The Courtship of Princess Leia (Star Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wolverton ( Serpent Catch ) attempts to add nuance and intrigue to the smash-bang atmosphere that propelled to the stratosphere the Star War movies and Timothy Zahn's three books set in that universe. Readers of the present installment, whose events occur after the films but before Zahn's works, likely already know who Princess Leia will marry, so Wolverton deserves high marks just for making the journey along the road to the inevitable interesting. He generally avoids comic book-style action and artificial climaxes such as having a major character appear to die only to be redeemed at the last moment, but his concentration on familiar characters is disappointing. Though there is plenty of graphic violence, true depth is lacking. All in all, the novel raises expectations for Wolverton's future works once he moves on to other things. 375,000 first printing; TV advertising.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Still at war with the Empire, the fledgling New Republic receives an offer of alliance with the 63 worlds of the Hapes Consortium, provided that Princess Leia will marry its heir, Prince Isolder. As Gen. Han Solo and Isolder fight a cosmic battle for Leia's heart, the discovery of a conspiracy of dark-force wielders lures Luke, Han, Leia, and Isolder to a rendezvous with danger on the mysterious planet Dathomir. Wolverton ( On My Way to Paradise , LJ 12/89) is a vivid scene builder, capturing the cinematic flavor of the Star Wars universe while expanding on the outer reaches of the galaxy. Regrettably, his characterizations just miss the mark. There will probably be a demand for this title despite its shortcomings. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/94.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553569376
• ISBN-13: 978-0553569377
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (222 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good solid Star Wars Han-Leia romance story....., November 8, 2003

By	Alex Diaz-Granados "fardreaming writer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Dave Wolverton's Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia chronicles the desperate campaign waged by Han Solo to win Princess Leia's heart even as the New Republic leadership encourages the former senator from Alderaan to marry Prince Isolder of Hapes.

It is a time of transition in the galaxy. The Emperor and Darth Vader are dead, and the Galactic Empire is now one-fourth its former size. Without the unifying influence of Emperor Palpatine and his dark-side powers, Imperial moffs, admirals, and self-appointed warlords are vying for power. Some fight among themselves, while others, such as Warlord Zsinj, employ their Star Destroyers and stormtroopers against the fledgling New Republic.

While Han Solo is tracking the elusive and dangerous Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, the Iron Fist, Luke Skywalker is scouring the galaxy for data about the Jedi Order, which had been nearly exterminated by Emperor Palpatine and his henchman Darth Vader, who once had been Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father. Knowing that the New Republic can only survive with the aid of a new order of Jedi, Luke has made it his life's mission to learn all he can about the training of Jedi Knights so he can set up a Jedi Academy. On the planet Toola, in the ruins of a Jedi Master's last hiding place, he finds, with guidance from the Force, a data cylinder which, although damaged by the effects of Imperial grenades, contains a hologram containing mission reports from various Jedi...including his own former Master, Yoda. "We tried to free the Chu'unthor from Dathomir, but were repulsed by the witches..." Yoda says. The words don't make much sense to the last of the Jedi Knights, but he's determined to find out what, or who, the Chu'unthor was, and to discover how several Jedi Masters and their acolytes could have been forced to retreat.

Meanwhile, Han has returned to Coruscant from a long and frustrating search for Zsinj and the Iron Fist, only to find a huge Hapan Battle Fleet in orbit. Having had run-ins with the xenophobic and closed society of the 63-world strong Hapan Cluster in his early days as a smuggler, Han is apprehensive. His apprehension turns to dismay when he discovers that the Machiavellian Queen of Hapes, Ta'a Chume is willing to ally her realm with the New Republic if Princess Leia agrees to marry her son, Prince Isolder.

Leia is torn between her love for Han and her sense of duty to the Republic, in whose service she has been since her teens. She doesn't accept right away, but under pressure from both Mon Mothma and the surviving Alderaanian refugee leadership, she does agree to consider it. Angry and dejected, Han goes to a bar and casino in the seamier parts of Coruscant, and joins in on a sabbacc game. In one lucky hand, the smuggler-turned-General wins the deed to a planet...a planet known as Dathomir.

Elated and somewhat recklessly, Han attempts to impress Leia with his new property, hoping that Dathomir can be set up as a substitute for Leia's now-defunct home-world of Alderaan, which had been destroyed by the Empire's first Death Star almost a decade before. But when Leia seemingly rejects them, Han takes one of Leia's engagement gifts, a Hapan Gun of Command, and uses it to force the strong-willed Princess to accompany him on a trip to Dathomir....a trip that Han hopes will rekindle Leia's love for him.

But Ta'a Chume and the New Republic leadership are determined that the wedding take place, so Prince Isolder and Luke Skywalker follow the Millennium Falcon to the mysterious planet of Dathomir, where the witches who defeated Yoda and several other Jedi still reside....

Wolverton's novel is fast paced and entertaining, and Han-Leia fans will enjoy reading the ups and downs of this chapter in their romantic history. As in every good Star Wars novel, there are space battles, suspense, political intrigue, and the classic clash between the forces of good and evil.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WHAT?!?!?, April 16, 2001

By	Derek A. Wade "Derek A. Coach Wade" (South Prairie, Washington. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After destroying two Death Stars together... after spending months searching for Han's carbonite corpse... after risking life and limb to rescue him from Jabba the Hutt... after confessing their love under GUNFIRE on Endor...

Princess Leia turns around and jumps into the arms of the first interplanetary prince to come along, just because he has a fleet that might be usefull to the Rebellion? Puh-LEEZE!

Not only was the premise not plausible, it wasn't even well written. The characterization was nothing short of inaccurate (Han Solo gambles away the Falcon to win a planet for Leia... right!) and the storyline was fragmentary and elusive.

And the worst part was the ending. I'll leave it to you to discover, but don't expect a thrill or even logic. I'm not into corny in my Star Wars books. Stick with Timothy Zahn.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Witches, Rancors, and Warlords, oh my, June 7, 2000

By	"dantm" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

If you can accept some of the more outlandish places, people, and things that Dave Wolverton created to exist in the Star Wars Universe, this is a good book.

If you have trouble with... 1) an incredibly wealthy, well-armed government that was left alone by the Empire

and

2) a planet with a large number of force-sensitives, including many which could rival the Emperor in their lust for power that were not hunted down...

then you are going to have problems with this book.

I am of the latter mind. Both items seem to be something the Emperor would have attempted to conquer or destroy. The fact that the Witches of Dathomir were able to beat Jedi 400 years earlier is also far-fetched.

And continuing in the far-fetched vein, the actions of Leia are nearly irreconciable with what we have seen in the movies. She is a woman of conviction and passion. If she fell in love with Han, there would be no turning away to another suitor no matter how politically expedient.

Zsinj, as the villain, was nearly a comic opera buffoon as his personality was further developed only with the release of the Wraith Squadron books a few years later.

Despite these misgivings, I see the characters of Isolder and Teneniel Djo having some depth and I think some of Wolverton's descriptions of the light side of the force as the best that have been written.