This IS the Han Solo Book You've Been Looking For!

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I read all the Star Wars books. I stopped right before the New Jedi Order (when I was in college), and since then have only read two - Zahn's Scoundrels and Schreiber's Death Troopers. In general, the Expanded Star Wars Universe became too much of a chore for me - the continuity got too bloated, I heard some of my favorite characters were needlessly killed off, and it just wasn't as much fun as when Zahn's first books came out. So when I heard that James S.A. Corey - the writing duo of Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham who write the kick ass Expanse space operas - were doing a Star Wars book, and that it'd be a stand-alone Han Solo Star Wars books, AND that it'd be set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, well, I knew I'd have to make the jump to lightspeed and pick this nerf-herder up.

Han Solo and Chewbacca are recruited by the Rebel Alliance to pull out spy Scarlet Hark from her assignment on a planet in the Imperial Core. The extraction doesn't go as simply as planned (their plans are awful). Scarlet has some loose ends to tie up, Han has a price on his head, and the Empire has their sights on a new super weapon. I don't want to give away too much, but suffice it to say blasters are drawn, planets are scorched, and Chewbacca is a far more profane wookie than I ever realized. (We always did wonder what he was saying, right?)

In other words: Franck and Abraham do not disappoint. There were times when I was worried the story was going to take a long time building up to a plot point - say a heist - and then, like the Expanse books, they barrel right into the action, never sacrificing characterization, and move onto the next play. The characters we know feel like they've walked right off the screen, just as we remembered them. And we're introduced to several fascinating new characters: the aforementioned Scarlet Hark, who is as stubborn, gutsy, and wise-cracking as Han; Hunter Maas, an arrogant would-be alpha male who always talks about himself in the third person; and Baasen Ray, a down-on-his-luck smuggler and old friend of Han. Saying too much about any of them would be spoiling the fun, but I do want to say that they were all very well-developed. I was pleased Scarlet never became part of a romantic triangle with Han and Leia - their relationship and camaraderie had a very business casual professional feel to it, playing against the obvious type. But most of all, I was surprised and delighted by the shades of grey displayed by one character. Often, we generally know which side someone is on when they walk onto the screen (or page) in Star Wars. However, one character's journey really surprised me, and it was nice to see that they're can be acts of kindness and grace, even by characters who often came off as an utter bastard. It's a nice bit of characterization, and one I feel like we don't often see in Star Wars.

Is it as good as The Expanse or The Dagger in the Coin books? No. Not even close. But I'd be lying if it wasn't loads of fun, and had me wishing that they'd do another Star Wars book someday, in all their free time. If you like any of their books, and Star Wars, you're gonna get a kick out of this one. It'll make you want to invite your buddies over for beer and an original trilogy marathon. And it'll probably make you want to check out all their other non-Star Wars books too.

(And being a big fan of both Expanse series, and Abraham's Dagger and the Coin series, it's fun to pick out some of their kinks - whether it's where does the Rebel Alliance get their money from, a traveling Opera troupe, a labyrinth-like mad scientist laboratory filled with dead Storm Troopers. The only thing missing is vomit zombies. Basically, if they thought something was cool, and they could use it, they did.)

I've listened to exactly three Star Wars books now, two of which have been narrated by Marc Thompson (no relation). I have to give Thompson credit - it's gotta be hard to come into something like Star Wars where the sound of the characters are pretty ingrained in our minds. In that regard, Thompson is a winner - his Han Solo isn't Harrison Ford, but it's the next best thing. And he gets all the bravado, cockiness, and general scoundrelness across well. His voices for other favorites like Luke and Leia aren't quite as good, but he makes up for it with the supporting cast and characters like Scarlet, Hunter, and Baasen. Where Thompson doesn't work so well is the line-to-line delivery. Often simple actions - like Han picking up a tool to repair the Falcon - are delivered with Shatner-esque forced excitement, and I would've preferred he let the material speak for himself a little more.

The book is jam-packed with the standard sound effects and John Williams score that's have become custom for these things. The F/X are actually kind of fun, but the over-reliance on the John Williams score is distracting. When Han gets into a fistfight with an alien, and the SW soundtrack starts up, some of the tension gets lost for me. That said, it wasn't enough of a distraction to keep me from wanting to press play when I had the chance.

If you've been nostalgic at all about Star Wars, and considered diving into one of the novels - Honor Among Thieves is your ticket to all the charm and excitement that made you fall in love with this scoundrel and his wookie co-pilot from a galaxy far, far away.

(Originally published at the AudioBookaneers)

18 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

This is Han at his best

Where does Honor Among Thieves rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 10%

What was one of the most memorable moments of Honor Among Thieves?

Marc Thompson's amazing ability to generate tension during any of the action scenes. I think the two narrators worked together seamlessly.

Which character – as performed by Marc Thompson and Ilyana Kadushin – was your favorite?

Han Solo

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Heavy on the Solo, next to no jedi action.

Perhaps I am biased, but when I read a star wars book, I usually expect to see some Jedi actionnt to like it, but I am having a hard time reccomending this to anyone else. . Unfortunately this story lacked that. It was intentional, I can tell, but still it did seem quite unusual. Many of the questions raised in the story seemed only half answered. I dunno...I want to like this book, but ...well, you decide for yourself.

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Average but well produced

What did you love best about Honor Among Thieves?

It was Han Solo all the time. Amazing. Buck lacked plot. Was expecting more since the last few book like crucible were 100% amazing

Would you be willing to try another book from James S. A. Corey? Why or why not?

if he does star wars yes

Which scene was your favorite?

Han and 2 women

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Han solor reflecting on his life and how bad it could of went if he did not join rebals

Any additional comments?

why not produce republic commando series by Karen Travis is just wrong do it already

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Contrived characters.

What did you like best about Honor Among Thieves? What did you like least?

Good overall story, but having Firefly's "Badger" and what seemed like the "Grand Naegis" from Star Trek in there was pretty lame.

What do you think your next listen will be?

The next SW Unabridged book available.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The "Grand Naegis" voice and the portrayal of the bounty hunter in what was so obviously "Badger" from Firefly inspired.

Do you think Honor Among Thieves needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Any additional comments?

Some elements of the plot and book were good, but I really was disappointed by this one.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Wish they wrote a whole series of these!!!

James S. A. Corey killed it as per usual. They did such an amazing job of embodying Han Solo and creating a gripping adventure that fit in with the main Star Wars storyline. One of my favorite things about the Star Wars universe is its so big and was created in such a way where it can continually be added to forever. This installment was a very great addition to the universe. When i seen James S. A. Corey wrote a Star Wars novel i JUMPED on it and wasnt the least bit disappointed. It was fun, entertaining, intelligent, and fleshed out our beloved characters a little more than they already were. If your a 'Star Wars' fan or an 'Expanse' fan you'll absolutely love this book. I just wish they wrote more...

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Solo.

Decent story, not the best but far from the worst Star Wars books I've read. My biggest complaint is that Han can be more of a jerk than necessary, however knowing when this takes place makes his attitude more understandable.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Plan's don't work for us

Would you listen to Honor Among Thieves again? Why?

Yes I would. Enjoyed it. Marc Thompson really sounded like Harrison Ford. Great job!

What does Marc Thompson and Ilyana Kadushin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Marc did a great job with all the characters. He was a big bonus on this book and really helped make the story come to life.

Ilyana, she is the narrator for the "extra" story at the end of the book. I didn't care for her at first but after a few pages, I was caught up the storyline.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

It never goes as planned.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Not a bad Star wars book.

I always like when Mark Thompson reads the books. He makes the story even better. All in all not a bad story.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Honor among thieves

Honor among thieves is awesome! I just think it is a plain good cool story-Jonas

1 personne a trouvé cela utile