly well done. In some novels, I feel like Lando is often thrown in arbitrarily, assigned a random subplot of nominal interest simply as an excuse to include him in the action (as was the case in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, which I otherwise quite enjoyed), and indeed it first seemed like the direction this book was going as well, since Lando literally walked into a New Republic official’s office and said he wanted something to do because he was bored.
But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself quite engaged in Lando’s investigation. The attempts by him, Lobot, C-3PO and R2-D2 to understand and infiltrate a mysterious ship built by a long-extinct species reminded me a bit of the plot of the science-fiction film Arrival. Although obviously different in tone, they had similar themes in that they raised questions about how to interact with and comprehend a species of which literally nothing is known, for which there is no true foundation to build upon. (Plus, I really enjoyed that they found a way to get Lobot back in the mix. I always liked him as a minor background character in The Empire Strikes Back when I was a kid, so the fact that he even made the cover of Before the Storm made me happy.
As for what I didn’t enjoy in this book, I found myself largely uninterested in the storyline of Luke Skywalker seeking his “long lost mother.” I think this subplot might be the reason this series received so much criticism, as it was rendered entirely moot by the prequel films, even before the entire Legends continuity was removed from the official canon. I’m not ruling out that it might get more interesting in future books, but so far it hasn’t grabbed me like Yevethan story did.
I also had some issues with how Princess Leia was portrayed in this book. It was interesting at first to hear her confess to Han Solo about her insecurities about leading the New Republic (how she sometimes feels like an “accident of history” not up to the task), as we’ve always known her as a tenacious and fearless leader up to this point. But I feel they went a little overboard on this as the book progressed. Leia was literally the only top New Republic official who was unsuspicious of the Yevethan, and her blindness to the threat they posed was quite unbelievable, and not in keeping with her usual intelligence. Worse yet, when the crisis grew to its worst point, rather than overcoming her errors and facing the threat, she retreats into herself and refuses to even talk to anybody. This is not the Princess Leia we all know.
That aside, however, I still found Before the Storm quite enjoyable, and look forward to reading the next books in the series.
Although Before the Storm obviously isn’t the first Star Wars novel to do it, I enjoyed having an entirely new bad guy who had nothing whatsoever to do with the Empire. The Yevethan were a fascinating species with a well-developed back story, an interesting set of customs and beliefs, and a clever scheme to attempt to undermine the New Republic and attain power for themselves. I enjoyed that much of their plotline (at least so far) was focused on politics, not warfare, in their attempts to create tension in the Senate and destroy Leia’s credibility. Michael P. Kube-McDowell focuses a lot on the inner workings of the New Republic military and government (including Alpha Blue, a cool shadowy, CIA-like spy organization), which I enjoyed.But when it did switch to action, like the Yevethan Purge, it was also very effective.
I also found Lando’s investigation of the Teljkon Vagabond to be surprisingly well done. In some novels, I feel like Lando is often thrown in arbitrarily, assigned a random subplot of nominal interest simply as an excuse to include him in the action (as was the case in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, which I otherwise quite enjoyed), and indeed it first seemed like the direction this book was going as well, since Lando literally walked into a New Republic official’s office and said he wanted something to do because he was bored.
But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself quite engaged in Lando’s investigation. The attempts by him, Lobot, C-3PO and R2-D2 to understand and infiltrate a mysterious ship built by a long-extinct species reminded me a bit of the plot of the science-fiction film Arrival. Although obviously different in tone, they had similar themes in that they raised questions about how to interact with and comprehend a species of which literally nothing is known, for which there is no true foundation to build upon. (Plus, I really enjoyed that they found a way to get Lobot back in the mix. I always liked him as a minor background character in The Empire Strikes Back when I was a kid, so the fact that he even made the cover of Before the Storm made me happy.
As for what I didn’t enjoy in this book, I found myself largely uninterested in the storyline of Luke Skywalker seeking his “long lost mother.” I think this subplot might be the reason this series received so much criticism, as it was rendered entirely moot by the prequel films, even before the entire Legends continuity was removed from the official canon. I’m not ruling out that it might get more interesting in future books, but so far it hasn’t grabbed me like Yevethan story did.
I also had some issues with how Princess Leia was portrayed in this book. It was interesting at first to hear her confess to Han Solo about her insecurities about leading the New Republic (how she sometimes feels like an “accident of history” not up to the task), as we’ve always known her as a tenacious and fearless leader up to this point. But I feel they went a little overboard on this as the book progressed. Leia was literally the only top New Republic official who was unsuspicious of the Yevethan, and her blindness to the threat they posed was quite unbelievable, and not in keeping with her usual intelligence. Worse yet, when the crisis grew to its worst point, rather than overcoming her errors and facing the threat, she retreats into herself and refuses to even talk to anybody. This is not the Princess Leia we all know.
That aside, however, I still found Before the Storm quite enjoyable, and look forward to reading the next books in the series.
December 5, 2022
Star Wars is an action adventure serial. It isn't complicated, it isn't necessarily profound, and while Lucas may originally have intended it as a coded criticism of American imperialism and expansion, the series itself has not often taken aim at greater symbolic or thematic relevance. It's a franchise that sells toys and merchandise and entertains. That's part of its charm, part of the feature.
But a few authors have tried to make it about more than just entertainment, and while I can't say all of these stories have been successful, Before the Storm presents a powerful political thriller that seeks to take Star Wars beyond the action adventure serial into a cogent exploration of the use and abuse of power.
Central to the conflict of Star Wars is the fight of the underdog Rebel Alliance against the fascist Galactic Empire, and the franchise's novels in the '90s struggled to figure out exactly what to do with the saga at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, in which the Empire's figureheads are finally defeated. Zahn introduced a new rival, Anderson tried his hand at creating a new existential threat to the New Republic, and a handful of other authors have made their attempt at creating a galactic-sized threat worthy of succeeding Vader and the Emperor. While none of these stories should be faulted for their attempts at giving us new, charismatic antagonists, I don't think any of these stories have gone beyond playing around with stock archetypes. The closest narrative I can think of to really getting to the thematic heart of Star Wars was Ambush at Corellia by Roger MacBride Allen, which began to explore compelling ideas about racism and fascism but fell apart after two lackluster sequels that didn't seem at all interesting in the ideas first introduced by the trilogy.
But Before the Storm is interested in exploring problems of power and how it is ultimately utilized, providing interesting antagonists to the main cast of the series while simultaneously using those antagonists to explore meaningful questions about how easily corruptible power can become. As Luke struggles with his relationship to the Force and how he can use such power ethically, Leia is put to the test diplomatically as she tries to reckon with how political power can be amassed and then abused for personal gain. Both mirroring stories are great character showcases, and the book adds a depth of realism to what is otherwise stock space fantasy. It offers complex situations with problems that present genuine difficulty for the characters to resolve--and it's only through their exploration of moral duty that they can find their way through to a solution (that isn't offered by this book, but promised by its sequels).
Before the Storm sets up a fantastic new adventure for the main cast of Star Wars with meaningful and original conflict with convincing stakes for the characters. This is a book of political intrigue and questions the ethics of power, even if that power is wielded by characters we know to be in the moral right. It's a phenomenal setup for Star Wars, and I absolutely believe this is among the best of what '90s Star Wars has to offer.
But a few authors have tried to make it about more than just entertainment, and while I can't say all of these stories have been successful, Before the Storm presents a powerful political thriller that seeks to take Star Wars beyond the action adventure serial into a cogent exploration of the use and abuse of power.
Central to the conflict of Star Wars is the fight of the underdog Rebel Alliance against the fascist Galactic Empire, and the franchise's novels in the '90s struggled to figure out exactly what to do with the saga at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, in which the Empire's figureheads are finally defeated. Zahn introduced a new rival, Anderson tried his hand at creating a new existential threat to the New Republic, and a handful of other authors have made their attempt at creating a galactic-sized threat worthy of succeeding Vader and the Emperor. While none of these stories should be faulted for their attempts at giving us new, charismatic antagonists, I don't think any of these stories have gone beyond playing around with stock archetypes. The closest narrative I can think of to really getting to the thematic heart of Star Wars was Ambush at Corellia by Roger MacBride Allen, which began to explore compelling ideas about racism and fascism but fell apart after two lackluster sequels that didn't seem at all interesting in the ideas first introduced by the trilogy.
But Before the Storm is interested in exploring problems of power and how it is ultimately utilized, providing interesting antagonists to the main cast of the series while simultaneously using those antagonists to explore meaningful questions about how easily corruptible power can become. As Luke struggles with his relationship to the Force and how he can use such power ethically, Leia is put to the test diplomatically as she tries to reckon with how political power can be amassed and then abused for personal gain. Both mirroring stories are great character showcases, and the book adds a depth of realism to what is otherwise stock space fantasy. It offers complex situations with problems that present genuine difficulty for the characters to resolve--and it's only through their exploration of moral duty that they can find their way through to a solution (that isn't offered by this book, but promised by its sequels).
Before the Storm sets up a fantastic new adventure for the main cast of Star Wars with meaningful and original conflict with convincing stakes for the characters. This is a book of political intrigue and questions the ethics of power, even if that power is wielded by characters we know to be in the moral right. It's a phenomenal setup for Star Wars, and I absolutely believe this is among the best of what '90s Star Wars has to offer.
May 27, 2020
This is a difficult book to review. I have a lot of thoughts about it, most of them bad.
I should start out by saying that I think that Michael P. Kube-McDowell wrote a good Science-Fiction piece. He did not, however, write a good Star Wars piece. If there was no Star Wars label or characters, this would work as an ok or good general Science Fiction novel as a start to a trilogy. He introduces lots of new aliens and weird spelled names and exploration of new space, all of which fits a generic Science Fiction novel(or even a Star Trek novel).
Unfortunately, there is a feeling that good Star Wars novels have. They capture the adventure, excitement, and voice of the characters of the story. McDowell just really didn't capture any of that. None or few of the characters felt like Star Wars characters. Leia was the most eggregious example. She was rude to Ackbar and didn't listen to him and was really out of character with both her film and book(EU) characteristics. Luke was quick to just say "Well, I've been told this, so I guess I'll go and believe this person". He felt off and him just leaving the academy out of the blue, then following the person claiming to know who his mother was just didnt' seem plausible to me. Han was the most believeable in his actions, but it didn't feel like McDowell nailed his character, only happened to get it right.
Also, this is technically a side note, but this trilogy of books(assuming it doesn't drastically change by the end) shows why the EU shouldn't have been considered canon in its time and shouldn't now. This author is setting up Luke's mother to be a part of this group, but we know for a fact from the prequels that she was Padme' from Naboo. At the point of writing this book, Lucas knew he was going to do the prequels, and yet this story got through anyway, showing that the EU really didn't fit into George's plan and that Lucasfilm(and Bantam Books) didn't really in the long run care about continuity. Thats why I'm ok with the "Reset" in 2014, but I digress.
Lando just used some phrases that sounded weird coming out of his mouth. I could see him saying them if the writer wanted him to say them, but it was just kind of wierd to me.
I've spent the last several paragraphs outlining what I didn't like so I'll pivot to what I did like. Even though I didn't buy Leia's actions and decisions in the book, I did like her plotline. The whole political problems, particularly in the third act were really interesting and exciting. That was the only part of the book that I felt like I had to keep reading, the rest was just bland to me.
Overall, this book isn't atrotious, but I have to be honest and say that overall, I did not enjoy it, and that is hard for me to say as a Star Wars fan. 4 out of 10. Sorry McDowell. Maybe another project.
I should start out by saying that I think that Michael P. Kube-McDowell wrote a good Science-Fiction piece. He did not, however, write a good Star Wars piece. If there was no Star Wars label or characters, this would work as an ok or good general Science Fiction novel as a start to a trilogy. He introduces lots of new aliens and weird spelled names and exploration of new space, all of which fits a generic Science Fiction novel(or even a Star Trek novel).
Unfortunately, there is a feeling that good Star Wars novels have. They capture the adventure, excitement, and voice of the characters of the story. McDowell just really didn't capture any of that. None or few of the characters felt like Star Wars characters. Leia was the most eggregious example. She was rude to Ackbar and didn't listen to him and was really out of character with both her film and book(EU) characteristics. Luke was quick to just say "Well, I've been told this, so I guess I'll go and believe this person". He felt off and him just leaving the academy out of the blue, then following the person claiming to know who his mother was just didnt' seem plausible to me. Han was the most believeable in his actions, but it didn't feel like McDowell nailed his character, only happened to get it right.
Also, this is technically a side note, but this trilogy of books(assuming it doesn't drastically change by the end) shows why the EU shouldn't have been considered canon in its time and shouldn't now. This author is setting up Luke's mother to be a part of this group, but we know for a fact from the prequels that she was Padme' from Naboo. At the point of writing this book, Lucas knew he was going to do the prequels, and yet this story got through anyway, showing that the EU really didn't fit into George's plan and that Lucasfilm(and Bantam Books) didn't really in the long run care about continuity. Thats why I'm ok with the "Reset" in 2014, but I digress.
Lando just used some phrases that sounded weird coming out of his mouth. I could see him saying them if the writer wanted him to say them, but it was just kind of wierd to me.
I've spent the last several paragraphs outlining what I didn't like so I'll pivot to what I did like. Even though I didn't buy Leia's actions and decisions in the book, I did like her plotline. The whole political problems, particularly in the third act were really interesting and exciting. That was the only part of the book that I felt like I had to keep reading, the rest was just bland to me.
Overall, this book isn't atrotious, but I have to be honest and say that overall, I did not enjoy it, and that is hard for me to say as a Star Wars fan. 4 out of 10. Sorry McDowell. Maybe another project.
December 17, 2021
Hard to accurately rate this book. I think I’ll do it in categories.
Plot: 7/10 Over all, the plot was interesting. There were several plot lines running in parallel, and they were mostly balanced well. It was engaging and entertaining to read. But…
Writing Leia: -57/10 A huge part of the over all plot hinges on Leia being naive and stupid. She’s my favorite character, and I always pay close attention to how she’s written*; I have never seen her written so poorly. She makes a colossal mistake - one that does NOT fit with what we know of her character. That’s bad enough, but then she completely gives up and hides and won’t talk to anyone for DAYS while people are dying and the New Republic is falling apart. Leia wouldn’t do that. She would not give up under any circumstances. It’s beyond ridiculous. She didn’t give up when she was all alone, being tortured on the Death Star; nobody knew she was there, and she had no hope of escape, and yet she continued fighting. That’s just the first in a long line of “not giving up” moments that were more bleak than this one. And for the cherry on top, when she finds out people have disobeyed her (stupid) orders (that I don’t think she ever would have actually given), she says to Han, “ I don’t get it. Is it because I’m a woman? Is that why lately everyone seems to treat my orders like suggestions?” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Even when she was NINETEEN YEARS OLD people treated her with respect and didn’t seem to care that she was a woman. She’s 35 now, and she has earned everyone’s respect countless times. They respected and followed Mon Mothma, as well. This book takes place 16-17 ABY. She has been President of the New Republic for YEARS now. Sexism from other members of the New Republic leadership towards her as a government leader has never, ever come up. That line clearly reflects the author’s own feelings and 1996 earth culture, not 16 ABY New Republic culture.
Writing Han: 4/10 The author threw in a few lines Han would definitely say while not diving any deeper into his actual character.
Writing Luke: 8/10 The author seems to understand Luke fairly well and gives him a somewhat interesting side-plot.
Writing Lando: 9/10 Again, the author understands Lando and gives him a great side plot.
Over all, the plot was interesting and enjoyable. I might give it four stars if it didn’t hinge entirely on Leia being someone she’s absolutely not.
*If you want to read the best Leia book ever written, read Bloodline by Claudia Gray. Her Leia was so… Leia!
Plot: 7/10 Over all, the plot was interesting. There were several plot lines running in parallel, and they were mostly balanced well. It was engaging and entertaining to read. But…
Writing Leia: -57/10 A huge part of the over all plot hinges on Leia being naive and stupid. She’s my favorite character, and I always pay close attention to how she’s written*; I have never seen her written so poorly. She makes a colossal mistake - one that does NOT fit with what we know of her character. That’s bad enough, but then she completely gives up and hides and won’t talk to anyone for DAYS while people are dying and the New Republic is falling apart. Leia wouldn’t do that. She would not give up under any circumstances. It’s beyond ridiculous. She didn’t give up when she was all alone, being tortured on the Death Star; nobody knew she was there, and she had no hope of escape, and yet she continued fighting. That’s just the first in a long line of “not giving up” moments that were more bleak than this one. And for the cherry on top, when she finds out people have disobeyed her (stupid) orders (that I don’t think she ever would have actually given), she says to Han, “ I don’t get it. Is it because I’m a woman? Is that why lately everyone seems to treat my orders like suggestions?” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Even when she was NINETEEN YEARS OLD people treated her with respect and didn’t seem to care that she was a woman. She’s 35 now, and she has earned everyone’s respect countless times. They respected and followed Mon Mothma, as well. This book takes place 16-17 ABY. She has been President of the New Republic for YEARS now. Sexism from other members of the New Republic leadership towards her as a government leader has never, ever come up. That line clearly reflects the author’s own feelings and 1996 earth culture, not 16 ABY New Republic culture.
Writing Han: 4/10 The author threw in a few lines Han would definitely say while not diving any deeper into his actual character.
Writing Luke: 8/10 The author seems to understand Luke fairly well and gives him a somewhat interesting side-plot.
Writing Lando: 9/10 Again, the author understands Lando and gives him a great side plot.
Over all, the plot was interesting and enjoyable. I might give it four stars if it didn’t hinge entirely on Leia being someone she’s absolutely not.
*If you want to read the best Leia book ever written, read Bloodline by Claudia Gray. Her Leia was so… Leia!
November 16, 2017
Looking back the first time I saw the Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy in the must-read for Star Wars novel novice reader's list was the one of the things I do not regret buying soon enough. But when I really got my mitts on the whole trilogy, I just hoped, "give it a try, it wouldn't hurt you...wouldn't it?"
A short review for Before the Storm, book one of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy would make up for it then?
First of all, this is one of the most boringly interesting Star Wars novels out there. I had a mind-mongering duel with time as the book is slowly numbing and reassuring, with some plot holes being too wide, but then bridged it with a ton of content that was too much at times.
I liked how Michael Kube-McDowell manages to give us a peek of what it feels like to be a Chief of State in Coruscant- in vivid detail, no problem there. He's great at getting important plot messages through and it's always an easy read at some chapters. Lobot's talking for the first time and I am seriously liking Lobot as a sort of human-cyborg relation than See-Threepio more, though. But as I was saying earlier on, Kube-McDowell is great at introducing then bridging conflicts easily, which in turn makes the novel quite interesting. It leaves you wondering with so much questions that you'll definitely try reading the second book of the trilogy afterwards soon enough. And honestly, the Yevetha, led by their leader aptly named Nil Spaar, is one of the most convoluted in personality and cunning in stature for me. But doubtless after reading this, the Yevetha are the second ruthless beings besides the Yuuzhan Vong (later introduced in NJO series) and Natasi Daala (introduced in Jedi Academy trilogy), somehow.
I didn't like that this book was too much for a 300-page novel. Too much bore sometimes but quite crucial in development. There are some times I go "WTF" and most especially the time Luke's mom's name was Nashira. Man, I knew that this is a 1996 novel but seriously, it doesn't come close to Padme. I know it's weird for watching the prequels first but yes. You'd think weirder otherwise.
All-in-all, this is a polarizing novel to behold. But I have bigger expectations for Shield of Lies. Hope I could stay on track soon enough though.
-Christian
A short review for Before the Storm, book one of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy would make up for it then?
First of all, this is one of the most boringly interesting Star Wars novels out there. I had a mind-mongering duel with time as the book is slowly numbing and reassuring, with some plot holes being too wide, but then bridged it with a ton of content that was too much at times.
I liked how Michael Kube-McDowell manages to give us a peek of what it feels like to be a Chief of State in Coruscant- in vivid detail, no problem there. He's great at getting important plot messages through and it's always an easy read at some chapters. Lobot's talking for the first time and I am seriously liking Lobot as a sort of human-cyborg relation than See-Threepio more, though. But as I was saying earlier on, Kube-McDowell is great at introducing then bridging conflicts easily, which in turn makes the novel quite interesting. It leaves you wondering with so much questions that you'll definitely try reading the second book of the trilogy afterwards soon enough. And honestly, the Yevetha, led by their leader aptly named Nil Spaar, is one of the most convoluted in personality and cunning in stature for me. But doubtless after reading this, the Yevetha are the second ruthless beings besides the Yuuzhan Vong (later introduced in NJO series) and Natasi Daala (introduced in Jedi Academy trilogy), somehow.
I didn't like that this book was too much for a 300-page novel. Too much bore sometimes but quite crucial in development. There are some times I go "WTF" and most especially the time Luke's mom's name was Nashira. Man, I knew that this is a 1996 novel but seriously, it doesn't come close to Padme. I know it's weird for watching the prequels first but yes. You'd think weirder otherwise.
All-in-all, this is a polarizing novel to behold. But I have bigger expectations for Shield of Lies. Hope I could stay on track soon enough though.
-Christian
August 10, 2018
La serie consiste en tres tramas paralelas: por un lado, Leia y la Nueva República tienen problemas a la hora de tratar con los Yevetha, unos alienígenas con muy mala actitud. Por otro lado, Luke deja todo botado para ir persiguiendo una pista sobre su madre y acompañar a una mujer sensible a la fuerza de planeta en planeta. En otra parte, Lando recluta a Lobot (el mayordomo que él tenía en El Imperio contraataca; mucha gente parece olvidar su nombre), C-3PO y R2-D2 en un paseo aún más loco que el de Luke detrás de una nave espacial errante llena de misterios.
Se trata lejos de una de las series de Star Wars (Star Wars Legends ahora...) más "ciencia ficción militar" que hay, con mucha atención puesta en detalles militares, como formación y tipo de naves. Algo no tan a su favor es que hay una sobreabundancia de diálogo.
La trama de Leia es interesante, muy del estilo Tom Clancy, aunque llega a ser exasperante ver cuántos errores tontos comete ella. Los Yevetha no son muy originales como villanos, pero al menos vemos a un villano que no sea el imperio, y a la vez nos preguntamos cómo es que la Nueva República puede tener un gobierno funcional con esa clase de políticos.
La trama de Luke tiene a éste utilizando la Fuerza para cosas muy mundanas (en este caso, por ejemplo, para hacer un cojín de aire para poder sentarse). ¿No se supone que los Jedi no deben ser tan ostentosos con sus poderes? Lo que es peor, toda su trama comienza porque busca a su madre, y dado que el nombre que le dan no es Padmé Amidala, uno puede arriegarse a adivinar en qué va a terminar esta búsqueda.
La trama de Lando suena bastante interesante, con él investigando un Gran Objeto Tonto que no estaría fuera de lugar en una novela como Encuentro con Rama. La presencia de Lobot, C-3PO y R2-D2 aporta elementos humorísticos también (aunque sospecho que los dos últimos están allí porque el autor no supo qué hacer con ellos). El gran problema de esta trama es que no parece tener relación alguna con el resto de la historia; sacarla no afectaría ala serie en nada excepto en hacerla más delgada.
Se trata lejos de una de las series de Star Wars (Star Wars Legends ahora...) más "ciencia ficción militar" que hay, con mucha atención puesta en detalles militares, como formación y tipo de naves. Algo no tan a su favor es que hay una sobreabundancia de diálogo.
La trama de Leia es interesante, muy del estilo Tom Clancy, aunque llega a ser exasperante ver cuántos errores tontos comete ella. Los Yevetha no son muy originales como villanos, pero al menos vemos a un villano que no sea el imperio, y a la vez nos preguntamos cómo es que la Nueva República puede tener un gobierno funcional con esa clase de políticos.
La trama de Luke tiene a éste utilizando la Fuerza para cosas muy mundanas (en este caso, por ejemplo, para hacer un cojín de aire para poder sentarse). ¿No se supone que los Jedi no deben ser tan ostentosos con sus poderes? Lo que es peor, toda su trama comienza porque busca a su madre, y dado que el nombre que le dan no es Padmé Amidala, uno puede arriegarse a adivinar en qué va a terminar esta búsqueda.
La trama de Lando suena bastante interesante, con él investigando un Gran Objeto Tonto que no estaría fuera de lugar en una novela como Encuentro con Rama. La presencia de Lobot, C-3PO y R2-D2 aporta elementos humorísticos también (aunque sospecho que los dos últimos están allí porque el autor no supo qué hacer con ellos). El gran problema de esta trama es que no parece tener relación alguna con el resto de la historia; sacarla no afectaría ala serie en nada excepto en hacerla más delgada.
June 23, 2018
By pure coincidence, I read this book after The Jedi Academy trilogy, so it was a nice surprise to find out it follows on. Luke leaves his Academy to go into hiding, but is then visited by a mysterious woman who claims to know his mother, so he goes with her to learn more.
Leia is visited by the Yethethan Nil Spaar and tries to form an alliance with him. He seems insistent that he only wants peace and to be left alone, rather than join. Meanwhile, the New Republic find intelligence on the Black Fleet which is unaccounted for, but was last known to be in the Yethethan region of space. What a coincidence that Nil Spaar is here! Leia orders Han to go on the recon mission to investigate what happened to the Black Fleet. Chewbacca makes a cameo, and takes the Falcon to his home-world to visit his family.
Lando, Lobot, C3PO and R2D2 investigate a unmanned ship, but need to crack the defence systems to unlock its secrets.
My main thought on the book is that there's a lot of plot threads which seem to be there to build up the overall plot to the trilogy; but it means this book is watered down as a result. There's a lack of action for the majority of the book, but things begin to happen during the final few chapters. I'm not sure if Lando and Luke's plot threads are actually going to tie into the main plot or if they are just side stories.
I think this leads into another problem; that there are far too many characters. There are plenty of characters that get mentioned once then are never referred to again, and it's hard to keep track of who actually is important. I think the usage of some characters were a bit forced. They could have used new characters instead of having Lando and the droids.
Cutting out irrelevant parts could have led to a more focused and interesting story. I didn't find the book very enjoyable, but the other two books in the trilogy could be good since they have the foundations of the plot threads to build upon.
Leia is visited by the Yethethan Nil Spaar and tries to form an alliance with him. He seems insistent that he only wants peace and to be left alone, rather than join. Meanwhile, the New Republic find intelligence on the Black Fleet which is unaccounted for, but was last known to be in the Yethethan region of space. What a coincidence that Nil Spaar is here! Leia orders Han to go on the recon mission to investigate what happened to the Black Fleet. Chewbacca makes a cameo, and takes the Falcon to his home-world to visit his family.
Lando, Lobot, C3PO and R2D2 investigate a unmanned ship, but need to crack the defence systems to unlock its secrets.
My main thought on the book is that there's a lot of plot threads which seem to be there to build up the overall plot to the trilogy; but it means this book is watered down as a result. There's a lack of action for the majority of the book, but things begin to happen during the final few chapters. I'm not sure if Lando and Luke's plot threads are actually going to tie into the main plot or if they are just side stories.
I think this leads into another problem; that there are far too many characters. There are plenty of characters that get mentioned once then are never referred to again, and it's hard to keep track of who actually is important. I think the usage of some characters were a bit forced. They could have used new characters instead of having Lando and the droids.
Cutting out irrelevant parts could have led to a more focused and interesting story. I didn't find the book very enjoyable, but the other two books in the trilogy could be good since they have the foundations of the plot threads to build upon.
March 11, 2020
After reading the horrendous books that is The Courtship of Princess Leia, Jedi Academy, I Jedi, Children of the Jedi, Darksaber, Planet of Twilight, and The Crystal Star, I had all but given up hope of there ever reading another good Star Wars novel. The writing seemed to have fallen on dark times (pun intended). I had to take a few months break from reading another Star Wars books in the continuity of the timeline. So my hopes were not very high and I decided to jump back on the Star Wars wagon and start reading the next book in line, the Black Fleet Crisis. This review is for the first book in the series because I have not yet read book 2 and 3.
I must say that I actually really enjoyed the book (hallelujah!). It got me hooked very early on and I couldn't put the book down. The three separate storylines of the three Ls (Luke's, Leia's and Lando's)are equally fascinating and I had to keep reading to see what would happen next. I don't understand why there is hate towards this book. It's so much greater that the novels I mentioned in the very beginning and the writing is far superior to Barbra Hamley.
The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because I find Leia so out of character in this novel, I don't even recognize her. When did she get so gullible, naive and trustworthy, especially towards a unknown alien species? And then to alienate herself from her own entourage and most trusted advisers, such as Admiral Ackbar, almost accusing him of treason, after all they have been through together that she would not even listen to his counsel?? This is not the strong willed character we have come to know and love. This is not Leia.
Apart from that, great read and I am ready to just into book two to find out what happens next.
I must say that I actually really enjoyed the book (hallelujah!). It got me hooked very early on and I couldn't put the book down. The three separate storylines of the three Ls (Luke's, Leia's and Lando's)are equally fascinating and I had to keep reading to see what would happen next. I don't understand why there is hate towards this book. It's so much greater that the novels I mentioned in the very beginning and the writing is far superior to Barbra Hamley.
The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because I find Leia so out of character in this novel, I don't even recognize her. When did she get so gullible, naive and trustworthy, especially towards a unknown alien species? And then to alienate herself from her own entourage and most trusted advisers, such as Admiral Ackbar, almost accusing him of treason, after all they have been through together that she would not even listen to his counsel?? This is not the strong willed character we have come to know and love. This is not Leia.
Apart from that, great read and I am ready to just into book two to find out what happens next.
June 2, 2020
This is a strange book in a lot of ways.
At its core, it's a fairly intriguing set of parallel stories. The mystery around the Yevetha and the sense of impending doom that hangs over them from the start is gripping. The escapades around the mysterious rogue ship are compelling. And while the quest to discover Luke and Leia's mother is less interesting, especially in light of the Prequel Trilogy, it isn't as dull as it might be. And the whole thing is fairly well written, with some well drawn characters.
What's bizarre though is that it doesn't feel like the *Star Wars* characters. Han is not especially important and Lando is fine, but neither Luke nor Leia feels at all like themselves. Luke is incredibly mopey and detached; like the worst parody of what detractors complain about his Last Jedi self in the new canon, but without even any proximate cause to explain his behaviour. And I have no idea what the author was going for with Leia, who is characterised here as staggeringly naive and stubborn about it. It doesn't come across as idealism, but rather stupidity, as she clings to wildly optimistic assessments even when all the (male) characters around her are signalling in no uncertain terms that the reality is rather different. I should say that I'm a firm believer that there is no 'one' way to portray any character; it's entirely fine for different authors to emphasise different elements of these icons, but this just felt bizarre.
I gave this four stars out of some benefit of the doubt, hoping that the subsequent two books in this series will improve here. At its core, it really is a decent book; I just have a lot of trouble reconciling it with the characters it is supposedly about.
At its core, it's a fairly intriguing set of parallel stories. The mystery around the Yevetha and the sense of impending doom that hangs over them from the start is gripping. The escapades around the mysterious rogue ship are compelling. And while the quest to discover Luke and Leia's mother is less interesting, especially in light of the Prequel Trilogy, it isn't as dull as it might be. And the whole thing is fairly well written, with some well drawn characters.
What's bizarre though is that it doesn't feel like the *Star Wars* characters. Han is not especially important and Lando is fine, but neither Luke nor Leia feels at all like themselves. Luke is incredibly mopey and detached; like the worst parody of what detractors complain about his Last Jedi self in the new canon, but without even any proximate cause to explain his behaviour. And I have no idea what the author was going for with Leia, who is characterised here as staggeringly naive and stubborn about it. It doesn't come across as idealism, but rather stupidity, as she clings to wildly optimistic assessments even when all the (male) characters around her are signalling in no uncertain terms that the reality is rather different. I should say that I'm a firm believer that there is no 'one' way to portray any character; it's entirely fine for different authors to emphasise different elements of these icons, but this just felt bizarre.
I gave this four stars out of some benefit of the doubt, hoping that the subsequent two books in this series will improve here. At its core, it really is a decent book; I just have a lot of trouble reconciling it with the characters it is supposedly about.
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