Book Review of SW Allegiance

[Jen]

Hi guys, I finally finished this novel. Thought I'd post a book review. Now I'm starting my next novel "The Courtship of Princess Leia".

Review of: Star Wars Allegiance by Timothy Zahn

This novel picks up where A New Hope leaves off, after the destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance. Five rouge Stormtroopers, Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia are featured strongly while, typically, Chewbacca takes a back seat in the story line.

Luke is learning more about the Force and honing his “Jedi Skills”; while Han wrestles with the doubt he has about fighting in someone else’s war. Leia is struggling to keep the Rebellion alive as the leaders of the separatist worlds play politics.

The four stormtroopers, Taxtro Grave, Saberan Macross, Joak Quiller, Daric LaRone and one scout trooper Korlo Brightwater, are tangled in a dirty ISB attack on a civilian settlement in the Outer Rim. They end up deserting and embark on their own mission to protect civilians from the corruption that the Empire fails to protect their citizens from. Zahn makes you really like theses characters.

Mara Jade is given a mission to uncover the corruption of a Moff, which leads her down a path to destroy a gang called “the BloodScars”. Her interactions with several nefarious individuals, is very well written and entertaining. Many of her incognito / butt-kicking moments reminded me of agent Sydney Bristo from the TV show Alias. Like Sydney Bristow, Mara Jade is well-intentioned, vivacious agent, who is being used by a corrupted agency (the Empire). Before I read this book, I knew who Mara Jade was but had never read anything about her. I think she is my favorite EU character. I can't wait to read more about her.

Stacy, from the fan film “Pink Five” makes a cameo appearance in the book. If you haven’t seen this fan film, do yourself a favor and head over to Atom Films to see the Pink Five trilogy. Or just google Pink Five; watching this film will make the scene more enjoyable. There’s a great interaction with Han as Leia looks on in jealously in Chapter Eight that made me laugh aloud. Here’s an exert, if you don’t want to read it skip the italic text below:

A movement at the far end of the hanger caught his eye, and he grimaced. Typical. The minute he started thinking about her, there she was.

She was dressed in a practical tan jumpsuit, apparently getting ready for her own departure. For a moment their eyes seemed to meet, though it was hard to be sure at that distance. She stirred, her shoulders moving as if she was thinking of coming over to himâ€"

“Hey, guy,” a cheerful female voice came from the other direction.

Han turned. It was one of the new X-wing pilotsâ€"Stacy something, he vaguely remembered. “Hey,” he said, watching Leia out of the corner of his eye as he walked over to the pilot. Leia’s shoulders weren’t moving anymore, and she seemed to be standing stock-still as she gazed across the hanger at him.

“You and the big guy off again?” Stacy said brightly as she strolled over towards him.
Han suppressed another grimace, forcing it into a friendly grin instead. And he thought Luke’s cheerfulness was irritating. “You know how it is,” he said. “There’s a problem, and they need someone to fix it.”

“So they called you,” she said with a knowing smile. “Well, have fun.”
“Everywhere I go,” he assured her, flicking a finger through the edge of the girl’s hair. If Leia wanted a show, she was going to get one. “You hold things down here, okay?”

“Sure,” she said. With another smile, she sauntered away.

Zahn’s ability to invoke the voices of Han, Luke, and Liea adds to the enjoyment of this novel. It’s almost as good as watching a seventh Star Wars film. I highly recommend this book for those who loved the movies, but who are perhaps a bit hesitant to read anything from the Expanded Universe. I think Allegiance is a great bridge between the films and the movies. Zahn left the door open for sequelsâ€" I look forward to reading more about the rouge stormtroopers.