Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(132)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

It's time in my chronological re-reading of the Star Wars novels to leave the prequels behind and delve into the stories centered around the original trilogy of films. The journey starts with volume one of the Han Solo Trilogy, titled The Paradise Snare and written by A. C. Crispin. It's interesting to read a book set during the time immediately before A New Hope, as largely this period has been left clean and will be tackled in several upcoming projects, including a live-action TV series from Lucasfilm and the Dark Horse comic series Dark Times.

Since 1977, Han Solo has been a favorite character of millions of fans worldwide. He's easy to understand and relate to when we first encounter him in the Mos Eisley cantina, and his development through the films is one of the most interesting plot threads in the saga. Crispin definitely took a gamble in accepting the assignment to try and flesh out this character with a detailed three-book backstory. I'm pleased to see how well that gamble paid off.

Crispin perfectly captures Han's attitude and dialogue; her younger version walks like Han and talks like Han as we know him from the films. We join up with Han in his late teens as he seeks to escape his life upon the opportunistic vessel The Trader's Luck. Crispin does a great job of working Han's backstory into the tale via flashbacks and various hints dropped in contemporary conversations. As the book progresses, we learn many things about what forged Han into the hardened rogue we know and love, such as where his loner attitude stems from, why he lives a life on the wrong side of the law but refuses to condone slavery, how he accumulated his comprehensive piloting skills, and who influenced his fondness for Wookiees.

Crispin writes in a very descriptive style and shows a knack for interjecting subtle humor into dialogue. The book is slower paced than many Star Wars novels, taking its time to establish characters both familiar and new (mostly new), and kicking off storylines to take us through the next two books. Crispin's primary new location, the drug-producing planet Ylesia, is evocatively written and she spends the time to flesh it out and make it feel like a real place rather than a thin backdrop for action sequences.

There are several interesting new characters introduced in the book. The two most important are Muuurgh, a huge feline humanoid assigned to keep an eye on Han while he works for the spice lords on Ylesia, and Bria Tharen, a beautiful young spiritual seeker who plays a large role in forging Han's every-man-for-himself ethos. I loved Muuurgh's grammar instruction from Han and his role as a sort of proto-Chewbacca. Bria is a key part of Han's story and their relationship veers in some unexpected directions as the book progresses.

It was fun to revisit Coruscant after spending such significant amounts of time there reading all the prequel novels. Alderaan's inclusion was another nice touch and it inadvertently pairs up well with the time we spent there in Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, the novel that chronologically comes right before this one. The introduction of Thracken Sal-Solo is a creepy foreshadowing of the man who will cause the Solo family so many annoyances and frustrations in the years to come.

The Paradise Snare is a promising start to the Han Solo Trilogy. While the story does not present the epic scope of some of the prequel stories I've read recently, it is a very well thought out and smart story that brings an already vivid character to even brighter life.

After reading book one of this triology i can't remember being so excited to read the next 2. This book provides us with insight of the life of han solo before star wars a new hope. I can honestly say that i enjoyed this book more then the Timothy Zahn series. A.C. Crispin does a wonderful job in showing how devoted the people are to their "religion". Also he does a great job in developing the realtionship between Han and Brain Thraen. When Han loses Dewlanna in the beginning of the book you could actually feel his pain. His descriptions of courscant and Ylesia were so good that I did not feel like i was reading, but rather I was watching Han from the backround. All together a great book and a must read for any star wars fan.

I am so glad I read this book (and the rest of the Han Solo Trilogy) after reading the disappointing Phantom Menance and the awful Vector Prime. It was amazing how the author took the small bits and pieces of Han's life and wove it into this story. I liked the cameo apperances of people that would later influence his decisions. The pseudo-religious scam was quite sadly realistic. Han's ingenuity was quite evident. I started the book and it immediately captured my imagination and I had to read it to the finish. A great read and it was so vivid I felt like I was off stage watching the entire story unfold. The book felt like coming back home to the initial Star Wars universe and the author played it beautifully. Way to go. The ending was the perfect backdrop for the following novel. It was great and like I said I was up all night because I couldn't put it down. Not many books like that.

This book has a great story of Han Solo, in his early life, as he tries to become a pilot in the Star Wars Universe. It starts with Han trying to escape from his employers. As it unfols in the book, he wants to follow his dream and destiny in an adventure that has drama and plots. The characters in the book are played very well by A.C. Crispin. Especially the backdrop of the story about pligrims working for the T-landa Til who are distant cousin of the Hutts. Teroenza who is the religious leader of the pligrims is a very intersting character, for he manipulates them to his advantage. Han Solo works for the T-landa Til and this is where the story really takes off. I found this book very well paced and designed. I am looking forward to book 2 of the Han Solo trilogy.

There is not much I can say that hasn't been written by other readers. But I will say this:
It is very rare that I will pick up a book and not put it down untill the last page is read. The first part of the new Han Solo Triogy is one of those rare books.
Though, I may be a bit bias because Han has always been my favorite (mostly due to Harrison Ford in the movies), I love the Star Wars Universe, and I read most of the post-Zahn novels. However, this was one of the only Star Wars novels that I could picture clearly. There isn't too much technical jargon or bizzar discription to get in the way of good story telling. The writing is crisp and action packed.
This novel fills in the blanks of Han Solo's life. For a person just starting to read the Star Wars novels, I can see how parts of this book could be brief and unsatisfing (i.e. the encounter between Han and his cousin Thracken Sal-Solo. Thracken was first mentioned in The Corilian Trilogy - which I recomend reading before this). This is the books only downpoint.
HOWEVER, when a book can keep you turning the pages even though you KNOW he lives and you KNOW he doesn't get the girl in the end (Han, as you know, ends up with Leia) that small downpoint is easily negated.

In conclusion, if you ever wanted to know the man behind the rouge and how he got that way, this is the perfect book. I can only hope that the rest of the trilogy is as good. 'Paradise Snare' is nothing but fun.

This book, though midly entertaining, is not for the old school Star Wars fans that grew up on the original Trilogy. The Han Solo Trilogy lacks the stories of a scoundrel that I expected. This trilogy also has glaring contradictions and plot holes when taken with the movies and other Star Wars books. This book is for the younger Star Wars fan, the generation that believes Greedo shot first.

Before reading The Paradise Snare, I made a pledge to myself to read only the best Star Wars novels out there. Having exhausted myself on Zahn and Stackpole, I decided to give A.C. Crispin's series a try. The trilogy was based on my favorite Star Wars character, after all, who had been completely neglected in the prequels. I thought this would be exactly what I was looking for.

Obviously I had high expectations going into this novel, and they were quickly tossed aside within the first chapter. Crispin (a veteran of the Sci Fi genre) constantly used strange phrasings, like "gee force" instead of "G-force", and opened the book with the most ridiculous Wookie to Human dialog I've ever had the misfortune of reading. The whole thing was cringe inducing. And my lord, I've never read a female author so bad at creating female dialog!

But that all turned around though in the second chapter. The story really stands out among the huge pile of Star Wars novels because it's so different than the norm. Where other stories aimed to be epic, The Paradise Snare focuses on a small group of characters, and uses small events to change those characters. The antagonist of the novel isn't an evil Emperor and his underlings, but rather the concept of addiction, which was refreshing.

Crispin is at her best when the book strays from Star Wars conventions, and her worst when attempting to fit into the extended universe. Countless references are aimed at hardcore Star Wars fans, and these just feel shoehorned in. I didn't need to read "I have a bad feeling about this" eight times. I didn't need to learn why "scruffy" was a major insult to Han. And I certainly didn't need a specific favorite character to rear her head in an absolutely meaningless appearance. Oddly enough, I DID enjoy one of Han's many aliases: Jenos Idanian. Obviously an anagram for Indiana Jones.

That being said, AC Crispin did a terrific job of molding Han into the character we all know and love in unconventional and indirect ways. She showcased Han slowly growing, rather than just throwing out simple answers for why he is the way he is. She makes you work to understand Han, something I wasn't at all expecting from this.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book. It's absolutely in my top 10 Star Wars books, and I look forward to reading The Hutt Gambit soon. Han Solo has always been my favorite Star Wars character (and therefore my favorite fictional character), and I still think it was a great injustice to completely ignore him in the prequel trilogy. Obviously I feared that The Paradise Snare and The Han Solo Trilogy wouldn't be able to capture the magic behind the character, but it did. AC Crispin gives a back story to one of the greatest characters of all time that, in my opinion, could easily outdo anything George Lucas could concoct.