Allegiance (Star Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: imperial center, speeder truck, swoop gang, Governor Choard, Makrin City, Lord Vader (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Five idealistic but fed-up Imperial storm troopers led by Daric LaRone share the stage with young Rebel Alliance crusaders Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca in this politically fraught but still rollicking early years Star Wars adventure from Hugo-winner Zahn (Star Wars: Outbound Flight). Emperor Palpatine's favorite Sith, Darth Vader, has a new rival, the 18-year-old Countess Mara Jade Claria, whom Palpatine has schooled in the Force to assume the special agent role of "Emperor's Hand." Zahn depicts the intrepid Rebel quartet and the turbulent development of the Alliance while revealing the human faces behind the storm trooper armor of Daric and company, who become unexpected allies of Han and friends once the troopers are on the run after killing a superior officer. The author also underscores Mara Jade's tough-girl charm and blossoming Imperial clout against the background of Palpatine's dedication to Imperial domination and his insidious influence on his minions. This episode will please fans wondering about events between the first and second movies in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—In this eighth novel set in the Star Wars universe, five Stormtroopers led by Daric LaRone become fugitives when they defy orders to kill a group of defenseless civilians. On the run, the unit turns into a team of self-appointed vigilantes fighting to protect the rights and safety of the citizens of the Empire. A second story line features Mara Jade, a force-wielding apprentice to Emperor Palpatine, and her investigations into a world governor who is stealing Imperial tax money to fund a team of brutal space pirates. LaRone and his team bring a uniquely human touch to the men behind the Stormtrooper armor, while Jade is a highly likable woman filled with enough guile and drive to rival Princess Leia herself. Chronologically, this story takes place between the films A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. While it focuses on the new characters, some of the more familiar names are here as side characters to draw in the fans and drive the plot along. There are some fine moments as a young Luke Skywalker struggles to learn the secrets of the Force and Han Solo questions how involved he wants to become in Princess Leia's rebellion. Jade's and LaRone's plotlines intersect and interweave, leading to a fast-paced climax filled with blaster shoot-outs, star-fighter battles, and Jade's clever tricks with the Force. Tightly plotted and fast paced, Allegiance will appeal to hard-core and intermittent fans alike.—Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: LucasBooks (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345477391
• ISBN-13: 978-0345477392
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,098 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shallow characters + aimless story = an EU Classic!, March 17, 2008

By	ShriDurga (Japan) - See all my reviews

The first 40 pages of Allegiance show some glimmer of thought, effort and promise. The rest is little more than a novel-by-numbers - shallow characters shuffled through a convoluted plot that adds nothing to the Star Wars universe.

Set in the days between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, Allegiance opens with the story of five stormtroopers deserting their posts after taking part in a retributory slaughter of innocent civilians. When the story then shifts focus, it turns into a slow, uneventful, and for the SW universe pointless story about an Imperial governor using a criminal syndicate to skim funds to finance secession. There are three separate threads, one each with Mara, the stormtroopers, and Han, Luke, and Chewie following the criminals, another with Leia meeting with rebels who want to bring the secessionists over to the Alliance, a thread on the criminals, and yet another on Captain Ozzel. The five stormtroopers manage to stumble across most of these, teaming up with Han and Luke to get to the scene of the crime and then aiding Mara in putting the conspiracy to rest. As with much of Zahn's work, keeping up with the various threads is a tiresome and unrewarding endeavor. He doesn't write about people so much as he does build complex plots and would be better suited to writing video games.

His characters are flat, two-dimensional stand-ups, puppets that he moves about in very carefully choreographed sequences. You never really feel anything for any of them because you never get to know them. Allegiance is built around five new characters, stormtroopers that except for their names and specializations are indistinguishable. There's not a funny guy, a philosophical guy, a serious guy, a sentimental guy, a guy with kids, a guy with girlfriends, a guy who wanted to be a painter, a rich guy, a poor guy, a guy who wants to travel, a guy who likes flying, a guy with sisters, a guy who wants a big family - just five guys in white armor who call themselves the Hand of Judgment and who in moments of great decision regurgitate platitudes, the ideals that motivated them to first enlist, such as protecting the weak and preserving order (as well, presumably, as mom, apple pie, baseball, and puppies).

These five socktroopers (lead by former Quebec pro-wrestler Daric LaRone) decide to chuck their careers as casually as you might decide to throw out some old clothes. Their moment of truth is about as believable as Anakin's conversion in Revenge of the Sith. When was the last time you heard of elite soldiers (of any country's service) deserting because they were asked to carry out ethically questionable orders?

The socktroopers aren't the only characters that strain credibility. Mara Jade is far more competent in the use of weapons, her ability to pilot ships, and her knowledge of espionage than any 18 year could ever be. What's more she never makes a mistake (one that matters, that is), and she sasses both the Emperor and Vader - and gets away without a Force slap or shove.

Whatever happened to the Bad Guys, anyway? Mara, Vader and the Stormtroopers are supposed to be evil. But in Allegiance (as in many EU novels and comics of recent vintage) the Good Guys are good and the Bad Guys, well, they're Bad, but only if they're minor characters. The characters fans know by name and reputation (and the ones they dress up as because they have cool costumes) - Mara Jade, Darth Vader, Admiral Ozzel, Stormtroopers - they aren't really bad. They don't kill people without just cause. They're not sadistic. They're just trying to do their jobs. They're the lovable bad guys, the lower case bad guys. The deserting troopers, for example, seem more concerned with protecting civilians, and with their oaths to do so, than with their own lives; Mara goes out of her way to try and save a pirate she captured in battle and who acted as an informant; Admiral Ozzel is shocked by a plan proposed by an Imperial spy to kill a few low-ranking troopers to cover up his mistake. So who is it the reader is supposed to identify with?

If a meandering story and wooden characters weren't bad enough, Zahn's style shows a complete lack of variety or wit. Nearly every direct quote has to be attributed with a reporting verb. His characters repeatedly shiver, wince, groan, and growl. Vader broods and strides, and his cloak swirls and billows. The good guys (which are also the bad guys, not to be confused with the really Bad Guys) are painfully earnest, trotting out cliches on duty, honor, responsibility, order and freedom that are meant to fortify their resolve (while helping the reader feel good, in the case of the Hand of Judgment, about supporting what are supposed to be the fantasy equivalent of Nazi soldiers).

If fan response is positive, we have the unfortunate possibility of future volumes featuring the Hand of Judgment. It's hardly giving anything anyway to let you know that all the major characters survive, as do the five socktroopers, who by end the book are adopted by Mara Jade as her private security force. I can't think of anything worse than a Hand of Judgment series except perhaps another chapter of Dark Empire, or another Thrawn novel.

Del Rey, please do us all a favor and put Zahn out to pasture.

If you'd care to read a well written novel about the ethical dilemmas of soldiers, that just also happens to be a Star Wars novel, try True Colors

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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy on the eyes, and not just b/c its got Mara, February 4, 2007

By	Julie C. Gilbert (NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Allegiance (Hardcover)

As books go, I found Outbound Flight rather on the boring side, not so with Allegiance. This book, I finished in 2 days. The characters are a mite on the flat side, but Mara Jade pulls through fine. Everything ties together neatly in the end...perhaps too neatly but heck, that's most good fiction out there.

The dialogue's decent, the actions great, the plot twists are good. Overall, Zahn pulls off another lovely star wars novel.

BTW, the idea of including non-clone stormtroopers is only logical, this is a long time after the clone wars. Palpy wouldn't be spending credits on more clones when he can just invest in some nice propaganda and get lots of youngin's ready to defend the Empire.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bad Zahn is better than no Zahn., February 2, 2007

By	C. L Wright (Sturtevant, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Star Wars: Allegiance (Hardcover)

As far as Zahn's books go this was not his best. However it was still better than other recently release Star Wars books. The story just wasn't as engaging as I had hoped. While it was interesting to see Mara as "the Hand" she was pretty clueless at times. Ofcourse 18 years of brainwashing by an evil dictator will do that. This book is worth your time to read so I don't want to give to much about the story away,however it would be better to wait for the paperback.I will say that the rogue storm troopers would be interesting to follow in other stories.