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Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis #1
Star Wars Before the Storm
In the blockbuster bestselling tradition of Heir to the Empire comes this thrilling addition to the Star Wars(r) saga, as peace gives way to a new threat...
It is a time of tranquility for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscant. Yesterday's Rebels have become today's administrators and diplomats, and the factions that fought against imperial tyranny seem united in savoring the fruits of peace.
But the peace is short-lived. A restless Luke must journey to his mother's homeworld in a desperate and dangerous quest to find her people. An adventurous Lando must seize a mysterious spacecraft that has weapons of enormous destructive power and an unknown mission. And Leia, a living symbol of the New Republic's triumph, must face down a ruthless leader of the Duskhan League, an arrogant Yevetha who seems bent on a genocidal war that could shatter the fragile unity of the New Republic...and threaten its very survival.
It is a time of tranquility for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscant. Yesterday's Rebels have become today's administrators and diplomats, and the factions that fought against imperial tyranny seem united in savoring the fruits of peace.
But the peace is short-lived. A restless Luke must journey to his mother's homeworld in a desperate and dangerous quest to find her people. An adventurous Lando must seize a mysterious spacecraft that has weapons of enormous destructive power and an unknown mission. And Leia, a living symbol of the New Republic's triumph, must face down a ruthless leader of the Duskhan League, an arrogant Yevetha who seems bent on a genocidal war that could shatter the fragile unity of the New Republic...and threaten its very survival.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1996
131 people are currently reading
2669 people want to read
About the author
Michael P. Kube-McDowell
54 books58 followersMichael Paul Kube-McDowell's earliest science fiction stories began appearing in magazines such as Amazing, Asimov's, and Analog in 1979. His 1985 debut novel Emprise, the first volume of the Trigon Disunity future history, was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. The Quiet Pools, published as a Bantam hardcover in 1990, was a Hugo Award nominee.
In addition to his solo novels, Kube-McDowell has collaborated with Sir Arthur C. Clarke (The Trigger) and Isaac Asimov (for the YA series Robot City. He also wrote the popular Black Fleet Crisis trilogy for the Star Wars Expanded Universe; all three volumes were New York Times bestsellers.
A former middle school science teacher, Kube-McDowell has written about science and technology for a variety of periodicals, on topics ranging from gnotobiology to ultralights to spaceflight. He covered the launch of STS-4 for The South Bend Tribune.
Kube-McDowell has attended more than 80 SF fan conventions, and met his wife Gwen (then an artist) in a con huckster room. They both were later members of the Pegasus Award-winning electric filk ensemble The Black Book Band, which performed at cons in the Midwest in the 1990s and released the live album First Contact (Dodeka Records).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
August 28, 2016
I have an uncommon and slightly unhealthy addiction to Star Wars novels. I have read 54 of them, which is utterly ridiculous and not something I share with everybody. I could have read 54 other books and been a lot smarter, but I didn't. I mean, seriously, I even counted them. Ridiculous.
This is to hopefully give my opinion more credibility when I say that this is hands-down the smartest, most mature Star Wars novel I have yet to read. It has garnered a bad reputation since it certainly resides outside the typical Star Wars novel construction - it is slow-paced, light on action, and does stray from the canon in ways that will turn typical fans off. I welcome it. I really don't know if I can read another slapstick space battle or totally shallow deus ex machina laser fight escape. Kube-McDowell thankfully wrote a book brimming with intelligence and outstanding dialogue that, perhaps unfortunately, reinvigorated my interest in the series.
Instead of writing another implausible adventure story, Kube brings an outstanding sense of reality to the galaxy in which all the books take place, which lends credibility and substance to the Star Wars saga as a whole. He fleshes out numerous details of the New Republic's political and military structures, and paints a genuine picture of a massive governmental body in its infancy trying to use both diplomacy and morally-questionable black ops to protect its members. He weaves together more minor government branches and chain-of-command protocols into his story than in the rest of the 90's SW books combined. He understands the psyche and choices of military generals all the way down to the file clerks. You really will see the difference in his writing within the first two chapters - it's gritty and to-the-point, bothering very little with flourish or puerile humor. It's also more intense and captivating.
With his characterizations, he has obviously gone through all the previous chronological material and thought about what emotional state they would all be facing. They are all written with a heavier hand, less able to deal with the stresses that their adventures have put them through. It's nothing new, but Kube really puts a voice to what we already know about them.
And I will mention also that there is a high level of creativity in his unique alien technologies, and his obvious knowledge of real-world aviation and aircraft systems helps the realism of his science fiction. No Sun Crushers or Centerpoint Stations to worry about in this one.
This book has a unique militaristic adult style, which is sorely lacking from modern-day Star Wars. I was pretty disappointed when the Clone Wars we've all imagined as the galaxy's most intense and violent struggle was given practically no more story than a children's animated series. This book could not be more different. For other books unwilling to rehash the same style over and over again, I recommend Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Tales From Jabba's Palace, and The Lando Calrissian Adventures, since Star Wars needs more variety than what most of these authors are willing to dare.
This is to hopefully give my opinion more credibility when I say that this is hands-down the smartest, most mature Star Wars novel I have yet to read. It has garnered a bad reputation since it certainly resides outside the typical Star Wars novel construction - it is slow-paced, light on action, and does stray from the canon in ways that will turn typical fans off. I welcome it. I really don't know if I can read another slapstick space battle or totally shallow deus ex machina laser fight escape. Kube-McDowell thankfully wrote a book brimming with intelligence and outstanding dialogue that, perhaps unfortunately, reinvigorated my interest in the series.
Instead of writing another implausible adventure story, Kube brings an outstanding sense of reality to the galaxy in which all the books take place, which lends credibility and substance to the Star Wars saga as a whole. He fleshes out numerous details of the New Republic's political and military structures, and paints a genuine picture of a massive governmental body in its infancy trying to use both diplomacy and morally-questionable black ops to protect its members. He weaves together more minor government branches and chain-of-command protocols into his story than in the rest of the 90's SW books combined. He understands the psyche and choices of military generals all the way down to the file clerks. You really will see the difference in his writing within the first two chapters - it's gritty and to-the-point, bothering very little with flourish or puerile humor. It's also more intense and captivating.
With his characterizations, he has obviously gone through all the previous chronological material and thought about what emotional state they would all be facing. They are all written with a heavier hand, less able to deal with the stresses that their adventures have put them through. It's nothing new, but Kube really puts a voice to what we already know about them.
And I will mention also that there is a high level of creativity in his unique alien technologies, and his obvious knowledge of real-world aviation and aircraft systems helps the realism of his science fiction. No Sun Crushers or Centerpoint Stations to worry about in this one.
This book has a unique militaristic adult style, which is sorely lacking from modern-day Star Wars. I was pretty disappointed when the Clone Wars we've all imagined as the galaxy's most intense and violent struggle was given practically no more story than a children's animated series. This book could not be more different. For other books unwilling to rehash the same style over and over again, I recommend Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Tales From Jabba's Palace, and The Lando Calrissian Adventures, since Star Wars needs more variety than what most of these authors are willing to dare.
June 13, 2014
"What have you done with *Fill-in-the-Blank*?"
Luke Skywalker feels that he no longer can feel the Force the same way and decides to leave and search out a life of hermitude, like Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, a woman penetrates his fortress, with stories of his mother. Luke ventures out to find out more.
Meanwhile...
Lando is bored stiff and goes to Admiral Drayson, chief of Alpha Blue, for an interesting mission. Lando then gathers a team of Lobot, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to investigate a mysterious "ghost" ship.
Meanwhile...
Leia Organa Solo attempts to make an alliance with Viceroy Nil Spaar, Leader of the Duskan League and a Yevethan. But things turn for the worse very, very quickly...
I Liked:
Although not fond of how Lando aquires his mission, I do like the mission in general. In fact, I wish it had been divorced from this novel completely (because I've read the series, I know it has little to no import on the main story) and made into its own novel, like in the days of the Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley.
Han and Leia again appear as good parents, and I can't tell you how happy I am for that. Han even goes so far as to take an "easy" assignment so he can stay on Coruscant with his kids (with a further tie-in to the events of The Crystal Star--I love it when authors do tie-ins!!).
Han and Luke have a conversation about why Yoda and Obi-Wan became hermits (all of it retconned by this point). I thought Luke's discoveries or thoughts were interesting, and they did cast new light on Yoda and Obi-Wan (and the old Jedi Order in general).
I Didn't Like:
There are three stories here. One I don't mind, but has no bearing on the main story. One is okay (particularly by the end of this book, I found), but it hinges on Leia acting wildly out of character. The last is horrific and makes me want to sharped my teeth on a blackboard.
Firstly, the characters. The ones that stand out particularly horrible are Leia and Luke. Leia loses all sense and military keenness, giving valuable intel to a non-ally, Nil Spaar. She then refuses to listen to her counselors, including Admiral Ackbar. Now, I could understand if she wouldn't listen to a young counselor, but Ackbar?! He's got a lot of sense and she's worked with him for years! Is she really so hard up with a tenuous alliance with the Yevetha that she will put her opinon over his at all odds? What happened to her common sense? Or, as Han put it best: "Who was that person and what have you done with Leia?"
As for Luke, I could go on for years. What man creates an order then leaves it a mere two years later? How could he be so powerful to create a fortress from scratch and yet need to be a hermit? Why would he leave his siste when she needed him most, only to return to dig her for more information on his mother? Why the big hurry to find his mother now? Why isn't HE helping with this crisis?
As you can see, the characters tie in very, very closely to the plots. Lando has to act like a super-spy to penetrate Admiral Drayson's uber secret office. I didn't know there was training for that at Smuggler's Academy! Was that "How to Penetrate an Uber Secret Office 101"? And much of the Yevethan conflict could have been averted had Leia got her head out of her you-know-what and started using her brain instead of her hippie waving peace flag. As for Luke, bah, he's a lost cause. I have no idea why he was included in here. It seems like everyone wants to make him super strong in the Force yet a wuss at the same time (bowing to the whims of Akanah, who has to be the worst girlfriend he has ever had).
Speaking of Akanah, can you spell "Annoying"? Well, that's how you spell Akanah! I thought Callista was bad, no, Akanah is worse! She whines about Luke using the Force to protect them from people who try to kill them, bursts in on his sanctuary and lies about his mother (no secret to those of us who have seen the prequels). What is it with Luke and hooking up with these whiny women? Get a grip, Luke! You're a Jedi Master!
And about the title: "Before the Storm" could not be more apt. The action only happens at the very, very end and only is briefly seen. Now, if this were a long series, like the New Jedi Order, then this book would have worked perfectly. But for a trilogy? Uh, not so much.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Perhaps a d*** or h*** once in a while.
Luke travels with Akanah (and I'm sure there is some "Woohoo-ing" going on in the interim).
People die in the conflict, but it's only the beginning so you don't see much.
Overall:
With a fresh view in mind, I can easily say that this book is still bad. Characters don't act like themselves. Two plot threads don't have anything to do with the main one. And while the political machinations are interesting and Lando's plot is kinda interesting, do I really want to read through yet another bad Luke plot to get to it or read Leia ignoring everyone she cares about? The answer is: Not really.
Luke Skywalker feels that he no longer can feel the Force the same way and decides to leave and search out a life of hermitude, like Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, a woman penetrates his fortress, with stories of his mother. Luke ventures out to find out more.
Meanwhile...
Lando is bored stiff and goes to Admiral Drayson, chief of Alpha Blue, for an interesting mission. Lando then gathers a team of Lobot, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to investigate a mysterious "ghost" ship.
Meanwhile...
Leia Organa Solo attempts to make an alliance with Viceroy Nil Spaar, Leader of the Duskan League and a Yevethan. But things turn for the worse very, very quickly...
I Liked:
Although not fond of how Lando aquires his mission, I do like the mission in general. In fact, I wish it had been divorced from this novel completely (because I've read the series, I know it has little to no import on the main story) and made into its own novel, like in the days of the Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley.
Han and Leia again appear as good parents, and I can't tell you how happy I am for that. Han even goes so far as to take an "easy" assignment so he can stay on Coruscant with his kids (with a further tie-in to the events of The Crystal Star--I love it when authors do tie-ins!!).
Han and Luke have a conversation about why Yoda and Obi-Wan became hermits (all of it retconned by this point). I thought Luke's discoveries or thoughts were interesting, and they did cast new light on Yoda and Obi-Wan (and the old Jedi Order in general).
I Didn't Like:
There are three stories here. One I don't mind, but has no bearing on the main story. One is okay (particularly by the end of this book, I found), but it hinges on Leia acting wildly out of character. The last is horrific and makes me want to sharped my teeth on a blackboard.
Firstly, the characters. The ones that stand out particularly horrible are Leia and Luke. Leia loses all sense and military keenness, giving valuable intel to a non-ally, Nil Spaar. She then refuses to listen to her counselors, including Admiral Ackbar. Now, I could understand if she wouldn't listen to a young counselor, but Ackbar?! He's got a lot of sense and she's worked with him for years! Is she really so hard up with a tenuous alliance with the Yevetha that she will put her opinon over his at all odds? What happened to her common sense? Or, as Han put it best: "Who was that person and what have you done with Leia?"
As for Luke, I could go on for years. What man creates an order then leaves it a mere two years later? How could he be so powerful to create a fortress from scratch and yet need to be a hermit? Why would he leave his siste when she needed him most, only to return to dig her for more information on his mother? Why the big hurry to find his mother now? Why isn't HE helping with this crisis?
As you can see, the characters tie in very, very closely to the plots. Lando has to act like a super-spy to penetrate Admiral Drayson's uber secret office. I didn't know there was training for that at Smuggler's Academy! Was that "How to Penetrate an Uber Secret Office 101"? And much of the Yevethan conflict could have been averted had Leia got her head out of her you-know-what and started using her brain instead of her hippie waving peace flag. As for Luke, bah, he's a lost cause. I have no idea why he was included in here. It seems like everyone wants to make him super strong in the Force yet a wuss at the same time (bowing to the whims of Akanah, who has to be the worst girlfriend he has ever had).
Speaking of Akanah, can you spell "Annoying"? Well, that's how you spell Akanah! I thought Callista was bad, no, Akanah is worse! She whines about Luke using the Force to protect them from people who try to kill them, bursts in on his sanctuary and lies about his mother (no secret to those of us who have seen the prequels). What is it with Luke and hooking up with these whiny women? Get a grip, Luke! You're a Jedi Master!
And about the title: "Before the Storm" could not be more apt. The action only happens at the very, very end and only is briefly seen. Now, if this were a long series, like the New Jedi Order, then this book would have worked perfectly. But for a trilogy? Uh, not so much.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Perhaps a d*** or h*** once in a while.
Luke travels with Akanah (and I'm sure there is some "Woohoo-ing" going on in the interim).
People die in the conflict, but it's only the beginning so you don't see much.
Overall:
With a fresh view in mind, I can easily say that this book is still bad. Characters don't act like themselves. Two plot threads don't have anything to do with the main one. And while the political machinations are interesting and Lando's plot is kinda interesting, do I really want to read through yet another bad Luke plot to get to it or read Leia ignoring everyone she cares about? The answer is: Not really.
July 8, 2025
Every once in a while, I have to let my sci-fi geek get its freak on (I have no idea what the hell I just said there), which usually entails a lazy day of watching six hours straight of cheesy science fiction movies. My wife loves it when I do this.*
So, anyway, I just recently watched the original Star Wars trilogy again, for the 153rd time, and it still remains awesome. Now, of course, I am back on a Star Wars book-reading kick. There are roughly several hundred-plus novels in the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars, novels which have carried on the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, et al beyond creator George Lucas's six films.
I have only read about a dozen of these novels. I would say that 60% of what I have read is decent, 10% is garbage, and 20% is actually excellent writing. ** (I wish I could say that a very scientifically-based rubric of my own device went into those figures, but, alas, no. I kinda just made it up based on what I liked and disliked.)
I'm reading Michael P. Kube-McDowell's three-novel Black Fleet Crisis series now, starting with Book 1: "Before the Storm", and I have to say that it falls into the 20% category of excellent writing.
It's much better than Kevin Anderson's "Jedi Academy" trilogy and on a par with Timothy Zahn's superb "Thrawn" trilogy, in my opinion. Sadly, if you haven't read those series prior to this, parts may seem confusing as McDowell does reference characters and events from them. But, unless you are a die-hard Star Wars fan-boy like myself, you won't care.
Plot synopsis: The story takes place twelve years after the events of "Return of the Jedi". Leia and Han are married with three children, twins Jacen and Jaina, and baby Anakin. Leia is President of the New Republic, and she is currently in negotiations with the stubborn Yevethans to join the Republic. Unbeknownst to her, the Yevethans may not just be stubborn but plotting something nasty against the Republic.
Meanwhile, Admiral Ackbar learns of a missing "Black Fleet" of old Imperial star destroyers, rumored to have been destroyed but never confirmed. If it still exists, and it falls into the wrong hands, the New Republic would not be able to stand up to a fleet of that magnitude. Okay, actually it would be able to---I just wanted to use Ackbar's famous phrase.
Also meanwhile, Luke is feeling somewhat antsy and depressed and leaves the Jedi Academy to go searching for his long-lost mother (here is where the expanded universe kind of falls apart, because this was written obviously before the second prequel trilogy and McDowell obviously does not know, as we all now do, that Luke's real mother, Amidala, is dead).
Also also meanwhile, Lando Calrissian, Artoo, and Threepio are on a secret mission to investigate a mysterious ship that they have dubbed the "vagabond". When they attempt to sneak on board, the ship (which they begin to suspect is actually "alive") kidnaps them and hyper-drives them to a far corner of an unexplored galaxy. All of this is very fast-paced and exciting, and I pretty much devoured it in a sitting. I'm just starting the second book and loving it as well...
* That's sarcasm, btw...
** My math sucks.
So, anyway, I just recently watched the original Star Wars trilogy again, for the 153rd time, and it still remains awesome. Now, of course, I am back on a Star Wars book-reading kick. There are roughly several hundred-plus novels in the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars, novels which have carried on the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, et al beyond creator George Lucas's six films.
I have only read about a dozen of these novels. I would say that 60% of what I have read is decent, 10% is garbage, and 20% is actually excellent writing. ** (I wish I could say that a very scientifically-based rubric of my own device went into those figures, but, alas, no. I kinda just made it up based on what I liked and disliked.)
I'm reading Michael P. Kube-McDowell's three-novel Black Fleet Crisis series now, starting with Book 1: "Before the Storm", and I have to say that it falls into the 20% category of excellent writing.
It's much better than Kevin Anderson's "Jedi Academy" trilogy and on a par with Timothy Zahn's superb "Thrawn" trilogy, in my opinion. Sadly, if you haven't read those series prior to this, parts may seem confusing as McDowell does reference characters and events from them. But, unless you are a die-hard Star Wars fan-boy like myself, you won't care.
Plot synopsis: The story takes place twelve years after the events of "Return of the Jedi". Leia and Han are married with three children, twins Jacen and Jaina, and baby Anakin. Leia is President of the New Republic, and she is currently in negotiations with the stubborn Yevethans to join the Republic. Unbeknownst to her, the Yevethans may not just be stubborn but plotting something nasty against the Republic.
Meanwhile, Admiral Ackbar learns of a missing "Black Fleet" of old Imperial star destroyers, rumored to have been destroyed but never confirmed. If it still exists, and it falls into the wrong hands, the New Republic would not be able to stand up to a fleet of that magnitude. Okay, actually it would be able to---I just wanted to use Ackbar's famous phrase.
Also meanwhile, Luke is feeling somewhat antsy and depressed and leaves the Jedi Academy to go searching for his long-lost mother (here is where the expanded universe kind of falls apart, because this was written obviously before the second prequel trilogy and McDowell obviously does not know, as we all now do, that Luke's real mother, Amidala, is dead).
Also also meanwhile, Lando Calrissian, Artoo, and Threepio are on a secret mission to investigate a mysterious ship that they have dubbed the "vagabond". When they attempt to sneak on board, the ship (which they begin to suspect is actually "alive") kidnaps them and hyper-drives them to a far corner of an unexplored galaxy. All of this is very fast-paced and exciting, and I pretty much devoured it in a sitting. I'm just starting the second book and loving it as well...
* That's sarcasm, btw...
** My math sucks.
June 14, 2016
I had low expectations for this novel based on the recent Star Wars novels I've read (Crystal Star, Planet of Twilight) that have taken place at around the same timeline. I had also read a review of the book indicating that it would be heavy in military jargon and that it deviates from the usual SW style. So my hope was that it would be similar to the Republic Commando series. That one, while not my cup of tea and not central to the running SWU plotline, was at least very well written and fairly interesting.
But this turned out to not be the case at all. At least for the first book. I found it to be more political than military. The story takes place on three fronts. First of all, Luke Skywalker is approached by a woman claiming to be from the same race and planet as his mother. This one was confusing, because we all know who his mother is - and where she is from. Not only is it strange that he doesn't know about her (you'd think that Bail Organa would have told Leia, who could then tell Luke), but the story told in this book seems to indicate that his mother had powers different from the Force. This part of the storyline I didn't enjoy. I didn't like how Luke is stronger than I've ever seen Anakin (flying a ship just with the Force? Building a structure out of rock with the Force?). I didn't like how impatient and impetuous he was with this strange woman - is he a trained Jedi Master or not? And will this "mother" prove to be a fairy tale so things can make sense?
Second, Lando Calrissian, with the help of Lobot (his assistant in Empire Strikes Back with the metal band around his head that lights up), R2D2 and C3P0 goes with a Republic fleet to investigate a strange ship that isn't flown by anyone...but has defense mechanisms that can't be cracked. I found this storyline interesting and unique. It has me curious.
And finally, the main one is on Coruscant with Leia. She spends weeks negotiating with a new race on the outskirts of the Republic. A race that seems to control a sizable area of the galaxy. This race actually thinks all other races are beneath them and their leader, Nil Spaar, does a great job of getting the reader's blood boiling. The story had a strong finish and made me excited to pick up the next book immediately.
But this turned out to not be the case at all. At least for the first book. I found it to be more political than military. The story takes place on three fronts. First of all, Luke Skywalker is approached by a woman claiming to be from the same race and planet as his mother. This one was confusing, because we all know who his mother is - and where she is from. Not only is it strange that he doesn't know about her (you'd think that Bail Organa would have told Leia, who could then tell Luke), but the story told in this book seems to indicate that his mother had powers different from the Force. This part of the storyline I didn't enjoy. I didn't like how Luke is stronger than I've ever seen Anakin (flying a ship just with the Force? Building a structure out of rock with the Force?). I didn't like how impatient and impetuous he was with this strange woman - is he a trained Jedi Master or not? And will this "mother" prove to be a fairy tale so things can make sense?
Second, Lando Calrissian, with the help of Lobot (his assistant in Empire Strikes Back with the metal band around his head that lights up), R2D2 and C3P0 goes with a Republic fleet to investigate a strange ship that isn't flown by anyone...but has defense mechanisms that can't be cracked. I found this storyline interesting and unique. It has me curious.
And finally, the main one is on Coruscant with Leia. She spends weeks negotiating with a new race on the outskirts of the Republic. A race that seems to control a sizable area of the galaxy. This race actually thinks all other races are beneath them and their leader, Nil Spaar, does a great job of getting the reader's blood boiling. The story had a strong finish and made me excited to pick up the next book immediately.
May 7, 2009
The worst Star Wars book I ever read. And truly, that is saying something to earn that distinction- it beat out Barbara Hambly and her off the charts absurdity. Congrats, Michael P. Kube-McDowell!
July 6, 2020
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: Before the Storm, the first book in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
SOME HISTORY:
Michael P. Kube-McDowell (the “Kube” is part of his writer’s alias) had written some sci fi novels before his foray into Star Wars, most notably 1990’s Hugo nominee The Quiet Pools. Lucasfilm let the writers do whatever they wanted as long as it passed muster, so this trilogy hues more closely to military sci fi than previous Star Wars novels. Before the Storm made it to number ten on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of April 7, 1996, and was on the NYT list for two weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered Lando tearing off on a random mission, and Luke running off with a stranger. But I had no memories of the main plot of the book, mainly the Duskhan League intrigue. Leia’s political career is a huge aspect of this story! I just wish that she came across in a more believable manner.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
It is a time of peace for the New Republic. Leia begins negotiations with the Duskhan League, a group of planets deep within the Core. Luke heads off on a quest to find his mother’s people. And Lando joins a mission to unlock the secrets of the mysterious Teljkon Vagabond.
THE CHARACTERS:
First, Lando, because I love him! I actually don’t mind the Teljkon Vagabond subplot, but it does feel detached from the rest of the book. If it was a separate novella, I’d be all over that. But as it stands, it all feels a bit pointless. Lando and Lobot come into conflict with the Intelligence officer in charge of the mission, and Lando is not nasty towards Threepio like he was in the Corellian trilogy. There’s a lot of fun detective work here, and I also enjoy that when faced with the galaxy’s own version of the Flying Dutchman, Lando automatically assumes that there’s treasure onboard.
Once again, Luke is weird. He’s unsure of his place in the galaxy, and his use of the Force, so he heads off to find himself. (If you’re noticing that he constantly is unsure of himself and trying to find answers, this is classic Bantam-era Luke.) He leaves Yavin IV in the charge of Streen--nice to see him in a leadership position--and lands on Coruscant to live as a hermit in Darth Vader’s rebuilt rock fortress. There’s no doors, no furniture, and he doesn’t seem to eat either. Then a beautiful lady appears, says that she knows about his mother, and Luke...immediately takes off with her. Luke doesn’t look into her background or anything--no, since she could get into her rock fortress, she must be trustworthy!
Luke is also strangely dismissive of Leia. He doesn’t let her know where he is; he doesn’t want to help her instruct her children; he only invites Han to the rock fortress; and when he finally arrives at her home, he wants to grill her more about their mother. She’s understandably upset, and refuses to help.
Leia seems out of her depth when dealing with the Duskhan League, which is slightly unbelievable to me--she’s been Chief of State for five years at this point! My issues with her plot boil down to two main points: first, that she would remain personally involved in the negotiation process after Nil Spaar said (in their first meeting) that he wasn’t interested in joining the New Republic. Why is she there every day? She has so many duties and tasks to occupy her day, why wasn’t this delegated to a lesser Minister?
And second, I don’t buy that she was completely taken aback by Nil Spaar’s sudden but inevitable betrayal. Leia hasn’t spent a lot of time honing her Jedi skills in these books, but surely she would have sensed something? There’s a throwaway line that addresses this, and I have to agree. We know there are species like the Hutts that are resistant to the Force, but Leia doesn’t even try with the viceroy. And his maneuverings against her come so quickly that she’s slow to respond and seriously considers resigning. Leia’s crisis of conscience makes her appear improbably naive.
Leia’s complete dismissal of the existence of the Black Fleet is stupid. She’s so stubborn and resistant to the advice of others; what would it have really hurt for her to research that further. A pencil pusher suggests that they have 40+ ships unaccounted for, but Leia brushes it aside for most of the book.
Han is still a general somehow? I thought he resigned his commission during The Courtship of Princess Leia, but apparently not, because Admiral Ackbar has assigned him to be Leia’s personal security liaison or something. He’s basically a stay-at-home dad, until Leia mistrusts one of her generals and sends Han off to observe matters. I suspect he’ll play a bigger role in the next two books.
McDowell also introduces some new characters. Despite my hesitancy about trusting Akanah, I am interested in the Fallanassi. Similar to the Witches of Dathomir, I like when Star Wars introduces Force traditions outside of the Jedi Order. The Fallanassi manipulate something they call the White Current, and all we know thus far is that they can leave messages that way.
We meet Hiram Drayson, the intelligence officer in charge of Alpha Blue. He’s one of the advisors that Leia blows off. We also have General A’baht, in charge of the Fifth Fleet. I don’t have much to say about either of them, because we don’t know much about them right now.
ISSUES:
Being military sci fi, a fair amount of the book deals with fleet maneuvers, drills, and ships. Your mileage may vary here, but big fleet actions are not one of my favorite plot points. We have this huge new fleet (the Fifth), but all they do is enact a drill, start a tour, then get recalled to Coruscant. I’m sure there are battles to come in the next two books, because the closest we’ve gotten so far was the Yevethan massacre of the colony worlds. McDowell also introduces a new class of starfighter (the K-Wing starfighter/bomber), and reintroduces a starfighter from Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy (the E-Wing). I’m not a particular fan of either of them, mostly because it’s hard for me to picture ships in my head.
McDowell has some interesting speculation on the Jedi and hermits, but unfortunately it’s all retconned by the prequels. I’m not sure I agree, though, with his basic assumption: that the stronger you become in the Force, the more you have to withdraw from the universe as a whole. My platonic ideal of a Jedi has always been someone who heads out into the galaxy to do good where the Force leads them, and Obi-Wan and Yoda’s remoteness seemed more a consequence of the rise of the Empire than a sanctioned Jedi practice.
I’m not keen on his interpretation of Luke, either. He’s struggling with his sense of self and his place, but he won’t talk to his sister or other Jedi about it. On Lucazec, he kills some suspected Imperials, and Akanah is not pleased. Where is the Luke from the Corellian trilogy, who was opposed to taking lives and shoots at starfighters to disable, not to destroy? He also does some Superman feats, like rebuilding Vader’s rock fortress from scratch, and I dislike these over-the-top abuses of the Force.
Han is very worried that Jacen is pudgy, doesn’t like sports, and only wants to use the Force. He’s seven! Kids go through phases with activities and interests. If he doesn’t want to play catch with Dad, there are two other children (Jaina and Anakin) who might love to! What’s with all this emphasis on Jacen?
Perhaps it was just the small font on my library copy (307 pages!), but I found Before the Storm surprisingly short. The title was very apt--the “storm” doesn’t come until the last third of the book, so we’re left with a lot of setup. At this point, I am decidedly not a fan of filler, so I have to wonder (again) if this could have worked as a duology? However, Bantam seemed wedded to the idea of releasing one trilogy a year between 1994 and 1998, so it’s probably a moot point.
IN CONCLUSION:
Do you like military sci fi? Do you enjoy reading about fleet movements and drills? Then do I have the book for you! But if you’re more interested in the characters, be aware that Leia is hopelessly naive, Luke is troubled, Han doesn’t have much to do, and Lando is off on a pointless side quest. It’s OK, I guess, but it’s not great.
Next up: Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/cvgKHqehwSc
Black Fleet Crisis FAQs by McDowell: https://web.archive.org/web/200709271...
This week’s focus: Before the Storm, the first book in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
SOME HISTORY:
Michael P. Kube-McDowell (the “Kube” is part of his writer’s alias) had written some sci fi novels before his foray into Star Wars, most notably 1990’s Hugo nominee The Quiet Pools. Lucasfilm let the writers do whatever they wanted as long as it passed muster, so this trilogy hues more closely to military sci fi than previous Star Wars novels. Before the Storm made it to number ten on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for the week of April 7, 1996, and was on the NYT list for two weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered Lando tearing off on a random mission, and Luke running off with a stranger. But I had no memories of the main plot of the book, mainly the Duskhan League intrigue. Leia’s political career is a huge aspect of this story! I just wish that she came across in a more believable manner.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
It is a time of peace for the New Republic. Leia begins negotiations with the Duskhan League, a group of planets deep within the Core. Luke heads off on a quest to find his mother’s people. And Lando joins a mission to unlock the secrets of the mysterious Teljkon Vagabond.
THE CHARACTERS:
First, Lando, because I love him! I actually don’t mind the Teljkon Vagabond subplot, but it does feel detached from the rest of the book. If it was a separate novella, I’d be all over that. But as it stands, it all feels a bit pointless. Lando and Lobot come into conflict with the Intelligence officer in charge of the mission, and Lando is not nasty towards Threepio like he was in the Corellian trilogy. There’s a lot of fun detective work here, and I also enjoy that when faced with the galaxy’s own version of the Flying Dutchman, Lando automatically assumes that there’s treasure onboard.
Once again, Luke is weird. He’s unsure of his place in the galaxy, and his use of the Force, so he heads off to find himself. (If you’re noticing that he constantly is unsure of himself and trying to find answers, this is classic Bantam-era Luke.) He leaves Yavin IV in the charge of Streen--nice to see him in a leadership position--and lands on Coruscant to live as a hermit in Darth Vader’s rebuilt rock fortress. There’s no doors, no furniture, and he doesn’t seem to eat either. Then a beautiful lady appears, says that she knows about his mother, and Luke...immediately takes off with her. Luke doesn’t look into her background or anything--no, since she could get into her rock fortress, she must be trustworthy!
Luke is also strangely dismissive of Leia. He doesn’t let her know where he is; he doesn’t want to help her instruct her children; he only invites Han to the rock fortress; and when he finally arrives at her home, he wants to grill her more about their mother. She’s understandably upset, and refuses to help.
Leia seems out of her depth when dealing with the Duskhan League, which is slightly unbelievable to me--she’s been Chief of State for five years at this point! My issues with her plot boil down to two main points: first, that she would remain personally involved in the negotiation process after Nil Spaar said (in their first meeting) that he wasn’t interested in joining the New Republic. Why is she there every day? She has so many duties and tasks to occupy her day, why wasn’t this delegated to a lesser Minister?
And second, I don’t buy that she was completely taken aback by Nil Spaar’s sudden but inevitable betrayal. Leia hasn’t spent a lot of time honing her Jedi skills in these books, but surely she would have sensed something? There’s a throwaway line that addresses this, and I have to agree. We know there are species like the Hutts that are resistant to the Force, but Leia doesn’t even try with the viceroy. And his maneuverings against her come so quickly that she’s slow to respond and seriously considers resigning. Leia’s crisis of conscience makes her appear improbably naive.
Leia’s complete dismissal of the existence of the Black Fleet is stupid. She’s so stubborn and resistant to the advice of others; what would it have really hurt for her to research that further. A pencil pusher suggests that they have 40+ ships unaccounted for, but Leia brushes it aside for most of the book.
Han is still a general somehow? I thought he resigned his commission during The Courtship of Princess Leia, but apparently not, because Admiral Ackbar has assigned him to be Leia’s personal security liaison or something. He’s basically a stay-at-home dad, until Leia mistrusts one of her generals and sends Han off to observe matters. I suspect he’ll play a bigger role in the next two books.
McDowell also introduces some new characters. Despite my hesitancy about trusting Akanah, I am interested in the Fallanassi. Similar to the Witches of Dathomir, I like when Star Wars introduces Force traditions outside of the Jedi Order. The Fallanassi manipulate something they call the White Current, and all we know thus far is that they can leave messages that way.
We meet Hiram Drayson, the intelligence officer in charge of Alpha Blue. He’s one of the advisors that Leia blows off. We also have General A’baht, in charge of the Fifth Fleet. I don’t have much to say about either of them, because we don’t know much about them right now.
ISSUES:
Being military sci fi, a fair amount of the book deals with fleet maneuvers, drills, and ships. Your mileage may vary here, but big fleet actions are not one of my favorite plot points. We have this huge new fleet (the Fifth), but all they do is enact a drill, start a tour, then get recalled to Coruscant. I’m sure there are battles to come in the next two books, because the closest we’ve gotten so far was the Yevethan massacre of the colony worlds. McDowell also introduces a new class of starfighter (the K-Wing starfighter/bomber), and reintroduces a starfighter from Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy (the E-Wing). I’m not a particular fan of either of them, mostly because it’s hard for me to picture ships in my head.
McDowell has some interesting speculation on the Jedi and hermits, but unfortunately it’s all retconned by the prequels. I’m not sure I agree, though, with his basic assumption: that the stronger you become in the Force, the more you have to withdraw from the universe as a whole. My platonic ideal of a Jedi has always been someone who heads out into the galaxy to do good where the Force leads them, and Obi-Wan and Yoda’s remoteness seemed more a consequence of the rise of the Empire than a sanctioned Jedi practice.
I’m not keen on his interpretation of Luke, either. He’s struggling with his sense of self and his place, but he won’t talk to his sister or other Jedi about it. On Lucazec, he kills some suspected Imperials, and Akanah is not pleased. Where is the Luke from the Corellian trilogy, who was opposed to taking lives and shoots at starfighters to disable, not to destroy? He also does some Superman feats, like rebuilding Vader’s rock fortress from scratch, and I dislike these over-the-top abuses of the Force.
Han is very worried that Jacen is pudgy, doesn’t like sports, and only wants to use the Force. He’s seven! Kids go through phases with activities and interests. If he doesn’t want to play catch with Dad, there are two other children (Jaina and Anakin) who might love to! What’s with all this emphasis on Jacen?
Perhaps it was just the small font on my library copy (307 pages!), but I found Before the Storm surprisingly short. The title was very apt--the “storm” doesn’t come until the last third of the book, so we’re left with a lot of setup. At this point, I am decidedly not a fan of filler, so I have to wonder (again) if this could have worked as a duology? However, Bantam seemed wedded to the idea of releasing one trilogy a year between 1994 and 1998, so it’s probably a moot point.
IN CONCLUSION:
Do you like military sci fi? Do you enjoy reading about fleet movements and drills? Then do I have the book for you! But if you’re more interested in the characters, be aware that Leia is hopelessly naive, Luke is troubled, Han doesn’t have much to do, and Lando is off on a pointless side quest. It’s OK, I guess, but it’s not great.
Next up: Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/cvgKHqehwSc
Black Fleet Crisis FAQs by McDowell: https://web.archive.org/web/200709271...
January 4, 2025
This was just okay and a little confusing to follow at times. It was kind of like the Callista Trilogy in that it kind of picks up in what feels like the middle of a tv season and you missed the crucial pilot episode. All of the characters feel very different from how they typically read.
May 29, 2025
In my teens when I began to read in the English language, I mostly had access to random books from series, rarely the whole. So I've been returning to the series and trying to complete them. From the Black Fleet Crisis I had the third book and have never read the first two.
For me, this is the Star Wars we lost. A soap opera of a space opera. Familiar characters pursuing their own ends. Luke having doubts in the Force. Leia stuck in idealism whilst in a role that demands realism. Han and Leia raising a family of Jedi. Mysterious aliens galore. A Flying Dutchman ghost ship of a space ship. Vistas of Imperial Star Destroyers packed in the sky. Politics and blasters.
I have no trouble at all imagining the characters' lines being said by the actors. All the drama summarized in the Drew Struzan cover art.
A happy 4 stars, with an extra 1 for nostalgia.
For me, this is the Star Wars we lost. A soap opera of a space opera. Familiar characters pursuing their own ends. Luke having doubts in the Force. Leia stuck in idealism whilst in a role that demands realism. Han and Leia raising a family of Jedi. Mysterious aliens galore. A Flying Dutchman ghost ship of a space ship. Vistas of Imperial Star Destroyers packed in the sky. Politics and blasters.
I have no trouble at all imagining the characters' lines being said by the actors. All the drama summarized in the Drew Struzan cover art.
A happy 4 stars, with an extra 1 for nostalgia.
January 17, 2010
See, it can be done. Not may not please Star Wars fans, but it's better science fiction--and a better story--than most bearing the SW imprint. The first contact thread was fun. Speaking of which, yes, there are distinct threads (so far) interwoven to keep the tension up, if nothing else.
Luke has a crisis of faith, Leia has a crisis of confidence, Han smirks, and Lando plays the odds. Lando's thread is probably the most unique, and therefore most enjoyable. The Yevetha resonate with nineteenth century Japan.
Decent cliff-hanger to close with.
Luke has a crisis of faith, Leia has a crisis of confidence, Han smirks, and Lando plays the odds. Lando's thread is probably the most unique, and therefore most enjoyable. The Yevetha resonate with nineteenth century Japan.
Decent cliff-hanger to close with.
May 3, 2021
Intriguing. I would rate this closer to 3.5 stars; my one caveat is that the Lando plot, while perfectly in character & including a rather unorthodox character combination, doesn't seem to connect to the rest of the novel, and feels like a distraction. The rest of the novel is an intense political build-up to one hell of a public shaming for Leia, and a military disaster for the New Republic that leaves a pit in your stomach on the final page. This is a lovely dip back into my favourite era of the Legends saga -- it's not perfect, but if felt like coming home.
April 5, 2022
Meh. It was okay, but I REALLY don’t like the way he wrote Luke, or how he portrayed Jedi and the Force. Maybe eventually I’ll finish the trilogy, but I’m not going to bother right now.
December 17, 2025
Good descriptions of the political and military set up, but Luke and Leia both seem out of character in unfortunate ways. 3.5 stars
April 15, 2021
3.5 stars
With the majority of ratings and reviews being low-average to just plain low, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking Before the Storm is a terrible Star Wars novel. Hell, I let it sit on my shelf for months due the seemingly negative thoughts and feeling this book garners.
However, after finally biting the bullet and forcing myself to pick it up, I have to say Before the Storm isn’t bad at all.
Obviously it’s not perfect (I’ll talk about that in a second), but for a Star Wars novel written in that weird era of the mid 90’s, when Barbara Hambley was writing truly bizarre stories in this universe, it’s actually pretty decent.
I think, overall, this book works because McDowell wasn’t trying to reinvent the Star Wars wheel. Unlike other authors who had free rein and went with it, McDowell took his time and made his story for within the confines of the fictional universe. Some of what he wrote was quickly retconned with the new Prequel films, but between a maligned society angry at the New Republic and a search for lost Galactic Empire ships, there is a decent story here. Even Lando’s bit, which seems totally different from
the general plot was interesting...and I have a sneaky suspicion that he will be back in the second book.
I really thought about giving this a true 4 star rating but I honestly can’t. There are some pretty dumb moments in Before the Storm that prevented me from doing that. Chiefly among these is McDowell’s take on Leia. We know her as a bad ass bitch who’s cunning, smart, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. In Storm, though, she’s a bumbling, emotional idiot who gives away plans and sets up a coming disaster. She’s far too trusting and just doesn’t think things through. Furthermore, the raft of the New Republic makes some asinine mistakes that they wouldn’t normally make. Lastly, even though I can’t fault McDowell too much for this one since the prequels weren’t even a thing yet...Luke’s search for his mother takes some truly weird turns that make little sense. Obviously now, in 2021, we know the Skywalker lineage, but sending Luke to far off planets with the hint that his and Leia’s mother is a Falanassi, is utterly head scratching in its stupidity.
Still though, it’s an entertaining novel and it’s a nice break from the typical weirdness of this era of Star Wars novels. Ignore the negative reviews and give this one a shot.
With the majority of ratings and reviews being low-average to just plain low, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking Before the Storm is a terrible Star Wars novel. Hell, I let it sit on my shelf for months due the seemingly negative thoughts and feeling this book garners.
However, after finally biting the bullet and forcing myself to pick it up, I have to say Before the Storm isn’t bad at all.
Obviously it’s not perfect (I’ll talk about that in a second), but for a Star Wars novel written in that weird era of the mid 90’s, when Barbara Hambley was writing truly bizarre stories in this universe, it’s actually pretty decent.
I think, overall, this book works because McDowell wasn’t trying to reinvent the Star Wars wheel. Unlike other authors who had free rein and went with it, McDowell took his time and made his story for within the confines of the fictional universe. Some of what he wrote was quickly retconned with the new Prequel films, but between a maligned society angry at the New Republic and a search for lost Galactic Empire ships, there is a decent story here. Even Lando’s bit, which seems totally different from
the general plot was interesting...and I have a sneaky suspicion that he will be back in the second book.
I really thought about giving this a true 4 star rating but I honestly can’t. There are some pretty dumb moments in Before the Storm that prevented me from doing that. Chiefly among these is McDowell’s take on Leia. We know her as a bad ass bitch who’s cunning, smart, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. In Storm, though, she’s a bumbling, emotional idiot who gives away plans and sets up a coming disaster. She’s far too trusting and just doesn’t think things through. Furthermore, the raft of the New Republic makes some asinine mistakes that they wouldn’t normally make. Lastly, even though I can’t fault McDowell too much for this one since the prequels weren’t even a thing yet...Luke’s search for his mother takes some truly weird turns that make little sense. Obviously now, in 2021, we know the Skywalker lineage, but sending Luke to far off planets with the hint that his and Leia’s mother is a Falanassi, is utterly head scratching in its stupidity.
Still though, it’s an entertaining novel and it’s a nice break from the typical weirdness of this era of Star Wars novels. Ignore the negative reviews and give this one a shot.
March 26, 2025
I'm a fan of what McDowell did with this book/series. He took the characters we enjoy and puts them in uncomfortable, unpredictable situations. While we all know are we aren't going to see the death of any major characters, putting the characters in high stakes situations that could alter the outcome of the New Republic or the people is a great way to make the story have weight.
The book has multiple storylines happening between Leia, Luke, and Lando. The author did a fine job being heavily descriptive. I believe he gave a good voice to each character and provided great dialogue that wasn't dull. I'm happy to report that Luke Skywalker doesn't come across as super annoying like he has in previous books, though there are some things he's still working out with himself.
The book gets political, which I find far more entertaining than blasters and explosions. The political chess pieces being strategically placed on the board before chaos consumes the New Republic is more entertaining to me, than an author attempting to make it seem as though a main character is a bout to be killed off.
This book has a lot of entertaining moments sprinkled throughout. While there are many times the story drags, I'd say the exciting moments made this story worth the read.
RATING
I give Star Wars: Before the Storm, a B (plus).
The book has multiple storylines happening between Leia, Luke, and Lando. The author did a fine job being heavily descriptive. I believe he gave a good voice to each character and provided great dialogue that wasn't dull. I'm happy to report that Luke Skywalker doesn't come across as super annoying like he has in previous books, though there are some things he's still working out with himself.
The book gets political, which I find far more entertaining than blasters and explosions. The political chess pieces being strategically placed on the board before chaos consumes the New Republic is more entertaining to me, than an author attempting to make it seem as though a main character is a bout to be killed off.
This book has a lot of entertaining moments sprinkled throughout. While there are many times the story drags, I'd say the exciting moments made this story worth the read.
RATING
I give Star Wars: Before the Storm, a B (plus).
February 3, 2026
on one hand, there were some good things set up as well as a slightly different perspective into the new republic. I liked the setup of the black fleet and the Yvethen people. their plan was clever enough. I also really liked Landos adventure, even if it started out a little odd.
on the other hand, the first few chapters were really confusing. they were extremely hard to read at times, and im thankful it got better afterward.
lukes entire arc was dreadful. the author pointed out that the answer to their question was fleshed out in the movies. so what are we chasing here? to make it worse, Akanah is a terrible character and her cult of different force users is one of the worst parts of this entire timeline of 200+ books. the ripples effected the timeline all the way through NJO, LOTF, and FOTJ. Horrible idea, and I wish the entire arc had been removed from the book.
leia was entirely foolish. I dont think she was quite as out of character as others have mentioned, but she should have more military acuity after her war. It did open a very interesting debate about politicking vs boundaries.
on the other hand, the first few chapters were really confusing. they were extremely hard to read at times, and im thankful it got better afterward.
lukes entire arc was dreadful. the author pointed out that the answer to their question was fleshed out in the movies. so what are we chasing here? to make it worse, Akanah is a terrible character and her cult of different force users is one of the worst parts of this entire timeline of 200+ books. the ripples effected the timeline all the way through NJO, LOTF, and FOTJ. Horrible idea, and I wish the entire arc had been removed from the book.
leia was entirely foolish. I dont think she was quite as out of character as others have mentioned, but she should have more military acuity after her war. It did open a very interesting debate about politicking vs boundaries.
March 10, 2026
This is one of the most grounded feeling stories in the New Republic Era. While I do not mind and even like the goofy stories that take Luke, Han, and Leia on some wacky adventures, this feels like the beginning of a very grounded trilogy. The vibe I get from parts of this story are comparable to the Thrawn Trilogy, which is a huge complement to the author. The parts that focus on Leia and Han can be described as a political thriller. There are shady intellegence sources, secret meetings in the dead of night, and plenty of consipiracy. One of my favorite sequences is when one guy in some random government office building slowly discovers that there is an entire fleet of Star Destroyers missing from the New Republic's records. It creates a sense of dread and desperation that really kept me engaged. The cliffhanger ending is wonderful, and really works with the title of the book. However, I feel there is some poor characterization of Leia. She acts very naive, and when proven wrong, she locks herself in her house to hide from the shame. I don't know about that for her. While I really liked the political part of the story, it is only one-third of the book. One of the other is plots is Lando and the droids chasing a mysterious empty ship. I found it very enjoyable and really liked Lando's characterization and his interactions with the droids. It is not really relevant to the overall story yet though. The final plotline is with Luke. Luke's plot is neither relevant to the story or enjoyable to read. It's all about him and this random girl going off to find Luke's mom. But like, this book was written before Padme existed, so I already know it can't be real. It makes it hard to get through, thought I'm sure it was more interesting in the 90s. I would groan when we went back to Luke. But the political plotline really saved it for me.
October 11, 2025
I liked this novel ok but maybe it’s more how bad the previous handful of novels were. This story leans a bit more sci-fi as opposed to fantasy and I always thought Star Wars blended the two together well. It’s odd that outside of the Thrawn trilogy and KJA’s academy trilogy the main cast has not been written well and they seem very out of character in this novel Leia specifically. Luke is sort of MIA most of this book but it’s odd all the criticism TLJ got Luke seems to have similar thoughts about leaving (obviously different reasons but still). I think Lando is more the highlight of the novel and his search for the Black Fleet. I thought it was an interesting mystery and Lando has to navigate in his own way the politics and chain of command in charge of the mission
March 12, 2026
Before the Storm was an engrossing read. The Star Wars characters that I know and love were written spot-on. The only deviation was with Leia as the story progressed. Leia is always strong, no matter what. This story was the exception. Due to diplomatic negotiations/conversations with Yevethen Viceroy Nil Spaar and the turnabout of certain New Republic senators, Leia has a serious questioning of her ability to continue on as New Republic President.
Lando Calrissian has a very interesting and exciting storyline in the book. He takes Lobot, C3PO, and R2-D2 on a mission to engage with a ghost ship.
Lando Calrissian has a very interesting and exciting storyline in the book. He takes Lobot, C3PO, and R2-D2 on a mission to engage with a ghost ship.
September 3, 2023
I actually enjoyed this book more than the Corellian Trilogy previously reviewed by me on Goodreads. In this first instalment, the New Republic faces a crisis from enemies long thought to be destroyed. Apparently, some of the star destroyers managed to evade the Rebels after the battle of Endor. They are what makes up the black fleet, the name given to this trilogy. The usual cast of characters is involved, including Luke, Leia, Lando, Han and Chewbacca. A very good effort!!!
May 24, 2021
This was a pretty good and different Star Wars read. I really liked how it showed a lot of the political machinations of the new republic and a more shrewd characterization for Leia as a politician.
It only loses points because the lando and Luke side story are out of place and pale in comparison to the main story.
It only loses points because the lando and Luke side story are out of place and pale in comparison to the main story.
August 11, 2025
The best Star Wars novel I’ve read in quite a while. The writing was great, the plots were really interesting for the most part, and he nailed the characters, with one important exception. Leia didn’t feel much like Leia at all in this story. Maybe something is going on that’s causing that? But it just seems odd that throughout the entire story she lacked her usual leadership capabilities and overall personality.
Regardless, I’m hopeful for the rest of the trilogy!
Regardless, I’m hopeful for the rest of the trilogy!
September 1, 2020
Much better than I expected. It’s fun to follow Lando around though his role was awfully small.
August 26, 2025
Didn’t enjoy this, probably a reason that the author only got the one trilogy, it not Disney Star Wars bad, but neither is it good.
May 10, 2025
I found this book deeply engrossing and finished it in record time, I can't wait to dig into the next installment of the trilogy.
With the exception of the first novel of the new "High Republic" era (I just could not get on board with the villains of that story) I haven't picked up a Star Wars book in 20 years. I used to be really into SW books in my teens in the nineties, I think I reread the Thrawn trilogy thrice.
I came to pick up "Before the Storm" a couple of days ago based on the EckhartsLadder Youtube channel's video on the trilogy, describing it as more mature sci-fi concerned with fleets and engineering and all that lovely crunchy geeky stuff: https://youtu.be/bHFlSYYowFQ?si=V16jN... . (The video veers into spoiler territory for the books past the 3 minute mark, watch at your own risk!)
This book definitely delivered on those promises.
Update: I finished the other two books in the trilogy and had a wonderful time throughout. I wish there were other Kube Star Wars novels for me to read. :(
With the exception of the first novel of the new "High Republic" era (I just could not get on board with the villains of that story) I haven't picked up a Star Wars book in 20 years. I used to be really into SW books in my teens in the nineties, I think I reread the Thrawn trilogy thrice.
I came to pick up "Before the Storm" a couple of days ago based on the EckhartsLadder Youtube channel's video on the trilogy, describing it as more mature sci-fi concerned with fleets and engineering and all that lovely crunchy geeky stuff: https://youtu.be/bHFlSYYowFQ?si=V16jN... . (The video veers into spoiler territory for the books past the 3 minute mark, watch at your own risk!)
This book definitely delivered on those promises.
Update: I finished the other two books in the trilogy and had a wonderful time throughout. I wish there were other Kube Star Wars novels for me to read. :(
August 9, 2023
Before the Storm marks the onset of the Black Fleet Crisis series and as such its main purpose is to set the scene for what is to come. While this book does not work on its own, it is a decent read nonetheless that introduces the conflicts this series is going to deal with in a mostly engaging manner. It is a typical Star Wars novel, in which the main characters all become wrapped up in their own story arch, which will eventually coalesce (in book three at the latest) and be resolved in a final showdown of some sorts. One peculiarity here is that rather than just focusing on the original trio (Luke, Leia, and Han), an additional storyline featuring Lando is introduced, which I don’t mind one bit.
Let’s start off with Luke, who plays a relatively minor role in Before the Storm. No longer content with his life as a teacher at the Jedi Academy and striving to emulate his mentors, both of whom were hermits at some point in their lives, Luke decides it is now his turn to seclude himself. For this purpose, he uncovers his father’s secret hideout on Coruscant and repurposes it as his new dwelling. That he should choose to hide on Coruscant of all places seems somewhat strange, it being the most densely populated planed in the galaxy and all. However, it fits with his odd behavior throughout the novel and perhaps it shows that on some level he never really intended to withdraw himself. On top of that, it takes Luke like five minutes to uncover his father’s old secret fortress making it seem that, if they put their mind to it, other Jedi would probably be able to uncover him relatively easily.
Incidentally, he is discovered pretty quickly not by a Jedi but an individual adept in the Force even so. Said individual, Akanah, pertains to a mysterious people with its own understanding of the Force, the Fallanassi, from whom she has been separated for years. Akanah convinces Luke that his own mother belonged to her people and asks him to join her in her search for the Fallanassi. Despite the fact that Luke had just cast off all of his responsibilities and openly refused his sister any help with her Jedi children, Luke immediately agrees to join her on a paper chase across the galaxy, which may or may not unearth new information about his mother. Before leaving, he excitedly informs Leia of his plans and fails to understand why, for her, retracing the steps of their long-dead mother currently is not the number one priority. She had hoped he would offer her some support with the children, which Luke is unwilling to give. Luke does have a point in arguing that the children’s initial instruction should come from their mother – after all she has abilities in the Force herself. Still, it would not hurt him to at least give Leia some pointers. Taken aback by his sister’s lack of enthusiasm, Luke and Akanah take off and visit the last point of contact she has had with her people. There they immediately run into danger and unearth a clue as to where to continue their search. This novel certainly is not a compilation of Luke’s strongest moments. For the most part he comes across as a self-absorbed, ignorant jerk and because of that I am grateful that his is more of a side-plot in this book.
Compared to Luke, Leia has a bit more on her plate. Being Chief of State of the New Republic and mother of three unruly Jedi children, she must deal with many things at once. Hence, it is hardly surprising that she does not entertain her brother’s whims. Most of this novel Leia spends conducting lengthy negotiations with an emissary of the Duskhan League, during which she comes across as fairly naïve. The Duskhan League, a populace of the species Yevetha inhabiting planets within the Koornacht Cluster, controls a sector of the galaxy that is of strategic interest to the New Republic due to its location between the Core Worlds and the Deep Core. Therefore, it is in the New Republic’s interest to sway them towards becoming a member. However, the Yevethans establish from the very start that they have no interest in joining the New Republic whatsoever. All they want is to be left alone and to be free to do as they please within their jurisdiction. Accordingly, they negotiate with a completely different goal in mind, namely a treaty with the New Republic guaranteeing them their freedom and independence. Their point of view is the result of a deep-seated abhorrence toward any non-Yevethan species, of which Leia is ignorant until a gruesome act of genocide at the hands of the Yevetha takes place. Regardless, there are many indications that the Yevethan’s intentions aren’t pure before this drastic event, many of which Leia chooses to ignore as she is bent on a favorable outcome. In her position as leader of the New Republic, she is foundering a little here: she has this fixed idea that she must deal with the Yevethan delegation on her own even after the negotiations have gone on for literal months, she repeatedly casts aside reasonable objections by her aides, and when her authority is questioned and the Republic really needs a strong leader, she immediately goes incommunicado and it takes some serious convincing to get her to take action. In the end it is clear that the Yevethan crisis is a make-or-break test for her political career and whether she emerges from it unscathed remains to be seen.
While Leia expends all her resources to appeasing the Yevethans, New Republic intelligence uncovers traces of an Imperial fleet, the whereabouts of which are unclear. Leia personally feels that this is not an issue worth looking into and that a search mission would be a potential threat to her negotiations since it could intrude into the Koornacht Cluster. Eventually, Admiral Ackbar persuades her that a mission should be dispatched and, just to be safe, Leia sends along a general she trusts completely, Han. The mission is rather uneventful until – as a consequence of insubordination first at the hands of the general in charge, then at Han’s – they discover the disturbing truth about the Duskhan League. Although he takes more of a sideline position in this novel, Han comes across as the most reasonable main character, who calmly shares his opinions and more or less gently nudges others towards accepting them as their own. Given that Han usually is portrayed as being as much of a hothead as his wife, such a role allocation is surprising.
Finally, and mostly unrelated to all the other stuff that is going on Lando joins a mission that is trying to figure out the origin and purpose of a mysterious vessel floating around space (the way it is described just screams Yuuzhan Vong, but of course no one had invented them when this book was written). Thinking they might come in handy; he takes along both droids and also convinces Lobot to join him on this trip. Really half computer, half man Lobot is an interesting character, and it is nice that he plays a more prominent role in this story. Much like Han, Lando has his issues with authority figures and his mere presence irritates the mission leader. Feeling that his opinions aren’t being heard, Lando eventually takes matters into his own hands and tests a theory about the vagabond ship, whereby he promptly gets himself stranded aboard. Despite the Lando storyline not seeming to add anything to the overarching Yevethan crisis plot thus far, these chapters are fun intermezzos.
A lot is going on in this relatively short novel that sets the scene for the rest of the series. The different storylines are interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing how they each unfold (actually this is my second time reading this series, but I have no recollection of its details). While I enjoyed Before the Storm as a whole, there are two aspects that bothered me a little about it. First, it opens with a space battle, which I think is not the best choice for an opener as it is hard to get truly invested in a conflict of which little to know background information is revealed. In my opinion, such an uninteresting opening is a pretty big weakness for a novel and might cause a reader to put it aside prematurely. Second, and way more importantly, the main characters (except Lando) often did not quite seem like themselves behaving in unusual ways. As described above, this is worst for Luke, but also Leia acts out of character quite a lot. None of her usual wit, assertiveness, and perseverance comes through. I hope that in the following installments, Kube-McDowell will be able to capture the main characters a little better, although I kind of doubt it.
Irrespective of some grievances, Before the Storm remains a solid Star Wars novel and I am looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.
Let’s start off with Luke, who plays a relatively minor role in Before the Storm. No longer content with his life as a teacher at the Jedi Academy and striving to emulate his mentors, both of whom were hermits at some point in their lives, Luke decides it is now his turn to seclude himself. For this purpose, he uncovers his father’s secret hideout on Coruscant and repurposes it as his new dwelling. That he should choose to hide on Coruscant of all places seems somewhat strange, it being the most densely populated planed in the galaxy and all. However, it fits with his odd behavior throughout the novel and perhaps it shows that on some level he never really intended to withdraw himself. On top of that, it takes Luke like five minutes to uncover his father’s old secret fortress making it seem that, if they put their mind to it, other Jedi would probably be able to uncover him relatively easily.
Incidentally, he is discovered pretty quickly not by a Jedi but an individual adept in the Force even so. Said individual, Akanah, pertains to a mysterious people with its own understanding of the Force, the Fallanassi, from whom she has been separated for years. Akanah convinces Luke that his own mother belonged to her people and asks him to join her in her search for the Fallanassi. Despite the fact that Luke had just cast off all of his responsibilities and openly refused his sister any help with her Jedi children, Luke immediately agrees to join her on a paper chase across the galaxy, which may or may not unearth new information about his mother. Before leaving, he excitedly informs Leia of his plans and fails to understand why, for her, retracing the steps of their long-dead mother currently is not the number one priority. She had hoped he would offer her some support with the children, which Luke is unwilling to give. Luke does have a point in arguing that the children’s initial instruction should come from their mother – after all she has abilities in the Force herself. Still, it would not hurt him to at least give Leia some pointers. Taken aback by his sister’s lack of enthusiasm, Luke and Akanah take off and visit the last point of contact she has had with her people. There they immediately run into danger and unearth a clue as to where to continue their search. This novel certainly is not a compilation of Luke’s strongest moments. For the most part he comes across as a self-absorbed, ignorant jerk and because of that I am grateful that his is more of a side-plot in this book.
Compared to Luke, Leia has a bit more on her plate. Being Chief of State of the New Republic and mother of three unruly Jedi children, she must deal with many things at once. Hence, it is hardly surprising that she does not entertain her brother’s whims. Most of this novel Leia spends conducting lengthy negotiations with an emissary of the Duskhan League, during which she comes across as fairly naïve. The Duskhan League, a populace of the species Yevetha inhabiting planets within the Koornacht Cluster, controls a sector of the galaxy that is of strategic interest to the New Republic due to its location between the Core Worlds and the Deep Core. Therefore, it is in the New Republic’s interest to sway them towards becoming a member. However, the Yevethans establish from the very start that they have no interest in joining the New Republic whatsoever. All they want is to be left alone and to be free to do as they please within their jurisdiction. Accordingly, they negotiate with a completely different goal in mind, namely a treaty with the New Republic guaranteeing them their freedom and independence. Their point of view is the result of a deep-seated abhorrence toward any non-Yevethan species, of which Leia is ignorant until a gruesome act of genocide at the hands of the Yevetha takes place. Regardless, there are many indications that the Yevethan’s intentions aren’t pure before this drastic event, many of which Leia chooses to ignore as she is bent on a favorable outcome. In her position as leader of the New Republic, she is foundering a little here: she has this fixed idea that she must deal with the Yevethan delegation on her own even after the negotiations have gone on for literal months, she repeatedly casts aside reasonable objections by her aides, and when her authority is questioned and the Republic really needs a strong leader, she immediately goes incommunicado and it takes some serious convincing to get her to take action. In the end it is clear that the Yevethan crisis is a make-or-break test for her political career and whether she emerges from it unscathed remains to be seen.
While Leia expends all her resources to appeasing the Yevethans, New Republic intelligence uncovers traces of an Imperial fleet, the whereabouts of which are unclear. Leia personally feels that this is not an issue worth looking into and that a search mission would be a potential threat to her negotiations since it could intrude into the Koornacht Cluster. Eventually, Admiral Ackbar persuades her that a mission should be dispatched and, just to be safe, Leia sends along a general she trusts completely, Han. The mission is rather uneventful until – as a consequence of insubordination first at the hands of the general in charge, then at Han’s – they discover the disturbing truth about the Duskhan League. Although he takes more of a sideline position in this novel, Han comes across as the most reasonable main character, who calmly shares his opinions and more or less gently nudges others towards accepting them as their own. Given that Han usually is portrayed as being as much of a hothead as his wife, such a role allocation is surprising.
Finally, and mostly unrelated to all the other stuff that is going on Lando joins a mission that is trying to figure out the origin and purpose of a mysterious vessel floating around space (the way it is described just screams Yuuzhan Vong, but of course no one had invented them when this book was written). Thinking they might come in handy; he takes along both droids and also convinces Lobot to join him on this trip. Really half computer, half man Lobot is an interesting character, and it is nice that he plays a more prominent role in this story. Much like Han, Lando has his issues with authority figures and his mere presence irritates the mission leader. Feeling that his opinions aren’t being heard, Lando eventually takes matters into his own hands and tests a theory about the vagabond ship, whereby he promptly gets himself stranded aboard. Despite the Lando storyline not seeming to add anything to the overarching Yevethan crisis plot thus far, these chapters are fun intermezzos.
A lot is going on in this relatively short novel that sets the scene for the rest of the series. The different storylines are interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing how they each unfold (actually this is my second time reading this series, but I have no recollection of its details). While I enjoyed Before the Storm as a whole, there are two aspects that bothered me a little about it. First, it opens with a space battle, which I think is not the best choice for an opener as it is hard to get truly invested in a conflict of which little to know background information is revealed. In my opinion, such an uninteresting opening is a pretty big weakness for a novel and might cause a reader to put it aside prematurely. Second, and way more importantly, the main characters (except Lando) often did not quite seem like themselves behaving in unusual ways. As described above, this is worst for Luke, but also Leia acts out of character quite a lot. None of her usual wit, assertiveness, and perseverance comes through. I hope that in the following installments, Kube-McDowell will be able to capture the main characters a little better, although I kind of doubt it.
Irrespective of some grievances, Before the Storm remains a solid Star Wars novel and I am looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.
December 5, 2022
Star Wars is an action adventure serial. It isn't complicated, it isn't necessarily profound, and while Lucas may originally have intended it as a coded criticism of American imperialism and expansion, the series itself has not often taken aim at greater symbolic or thematic relevance. It's a franchise that sells toys and merchandise and entertains. That's part of its charm, part of the feature.
But a few authors have tried to make it about more than just entertainment, and while I can't say all of these stories have been successful, Before the Storm presents a powerful political thriller that seeks to take Star Wars beyond the action adventure serial into a cogent exploration of the use and abuse of power.
Central to the conflict of Star Wars is the fight of the underdog Rebel Alliance against the fascist Galactic Empire, and the franchise's novels in the '90s struggled to figure out exactly what to do with the saga at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, in which the Empire's figureheads are finally defeated. Zahn introduced a new rival, Anderson tried his hand at creating a new existential threat to the New Republic, and a handful of other authors have made their attempt at creating a galactic-sized threat worthy of succeeding Vader and the Emperor. While none of these stories should be faulted for their attempts at giving us new, charismatic antagonists, I don't think any of these stories have gone beyond playing around with stock archetypes. The closest narrative I can think of to really getting to the thematic heart of Star Wars was Ambush at Corellia by Roger MacBride Allen, which began to explore compelling ideas about racism and fascism but fell apart after two lackluster sequels that didn't seem at all interesting in the ideas first introduced by the trilogy.
But Before the Storm is interested in exploring problems of power and how it is ultimately utilized, providing interesting antagonists to the main cast of the series while simultaneously using those antagonists to explore meaningful questions about how easily corruptible power can become. As Luke struggles with his relationship to the Force and how he can use such power ethically, Leia is put to the test diplomatically as she tries to reckon with how political power can be amassed and then abused for personal gain. Both mirroring stories are great character showcases, and the book adds a depth of realism to what is otherwise stock space fantasy. It offers complex situations with problems that present genuine difficulty for the characters to resolve--and it's only through their exploration of moral duty that they can find their way through to a solution (that isn't offered by this book, but promised by its sequels).
Before the Storm sets up a fantastic new adventure for the main cast of Star Wars with meaningful and original conflict with convincing stakes for the characters. This is a book of political intrigue and questions the ethics of power, even if that power is wielded by characters we know to be in the moral right. It's a phenomenal setup for Star Wars, and I absolutely believe this is among the best of what '90s Star Wars has to offer.
But a few authors have tried to make it about more than just entertainment, and while I can't say all of these stories have been successful, Before the Storm presents a powerful political thriller that seeks to take Star Wars beyond the action adventure serial into a cogent exploration of the use and abuse of power.
Central to the conflict of Star Wars is the fight of the underdog Rebel Alliance against the fascist Galactic Empire, and the franchise's novels in the '90s struggled to figure out exactly what to do with the saga at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, in which the Empire's figureheads are finally defeated. Zahn introduced a new rival, Anderson tried his hand at creating a new existential threat to the New Republic, and a handful of other authors have made their attempt at creating a galactic-sized threat worthy of succeeding Vader and the Emperor. While none of these stories should be faulted for their attempts at giving us new, charismatic antagonists, I don't think any of these stories have gone beyond playing around with stock archetypes. The closest narrative I can think of to really getting to the thematic heart of Star Wars was Ambush at Corellia by Roger MacBride Allen, which began to explore compelling ideas about racism and fascism but fell apart after two lackluster sequels that didn't seem at all interesting in the ideas first introduced by the trilogy.
But Before the Storm is interested in exploring problems of power and how it is ultimately utilized, providing interesting antagonists to the main cast of the series while simultaneously using those antagonists to explore meaningful questions about how easily corruptible power can become. As Luke struggles with his relationship to the Force and how he can use such power ethically, Leia is put to the test diplomatically as she tries to reckon with how political power can be amassed and then abused for personal gain. Both mirroring stories are great character showcases, and the book adds a depth of realism to what is otherwise stock space fantasy. It offers complex situations with problems that present genuine difficulty for the characters to resolve--and it's only through their exploration of moral duty that they can find their way through to a solution (that isn't offered by this book, but promised by its sequels).
Before the Storm sets up a fantastic new adventure for the main cast of Star Wars with meaningful and original conflict with convincing stakes for the characters. This is a book of political intrigue and questions the ethics of power, even if that power is wielded by characters we know to be in the moral right. It's a phenomenal setup for Star Wars, and I absolutely believe this is among the best of what '90s Star Wars has to offer.
November 10, 2023
This is the first volume in another set of Star Wars stories that I haven’t reread in more than a quarter century.
I recall not being particularly impressed when I first encountered The Black Fleet Crisis, but hindsight and the wearying onslaught of ever-more-cynically-lazy Star Wars writing since the Disney acquisition has now lent a air of ‘classic-pre-prequel-EU’ innocence to this story.
Set 12 years after the turning point of the Galactic Civil War at the Battle of Endor, the story perfunctorily references the events of the more-recent Thrawn campaign as well as the best-left-forgotten Dark Empire clone/resurrected Emperor insurrection. With that out of the way, it moves into setting up the three largely unrelated strands that make up Before the Storm.
Lando is engaged on a mission to investigate a BDO, in a plot that is more reminiscent of a Star Trek TNG story (Tin Man), or Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama.
Luke has become wary of his increasing power and, after very briefly toying with becoming a hermit, he is soon lured off onto his own investigation by someone alleging that his mother is still out in the galaxy to be found (remember, this is before the prequels and all firm knowledge of Padmé Amidala).
Finally Leia, as the New Republic’s Chief of State is engaged in a diplomatic mission from an isolationist culture who, unbeknownst to her, have inherited a vast ex-Imperial fleet and who have put in motion a plot to tarnish her reputation and militarily cleanse their region of outsiders.
All intriguing plot strands, but there are some characterisation issues with Luke and Leia. First of all, I don’t believe Luke would ever abscond from his responsibilities, even briefly (we can safely ignore the Disney faithless betrayal portrayal), but since this self-isolation is so short lived it can be largely forgiven.
But Leia - I can only echo Han’s incredulous “I have jusy one question—who was that and what have you done with Leia?”
I appreciate that to move this plot forward someone in power needs to be handed the idiot ball, but this is a bad misuse of Leia even if it’s setting her up to grow later in the trilogy.
By the end of this first volume I’m definitely invested in the story, and in Lando’s most of all.
I’ll give it 4 stars overall, with the one star deducted because of Leia’s mischaracterisation. I hope it changes in volumes 2 and 3, because I’m really looking forward to them now.
I recall not being particularly impressed when I first encountered The Black Fleet Crisis, but hindsight and the wearying onslaught of ever-more-cynically-lazy Star Wars writing since the Disney acquisition has now lent a air of ‘classic-pre-prequel-EU’ innocence to this story.
Set 12 years after the turning point of the Galactic Civil War at the Battle of Endor, the story perfunctorily references the events of the more-recent Thrawn campaign as well as the best-left-forgotten Dark Empire clone/resurrected Emperor insurrection. With that out of the way, it moves into setting up the three largely unrelated strands that make up Before the Storm.
Lando is engaged on a mission to investigate a BDO, in a plot that is more reminiscent of a Star Trek TNG story (Tin Man), or Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama.
Luke has become wary of his increasing power and, after very briefly toying with becoming a hermit, he is soon lured off onto his own investigation by someone alleging that his mother is still out in the galaxy to be found (remember, this is before the prequels and all firm knowledge of Padmé Amidala).
Finally Leia, as the New Republic’s Chief of State is engaged in a diplomatic mission from an isolationist culture who, unbeknownst to her, have inherited a vast ex-Imperial fleet and who have put in motion a plot to tarnish her reputation and militarily cleanse their region of outsiders.
All intriguing plot strands, but there are some characterisation issues with Luke and Leia. First of all, I don’t believe Luke would ever abscond from his responsibilities, even briefly (we can safely ignore the Disney faithless betrayal portrayal), but since this self-isolation is so short lived it can be largely forgiven.
But Leia - I can only echo Han’s incredulous “I have jusy one question—who was that and what have you done with Leia?”
I appreciate that to move this plot forward someone in power needs to be handed the idiot ball, but this is a bad misuse of Leia even if it’s setting her up to grow later in the trilogy.
By the end of this first volume I’m definitely invested in the story, and in Lando’s most of all.
I’ll give it 4 stars overall, with the one star deducted because of Leia’s mischaracterisation. I hope it changes in volumes 2 and 3, because I’m really looking forward to them now.
March 15, 2017
I am giving this 4 stars, but it really is a 3 star book. The reason is the overall rating for the book is like 3.12 or something, which it deserves, but there are worse SW books out there that have 3.86 or so ratings...
Anyways, The Black Fleet is a lost division of ships that when the Emperor was defeated was supposed to self blow up and be destroyed so the Rebels wouldn't get it. But another alien race took over and stole it before it happened. The setting is 12 years after Return of the Jedi, so Luke/Leia are probably in their mid 30's. Ok, not bad story line, fine. This book has all the characters and is from 96' and part of the Bantan books were the best SW books probably were written. I like all the characters and how they are written about them except Leia. Like I said she is in her mid 30's, but she comes across as someone with no self confidence and just not a very smart person. If you read it you will understand. She is the President of the New Republic and she comes off as a loof and shouldn't be there or something. I didn't like that about her. The other books, except The Courtship of Princess Leia, don't have her like that. The other possible let down could be the Luke story line with him meeting this women and he is on a search for his mom. We will see about that... Otherwise it is better then what I was expecting.
UPDATE: After reading the 3rd book I have to downgrade it to 2 stars...
Anyways, The Black Fleet is a lost division of ships that when the Emperor was defeated was supposed to self blow up and be destroyed so the Rebels wouldn't get it. But another alien race took over and stole it before it happened. The setting is 12 years after Return of the Jedi, so Luke/Leia are probably in their mid 30's. Ok, not bad story line, fine. This book has all the characters and is from 96' and part of the Bantan books were the best SW books probably were written. I like all the characters and how they are written about them except Leia. Like I said she is in her mid 30's, but she comes across as someone with no self confidence and just not a very smart person. If you read it you will understand. She is the President of the New Republic and she comes off as a loof and shouldn't be there or something. I didn't like that about her. The other books, except The Courtship of Princess Leia, don't have her like that. The other possible let down could be the Luke story line with him meeting this women and he is on a search for his mom. We will see about that... Otherwise it is better then what I was expecting.
UPDATE: After reading the 3rd book I have to downgrade it to 2 stars...
September 2, 2012
Eh. Not as good as SW books can be (the X-Wing series), but not as horrible as many of them (Courtship of Princess Leia, for instance). The trouble with many of the SW books that feature the movie characters is that I find the characterizations in the book to be extremely inconsistent. Leia in this book is ineffectual, naive, and narrow-minded, pretty much the opposite of her movie character. Luke goes from peaceful hermit determined to take no more action in the world to an impatient jerk while in the company of the book's only other female character, another weak (despite her supposed power) and deceitful woman. Han is barely present except to give updates on the kids and do one minor thing to forward the plot, and old favorite Admiral Akbar seems a bit lame, too. Lando and the book's new characters, however, are interesting, and the plot is intriguing. I assume all the disparate plot elements will come together in the next book, and perhaps will make up for the jarring interpretations of beloved characters.
March 15, 2011
This was a thousand times better than Crystal Star. I still shudder when I mention that book. This novel had some intrigue, a reasonable plot, and some decent action sequences. I do believe the writers for Star Wars could condense these three book arcs into longer, but better edited single books. Like the Jedi Academy series, this one has such separate plots, you get the feeling that each could have been handled in its own book. Besides that, I didn't think Leia was so gullible. Is the position of Head of the New Republic weighing that much on her? Hopefully, she'll redeem herself in the next two books.
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