Scoundrels: Star Wars - Timothy Zahn

Scoundrels: Star Wars

By Timothy Zahn

  • Release Date: 2013-01-01
  • Genre: Science Fiction
Score: 3.5
3.5
From 62 Ratings
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Description

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
 
To make his biggest score, Han’s ready to take even bigger risks.
But even he can’t do this job solo.
 
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Han Solo should be basking in his moment of glory. After all, the cocky smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon just played a key role in the daring raid that destroyed the Death Star and landed the first serious blow to the Empire in its war against the Rebel Alliance. But after losing the reward his heroics earned him, Han’s got nothing to celebrate. Especially since he’s deep in debt to the ruthless crime lord Jabba the Hutt. There’s a bounty on Han’s head—and if he can’t cough up the credits, he’ll surely pay with his hide. The only thing that can save him is a king’s ransom. Or maybe a gangster’s fortune? That’s what a mysterious stranger is offering in exchange for Han’s less-than-legal help with a riskier-than-usual caper. The payoff will be more than enough for Han to settle up with Jabba—and ensure he never has to haggle with the Hutts again.
 
All he has to do is infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy’s most notoriously impregnable safe. It sounds like a job for miracle workers . . . or madmen. So Han assembles a gallery of rogues who are a little of both—including his indispensable sidekick Chewbecca and the cunning Lando Calrissian. If anyone can dodge, deceive, and defeat heavily armed thugs, killer droids, and Imperial agents alike—and pull off the heist of the century—it’s Solo’s scoundrels. But will their crime really pay, or will it cost them the ultimate price?

Praise for Scoundrels
 
“Rapid-fire adventure [that] adds yet another dimension of enjoyment to a rousing galactic romp.”—Library Journal
 
“Highly entertaining . . . excellent Star Wars . . . There are many twists and turns [and] Zahn manages to find ways to twist them one step further than you’d expect.”—Examiner.com
 
“[Scoundrels] brings freshness to the franchise.”—USA Today

Reviews

  • ...let down

    2
    By Porfinicle
    I remember reading the Thrawn Trilogy back in the day and being amazed. Later I read the Hand of Thrawn Series and the two Outbound Flight books, which were also quite good. Scoundrels being the first Zahn book I have read since then I had high hopes, but was let down. While this is suppose to be Ocean's 11 meets Star Wars it definitely didn't keep me interested the same way one of those movies might. It was a 400 page book (hardcover), but the actual heist did't really take place until the last 100 pages. Before that there was an attempt to develop all the secondary characters, which none of them I really cared for much. This is to bad because Zahn was able to do this very well in his previous Star Wars novels. There was also a lot of rescuing individuals from the bad guys, over and over again. I found it very difficult to visualize where things were in relation to each other as the character's spent a lot of time in different parts of the same complex. One method of sneaking around was through the "between-floors gap", a term that was mentioned repetitively. This must be referring to the interstitial space above a dropped ceiling (for mechanicals, ducts, etc.). Just call it what it is, every other "real world" term was mentioned in this book except for cigar which was called "cigarra". Anyways you would think the greatest criminal organization in the galaxy would house their vital secrets and information in a building that was designed to be a little more secure. It was like the Death Star exhaust port times 10. The best part about the book is the ending, which you must be careful not to look at the last page. Many people were spoiled this way.

  • "You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life. " - Han Solo

    5
    By ShrikeOne
    It's surprising how well this novel epitomizes this quote from Episode 5. Not only has author Timothy Zahn created a thrilling, fast-paced, heist adventure novel, he has also fitted it perfectly into the Star Wars universe, a universe where such stories are few and far between. Strong characters and a plot that keeps the reader (and even some of the characters) guessing makes this a real page turner. If a story about a group of crooks effectively stealing from the mafia sounds interesting to you, give this book a go.

  • A very nice story

    4
    By DonSauls
    I enjoyed reading a pre-married Han, Lando and Chewie adventure. It introduced a lot of new characters I am sure we will be seeing more of. Lots of nice surprises.

  • Best one I've read on SW

    5
    By Jedizen07
    I've read LOTS of these expanded universe SW books. But this one was an " Ocean's 11 " style script with some fun drama thrown in. Not the custom "good guy fights with bad guy lightsaber duel " style writing. But there are LOTS of surprises in this little treasure. And there are some " winks " to some Star Wars ( and Indiana Jones!! ) fans as well. Overall, a little long on the story but the details are VERY important ( especially at the end ). Read it and enjoy!

  • Han Solo meets Oceans 11...would have been a better movie than to read it.

    2
    By Javo Javo Javo
    A little over detailed for my taste. If you favored the Han Solo trilogy fast and get to the point action style, this will feel like a story being dragged out forever.

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