Very average book in an otherwise good series

books:


	• Star Wars The New Jedi Order Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial (Star Wars: the New Jedi Order) James Luceno Del Rey, 2005 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 96 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great Solo Adventure

While Hero's Trial, the fourth book in the massive New Jedi Order series and the first in author James Luceno's Agents of Chaos duology doesn't have quite the same epic scope as previous NJO volumes (no planets die in this one), it is still a crucial volume in the series.

Essentially, Hero's Trial is a Han Solo adventure, which is fine considering that Han has been more or less MIA during the previous two NJO books, drowning his sorrows after the loss of Chewbacca in Vector Prime (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 1). It's good to see Solo back in action, and the mission he takes on - hunting down the Yuuzhan Vong's Peace Brigade agents - gives him the sense of purpose (not to mention vengeance) that he needs to get on with his life.

The book's other key development is the introduction of Yuuzhan Vong double agent Elan and her familiar Vergere, who will go on to be one of the most interesting, compelling, and yes disturbing characters the Star Wars Universe has ever seen. You'd never know it from this book, but the diminutive alien will set in motion events that will shape the galaxy for years to come.

Luceno does a great job with this book. It's exactly the kind of rollicking adventure you expect from a Han Solo tale, though the ever-present Yuuzhan Vong threat keeps the book from getting to lighthearted. Luceno has obviously done his homework, as events and characters from both Brian Daley and A. C. Crispin's previous Han Solo novels are referenced extensively in Hero's Trial. It's a bit light on Jedi action, but it does show that the events in the NJO series impact everyone - not just the Jedi.

If you've enjoyed the previous NJO books, this will be no exception. The best part is that the story is just getting warmed up!

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Han Solo is Back!

James Luceno is only getting his feet wet in the Star Wars universe, but the Robotech veteran gets things steaming right along after a slow first quarter. The dialogue at first is a little ponderous, with drawn-out statements that seem a little wrong, but it gets better.

The character of Han Solo is the key point of the book, which was great to see since he seemed to take a back seat to everyone else. Between the time that Chewie dies on Sernpidal (SPOILER!) and the end of this book, the reconciliation between Han and his son Anakin really hits a father.

I like the new copilot character that they've given to Han. He's a bit like Han with his sense of humor, and also a little like Lando, but with less of the smooth pretense. I hope he sticks around a while.

Luceno really gets down to the guts of Han Solo, and it is his insight which saves the Jedi from certain doom at the hands of an assassin. It's Han Solo at his gut-feeling best, and I couldn't reccomend this book more.

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Very average book in an otherwise good series

Hero's Trial is a mediocre book in what has otherwise been a decent series to date. The first three books (written by R.A. Salvatore and Michael Stackpole) were quite decent, which makes the shortcomings in Hero's Trial even more disappointing.

The book isn't horrible; it's just not fun to read. With the exception of Droma, a new buddy Luceno introduces for Han, nearly every character in the book is painfully boring. The Yuuzhan Vong, who were engaging in the first three books, became nothing more than the obligatory bad guys. Description of their biological technology became long passages of text which the reader couldn't care less about. This is quite different from the first three books, where the novel and menacing threat introduced by the Yuuzhan Vong is really what made the story work.

Following the same trend, Luceno's space battles are very dry. There is nothing in the way of tactics, skill, or strategy conveyed to the reader. There are lots of action words and quite a few adjectives, but in the end they add up to nothing. You could skip over the entire battle and not be worse off for it.

Lastly, Han was given a new sidekick to replace Chewbacca. Luceno tries to write some witty dialog between the two, attempting to deliver on some of the charm Han Solo displayed in the movies. Unfortunately, this too falls rather flat - and at times seems much more slapstick than it should.

As a stand alone book, it really isn't worth reading. As part of a larger storyline which to date has been good, it is tolerable.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Merciless attacks by an invincible alien force have left the New Republic reeling. Dozens of worlds have succumbed to occupation or annihilation, and even the Jedi Knights have tasted defeat. In these darkest of times, the noble Chewbacca is laid to rest, having died as heroically as he lived--and a grief-stricken Han Solo is left to fit the pieces of his shattered soul back together before he loses everything: friends, family, and faith.

Refusing help from Leia or Luke, Han becomes the loner he once was, seeking to escape the pain of his partner's death in adventure . . . and revenge. When he learns that an old friend from his smuggling days is operating as a mercenary for the enemy, he sets out to expose the traitor. But Han's investigation uncovers an even greater evil: a sinister conspiracy aimed at the very heart of the New Republic's will and ability to fight--the Jedi.

Now Han must face down his inner demons and, with the help of a new and unexpected ally, honor Chewbacca's sacrifice in the only way that matters--by being worthy of it.

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