Star Wars – Honor Among Thieves
When the mission is to extract a high-level rebel spy from the very heart of the Empire, Leia Organa knows the best man for the job is Han Solo…something the princess and the smuggler can finally agree on. After all, for a guy who broke into an Imperial cell block and helped destroy the Death Star, the assignment sounds simple enough.
But when Han locates the brash rebel agent, Scarlet Hark, she’s determined to stay behind enemy lines. A pirate plans to sell a cache of stolen secrets that the Empire would destroy entire worlds to protect…including the planet where Leia is currently meeting with rebel sympathizers. Scarlet wants to track down the thief and steal the bounty herself, and Han has no choice but to go along if he’s to keep everyone involved from getting themselves killed. From teeming city streets to a lethal jungle to a trap-filled alien temple, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and their daring new comrade confront one ambush, double cross, and firestorm after another as they try to keep crucial intel out of Imperial hands.
But even with the crack support of Luke Skywalker’s x-wing squadron, the Alliance heroes may be hopelessly outgunned in their final battle for the highest of stakes: the power to liberate the galaxy from tyranny or ensure the Empire’s reign of darkness forever.
Star Wars – Honor Among Thieves written by James S. A. Corey is a quick entertaining read. The story itself focuses on Han Solo, and the authors know how to write the character. Over the years, I’ve read multiple books featuring well known Star Wars characters, and find myself constantly removed from the story because these characters are poorly written. Fortunately, that’s not the case here. The story borrows quite a bit of dialogue from the films, and it helps to make the characters feel authentic. The book also introduces several new characters that I wouldn’t mind running into again in future books. Baasen Ray is an older bounty hunter that had worked with Han Solo, and the Rebel agent Scarlet Hark, provides a fun counterpoint to Han. If I didn’t know Han Solo was supposed to end up with Princess Leia, I’d have been rooting for these two to get together. Because this story falls right in between the first Star Wars film and The Empire Strikes Back, I knew what could and couldn’t happen within the story, and that was this books only real downfall. Admittedly, the story is a little thin on plot, and there is little effort to further develop any of the pre-existing characters. If you’re looking for a quick adventure featuring Han Solo, then Honor Among Thieves delivers. However, if you’re a newcomer to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, I cant recommend this story as a place to start. Steve Perry’s 1996 novel Shadows of the Empire falls in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and is a much deeper read. If you’re really looking to read more about Han, I’d recommend C.A. Crispin’s trilogy of Han Solo books. And of course you can never go wrong with Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy.
Happy reading, and may the force be with you!
Honor Among Thieves is available through Amazon and iBooks.