The Paradise Snare (Star Wars, The Han Solo Trilogy #1) (Book 1) [Paperback]

A.C. Crispin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 1997

Here is the first book in the blockbuster trilogy that chronicles the never-before-told story of the young Han Solo. Set before the Star Wars movie adventures, these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler, and thief.

The first book in this exciting new Han Solo series begins with a recounting of Han's late teen years and shows us how he escaped an unhappy adopted home situation to carve out an adventurous new life for himself as a pilot. Han Solo, the handsome rogue, is every girl's dream man, and every boy's hero. The Paradise Snare is another stellar Star Wars production, complete with original music and sound effect

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

With the re-release of the Star Wars movies, interest in the books will likely increase. While many of the recent ones took the beloved characters into the future, this first book in the "Han Solo Trilogy" tells the story of the smuggler/pilot's childhood and teen years. Abandoned, then taken in by a Fagin-like thief/space pirate, and finally raised by an old female Wookiee, Han escapes into his first piloting job, where he falls in love for the first time and saves his girlfriend from enslavement. Crispin deftly weaves Han's early years into the Star WarsR storyline and provides details that shape his personality. This prequel belongs in Star WarsR sf collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

This novel begins with Han's late teen years and shows us how he escaped an unhappy adopted home situation to carve out a new life for himself as a pilot.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (May 5, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553574159
• ISBN-13: 978-0553574159
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Happy February, Amazon.com readers! Great news! Books 1, 2, 3, and 4 of my StarBridge Series are now available on Kindle!

Now, thanks to Ridan Publishing, the StarBridge books will all be available in all major e-book formats on the Ridan website and right here on Amazon.com for the Kindle. The first four StarBridge Books, StarBridge, Silent Dances, Shadow World, and Serpent's Gift are out now, and the remaining three, Silent Songs, Ancestor's World, and Voices of Chaos will be following in the next few months.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am about this. StarBridge has always been near and dear to my heart. They were widely regarded as some of the best space-based books for young adults, and that kind of sf is even rarer now than it was when these books were first published. I hope they will continue to be a gateway for readers to the sort of science fiction that I love, as Andre Norton's and Robert A. Heinlein's were for me.

If the e-editions do well, there may be MORE StarBridge adventures to come...I'm talking brand-new, original stories. So please...check them out!

Also, still available is my Pirates of the Caribbean prequel book, The Price of Freedom. Not to make too big a deal of it, but the hardcover would make a heck of a good present for any fan of PotC.

The Price of Freedom is the first full-length novel written in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe aimed at adult readers. It's a prequel to the POTC films, and tells how Jack Sparrow first became Captain Jack Sparrow. It tells how he first encountered Cutler Beckett and Hector Barbossa, and why he left Shipwreck Cove. Jack also meets some unusual ladies in the book. And, since it's a Pirates of the Caribbean story, there's also treasure and magic!

The Price of Freedom is available in both hardcover and Kindle versions. If you're familiar with my other books, I've done for Jack Sparrow what I did for Han Solo and Sarek -- this novel is his backstory and shows how Jack became the Jack we know from the movies.

HOW TO FIND ME:
My web page is www.accrispin.com

My Facebook page is A.C. Crispin -- look me up! I enjoy interacting with my readers.

My Twitter address is @anncrispin. I tweet about pirate facts, writing tips, and reports on my booksignings and appearances.

ABOUT ME:

My interests? Books, reading, writing, pirates, Pirates of the Caribbean (natch!) and helping aspiring writers avoid writing scams. I'm the Chair of SFWA's Writer Beware -- www.writerbeware.com -- and if you're an aspiring author, you really should visit our website. There are lots of hungry sharks out there on the internet these days, posing as literary agents and publishers. Getting published is hard enough these days, without getting ripped off while trying. Writer Beware is free, we're all volunteers. Come check us out, and you can avoid the scam literary agents and publishers that want to separate you from your hard-earned money.

I'll be checking back to this page, so if you have questions, post them, and I'll reply as soon as I can.

-A. C. (Ann) Crispin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SW Books Don't Get Any Better, June 8, 2001

By 

mjanke - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Paradise Snare (Star Wars, The Han Solo Trilogy #1) (Book 1) (Paperback)

I've read all of the books in the Star Wars expanded universe so far and I can safely say that the Han Solo Trilogy, by A.C. Crispin, is the crown jewel.

In book one, THE PARADISE SNARE, we are introduced to a young Han, living life on the edge as a lackey to a Corellian criminal, Garris Shrike. Solo escapes, thanks to the sacrifice of his lone friend, a Wookie named Dewlanna, and is able to get a job piloting for a religious organization on the planet Ylesia. This job sets the stage for the rest of the Solo story: his first love (Bria), his connection to the Hutts, his Academy days, the Chewbacca and Lando entrances, etc. Crispin's writing style is engrossing--she writes action well and has the touch with characters and relationships. Han's back-story is filled in completely; once you've read these stories you will understand his character, his motivation, and any/all references to his past that have ever been made. You'll want to pick up the entire trilogy, since once you read book one you'll have to continue the story.

Some Star Wars novels don't work because they are too obscure. Some are not well written. Some are written be people who don't seem to understand the Star Wars universe or its characters (ie. THE CRYSTAL STAR). Crispin deftly avoids all of these pitfalls. It is difficult to write a trilogy where the whole world already knows the ending (since we know Han meets Luke and falls in love with Leia), but Crispin was able to grab and hold my interest as well as my emotion the entire time. The Han Solo Trilogy will appeal to hard core Star Wars novel fans as well as fans who up till now have only seen the movies. They are the best that Lucas Books has to offer. FIVE STARS.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every scoundrel has a beginning..., July 20, 2002

By 

Simon (Brampton, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Paradise Snare (Star Wars, The Han Solo Trilogy #1) (Book 1) (Paperback)

This is truly one of the best Star Wars books I have ever read, and I'd place it right at the top alongside Timmothy Zahn and Aaron Allston. I started reading this book late at night, stayed up till two in the morning, and immediately finished it when i woke up the next day. Though many Star Wars books have been great reads, I can barely recall any that have had this kind of "must read" effect on me.

Within the first few pages, Crispin nails Han Solo's character and draws us into his world of pickpocket gangs, scams, and later spice smuggling and piloting. Han is so well written that you could imagine a younger Harrison Ford delivering the lines. Throughout the course of the novel, Crispin gives us the set up for some of Han's ideologies later in life: his reason for saving Chewbacca, his disdain for hokey religions, his inability to tell later Leia he loves her, and much more. For fans of continuity, take note: in the early chapters Crispin blends in two events, one from a Zahn novel and the other from "Tales of the Bounty Hunters". See if you can find them!

The supporting characters are written just as convincingly, and the reader really grows attached to them over the course of the novel. For a new alien race, Muuurgh the Togarian is nicely introduced and integrated. He never feels out of place, and becomes a sort of predecessor to Chewbacca without becoming a "clone" of him. While Muuurgh honors a life debt similiar to Chewbacca, he is unique because he has other motivations besides watching Han, which is to find his lost mate. The other new character is Bria, Han's love interest. Bria is also not a Leia "clone." She's strong-willed and capable, but her addiction to a mind-influencing cult (a very well written part of the novel I must say) makes her unique, and her character is constantly evolving. Add in a beautiful rendition of the character on the cover, and you really have someone worthy of Han's affections. Since we know Han makes it to the movies without Bria and Muuurgh, both characters are in constant danger of being killed off, and I was on the edge of my seat (bed) during one escape scene. Congrats to Crispin for providing the most tension-filled scene I've read in any Star Wars novel (Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter comes in a close second).

This is a brilliant book, and I'm sorry that I didn't read it sooner. Much better than most of the prequel novels and New Jedi Order, as soon as I finished the Paradise Snare I immediately wanted to go out and buy the rest of the Trilogy. I hope Crispin writes more Star Wars in the future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start to the trilogy, November 20, 1999

By 

Steve Oakes ([e-mail]) (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Paradise Snare (Star Wars, The Han Solo Trilogy #1) (Book 1) (Paperback)

A.C Crispin manages to capture Han Solo's character very well. His dreams of escaping the vicious pirate Garris Shrike, and joining the Imperial Navy, make you care about him for more than you did in the trilogy. Also the plot is very inventive, and Muuurgh, although intially a replacement Chewbacca figure, actually becomes an important, and very well developed character. If you are a Star Wars fan, definitely buy this book, and if you are new to the series, start here, as it's brilliantly done.