Shield of Lies (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 2) (Paperback)

~ Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

Product Description

As Leia must deal with a new threat to the fragile alliance that binds the New Republic, Lando becomes a prisoner aboard a runaway spacecraft of unknown origin. The ship is following an unstoppable path to its homeworld, destroyed by Imperial forces. Luke continues his quest to learn more about his mother among the Fallanassi, where his every belief about the use of the Force is about to be challenged. And while Leia ponders a diplomatic solution to the aggression of the fierce Yevetha race, Han pilots a spy ship into the heart of Yevethan space and finds himself a hostage on one of the vast fleet of warships under the command of a ruthless leader.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553572776
• ISBN-13: 978-0553572773
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #226,636 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Suffers by Nature, November 11, 2001

By	Handofthrawn "handofthrawn45" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

Here Kube-MacDowell tried to bind two parts of a trilogy together and, alas, failed in his venture. Far too much time is spent on the flaws, uninteresting 'Luke' and 'Lado' storylines and not enough on the 'Leia' storyline, which actually exhibits intelligence. While 'Before the Storm' had at least some interaction between storylines and lots of politics and military work, 'Shield of Lies' has absolutely no inter-story interaction. The 'Leia' storyline is still good (unless you thinkg Ewoks beating up stormies is cool) but doesn't get enough attention. The Battle of Doornik-319 is the best part of the book by far, and even then there are far better parts elsewhere in other books. It's hard to say if I reccomend the book or not, alas. 2/3 of it are a waste, but the other 1/3 is worth reading and connects well with the rest of the series. Decide for yourself after reading the 'Leia' segments of 'Before the Storm' if its worth the money.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting ideas, but some areas should be off limits . . ., June 14, 1999

By A Customer

Here, again, this series has been heavily panned in favor of other books by other favorite Star Wars authors, but I think it's only fair to say that not everyone can write in the same style.

What I liked:

The Yevetha crisis. Something to get the Republic off their butts and back into the action. It brings the military back into the picture, which, other than in the X-Wing series, occasionally gets glossed over. I, for one, am interested in the politics of the New Republic - we must remember that politics are behind much of the action. It's not always all about the shoot-em-up action on some remote planet. The ideas behind Nils Spaar - a megalomaniacal character who is incapable of holding equal ground with any species but his own.

Surprise! Leia's human. We, the readers, get so accustomed to her superhuman mentality that some can't accept when she stumbles or questions her judgement. This self-doubting keeps her three-dimensional, instead of turning into an Ivory Tower heroine. She's forced to do without Luke for a while, which is refreshing.

What I didn't like:

The whole "Luke looks for mom" storyline. I had been under the impression that in the "old days" (ie Heir to the Empire), that it was an established rule not to discuss this. Now, especially in light of the new movies, this storyline comes dangerously close to contradicting itself, I fear. When Luke first went into hiding, I though that this might be an interesting devlopment, that we might find some things out about what goes on in Luke's head. Instead, he gets drawn into the whole mom thing, by this girl who plays on his momentary lapse of self assuredness. I did not like this female character, and I didn't like the "White Current" storyline behind her. Nowhere in the Star Wars universe have we heard of this sect before, yet the stories of the Jedi and the Sith go back for millenia. Even in "Courtship of Princess Leia," the women acknowledge the Force. I have really yet to understand what this "White Current" is all about - are they healers? witches? What can they do?

The Lando/ship thing is dragging badly, and that's sad. I love Lando's character, especially after reading the Han stories, and this could have been something really interesting to drop him into, but instead, well, it's just blah. The mystery of what the ship is, and what it's for is dragging on too long. We want answers; cool, plot-twisty ones, and so does Lando. And LOBOT! Wow, we haven't heard from him since Bespin - and frankly we haven't heard much from him here either. In the future, please don't treat Lando as an expendable character. He's got an great background, and deserves more than he got here. I know he must be bored by now.

This series is ok, but before Mr. McDowell writes more Star Wars, the writing needs a bit more spit and polish.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars eh... spoilers, if it even matters in the first place, June 26, 2008

By	Devin R. Cohen (Rancho Cucamonga, Ca, US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

1. Lando - Lando, Lobot, and the droids make a complete circle throughout an otherwise interesting spaceship, only to get nothing really done. One thing to be said about Kube-McDowell is that he's the first author to develop Lobot as a character

2. Luke - this is my least favorite section. akanah nags and nags and nags, and luke cowers and whimpers as she cracks the whip. Pretty much, they walk around some planets, constantly looking over their shoulders unnecessarily. I'll have to admit the part about akanah's father kind of made me genuinely sad.

3. Leia - easily the best section. Leia portrayed as incompetent, which pins her self-esteem to the floor. Senate tries to oust her. Nil Spaar is deliciously evil, but his character is a bit overdone and his tyranny a little cliché. Finally, K-wings are put to use in a fun little space battle at the end.

Ok. I understand that some important ingredients of a good novel are character development, plot construction, and dialogue, all of which this book contains. I know that star wars isn't all dog fights and blazing light saber battles and what not. But this book lacks what made Star Wars great in the first place, and that is at least an acceptable level of action. Apart from the space battle at the end and the tyranny of the Yevethah, there is no degree of excitement or tension anywhere else in this book. Sure, Lando's story line is cool and creepy, but almost nothing of consequence really comes from it. This is what makes the series so frustrating! I have yet to start Tyrant's test, but I will soon. I hope and pray that it will rescue this series from the drudgery of the first two books. That is all