I remember as a kid wanting to go beyond the Star Wars movies and read
about the further adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia in
books. In the late 70s/early 80s though
there wasn’t what is now referred to as “the Expanded Universe” of novels,
cartoons, and so on. I remember going to
the library and book stores looking for Star Wars stories and having a hard
time finding anything. So that is why
Alan Dean Foster’s “Splinter of the Mind’sEye” is a classic for me that I still keep on my book shelf. This 1978 novel follows the adventures of
Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in a time span shortly after the conclusion of
events from the original Star Wars movie and was of the only early stories available about these heroes back then. It is rumored that this novel may also have been used as a backup script
for a lower budget movie sequel if Empire Strikes Back’s blockbuster budget hadn’t been
green lighted. This was a fun romp of a
story for a young grade school kid to enjoy that featured Darth Vader chasing
after Luke & Leia who have been marooned on a dangerous swamp world. As an adult, I enjoyed the story enough that
I also went out and bought the Dark Horse comic book adaption of the story …
which is also nice that it is illustrated similarly to the style of the StarWars comics by Marvel from the 70s and 80s.
Last month I read a new Star Wars book that reminded me a lot of “Splinter
of the Mind’s Eye” called STAR WARS: RAZOR'S EGE. Nebula Award finalist Martha Wells makes her
Star Wars debut for the franchise’s Empire & Rebellion novel series with an
action-packed adventure featuring Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker –
set just after the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New
Hope. The rebels are trying to build a
new headquarters called Echo Base and Princess Leia is assigned to lead a
secret mission to gather vital construction supplies through third party
emissaries and smugglers, unfortunately pirates get in the way wanting the
cargo for themselves. Throw in to the
mix that a spy has informed the Empire of this mission and Imperial spaceships are
in pursuit while one of the pirate ships turns out to have a crew of survivors
from Princess Leai’s destroyed home world of Alderaan who aren’t very happy
with either the Rebels or Empire and you have a dynamic that will glue you
to the pages of this book. The author
also provides a fresh approach to the story by focusing on Princess Leia as the
main character with Luke, Han and Chewie in supporting cast roles.
I found Star Wars: RAZOR'S EDGE to be a fun and enjoyable read. It reminded me of an era when Star Wars was
brand new for both its characters and its fans.
If you enjoy “classic” Star Wars stories that have the vibe and energy
of when this franchise was just coming alive in the late 70s you won’t want to miss
out on reading this book. Star Wars:RAZORS EDGE went on sale September 24, 2013 and you can find it at most online
and brick-and-mortar book retailers.
DISCLAIMER: I was
provided a complimentary digital pdf reviewers edition of this book to read by
the publisher. The opinions in this
article are my own.
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