Book Review: 'Star Wars: Allegiance"
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| Cover art by John Van Fleet. (C) 2007 Del Rey/Lucas Books/Random House and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) |
Pros: Good writing, fine characterizations, and
another masterful tale set in the Star Wars galaxy
Cons: None
Although Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn has written
over 90 short stories, novellas, short story collections and novels since 1978,
he is best known for reinvigorating the Star Wars literary universe with
his best-selling Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force
Rising and The Last Command). Set five years after the events
depicted in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, this three-book
cycle’s mix of interstellar conflict, political intrigue and a plausible
extrapolation of the characters and situations created by George Lucas in the
Classic Trilogy reignited fan interest in the Star Wars saga. In
addition, the popularity of Zahn’s novels helped pave the way for other authors
to add their own tales set “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.”
Although various writers (including James Luceno, Michael A. Stackpole and Matt Stover) have emerged as Force-full voices in, Zahn is the true master of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Since the completion of the The Thrawn Trilogy in 1993, he has added several novels that cover different periods of the Star Wars saga, including the Prequel and Classic Trilogy eras.
His 2007 Star Wars novel, Allegiance, is a rarity in the vast literary treasure trove of the Expanded Universe because it is set five to eight months after Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and the destruction of the Death Star at the battle of Yavin.
In Allegiance, Luke Skywalker is still the idealistic farm boy-turned-hero from Tatooine and newly-minted member of the Rebel Alliance, while Han Solo is torn between heading off as an “independent operator” (and paying that debt to Jabba the Hutt), or throwing his lot with Luke, Princess Leia Organa and the Rebel cause. And as the novel opens with Han, Luke and Chewbacca on a mission to evacuate a Rebel cell from the planet Teardrop, Zahn’s deft character description and dialog clearly evokes the spirit of the first Star Wars film.
”Luke?” Han Solo called from the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit. “Come on, kid – move it. We’re on a tight schedule here.”
“They’re in!” Luke Skywalker’s voice came back. “Ramp’s sealed.”
Han already knew that from his control board readouts, of course. If the kid stuck around, he’d have to learn not to clutter the ship’s atmosphere with unnecessary chatter. “Okay, Chewie, hit it,” he said.
Beside him Chewbacca gave a rolling trill of acknowledgment, and the Falcon lifted smoothly off the hard-packed ground.
Apparently not smoothly enough. From behind, Han heard a couple of muffled and rather indignant exclamations. “Hey!” someone shouted.
Han rolled his eyes as he fed power to the sublight engines. “This is absolutely the last time we take on passengers,” he told his partner firmly.
Chewbacca’s reply was squarely to the point and a shade on the disrespectful side.
“No, I mean it,” Han insisted. “From now on, if they don’t pay, they don’t fly.”
From behind him came footsteps, and he glanced back as Luke dropped into the seat behind Chewbacca. “They’re all settled,” he announced.
“Good,” Han said sarcastically. “Once we make hyperspace, I’ll take their drink orders.”
Even as the Falcon departs from Teardrop, it briefly crosses paths with the Imperial Star Destroyer Reprisal, commanded by Captain Kendal Ozzel, an ambitious and arrogant – if rather clumsy and stupid – officer who believes he would have done better than the late Grand Moff Tarkin.
Aboard the Reprisal is a unit of stormtroopers, the Empire’s elite foot soldiers best known for their white-and-black armor and their reputation for fearlessness and unshakeable loyalty to the Emperor and his New Order. Assigned to capture the Rebels on Teardrop, this contingent includes Daric LaRone, Joak Quiller, Korlo Brightwater, Saberan Marcross and Taxtro Grave, five idealistic soldiers who are among the first generation of non-clone troopers in the Imperial Army. Brave, dedicated and loyal to the “safe and secure society” that had been promised by Emperor Palpatine at the end of the Clone Wars, these five men are beginning to question their government’s actions, particularly after the destruction of Alderaan.
But when officers attached to the Gestapo-like Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) knowingly order the stormtroopers to massacre an entire village’s population even though there are no Rebels present, Daric and his four friends are forced to do the unthinkable: to desert from the Reprisal after an argument with an ISB major results in the latter’s death. Not quite willing to join the Rebellion – their allegiance to the New Order is too strong still -- Daric, Joak, Korlo, Saberan and Taxtro nevertheless become fugitives from the Empire.
In another part of the galaxy, the 18-year-old Mara Jade, still new at her role of the Emperor’s Hand, is on an assignment, seeking out Imperial officials who are using their rank and status in the government to their own ends. Among the suspects are the conniving Vilim Disra, chief administrator of the Shelsha sector and his superior, Governor Barshnis Choard, and Mara, trained in the Force by Palpatine himself, must navigate a course strewn with treachery and deceit at every turn.
All these story elements converge when Han, Luke and Leia accept a mission to a distant star system to contact several anti-Imperial factions that haven’t formally joined the Rebellion. And, with the deft touch Zahn has with juggling various storylines that blend action, suspense and the evolution of well-established characters, Allegiance takes off like an X-Wing fighter and takes the reader on a literary joyride and into the conflict between the oppressive Galactic Empire and the heroic Rebel Alliance.
My Take
Although various writers (including James Luceno, Michael A. Stackpole and Matt Stover) have emerged as Force-full voices in, Zahn is the true master of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Since the completion of the The Thrawn Trilogy in 1993, he has added several novels that cover different periods of the Star Wars saga, including the Prequel and Classic Trilogy eras.
His 2007 Star Wars novel, Allegiance, is a rarity in the vast literary treasure trove of the Expanded Universe because it is set five to eight months after Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and the destruction of the Death Star at the battle of Yavin.
In Allegiance, Luke Skywalker is still the idealistic farm boy-turned-hero from Tatooine and newly-minted member of the Rebel Alliance, while Han Solo is torn between heading off as an “independent operator” (and paying that debt to Jabba the Hutt), or throwing his lot with Luke, Princess Leia Organa and the Rebel cause. And as the novel opens with Han, Luke and Chewbacca on a mission to evacuate a Rebel cell from the planet Teardrop, Zahn’s deft character description and dialog clearly evokes the spirit of the first Star Wars film.
”Luke?” Han Solo called from the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit. “Come on, kid – move it. We’re on a tight schedule here.”
“They’re in!” Luke Skywalker’s voice came back. “Ramp’s sealed.”
Han already knew that from his control board readouts, of course. If the kid stuck around, he’d have to learn not to clutter the ship’s atmosphere with unnecessary chatter. “Okay, Chewie, hit it,” he said.
Beside him Chewbacca gave a rolling trill of acknowledgment, and the Falcon lifted smoothly off the hard-packed ground.
Apparently not smoothly enough. From behind, Han heard a couple of muffled and rather indignant exclamations. “Hey!” someone shouted.
Han rolled his eyes as he fed power to the sublight engines. “This is absolutely the last time we take on passengers,” he told his partner firmly.
Chewbacca’s reply was squarely to the point and a shade on the disrespectful side.
“No, I mean it,” Han insisted. “From now on, if they don’t pay, they don’t fly.”
From behind him came footsteps, and he glanced back as Luke dropped into the seat behind Chewbacca. “They’re all settled,” he announced.
“Good,” Han said sarcastically. “Once we make hyperspace, I’ll take their drink orders.”
Even as the Falcon departs from Teardrop, it briefly crosses paths with the Imperial Star Destroyer Reprisal, commanded by Captain Kendal Ozzel, an ambitious and arrogant – if rather clumsy and stupid – officer who believes he would have done better than the late Grand Moff Tarkin.
Aboard the Reprisal is a unit of stormtroopers, the Empire’s elite foot soldiers best known for their white-and-black armor and their reputation for fearlessness and unshakeable loyalty to the Emperor and his New Order. Assigned to capture the Rebels on Teardrop, this contingent includes Daric LaRone, Joak Quiller, Korlo Brightwater, Saberan Marcross and Taxtro Grave, five idealistic soldiers who are among the first generation of non-clone troopers in the Imperial Army. Brave, dedicated and loyal to the “safe and secure society” that had been promised by Emperor Palpatine at the end of the Clone Wars, these five men are beginning to question their government’s actions, particularly after the destruction of Alderaan.
But when officers attached to the Gestapo-like Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) knowingly order the stormtroopers to massacre an entire village’s population even though there are no Rebels present, Daric and his four friends are forced to do the unthinkable: to desert from the Reprisal after an argument with an ISB major results in the latter’s death. Not quite willing to join the Rebellion – their allegiance to the New Order is too strong still -- Daric, Joak, Korlo, Saberan and Taxtro nevertheless become fugitives from the Empire.
In another part of the galaxy, the 18-year-old Mara Jade, still new at her role of the Emperor’s Hand, is on an assignment, seeking out Imperial officials who are using their rank and status in the government to their own ends. Among the suspects are the conniving Vilim Disra, chief administrator of the Shelsha sector and his superior, Governor Barshnis Choard, and Mara, trained in the Force by Palpatine himself, must navigate a course strewn with treachery and deceit at every turn.
All these story elements converge when Han, Luke and Leia accept a mission to a distant star system to contact several anti-Imperial factions that haven’t formally joined the Rebellion. And, with the deft touch Zahn has with juggling various storylines that blend action, suspense and the evolution of well-established characters, Allegiance takes off like an X-Wing fighter and takes the reader on a literary joyride and into the conflict between the oppressive Galactic Empire and the heroic Rebel Alliance.
My Take
What makes Allegiance interesting – aside from being a rare set-in-the-Classic Trilogy-era story – is its focus on the five former stormtroopers and their internal struggle to reconcile their idealistic loyalty to the Empire with the realization that their cause is not a just one. Some of their past actions they might be able to rationalize away as caused by the fog of war, or that sometimes fighting an insurrection results in “collateral damage.”
However, when faced by the destruction of Alderaan by Tarkin
and the Death Star, they must ask themselves just what kind of regime they have
sworn their allegiance to. This sort of introspective thinking from characters
an audience normally would perceive as “evil” is rare and therefore
fascinating, especially since the stormtroopers in the movies are not much more
than faceless adversaries for Luke and the other Rebel heroes.
As a long-time fan and discerning Star Wars reader, I really enjoyed reading this novel. Zahn tells his story in prose so clear and descriptive that it's almost cinematic. He also captures the spirit of George Lucas' films almost perfectly; Allegiance once again shows Zahn's knack for using visual and dialog references from the films and creating new and exciting characters and situations. The descriptions of the movies' familiar heroes are both true to the memories of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and the rest of the cast's performances in A New Hope, and readers who have read Zahn’s other Star Wars books will note “foreshadowing” passages that hint at “future” events established in them.
As a long-time fan and discerning Star Wars reader, I really enjoyed reading this novel. Zahn tells his story in prose so clear and descriptive that it's almost cinematic. He also captures the spirit of George Lucas' films almost perfectly; Allegiance once again shows Zahn's knack for using visual and dialog references from the films and creating new and exciting characters and situations. The descriptions of the movies' familiar heroes are both true to the memories of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and the rest of the cast's performances in A New Hope, and readers who have read Zahn’s other Star Wars books will note “foreshadowing” passages that hint at “future” events established in them.
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