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Loading... Star Wars: Allegianceby Timothy Zahn
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. This was the first Zahn novel I'd read in several years. I was pleasantly surprised: Zahn's writing is still compelling; the Mara Jade information was an unexpected treat; the Han/Leia/Luke development was well done. I was especially intrigued by the "lower decks" (hidden Star Trek reference for the initiated) concept of following some self-doubting stormtroopers around. Not great art, but a fun, quick read. ( )Although Allegiance isn't an awful book, Timothy Zahn has certainly done better. The plot is interesting, but had trouble keeping my attention. I like how the main stormtrooper characters struggle with loyalty and principle, two of the main themes, but Karen Traviss has a better notion of dynamics within a squad, including each trooper's inner conflicts. The troopers here aren't nearly as fleshed out. I could be wrong, but I believe this is the first novel in which Mara Jade is introduced at the beginning of her career. At the age of eighteen, her Force abilities are impressive, especially if she'd been training since childhood. More background on her would have been welcome. What makes her interesting is the combination of her abilities and her naivete. Meh. That's about it. Things I liked about this book - it was interesting to see the growing relationship of Luke, Leia, and Han. Things that are only hinted at in the movies are fleshed out in this installment of the Rebellion Era. I also liked that we got to see the motivations of a group who left the Empire - to see some of the reasons why the Rebellion grew. This book was disappointing only because I know Timothy Zahn is capable of so much more. It was cool seeing Mara in action as the Emperor's Hand, but parts of the book were dull and overall it seemed to lack focus. Entertaining, but not too deep. 0.063 seconds to build listing
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0345477383, Hardcover)Never before has the incendiary mix of action, politics, and intrigue that has become Timothy Zahn’s trademark, been mmore evident that in this new Star Wars epic. On the heels of the stunning events chronicled in Star Wars: A New Hope, the newly minted heroes of the Rebellion–fledgling Jedi Luke Skywalker, smuggler turned reluctant freedom-fighter Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa, a bold leader with a world to avenge–must face the harsh realities of the cataclysmic conflict into which they have so bravely plunged. From this point forward, legends will grow, treachery will abound, and lives will be irrevocably altered, in the long, hard fight to counter the fist of tyranny and restore hope to a galaxy too long in darkness.The destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance was a decisive blow against the Empire, but Palpatine and his monstrous enforcer, Darth Vader, are no less of a threat. The brutal extermination of Alderaan not only demonstrated the magnitude of their murderous power, but served as a chilling testament to their resolve to crush the Rebel uprising. Standing against them, Skywalker, Solo, and the Princess remain uncertain opponents. Luke is gifted and brave, but unschooled in the power he possesses. Han has doubts about waging someone else’s war–and his contentiousness is one more burden for Leia to bear as she struggles to help keep the Rebellion alive. The three have been sent to mediate a dispute between Rebel Alliance factions in Shelsha Sector–agitating matters by forcing Han to deal not only with pirates, but with his more dreaded enemy, politics. At the same time, Mara Jade–all of eighteen and years away from her fateful meeting with Luke–is serving her evil master, Palpatine, well in her role as the Emperor’s Hand: tracking suspected treachery in the Empire to what may be high places–while trying to stay out of Darth Vader’s way. But the Rebels will prove to be only one of the Empire’s concerns. For Imperial Stormtrooper Daric LaRone, his faith in the Empire shaken by the wanton destruction of Alderaan, will commit a sudden and violent act of defiance, and take four other enforcers with him, in a desperate bid to elude their masters’ wrath. Each of these fateful actions, whether sanctioned, secret, or scandalous, will expose brutality and corruption, spur upheavals destined to shake the Empire to its core, and shape momentous events yet to come. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:23 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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