Written by James S.A. Corey
SUMMARY:
Released by Del Rey in April 2015, this 367-page mass market paperback was co-written by Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck (under the pen name of James S.A. Corey). Set several months after A New Hope, the Rebellion is exploring its few options for a new secret base. Han Solo & Chewbacca are once again desperately low on credits. Hence, they’re willing to take the Millennium Falcon on a potential suicide run to retrieve a Rebel spy, Scarlet Hark, trapped deep within Imperial territory on the planet Cioran.
Unbeknownst to Han & Chewbacca, an old crony, Baasen Rey, and his mercenary crew seek to ambush them for Jabba the Hutt’s sizable bounty. Even if Han locates the elusive Scarlet, the odds of the Falcon’s crew escaping Cioran alive are dwindling fast.
Reuniting with Princess Leia at a hush-hush diplomatic conference on planet Kiamurr, Han discovers that the vital tech secret up for sale on the black market is a map to the galaxy’s greatest power: a means of controlling hyperspace. With the Empire bent on obliterating anything in its way to seize this technology, Han & Leia lead a makeshift team into a dangerous jungle world in the Seymarti system. An ancient alien temple laden with unpredictable booby traps awaits them.
The Falcon must also locate Luke Skywalker’s short-handed X-Wing squadron, as it’s now the quarry of an Imperial Star Destroyer. As two planets die around him, Han Solo has a million-to-one shot at potentially ending the Galactic War – will he take it?
Note: This title was first published in hardcover in 2014. It’s also part of the “Empire and Rebellion” trilogy in the Star Wars Legends series.
REVIEW:
For Han Solo aficionados, it’s a welcome return to a style reminiscent of Brian Daley’s Han Solo Adventures trilogy pitching the Corellian flyboy adventurer at his roguish best. Not nearly the impulsive dolt he sometimes is in A New Hope, this savvy (and articulate) Han Solo conveys surprising depth. Not always shooting first and saving questions for later, Han is shown conscientiously thinking and improvising more like a certain 1930’s archaeologist.
Depicted as the Rebellion’s unlikely best option for high-risk jobs, ‘The Han Solo Show’ dominates this book’s screen time, including his Old West-like gunslinging feud with Baasen Rey. Meanwhile, Chewbacca is conveniently sent off-screen multiple times guarding/repairing the battered Falcon while Han performs the ultra-dangerous fieldwork.
All things considered, it can’t be a coincidence that, late in the game, Han is practically ‘Indiana Solo,’ as he deftly navigates a deadly alien jungle into Star Wars’ version of a ‘Temple of Doom.’ Giving Han some terrific support are Princess Leia, and guest stars Scarlet Hark & Baasen Rey, along with Chewbacca’s reliable contributions.
Reduced to a minor role as Han’s surrogate little brother, Luke Skywalker is now a daring X-Wing rookie under Wedge Antilles’s command. Curiously, The Force isn’t depicted (other than Han occasionally thanking his ever-so-lucky stars), so Luke doesn’t resort to any lightsaber heroics this time. Instead, it’s mostly up to Captain Solo’s world-weary expertise, hotshot piloting, and trusty blaster to save the galaxy time and again.
In that regard, despite the vastly outnumbered Rebels improbably thumping wave after wave of Imperial stormtroopers, the author ensures that Honor Among Thieves is a solidly-paced thriller. It leaves one pondering, if Han’s commanding presence had been structured more like this in Episodes IV-VI, maybe Harrison Ford would have better appreciated his iconic role.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
The usual Star Wars Legends chronology of book titles is provided. The author offers an eleven-page Scarlet Hark short story entitled “Silver and Scarlet,” as another of her undercover capers is revealed. The last supplement is an eighteen-page preview of Paul S. Kemp’s novel: Star Wars: Lords of the Sith, as Darth Vader personally leads an assault strike on a stolen Imperial freight carrier.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
Note: Another terrific post-New Hope, Han Solo title is Timothy Zahn’s novel: Star Wars: Scoundrels, which chronologically occurs before Honor Among Thieves. Think ‘Han Solo + Ocean’s 11,’ and you’ll get the idea.
