Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) (Hardcover)

by James Luceno (Author)
Key Phrases: slicer droid, buzz droids, containment sphere, Star Wars, Zenn Bien, Nar Shaddaa (more...)

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Product Description
Two years have passed since Jacen Solo, seduced by the dark side and reanointed as the brutal Sith Lord Darth Caedus, died at the hands of his twin sister, Jaina, Sword of the Jedi. For a grieving Han and Leia, the shadow of their son’s tragic downfall still looms large. But Jacen’s own bright and loving daughter, Allana, offers a ray of hope for the future as she thrives in her grandparents’ care. And when the eager, inquisitive girl, in whom the Force grows ever stronger, makes a curious discovery aboard her grandfather’s beloved spacecraft–the much-overhauled but ever-dependable Millennium Falcon–the Solo family finds itself at a new turning point, about to set out on an odyssey into uncertain territory, untold adventure, and unexpected rewards.
To Han, who knows every bolt, weld, and sensor of the Falcon as if they were parts of himself, the strange device Allana shows him is utterly alien. But its confounding presence–and Allana’s infectious desire to unravel its mystery–are impossible to dismiss. The only answer lies in backtracking into the past on a fact-finding expedition to retrace the people, places, and events in the checkered history of the vessel that’s done everything from making the Kessel Run “in less than twelve parsecs” to helping topple an evil empire.

From the moment the Falcon broke loose from a Corellian assembly line like an untamed creature with a will of its own, it seemed destined to seek out trouble. It wasn’t long before the feisty YT-1300 freighter went from shuttling cargo to smuggling contraband. But it‘s a fateful rendezvous on Coruscant, at the explosive height of the Republic/Separatist uprising, that launches a galaxywide cat-and-mouse game whose newest players are Han, Leia, Allana, and C-3PO. And they’re not alone: Crime lords, galactic pirates, rogue politicians, and fortune hunters alike loom at every turn of the quest–each with his or her own desperate stake in the Millennium Falcon’s most momentous mission. Through the years and across the stars, from the Rim worlds to unknown points beyond, the race will lead them all to a final standoff for a prize some will risk everything to find–and pay any cost to possess.

About the Author
James Luceno is the New York Times bestselling author of the Star Wars novels Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Cloak of Deception, Labyrinth of Evil, as well as the New Jedi Order novels Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial and Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse, The Unifying Force, and the eBook Darth Maul: Saboteur. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife and youngest child.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345507002
• ISBN-13: 978-0345507006
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,771 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, November 4, 2008

By	E. Kervina - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is a good (not great) story, but the writing is atrocious.
As just a few examples of the flaws in execution:
The dialog throughout was stilted and labored. I continually found myself declaring out loud "People don't talk like that!" or "Nobody would say that!"
Nonsensical events, like civilian freighter pilots knowing during the battle of Coruscant - before the Invisible Hand has crashed - that Kenobi and Skywalker have killed Dooku and rescued Palpatine, do not add to the narrative, they detract from it.
The concept of a Gungan auctioneer must have been very amusing to the author, but in reality, reading the "Weesa hasa" Gungan speech patterns slows the reader down. It breaks the urgency and speed of an auction. The scene in question, rather than being intense and fast moving, is rendered positvely leisurely.
Throwing in an Alice in Wonderland reference made the author feel very clever indeed, I'm sure, but again, it really just breaks the flow of the narrative.
Fairly early on, I knew the ending was going to mirror that of an earlier Star Wars novel, and sure enough, it did. But it wasn't enough for the author to let that reference stand on its own. Instead he had to explicitly call out that earlier adventure.
Numerous times I got the feeling that the author was more intent on showing how clever he was rather than just telling what could have been a very good story, and the book suffered for it. I was honestly shocked to find that the author is a New York Times best selling author. I can only hope that this was not his best effort.
Again, it is a good story, but it is very poorly told. My copy will not have a place on my bookshelf, it is destined for the used book store.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars cheep trick, November 23, 2008

By	starblazer (hoth) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed the plot of tracing the origins of the Millenium Falcon leading up to a treasure hunt, but the chase and danger was treated with kid gloves more appropriate for the young reader series. The climax was such a pathetic let down, one wonders how any reasonable person could have concluded that the treasure's purpose could ever have succeeded in its goals. I believe that this story represents a huge missed opportunity. The treasure could have been something or a frozen someone, that could have had long ranging impact on the SW universe and launched a whole new series. Instead it just made for a bed time story.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what it says it is... and nothing more., October 28, 2008

By	D. Vance (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book very disappointing. It could be my own fault for expecting more out of it than its description as the history of the Millennium Falcon, but really, that's all it is. It has very little new information on the state of the post-LOTF galaxy, and in fact is mostly "old" information about the Falcon, with quite a few 5-10 page soliloquies by previous owners recounting their exploits with the ship. Some people may find that interesting, but I found it boring and unimportant information about characters that will likely never show up again. Characters, I might add, that all managed to survive the 5+ decades, and all the wars in between since they owned the ship, healthy and well with perfect memories of their time with the Falcon. Topping it all off was a very anticlimactic ending that, really, rendered the entire narrative pointless.

I do think there are people that will find the novel and it's information about the Falcon very entertaining, and if that's the case and that's all you're expecting, I don't think you'll be disappointed.