All 15 ‘Star Wars’ Legends Han Solo and Lando Calrissian novels, ranked (Book commentary)
With Disney’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” about to hit theaters, fans might be interested in digging into the Legends source material. It dates back quite a ways: Six of the first seven “Star Wars” spinoff novels chronicled these rogues during their early days with the Millennium Falcon, in “The Han Solo Adventures” (1979-80) and
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader’ (2005) (Book review)
We knew Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were the same person since 1980, but it wasn’t until after “Revenge of the Sith” came out that we learned how Anakin feels being Vader. For that reason, “Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader” (2005) was one of the most anticipated Expanded Universe novels, and — along with his
‘Labyrinth of Evil’ (2005) goes to brink of ‘Revenge of the Sith’
‘Star Wars’ flashback (Book review): James Luceno takes us right up to “Revenge of the Sith” in this thrilling prequel that tells Grievous’ backstory.
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force’ (2003) (Book review)
The “New Jedi Order” closes out its 19-book run with James Luceno’s epic “The Unifying Force”(2003), which feels every bit of its 527 pages and must be read over several sittings. In the end, it’s a respectable conclusion to the saga, sometimes trying too hard to be “big” – like when Jacen fights the enemy by
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II – Jedi Eclipse’ (2000) (Book review)
“Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial” was James Luceno’s salute to Brian Daley, packed with old-school Han Solo adventuring. “Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse” (2000) – the fifth book in the “New Jedi Order” series – is more of a compromise between Daley-style fun and the overall dark direction of the “NJO” saga.
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I – Hero’s Trial’ (2000) (Book review)
James Luceno seemed like a “Star Wars” author before he actually was a “Star Wars” author, due to his friendship with Brian Daley (with whom he wrote the “Robotech” series). But even with that goodwill in his back pocket, Luceno impressed me and many other fans with his debut novel, “Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial” (2000),
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Millennium Falcon’ (2008) (Book review)
When the “Episode VII — The Force Awakens” teaser trailer came out a couple months ago, it wasn’t Rey or Finn or Poe or the Sith lord who got the most buzz. The “character” people were most excited about was the Millennium Falcon, because – without any of the old heroes in the teaser — it was
John’s top 10 ‘Star Wars’ novelists (Book commentary)
I’ve been doing occasional “Star Wars Flashback” entries, but I thought I’d take a break here and give a rundown of my top 10 “Star Wars” novelists. For geeks like me, it might provide a good debate; for newcomers, I outline the strengths of each author and select their best book.
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Cloak of Deception’ and ‘Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter’ (2001) (Book review)
Welcome to a new feature where I revisit old “Star Wars” novels when inspired by new works. The inspiration for this first entry is James Luceno’s “Darth Plagueis,” which reads like a fascinating history book and has two entire other novels take place within it while also overlapping with most of “Episode I: The Phantom
‘Star Wars’ fans get 3 Darths for the price of 1 in ‘Darth Plagueis’ (Book review)
“Darth Plagueis” (January, hardcover) is arguably the most hyped-up “Star Wars” novel since 1996’s “Shadows of the Empire,” with the ForceCast (which plans an upcoming “Darth Plagueis” roundtable episode) calling it a “game changer” and Entertainment Weekly — which normally doesn’t cover “Star Wars” novels with much depth — posting an excerpt.