Product Description
As Leia must deal with a new threat to the fragile alliance that binds the New Republic, Lando becomes a prisoner aboard a runaway spacecraft of unknown origin. The ship is following an unstoppable path to its homeworld, destroyed by Imperial forces. Luke continues his quest to learn more about his mother among the Fallanassi, where his every belief about the use of the Force is about to be challenged. And while Leia ponders a diplomatic solution to the aggression of the fierce Yevetha race, Han pilots a spy ship into the heart of Yevethan space and finds himself a hostage on one of the vast fleet of warships under the command of a ruthless leader.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 2.5 based on 34 reviews)

eh... spoilers, if it even matters in the first place

1. Lando - Lando, Lobot, and the droids make a complete circle throughout an otherwise interesting spaceship, only to get nothing really done. One thing to be said about Kube-McDowell is that he's the first author to develop Lobot as a character

2. Luke - this is my least favorite section. akanah nags and nags and nags, and luke cowers and whimpers as she cracks the whip. Pretty much, they walk around some planets, constantly looking over their shoulders unnecessarily. I'll have to admit the part about akanah's father kind of made me genuinely sad.

3. Leia - easily the best section. Leia portrayed as incompetent, which pins her self-esteem to the floor. Senate tries to oust her. Nil Spaar is deliciously evil, but his character is a bit overdone and his tyranny a little cliché. Finally, K-wings are put to use in a fun little space battle at the end.

Ok. I understand that some important ingredients of a good novel are character development, plot construction, and dialogue, all of which this book contains. I know that star wars isn't all dog fights and blazing light saber battles and what not. But this book lacks what made Star Wars great in the first place, and that is at least an acceptable level of action. Apart from the space battle at the end and the tyranny of the Yevethah, there is no degree of excitement or tension anywhere else in this book. Sure, Lando's story line is cool and creepy, but almost nothing of consequence really comes from it. This is what makes the series so frustrating! I have yet to start Tyrant's test, but I will soon. I hope and pray that it will rescue this series from the drudgery of the first two books. That is all
June 26, 2008

Love this series

I'm not sure why all the negativity...this is a very well-written yarn. I remember reading it 10 years ago, and enjoying the plot but feeling uncomfortable with the characters...yet reading it again now (at age 38) I love it. The characters have great depth, and the story is intricately interesting. It all felt very realistic to me. Maybe this is just not a story for a younger reader, or a reader who just wants action. But this is a thoughtful story, doesn't deserve the kind of panning that The Crystal Star got, certainly.
June 22, 2007

Kept making me mad...

By the time I reached this book, I was half tempted to give up while I was ahead. But I must like punishing myself (or be very obsessed about reading each and every Star Wars book), because I started AND finished this one.
Pretty much nothing of consequence happens in this book. Luke is still off with his newfound girlfriend, still hunting for his mother. Han is kidnapped. Lando is having fun exploring his ship while people are dying. Leia is behaving like a whiny child. And Chewie, well, Chewie is Chewie. He is that character everyone brings into the story and then goes, "Uh, oh. What do I do with him?"
I hated how the book was divided into sections dedicated to each character. Instead of learning a bit about everyone throughout the book, you have to wait to reach each section to learn what happens to each character. Though I really shouldn't have been upset since nothing really happens to anyone, or at least nothing that won't be repaired before the end.
I won't blame the series for sounding too much like the Vong, because technically this came before the Vong. Still, I guess (???) this was better than the continuous "Oh, the Empire developed a new superpower. Luke, grab your lightsaber and help Leia and Han defeat it!"
Have I said yet this is a terrible series? Have I warned you to avoid at all cost? In case it isn't clear, buy the books to complete the set. Just don't open them!
May 17, 2007

Wow!

The book rocked. I like the parts were Luke looked for his mom. It recovered for the bad beginning. Part three on Leia just made it even better.
March 17, 2006

Better than the first

Ok so this one started out a lot better. It continued with lando's adventure, which was a great start. The author had the book devided in three sections. THe first section starts with Lando, the next is Luke's story, and the Last deals with leia. Granted the storyline with luke is still awful and he still doesnt do Luke justice he did manage to pull off a decient leia. so all in all I would say better than the first but still not up there with star wars authors like Zahn.
January 05, 2006

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Tyrant's Test (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 3)
by Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell

Before the Storm (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 1)
by Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell

The New Rebellion (Star Wars)
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The Crystal Star (Star Wars (Random House Paperback))
by Vonda Mcintyre

Planet of Twilight (Star Wars.)
by Barbara Hambly