Tatooine Ghost

Post RotJ, pre-Zahn. Han and Leia must rescue an Alderaanian painting that has a secret Rebel code in it. Sets up for the stupid Darknest trilogy 20 years later. Readable, but not buyable. No info is provided[hence needed] to flesh out the Star Wars universe. ( )

Shortly after Han and Leia’s marriage, a very valuable art piece of the New Republic resurfaces after being thought to have been destroyed along with Alderaan. The newlyweds themselves were chosen to recover this vital item found to be the key to a top secret New Republic communication code. It is Han and Leia’s goal to retrieve this artifact before the Empire can, although as an Imperial Star Destroyer appears seemingly on its way to Tatooine, things seem to get tricky. Troy Denning’s Del Rey masterpiece, Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost is an iconic must have novel for any Han and Leia fan with its mysteries and adventures. ( )

Would it be that Troy Denning had been writing Star Wars novels ten years earlier, because in many ways, this is the novel that The Courtship of Princess Leia should have been. Bridging the gap between Courtship and Heir to the Empire, Tatooine Ghost takes Han and Leia to Tatooine so that they can recover an important painting at auction. But what it ends up doing is confronting Leia with her past: the grandmother she never knew and the father she doesn't want to.

Tatooine Ghost links elements revealed in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones into the original Star Wars characters to great effect: the sequences where Leia reads the diary of Shmi (surely one of the most underrated Star Wars characters) are excellent, even riveting, despite their flashback status. These are used to drive Leia's emotional journey-- which is paralleled with her physical journey. This is a harrowing escapade for Leia, Han, and Chewbacca. I doubt that any other Star Wars stories have revealed the harshness of Tatooine quite so effectively as this one.

What Denning also does well is write the Han/Leia relationship. I think this can be a tricky one to manage, because you have to be true to the films in depicting their characters-- which don't really show Han and Leia in a committed relationship very much. But Denning manages to get their characters spot on, and yet portray the depth of the commitment they have to one another.

There are a lot of things to like about this book: a good role for Chewbacca, random prequel characters like Kister and Wald, a Thrawn cameo, and best of all, the Squibs! Denning doesn't forget that Star Wars should be zany and funny. I loved it everytime they showed up and caused trouble, well-intentioned in their own way.

The pacing could maybe be better-- the second half drags a little bit as they travel through the desert so much-- but on the whole this is one of my favorite Star Wars novels.

It is becoming clear to me that I am not part of the intended audience of the Star Wars Extended Universe. This episode is set immediately after Leia's wedding to Han Solo but there is no convincing emotional bond between the newlyweds. It may appeal to someone who cares about Leia's grandmother, Shmi, the progentitor of the Skywalker line whose story is expanded here. ( )

I really enjoyed the character development in this book. There is a requisite adventure where everyone almost dies. However, there is an interesting exploration of the importance of viewpoint. Leia is confronted by a whole different side of Anakin - which makes her have to see him as something more than just Darth Vader. Also fun is the relationship between Han & Leia as newlyweds. ( )