Before the Storm (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 1996 | Series: Star Wars (Book 1)

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The New Republic faces a terrifying threat from the darkest depths of the Empire.

From the Publisher

The New Republic faces a terrifying threat from the darkest depths of the Empire.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Spectra (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553572733
• ISBN-13: 978-0553572735
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.9 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining, but not great Trilogy June 27, 2001

By speedice

Format:Mass Market Paperback

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent story with a flat conclusion April 10, 2011

By Mathachew

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

22 of 30 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, Boring, Boring..... and inconsistant! June 18, 2003

By J. K. Moser

Format:Mass Market Paperback

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.