Solo: A Star Wars Story - The Library of the Uncommons

mass market paperback, 368 pages

Published April 30, 2019 by Del Rey.

ISBN:: 978-1-9848-1928-4

(2 reviews)

Young Han dreams of someday soaring into space at the helm of his own starship and leaving his home, the gritty industrial planet Corellia, far behind. But as long as he's trapped in a life of poverty and crime--and under the thumb of the sinister Lady Proxima and her brutal street gang--reaching the distant stars seems impossible. When Han tries to escape with his girlfriend and partner-in-crime, Qi'ra, he makes it out--but she doesn't. Desperate for a way to find his own off-world vessel and free her, Han enlists in the Imperial Navy--the last place for a rebellious loner who doesn't play well with others. When the Empire clips his wings, Han goes rogue and plunges into the shady world of smugglers, gamblers, and con artists. There he meets the charming and cunning high roller Lando Calrissian, makes an unlikely friend in a cantankerous Wookiee called Chewbacca, and first lays …

Young Han dreams of someday soaring into space at the helm of his own starship and leaving his home, the gritty industrial planet Corellia, far behind. But as long as he's trapped in a life of poverty and crime--and under the thumb of the sinister Lady Proxima and her brutal street gang--reaching the distant stars seems impossible. When Han tries to escape with his girlfriend and partner-in-crime, Qi'ra, he makes it out--but she doesn't. Desperate for a way to find his own off-world vessel and free her, Han enlists in the Imperial Navy--the last place for a rebellious loner who doesn't play well with others. When the Empire clips his wings, Han goes rogue and plunges into the shady world of smugglers, gamblers, and con artists. There he meets the charming and cunning high roller Lando Calrissian, makes an unlikely friend in a cantankerous Wookiee called Chewbacca, and first lays eyes on the Millennium Falcon. To snag his piece of the outlaw pie, Han joins a crew of pirates to pull off a risky heist. The stakes are high, the danger is great, and the odds are slim. But never tell Han Solo the odds.

8 editions

PaperbackReader reviewed Solo: A Star Wars Story by Mur Lafferty

Review of 'Solo' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Quite the ride. I loved the idea of this series, and was a bit disappointed when I discovered the two protagonists were the embodiments of barely-clued-in teenagers. Even at the end, when they've been post-human far longer (presumably) than not, they still dropped pop culture references and audibly fumbled with comprehension. They felt like archetypes, as if everything that happened to them, every change and realization and discovery, was like a thin coat of clear varnish on a garishly painted piece of wood; no amount of layering would obscure their base natures, which were apparently locked in at the moment of their deaths.

That said, I rather liked all the ensemble players. Free from the expansive backstory of Kate and Daniel, the rest of the characters were free to be static or dynamic without pretense, and played their roles with aplomb.

All told, I liked the series, and while I …

Quite the ride. I loved the idea of this series, and was a bit disappointed when I discovered the two protagonists were the embodiments of barely-clued-in teenagers. Even at the end, when they've been post-human far longer (presumably) than not, they still dropped pop culture references and audibly fumbled with comprehension. They felt like archetypes, as if everything that happened to them, every change and realization and discovery, was like a thin coat of clear varnish on a garishly painted piece of wood; no amount of layering would obscure their base natures, which were apparently locked in at the moment of their deaths.

That said, I rather liked all the ensemble players. Free from the expansive backstory of Kate and Daniel, the rest of the characters were free to be static or dynamic without pretense, and played their roles with aplomb.

All told, I liked the series, and while I couldn't connect with the main characters, I certainly could enjoy their adventures.

lux ⛥

rated it

Jan. 1, 2019