Skip to main content
Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2013
OK, it's an obvious comparison to make but this is basically Ocean's Eleven in Star Wars. They even have eleven people pulling the heist. The basic plot is that a victim of Black Sun comes up to Han with an offer. His father was killed and his credit chips stolen. Only he can get the full value for those chips, but if Han can get them back for him he'll split the total with everyone. It's just after the battle of Yavin so Han is desperate for money to pay off Jabba. The only problem is that the chips are stored in the vault of a highly dangerous Black Sun agent and his guest one of Xizor's vigos (his nine top men). You've all seen this before so you know what's going to happen: everything is going to go wrong but our heroes outwit the villains anyway. But it's not about the destination but the ride. And what a ride it is. Zahn's last few Star Wars novels have felt rather bland. It's nice to see him at his best again. He is helped in this because unlike those other novels he doesn't feel the need to drag in every single character he ever created. It's just Han (the man with the plan), Chewie (the muscle), Lando (front man), Winter (odd jobs), Kell (explosives/demolition), and a few new characters: Rachele (local contact), Zerba (costumes), Bink (ghost burglar), Tavia (electronics specialist), Dozer (ship thief), Eanjer (employer). It's quite an odd list but it works well.
The characters are all at different points than we're used to seeing them. Han is still trying to convince himself that his alliance with the Rebellion was just a one off thing. He can quit whenever he wants. Lando is still angry at Han for shafting him repeatedly. Winter is trying to control her anger and emptiness from the recent destruction of Alderaan. She doesn't know if Leia is still alive. Kell (borrowed from Allston's X-Wing novels) is... Kell. He's just younger and still concerned that he'll crack under pressure. I have to say that none of the new characters left that much of an impression on me except for the twin thieves Bink and Tavia. But even there you don't get to know them well. Zahn does take time for character development, but this is a huge ensemble. He can't get too detailed with everyone. I have to say that it's strange seeing the characters like this. Especially Lando, who is in a bit of a dark place where Han is concerned. I almost want to say that he's tortured, but we all know that Lando isn't like that. He leaves all the being tortured for Han.
The villains are pretty good, even if the big bad doesn't show his face often. He's a Falleen called Qazadi and he uses his pheromones much more effectively than Xizor did. It's nice to see the Falleen utilized again. I always thought they had potential. Villachor is the sector chief and owner of the house they'll be robbing. He's a fairly typical villain, but the level of paranoia created by having a vigo present and schemers circling is amusing. The book has its fair share of twists and surprises and things going wrong. These are generally quite gripping. As much as I love the concept it does seem slightly forced that Han would be involved in something like this, no matter how desperate he is. The ending, specifically the way in which he doesn't get to keep his money (because you know he can't or he'd be free of the Rebellion), is also a bit forced with a character reveal that doesn't really make sense. But like I said, it's about the ride not the destination. And this is one fun ride!
The characters are all at different points than we're used to seeing them. Han is still trying to convince himself that his alliance with the Rebellion was just a one off thing. He can quit whenever he wants. Lando is still angry at Han for shafting him repeatedly. Winter is trying to control her anger and emptiness from the recent destruction of Alderaan. She doesn't know if Leia is still alive. Kell (borrowed from Allston's X-Wing novels) is... Kell. He's just younger and still concerned that he'll crack under pressure. I have to say that none of the new characters left that much of an impression on me except for the twin thieves Bink and Tavia. But even there you don't get to know them well. Zahn does take time for character development, but this is a huge ensemble. He can't get too detailed with everyone. I have to say that it's strange seeing the characters like this. Especially Lando, who is in a bit of a dark place where Han is concerned. I almost want to say that he's tortured, but we all know that Lando isn't like that. He leaves all the being tortured for Han.
The villains are pretty good, even if the big bad doesn't show his face often. He's a Falleen called Qazadi and he uses his pheromones much more effectively than Xizor did. It's nice to see the Falleen utilized again. I always thought they had potential. Villachor is the sector chief and owner of the house they'll be robbing. He's a fairly typical villain, but the level of paranoia created by having a vigo present and schemers circling is amusing. The book has its fair share of twists and surprises and things going wrong. These are generally quite gripping. As much as I love the concept it does seem slightly forced that Han would be involved in something like this, no matter how desperate he is. The ending, specifically the way in which he doesn't get to keep his money (because you know he can't or he'd be free of the Rebellion), is also a bit forced with a character reveal that doesn't really make sense. But like I said, it's about the ride not the destination. And this is one fun ride!
