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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great re-introduction of our beloved Han, August 1, 2000
This review is from: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
I'll keep this short and sweet because I don't want to spoil anything... I have never read any of Luceno's work, but he does a good job continuing the New Jedi Order series. Where the previous books were more directed towards the Jedi and their contributions towards this new enemy, Hero's Trial gives us a new respect and admiration towards our lovable hero, Han Solo. He has been sorely missed due to the death of Chewbacca and now has to overcome his grief and fight in the name of Chewie. Sometimes it seems as though Han could be "Force-sensitive" for all the situations that he seems to get himself in and out of... but, that's the Corellian luck for ya. Anyway, it was an excellent book with some great insights to the character of Han and how deep his relationship with Chewie really was. The rest of the cast is also built upon nicely which promises a great follow up in Jedi Eclipse. Happy Hunting!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
James Luceno raises the bar on this series., August 3, 2000
This review is from: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
As with Mr. Greg Bear and "Rogue Planet", Mr. Luceno is another excellent addition to the Authors who continue the Star Wars epic. I also will be brief following the standard of the other person who has commented thus far, and I hope others will as well. Please do not give away anything that the covers of the book do not. Han is back; the reader must decide which incarnation of Han Solo has returned. Han has evolved so much through these books, and no single event can match the death that Chewbacca's death had upon him. But as the back of the cover states "Han becomes the.....he once was". And with this persona so much of what fans have been missing is back, in a manner of speaking. This Author steps the level of writing up on this book, as well as increasing the depth of some familiar old friends. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is about awareness, what it means, how each individual copes with it, and the implications it may have. This plot line was totally unexpected, and in my opinion very well done. Mr. Luceno avoids the clichés that most Authors embrace; he expands the Organic Weaponry of The New Republic's Enemy in new and clever ways, and clearly makes his mark as a top tier writer for the Star Wars World. I feel fans will really enjoy this installment.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solo is back..., August 3, 2000
This review is from: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
Great story. The writer clearly has read every piece of Han Solo fiction ever written (or at least done a good deal of research) and blends Han's past with this new future in a quite believable way. As I understand it, Luceno also helped pen Robotech. I was reluctant to get into the "new" Star Wars books because I felt that besides screwing up his own D&D novels Salvatore had clearly lost his mind when he killed off the Wook. It's impossible to pass up a well written Han Solo story though, and Luceno has presented an excellent (albeit darker) story about our favorite rogue turned hero. The character actually experiences something of a rebirth while he is forced to deal with the very non-Star Wars real emotion of grief in a very realistic way. While Solo is the focus of the story the author adeptly handles the underlying plot and characters surrounding Han in the story. The space battles, in particular, are above average for Star Wars books. They are so good, in fact, that I kept thinking Luceno would be good candidate to further script the adventures of everyone's second favorite Corelian, Wedge Antilles (provided he hasn't been killed off either). Han and Luke are handled carefully, but are given a bit of maturity that 25 years would bring them. Solo has the age issue to deal with (much like the actor who played him) and Luke seems to be the Jedi Master in every way. In one bit I could almost detect the writer's question about whether or not to use the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as a local in the book. It would have worked, but only if it isn't destroyed in the other movies. He wisely opted to come as close to that as possible without using the real deal. In the end, the villians are convincing and the heroes are right on the mark. There is even a deadpan Harrison Ford moment that is taken right out of The Last Crusade. While this is a darker story than standard Star Wars, Luceno certainly has crafted himself a minor masterpiece here. Solo fans unsure of this "new" series ought to check it out. Besides the lack of favorite characters Lando, Wedge, and Talon Kard, this one will have you finishing it faster than Solo could pull off the Kessel Run (and wanting more).
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