Books: Star Wars: Honor Among Thieves by James S. A. Corey (2014)

“When the mission is to extract a high-level rebel spy from the very heart of the Empire, Leia Organa knows the best man for the job is Han Solo—something the princess and the smuggler can finally agree on. After all, for a guy who broke into an Imperial cell block and helped destroy the Death Star, the assignment sounds simple enough. But when Han locates the brash rebel agent, Scarlet Hark, she’s determined to stay behind enemy lines. A pirate plans to sell a cache of stolen secrets that the Empire would destroy entire worlds to protect—including the planet where Leia is currently meeting with rebel sympathizers. Scarlet wants to track down the thief and steal the bounty herself, and Han has no choice but to go along if he’s to keep everyone involved from getting themselves killed. From teeming city streets to a lethal jungle to a trap-filled alien temple, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and their daring new comrade confront one ambush, double cross, and firestorm after another as they try to keep crucial intel out of Imperial hands.”

Like most all other novels in any long running franchise, some are good, some are weak. Some have strong stories, while others just seem to cruise by on just the familiarity of the characters -which seems designed to cover some the tales inherent weaknesses. For me, Honor Among Thieves -a Han Solo focused tale- gives us a simple, yet interesting story, set just a short time after the events of A New Hope, but author James S. A. Corey (The Expanse writers Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) is able to capture the characters so well, you can forgive him for such a silly premise. 

The book is witty and well paced, but here Han Solo gets more depth and complexity than the even the first film in the franchise could provide. He’s still a rogue, still unsure he wants to be involved with the rebellion, but he can see that his old life, that free-wheeling, smuggler’s blues world of shadows and tenuous freedom, is over. 

I would also say this book is a great one to read if you don’t read Star Wars novels all the time –or at all. Another words, even as this book falls out the new canonicity (it was approved just around the time the deal was struck for Lucasfilm to be sold to Disney) and is stuck with the “LEGENDS” moniker, it still feels like it could easily fit into the New Expanded Universe. Plus, I super enjoy The Expanse series and it becomes even more clear that James Holden –the hero of that series- is inspired by Han Solo.