Before the Storm

When I was a kid, I used to devour the Bantam Star Wars novels again and again. I owned most of them (my favorites were the X-Wing novels by Stackpole and Allston), and what ones I didn't own, I would check out from the library multiple times (like Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy). Thus I know I must not have liked The Black Fleet Crisis, as I only owned Book Two, and I am pretty sure I only checked Books One and Three out of the library once. But there's a contingent of posters on TheForce.Net's forums who consider these books the height of the Bantam era, and their comments began to wear on my mind and, starting to wonder if maybe I would like them more at 25 than I did at 11, I kept an eye out for used copies of Books One and Three with show more intentions of rereading the whole set.

So here I am at 30 finally reading them, and let me tell you, it's a little weird: this is the first "Legends" Star Wars fiction I've read since seeing The Force Awakens. Nothing in this book actually happened, even more than things normally don't actually happen in Star Wars. I kept comparing the choices Kube-McDowell and other Expanded Universe writers made in building up their post-Return of the Jedi universe to that of J. J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan in Episode VII. The most notable point of congruence is Luke's hermitage: in Episode VII, we learn that Luke has been living as a hermit for years. Here, in Before the Storm, Luke begins to withdraw from the world, starting to wonder if inaction is preferable to action, if Yoda and Obi-Wan didn't withdraw from the galaxy not to hide their powers, but because the longer a Jedi is in the world, the more it asks of him what he cannot give. I mean, maybe this is true... but how boring and how un-Luke-ish. The Luke of this book is a distant, cold, withdrawn figure, prone to using ostentatious illusions on the people who are supposedly his close friends, and that's not something I want to read about. Contrary to the stance Kube-McDowell takes here, Luke should be passionate, idealistic, and above all, active. I get that Kube-McDowell is trying to grow the character, but I think this neglects what makes him appealing. To be fair, I think most Expanded Universe writers who aren't Matt Stover neglected this. This move didn't bother me in The Force Awakens, but that's because there Luke is no longer the protagonist, he's the Obi-Wan figure to Rey's protagonist: this Luke is supposedly a protagonist, and no Star Wars novel should have a wannabe-hermit as a protagonist!

Only a week before I read Before the Storm, I read Cast No Shadow, which I recognized as a Star Trek take on Tom Clancy; The Black Fleet Crisis is very much a Star Wars take on Tom Clancy, full of military logistics and political details. Kube-McDowell has really thought out the way the New Republic might actually work, which I think is why the TFN readers like this book-- that's the kind of storytelling they're all into. But these details don't mean anything if they don't support a good story, and in this volume at least, they do not. Much of the book focuses on Leia's attempts to negotiate with the xenophoic Yevetha, and Leia is written as horrendously foolish. I get that Leia is an idealist, but as of when this book is set, she's been President of the New Republic for five years, and in politics for around eighteen; she wouldn't be this naive, nor could she have gotten this far ignoring the counsel of her trusted advisors as she repeatedly does here. It's poor writing to contrive a political crisis, and it makes the whole plot about the Yevetha and the Black Fleet fall flat. I did like the depiction of Han Solo, the ex-smuggler and ex-general, now stay-at-home dad. Han doesn't come across as put-upon or anything ridiculous like that; he's a former scoundrel doing his best to raise a family. The bit where his general's commission is briefly reactivated really worked, too. (And thank goodness that Kube-McDowell dispensed with the nonsense of earlier EU writers in having the Solos pack their children to be raised by strangers on distant worlds!)

The one thing I did like here was Lando. Despite his awesomeness, Lando rarely got good parts in EU novels, but this one puts that to rights-- and Kube-McDowell does understand what makes Lando tick, unlike Luke and Leia. I enjoyed almost everything Lando did, from breaking into a top-secret office just to ask for a challenge, to "stealing" R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Jedi Temple and his reflection that being trustworthy makes it easier to be a con man than ever! Him, Lobot (!), and the droids forming a little team trying to figure out the mysterious ghost ship that is the Teljkon vagabond is the best part of this book. show less

I may be in the minority, but this was my favourite Star Wars trilogy by far. It's certainly the most atmospheric. I love the political intrigue, the mystery of the "ghost ship", and Luke's journey across space as an ordinary traveller, complete with red tape. The action sequence in the first chapter (not the prologue) is easily the best-written in a Star Wars novel. Most importantly, Kube-Mcdowell actually adds to the mythology, revealing military and political power structures, new planets and races, and new supporting characters that feel just as real as any of the mainstays. Plus, you get the feeling that there are more aliens than humans for once. Terrific stuff.

I like the central idea behind the novel: an alien species oppressed and victimized by the Empire starts wrecking havoc across the galaxy, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The main characters don't have a lot to do do, and are ineptly written, especially Leia. Lando and Luke go on separate side quests that are completely boring.

The first book in the Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy. The main story arc is of Princess Leia and Nil Spaar of the Yevetha having political discussions and how they fall through. Side story arcs include Luke looking for his mother, Chewbacca wanting to visit his home planet, and Lando chasing a "ghost ship" for the intel folks.

There's a lot going on, I always felt it could have had one less story arc involved but it's still a good read.

I love the random references to archivists, catalogers, and other aspects of the library sciences. Leia is pretty annoying and useless for the majority of this book. I hope the portrayal of her character improves in the rest of the trilogy

Somehow this author thought to make Liea a bit of a dummy. This trilogy takes place well into her career (After Thrawn and Daala) but she comes across as incredibly naive.

I never read this series back when it came out so coming fresh this time around.

Pages Read: 336/336. In this first book of another Star Wars Trilogy after Episode VI, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbaca, and Lando all separate on their own journeys for a short period of time, confronting obstacles after obstacles for the New Republic once again. Luke goes in search of his mother, along with a companion. Chewbaca leaves for Kashyyyk to meet his family. Lando leaves with R2D2 and C2PO to board a mysterious vessel, known to be first created by the Qella species. Han and Leia face the greatest trouble of all. They had gone through a negotiation with Nil Spaar, the current leader of the Duskhan League, one which was under Imperial control uptil the Battle of Endor. Nil Spaar's true intentions were to demolish the New Republic, show more and take over the rule of the Galaxy. Nil Spaar leaves unexpectedly, and starts invading the planets near the Choornacht Cluster, where the Duskhan League reside. All but one person is killed, and it just so happens that that one person was taken in by the New Republic. I think I relate a bit to Lando Calrissian in a way, because Lando is all about adventure, and even in a tight spot, he always slips through (and literally that's what LITERALLY happened in one part of the book. He slipped through a passageway). Though he makes considerable mistakes like I do, he manages to fix them back. I do not think there is much in this book which I do not like... Though there could be more adventure at Lando's peak than where Leia sits and talks half the book... I would recommend this book to people who are COMPLETELY immersed into sci-fi. show less