Customer Reviews

Before the Storm (Star Wars, Book 1 of the Black Fleet Crisis)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

The one word that characterizes all the books of the Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy? BORING!!!!!!!!!! The book moves too slowly and is simply too inconsistant. Luke Skywalker runs off to become a hermit at Darth Vader's old retreat rejecting his Academy, his family and pretty everything else. Only a mysterious woman who is able to enter his stronghold induces Luke to leave with promises about his lost mother. Leia is shown much more as the Chief of State, an idea that did have merit, while Han Solo is shown more as the family man. The problem is, is that the story moves so slowly. The characterizations are weak: Princess Leia, the people's leader refuses to learn the names of her bodyguards preferring to ignore their existance. That is totally contrary to Princess Leia, Han Solo is done all right but that is because he really has nothing to do. Luke is done terribly. The Black Fleet crisis marks the epitome of stupid Jedi power Luke. It took Zahn coming back into the fold to save the expanded universe after the Black Fleet Debacle. The Lando adventure has possibilities but it too drops by the wayside due to just too much non-sensical writing. Perhaps this story should have been a one or two book set not a trilogy, at time it feels like the auther was just trying to fill space. In any event, this book needed some major editing and marked a dark period of Star Wars literature that not even the Jedi Academy Trilogy (horrible as it was)reached.

How do you rate the first book? Well, since this is a trilogy, and I've read enough of them to know better, I expected the majority of the first book to be spent laying the groundwork for the next two.

That is exactly what we got. It isn't until the 100th page or so, that anything that could be considered action occurs (Other than the opening sequence, which takes place on N'Zoth, a few months after the Battle of Endor). This is not say, however, that the events leading up to it aren't interesting. They are, but only if you are interested in political manipulation, and I happen to be.

The story moves along quite well, only bogging down in extreme technical jargon for very short periods. The Yevetha are a fascinating species. Their culture, or lack of one, is based entirely on submission of the weak to the strong. The males of lower station are expected to offer their lives to the upper class, on the spot. Nil Spaar is very well defined, and is quite interesting.

The sub-plots concerning Luke and Lando are difficult at first, but are more interesting as the stories develop. As for the complaints that Lando's story has nothing to with the major line, so what? Why does everything have to tie in completely?

I did find Leia's apparent weaknesses of not wanting to insult a bit tedious at times. She seems to be more of the politician, and less of the fiery rebel here. Then again, this does take place 12 years after Endor.

Luke's behavior is odd at times also. I wonder if it has more to do with the influence of his companion, rather than the author not knowing the universe. The introduction of the White Current is a bit of stretch. It is probably more a variation of the the use of the Force than anything else.

I've read reviews of people who hated the trilogy, and, quite frankly, I can see their points. These books are not for people who crave mindless action, and are not interested in sinking in to the story. The most accurate analogy is the Tom Clancy one. If you're a fan of Clancy, or a fan of Star Wars for the story and intrigue, you will enjoy this series. If you're a fan of Star Wars for the action and nifty special effects, you will not like this trilogy.

It isn't that it contradicted TPM, it isn't that it developed new characters, but something about this book is just plain bad. Luke goes off in search of his mother. . . And does NOTHING for the rest of the trilogy. Leia yells at senators. . . And does NOTHING for the rest of the trilogy. Han gets captured quickly. . . And does NOTHING for the rest of the trilogy. Lando, the droids, the jedi, none of them do anything that should make anyone want to read this book. It was clearly written poorly, and had a weak plot, and it clearly did not have a purpose for being. It was written by someone who obviously knows nothing about Star Wars, and really should never have been published. PLEASE don't buy this book, just to tell publishers and authors that if they can't sell us a decent product, they don't deserve any of our money.

NOTE: Because I started to "reread" (i.e. listen to the audiobooks) these old Bantam books, I decided to revamp this old review. I will keep the old review at the end in case you want to compare.

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.

Old Review:
I love Star Wars and pretty much anything related to them. I can stand the unusual circumstances that our characters go through. I put up with the eternal Empire problems that plagued a bunch of the books in that era. I live through the silly plots and junk that are typical of sci-fi. But I can't stand taking Star Wars and pretty much changing everything Star Wars about it. These books might have been good had they not starred Han, Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewie. However, this is not the case.
To sum up, the New Republic is getting pretty used to being at peace until the Yevetha (think: pre-Vong) come blazing a trail, hacking people up because they just like to. Leia runs around touting "Peace, peace, peace!" like a hippie, Han and Chewie pretty much do nothing of consequence, Lando is off trying to find a fleet of ships, and Luke, well, he hasn't done IT in a while, so when he meets this lady...well, let's just say it's a good thing the books don't center on THAT relationship.
When I finally read these books, I had already learned that Padme was Luke and Leia's mom so the fact that this woman tromps up to Luke and says, "Your mother is one of us" kinda ticked me off. But this is forgivable given Luke and Leia don't actually know their mom. What is not forgiveable is that Luke decides, "Hey, finding my mom is way more important than saving the galaxy like I've been doing the last twelve books and this woman is hot and single, so let's go!" What happened to Luke here? And how did he become the super-Jedi that he is portrayed in here? Rebuilding his dad's sanctuary? Why would Luke even choose Vader's sanctuary given that it is probably filled with a Dark Side presence?
Leia is a complete snob. She is nothing like the fiesty princess we fell in love with in A New Hope. Han is the incompetent daddy. And Lando is off finding these ships...why?
Bad, just plain bad! If Jedi Trial had never come out, these books would have been the worst in the series. As it is, they tie. If you buy to complete your Star Wars set, first off, buy used paperbacks, and second, read at your own risk.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

Below is an excerpt of my full review of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy:

This series was mostly a great read and one of the better stories of the Star Wars universe I have read. The introduction of the Yevetha, a ruthless enemy likely more diabolical than the Empire, was refreshing. It was not another story involving the Empire trying to rattle the feathers of the New Republic, another remnant hiding somewhere in the Core that was waiting for the opportunity to strike. Instead they were relegated to a supporting role. The impression I had throughout the books was that the New Republic was evenly matched, perhaps even out gunned with the addition of the Black Fleet. The build up to the impending war between the New Republic and Yevetha seemed as if it were going to be grand, but this is where I feel the trilogy lost its greatness and was the second sour spot of the story. The first was the Lando subplot.

Let's put it this way. If you want to read this book and read all things relevant to the story of the book, skip every chapter with Lando, Lobot, and the like. It has absolutely nothing to do with the main story arc. If you want to know what happens, read it after you've finished the main story. Alone it's not so bad a story, but it's really a completely separate story and shouldn't have been included.

The arc involving Luke and the search for his mother was almost time wasted, but it wasn't since it became part of the main plot's conclusion. It introduced a Force like entity, but seemingly more powerful, called the Current, and I am still not sure if I liked that part or not. In the end, though, Luke finds out that he was mislead and now has a new Current hiding ability that even the most powerful Force adept cannot detect. Does Luke ever draw on this power again? Not during the New Republic Era, that's for sure.

The climactic moment of the book had a twist that nearly came out of nowhere and was very anticlimactic. Without giving too much away, it was cheap and poorly executed.

In the end, I did enjoy this trilogy. It pales in comparison to the Thrawn, Han Solo and Jedi Academy trilogies, but I would say it was about on par, if not better, than The Bounty Hunter Wars. Had I known before reading that I could have skipped everything involving Lando, I probably would have. I suggest you do the same.

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.

Even die-hard Star Wars fans would not enjoy this book. As many other reviewers have already pointed out, it's boring! Practically nothing happens. A new and malevolent alien species appears, but there's no intrigue involved, no battles, and little suspense. Meanwhile Lando and Luke go off on their own missions that never develop into anything even mildly interesting. Everyone acts so out of character and there's so little plot that it gets frustrating to continue. Just avoid this whole series altogether. Somehow I stuck it out in spite of the boredom, but the conclusion of the trilogy did nothing to change my disappointment. Choose another Star Wars book to read; it's almost guaranteed to be better than this one.

I love this novel! I picked it up a couple of days ago AGAINST the advice of some nay-saying friends and couldn't put it down until it was fininshed. The characterization is deep and richly textured and Princess Leia in particular shines, which impressed me a great deal becuase I feel quite often her character suffers the most in the novels for lack of understanding of her personality. I also liked the fact that there is hardly a chapter of this book that dosen't contain at least one of the main characters. A lot of times, authors are so infatuated with thier own creations, they'll dedicate chapter upon chapter to them. Not so with Kube-McDowell, who realizes I'm reading the novel to learn more about the characters I know and love(Luke, Leia, Lando, even Ackbar). It's well writing, interseting and talky(which I like. The movies aren't all action sequences, you know). Possibly my favorite SW book of all time!

The Black Fleet Crisis books are hard to review. The 'Luke' plotline is decent, although it fails to give rise to any strong, particular interest. Then you get the 'Lando' storyline, which is dull, incohesive, and overall a bit too similar to Arthur C. Clark. At the same time, you get the 'Leia' storyline, which is a very well-done tale of political crisis that mirror many ethnic problems of the day. The Republic is obviously presented as building itself up and still vulnerable. Politics are brought to the forefront here, effecting every deed and action. This is definetely one of the most 'adult' SW books with political and military plotting and events that seem far superior to the vast majority of those in a SW novel. Kube-MacDowell has just added another dimension onto the SW universe that unfortunately had been picked up by almost no one, which is rather a letdown in its own right. Indeed, the Black Fleet Crisis books are largely ignored and James Luceno seems to be the only author that's really involved its characters into his own storylines.

Two of the three distinct plotlines aren't worth your time, but the actual Black Fleet Crisis story parallels in eerie and revealing detail modern crisses such as 'ethnic cleansing', racial tension, and involvement in the affairs of toher nations and lands. The Yevetha are an interesting race that have been unfortunately called sterotypical and untineresting by the same people who called the similar-but-even-more-outlandish Yuuzahn Vong fanstastic. The series needs its due, if for no other reason than the fact that the main plotline is one of the most intelligent and adult in any SW book. Read the 'Lea' storyline and skip the 'Luke' and 'Lando' ones. You'll walk away satisfied then.

I was genuinely surprised to read of the relatively poor reception this book got from many Star Wars readers here. I read all three books in Kube-McDowell's trilogy, and I would rank his story-telling right beside Timothy Zahn's books.

The general plot does lack some of the subtlety of more modern Science-fiction, since the main story line (of the three)is centered primarily on the meeting of powerful, technologically advanced but xenophobic race hell-bent on carving out their little empire in one part of the galaxy. The weakest of the three story lines is the one of Lando's search for the ghost ship; Luke's story of his search for his mother is poignant- even if rendered irrelevant with the release of The Phantom Menace last year- was still at moments touching when he dwells upon the use of his Jedi powers.

There is also some truth in some of the criticism leveled that the three storylines in reality bear little relation to each other- it's almost like reading three, functionally independent stories in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy. In addition, it is arguable that Leia's characterisation is weak (in my opinion, not so- it demonstrated only that Leia was torn between priorities at one juncture), and Han Solo is given substantially short treatment in the series, even though Chewbacca gets quite a bit of attention. But what saved the series for me- and enough for me to rate it to 5 stars still- is ultimately Kube-McDowell's highly imaginative writing. The space battle scenes are simply the most outstanding I've read anywhere in sci-fiction, and reminiscent of massive battlewagons fights. It's simply nice to see a substantive series of books not centered around the latest Imperial Warlord attempting to re-establish control, or yet another kidnapping of a Jedi child. There is also an enormous amount of little humourous touches too that I have simply not read of in other Star Wars books; these include the Mon Calamari wedding pot, Leia's bodyguards, Chewbacca's family, and most of all, the retrofitting of the Millinieum Falcon, which had me laughing in stiches!

Ultimately, the weak points in this series are generally real enough; but for myself, the excellent writing won me over, and the lack of a coherent relationship between the three disparate story lines didn't bother me as much as it has for other readers. Perhaps a litmus test- the first two chapters or so in the first book pretty much establishes Kube-McDowell's style. If it engages you, there's a very good chance that you will enjoy it as much as I did. :)