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Star Wars: The Lando Calrissian Adventures #1
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu
Star Wars fans know Lando Calrissian as the crafty ally of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo in their struggle against the evil Galactic Empire. But before he threw in with the Rebellion, Lando was an interstellar adventurer, con-artist and gambler of some repute. As we join him, he's just won the Millennium Falcon in a game of sabacc, along with a robot he must collect on the planet of Rafa IV.
The Rafa system functions as a sort of penal colony, where unfortunate convicts are forced to harvest the priceless, transparent "life-crystals" that grow nowhere else. While the crystals extend the lives of those fortunate enough to own them, the trees they grow on drain the minds of the harvesters. When Lando arrives there, he picks up his robot, a five-limbed, Class Two Multiphasic named Vuffi Raa. But before he can track down the local sabacc game, Lando is arrested and hauled before the colony's thoroughly crooked governor, Duttes Mer. Mer and his cohort, Rokur Gepta, an evil Sorcerer of Tund, will let Lando keep his ship, his liberty—and his life—provided he finds and brings to them the coveted Mindharp, the legendary legacy of the mysteriously vanished Sharu civilization that once populated Rafa.
Lando has no choice—and ahead lies a treacherous, intrigued-filled adventure across strange orchards of life-crystals, through vast underground labyrinths, and, ultimately, into the heart of Sharu's bizarre secret...
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu
—From the dust jacket flaps
The Rafa system functions as a sort of penal colony, where unfortunate convicts are forced to harvest the priceless, transparent "life-crystals" that grow nowhere else. While the crystals extend the lives of those fortunate enough to own them, the trees they grow on drain the minds of the harvesters. When Lando arrives there, he picks up his robot, a five-limbed, Class Two Multiphasic named Vuffi Raa. But before he can track down the local sabacc game, Lando is arrested and hauled before the colony's thoroughly crooked governor, Duttes Mer. Mer and his cohort, Rokur Gepta, an evil Sorcerer of Tund, will let Lando keep his ship, his liberty—and his life—provided he finds and brings to them the coveted Mindharp, the legendary legacy of the mysteriously vanished Sharu civilization that once populated Rafa.
Lando has no choice—and ahead lies a treacherous, intrigued-filled adventure across strange orchards of life-crystals, through vast underground labyrinths, and, ultimately, into the heart of Sharu's bizarre secret...
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu
—From the dust jacket flaps
182 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
17 people are currently reading
1060 people want to read
About the author
L. Neil Smith
39 books69 followersL. Neil Smith was a Libertarian science fiction author and gun rights activist.Smith was born in Denver, Colorado.
Smith began publishing science fiction with “Grimm’s Law” for Stellar 5 (1980). He wrote 31 books, including 29 novels, and a number of essays and short stories. In 2016, Smith received the Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to libertarian science fiction.
He was editor of LEVER ACTION BBS [now defunct], founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, Secretary and Legislative Director of the Weld County Fish & Wildlife Association and an NRA Life Member.
Smith passed away on August 27, 2021 in Fort Collins, Colorado at age 75 after a lengthy battle with heart and kidney disease. Smith is survived by daughter Rylla Smith and wife Cathy Smith.
Smith began publishing science fiction with “Grimm’s Law” for Stellar 5 (1980). He wrote 31 books, including 29 novels, and a number of essays and short stories. In 2016, Smith received the Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to libertarian science fiction.
He was editor of LEVER ACTION BBS [now defunct], founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, Secretary and Legislative Director of the Weld County Fish & Wildlife Association and an NRA Life Member.
Smith passed away on August 27, 2021 in Fort Collins, Colorado at age 75 after a lengthy battle with heart and kidney disease. Smith is survived by daughter Rylla Smith and wife Cathy Smith.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
April 24, 2014
L. Neil Smith isn't a bad writer, and these stories aren't bad, but seemingly every decision made in their creation is totally nonsensical. We are establishing Lando's background in these stories: broadening his character, exploring his milieu, and giving him some touchstone adventures. But while we nominally start off with Lando doing his actual thing (gambling) and he occasionally returns to the sabacc table throughout the adventures, the central narrative is totally foreign to Lando. He doesn't know how to fly his ship, but he has all sorts of dogfights and narrow escapes. He's not a cargo hauler, or a smuggler, but he spends a lot of the series trying to make money carrying fancy goods. He's not a fighter and carries only a small 5-shot blaster, but there are tons of gunfights throughout.
In the movies, Han has Chewie, and you get the impression they are sort of independent operators. So in Daley's Han Solo Adventures, they work alone with Chewie as Han's sidekick. Lando, however, doesn't have much of an implicit backstory in the films. He has no partner (Lobot seems to be tied more to Cloud City than to Lando, which the EU bears out) and seems to have acquired Cloud City recently. So Smith has all the freedom in the world to develop a community, friends, a home, a mentor, a stomping grounds, habits, etc for Lando. Instead, we just get Vuffi Raa, who is basically just Lando's Chewie. He's a fine character, but he ends up standing in for far too many things. He teaches Lando to fly the ship and to appreciate the value of pacifism, he gives him an opportunity to expound his moral compass, he drives the plot along with his built-in set of enemies, and he's a deus ex machina for every skill Lando ever needs and any scrape he ever gets in. Not surprisingly, Vuffi Raa begins to feel like something of a Gary Stu. He's also an ancient alien artifact made of technologies no longer found in droid-making with correspondingly amazing abilities.
Speaking of ancient aliens with mysterious intentions, there are an awful lot of them in this series. The first of which are the Sharu. There is a very small bit of interesting Lovecraftian stuff going on with the Sharu. They have eldritch angles and incomprehensible geometries and space-time manipulating technologies beyond contemporary understanding. Their culture exists on another plane and they show no interest in interacting with lesser sentients. The central story device is neat enough, and leaves a nice opening to tie in to later ancient aliens like the Celestials and Rakatans, but Smith doesn't seem to know how to handle it. We're in the dark for 100 pages as Lando stumbles about trying to find a powerful artifact in mysterious ruins (which, again, is not really Lando's gig). Then, once the quest is duly completed, we are treated to a few pages of exposition, dense paragraphs of dialogue that explain everything that happened and why. At least it's short?
Given the number of roles Vuffi Raa plays, it's not surprising how few other characters of note populate these novels. Lando is a charmer, a man who succeeds by making friends and manipulating people to his ends. This presents endless opportunities for advancing the plot through dialogue, which would serve double-duty by characterizing other members of the cast and giving Lando some company. Smith plays him more like a strong, silent type, which is a total breach of character. So the best characters outside of the protagonists are Duttes Mer, a caricature of self-righteous officialdom dreamed up by Smith's libertarian predilections, and an unnamed guard. I was charmed by Phyll, the sabacc-playing “stalky, asymmetrical vegetable sentient.”
Annoying tics:
“Don't call me master!” - Lando says this at least once every page, lest we forget his staunch libertarian principles
“In another place and another time would have been called” to rationalize inclusion of Earth terms
“Core” as a curse-word. Huh? It's as if Lando doesn't want to swear, for some reason. Strange way to mince an oath, too.
Libertarianism, always
In the movies, Han has Chewie, and you get the impression they are sort of independent operators. So in Daley's Han Solo Adventures, they work alone with Chewie as Han's sidekick. Lando, however, doesn't have much of an implicit backstory in the films. He has no partner (Lobot seems to be tied more to Cloud City than to Lando, which the EU bears out) and seems to have acquired Cloud City recently. So Smith has all the freedom in the world to develop a community, friends, a home, a mentor, a stomping grounds, habits, etc for Lando. Instead, we just get Vuffi Raa, who is basically just Lando's Chewie. He's a fine character, but he ends up standing in for far too many things. He teaches Lando to fly the ship and to appreciate the value of pacifism, he gives him an opportunity to expound his moral compass, he drives the plot along with his built-in set of enemies, and he's a deus ex machina for every skill Lando ever needs and any scrape he ever gets in. Not surprisingly, Vuffi Raa begins to feel like something of a Gary Stu. He's also an ancient alien artifact made of technologies no longer found in droid-making with correspondingly amazing abilities.
Speaking of ancient aliens with mysterious intentions, there are an awful lot of them in this series. The first of which are the Sharu. There is a very small bit of interesting Lovecraftian stuff going on with the Sharu. They have eldritch angles and incomprehensible geometries and space-time manipulating technologies beyond contemporary understanding. Their culture exists on another plane and they show no interest in interacting with lesser sentients. The central story device is neat enough, and leaves a nice opening to tie in to later ancient aliens like the Celestials and Rakatans, but Smith doesn't seem to know how to handle it. We're in the dark for 100 pages as Lando stumbles about trying to find a powerful artifact in mysterious ruins (which, again, is not really Lando's gig). Then, once the quest is duly completed, we are treated to a few pages of exposition, dense paragraphs of dialogue that explain everything that happened and why. At least it's short?
Given the number of roles Vuffi Raa plays, it's not surprising how few other characters of note populate these novels. Lando is a charmer, a man who succeeds by making friends and manipulating people to his ends. This presents endless opportunities for advancing the plot through dialogue, which would serve double-duty by characterizing other members of the cast and giving Lando some company. Smith plays him more like a strong, silent type, which is a total breach of character. So the best characters outside of the protagonists are Duttes Mer, a caricature of self-righteous officialdom dreamed up by Smith's libertarian predilections, and an unnamed guard. I was charmed by Phyll, the sabacc-playing “stalky, asymmetrical vegetable sentient.”
Annoying tics:
“Don't call me master!” - Lando says this at least once every page, lest we forget his staunch libertarian principles
“In another place and another time would have been called” to rationalize inclusion of Earth terms
“Core” as a curse-word. Huh? It's as if Lando doesn't want to swear, for some reason. Strange way to mince an oath, too.
Libertarianism, always
May 7, 2017
I originally had this book as part of the most recent omnibus printing, but while browsing a used bookstore, I found all three of these (and the Han Solo Adventures!) in their original edition, and I had to have them. Not only did I remember seeing these books when I was a kid, but I'm also knocked out by that artwork. I mean, check it out! How can you not like that style?
Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the book itself. On the bright side, Aftermath is no longer the worst book I've read in the Expanded Universe, but reading this book was a bit of a chore. It's overwrought, it meanders, and it makes little sense. Plus, for a book that's supposed to be about Lando Calrissian, it does a terrible job capturing his character. The book opens with him playing a game of Sabacc (which, I should note, was introduced in this book), but then it develops into him being roped into an adventure where he has to find the Mindharp of Sharu, but even now, having just finished the book, I'm not sure I can tell you exactly what that is. Let's just call it what it is: a McGuffin.
I'm willing to give the book some leeway in how it approaches the EU (it was, after all, only the fifth novel written outside of the movies themselves), but there were parts of it that just didn't work in the universe. Namely, Smith refers to a lot of things in the universe with our names for them: trombones, air-conditioning, and needlepoint, to name just a few. He does make an effort to come up with new names for a few things ("coffeine" is one I recall), but for the most part, the book feels like it was written outside of Star Wars and then retconned back into place to make it fit his purposes.
Smith also has a penchant for alliteration. Take this example, from page two: "Oseon 2795 was a pocket of purity in a plutocrat's paradise." Upon reading it, my first thought was, "Really?", but later I had to tell myself, "Really.", because there was a sentence like that in at least every chapter. At one point, he has a character speak the line, with Lando commenting on it, but by then it was just annoying. It felt like Smith was trying too hard.
The plot is just barely there, as are the characters. Lando has a droid sidekick for most of the story, Vuffi Raa, who is actually the most realized character of the entire book. Lando's a bit puffed up, a bit too self-important, but not in the same way he was in the movies. Smith forgets to include the charm that Billy Dee Williams brought to the character, and like I said above, for a story that's supposed to tell Lando's backstory, it sure doesn't feel like the author captured the character well at all.
I said in the beginning that I was going to read all the EU books, and I still plan on doing so, but I can't say I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series. At the very least, I'll be prepared for them. I guess they can't get any worse, right?
Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the book itself. On the bright side, Aftermath is no longer the worst book I've read in the Expanded Universe, but reading this book was a bit of a chore. It's overwrought, it meanders, and it makes little sense. Plus, for a book that's supposed to be about Lando Calrissian, it does a terrible job capturing his character. The book opens with him playing a game of Sabacc (which, I should note, was introduced in this book), but then it develops into him being roped into an adventure where he has to find the Mindharp of Sharu, but even now, having just finished the book, I'm not sure I can tell you exactly what that is. Let's just call it what it is: a McGuffin.
I'm willing to give the book some leeway in how it approaches the EU (it was, after all, only the fifth novel written outside of the movies themselves), but there were parts of it that just didn't work in the universe. Namely, Smith refers to a lot of things in the universe with our names for them: trombones, air-conditioning, and needlepoint, to name just a few. He does make an effort to come up with new names for a few things ("coffeine" is one I recall), but for the most part, the book feels like it was written outside of Star Wars and then retconned back into place to make it fit his purposes.
Smith also has a penchant for alliteration. Take this example, from page two: "Oseon 2795 was a pocket of purity in a plutocrat's paradise." Upon reading it, my first thought was, "Really?", but later I had to tell myself, "Really.", because there was a sentence like that in at least every chapter. At one point, he has a character speak the line, with Lando commenting on it, but by then it was just annoying. It felt like Smith was trying too hard.
The plot is just barely there, as are the characters. Lando has a droid sidekick for most of the story, Vuffi Raa, who is actually the most realized character of the entire book. Lando's a bit puffed up, a bit too self-important, but not in the same way he was in the movies. Smith forgets to include the charm that Billy Dee Williams brought to the character, and like I said above, for a story that's supposed to tell Lando's backstory, it sure doesn't feel like the author captured the character well at all.
I said in the beginning that I was going to read all the EU books, and I still plan on doing so, but I can't say I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series. At the very least, I'll be prepared for them. I guess they can't get any worse, right?
September 30, 2025
Hard to understand who watches The Empire Strikes Back and then thinks, “What if that Lando guy had a inter-dimensional conversation with a hallway”.
March 18, 2021
It's a merciful thing that Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu is so short, because it is unflatteringly stupid. L. Neil Smith wrote the book, along with its two sequels, in a span of only about nine weeks in 1983, when the trilogy was subsequently published even as Return of the Jedi was unleashed to theaters across the world. One should give Smith credit where credit is due: to create three novels in nine weeks is nothing short of an incredible amount of output.
But that's where all praise for this godawful abomination of a Star Wars novel should end. Far from being an interesting, compelling contribution to the overall Star Wars canon as it existed in 1983, this novel is one of the most poorly structured, nonsensical pieces of absolute garbage literature in all of Star Wars media. It has some of the worst prose of any Star Wars novel out there, accompanied by a plot that is one part Willy Wonka, one part 2001: A Space Odyssey, no parts Billy Dee Williams, and all parts suck.
The most egregious problem of the novel is its total lack of structure. The book heaps on surrealist nonsense through about half of its total length, rising to a conclusion so totally rushed and unsatisfactory as to leave readers actually scratching their heads as to what the whole point of this gigantic dumpster fire of a novel was supposed to be.
Nevermind the fact that the book has virtually no seeming connection to the Star Wars universe it is supposed to be set in, the great majority of the book feels like sloppy '60s science fiction in all the worst ways. Its total lack of narrative cohesion--or anything even resembling a point as regards the development of its central character--prohibits it from even being considered a halfway decent non-Star Wars sci-fi novel. About the only element from Smith's adventure that fits into the established Lando Calrissian as we understand him from Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is his skill at the game of sabacc, but it's not nearly enough to forget about everything else in the novel.
Like the novel's imbecilic Toka peoples, I genuinely wish someone could stop by and suck out my ability to reason, because having to think any longer about this absolute abortion of a novel is driving me to extinction.
But that's where all praise for this godawful abomination of a Star Wars novel should end. Far from being an interesting, compelling contribution to the overall Star Wars canon as it existed in 1983, this novel is one of the most poorly structured, nonsensical pieces of absolute garbage literature in all of Star Wars media. It has some of the worst prose of any Star Wars novel out there, accompanied by a plot that is one part Willy Wonka, one part 2001: A Space Odyssey, no parts Billy Dee Williams, and all parts suck.
The most egregious problem of the novel is its total lack of structure. The book heaps on surrealist nonsense through about half of its total length, rising to a conclusion so totally rushed and unsatisfactory as to leave readers actually scratching their heads as to what the whole point of this gigantic dumpster fire of a novel was supposed to be.
Nevermind the fact that the book has virtually no seeming connection to the Star Wars universe it is supposed to be set in, the great majority of the book feels like sloppy '60s science fiction in all the worst ways. Its total lack of narrative cohesion--or anything even resembling a point as regards the development of its central character--prohibits it from even being considered a halfway decent non-Star Wars sci-fi novel. About the only element from Smith's adventure that fits into the established Lando Calrissian as we understand him from Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is his skill at the game of sabacc, but it's not nearly enough to forget about everything else in the novel.
Like the novel's imbecilic Toka peoples, I genuinely wish someone could stop by and suck out my ability to reason, because having to think any longer about this absolute abortion of a novel is driving me to extinction.
December 6, 2018
I review this novel with a large dose of nostalgia in tact and I will not apologize for that. As a kid, Lando was my favorite character in the Star Wars universe, so when I came across three books about Lando at a flea market, there was little doubt I was going to own the books.
Written before there was much to the Star Wars universe - before the prequels, in a time when the original trilogy and the holiday special made up much of the "universe," aside from a smattering of other media - the Droids and Ewoks cartoons, maybe, et cetera, this then was the "Wild West" of Star Wars novel writing. The idea of "Expanded Universe" - now the "Legends" idea - was non-existent as fans would come to know it. L. Neil Smith, then, creates much of the Star Wars universe that is forged into his Lando novels.
For the modern Star Wars purist, you'll find these to be hard artifacts to love, as many reviewers have noted. But for a kid in the 1980s who just loved Lando, it was great to return to this time, to engage in these books, and to have fun with them as I followed Lando in his solo adventures above the Millennium Falcon. Had not touched one of these books since probably 1992, but now, in 2018, burning through all three of them was fun, and a nostalgic trip to a different time in a galaxy far, far away.
Smith is a solid writer and little bits of his ideas even seem to pop up in Solo, so I had to give this another run through. For a Lando fan, this is fun and I'm glad I returned to it, even if it was with a solid knowledge that the review would be through the eyes of a nostalgic fan.
Written before there was much to the Star Wars universe - before the prequels, in a time when the original trilogy and the holiday special made up much of the "universe," aside from a smattering of other media - the Droids and Ewoks cartoons, maybe, et cetera, this then was the "Wild West" of Star Wars novel writing. The idea of "Expanded Universe" - now the "Legends" idea - was non-existent as fans would come to know it. L. Neil Smith, then, creates much of the Star Wars universe that is forged into his Lando novels.
For the modern Star Wars purist, you'll find these to be hard artifacts to love, as many reviewers have noted. But for a kid in the 1980s who just loved Lando, it was great to return to this time, to engage in these books, and to have fun with them as I followed Lando in his solo adventures above the Millennium Falcon. Had not touched one of these books since probably 1992, but now, in 2018, burning through all three of them was fun, and a nostalgic trip to a different time in a galaxy far, far away.
Smith is a solid writer and little bits of his ideas even seem to pop up in Solo, so I had to give this another run through. For a Lando fan, this is fun and I'm glad I returned to it, even if it was with a solid knowledge that the review would be through the eyes of a nostalgic fan.
May 19, 2019
****2.5 stars* ***
This was bad,but was fun enough to not be a thoroughly bad experience, there were some good moments here and there, but they are so scarce that you might as well not bother with at all.
I do think this author writes a lot better than Brian Daley, whose writing was a lot more dry and whose attempts at humor comes off a lot more worse than usual, but there were some memorable characters from his Han Solo books. This book does not have any characters like that yet, but the writing was a bit better and the humor works at times. Mind you, he still tries too hard, but only barely succeeds. There are still two more to go before I finish with this series. I don't know yet If I want to take a long break before I come back to those or maybe I should read them back to back so that I would be done with this shit just as faster. Because the Thrawn trilogy is waiting right on the horizon and I am dying to read those.
This was bad,but was fun enough to not be a thoroughly bad experience, there were some good moments here and there, but they are so scarce that you might as well not bother with at all.
I do think this author writes a lot better than Brian Daley, whose writing was a lot more dry and whose attempts at humor comes off a lot more worse than usual, but there were some memorable characters from his Han Solo books. This book does not have any characters like that yet, but the writing was a bit better and the humor works at times. Mind you, he still tries too hard, but only barely succeeds. There are still two more to go before I finish with this series. I don't know yet If I want to take a long break before I come back to those or maybe I should read them back to back so that I would be done with this shit just as faster. Because the Thrawn trilogy is waiting right on the horizon and I am dying to read those.
May 23, 2025
I hadn't read this book since it first came out in 1983 and I remembered absolutely nothing about it. After completing this, I can understand why.
Lando is written absolutely on point. In fact, this Lando absolutely matches the character seen in the film Solo. However, this book doesn't match up with what was shown in that movie, so the Legends marking upon this read makes sense.
Lando is flying about the galaxy, earning what he can in card games and finds himself on an outer world and presented before a local authority on trumped up charges. Just before that he finds himself in possession of a droid that is not fun, entertaining, or enjoyable. He is a stiffly written character named Vuffi Raa. I understood his necessity for being in the book (to provide someone for Lando to speak with and provide information periodically), but just found him annoying. Before the local authority he's given an ultimatum to find the Mindharp of Sharu or spend the rest of his life in prison harvesting life crystals. He takes a miniature of what he's searching for (it's the "key") and goes about trying to find where this artifact is.
What follows is clunky storytelling that starts and stops often, usually with Lando in danger or lost. The dialogue is also clunky, with Vuffi and a native having over the top cliche speech. The search for the artifact is more suited in the present day for Doctor Aphra and doesn't seem something that Lando would ever be involved with.
The book ends with the hero and his droid sidekick flying away, too suddenly to have any real sense of closure for the reader, with one antagonist practically shaking their fist and the pair's departure.
I liked Lando, but didn't care for anyone else. I'll read the remaining two books in this trilogy, but not as quickly as I thought.
Lando is written absolutely on point. In fact, this Lando absolutely matches the character seen in the film Solo. However, this book doesn't match up with what was shown in that movie, so the Legends marking upon this read makes sense.
Lando is flying about the galaxy, earning what he can in card games and finds himself on an outer world and presented before a local authority on trumped up charges. Just before that he finds himself in possession of a droid that is not fun, entertaining, or enjoyable. He is a stiffly written character named Vuffi Raa. I understood his necessity for being in the book (to provide someone for Lando to speak with and provide information periodically), but just found him annoying. Before the local authority he's given an ultimatum to find the Mindharp of Sharu or spend the rest of his life in prison harvesting life crystals. He takes a miniature of what he's searching for (it's the "key") and goes about trying to find where this artifact is.
What follows is clunky storytelling that starts and stops often, usually with Lando in danger or lost. The dialogue is also clunky, with Vuffi and a native having over the top cliche speech. The search for the artifact is more suited in the present day for Doctor Aphra and doesn't seem something that Lando would ever be involved with.
The book ends with the hero and his droid sidekick flying away, too suddenly to have any real sense of closure for the reader, with one antagonist practically shaking their fist and the pair's departure.
I liked Lando, but didn't care for anyone else. I'll read the remaining two books in this trilogy, but not as quickly as I thought.
March 12, 2019
[Book 22]
Ugh. This one was so boring. I wanted to like it and enjoy it really bad, but I just couldn't. I was told that the Lando Calrissian Trilogy was some of the wierdest storytelling in Star Wars and so far, Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu has lived up to that.
Lando seems kind of flat in this book. I think this is because they were trying to make him as similar to Han as possible. He also seemed to follow a story arc similar to Indiana Jones, which isn't a story arc I would assume Lando would go on.
The writing, similar to the Han Solo Adventures, is just boring. It perfectly encapsulates the writing style of the 70s and 80s science fiction, which I have trouble with. Thankfully, most sci-fi authors in the 90s fixed it.
Overall, pretty boring, but every book has value and I'm glad I read it, so 4.8 out of 10(normally would be 3.8 but I'm adding a point for being a classic)
Ugh. This one was so boring. I wanted to like it and enjoy it really bad, but I just couldn't. I was told that the Lando Calrissian Trilogy was some of the wierdest storytelling in Star Wars and so far, Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu has lived up to that.
Lando seems kind of flat in this book. I think this is because they were trying to make him as similar to Han as possible. He also seemed to follow a story arc similar to Indiana Jones, which isn't a story arc I would assume Lando would go on.
The writing, similar to the Han Solo Adventures, is just boring. It perfectly encapsulates the writing style of the 70s and 80s science fiction, which I have trouble with. Thankfully, most sci-fi authors in the 90s fixed it.
Overall, pretty boring, but every book has value and I'm glad I read it, so 4.8 out of 10(normally would be 3.8 but I'm adding a point for being a classic)
March 28, 2020
For 1983 it's a thrilling read. Though it has some drawbacks. For me, after reading Last Shot and Older's great personification of Lando in that Book I feel as though Smith here can't quite compare. Though obviously a newer novel has decades of material to draw on. I also felt as though the conclusion and climax were very rushed. Understandable considering its a pocket style novel but still it left the book lacking just a little.
April 1, 2018
What a hilariously pulpy, nostalgic ride. The entire novel seems to be L. Neil writing himself into corners and then introducing solutions in an irritated way just to please his editor.
February 14, 2023
Sometimes fun, clever, and pulpy; mostly ridiculous and boring. At times it seemed more Wonderland or Wonka-esque than Star Wars. A shame, with such great source material, to deviate so widely!
June 22, 2019
Star Wars Legends Project #204
Background: Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu was written by L. Neil Smith. It was published in July of 1983. It is the first of Smith's Lando Calrissian Adventures trilogy.
The Mindharp of Sharu takes place around 4 years before the battle of Yavin. The novel's timeline placement has been moved a few times, and it is currently set at 3-2 years BBY. This, however, is definitely wrong. The entire book (in fact, the entire trilogy) unquestionably takes place during the events of The Hutt Gambit (my review), which makes my placement correct. The main characters are Lando Calrissian and the droid Vuffi Raa, along with Rokur Gepta, the Sorcerer of Tund.
Summary: A series of gambling-related misadventures find Lando in the Rafa system to pick up Vuffi Raa, a droid he has just won in a game of Sabacc. Taken into custody on a made-up charge, Lando is presented with an offer he can't refuse: scour the system for the legendary Mindharp of Sharu, or lose his freedom. But the hunt proves much weirder and more surprising than even this beginning would suggest.
Review: There's a lot of latitude for Star Wars novels written before the EU-proper launched in the early '90s. These books often have an uncomfortable relationship with later established canon, they can lean heavily on earth idioms that were later replaced by more "Star Wars" style language, and there's just a lot of general weirdness that goes on. I can take all of that in stride.
The thing is, in this case, Smith is a bad writer with bad, stupid ideas and lame characters who converse in lousy dialogue. He tries to write Lando as the charming, suave, and witty character that he is in the movies, but it's beyond his power. Lando is smarmy, insecure, and unlikable. The jokes are repetitive. Literally. There's a running joke in this book that's repeated probably 30 or 40 times, and it isn't funny the first time.
You can tell even without doing any behind the scenes checking that Smith wanted Rokur Gepta to be a Dark Lord of the Sith, but was told no. So instead he made him a "Sorcerer of Tund," a sort of deeply-discounted bargain bin Sith Lord. Everyone seems really scared of him, but we never get a great idea as to why. Not that it much matters. He isn't a significant presence in the story beyond launching the premise, which makes no sense at all.
Beyond those complaints, the actual execution of the rest of the plot is . . . fine. It's super-weird and novel, so that's interesting at least. A lot of it feels like filler, but it also has an old-school sci-fi feel to it that is rare in Star Wars, and I like that aspect of it, even if the delivery is poor. This isn't good by any stretch of the imagination, but it's an interesting relic of '80s Star Wars product.
D
Background: Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu was written by L. Neil Smith. It was published in July of 1983. It is the first of Smith's Lando Calrissian Adventures trilogy.
The Mindharp of Sharu takes place around 4 years before the battle of Yavin. The novel's timeline placement has been moved a few times, and it is currently set at 3-2 years BBY. This, however, is definitely wrong. The entire book (in fact, the entire trilogy) unquestionably takes place during the events of The Hutt Gambit (my review), which makes my placement correct. The main characters are Lando Calrissian and the droid Vuffi Raa, along with Rokur Gepta, the Sorcerer of Tund.
Summary: A series of gambling-related misadventures find Lando in the Rafa system to pick up Vuffi Raa, a droid he has just won in a game of Sabacc. Taken into custody on a made-up charge, Lando is presented with an offer he can't refuse: scour the system for the legendary Mindharp of Sharu, or lose his freedom. But the hunt proves much weirder and more surprising than even this beginning would suggest.
Review: There's a lot of latitude for Star Wars novels written before the EU-proper launched in the early '90s. These books often have an uncomfortable relationship with later established canon, they can lean heavily on earth idioms that were later replaced by more "Star Wars" style language, and there's just a lot of general weirdness that goes on. I can take all of that in stride.
The thing is, in this case, Smith is a bad writer with bad, stupid ideas and lame characters who converse in lousy dialogue. He tries to write Lando as the charming, suave, and witty character that he is in the movies, but it's beyond his power. Lando is smarmy, insecure, and unlikable. The jokes are repetitive. Literally. There's a running joke in this book that's repeated probably 30 or 40 times, and it isn't funny the first time.
You can tell even without doing any behind the scenes checking that Smith wanted Rokur Gepta to be a Dark Lord of the Sith, but was told no. So instead he made him a "Sorcerer of Tund," a sort of deeply-discounted bargain bin Sith Lord. Everyone seems really scared of him, but we never get a great idea as to why. Not that it much matters. He isn't a significant presence in the story beyond launching the premise, which makes no sense at all.
Beyond those complaints, the actual execution of the rest of the plot is . . . fine. It's super-weird and novel, so that's interesting at least. A lot of it feels like filler, but it also has an old-school sci-fi feel to it that is rare in Star Wars, and I like that aspect of it, even if the delivery is poor. This isn't good by any stretch of the imagination, but it's an interesting relic of '80s Star Wars product.
D
January 4, 2021
From the back rooms of dive bars on Oseon 2795, where sabacc tables are lit by dinghy old fixtures whose light filters down through thick clouds of cigar smoke, to the pyramidion remnants of an ancient, lost culture on Rafa V, where the only trespassers in eons are ferried through a mind-bending maze of lost history... I don't know, man. I don't know. Was this book actually 4/5 stars? Maybe not quite so literally. This is classic 80s science-fantasy dime novel schlock. But this was the most fun I've had reading a Star Wars book possibly ever.
High art, this is not, the twists and turns are beyond ridiculous, but this just feels so good to read. Every page is dripping with so much personality, wit, and charm. The dialogue is sharp, the prose is goddamn hilarious, and our protagonist, Lando Calrissian himself, never ceases to impress, and only occasionally fails to keep his cool. What a way to kick off 2021, man. This wild romp of a page-turner is (almost) everything I'd ever ask for from a Star Wars novel.
High art, this is not, the twists and turns are beyond ridiculous, but this just feels so good to read. Every page is dripping with so much personality, wit, and charm. The dialogue is sharp, the prose is goddamn hilarious, and our protagonist, Lando Calrissian himself, never ceases to impress, and only occasionally fails to keep his cool. What a way to kick off 2021, man. This wild romp of a page-turner is (almost) everything I'd ever ask for from a Star Wars novel.
March 20, 2019
Neil Smith really turns Lando into and endearing character in this trilogy of Novels. I've read plenty of Star Wars books involving Lando, and never did his personality shine like they do in this book and the other two that follow. I really enjoyed his relationship with Vuffi Ra (his droid companion), I thought the chemistry was fantastic.
The only drawback was that these are really hardcore sci-fi and much less fantasy than most other Star Wars novels I've read. So the story was strange to say the least and unexpected. However, once I wrapped my head around what direction the author was headed in, it was much more enjoyable.
To conclude, the novel really thrives on the relationship between Lando and Vuffi and their friendship. The story was decent, I think it would be great for ppl really into the sci-fi genre, but I think the ratings overall are lower for the book because the story is such a departure from what most Star Wars fans are looking for.
The only drawback was that these are really hardcore sci-fi and much less fantasy than most other Star Wars novels I've read. So the story was strange to say the least and unexpected. However, once I wrapped my head around what direction the author was headed in, it was much more enjoyable.
To conclude, the novel really thrives on the relationship between Lando and Vuffi and their friendship. The story was decent, I think it would be great for ppl really into the sci-fi genre, but I think the ratings overall are lower for the book because the story is such a departure from what most Star Wars fans are looking for.
June 14, 2019
I enjoyed Lando written here as a suave, overconfident scoundrel. I thought his attitude was conveyed well through his demeanor and vocabulary.
I was a bit annoyed that he so obviously cut off one of the other characters repeatedly as they were about to reveal some very specific, relevant-to-plot information, and I'm a little unclear on how Lando figured the whole thing out despite not having this information.
The book has also caused me to re-examine the droid problem: proprietors are bigoted against droids because they won't let them in their establishments, but the very people who own sentient beings are not? What is the nature of owning another sentient, even one who is "programmed" to be owned?
Regardless, I quite enjoyed the book and will be finishing the next two in the trilogy soon.
I was a bit annoyed that he so obviously cut off one of the other characters repeatedly as they were about to reveal some very specific, relevant-to-plot information, and I'm a little unclear on how Lando figured the whole thing out despite not having this information.
The book has also caused me to re-examine the droid problem: proprietors are bigoted against droids because they won't let them in their establishments, but the very people who own sentient beings are not? What is the nature of owning another sentient, even one who is "programmed" to be owned?
Regardless, I quite enjoyed the book and will be finishing the next two in the trilogy soon.
February 3, 2020
What a weird adventure!
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu is bizarre. In a lot of ways, it doesn't mesh with Star Wars as we know it now. But it was still a good time. Lots of strange, trippy environments. Objects that constantly change shape and structures that distort space.
Lando himself still feels right, and has that charm and wit that I'd grown to expect from the movies. We get to see him as a smooth-talking gambler, and as a quick-thinking problem solver who can think his way out of many a deadly situation.
It's a great, lighthearted little romp starring my favorite scoundrel. I'm honestly really looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy. Mindharp definitely gets a recommendation from me!
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu is bizarre. In a lot of ways, it doesn't mesh with Star Wars as we know it now. But it was still a good time. Lots of strange, trippy environments. Objects that constantly change shape and structures that distort space.
Lando himself still feels right, and has that charm and wit that I'd grown to expect from the movies. We get to see him as a smooth-talking gambler, and as a quick-thinking problem solver who can think his way out of many a deadly situation.
It's a great, lighthearted little romp starring my favorite scoundrel. I'm honestly really looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy. Mindharp definitely gets a recommendation from me!
September 8, 2017
Probably the pulpiest of the old Star Wars novels. Seems like it has more in common with the adventures of old than it does with Star Wars. Nevertheless, I'm enjoying revisiting these older novels, as they represent a time when continuity and cannon were not taken too seriously.
May 8, 2015
1986 grade C
Star Wars novel
Star Wars novel
July 4, 2025
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu
Lando Calrissian has just recently obtained the Milennium Falcon. He’s unfamiliar with the layout, its design and equipment and not a very experienced pilot yet, although he’s starting to get the hang of it. He doesn’t really appreciate the Falcon yet either and thinks of eventually selling it. But as he reads through the flight manual and spends more time flying the ship, he begins to change his mind about it. He starts appreciating it. This story is all pre-Han Solo and Chewbacca. They aren’t in the picture yet (nor are they even mentioned).
The novel opens with Lando in a sabacc card game (which originated in this novel, actually) on the asteroid of Oseon. Oseon will return in Book 2 of this series. Lando views life like a game of sabacc. There’s a good scene early on where he’s brought before an alien governor and several tense moments within the scene are described as moments of “ante”, “raise” and “call” to illustrate Lando’s efforts to ‘play’ the governor much like he does people in sabacc. In that same scene, Lando, who had just been beat up and is in tattered clothing, lifts a fallen scrap of his clothes back up over his shoulder after it slips off. To maintain some dignity. A very Lando characteristic. Much like James Bond adjusting his cuff link in the train scene in Skyfall.
I’d read how many people found this novel terrible. While it has its quirks - it’s not terrible. There are many more earthly references here than you normally find in most other SW books: cops, stingrays, electric chairs, hicks, summer camps, cabs ,etc. This book is written as more of a 70’s/80’s sci-fi story than it is a Star Wars novel, in that sense. Perhaps it’s more of a 70’s style crime or heist drama in space, Star Wars style. Maybe there’s even shades of a kind of Lando Calrissian in a blaxploitation story in the SW universe. Regardless, it’s unique, that’s for sure.
But there are also some nice, simple, if brief, references to SW lore, too: the mynocks make an appearance, a reference to the Falcon having a history of breaking speed records (Kessel Run not mentioned by name here), a reference to “the late unlamented Republic”, Banthas, appropriating “Imperial funds”, and perhaps a few others.
Some unusual authorial choices, such as Lando wearing a gold-braided flight cap aren’t out-of-character, necessarily, as much as they are an author’s interpretation of how a younger Lando might have dressed. I buy it. It’s only mentioned once. It wasn’t what I would have personally thought of, but it fits a younger, debonair Lando with his flair for certain flashy apparel.
The relationship between Lando and his newly acquired droid friend Vuffi Raa is also unique (or was at the time). It reminds me now a bit of the relationship between Andor and his B2EMO droid on Ferrix at the beginning of the Andor series, or even K2SO.
Since Lando has generally had minimal character development in the films (even ROS wouldn’t fully commit to him having a daughter), this all makes for a somewhat fresh take on an otherwise underdeveloped character, written long before SW EU canon had even really gotten started. There may not be that much more development here but, much like Brian Daley’s Han Solo novels, it gives us more time with a character during a period of their life (roughly 10 years before he appears in The Empire Strikes Back) that we haven’t seen before. I rather enjoyed it for what it is.
If you approach this story with all the above in mind, temper your expectations accordingly, and especially recognize it as more sci-fi than Star Wars, you’ll have a fun time with this novel. The trip (or trippy journey) through the pyramid at the climax is worth the price of admission alone. And the escape at the end is classic Star Wars.
In the cluttered and sometimes confusing landscape of SW EU, Legends, sequels and prequels of today, it’s actually kind of nice to turn back the clock to a time when things were simpler in Star Wars and not fully defined yet. I’m looking forward to reading the other two books in this series.
A fun side note of SW lore: this adventure is mentioned in the “Solo” film when Lando references in his video diary that he encountered a race called Sharu.
Lando Calrissian has just recently obtained the Milennium Falcon. He’s unfamiliar with the layout, its design and equipment and not a very experienced pilot yet, although he’s starting to get the hang of it. He doesn’t really appreciate the Falcon yet either and thinks of eventually selling it. But as he reads through the flight manual and spends more time flying the ship, he begins to change his mind about it. He starts appreciating it. This story is all pre-Han Solo and Chewbacca. They aren’t in the picture yet (nor are they even mentioned).
The novel opens with Lando in a sabacc card game (which originated in this novel, actually) on the asteroid of Oseon. Oseon will return in Book 2 of this series. Lando views life like a game of sabacc. There’s a good scene early on where he’s brought before an alien governor and several tense moments within the scene are described as moments of “ante”, “raise” and “call” to illustrate Lando’s efforts to ‘play’ the governor much like he does people in sabacc. In that same scene, Lando, who had just been beat up and is in tattered clothing, lifts a fallen scrap of his clothes back up over his shoulder after it slips off. To maintain some dignity. A very Lando characteristic. Much like James Bond adjusting his cuff link in the train scene in Skyfall.
I’d read how many people found this novel terrible. While it has its quirks - it’s not terrible. There are many more earthly references here than you normally find in most other SW books: cops, stingrays, electric chairs, hicks, summer camps, cabs ,etc. This book is written as more of a 70’s/80’s sci-fi story than it is a Star Wars novel, in that sense. Perhaps it’s more of a 70’s style crime or heist drama in space, Star Wars style. Maybe there’s even shades of a kind of Lando Calrissian in a blaxploitation story in the SW universe. Regardless, it’s unique, that’s for sure.
But there are also some nice, simple, if brief, references to SW lore, too: the mynocks make an appearance, a reference to the Falcon having a history of breaking speed records (Kessel Run not mentioned by name here), a reference to “the late unlamented Republic”, Banthas, appropriating “Imperial funds”, and perhaps a few others.
Some unusual authorial choices, such as Lando wearing a gold-braided flight cap aren’t out-of-character, necessarily, as much as they are an author’s interpretation of how a younger Lando might have dressed. I buy it. It’s only mentioned once. It wasn’t what I would have personally thought of, but it fits a younger, debonair Lando with his flair for certain flashy apparel.
The relationship between Lando and his newly acquired droid friend Vuffi Raa is also unique (or was at the time). It reminds me now a bit of the relationship between Andor and his B2EMO droid on Ferrix at the beginning of the Andor series, or even K2SO.
Since Lando has generally had minimal character development in the films (even ROS wouldn’t fully commit to him having a daughter), this all makes for a somewhat fresh take on an otherwise underdeveloped character, written long before SW EU canon had even really gotten started. There may not be that much more development here but, much like Brian Daley’s Han Solo novels, it gives us more time with a character during a period of their life (roughly 10 years before he appears in The Empire Strikes Back) that we haven’t seen before. I rather enjoyed it for what it is.
If you approach this story with all the above in mind, temper your expectations accordingly, and especially recognize it as more sci-fi than Star Wars, you’ll have a fun time with this novel. The trip (or trippy journey) through the pyramid at the climax is worth the price of admission alone. And the escape at the end is classic Star Wars.
In the cluttered and sometimes confusing landscape of SW EU, Legends, sequels and prequels of today, it’s actually kind of nice to turn back the clock to a time when things were simpler in Star Wars and not fully defined yet. I’m looking forward to reading the other two books in this series.
A fun side note of SW lore: this adventure is mentioned in the “Solo” film when Lando references in his video diary that he encountered a race called Sharu.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2021
Stars: 2
Re-read: Leaning towards no.
Recommend for: Complete EU readers or people who really love Lando.
This book suffers from being one of the earliest Star Wars novels and there clearly wasn't much effort from the Star Wars management on making things consistent. Some of them are minor annoyances, like when Lando mentions dinosaurs or even worse, when someone is roasting a lizard, Lando says he might have to call the ISPCA. The worst was . This was the major problem in the book because it is so central to the entire plot.
My other major annoyance was characters would constantly interrupt somebody that was in the middle of telling them something critical to what they are about to do. It'd be something like:
Person 1: "So you're going to go in here and flip the switch, but be careful because..."
Person 2: "That's enough! I'm going to go do that now. Goodbye."
It was so annoying. I bet it happened at least five times.
There were a number of other silly things:
-They just had to have a droid deal with "bigoted" barkeepers keeping them out of bars.
-
-
-
The plot of the story started off pretty good, but kind of fell apart at the end.
I don't think Smith did a great job with Lando. If you would've taken his name out and asked who the character was, your only real clue would've been the gambling. This book just didn't seem to add anything to his backstory or reinforce the character you see in the movies.
The book ended up being pretty enjoyable, but unremarkable.
Re-read: Leaning towards no.
Recommend for: Complete EU readers or people who really love Lando.
This book suffers from being one of the earliest Star Wars novels and there clearly wasn't much effort from the Star Wars management on making things consistent. Some of them are minor annoyances, like when Lando mentions dinosaurs or even worse, when someone is roasting a lizard, Lando says he might have to call the ISPCA. The worst was . This was the major problem in the book because it is so central to the entire plot.
My other major annoyance was characters would constantly interrupt somebody that was in the middle of telling them something critical to what they are about to do. It'd be something like:
Person 1: "So you're going to go in here and flip the switch, but be careful because..."
Person 2: "That's enough! I'm going to go do that now. Goodbye."
It was so annoying. I bet it happened at least five times.
There were a number of other silly things:
-They just had to have a droid deal with "bigoted" barkeepers keeping them out of bars.
-
-
-
The plot of the story started off pretty good, but kind of fell apart at the end.
I don't think Smith did a great job with Lando. If you would've taken his name out and asked who the character was, your only real clue would've been the gambling. This book just didn't seem to add anything to his backstory or reinforce the character you see in the movies.
The book ended up being pretty enjoyable, but unremarkable.
July 15, 2020
Lando Calrissian is much cooler than Han Solo. It's obvious the first moment you see him onscreen in Empire. I remember as a young eight year old, sitting in the dark theater with a couple of friends (Empire came out in an era when eight year olds could go to movies without parental supervision. I think. Who can remember? That was so long ago and I'm not even sure my parents were my real parents and not kidnappers who snatched me when I was wandering the streets as a four year old. Things were so lax in the 70s!), thinking, "This Han Solo is the coolest mambo jambo in the entire world!" And then this guy in a cape...a frickin' cape!...appears and I was all, "Han Solo is a dumb jerk! This guy rules!" It was obvious to me that after Leia said "I love you" and then Han said "I know," Leia should have replied, "I was talking to Lando."
Some people don't think Lando was cooler than Han and I don't understand those people. But I have to admit, I thought the Lando books would be a cheap imitation of the Han books because Han was in three of the original Star Wars movies while Lando was only in two of them. I was happy to be wrong. This book was much more entertaining than the Han books even though it has a terrible title. Also, the chapters are only six to ten pages long which really improves the reading experience! It made me feel like I was reading at a 12th grade level!
I just Googled L. Neil Smith to see if he was still alive and he's apparently known as a "libertarian science fiction writer." So I want to change my review of this book. I hate it now. Although it was actually kind of entertaining. Except now that I think about it and having nothing to do with discovering that Smith was a libertarian at all, the parts where Lando and the robot grow and shrink was stupid. What was that about?! Maybe it was a metaphor for government out of control and political correctness gone mad?!
In summation, the book was entertaining but I can't recommend it now that I know that L. Neil Smith is one of those people who demand that people think they're rational but who aren't actually rational at all. Unless I've been mistaken all this time and what they want me to think they are is selfish. Because they are certainly that.
I'm still going to reread the next two books though. Especially since they were written in 1983 and nobody knew how to be an awful Libertarian back then. They were just terrible in a different way and liked to use phrases like "trickle down" and "Reaganomics." I hope the next two books aren't full of Reagan-era dog whistles!
Some people don't think Lando was cooler than Han and I don't understand those people. But I have to admit, I thought the Lando books would be a cheap imitation of the Han books because Han was in three of the original Star Wars movies while Lando was only in two of them. I was happy to be wrong. This book was much more entertaining than the Han books even though it has a terrible title. Also, the chapters are only six to ten pages long which really improves the reading experience! It made me feel like I was reading at a 12th grade level!
I just Googled L. Neil Smith to see if he was still alive and he's apparently known as a "libertarian science fiction writer." So I want to change my review of this book. I hate it now. Although it was actually kind of entertaining. Except now that I think about it and having nothing to do with discovering that Smith was a libertarian at all, the parts where Lando and the robot grow and shrink was stupid. What was that about?! Maybe it was a metaphor for government out of control and political correctness gone mad?!
In summation, the book was entertaining but I can't recommend it now that I know that L. Neil Smith is one of those people who demand that people think they're rational but who aren't actually rational at all. Unless I've been mistaken all this time and what they want me to think they are is selfish. Because they are certainly that.
I'm still going to reread the next two books though. Especially since they were written in 1983 and nobody knew how to be an awful Libertarian back then. They were just terrible in a different way and liked to use phrases like "trickle down" and "Reaganomics." I hope the next two books aren't full of Reagan-era dog whistles!
August 4, 2023
First, I'm being VERY generous for giving this two stars. It's not good. But there were some small moments of imaginative weirdness that piqued my interest. In essence, the Mindharp is a little Lovecraftian in that there are non-Euclidian angles and the key appears to be in different places at the same time. All that was pretty interesting. And Smith does nothing with any of it. It's all really just padding because this entire book felt like someone trying to rush their term paper the weekend before it's due -- I have two days to write a novel, cripes, I'll just write whatever comes to mind and forget editing!
And there really isn't much to this. We open on a game of sabacc which could have been interesting or tense, but they're letting Lando win so they can bait him to another planet to pick up a droid for the starship (the Falcon) that he doesn't really know how to pilot or seem to want. There's so much here that just feels wrong!
Anyway, there are a couple of very good reviews that point out the flaws and how bad this mostly is so I just wanted to add a few more thoughts...
Lando Calrissian: "Don't Call Me Master" should have been the title of this book because he drops this catchphrase in over a dozen times (no exaggeration) and it isn't funny once. But like an 80s sitcom character, Lando's forced to say the line in each episode (or chapter in this case).
Speaking of catch phrases, he keeps calling his droid, the poorly named Vuffi Raa (and almost all of the new characters are poorly named -- Gepta, Phuna, Vett Fori, ) different slang terms like tin can or can opener throughout. Never funny.
The plot is ridiculous and doesn't play to any of Lando's strengths. He's just forced to do one thing after another and never really does anything proactive. Fortunately, Vuffi Rah fixes everything for him along the way.
One positive - Lando's a terrible pilot and makes a poor landing when he first arrives to pick up his new droid. Later, when he leaves the planet, the control tower compliments him on his flawless takeoff -- which was all due to his new robot sidekick flying the ship for him. It was a small moment of enjoyment the book gave me, one of the few jokes that worked.
Wait, another positive. At one point, I noticed that every time I sat down to read this, it would make me sleepy. For almost ten nights, it helped me fall asleep. That may sound like I'm joking, but I'm not. This book was a sleep aid.
And there really isn't much to this. We open on a game of sabacc which could have been interesting or tense, but they're letting Lando win so they can bait him to another planet to pick up a droid for the starship (the Falcon) that he doesn't really know how to pilot or seem to want. There's so much here that just feels wrong!
Anyway, there are a couple of very good reviews that point out the flaws and how bad this mostly is so I just wanted to add a few more thoughts...
Lando Calrissian: "Don't Call Me Master" should have been the title of this book because he drops this catchphrase in over a dozen times (no exaggeration) and it isn't funny once. But like an 80s sitcom character, Lando's forced to say the line in each episode (or chapter in this case).
Speaking of catch phrases, he keeps calling his droid, the poorly named Vuffi Raa (and almost all of the new characters are poorly named -- Gepta, Phuna, Vett Fori, ) different slang terms like tin can or can opener throughout. Never funny.
The plot is ridiculous and doesn't play to any of Lando's strengths. He's just forced to do one thing after another and never really does anything proactive. Fortunately, Vuffi Rah fixes everything for him along the way.
One positive - Lando's a terrible pilot and makes a poor landing when he first arrives to pick up his new droid. Later, when he leaves the planet, the control tower compliments him on his flawless takeoff -- which was all due to his new robot sidekick flying the ship for him. It was a small moment of enjoyment the book gave me, one of the few jokes that worked.
Wait, another positive. At one point, I noticed that every time I sat down to read this, it would make me sleepy. For almost ten nights, it helped me fall asleep. That may sound like I'm joking, but I'm not. This book was a sleep aid.
July 11, 2019
Kind of fun, but also kind of a mess and occasionally nonsensical.
Lando Calrissian is strong-armed into hunting for a legendary artifact hidden in an impenetrable temple. Along for the ride is his sidekick, a starfish-like droid, and some old dude called Mohs.
The pros: Smith makes Calrissian a fun character, and when he's got gaming and gambling on the mind, the hero shines. The droid was fun, and the banter between it and Lando produced a few smiles. The concept of gigantic, planet-covering ruins was intriguing, and I generally enjoy a treasure hunt plot.
The cons: As much fun as Lando's character is to read (and to hear his voice in your head), the author peppers his speech with goofy nicknames for characters (especially the starfish droid) to the point that he's like Dr. Smith insulting the Robot on "Lost in Space." But, more disappointingly, the story kind of plods along, then accelerates, then goes into light speed and ends quite suddenly. I can't say everything wraps up nicely with a bow, either, because there's so many loose threads dangling by the end that I wondered if the author just got bored with his own story and wanted to wrap it up as quickly as possible. During the last quarter of the book, too, all sorts of goofy, nonsense happens—characters grow to Kong size, someone grows new eyes, the droid gets lost in a maze, a talking hall asks Lando look at its exhibits (but if he doesn't want to, no big deal), all without much rhyme or reason. I mean, I don't mind if wild and crazy things happen, but it just seemed like they happened to add to the book's word count. They did absolutely nothing for the story.
In a word: disappointing. Lando Calrissian deserves better than this.
Lando Calrissian is strong-armed into hunting for a legendary artifact hidden in an impenetrable temple. Along for the ride is his sidekick, a starfish-like droid, and some old dude called Mohs.
The pros: Smith makes Calrissian a fun character, and when he's got gaming and gambling on the mind, the hero shines. The droid was fun, and the banter between it and Lando produced a few smiles. The concept of gigantic, planet-covering ruins was intriguing, and I generally enjoy a treasure hunt plot.
The cons: As much fun as Lando's character is to read (and to hear his voice in your head), the author peppers his speech with goofy nicknames for characters (especially the starfish droid) to the point that he's like Dr. Smith insulting the Robot on "Lost in Space." But, more disappointingly, the story kind of plods along, then accelerates, then goes into light speed and ends quite suddenly. I can't say everything wraps up nicely with a bow, either, because there's so many loose threads dangling by the end that I wondered if the author just got bored with his own story and wanted to wrap it up as quickly as possible. During the last quarter of the book, too, all sorts of goofy, nonsense happens—characters grow to Kong size, someone grows new eyes, the droid gets lost in a maze, a talking hall asks Lando look at its exhibits (but if he doesn't want to, no big deal), all without much rhyme or reason. I mean, I don't mind if wild and crazy things happen, but it just seemed like they happened to add to the book's word count. They did absolutely nothing for the story.
In a word: disappointing. Lando Calrissian deserves better than this.
August 27, 2018
I read this in “The Lando Calrissian Adventures” collection and man was this tough to get through and honestly tough to review. As a Star Wars novel it’s near trash, but as a science fiction pulp novel it’s actually pretty decent. My main issue, I guess isn’t even really the author’s fault: at the time these novels were written there wasn’t much of a Star Wars universe or canon, that being said Smith had to invent not only the tone but a new section of this universe and it really shows. Part of the reason it took me so long to read this is because Lando would mention things like “cigarettes” or “coffine” and they would remind me of Earth so much I’d be taken out reading, even more so was how Lando acted and the adventure he was in— it just didn’t feel right. Lando in the films was suave but never was he over-alliterating and using overwhelmingly intelligent and articulate language but that’s his entire character here.
As far as the adventure itself, it felt like an adventure Flash Gordon or Captain Kirk would go on before the likes of Lando Calrissian. The sci-fi pulp feel most certainly made me think of Star Trek or even The Outer Limits before I could conceptually believe it existed in the Star Wars universe. Hell, “Death Trooper” and it’s zombies was more believable in the universe. But see if you take that away and accept it as just a science fiction novel from the 80s, it’s honestly not that bad. Has a few good twists and turns. Simply put, it’s a decent science fiction mystery adventure stuck within the confines of a Star Wars novel... and I fear this will be the same with the other two Lando novels and possibly even “The Han Solo Adventures.”
As far as the adventure itself, it felt like an adventure Flash Gordon or Captain Kirk would go on before the likes of Lando Calrissian. The sci-fi pulp feel most certainly made me think of Star Trek or even The Outer Limits before I could conceptually believe it existed in the Star Wars universe. Hell, “Death Trooper” and it’s zombies was more believable in the universe. But see if you take that away and accept it as just a science fiction novel from the 80s, it’s honestly not that bad. Has a few good twists and turns. Simply put, it’s a decent science fiction mystery adventure stuck within the confines of a Star Wars novel... and I fear this will be the same with the other two Lando novels and possibly even “The Han Solo Adventures.”
December 24, 2024
My Reading Log
Plot Summary
In Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu by L. Neil Smith, the smooth-talking gambler Lando Calrissian embarks on an unexpected quest in the Rafa system. Drawn in by a mysterious job offer, Lando teams up with his droid companion, Vuffi Raa, to uncover the legendary Mindharp, an artifact connected to the enigmatic and ancient Sharu civilization. The search plunges him into a world of danger, puzzles, and intergalactic intrigue as he navigates deadly traps, manipulative foes, and ancient secrets. The story showcases Lando’s charm, wit, and resourcefulness as he uncovers the mysteries of the Sharu.
Characters
Lando Calrissian - The dashing gambler and captain of the Millennium Falcon, always looking for the next big score.
Vuffi Raa - Lando’s loyal droid companion, who proves invaluable with his intelligence and versatility.
Rokur Gepta - A malevolent sorcerer and antagonist, manipulating events to his advantage.
Mister Mohs - A strange and enigmatic alien with ties to the Sharu, guiding Lando on his quest.
Sharu Civilization - An ancient and mysterious culture central to the story, shrouded in myth and legend.
Rafa System Residents - Various beings from the planets in the Rafa system, adding depth and danger to Lando’s journey.
Quotes
"Luck and charm only get you so far; after that, it’s all about survival." — Lando Calrissian
"The past holds more secrets than most can handle, and the Sharu’s past is no exception." — Mister Mohs
"Every treasure comes with a price, and the Mindharp’s is heavier than most." — Vuffi Raa
Plot Summary
In Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu by L. Neil Smith, the smooth-talking gambler Lando Calrissian embarks on an unexpected quest in the Rafa system. Drawn in by a mysterious job offer, Lando teams up with his droid companion, Vuffi Raa, to uncover the legendary Mindharp, an artifact connected to the enigmatic and ancient Sharu civilization. The search plunges him into a world of danger, puzzles, and intergalactic intrigue as he navigates deadly traps, manipulative foes, and ancient secrets. The story showcases Lando’s charm, wit, and resourcefulness as he uncovers the mysteries of the Sharu.
Characters
Lando Calrissian - The dashing gambler and captain of the Millennium Falcon, always looking for the next big score.
Vuffi Raa - Lando’s loyal droid companion, who proves invaluable with his intelligence and versatility.
Rokur Gepta - A malevolent sorcerer and antagonist, manipulating events to his advantage.
Mister Mohs - A strange and enigmatic alien with ties to the Sharu, guiding Lando on his quest.
Sharu Civilization - An ancient and mysterious culture central to the story, shrouded in myth and legend.
Rafa System Residents - Various beings from the planets in the Rafa system, adding depth and danger to Lando’s journey.
Quotes
"Luck and charm only get you so far; after that, it’s all about survival." — Lando Calrissian
"The past holds more secrets than most can handle, and the Sharu’s past is no exception." — Mister Mohs
"Every treasure comes with a price, and the Mindharp’s is heavier than most." — Vuffi Raa
September 8, 2022
Oseon 2795 a furnace in a furnace, the sabacc game played on a drab mining asteroid, sweat dripping down. While playing sabacc a discussion amongst players of the ancient ruins of Sharu greatly interested Lando when the word of mtreasures came up. The treasure it is said is an impenetrable, closed completely on all sides with a sign of an entryway and has been like that for a million years. Off to the Rafa system dressed out for a night on the town in blue satin trousers, white tunic and knee high bantha hide boots, Lando was looking for action. A small backroom, smoke filled atmosphere Lando was ready for another game of sabacc. He will take ownership of Vuffi Raa, a one metre tall droid with 5 tentacles and red eye. Lando will get in trouble with unlicensed cargo, concealed weapons and assaulting a police officer. The Toka have little or nothing in the way of social order. They gather for ritual chanting. The Sharu are superhumanoids that left all the structure in the Rafa and disappeared. (This story is so confusing and convoluted I don't know what is happening). Lando is given a mysterious key to unlock the mindharp of sharu and if he can will be given his beloved millinneum falcon and his freedom. While searching he will be stripped and tied to a tree. The freezing conditions forming ice on his body. He will escape, think about fashion before the commencement of frostbite and be saved by Vuffi Raa who is now his best friend. This is really only for Lando fans who want to gain some smaller details on this great character.
November 3, 2025
Admittedly, when the book was written there was little to base a pre-film characterization of Lando Calrissian on, but there’s something vaguely “non-Lando” about the character, here. Even given the slight screen time in the (to then) single film appearance (“Jedi” would have been forthcoming when this was being written, most likely) there is a smooth assuredness to the character (due, in part, to Billy Dee Williams’ performance) that is just lacking, here. I understand the impulse to tie him to the “Falcon”, but of all the “Star Wars” spin-off books, this trilogy feels the least true to how the character “feels” in the film.
The story is OK, and has some nifty bits of business, including some illusions to a race of “old ones” but it too feels vaguely .. more classic-general science fiction (dare I say “Star Trek”) than “Star Wars”. Even allowing for the character to be very young - by comparison to, say, where he might have been when the films picked him up, there is just weird sort of tonal disconnect to the movies; even with the droid - while some of the dialogue between the two has some nice moments, a lot of it (again) lacks that sort of polish that you’d expect from Lando, and is missing the sort of style that you’d expect see in the films.
There are worse “Star Wars” novels, by far, but also a great many that do a much better job of throwing you into the feeling of living in that galaxy, far, far away.
The story is OK, and has some nifty bits of business, including some illusions to a race of “old ones” but it too feels vaguely .. more classic-general science fiction (dare I say “Star Trek”) than “Star Wars”. Even allowing for the character to be very young - by comparison to, say, where he might have been when the films picked him up, there is just weird sort of tonal disconnect to the movies; even with the droid - while some of the dialogue between the two has some nice moments, a lot of it (again) lacks that sort of polish that you’d expect from Lando, and is missing the sort of style that you’d expect see in the films.
There are worse “Star Wars” novels, by far, but also a great many that do a much better job of throwing you into the feeling of living in that galaxy, far, far away.
April 8, 2022
"I liked it." - 3 out of 5 star rating.
I have mixed feelings about Lando as a character. He has swag, he is cunning, he is a gambler, swindler, and lives on the edge with his infamous Sabacc card playing ... where he often cheats.
Han Solo, which is essentially Lando's primary rival, at least has some sort of code of honor. He returned to fight with the Rebels, he loved Leia, he even loved his son who was a Sith Lord and never gave up on little Ben.
Lando on the other hand, bottom line, he is a betrayer. He sold out the team on Bespin, and I can never forgive him for that. Honestly, whatever happened to the right of that event, doesn't matter. No forgiveness here. He literally did a deal with the closest living being in existence to a parallel to 'the Devil' himself, Darth Vader.
This book, isn't a bad book. It is actually pretty good, especially for its age too being written in the early 80's. Even with the the weather opener, which made me laugh, I say again this is a good book. It's fun, its light, lots of Sabacc, and the typical expectation of what you think of with Lando from the movies.
Even with my great dislike for the characters betrayal, I still enjoyed it. Even typing this, I admit it's kind of funny how upset I am at a fictional character from a galaxy far, far away... but this is 100% about how I feel about Lando.
I have mixed feelings about Lando as a character. He has swag, he is cunning, he is a gambler, swindler, and lives on the edge with his infamous Sabacc card playing ... where he often cheats.
Han Solo, which is essentially Lando's primary rival, at least has some sort of code of honor. He returned to fight with the Rebels, he loved Leia, he even loved his son who was a Sith Lord and never gave up on little Ben.
Lando on the other hand, bottom line, he is a betrayer. He sold out the team on Bespin, and I can never forgive him for that. Honestly, whatever happened to the right of that event, doesn't matter. No forgiveness here. He literally did a deal with the closest living being in existence to a parallel to 'the Devil' himself, Darth Vader.
This book, isn't a bad book. It is actually pretty good, especially for its age too being written in the early 80's. Even with the the weather opener, which made me laugh, I say again this is a good book. It's fun, its light, lots of Sabacc, and the typical expectation of what you think of with Lando from the movies.
Even with my great dislike for the characters betrayal, I still enjoyed it. Even typing this, I admit it's kind of funny how upset I am at a fictional character from a galaxy far, far away... but this is 100% about how I feel about Lando.
October 23, 2018
I was ready to really dislike this. Looking at the back and seeing the bio of the author as a prominent anarcho-capitalist, socially conservative libertarian, immediately put me on the defensive. Fortunately this story doesn't really reflect much of that political position, and ends up being an enjoyable adventure novel.
Set before the events in the movies, while Lando still owns the Millennium Falcon and goes around gambling and swindling, he meets a droid, Vuffi Raa, and they go on an adventure in a weird system attempting to recover a lost artifact: the mindharp of the title.
This is a very early Star Wars novel, before this all there was in terms of novels were the movie novelizations and the Han Solo trilogy. As such, much of the content contradicts stuff which is later canonical, Lando smokes cigarettes and drinks coffee (called coffeine), and plenty of other references are a bit too close to our universe to make much sense in a different galaxy in the distant past. However both Lando and Vuffi are compelling characters, with Vuffi being clearly influential in the depiction of Lando's droid L3-37 in the recent Han Solo film. Fun stuff, two more Lando stories to go, I hope he doesn't go into some kind of minarchist diatribe.
Set before the events in the movies, while Lando still owns the Millennium Falcon and goes around gambling and swindling, he meets a droid, Vuffi Raa, and they go on an adventure in a weird system attempting to recover a lost artifact: the mindharp of the title.
This is a very early Star Wars novel, before this all there was in terms of novels were the movie novelizations and the Han Solo trilogy. As such, much of the content contradicts stuff which is later canonical, Lando smokes cigarettes and drinks coffee (called coffeine), and plenty of other references are a bit too close to our universe to make much sense in a different galaxy in the distant past. However both Lando and Vuffi are compelling characters, with Vuffi being clearly influential in the depiction of Lando's droid L3-37 in the recent Han Solo film. Fun stuff, two more Lando stories to go, I hope he doesn't go into some kind of minarchist diatribe.
December 16, 2019
I love Star Wars, I love depictions of sabacc, and I enjoy Lando as a character, but this kickoff to the Lando Calrissian trilogy really is bizarre (and if memory serves, that doesn't really change in later installments).
Smith is more concerned with the cleverness of his spatial descriptions and his somewhat obtuse homemade race (the Toka/Sharu) than he seems to have been with a real universe tie-in and character development for Lando. The big "payoff" about the Sharu and the Mindharp at the end of the book is abrupt, and really not very dramatic. By that point, the reader is ready for Lando to stop being maneuvered by things outside his control and...well, go have an adventure.
There's just not a lot of Lando being Lando here. Sure, he probably believably like the spastically responsible, intuitive gambler/playboy that he's presented as elsewhere in the EU, but nothing about this book really compliments him or plays to his strengths. Watching him get in on a con, swindle someone out of a fortune, or go on a youthful gambling tear would have been a lot more exciting than getting arrested on trumped-up charges and going on a dubious "Treasure hunt".
Worth a read for completionists, but definitely not for anyone else.
Smith is more concerned with the cleverness of his spatial descriptions and his somewhat obtuse homemade race (the Toka/Sharu) than he seems to have been with a real universe tie-in and character development for Lando. The big "payoff" about the Sharu and the Mindharp at the end of the book is abrupt, and really not very dramatic. By that point, the reader is ready for Lando to stop being maneuvered by things outside his control and...well, go have an adventure.
There's just not a lot of Lando being Lando here. Sure, he probably believably like the spastically responsible, intuitive gambler/playboy that he's presented as elsewhere in the EU, but nothing about this book really compliments him or plays to his strengths. Watching him get in on a con, swindle someone out of a fortune, or go on a youthful gambling tear would have been a lot more exciting than getting arrested on trumped-up charges and going on a dubious "Treasure hunt".
Worth a read for completionists, but definitely not for anyone else.
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