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Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures #1-3
The Han Solo Adventures: Star Wars Legends
Han Solo soars again--in this awesome trilogy of his extraordinary exploits. Ride with him as he rides to the rescue, narrowly escapes certain death, and foils evil in its ruthelss tracks!
From the Paperback edition.
From the Paperback edition.
608 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
296 people are currently reading
1763 people want to read
About the author
Brian Daley
47 books97 followersBrian was born in Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey on Dec. 22, 1947. A blizzard kept him and his mother at the hospital over Christmas, and the nurses sang "Away in a Manger" to them.
His middle name is Charles. He grew up in Rockleigh, NJ. His mother's name was Myra and his father's name was Charles. He has an older brother, David, and a younger sister, also named Myra. He had no children of his own, but he was always great with his two nieces and four nephews.
He went to Nathan Hale Elementary School in Norwood, NJ, and a consolidated High School - Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, NJ.
Brian loved to read, drive his '74 Corvette Stingray, spend summers with me on Martha's Vineyard, and travel to wild and exotic places like the jungles of Guatemala and Mexico, and the mountains of Nepal.
He said he wanted to write from an early age, about third grade. He also read a LOT of science fiction as a kid, and that inspired him.
After he graduated from high school in 1965 he joined the army and went to Vietnam for a year's tour of duty. Then he went to Berlin, Germany.
After the army he went to Jersey City State College, majoring in media. While attending college and working as a waiter at a local steak house, he also wrote his first novel, Doomfarers of Coromande. Del Rey Books accepted it and started him on his writing career. The editor picked Brian's manuscript out of the "slush" pile (unsolicited manuscripts) because it was the most neatly typed, but it wasn't accepted right away. The editor made Brian do a lot of re-writing.
When the first STAR WARS movie came out Brian saw it, and he was elated. He said he came out of the theater fundamentally changed. His editor asked which character he would like to write about for a movie-related novel. Brian said he picked Han Solo because Han was the only one who made a moral decision... he started out on the wrong side of the law, but joined with the good guys. And to tell you the truth, Brian was a whole lot like Han, a maverick.
He died of pancreatic cancer in February of 1996. He had just turned 49. He wrote the adaptation for National Public Radio drama THE RETURN OF THE JEDI while he was undergoing chemotherapy. He died at his house in Maryland the night the Jedi radio cast was toasting him at their wrap party, having finished the taping of the shows that day.
When they posted the notice of his death, messages began coming in from all over the world. The gist of them was that his passing created a "disturbance in the Force."
Brian Daley's first novel, The Doomfarers of Coramonde, was published on the first Del Rey list in 1977. It was an immediate success, and Brian went on to write its sequel, The Starfollowers of Coramonde, and many other successful novels: A Tapestry of Magics, three volumes of The Adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh, and, under the shared pseudonym 'Jack McKinney', ten and one half of the twenty-one Robotech novels. He first conceived of the complex GammaL.A.W. saga in Nepal, in 1984, and worked on its four volumes for the next twelve years, finishing it shortly before his death in 1996.
His middle name is Charles. He grew up in Rockleigh, NJ. His mother's name was Myra and his father's name was Charles. He has an older brother, David, and a younger sister, also named Myra. He had no children of his own, but he was always great with his two nieces and four nephews.
He went to Nathan Hale Elementary School in Norwood, NJ, and a consolidated High School - Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, NJ.
Brian loved to read, drive his '74 Corvette Stingray, spend summers with me on Martha's Vineyard, and travel to wild and exotic places like the jungles of Guatemala and Mexico, and the mountains of Nepal.
He said he wanted to write from an early age, about third grade. He also read a LOT of science fiction as a kid, and that inspired him.
After he graduated from high school in 1965 he joined the army and went to Vietnam for a year's tour of duty. Then he went to Berlin, Germany.
After the army he went to Jersey City State College, majoring in media. While attending college and working as a waiter at a local steak house, he also wrote his first novel, Doomfarers of Coromande. Del Rey Books accepted it and started him on his writing career. The editor picked Brian's manuscript out of the "slush" pile (unsolicited manuscripts) because it was the most neatly typed, but it wasn't accepted right away. The editor made Brian do a lot of re-writing.
When the first STAR WARS movie came out Brian saw it, and he was elated. He said he came out of the theater fundamentally changed. His editor asked which character he would like to write about for a movie-related novel. Brian said he picked Han Solo because Han was the only one who made a moral decision... he started out on the wrong side of the law, but joined with the good guys. And to tell you the truth, Brian was a whole lot like Han, a maverick.
He died of pancreatic cancer in February of 1996. He had just turned 49. He wrote the adaptation for National Public Radio drama THE RETURN OF THE JEDI while he was undergoing chemotherapy. He died at his house in Maryland the night the Jedi radio cast was toasting him at their wrap party, having finished the taping of the shows that day.
When they posted the notice of his death, messages began coming in from all over the world. The gist of them was that his passing created a "disturbance in the Force."
Brian Daley's first novel, The Doomfarers of Coramonde, was published on the first Del Rey list in 1977. It was an immediate success, and Brian went on to write its sequel, The Starfollowers of Coramonde, and many other successful novels: A Tapestry of Magics, three volumes of The Adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh, and, under the shared pseudonym 'Jack McKinney', ten and one half of the twenty-one Robotech novels. He first conceived of the complex GammaL.A.W. saga in Nepal, in 1984, and worked on its four volumes for the next twelve years, finishing it shortly before his death in 1996.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
October 30, 2025
If you are a Star Wars freak fan like me, you will probably enjoy this book, which is actually three novels in one.
Brian Daley wrote these in the late-70s, pre-"Empire Strikes Back", so there is little to none of the Lucas mythology. (I recall reading these in middle school as three separately published paperbacks which I still own. They are in fair condition. A bit dog-eared, but readable. I'm sure they are collector's items, but I don't think I can give them up...)
They're basically Han Solo's solo adventures, prior to the events of "A New Hope", before Solo joined the rebellion. Not as good as the more recent A.C. Crispin series, but they are still entertaining. Quick, pulpy reads.
Brian Daley wrote these in the late-70s, pre-"Empire Strikes Back", so there is little to none of the Lucas mythology. (I recall reading these in middle school as three separately published paperbacks which I still own. They are in fair condition. A bit dog-eared, but readable. I'm sure they are collector's items, but I don't think I can give them up...)
They're basically Han Solo's solo adventures, prior to the events of "A New Hope", before Solo joined the rebellion. Not as good as the more recent A.C. Crispin series, but they are still entertaining. Quick, pulpy reads.
July 12, 2016
"The Free-Flight Dance Dome was a first-class trough. It was equipped with a top-of-the-line gravity field, its console visible among the bottles, spigots, and taps, and other paraphernalia encircled by the bar. The field permitted the management to alter gravity anywhere on the premises, and so the dance floor and the dome over it had become a low-gee acrobatic playground in which singles, couples, and groups looped, floated, and spun with effortless grace. Han also spotted individual booths and tables where species from low-gravity worlds were taking their ease in comfort, the specific gravity of their area having been lowered for them."
I'm sorry, book. It's not you, book, it's me.
This promised fun but instead the story got lost on me. I just could not get interested in it.
It was all: gun smuggling, blah, blah, battle scene, blah, blah, quipping with female, blah, blah, getting attached to droid, blah blah...
I have no idea what I read. However, I am putting this down to the fact that sci-fi just is not my bag. At all. Not interested.
This edition contains three stories / books, but I only read At Stars' End, as part of a bingo challenge.
I'm sorry, book. It's not you, book, it's me.
This promised fun but instead the story got lost on me. I just could not get interested in it.
It was all: gun smuggling, blah, blah, battle scene, blah, blah, quipping with female, blah, blah, getting attached to droid, blah blah...
I have no idea what I read. However, I am putting this down to the fact that sci-fi just is not my bag. At all. Not interested.
This edition contains three stories / books, but I only read At Stars' End, as part of a bingo challenge.
January 8, 2015
This is a collection of three stories based on the character Han Solo. These take place before episode IV and their intent is to show how Han slowly becomes the character we see in the first movie. He is a smuggler who supposedly only cares about himself and Chewbacca but he finds himself in situations where he is helping others.
This was one of the first books written after Star Wars: A New Hope. Therefore, we did not have over a handful of movies, two different cartoon series, and hundreds of books. This situation is what made this book enjoyable. It had a nostalgic feeling to it and it brought me back to my childhood. It was as if I was 7 years old again and just watched the first movie in the theaters. Sure, the writing is not the strongest and the tie-in with the rest of the whole universe is weak. I think the word "Empire" and "stormtrooper" was mentioned a total of three times. But this book accomplished what it was suppose to do. It relayed its message about everyone's favorite nerf herder as a free spirit who spans the galaxy being selfish and out for number one but in reality he is a hero.
If you are looking for an adventure novel that has an old time feeling of a radio serialized show this is that book. It is a fun adventure that does not have ramifications to the whole universe.
This was one of the first books written after Star Wars: A New Hope. Therefore, we did not have over a handful of movies, two different cartoon series, and hundreds of books. This situation is what made this book enjoyable. It had a nostalgic feeling to it and it brought me back to my childhood. It was as if I was 7 years old again and just watched the first movie in the theaters. Sure, the writing is not the strongest and the tie-in with the rest of the whole universe is weak. I think the word "Empire" and "stormtrooper" was mentioned a total of three times. But this book accomplished what it was suppose to do. It relayed its message about everyone's favorite nerf herder as a free spirit who spans the galaxy being selfish and out for number one but in reality he is a hero.
If you are looking for an adventure novel that has an old time feeling of a radio serialized show this is that book. It is a fun adventure that does not have ramifications to the whole universe.
November 21, 2011
I feel like I'm one of the few that actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was written just a year or two after the first film came out, so I find it rather neat the authors perspective of the Star Wars universe before there really was one. You don't read too much about the characters and species mention here in other books, but there are a lot of little things that continue to be used in the SWU. This book is three short novels of Han and Chewy's exploits before they became involved with the rebellion. They spend most of their time in the Corporate sector and there isn't much mention of the empire and whatnot. The stories are entertaining and I like reading about Han and Chewy, so it made for a good read.
March 4, 2009
Don’t get excited, Han Solo. It’s not like I called you a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder. I simply gave this book about you three stars. Don’t get me wrong – I really enjoyed the book (three books in one, really). It’s just that your books are up against some real classics like Jane Eyre and A Tale of Two Cities and Hamlet… (What’s that? You’ve never heard of them? Well, they were written a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.)
These books are just what I’d expect from you, Han Solo: rollicking adventures stories about a guy just trying to make a (dis)honest living. There are equipment malfunctions, double-crosses, misunderstandings, seduction (you’re saving the real romance for a certain princess, I know), and lots and lots of explosions. It’s everything we’ve come to expect from you, Han, and that’s just the way we like it.
To be honest, though, you don’t tackle the big issues, and you lack the depth of the classics. But there’s no shame in that. Quite frankly, I think Jude, the Obscure is a five-star classic, but I doubt I’ll ever read it again. It’s just so darn depressing. These books about you, Han? I’ll be coming back to read them whenever I could use a little more scoundrel in my life.
These books are just what I’d expect from you, Han Solo: rollicking adventures stories about a guy just trying to make a (dis)honest living. There are equipment malfunctions, double-crosses, misunderstandings, seduction (you’re saving the real romance for a certain princess, I know), and lots and lots of explosions. It’s everything we’ve come to expect from you, Han, and that’s just the way we like it.
To be honest, though, you don’t tackle the big issues, and you lack the depth of the classics. But there’s no shame in that. Quite frankly, I think Jude, the Obscure is a five-star classic, but I doubt I’ll ever read it again. It’s just so darn depressing. These books about you, Han? I’ll be coming back to read them whenever I could use a little more scoundrel in my life.
June 7, 2021
Back with another early relic among Star Wars novels, The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley was published 1979-80, and this isn’t my first encounter with it. I attempted to read this collection for the first time years ago, and honestly all I remember about it is thinking that it was very retro and cheesy, and I gave up on it pretty quickly. Since I’m in the process of rethinking my Expanded Universe collection, I decided I should give this one another shot, and so here I am again.
Both The Han Solo Adventures and The Lando Calrissian Adventures set their three stories in states that are client, allied, or independent of the Empire, I assume because the authors didn’t have the go ahead at this early stage to mess with the lore of the Empire itself. But they try to evoke the underdog feel of the original films by making these interstellar bodies just as greedy, ruthless, and corrupt as the Empire. It’s this impetus that enables Han to perform his role of law-defying scoundrel with a heart of gold as he and Chewbacca set out to make some illicit credits in the Corporate Sector.
In the first story, Han Solo at Star’s End, the two smugglers are roped into their do-gooding, as they often are in pre-Battle of Yavin days, by necessity and a severe cash flow problem. The Millennium Falcon urgently needs an upgrade, and Solo lacks the credits to cover all the work. Urgency is added by the local authority bearing down, and they don’t care who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. Leading a truly precarious existence and barely scraping by, Han’s initial truculence to any suggestion to stick his neck on the line is driven by the need to protect what little he already has – his own life, the life of his best friend, and the preservation of their home and livelihood, the Falcon. But once he gets going, and faced with enough callous selfishness from the authorities, and nothing will stop him from helping old friends and even complete strangers to earn their freedom and deliver payback. The Lando Calrissian stories were much more focused on wit, cunning, and exploration of sci fi themes and concepts like outlandish alien technology and the mysterious disappearance of ancient civilisations. Han Solo Adventures are less about discovery and exploration, and more about thrilling action sequences. Oh, they too contain wit and cunning, but Han’s brand is of the fast-thinking, shoot-first variety.
Considering that each story is shorter than a standard novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of plot and character development, but Daley manages to stick the landing, in my opinion. The plots are surprisingly complex, with Han and Chewie having to deal with sudden reversals, unknown traitors, and unexpected reveals often enough to keep things exciting and unpredictable, and there’s just enough page space to give decent development to new characters with their own clearly defined agenda. I liked Jessa, Atuarre, Pakka, Fiolla, and even warmed up a little bit to Bollux and Blue Max, annoying and cutesy though I thought them to be upon first introduction.
The second story, Han Solo’s Revenge, is unusual in that Han and Chewie aren’t roped into things, but decide to seek vengeance against a slaver ring. It’s a mix of motivations; of course Han and Chewie don’t stand for this sort of thing, it’s at the core of both characters and their lifelong friendship. But it’s mixed in with much more selfish sentiment – the need to pay back those who would seize the Millennium Falcon, and a huge credit pay-out. The second masks the altruistic first, which again is classic Han Solo. There’s a lot of interested agents and double crosses to keep this one interesting, but on occasion certain plot twists seemed a little too convenient. Overall a decent story though.
For me it was the third story, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, which lost me, in which Han and cohorts seek the long-lost treasure of Xim the Despot in the Tion Hegemony. I didn’t feel the urge to pick it up as often, so it’d be two or three days between reading sessions, and I quite frequently forgot the details of what was happening and where things had left off. The initial pitch of the main quest, so to speak, was rather confusing and just didn’t grab me. I did feel that there were echoes of Return of the Jedi here, in the ‘sacrifices of a primitive tribe’ section, but given when the book was written it’s actually more likely that the influence was the other way around and the film took inspiration for that scene from this book.
Han Solo at Star’s End: 7 out of 10.
Han Solo’s Revenge: 6 out of 10.
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy: 5 out of 10.
A mixed bag of decently enjoyable and slightly subpar tales, resulting in an overall mediocre score. Honestly, in the end the final story brought the whole experience down for me, and I just can’t see the necessity of holding on to this book, both in terms of essential events/character arcs or in terms of fantastic writing. It’s just okay. And in the end that’s why I’m letting it go.
6 out of 10
April 29, 2014
The Han Solo Adventures penned by Brian Daley were the first "spin-off" novels allowed by Lucas and the Star Wars Franchise. Daley saw Star Wars and, like many of us, instantly fell in love with the story.
For me, Star Wars was alot like watching the old black and white Harol Flynn movies of pirates and Spanish Galleons, treachery and swashbuckling heroes. Always a beautiful compatriot in the mix and crazy hair raising stunts born out of deaparation that only comes with a band of heroes up against an overwhelming force that's blessed with a little luck.
The first book introduces some characters from the Clone Wars animated series, though, they existed here first, and gives us some idea of what Han was like before he met Laya and Luke and became emeshed in the revolution against the Empire. Jess, the black market tech-creator-seller and one time romantic interested for Solo, but not so much anymore joins forces with the smuggler...okay, hires the mercenary smuggler to find out what's happening to the underworld figures that do more than break laws.
We get a glimpse of where Solo came from.
We also get to find out that a very tall tower can be put into space... by accident... if power is rerouted to certain systems... (ahem) and why wookies don't fly single small fighters.
The next story pits Han against slavers, and a skip chaser looking to claim the Falcon because "somebody" hasn't been making the payments. Han teams up with a wonderful character, a lady, who isn't a fan of pirates either. Yet, since she is a corporate type, can she be trusted?...well...hmm..
Lastly the good old fashioned treasure hunt, with pirates and huge sentient seals that battle over teamster union rights and long shoreman. Blasters abound, adventure, old friends and yet another wonderful story about Han that nobody would know about otherwise.
These three stories are lots of fun. They are told in the spirit of the movies, and, like all books, have room for so much more detail. They take place before the first movie (likely between 3 and 4 (Four being the first made). Solo is well done, and the stories are funny. In the Daley tradition, a new story is preceded by an anecdotal tale and I particularly like the intro-tale in the second story. Solo's a better pilot than he is a business man.
Chewie is interesting, and ferocious. As in the movies, he grunts growls and chortles and, those who speak wookie talk back whilie we get no idea what he really said. These stories are fun, completely in the spirit of the first three movies and do a wonderful job of adventuring with Han Solo.
Worth the time reading, if you are a Star Wars friend, if not, ...well...they are still fun stories. Solo is dashing after all and the characters are all well done and endearing.
For me, Star Wars was alot like watching the old black and white Harol Flynn movies of pirates and Spanish Galleons, treachery and swashbuckling heroes. Always a beautiful compatriot in the mix and crazy hair raising stunts born out of deaparation that only comes with a band of heroes up against an overwhelming force that's blessed with a little luck.
The first book introduces some characters from the Clone Wars animated series, though, they existed here first, and gives us some idea of what Han was like before he met Laya and Luke and became emeshed in the revolution against the Empire. Jess, the black market tech-creator-seller and one time romantic interested for Solo, but not so much anymore joins forces with the smuggler...okay, hires the mercenary smuggler to find out what's happening to the underworld figures that do more than break laws.
We get a glimpse of where Solo came from.
We also get to find out that a very tall tower can be put into space... by accident... if power is rerouted to certain systems... (ahem) and why wookies don't fly single small fighters.
The next story pits Han against slavers, and a skip chaser looking to claim the Falcon because "somebody" hasn't been making the payments. Han teams up with a wonderful character, a lady, who isn't a fan of pirates either. Yet, since she is a corporate type, can she be trusted?...well...hmm..
Lastly the good old fashioned treasure hunt, with pirates and huge sentient seals that battle over teamster union rights and long shoreman. Blasters abound, adventure, old friends and yet another wonderful story about Han that nobody would know about otherwise.
These three stories are lots of fun. They are told in the spirit of the movies, and, like all books, have room for so much more detail. They take place before the first movie (likely between 3 and 4 (Four being the first made). Solo is well done, and the stories are funny. In the Daley tradition, a new story is preceded by an anecdotal tale and I particularly like the intro-tale in the second story. Solo's a better pilot than he is a business man.
Chewie is interesting, and ferocious. As in the movies, he grunts growls and chortles and, those who speak wookie talk back whilie we get no idea what he really said. These stories are fun, completely in the spirit of the first three movies and do a wonderful job of adventuring with Han Solo.
Worth the time reading, if you are a Star Wars friend, if not, ...well...they are still fun stories. Solo is dashing after all and the characters are all well done and endearing.
September 18, 2023
I absolutely loved the tone, pace and sense of sly wonder in these short novels when I first encountered them ages ago, and I rate them accordingly even if the "mature" thing should be going back to more critically reassess their literary merits.
But I ain't got time for that jazz. And Han and Chewie will always rock.
Of the three, "Han Solo at Stars End" is probably my favourite and the best standalone space caper, but the quieter moments of "Revenge" and "Lost Legacy" were also great at building on Solo's established space rogue with a heart of gold persona, and at establishing his close bond with Chewbacca. Also, the introduction of the gunslinging Gallandro as a serious recurring antagonist was great.
But I ain't got time for that jazz. And Han and Chewie will always rock.
Of the three, "Han Solo at Stars End" is probably my favourite and the best standalone space caper, but the quieter moments of "Revenge" and "Lost Legacy" were also great at building on Solo's established space rogue with a heart of gold persona, and at establishing his close bond with Chewbacca. Also, the introduction of the gunslinging Gallandro as a serious recurring antagonist was great.
April 3, 2009
Not bad. Not good, but not bad.
Writing early fan fiction, just after the debut of what we now call Episode Four, Brian Daley wrote decent, if uninspired space opera using the bare bones of Han Solo and Chewbacca's persona from the first Star Wars movie. "Jedi" is mentioned once in three tales. The Empire about once per story. And no other SW character than Han and Chewy appear, other than a single closing reference to Jabba the Hutt.
It isn't even very good science fiction: repeatedly Daley falls back on the old saw of having his futuristic heroes stumble into "ancient" and "antique" technologies strongly reminiscent of the late Twentieth Century.
Three stories for the price of one is about right for this book.
Writing early fan fiction, just after the debut of what we now call Episode Four, Brian Daley wrote decent, if uninspired space opera using the bare bones of Han Solo and Chewbacca's persona from the first Star Wars movie. "Jedi" is mentioned once in three tales. The Empire about once per story. And no other SW character than Han and Chewy appear, other than a single closing reference to Jabba the Hutt.
It isn't even very good science fiction: repeatedly Daley falls back on the old saw of having his futuristic heroes stumble into "ancient" and "antique" technologies strongly reminiscent of the late Twentieth Century.
Three stories for the price of one is about right for this book.
October 13, 2010
I don't know how Brian Daly got involved in writing a series of prequel books featuring the adventures of Han Solo and his wookie partner but he was the perfect man for the job. Each of these books is distinguished by fast paced action, snappy dialog and old fashioned cliffhanger plotting to keep the reader interested. I read these as a teenager and liked them very much and then read them again after 30 years as an an adult and I was very pleased to see that my memory was not playing me false and they were as well-written and enjoyable as I remembered. With spin-off books like this the quality really depends on the talent of the author who gets the gig and Brian Daly did a fantastic job. I was sad to hear of his passing from cancer...R.I.P
April 30, 2012
I recently bought this omnibus edition for my kindle as my original paperbacks from way back when are hiding in a box somewhere. While re-reading the books brought back the same enjoyment that I remember from when I first read them back in the 1980's, a couple of annoying and possibly even deliberate spelling mistakes in the kindle edition did detract from my enjoyment. So, if anyone is thinking about buying the kindle version then I'd suggest thinking twice and perhaps picking up the paperback instead. Other than that I think Brian Daley did a great job with these adventures in the Star Wars universe and would have liked to see more.
November 15, 2009
Almost no connection to the movies, besides Han and Chewbacca are the heroes, but all three books are great bits of space opera.
Lots of fun and adventure.
I think 'At Stars End' is the best of the three.
Lots of fun and adventure.
I think 'At Stars End' is the best of the three.
March 5, 2012
A great novel that fills in the gaps about Han Solo's origins.
March 20, 2012
Witty, entertaining and action-packed! This book is like having Han Solo tell you his story as it happens. This one's hard to let go!
July 26, 2025
After “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye”, “The Han Solo Adventures” were the next published books that helped form what became Star Wars’ Expanded Universe (these days called “Legends”). The trilogy of short books is about some of Han’s and Chewbacca’s escapades before joining the Rebel Alliance. Like Alan Dean Foster, Brian Daley had a Herculean task of expanding on George Lucas’ vision but having only one film to draw on, so basically had to create more of the Star Wars universe from scratch. The result is a set of very pulpy adventure stories which despite some flaws and being somewhat incongruent with both Canon and Non Canon Star Wars content, are frankly a real blast.
“Han Solo At Star’s End”: Kicking things off is a tale of Han and Chewie infiltrating an infamous prison “Star’s End”. Admittedly this opener was a bit rocky, juggling a lot of different storylines (Han and Chewie gunrunning, Han engaged in an aerial dogfight, finding a traitor, disguising their team as an acting troupe, etc.) before they even got to the prison. Most of it did feel very touch and go at times with some difficulty getting back into the story after taking a break. Yet all the same, this felt exactly like the fun and pulpy adventure I was hoping this series would be. The opening chapter alone of Han and Chewie delivering weapons to a resistance band (with Han getting more invested in them than he’d otherwise care to be) and then escaping the authorities honestly nailed the tone of the original Star Wars movie and Han’s personality at that point in life. Also I liked the moments that show Han’s leadership abilities, something the movies hadn’t done yet. So in general the story, while flawed, and its depiction of Han won me over.
“Han Solo’s Revenge”: The second story opens on a weird note with Han and Chewie opening a movie theater but accidentally creating a religion based on the film they were showing. Not really the best opening and really felt non-Star Wars-y. The subsequent conflict of Han and Chewie almost getting press-ganged into being slavers and their subsequent hunt for those that set them up is much more interesting. While the portions about Chewie on his own are weaker (i.e., an entire chapter devoted to him making an impromptu hang glider didn’t do much for me), the Han chapters are fun. It’s around this point that I feel like Daley found his groove with the series and managed to start “getting” Star Wars, be it replicating elements Lucas had made (the returning Bollux and Blue Max make for effective C3PO and R2D2 stand-ins) or predicting what Lucas would do (Gallandro being a proto-Boba Fett style rival of Han’s and Odumin pulling a Yoda-esque plot twist). Despite some imperfections, this one felt like an improvement in every way on the first book.
“Han Solo and the Lost Legacy”: Wrapping things up is a story where Han and Chewie are brought into the search for the lost treasure ship of legendary pirate Xim the Despot. Despite the pirate focus, this is not really “Skeleton Crew”, but maybe more along the lines of Indiana Jones. Honestly besides laying the groundwork for the EU to come, the adventures almost feels like a predecessor for Lucasfilm's later Indiana Jones work (Harrison Ford’s lead going to exotic locales for an adventure, book three’s treasure focus, a new love interest each entry, etc.). The Indy comparisons are fun but overall the story is the most disjointed of the three stories and it was a bit hard to keep track of it all at times. The Loch Ness Monster style aliens were a bit out there (seemed more like something from a fantasy series or the “Star Wars Holiday Special”). Nonetheless there’s a climatic battle with ancient battle droids, a showdown with Gallandro, a twist on the treasure, and a nice enough summation of Han and Chewie’s life. Truthfully this felt like the “Return of the Jedi” of this trilogy, bringing things to a satisfactory enough close but not being as good as the previous two entries.
“The Han Solo Adventures” may not be worthy enough to be a Star Wars movie style story (more like a set of TV episodes) but the collection has enough going for it to be very low stakes but entertaining stand-alone Star Wars tales. The collection has the early installment weirdness that Splinter of the Mind’s Eye had in the franchise’s early days, but there’s a much more charm to it all. Plus some of what Daley ended up being picked up by other Star Wars creators and used throughout both Star Wars continuities like the Corporate Sector and the Z-95 Headhunter ship. Also after doing some research it turns out the Disney Han Solo centric movie included a reference to Xim the Despot (his skull is seen among Dryden Vos’ office decorations) and Bollux appears in a Solo-related book where he alludes to the events of Star’s End. So it's cool to see they ended up being influential. So regardless of their weaknesses, The Han Solo Adventures were a very nice surprise to read.
“Han Solo At Star’s End”: Kicking things off is a tale of Han and Chewie infiltrating an infamous prison “Star’s End”. Admittedly this opener was a bit rocky, juggling a lot of different storylines (Han and Chewie gunrunning, Han engaged in an aerial dogfight, finding a traitor, disguising their team as an acting troupe, etc.) before they even got to the prison. Most of it did feel very touch and go at times with some difficulty getting back into the story after taking a break. Yet all the same, this felt exactly like the fun and pulpy adventure I was hoping this series would be. The opening chapter alone of Han and Chewie delivering weapons to a resistance band (with Han getting more invested in them than he’d otherwise care to be) and then escaping the authorities honestly nailed the tone of the original Star Wars movie and Han’s personality at that point in life. Also I liked the moments that show Han’s leadership abilities, something the movies hadn’t done yet. So in general the story, while flawed, and its depiction of Han won me over.
“Han Solo’s Revenge”: The second story opens on a weird note with Han and Chewie opening a movie theater but accidentally creating a religion based on the film they were showing. Not really the best opening and really felt non-Star Wars-y. The subsequent conflict of Han and Chewie almost getting press-ganged into being slavers and their subsequent hunt for those that set them up is much more interesting. While the portions about Chewie on his own are weaker (i.e., an entire chapter devoted to him making an impromptu hang glider didn’t do much for me), the Han chapters are fun. It’s around this point that I feel like Daley found his groove with the series and managed to start “getting” Star Wars, be it replicating elements Lucas had made (the returning Bollux and Blue Max make for effective C3PO and R2D2 stand-ins) or predicting what Lucas would do (Gallandro being a proto-Boba Fett style rival of Han’s and Odumin pulling a Yoda-esque plot twist). Despite some imperfections, this one felt like an improvement in every way on the first book.
“Han Solo and the Lost Legacy”: Wrapping things up is a story where Han and Chewie are brought into the search for the lost treasure ship of legendary pirate Xim the Despot. Despite the pirate focus, this is not really “Skeleton Crew”, but maybe more along the lines of Indiana Jones. Honestly besides laying the groundwork for the EU to come, the adventures almost feels like a predecessor for Lucasfilm's later Indiana Jones work (Harrison Ford’s lead going to exotic locales for an adventure, book three’s treasure focus, a new love interest each entry, etc.). The Indy comparisons are fun but overall the story is the most disjointed of the three stories and it was a bit hard to keep track of it all at times. The Loch Ness Monster style aliens were a bit out there (seemed more like something from a fantasy series or the “Star Wars Holiday Special”). Nonetheless there’s a climatic battle with ancient battle droids, a showdown with Gallandro, a twist on the treasure, and a nice enough summation of Han and Chewie’s life. Truthfully this felt like the “Return of the Jedi” of this trilogy, bringing things to a satisfactory enough close but not being as good as the previous two entries.
“The Han Solo Adventures” may not be worthy enough to be a Star Wars movie style story (more like a set of TV episodes) but the collection has enough going for it to be very low stakes but entertaining stand-alone Star Wars tales. The collection has the early installment weirdness that Splinter of the Mind’s Eye had in the franchise’s early days, but there’s a much more charm to it all. Plus some of what Daley ended up being picked up by other Star Wars creators and used throughout both Star Wars continuities like the Corporate Sector and the Z-95 Headhunter ship. Also after doing some research it turns out the Disney Han Solo centric movie included a reference to Xim the Despot (his skull is seen among Dryden Vos’ office decorations) and Bollux appears in a Solo-related book where he alludes to the events of Star’s End. So it's cool to see they ended up being influential. So regardless of their weaknesses, The Han Solo Adventures were a very nice surprise to read.
April 2, 2025
Star Wars: Legends: The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley
adventurous challenging funny reflective tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are main focus? Yes
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, but sadly it lacked a lot of the story beats that I usually like in Star Wars novels.
Yes, it had Han Solo, Chewbacca and even Lando Calrissian, but for some reason I wasn't totally attached to the stories.
I was connected as much to experience them with the characters, but I wasn't as invested in them as I feel I should've been.
I will now be picking up the Dark Forces trilogy, starting with 01 Soldier for the Empire by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams. May the Force be with us. Right?
adventurous challenging funny reflective tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are main focus? Yes
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, but sadly it lacked a lot of the story beats that I usually like in Star Wars novels.
Yes, it had Han Solo, Chewbacca and even Lando Calrissian, but for some reason I wasn't totally attached to the stories.
I was connected as much to experience them with the characters, but I wasn't as invested in them as I feel I should've been.
I will now be picking up the Dark Forces trilogy, starting with 01 Soldier for the Empire by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams. May the Force be with us. Right?
February 7, 2025
See my updates for some periodic thoughts. Book 3, , easily gets the lowest mark for me at 2/5 stars. I just couldn’t get into it at all, but that may also be attributable to my insanely busy schedule and present inability to actually focus on a story without worrying about everything else on my plate.
Overall, I’ll round up give the 3-book run a satisfactory 3/5 stars. I do think that Daley nailed Han and Chewie, and that’s the most important thing. Aside from having those two to play with, he had to create all new characters and plots that wouldn’t interfere with what Lucas was rolling out at the time. That deserves recognition.
Overall, I’ll round up give the 3-book run a satisfactory 3/5 stars. I do think that Daley nailed Han and Chewie, and that’s the most important thing. Aside from having those two to play with, he had to create all new characters and plots that wouldn’t interfere with what Lucas was rolling out at the time. That deserves recognition.
December 26, 2020
5 stars for the Stars' End story and 1-2 stars for the other couple of stories. This would have been better as just putting the 1st one as an add on to another novel or in an anthology.
February 8, 2016
Read early in my exposure to the Extended Universe. At the time I had a job that often left me as the sole occupant of the office without a lot to do but wait for the phone to ring or someone to drop by, so I brought this book to keep me company. I don't remember many specific details, but I enjoyed the adventures and thought the stories filled in some of Han and Chewie's earlier timeline well.
January 23, 2013
Wile it doesn't bear much resemblance to later Star Wars expanded universe novels, the Han Solo Adventures are still fun sci-fi adventure novels. They play out more like old adventure serials than contemporary Star Wars novels, but that sort of fits the milieu of the original film. So, while they don't quite work as Star Wars novels, they're still a heckuva lot of fun!
March 26, 2014
Badass book. Who doesn't like Han Solo running rough shod over the galaxy taking no prisoners? If you expect this to be Dante, War and Peace, or something of that sort, well you're obviously going to be disappointed. Enjoy it for what it is; even Colt 45 has it's 5 Star Moments.
March 1, 2009
Brian Daley wrote a novel about Han Solo's adventures before he meet Luke, Obi-Wan and Leia and joined the Rebellion. Stories about a man og extreme luckiness.
August 2, 2011
A fun read with lots of action; this action is described in such detail that it's as if the book is trying to make you literally see it like a movie.
October 8, 2018
HAN SOLO AT STARS' END
Going solely off the cheesy cover art, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was just another lame tie-in novel from the 1970's, probably written to sucker pre-adolescents out of their allowance money. The reality, though, is that HAN SOLO AT STAR'S END is actually a legit sci-fi novel with a fun plot, great concepts, clever writing, and terrific world-building. Even the character development is decent, and Brian Daley is especially good at making all Han Solo's dialog seem completely Harrison Ford-esque. No, the story details don't really gel with actual STAR WARS canon, but who cares about canon now that it's being determined by a bunch of Disney execs? I'm 98% certain that Disney would've been better off to simply adapt this novel into next year's Han Solo "solo" movie rather than starting over from scratch. I seriously doubt director Ron Howard will be able to give us anywhere near the bang for our buck that HAN SOLO AT STARS' END provides.
HAN SOLO'S REVENGE
I continue to be impressed with this trilogy, especially considering how long ago it was written. Any single chapter of this book contains more fun, more excitement, and more pure STAR WARS than the entire 2-hour running time of Disney's SOLO. Why Disney decided to start over from scratch instead of licensing some of these old novels is completely beyond me.
HAN SOLO'S REVENGE is almost good as Book #1 of the trilogy, except for the fact that the story threads don't tie together very well at the end. There's also a distinct lack of revenge, title be damned.
I also could have lived without the part where Chewie uses a pterodactyl's corpse as a hang glider. But whatever.
Minor criticisms aside, Brain Daley was obviously the perfect choice to be writing the Han Solo character and expanding the STAR WARS universe back in 1979 while fans waited for a follow-up to A NEW HOPE. This book is everything that a Han Solo standalone adventure should be, not to mention a great way to further build upon the events of HAN SOLO AT STAR'S END.
HAN SOLO AND THE LOST LEGACY
Though somewhat goofier and less impressive than the previous installments, HAN SOLO AND THE LOST LEGACY is nonetheless a solid STAR WARS novel that brings Brian Daley's trilogy to a satisfying close. Along the way, we learn how Han got the scar on his chin, and how all that trouble with Jabba the Hutt got started.
For better or worse, this book feels ahead of its time. It contains shades of the INDIANA JONES movies and George Lucas' Prequel trilogy, yet it predates RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK by at least a year. Whereas the previous two Han Solo outings were legitimate high-quality sci-fi novels, THE LOST LEGACY is content to be a typical pulp adventure story--an enjoyable enough romp, but not something that would wow casual readers. There's more action in this one, but also more action-adventure cliches, and you get the sense it was written more hastily. Brian Daley's writing is definitely above average for this sort of thing, but the plot itself is pure comic book.
Going solely off the cheesy cover art, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was just another lame tie-in novel from the 1970's, probably written to sucker pre-adolescents out of their allowance money. The reality, though, is that HAN SOLO AT STAR'S END is actually a legit sci-fi novel with a fun plot, great concepts, clever writing, and terrific world-building. Even the character development is decent, and Brian Daley is especially good at making all Han Solo's dialog seem completely Harrison Ford-esque. No, the story details don't really gel with actual STAR WARS canon, but who cares about canon now that it's being determined by a bunch of Disney execs? I'm 98% certain that Disney would've been better off to simply adapt this novel into next year's Han Solo "solo" movie rather than starting over from scratch. I seriously doubt director Ron Howard will be able to give us anywhere near the bang for our buck that HAN SOLO AT STARS' END provides.
HAN SOLO'S REVENGE
I continue to be impressed with this trilogy, especially considering how long ago it was written. Any single chapter of this book contains more fun, more excitement, and more pure STAR WARS than the entire 2-hour running time of Disney's SOLO. Why Disney decided to start over from scratch instead of licensing some of these old novels is completely beyond me.
HAN SOLO'S REVENGE is almost good as Book #1 of the trilogy, except for the fact that the story threads don't tie together very well at the end. There's also a distinct lack of revenge, title be damned.
I also could have lived without the part where Chewie uses a pterodactyl's corpse as a hang glider. But whatever.
Minor criticisms aside, Brain Daley was obviously the perfect choice to be writing the Han Solo character and expanding the STAR WARS universe back in 1979 while fans waited for a follow-up to A NEW HOPE. This book is everything that a Han Solo standalone adventure should be, not to mention a great way to further build upon the events of HAN SOLO AT STAR'S END.
HAN SOLO AND THE LOST LEGACY
Though somewhat goofier and less impressive than the previous installments, HAN SOLO AND THE LOST LEGACY is nonetheless a solid STAR WARS novel that brings Brian Daley's trilogy to a satisfying close. Along the way, we learn how Han got the scar on his chin, and how all that trouble with Jabba the Hutt got started.
For better or worse, this book feels ahead of its time. It contains shades of the INDIANA JONES movies and George Lucas' Prequel trilogy, yet it predates RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK by at least a year. Whereas the previous two Han Solo outings were legitimate high-quality sci-fi novels, THE LOST LEGACY is content to be a typical pulp adventure story--an enjoyable enough romp, but not something that would wow casual readers. There's more action in this one, but also more action-adventure cliches, and you get the sense it was written more hastily. Brian Daley's writing is definitely above average for this sort of thing, but the plot itself is pure comic book.
September 22, 2019
I’m a sucker for Star Wars novels, especially the older ones, and these three didn’t disappoint (much). Exciting, fast-paced romps through a hostile galaxy are exactly what I needed just now, and these 1979-80 novels are all the more impressive for how little canon they had to work with when Daley wrote them. Lots of world-building got mixed in with the action and Daley did well at it. I tried to ignore a bunch of what I assume were sloppy/hasty edits (like when Solo tells a woman what he’s worried about, when she asked, but then a paragraph later the narrator says she was the one who was worried and Solo figured out why), and the lack of accuracy in the second book’s title, but they chipped off points for me.
(I have published a longer review on my website.)
October 18, 2022
The Han Solo Adventures make me miss the original books that we would get before the prequel trilogy and sequel trilogy. Brian Daley captured Han from the original trilogy without doubt. He also brought forth some amazing characters that I'm sad we don't have now. I found myself wanting to see Bollux and Blue Max as well as Skynx (even though we only got him for the final installment). It's refreshing to go back to the Legends Series and read some of the great stories that are no longer canon.
Definitely a must read for Star Wars fans of Han Solo!
Definitely a must read for Star Wars fans of Han Solo!
July 26, 2023
I enjoyed this book a lot. Han Solo is one of my top favorite Star Wars characters, and I thought the author captured his essence very well. The book was an easy read, I loved all the descriptions of the space creatures and aliens and all the different planets and lifestyles that make Star Wars great. It’s also interesting to see a Star Wars perspective written before the original trilogy was finished. Love the original Star Wars vibes. ☺️🥰
October 20, 2018
The first and last stories weren’t very good. The second story is a solid four stars and I liked it a lot. But I don’t really want yo read this again, which is sad, because Han Solo is my favorite character in Star Wars. The Han Solo trilogy by A C Crispin is way better than this. I would rather recommend that to people. This just wasn’t for me, and it’s frustrating that I can’t figure out why.
August 28, 2018
Han Solo at Stars' End (Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures, #1)
by Brian Daley
This is the first book of a Trilogy it will stand out in the annals of the Star Wars Legends. Although I personally think it should be canon. This story looks on how Han Solo changed the world he lived in by finding his humanity in others. He finds that a dear friend has been kidnapped. Which starts a debacle that Han Solo is mainly the reason that everything is blowing up. What I would describe most about the book is how Han Solo attempts to solve his problems in the most spectacular way, he is the kind of man that would make a mountain out of a molehill and not get the reason why. He tends to make situations far worse than they should be, just by rushing into things not thinking them through. When I described the story to my daughter I told her about the conundrum that Han got himself and Chewy in, she laughed and said yep that is how I see him doing things. Brian Daley captures the essence of the character that women have fallen for since the first movie. The gorgeous rouge who just goes with his guts, and finds that his loyalty will always cause him problems. Thank you Brian for giving us a story we can chuckle at still admire the character that is the legend, Han Solo. Now onto the next book in the series.
Han Solo's Revenge (Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures, #2)
by Brian Daley
How Han Solo seeked to change events in his world, but found so many things in his way. Han Solo low on money after a failed adventure, in need of replacement parts for the Falcon too a job no questions asked. The start of many problems for a man although a smuggler who has values. Han is faced with slavers, at gunpoint they attempt to make him participate in the forced kidnapping labor or a group of technological aliens. With his ship barely functioning and problems with his crew, as Bullox is restrained with a droid restraining bolt, its is only the faith of his friends that saves him from a deadly fate. Han Solo is mad, not only is he out the money but the fact the slavers thought they could force him to participate, well he is out for revenge. In glorious haphazard fashion Han takes on this illegal Alliance trade system. With thrilling escapes and turns of fate Brian Daley, shows the diverse nature of Star Wars with the underlying ideology that value is in the person, wither alien or human. This is a great legacy story that should have been cannon. The Star wars of Disney is missing out on this character building series. And if you are a Han Solo fan this story has all the aspects of this character that your love.
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy (Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures, #3)
by Brian Daley
Brian Daley pulls out all the stops, the first recorded description of the scar on Harrison Ford’s Chin… Yep before Young Indiana Jones had a whip scar, it was a knife fight for Han Solo, that left the characteristic scar on our hero. Second, you wonder where fast and the furious was first seen in print, okay maybe not first seen but matie, her is a twist, how about the whole concept of Han Solo’s personal bent in life is based on his ability to be fast and furious… Yep, he made the concept in Brian Daley’s Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. This scoundrel, privateer, and smuggler is turning his hand at treasure hunting. Okay yes another skeem failed, Han lost his money again, and has debts. When does he not have debts he can’t pay? Han Solo, Mr. Slick… has a way to make so much money he would not know what to do with himself. And guess what his plans is… well you will have to read this daring adventure, and learn a little history of the Star Wars universe, that I have never heard of. Get Ready for Solo, in all his impulsive character, just getting himself in the biggest dog fight of his life… Without the Millennium falcon to back him up, at least until the end. I was delighted to read this story, learn some interesting history and understand some of the technology, theology and ideology of the Star Wars universe. Thank you Brian, for making the character come alive in so many new and confounding ways.
by Brian Daley
This is the first book of a Trilogy it will stand out in the annals of the Star Wars Legends. Although I personally think it should be canon. This story looks on how Han Solo changed the world he lived in by finding his humanity in others. He finds that a dear friend has been kidnapped. Which starts a debacle that Han Solo is mainly the reason that everything is blowing up. What I would describe most about the book is how Han Solo attempts to solve his problems in the most spectacular way, he is the kind of man that would make a mountain out of a molehill and not get the reason why. He tends to make situations far worse than they should be, just by rushing into things not thinking them through. When I described the story to my daughter I told her about the conundrum that Han got himself and Chewy in, she laughed and said yep that is how I see him doing things. Brian Daley captures the essence of the character that women have fallen for since the first movie. The gorgeous rouge who just goes with his guts, and finds that his loyalty will always cause him problems. Thank you Brian for giving us a story we can chuckle at still admire the character that is the legend, Han Solo. Now onto the next book in the series.
Han Solo's Revenge (Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures, #2)
by Brian Daley
How Han Solo seeked to change events in his world, but found so many things in his way. Han Solo low on money after a failed adventure, in need of replacement parts for the Falcon too a job no questions asked. The start of many problems for a man although a smuggler who has values. Han is faced with slavers, at gunpoint they attempt to make him participate in the forced kidnapping labor or a group of technological aliens. With his ship barely functioning and problems with his crew, as Bullox is restrained with a droid restraining bolt, its is only the faith of his friends that saves him from a deadly fate. Han Solo is mad, not only is he out the money but the fact the slavers thought they could force him to participate, well he is out for revenge. In glorious haphazard fashion Han takes on this illegal Alliance trade system. With thrilling escapes and turns of fate Brian Daley, shows the diverse nature of Star Wars with the underlying ideology that value is in the person, wither alien or human. This is a great legacy story that should have been cannon. The Star wars of Disney is missing out on this character building series. And if you are a Han Solo fan this story has all the aspects of this character that your love.
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy (Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures, #3)
by Brian Daley
Brian Daley pulls out all the stops, the first recorded description of the scar on Harrison Ford’s Chin… Yep before Young Indiana Jones had a whip scar, it was a knife fight for Han Solo, that left the characteristic scar on our hero. Second, you wonder where fast and the furious was first seen in print, okay maybe not first seen but matie, her is a twist, how about the whole concept of Han Solo’s personal bent in life is based on his ability to be fast and furious… Yep, he made the concept in Brian Daley’s Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. This scoundrel, privateer, and smuggler is turning his hand at treasure hunting. Okay yes another skeem failed, Han lost his money again, and has debts. When does he not have debts he can’t pay? Han Solo, Mr. Slick… has a way to make so much money he would not know what to do with himself. And guess what his plans is… well you will have to read this daring adventure, and learn a little history of the Star Wars universe, that I have never heard of. Get Ready for Solo, in all his impulsive character, just getting himself in the biggest dog fight of his life… Without the Millennium falcon to back him up, at least until the end. I was delighted to read this story, learn some interesting history and understand some of the technology, theology and ideology of the Star Wars universe. Thank you Brian, for making the character come alive in so many new and confounding ways.
November 28, 2023
Brian Daley died of pancreatic cancer in 1996, far too young, but if I could hop in a time machine and scan his bookshelves, I know I'd find Harry Harrison there.
Daley was the author selected to write the very first Star Wars spinoff novels, set around the characters of Han Solo and Chewbacca. Reportedly, among the instructions given to Daley by Lucasfilm was the proviso that the stories could not happen in the Empire, leaving the films free to develop that as they would, so Daley set his three adventures in an area of space run for the Empire by corporations, the Corporate Sector.
Interestingly, although the coming of Disney relegated Daley's trilogy to "Legends" status, some of what he did lurks still in "canon," including the cooperation of corporations with the empire (most recently seen in Andor), and the use of the term "swoops" for overpowered single passenger speeder bikes. A lot more should have stuck around, because Daley had a talent for creating interesting characters with interesting backgounds. Like Timothy Zahn with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade, Daley gave us a number of fascinating additions who should have showed up later, including the droids Bollux and Max. But Disney knows best, right? (in spite of the fact that the most active developer of the property has been Dave Filoni, who long predates the Disney purchase and is still going strong)
A scattered start to a review, I know. Back to the opener. All Daley had to go on when developing his Han Solo was the very first film - and, I suspect strongly, an interest in Harry Harrison's famous character, Slippery Jim diGriz, the Stainless Steel Rat. Because as he develops through the three books Daley wrote, the resemblance becomes obvious, and enjoyable for those who have read both series.
A number of previous reviews on this site suggest that the first novel, Han Solo at Star's End, was the best, and that Daley fell off afterwards. Quite wrong. The first novel is by far the most derivative, with Daley filling in the gaps with his own side knowledge (the F-16 and Bob Hoover's famous energy management act in the Rockwell Shrike Commander both show up! Although Daley was an Army veteran of the Vietnam war, he clearly was fascinated by aviation); afterwards Daley relaxed and started having a good time. The middle novel, Han Solo's Revenge, is by far the best of the three, with Han Solo and the Lost Legacy a strong runner-up.
Daley's involvement in Star Wars continued after his novel trilogy was published, and he wrote the scripts for NPR's radio adaptation of the films. Had he lived, I suspect we would have seen more from him.
This edition collects all three novels in a thick pocket-sized paperback, with a foreword by Pablo Hidalgo. Definitely fun reading; I have original copies of these packed away somewhere and was pleased to find that not only did they hold up 40 years later (!) but actually were a lot better than I remembered.
Daley was the author selected to write the very first Star Wars spinoff novels, set around the characters of Han Solo and Chewbacca. Reportedly, among the instructions given to Daley by Lucasfilm was the proviso that the stories could not happen in the Empire, leaving the films free to develop that as they would, so Daley set his three adventures in an area of space run for the Empire by corporations, the Corporate Sector.
Interestingly, although the coming of Disney relegated Daley's trilogy to "Legends" status, some of what he did lurks still in "canon," including the cooperation of corporations with the empire (most recently seen in Andor), and the use of the term "swoops" for overpowered single passenger speeder bikes. A lot more should have stuck around, because Daley had a talent for creating interesting characters with interesting backgounds. Like Timothy Zahn with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade, Daley gave us a number of fascinating additions who should have showed up later, including the droids Bollux and Max. But Disney knows best, right? (in spite of the fact that the most active developer of the property has been Dave Filoni, who long predates the Disney purchase and is still going strong)
A scattered start to a review, I know. Back to the opener. All Daley had to go on when developing his Han Solo was the very first film - and, I suspect strongly, an interest in Harry Harrison's famous character, Slippery Jim diGriz, the Stainless Steel Rat. Because as he develops through the three books Daley wrote, the resemblance becomes obvious, and enjoyable for those who have read both series.
A number of previous reviews on this site suggest that the first novel, Han Solo at Star's End, was the best, and that Daley fell off afterwards. Quite wrong. The first novel is by far the most derivative, with Daley filling in the gaps with his own side knowledge (the F-16 and Bob Hoover's famous energy management act in the Rockwell Shrike Commander both show up! Although Daley was an Army veteran of the Vietnam war, he clearly was fascinated by aviation); afterwards Daley relaxed and started having a good time. The middle novel, Han Solo's Revenge, is by far the best of the three, with Han Solo and the Lost Legacy a strong runner-up.
Daley's involvement in Star Wars continued after his novel trilogy was published, and he wrote the scripts for NPR's radio adaptation of the films. Had he lived, I suspect we would have seen more from him.
This edition collects all three novels in a thick pocket-sized paperback, with a foreword by Pablo Hidalgo. Definitely fun reading; I have original copies of these packed away somewhere and was pleased to find that not only did they hold up 40 years later (!) but actually were a lot better than I remembered.
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