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Splinter of the Mind's Eye: Star Wars Legends (Star Wars - Legends) Kindle Edition
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRandom House Worlds
- Publication dateJune 28, 2011
- File size5542 KB
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Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
HOW beautiful was the universe, Luke thought. How beautifully flowing, glorious and aglow like the robe of a queen. Ice-black clean in its emptiness and solitude, so unlike the motley collage of spinning dust motes men called their worlds, where the human bacteria throve and multiplied and slaughtered one another. All so that one might say he stood a little higher than his fellows.
In depressed moments he felt sure there was no really happy living matter on any of those worlds. Only a plethora of destructive human diseases which fought and raged constantly against one another, a sequence of cancerous civilizations which fed on its own body, never healing yet somehow not quite dying.
A particularly virulent strain of one of those cancers had killed his own mother and father, then his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. It had also taken from him the man he had learned to respect more than any other, the elderly Jedi knight Ben Kenobi.
Although he had seen Kenobi struck by the lightsaber of Darth Vader on board the now obliterated Imperial Deathstar battle station, he could not be certain the old wizard was truly dead. Vader’s saber had left only empty air in its wake. That Ben Kenobi had departed this plane of existence was unarguable. What no one could tell was what level of existence he had passed into. Maybe death and …
Maybe not.
There were times when Luke experienced an agreeably crawly sensation, as if someone were lurking just behind him. That unseen presence occasionally seemed to move arms and legs for him, or to supply suggestions and thoughts when his own mind was helplessly blank. Blank as that of the former farm boy of Tatooine’s desert world.
Unseen spirits or not, Luke reflected grimly, if there was one thing he was sure of it was that the callow youth he had once been was dead and dry as dust. In the Rebel Alliance of worlds struggling against the corrupt rule of the Imperial government he held no formal title. But no one taunted him or called him farm boy—not since he had helped destroy the bloated battle station secretly built by Governor Moff Tarkin and his henchman Darth Vader.
Luke had no experience with titles, hence no use for them. When the Rebel leaders offered him any reward within their ability to grant, he had asked only to be permitted to continue piloting a fighter in the Alliance’s service. Some thought his request unduly modest, but one shrewd general disagreed, explaining how Luke might be more valuable to the Rebellion without a title or commission which, the veteran pointed out to his colleagues, would serve only to make the youth a prime target for Imperial assassination. So Luke remained the pilot he’d always wanted to be, perfecting his flying skills and always, unceasingly, wrestling with the Force Ben Kenobi had enabled him to begin to understand.
No time for meditating now, he reminded himself as he studied the instruments of his X-wing fighter. A glance forward showed the brilliant pulsing sunball of Circarpous Major, its devastating radiance stopped down to viewable intensity by the phototropic material of the transparent port itself.
“Everything okay back there, Artoo?” he called into his pickup. A cheerful beep from the stubby ’droid locked in position behind the cockpit assured Luke that it was.
Their destination was the fourth planet out from this star. Like so many others, the Circarpousians were appalled by the atrocities perpetrated by the Empire, but too paralyzed by fear to openly join the Rebel Alliance. Over the years, a burgeoning underground movement had arisen on Circarpous, an underground needing only enough aid and encouragement from the Alliance to rise and swing their world to the cause of freedom.
From the tiny, hidden Rebel station on the outermost planet of the system, Luke and the Princess were racing to a critically important meeting with the heads of that underground, to offer the necessary promise of support. He checked his console chronometer. They would arrive in plenty of time to reassure the highly nervous underground chiefs.
Leaning slightly forward and glancing to starboard, he could admire the sleek Y-wing fighter cruising alongside. Two figures sat silhouetted by instrument lights within its cockpit. One was the gleaming golden shape of See Threepio, Artoo’s ’droid companion.
The other … whenever he looked at her, the other caused emotions to boil within him like soup too long on the fire, no matter if she was separated from him by near vacuum as at present or by only an arm’s length in a conference room. It was for and because of that individual, Princess and Senator Leia Organa of the now-vaporized world of Alderaan, that Luke had originally become involved in the Rebellion. First her portrait and then her person had initiated the irreversible metamorphosis from farm boy to fighter pilot. Now the two of them were the official emissaries from the ruling council of the Rebel government to the vacillating underground on Circarpous.
Sending her on so dangerous a mission, Luke had thought from the first, was a risk. But a second system was ready to commit itself to the Alliance, if it was announced that Circarpous had also joined. At the same time, if that second system would declare its defiance of the Empire, then the Circarpousian underground would undoubtedly come over to the side of the Rebellion. So not one, but two systems waited on the outcome of this mission. And if it failed, Luke knew, both systems would probably lose heart and withhold their desperately needed aid. They had to succeed.
Luke had no doubts, as he silently adjusted his ship’s altitude a quarter of a degree to the plane of the solar ecliptic, about the outcome of their mission. He couldn’t imagine anyone who could not be persuaded by Princess Leia. She could convince him of anything. Luke treasured those moments when she forgot her station and titles. He dreamed of a time when she might forget them forever.
A beep from behind woke Luke from his day-dreaming, wiped the smile from his face. They were preparing to pass close by Circarpous V, and Artoo was reminding him of it. A vast, cloud-shrouded globe, the planet was listed in Luke’s library as being mostly unexplored, save for a single early Imperial scouting expedition. According to the computer readout, it was also known to the Circarpousians as Mimban, and … His intership communicator dinged for attention.
“I’m receiving you, Princess.”
Her reply was filled with irritation. “My port engine is beginning to generate unequal radiation pulses.” Even when bothered, to him that voice was as naturally sweet and pleasing as sugar-laden fruit.
“How bad?” he inquired, frowning worriedly.
“Bad enough, Luke.” The words sounded strained. “I’m losing control already, and the inequality’s getting worse. I don’t think I’m going to be able to compensate. We’ll have to stop at the first base down below on Mimban and have the problem corrected.”
Luke opened his mouth to reply, did so after hesitating briefly. “You can’t possibly make it safely to Circarpous IV?”
“I don’t think so, Luke. I might make near-orbit, but then we’d have to deal with official repair systems and couldn’t set down as planned. We’d miss the meeting, and we can’t miss it. Resistance groups from all over the Circarpous system are going to be there. If I don’t arrive, they’ll panic. We’ll have one Stang of a time getting them to surface again. And the Circarpous worlds are vital to the Rebellion, Luke.”
“I still don’t think …” he began.
“Don’t make me make it an order, Luke.”
Biting back his initial response, he hurriedly began a check of visual readout charts and records. “According to my information tapes, Mimban doesn’t have a repair station, Leia. In fact,” he added with a glance at the murky green-white sphere below and to one side, “Mimban might not even have an emergency standby station.”
“It doesn’t matter, Luke. I have to make the conference, and I’m going down while I still have some real control. Surely, in a system as populous as this one, any world with a breathable atmosphere’s going to be equipped with facilities for emergency repair. Your data must be old or else you’re searching the wrong tapes.” A pause, then, “You can prove it by shifting your communicator monitor to frequency oh-four-six-one.”
Luke adjusted the requisite controls. Instantly a steady whine filled the small cabin.
“Sound familiar?” she asked him.
“That’s a directional landing beacon, all right,” he replied, confused. Several further queries, however, revealed no records of a station on Mimban. “But there’s still nothing in the listings on either Imperial or Alliance tapes. If we …” He broke off as a puff of gas glowed brightly from the Princess’ Y-wing, expanded brightly and vanished. “Leia! Princess Leia!”
Her small ship was already curving away from him. “Lost lateral controls completely now, Luke! I’ve got to go down!”
Luke rushed to match her glide path. “I don’t deny the presence of the beacon. Maybe we’ll be lucky! Try to shift power to your port controls!”
“I’m doing the best I can.” A brief silence, followed by, “Stop moving around, Threepio, and watch your ventral manipulators!”
A contrite, metallic, “Sorry, Princess Leia,” sounded from her cabin companion, the bronzed human-cyborg relations ’droid See Threepio. “But what if Master Luke is correct and there is no station below? We could find ourselves marooned forever on this empty world, without companionship, without knowledge tapes, without … without lubricants!”
Product details
- ASIN : B00513F9CA
- Publisher : Random House Worlds (June 28, 2011)
- Publication date : June 28, 2011
- Language : English
- File size : 5542 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 306 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #200,285 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #81 in Star Wars Series
- #2,166 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,688 in Science Fiction Adventure
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Alan Dean Foster](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712EzrA20ZL._SY600_.jpg)
Alan Dean Foster's work to date includes excursions into hard science-fiction, fantasy, horror, detective, western, historical, and contemporary fiction. He has also written numerous non-fiction articles on film, science, and scuba diving, as well as having produced the novel versions of many films, including such well-known productions as "Star Wars", the first three "Alien" films, "Alien Nation", and "The Chronicles of Riddick". Other works include scripts for talking records, radio, computer games, and the story for the first "Star Trek" movie. His novel "Shadowkeep" was the first ever book adapation of an original computer game. In addition to publication in English his work has been translated into more than fifty languages and has won awards in Spain and Russia. His novel "Cyber Way" won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science-fiction ever to do so.
Foster's sometimes humorous, occasionally poignant, but always entertaining short fiction has appeared in all the major SF magazines as well as in original anthologies and several "Best of the Year" compendiums. His published oeuvre includes more than 100 books.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the writing quality awesome and well-written. They also describe the content as interesting and an interesting entry into the Star Wars mythology. Opinions are mixed on the story and plot, with some finding it ok and others saying it's bland. Readers also have mixed feelings about the pacing, with others finding it fast and others finding the tempo too fast.
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Customers find the writing quality of the book awesome, engaging, and enjoyable. They also say it's a great addition to anyone's collection and a worthy read.
"Excellent seller, great book" Read more
"...This does give the book an adventure feel, where the heroes are put in a tough situation that gets worse and they must work their way to overcome..." Read more
"...The title alone is intriguing and compelling but when you discover it is set just after the cataclysmic events of the legendary Battle of Yavin,..." Read more
"...No, it's not a great novel by any means, but it does provide an intriguing glimpse into what could have been had the first Star Wars movie bombed at..." Read more
Customers find the writing style well-written, fast, and atmospheric. They also describe the novel as great fiction.
"...Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star, the novel is an atmospheric, almost Indiana Jones-like story pitting Luke and Leia..." Read more
"...Think "The 100". It's a good read worth 3.5-4 stars but the 5 stars is because it's sort of like the missing movie you never knew about and didn't..." Read more
"...The writing of tis novel really is outstanding...." Read more
"...Darth Vader seems as ruthless as ever, but his dialog seems a little off...." Read more
Customers find the book an interesting entry into the Star Wars mythology.
"...and situations helps keep this otherwise planetbound story interesting and lively...." Read more
"...SPLINTER OF THE MIND’S EYE is like this. The title alone is intriguing and compelling but when you discover it is set just after the cataclysmic..." Read more
"...No, it's not a great novel by any means, but it does provide an intriguing glimpse into what could have been had the first Star Wars movie bombed at..." Read more
"...But interesting in a historical canonical way." Read more
Customers are mixed about the story and plot. Some mention that the story elements are ok, the suspense begins to build, and it rekindles excitement for Star Wars. They also appreciate the fast pace, action sequences that virtually never let up, and nice dynamics between Leha and Luke. However, some say that the plot is somewhat bland, with awkward dialogue and nonsensical plot devices.
"...situations helps keep this otherwise planetbound story interesting and lively...." Read more
"...On the surface it’s actually fairly boring, but it’s worth it for some of the stranger moments and interactions that have you saying “that’s not the..." Read more
"...On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate it a 3. It's an interesting take on the Star Wars universe, but I probably won't read it again anytime soon..." Read more
"...The pacing is excellent and even early on, the reader can feel the suspense begin to build and of course long term fans of the saga..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the pacing of the book. Some mention it's a really fast read, while others say it'd be better if it was slower.
"...The writing of tis novel really is outstanding. The pacing is excellent and even early on, the reader can feel the suspense begin to build and of..." Read more
"This book's biggest asset is its fast pace; the action sequences virtually never let up, and there's plenty of Imperial skullduggery, cute Ewok-like..." Read more
"...any criticism for SotME, I would point out that the story progression is a little slow and drawn out...." Read more
"...The book is well written, it reads fast and the plot keeps moving steadily, so it makes for a nice piece of literature, just don't expect another..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the characterization in the book. Some find it perfect, while others say the characters are poorly developed.
"...Characterisation is perfect. Reading is book really is like having a bonus episode of the saga to enjoy...." Read more
"...The personalities of the characters also seem a little wonky, with Leia sometimes falling into the "snooty rich girl out of her element" trope, and..." Read more
"...The character developments are in line and consistent with the knowledge of the first movie." Read more
"...Wars literature, with its focus on unimportant planets, unimportant minor characters, all B-plots that don't really advance the grand story of the..." Read more
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Alan Dean Foster, the uncredited ghostwriter for Lucas' novelization of Star Wars, followed the further adventures of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Set shortly after the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star, the novel is an atmospheric, almost Indiana Jones-like story pitting Luke and Leia (accompanied by R2-D2 and C-3PO) against Imperial forces in a desperate race to find the mystical Kaiburr Crystal, a gem which has the ability to focus and enhance the power of the Force.
Although Splinter of the Mind's Eye is more character-driven than action-oriented (space battle fans will be disappointed), the novel is true to its heritage and has its share of cliffhanger situations, a new cast of rogues, outlaws, aliens, and villains (Captain-Supervisor Grammel is one of the vilest servants of the Emperor). There is even a climactic lightsaber duel between the very untrained Luke and the evil Lord Darth Vader.
Foster's familiarity with Lucas' characters and situations helps keep this otherwise planetbound story interesting and lively. Although Han and Chewbacca are absent from Splinter (Luke only makes a passing reference to the Corellian when he asks Leia what Governor Tarkin had done to her before her rescue from the Death Star), Luke and Leia's characters get a chance to shine on stage. Luke is still a bit of a farmboy-turned-Alliance pilot with latent Jedi powers here, and the Princess is still as fast with her biting wit as she is with a blaster. Foster also emphasizes Luke's conflicting feelings toward Leia...he loves her, but knows (or suspects) he has to protect her at all costs, even from himself. (If this sounds weird, keep in mind that in 1978 nobody knew that Luke and Leia were twins!)
Readers of Laurent Bouzerau's The Annotated Screenplays will recognize that Foster's plot is actually based on a discarded plot for what would become A New Hope. Part of the original story revolved around the quest for "a Kyber Crystal" -- a gem that a Force-user could utilize to enhance his or her powers; Luke was supposed to have used this "Kyber Crystal" to help him make that "one-in-a-million" shot to destroy the Death Star.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you go into this book thinking “I just want a typical Star Wars book with all my familiar characters” you will probably be disappointed because the plot is honestly kinda dull, but if you view this book more like some kinda lost anthropological relic you will enjoy it. On the surface it’s actually fairly boring, but it’s worth it for some of the stranger moments and interactions that have you saying “that’s not the Star Wars I know!”
An interesting thing to note about SotME is that it was written before the release of the movie, The Empire Strikes Back. That is significant because as the author was writing the book, he did not know that Leia is Luke Skywalker's twin sister and a force user (revealed in Return of the Jedi), and most importantly, that Darth Vader is Luke's father. This lack of knowledge gave this book a very unique feel to it, even awkward at times given the way the Star Wars story played out in episodes 5 and 6 of the movies. For instance, the interactions between Luke and Leia at times are like those of two people discovering the romantic feelings they may have for each other. Sometimes, it's a little too much, but it works for this book given the fact that the author was building upon what little information he had concerning the Star Wars universe.
SotME follows a single plot line, which is contrast to nearly all other Star Wars books I have read. The only exception that I know of is I, Jedi. Typically, when you read a Star Wars book, you follow two or three different plot lines that eventually come together or provide a segue to a sequel book. This book almost exclusively follows Luke and Leia from start to finish. I wasn't too fond of the single plot line in I, Jedi, but it worked out pretty well in SotME.
If I could provide any criticism for SotME, I would point out that the story progression is a little slow and drawn out. The book spans 12 chapters, but doesn't get to the main point to the plot until the 12th chapter. Then, the book quickly winds down to the resolution. This does give the book an adventure feel, where the heroes are put in a tough situation that gets worse and they must work their way to overcome their dilemma, but the story could have had more substance. For instance, the story could have had a parallel plot line that showed how Darth Vader was made aware of the events going on in the story, rather than just have him show up at the end with only Luke and Leia's speculation as to how he knew where they were going. Perhaps if the story followed Darth Vader, it would have provided a little more suspense in the race to the main object of the story's conflict.
The author of SotME certainly had his challenges with the lack of a Star Wars expanded universe from which to form the story of this book. However, I do feel that he did a relatively decent job because there is some good storytelling in this book. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's at least worth a check-out at the library, if it's available. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate it a 3. It's an interesting take on the Star Wars universe, but I probably won't read it again anytime soon because it just seems a little too disconnected from the entire Star Wars story line.
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Found it here.
Relived a little of my youth rereading this
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