Shadows of the Empire

by Steve Perry

Series: Star Wars Novels (3-4 ABY), Star Wars Universe (3–4 ABY)

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2,402	19	6,342	(3.53)	12
Shadows of the Empire illuminates the shadowy outlines of a criminal conspiracy that exists in the background of the events in the movies, ruled by a character new to us. Prince Xizor is a mastermind of evil who dares to oppose one of the best-known fictional villains of all time: Darth Vader. The story involves all the featured Star Wars movie characters, plus Emperor Palpatine and, of course, Lord Vader himself.… (more)

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I read this for the first time in the summer of 1997. It was my first extended universe book which would lead into my love of the extended universe pre Disney purge. Now that the Skywalker movies are all done, I am going back into the old extended universe.

Due to my nostalgia, this is probably rated higher than it should. It contain the intro of my favorite EU character in Prince Xizor. I enjoyed it every time he appeared.

The book itself takes place between Ep 5 and 6 and prior to when they were called Episodes. It tells how Luke built his green saber, how the plan to rescue Han came about, and a side story about the finding the new Death Star. There is tension between Vader and Xizor for the Emperor’s attention.

I think it still holds up and it was fun to see what Disney/Lucas lifted to make canon later. (

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Nerdyrev1 | Nov 23, 2022 |

Just trash. The new characters, including a ridiculous reptilian Casanova, are cardboard and boring, and it says nothing interesting about the mainstays of the original trilogy. Just an ill-conceived project from the get-go. (

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jklugman | May 28, 2022 |

I have always loved the Star Wars universe especially the novels that were written about it. While Timothy Zahn definitely writes my favorite books I do quite enjoy the other books as well and this one is no exception. These are books I have read multiple times over the years and still thoroughly enjoy. (

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KateKat11 | Sep 24, 2021 |

Actually only got halfway through this one. Dialogue was forced and cheesy and the character were caricatures. I love Star Wars, but this is just not my kind of book I guess. (

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ReaderWriterRunner | Jul 27, 2021 |

Though a bit boring at first, it picks up around 30% into the book. If it wasn't Star Wars, I wouldn't have lasted that long. Still, I did enjoy it, and it was a nice peek into what was happening between Episodes IV and V. (

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book_lady15 | Apr 3, 2020 |

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Belongs to Series

Star Wars Novels (3-4 ABY)

Star Wars Universe (3–4 ABY)

Has the (non-series) sequel

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire: Evolution by Steve Perry

Has the adaptation

Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire by John Wagner

Shadows of the Empire [adaptation - junior novelization] by Christopher Golden

Inspired

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire [soundtrack] by Joel McNeely

▾Awards and Honors

Distinctions

New York Times bestseller (Fiction – 1996)

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Canonical title

Shadows of the Empire

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1996-04-06

People/Characters

Important places

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Related movies

Epigraph

"Face it, if crime did not pay, there would be very few criminals." - Laughton Lewis Burdock

Dedication

For Dianne; and for Tom "Mississippi" Dupree, who put me in the rotation and thus let me get a chance to bat.

First words

He looks like a walking corpse, Xizor thought.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

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Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

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Wikipedia in English (1)

Palpatine

▾Book descriptions

Shadows of the Empire illuminates the shadowy outlines of a criminal conspiracy that exists in the background of the events in the movies, ruled by a character new to us. Prince Xizor is a mastermind of evil who dares to oppose one of the best-known fictional villains of all time: Darth Vader. The story involves all the featured Star Wars movie characters, plus Emperor Palpatine and, of course, Lord Vader himself.

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Book description

Here is the untold story of the events that took place between the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi: a novel in which Darth Vader still lives--and battles a villain as powerful and evil as himself.

SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE
It is a time of crisis. Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, is being taken to the vile gangster Jabba the Huff. As Princess Lela mounts a rescue mission including Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, and a brilliant young pilot, Darth Vader pits himself against a cunning and ruthless rival. Xizor is the leader of a powerful crime syndicate who seeks to supplant Vader for the favor of their mutual master, the dreaded Emperor. Their target: Luke Skywalker. Suddenly Luke finds himself the potential prize of the two most evil entities in the galaxy--one who wants him alive...and one who wants him dead.

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