Star Wars - The Smuggler's Guide

Secrets of the Galaxy Guidebooks

by Daniel Wallace

The definitive guide to making it as a smuggler in a galaxy far, far away

The lengths to which the underworld will go for a legendary prize is unparalleled. What started as a simple logbook with a piece of valuable information was soon stolen, traded, and smuggled around the outer rim and shady ports. With each pirate, thief, gambler, and criminal who took possession of the book, new insight and details were added, creating the Smuggler's Guide - a coveted collection of hidden treasure locations, advice, and hard-earned data.

Recovered from a strong box on the Millenium Falcon, the Smuggler's Guide traces its own extraordinary journey through such notorious characters as Maz Kanata, Hondo Ohnaka, Drydon Vos, Lando Calrissian, and Han Solo. Explore previously unknown details about the underhanded dealings of the galaxy's underworld.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Reference, Film

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Daniel Wallace is author of five novels, including Big Fish (1998), Ray in Reverse (2000), The Watermelon King (2003), Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician (2007), and most recently The Kings and Queens of Roam (2013).

He has written one book for children, Elynora, and in 2008 it was published in Italy, with illustrations by Daniela Tordi. O Great Rosenfeld!, the only book both written and illustrated by the author, has been released in France and Korea and is forthcoming in Italy, but there are not, at this writing, any plans for an American edition.

His work has been published in over two dozen languages, and his stories, novels and non-fiction essays are taught in high schools and colleges throughout this country. His illustrations have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Italian Vanity Fair, and many other magazines and books, including Pep Talks, Warnings, and Screeds: Indispensible Wisdom and Cautionary Advice for Writers, by George Singleton, and Adventures in Pen Land: One Writer's Journey from Inklings to Ink, by Marianne Gingher. Big Fish was made into a motion picture of the same name by Tim Burton in 2003, a film in which the author plays the part of a professor at Auburn University.

He is in fact the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English, and director of the Creative Writing Program, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his alma mater (Class of '08). He lives with his wife, Laura Kellison Wallace, in Chapel Hill. More information about him, his writing, and his illustrations can be found at www.danielwallace.org and www.ogreatrosenfeld.org.

Reviews

[Lena's Version · Rating 3 out of 5]

Último libro de esta serie de guías-compendios-archivos, dedicados en esta ocasión al mundo de los contrabandistas. No lo he disfrutado tanto como los anteriores, culpa un poco también de que lo he leído en inglés, porque no lo han traído traducido al español después de todos los años que ya han pasado y... una lástima. Pero necesitaba completar la colección y conocer qué deparaba este contenido.
Aun así, es puro Star Wars. Tiene conexiones con personajes y pasajes emblemáticos de la saga, como son Maz Kanata, Lando Calrissian, Han Solo y Aphra, entre otros. Y a través de los diferentes relatos, documentos e ilustraciones que conforman este diario de abordo, que va pasando por esas diferentes manos, vemos pinceladas de cada uno y de los bandos contrabandistas de la galaxia. Curioso y muy friki.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how self-aware this book is. It's fun to read a book that exists within the actual Star Wars universe, similar to seeing a slice of life movie. There are no epic battle sequences or Skywalkers fighting one another. Just a log book that's been passed around from smuggler to smuggler over the years and contains each one's unique take on the business. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the biz from those who are in it.

[Brett Wyman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to give this one star, but what happened here? I’ve read other books in this series and they were fine (Jedi Path, Book of Sith, Bounty Hunter’s Code, and Imperial Handbook). I gave each of them 4+ stars. They were fun and informative and only lacking in some aspects.

The Smuggler’s Guide was a disjointed mess that was written at the toddler level. This isn’t really a guide, it’s a logbook getting stolen from one scumbag to the next. The grand majority of the characters are ones we’ve never heard of. There’s no reason to care because in 1-2 pages, you’ll never hear about them again. There was no funny banter in the handwritten notes like in the other books. The master codebreaker is painfully annoying. This also doesnt really add much for the characters we know like Han, Maz, Lando, Dryden Vos, Hondo, etc. I feel like I know less about smuggling after reading this book.

[rowan ꩜]

couldn’t finish. will try again some other time.
i wanted to like this so badly!

[Don Bennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weakest of the series

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m a huge Star Wars fan, so it was a must read. My wife bought me the deluxe collector edition for Christmas, so that’s neat as well. Beyond that..This was a total stinker! ***Spoiler*** The “book” changes hands many times over decades and is written in the perspective of the owner of the time. It doesn’t follow the established personalities of the characters, so it was really painful to read. I’m going to grab a couple of Curads cuz they don’t ouch me and plop into a Bacta tank for the rest of the night, ‘cause ow!

[Sal Perales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these in-universe books. From The Jedi Path to The Rebel Files I’ve been a big fan and love the style and art in all of these books. There are always cool tidbits in them from familiar characters and this one is no different. This book passes through the hands of some of our favorite nerf herders and is recovered from the Millennium Falcon for us to discover! From Maz Kanata to Hondo Ohnaka. From Lando Calrissian to Dr. Evazan. From Dryden (not my) Vos to Boshek!

I love these in-universe books. They are always filled with great art, fun tidbits, and interesting info. There’s so much more in here that caught my eye! Sana Starros, Dok-Ondar, Chelli Aphra, Bib Fortuna, Chalmun’s Cantina, Saponza, The Master Codebreaker, gunrunning with Ephant Mon, The Razzi syndicate, beware The Bloody Bones, The Broken Horn Syndicate, seized by Commandant Brendol Hux, Ducain, Niima Outpost, and the Eravana.

I didn’t get the deluxe edition but for an extra cool factor, it comes in a case with light and sound and some bonus items!

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful addition to the Star Wars world of literature…

Star Wars - The Smuggler's Guide by Daniel Wallace is the latest in several guides meant to be “in universe” chronicles that mix both new canon and borrow elements if the old expanded universe.

As the title might suggest, this book covers the underworld, smugglers, bounty hunters, thieves, and “treasure seekers” (also thieves).

It starts as the journal of Maz Kanata but passes through numerous hands included Lando Calrissian, Han Solo, and even older EU characters such as Boshek, Platt O’keefe, and Dr Evazhan.

Virtually each page is bathed in interested Star Wars lore, either about a planet, a hobby, an organization, even a page of drink recipes.

Basically, while this might be kind of fun for a casual reader, for those who like to immerse themselves in Star Wars , then it’s invaluable.

A better idea would even be using it as a guide or in game artifact for a table top game.

If I was running one, then that’s what I’d do with it.

[Adarable · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was one of the better books in this series, though still not amazing. I think it's the most believable to actually exist in-universe.

The quick change of pages indicating how quickly the book went from hand to hand and having random smugglers raving about how great they are to have found the book and promptly losing it again, worked way better than Darth Bane lecturing me on different Sith assassination tools.

Though honestly, I think overall, it's a rather forgettable reading experience.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Officially, 4.5 rounded up to 5. I loved the ongoing premise that the book changed ownership through all the different entries. Han Solo is still my favorite smuggler, but I also love Hondo Ohnaka and the Crimson Corsair.

I didn’t care for the sequel references, because I despise the sequels, but they were minimal and otherwise the book was very enjoyable. Great for someone who loves Star Wars lore!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a lot of love to the criminal underworld which was lacking in a lot of the minor factions, but the stories are so short that it makes them less interesting to read. You know that something will have to go wrong and they will lose the book. I think if this was actually written as a guide then it would be much better.

[Jason Fett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite so far of the Chronicle Books. I like how this is a total living diary unlike the other are more text books with new students making notes as they receive it. Only down side was the Master Code Breaker. But still great.

[Rivulet027 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read! It was interesting to see how it tied together the original trilogy to the sequel trilogy while interweaving in hints of the prequel movies. Loved the bits about Maz, Sana, Dex, and Aphra! The last entry was a perfect ending.

[Shane Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book and as a graphic designer I have to say it was beautifully designed and laid out. Each section had character all its own to match the “writer”. As a Star Wars fan, I was pleased to see so much drawn from the old “legends” stories to fit into the new canon.

[Aisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems the life of a smuggler is not long lived (unless you’re Han). Every smuggler that wrote in this log met an untimely demise, but all of the entries were entertaining. I love how it ended with Leia.

[John Rizzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty weak in content

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as entertaining as the other books but still a fun read adding more depth to one of my favourite aspects of SW.

[Olmy.007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it a very fun read.

[morgiefbabyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

the extra footnotes/banter always gets me

[Durstmea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and fun star wars read. (Though I read it like a text book for an upcoming trip.) This book is a living journal and is updated as it changes hands.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for the letter from Leia to Han at the end, two stars for everything else.

[G.R.S. Hjelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books, and this one has so many characters that are both familiar and new. So many stories, just barely touched upon.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more disjointed than the Bounty Hunter's Guide, but the last couple entries made this book transcend its original purpose.

[Cloak88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous ones.

Like all the other book in this series it is wonderfully made, iconic in it's detail and it fits right in the Star Wars universe. The unfortunate thing is that the internal 'story' of this book wasn't all that good... And like the Rebel Files this book is a work of the Sequel Era. Quite a large amount of attention is payed to characters, organisations and events that the older fans will not be familiar with. Essentially all sort of references are made to characters who I had absolutely no idea of who they were of why their inclusion would be significant.

In summary: An excellently made book, but it payed much of it's attention to areas that didn't interest me.

[Judah-Ben Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, exciting, and sometimes even exhilarating! Covering several eras of Star Wars lore, this in-universe guide reveals many data, stories and information which, although not indispensable to the main story of the saga, greatly contribute to understanding it. Pleasantly complemented by beautiful artwork, and emotionally charged in its last pages, this is a very important addition to any SW collection.

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new addition to the in-universe guide books, manuals, codes with the fancy packaging with all the bells and whistles. This time it's all about the smugglers and of course the most famous smuggler in the Star Wars canon is in this book. In fact, the last few pages feature him and the last page is heartbreaking.