STAR WARS: MILLENNIUM FALCON
A novel by James
Luceno
Published in
the UK by CENTURY PUBLISHING
Reviewed by
Scott Weller
Please note:
this review contains mild plot spoilers.
“You came in that thing??
Your braver than I thought!”
She may have been described as a “piece of
junk” by Luke on his first view of it, or a “buckets of bolts” by Leia, who
also congratulated it’s Captain, Han Solo for being so brave as fly in it. She
may also have a computer system that even a protocol droid would find difficult
to relate to, and have asteroid potholes and blaster scorching all around her
hull, but everyone’s favourite flying pizza deserves it’s place as one of the
grand iconic sci-fi spaceships of all time, and probably the single most
important character in the STAR WARS saga, whose appearances even stretch back
over the series past, in film terms, to the Prequel Trilogy, so I was intrigued
and delighted to read the news that there was going to be a novel exclusively
about the vessel, delving into it’s long history, and past owners… the
storytelling scope, presumably weaved into to a adventure with my favourite
heroes, seemed grand and looked set to be a winner. Even better, one of my
favourite modern STAR WARS authors, James Luceno, who I had previously trusted
reading books such as CLOAK OF DECEPTION, made the prospect of a good read, his
eighth for the series, even better.
Set two years after the Legacy of
the Force series, the book opens in an origin point, with the initial
construction of the YT-1300 ship causing trouble in the production line, with
it suffering long term damage which will continue to trouble the ship and its
future occupants. We then follow the Falcon from owner
to owner until we learn the vessel was both owned and used secretly by members
of the Senate and Jedi, as part of an organisation known as the Republic Group,
who reveal they had agents working for the Jedi shortly before the Emperor’s
initiated Order 66 eliminates so many of the Jedi as witnessed in
EPISODE III.
In the segment set in the modern
day, after Allana Solo, the granddaughter of Han Solo, discovers a strange
device aboard the ship, Han and Leia are convinced to begin an investigation
into the space ship's past owners (something that, though initially reluctant,
Han has always intended to look into, though often sidetracked by the many
incidents of war and smuggling that he has become embroiled in) and battles
to find out the significance of the artifact.
Having originally won the ship from him
in a Sabaac game, the ever resourceful Lando Calrissian is the starting point
for Han, and then the intrepid threesome work backwards, eventually crossing
paths with an agent who was working for the Jedi and was in stasis for almost
60 years while he healed from severe injuries sustained on his final
mission. Once they all agree to team up we discover just what the
mission was that was supposed to restore the Republic’s honor and how everyone
knows only a portion of the story.
Additionally, as the story unfolds, we
learn more of the different names the Falcon had been called
over the many years, including Corell's Pride, Fickle Flyer, Gone
to Pieces,Hardwired, High Hopes, Meetyl's Misery, Second Chance,Stellar
Envoy, and Wayward Son, as well as the history of it’s many
modifications, like who put in the hologame table and how the various owners
came to own and lose the Falcon, over the course of time and roles
that the vessel would adopt and serve in the STAR WARS timeline, from dodgy
smuggling runs to diplomatic missions, to even being part of a travelling circus
at one point!! Finally, we even discover the origin of the name Millennium Falcon.
Sadly, despite it’s promise to be one of
the best books of the series, on such a beloved vehicle with such a fascinating
history to be explored, amidst what should have been some very interesting
scenarios described by the Falcon’s previous owners, the books
main plot is simply not that exciting or involving, with no real interesting
support characters and often failing to maintain my interest (which is pretty
criminal for a STAR WARS novel), really acting more as just as filler piece - a
bridge to the Legacy of the Force series and setting up events
to come in the Fate of the Jedi series.
Though I’m a fan of Luceno’s work, I only
really enjoyed the parts of the book pertaining to what was established by the
Classic Trilogy-those things that were official Lucas cannon or at least
approved by Lucas. If the “Great Maker” had been involved in certain aspects of
the story and in outlining the ships creation, then I would have been more
enthused and satisfied. As usual, Luceno’s writing style is fine and he’s
better than most at story structure, but this is probably not a book I’ll
re-read with zeal like I have his previous Prequel era novels. MILLENNNIUM
FALCON is sadly not the tribute novel that I personally was hoping it would be,
and as mentioned, is merely a filler introduction to the FATE OF THE JEDI
series instead (with everything you need to know about what’s coming up being
located in this books last two pages!), which was not what this important book
should have been about. Despite Luceno’s and LUCAS BOOKS’s best intentions for
fans/readers, it’s the not the must buy read or anniversary-type tribute it
should have been. A wasted opportunity.
AFICIONADO RATING: Despite
Luceno's previous excellent STAR WARS writing pedigree, this is his first real
disappointment for me. 6 out of 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment