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Star Wars: Jedi Prince #3
La vengeance de Zorba le Hutt
When Zorba the Hutt discovers that his son Jabba has been murdered by Princess Leia, he joins forces with Trioculus and takes revenge against her and the Rebel alliance.
150 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1992
8 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
About the author
Paul Davids
16 books8 followersPaul Jeffrey Davids is an American independent filmmaker and writer, especially in the area of science fiction. Often collaborating with his wife Hollace, Davids has written and directed several films. He has also written episodes for the television show Transformers, as well as a Star Wars spin-off book series for young readers, known informally as the Jedi Prince series.
The Davids have two children together, Jordan and Scott.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Paul^^Davids
The Davids have two children together, Jordan and Scott.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Paul^^Davids
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 6, 2020
Ahhhh, this is that Good Shit.
You know how I said the second book just didn’t give me that mixture of horror and delight that the first one did? Book 3 delivers, and then some.
This one’s bullet points will mostly be in chronological order because I was furiously highlighting in my ebook the entire time. I don’t think I marked any spoilers here, so enter at your own risk.
• Han actually managed to build – by hand- a giant floaty house super fast? And Luke waits until he’s ON THE WAY TO THE HOUSEWARMING PARTY to buy the gift. Absolute disasterman lmao.
• Listen. Listen. I’m not an expert on the various ships of the Star War, but I am fairly certain that you can’t fit TWO PEOPLE AND FOUR DROIDS into ONE Y-WING. Idk what kind of clowncar Y-Wing Luke has, but the illustration makes it look pretty spacious for what I’m pretty sure IS A ONE-PERSON SHIP. Anyway. EDIT: Ok, my bad, Wookieepedia says it holds two people. STILL THO
• The authors try SO HARD to make Tatooine into NOT a seedy hellhole. The speeder rental place(???) offers insurance! The cantinas close some time at night (lmaoooo)! There’s an actual governing body that’s not the Hutts* and they turned Jabba’s abandoned palace into the “Tatooine Retirement Home for Aged Aliens” for a while! SURE, JAN.
• The Jawas host a Droidfest every year, and I would very much like a “Droidfest ‘92” t-shirt, if you ever see one. Also??? JAWAS HAVE REGIONAL MANAGERS!!! Which makes me picture a Jawa in a tie. Just, you know, a regular robed Jawa, but they have a tie.
• SO UH, this one still has the Bad Takes the other ones have. We’re still throwing around the word “mutant.” We’re still othering the shit out of non-humans. And we’re still really weird about gender. Like, did you know that droids can be sexist about other droids?? Droids, which don’t really…have…….gender?? They just like, present tertiary sexual characteristics. That were put there by the people who built them. But they’re droids. Sooooooooooooo…
o So like, C-3PO, OF ALL PEOPLE starts saying shit about “wow this FEMALE DROID you’re getting for Han is built really well for a FEMALE DROID” and Luke interrupts to say, like “now, now, Threepio. Female Droids are built the SAME as Male Droids!” DROID MISOGYNY IS OVER! I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT WAS A THING. I’M SO TIRED, Y’ALL.
o I’m thinking….that this was a weird, heavy-handed attempt at, like, empowering female readers? It was 1992, so this would not have been a BAD attempt at this for the time, per se. The bar was pretty low. It’s still pretty low. ANYWAY!
• '“I understand, Ken,’ he said, though he didn't really understand.” ??????????
• SO THE HOUSEWARMING PARTY. Absolutely BUCKWILD.
o I don’t know what the FUCK a zoochberry is, but they won’t shut up about it. Even Wookieepedia only had a vague idea of what it is; the best they could give me was that it’s a type of berry that’s “presumably” used in various zoochberry food and beverages mentioned in these trashfire books. “Presumably????” “Presumably????????” No one drinks booze, it’s all zoochberry juice babyyyy.
o This books keeps going out of its way to mention that some characters are bachelors. Han has a bunch of pilot buddies that are “bachelors.” Kids don’t give a shit about this, and there’s no point in mentioning it unless Han wants to fix these unnamed bachelors up with somebody…unless they’re Confirmed Bachelors?? 👀👀👀
o Admiral Ackbar is still a “sad-eyed fishman,” and he desperately wants to tell you war stories askjdshfj
o HAN HAS FAVORITE CORELLIAN FOLK DANCES??? Also there’s a dance called the “Space Pirate Boogie,” and I just…okay.
o “…Han asked the band to play ‘Sweet Lady from Alderaan.’ He thought it would make Leia happy, because Alderaan was her home planet. But instead it brought tears to her eyes as she remembered how the Empire had used the Death Star to blow the entire planet of Alderaan to pieces.” HELLO?????
o Han’s new droid, KATE, VAPORIZES A STAIN OFF THE CEILING. VAPORIZES. I DON’T THINK THAT WORD MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS, DAVIDSES
• Galaxy Scouts are a thing. I need more details. Do they sell cookies?? ARE THEY FUCKIN ZOOCHBERRY-FLAVORED
• "What if I just say, 'Cross my heart and hope to die'?" Lando asked.
"Then you will die." DAMN, ZORBA, OKAY
• The environmental message in this one is about air pollution. Cloud City is afflicted with “braze,” which is “brown haze.” JUST SAY “AIR POLLUTION,” I DON’T CARE THAT WE HAVE “SMOG.” “Braze” doesn’t look like a word anymore (probably because it isn’t).
• HUMANS CAN GET THEIR DRIVERS LICENSE TWO YEARS BEFORE MOST “”””ALIENS”””” WHAT THE F U C K
• HAN HAS A BEEPER THO??????
• '“Wait here, kid. I'll be back in a flash.’ But Han didn't come back in a flash.”
• “But old Hutts like Zorba knew a lot about human child psychology.” Oh?????
• Ken displays a woeful lack of STREET SMARTS and eats food offered to him by strangers whom he knows he probably shouldn’t trust TWICE. And he’s drugged twice, of course.
• If Ken is right, and he IS named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, that’ll make for three different people in three different timelines named after him**. Four for you, Obi- Wan. You go, Obi-Wan.
• Trioculus has decided that he’s in love with Leia, for reasons best known to himself. My best guess is that it’s because 1) she’s pretty, and 2) she wants to beat the shit out of him.
o When Leia slapped him??? Ten-year-old Kristen went apeshit. Thirty-year-old Kristen craves more violence***, but will settle for slapping.
• Leia’s face is “strong but soft.” Get used to reading that, because they’re gonna beat you over the head with it.
• “And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to encase you in carbonite.”
I had such a good time with this hot mess of a book. It definitely gets my Dark Blessing.
I don’t really remember much about the next book. Should be interesting!
*So it probably hasn’t been established that Tatooine is run by crime lords yet, but come one. We all saw A New Hope.
**So there are (at least) three timelines~. We’ll call this one the Davids Timeline, which has Ken (he’s trying his best...probably). Then there’s the EU as most people think of it, which we’ll call the Zahn Timeline (since he jumpstarted it). This one has Ben Skywalker (a Good Good Boy, deserving of love). And then there’sBasketball the Disney Timeline, which has Ben Solo (I don’t want to talk about him). That’s a lot of Bens/Kens.
*** One time she kneed a dude in the crotch. It was great.
~"But Disney-" DO YOU THINK I CARE WHAT THE MOUSE HAS TO SAY
You know how I said the second book just didn’t give me that mixture of horror and delight that the first one did? Book 3 delivers, and then some.
This one’s bullet points will mostly be in chronological order because I was furiously highlighting in my ebook the entire time. I don’t think I marked any spoilers here, so enter at your own risk.
• Han actually managed to build – by hand- a giant floaty house super fast? And Luke waits until he’s ON THE WAY TO THE HOUSEWARMING PARTY to buy the gift. Absolute disasterman lmao.
• Listen. Listen. I’m not an expert on the various ships of the Star War, but I am fairly certain that you can’t fit TWO PEOPLE AND FOUR DROIDS into ONE Y-WING. Idk what kind of clowncar Y-Wing Luke has, but the illustration makes it look pretty spacious for what I’m pretty sure IS A ONE-PERSON SHIP. Anyway. EDIT: Ok, my bad, Wookieepedia says it holds two people. STILL THO
• The authors try SO HARD to make Tatooine into NOT a seedy hellhole. The speeder rental place(???) offers insurance! The cantinas close some time at night (lmaoooo)! There’s an actual governing body that’s not the Hutts* and they turned Jabba’s abandoned palace into the “Tatooine Retirement Home for Aged Aliens” for a while! SURE, JAN.
• The Jawas host a Droidfest every year, and I would very much like a “Droidfest ‘92” t-shirt, if you ever see one. Also??? JAWAS HAVE REGIONAL MANAGERS!!! Which makes me picture a Jawa in a tie. Just, you know, a regular robed Jawa, but they have a tie.
• SO UH, this one still has the Bad Takes the other ones have. We’re still throwing around the word “mutant.” We’re still othering the shit out of non-humans. And we’re still really weird about gender. Like, did you know that droids can be sexist about other droids?? Droids, which don’t really…have…….gender?? They just like, present tertiary sexual characteristics. That were put there by the people who built them. But they’re droids. Sooooooooooooo…
o So like, C-3PO, OF ALL PEOPLE starts saying shit about “wow this FEMALE DROID you’re getting for Han is built really well for a FEMALE DROID” and Luke interrupts to say, like “now, now, Threepio. Female Droids are built the SAME as Male Droids!” DROID MISOGYNY IS OVER! I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT WAS A THING. I’M SO TIRED, Y’ALL.
o I’m thinking….that this was a weird, heavy-handed attempt at, like, empowering female readers? It was 1992, so this would not have been a BAD attempt at this for the time, per se. The bar was pretty low. It’s still pretty low. ANYWAY!
• '“I understand, Ken,’ he said, though he didn't really understand.” ??????????
• SO THE HOUSEWARMING PARTY. Absolutely BUCKWILD.
o I don’t know what the FUCK a zoochberry is, but they won’t shut up about it. Even Wookieepedia only had a vague idea of what it is; the best they could give me was that it’s a type of berry that’s “presumably” used in various zoochberry food and beverages mentioned in these trashfire books. “Presumably????” “Presumably????????” No one drinks booze, it’s all zoochberry juice babyyyy.
o This books keeps going out of its way to mention that some characters are bachelors. Han has a bunch of pilot buddies that are “bachelors.” Kids don’t give a shit about this, and there’s no point in mentioning it unless Han wants to fix these unnamed bachelors up with somebody…unless they’re Confirmed Bachelors?? 👀👀👀
o Admiral Ackbar is still a “sad-eyed fishman,” and he desperately wants to tell you war stories askjdshfj
o HAN HAS FAVORITE CORELLIAN FOLK DANCES??? Also there’s a dance called the “Space Pirate Boogie,” and I just…okay.
o “…Han asked the band to play ‘Sweet Lady from Alderaan.’ He thought it would make Leia happy, because Alderaan was her home planet. But instead it brought tears to her eyes as she remembered how the Empire had used the Death Star to blow the entire planet of Alderaan to pieces.” HELLO?????
o Han’s new droid, KATE, VAPORIZES A STAIN OFF THE CEILING. VAPORIZES. I DON’T THINK THAT WORD MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS, DAVIDSES
• Galaxy Scouts are a thing. I need more details. Do they sell cookies?? ARE THEY FUCKIN ZOOCHBERRY-FLAVORED
• "What if I just say, 'Cross my heart and hope to die'?" Lando asked.
"Then you will die." DAMN, ZORBA, OKAY
• The environmental message in this one is about air pollution. Cloud City is afflicted with “braze,” which is “brown haze.” JUST SAY “AIR POLLUTION,” I DON’T CARE THAT WE HAVE “SMOG.” “Braze” doesn’t look like a word anymore (probably because it isn’t).
• HUMANS CAN GET THEIR DRIVERS LICENSE TWO YEARS BEFORE MOST “”””ALIENS”””” WHAT THE F U C K
• HAN HAS A BEEPER THO??????
• '“Wait here, kid. I'll be back in a flash.’ But Han didn't come back in a flash.”
• “But old Hutts like Zorba knew a lot about human child psychology.” Oh?????
• Ken displays a woeful lack of STREET SMARTS and eats food offered to him by strangers whom he knows he probably shouldn’t trust TWICE. And he’s drugged twice, of course.
• If Ken is right, and he IS named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, that’ll make for three different people in three different timelines named after him**. Four for you, Obi- Wan. You go, Obi-Wan.
• Trioculus has decided that he’s in love with Leia, for reasons best known to himself. My best guess is that it’s because 1) she’s pretty, and 2) she wants to beat the shit out of him.
o When Leia slapped him??? Ten-year-old Kristen went apeshit. Thirty-year-old Kristen craves more violence***, but will settle for slapping.
• Leia’s face is “strong but soft.” Get used to reading that, because they’re gonna beat you over the head with it.
• “And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to encase you in carbonite.”
I had such a good time with this hot mess of a book. It definitely gets my Dark Blessing.
I don’t really remember much about the next book. Should be interesting!
*So it probably hasn’t been established that Tatooine is run by crime lords yet, but come one. We all saw A New Hope.
**So there are (at least) three timelines~. We’ll call this one the Davids Timeline, which has Ken (he’s trying his best...probably). Then there’s the EU as most people think of it, which we’ll call the Zahn Timeline (since he jumpstarted it). This one has Ben Skywalker (a Good Good Boy, deserving of love). And then there’s
*** One time she kneed a dude in the crotch. It was great.
~"But Disney-" DO YOU THINK I CARE WHAT THE MOUSE HAS TO SAY
April 25, 2021
I don’t think I’d even recommend this book, much less this series, to kids of the target age group. So much implausible or out of the norm (for Star Wars) content.
December 27, 2019
These books are clunky, awkward, and boring. The narrative is trite and overly dramatic, and the dialogue is cheesy and doesn't fit the characters. There are better juvenile books set in the Star Wars universe if your kids need a fix. Anything by Jude Watson is worlds better than these books.
April 9, 2020
I’ve read some pretty bad Star Wars stories in my day, but dear lord, Zorba the Hutt’s Revenge easily takes one of the top spots for absolute worst of the worst.
I’m not exactly surprised. This whole series has been the perfect example of what not to do with Star Wars, and at this point, 3 books in, I’m honestly just reading them for irony and padding my book list for the year.
I gave my very mild defense of the Jedi Prince series back when I read the first one, but now, I think even that slim margin of deflection is gone; Zorba the Hutt’s Revenge is beyond bad. In fact, it’s so terrible it’s good. Kind of like Tommy Wiseau’s The Room which has become a cult classic and shining example of just how amazing a awful film can be, so too is Zorba.
Even with a short length of something like 120 pages, the David’s duo demonstrate that they have literally zero skills in handling Star Wars. Every single thing that happens in this book happens for literally no reason. A droid falls off a railing for no reason. Trioculus, already a stupid character to begin with, randomly falls in love with Leia for no explainable reason. Zorba the Hutt just happens to land on Tatooine at the exact same time Luke is there for, you guessed it, no reason. Even the stupid tree hugging sub plot of “the braze” is pointless and is just shoehorned in because apparently back in 1992, Star Wars books had to be heavy handed with appeals to kids to make sure they know about environmental protection.
Zorba is written for kids, and that’s perfectly fine. But there is no excuse for juvenile Star Wars books to be so damn awful. How awful you ask? Well, I’ll leave you with this: in this book, Chewbacca wears an freaking apron and becomes a cook.
I’m not exactly surprised. This whole series has been the perfect example of what not to do with Star Wars, and at this point, 3 books in, I’m honestly just reading them for irony and padding my book list for the year.
I gave my very mild defense of the Jedi Prince series back when I read the first one, but now, I think even that slim margin of deflection is gone; Zorba the Hutt’s Revenge is beyond bad. In fact, it’s so terrible it’s good. Kind of like Tommy Wiseau’s The Room which has become a cult classic and shining example of just how amazing a awful film can be, so too is Zorba.
Even with a short length of something like 120 pages, the David’s duo demonstrate that they have literally zero skills in handling Star Wars. Every single thing that happens in this book happens for literally no reason. A droid falls off a railing for no reason. Trioculus, already a stupid character to begin with, randomly falls in love with Leia for no explainable reason. Zorba the Hutt just happens to land on Tatooine at the exact same time Luke is there for, you guessed it, no reason. Even the stupid tree hugging sub plot of “the braze” is pointless and is just shoehorned in because apparently back in 1992, Star Wars books had to be heavy handed with appeals to kids to make sure they know about environmental protection.
Zorba is written for kids, and that’s perfectly fine. But there is no excuse for juvenile Star Wars books to be so damn awful. How awful you ask? Well, I’ll leave you with this: in this book, Chewbacca wears an freaking apron and becomes a cook.
December 6, 2023
Somehow in these reviews I've failed to mention that Han Solo wants to build a "sky house," which is a very important recurring element of this series and possibly Han's only piece of characterization except for a vague attraction to Leia. I guess he doesn't consider the Falcon to be a sufficiently homey dwelling in the sky?
Needless to say, the action is heating up over on Bespin with a plot hook this juicy. I'm being wholly unfair, the actual hook is that Jabba's dad Zorba wants his titular revenge on everybody's favorite space princess while everyone's least favorite child protagonist is pulling a move quite similar to child Anakin from a movie that wouldn't come out for another 6 years (accidentally flying off after sitting in a cockpit and not keeping his hands to himself).
Our requisite environmental subplot barely gets a mention, but don't worry, we're definitely very concerned with atmospheric pollution on Bespin.
I'm willing to admit that these are getting less fun to defend.
Needless to say, the action is heating up over on Bespin with a plot hook this juicy. I'm being wholly unfair, the actual hook is that Jabba's dad Zorba wants his titular revenge on everybody's favorite space princess while everyone's least favorite child protagonist is pulling a move quite similar to child Anakin from a movie that wouldn't come out for another 6 years (accidentally flying off after sitting in a cockpit and not keeping his hands to himself).
Our requisite environmental subplot barely gets a mention, but don't worry, we're definitely very concerned with atmospheric pollution on Bespin.
I'm willing to admit that these are getting less fun to defend.
June 5, 2025
Listen, not all Star Wars books are created equal.
December 14, 2025
2,5 stars
it was actually fun!
it was actually fun!
October 24, 2015
I tempted to go for 4 stars with this one, even with its goofiness. It's an impressively compact work with interesting conflicts primarily between the competing villains and interesting character developments (if somewhat far-fetched, even for Star Wars). Sure, the notion of Jabba's dad getting revenge may seem juvenile, but not when you consider what Liam Neeson has been up to lately, movie-wise. The "Jabba's will" plot device is also a bit goofy, but hey, it works fine for complicating the action quickly and efficiently. Sending Lando packing seems far-fetched, but it's not really inconsistent with Lando, at least if you take Neil Smith's books as "true enough" for our purposes. Zorba's and Trioculus's fight over Leia is rather enjoyable, especially since it gives us a look at other stuff in the universe without having to focus on the good guys all the time. Han's squashed hopes for being a homeowner are part of the goofiness, but it somehow fits rather well also, and I doubt he would have wanted to stay in Cloud City with Jabba's dad as governor, anyway. The Mother Earth Crime of the Novel is the dangers of air pollution (braze = brown haze), and though it is much more prominent than in the earlier two novels, it fits far better throughout the novel with what happens and is not just a climax-plot-contrivance device as it sort of was before. Even the brief Ken episodes don't get as silly and irritating as they could have. This was a surprisingly refreshing quick read. It almost makes one wish the "grown-up" Star Wars books didn't have all that "literary shilly-shallying."
December 9, 2016
Zorba is Jabba's father and learns he's died. His desire for revenge is probably the only believable thing about this. But then Zorba wants to put Trioculus in carbonite, as if that's a normal place to put people.
It's as if the Davids' didn't understand ROTJ at all.
Jabba's will being named JTHW is 1) unoriginal, 2) dumb because they don't call each other "the Hutt", and 3) just stupid in general for the acronym.
The number of acronyms was crazy here. Yet that wasn't as bad as I felt it was at first, since we have a million and one acronyms for stupid things too.
"Jawa" wasn't capitalized but "Ranat" was. That didn't make sense to me.
The story was all over the place and on 3 or 4 different planets in an 87-page book. Very disjointed.
It's as if the Davids' didn't understand ROTJ at all.
Jabba's will being named JTHW is 1) unoriginal, 2) dumb because they don't call each other "the Hutt", and 3) just stupid in general for the acronym.
The number of acronyms was crazy here. Yet that wasn't as bad as I felt it was at first, since we have a million and one acronyms for stupid things too.
"Jawa" wasn't capitalized but "Ranat" was. That didn't make sense to me.
The story was all over the place and on 3 or 4 different planets in an 87-page book. Very disjointed.
August 15, 2020
"A housekeeping droid isn't like having a wife." Ugh. When I say that this is the least irritating of the trilogy, I trust you can draw your own conclusions. Why these authors think anyone, children or otherwise, is chomping at the bit to read about Han Solo, home owner, is beyond me. The problems of keeping a smog-free house! How will that stain ever be shifted?! It's too much excitement for me.
The twelve year old nuisance is still a twelve year old nuisance, but the main characters are barely recognisable. Better not keep serving Corellian cuisine at your house parties, Han. Leia doesn't care for it... it's just too fattening.
The twelve year old nuisance is still a twelve year old nuisance, but the main characters are barely recognisable. Better not keep serving Corellian cuisine at your house parties, Han. Leia doesn't care for it... it's just too fattening.
November 8, 2024
(Read as a kid, Review from 2024)
Another entry from this weird 90s Star Wars kids series. Continues to have just bizarre moments (i.e., the titular character’s ship is called the Zorba Express) and various retreads of previous Star Wars content like Lando losing Cloud City again. The Imperial villain is still an incompetent buffoon (ends this book being frozen in carbonite) but the idea of one of Jabba’s relatives taking revenge has its merits (certainly done better than what Book of Boba Fett did with the idea of his relatives).
Another entry from this weird 90s Star Wars kids series. Continues to have just bizarre moments (i.e., the titular character’s ship is called the Zorba Express) and various retreads of previous Star Wars content like Lando losing Cloud City again. The Imperial villain is still an incompetent buffoon (ends this book being frozen in carbonite) but the idea of one of Jabba’s relatives taking revenge has its merits (certainly done better than what Book of Boba Fett did with the idea of his relatives).
May 29, 2023
Buy it for the lovely, painted Drew Struzan cover, but nothing more. Mind you, I don't have books 1 and 2 of this series, but regardless it seems the basics of what's come before is explained through exposition and the back cover synopsis. The overall plot of the previous stories and even this one are fine enough, but the execution of the storytelling and the use of unnecessary details read like bad fan fiction.
Uh... spoilers, I guess:
I understand the authors have done well for themselves in other media, even children's media that I consumed as a child, but this was bad. I'm not entirely sure of the intended age range for this series, but it was just too simple and several of the characters and their situations were just corny. Han has a floating house near Cloud City and is having a house warming party? Luke needs to get insurance for the landspeeder he rents on Tatooine while trying to find Han a gift? We need to know the name of the insurance company, because as a child audience, this sort of detail interests us? Just WTF?
Deceased Emperor Palpatine's son is a madman of a triclops named... Triclops, but another triclops named Trioculus rules the remnants of the Empire by pretending to be the heir to the Empire? He's also so in love with Princess Leia and obsessed with making her his empress he'll forsake what's good for his own life and for the Empire?
The plot around Zorba the Hutt is all fine and good, his desire for revenge against Leia, and he proves to be a cunning villain, but the execution is generally lame. Would I have enjoyed this and been enthralled at age 8... 10... 12? I don't know. I can enjoy plenty of childish media, and there's lots of children's books that are more engaging than this that I read in grade school, so I don't know what happened here. But the cover!
I wonder, were these considered part of Expanded Universe canon? I believe some of the small details came out of the tabletop roleplaying game guides and lore, but damn if lots of those details aren't unnecessary even for trying to ground players/readers into that galaxy far, far away....
Am I going to read the other three books I have? ...Reluctantly, like the tool, tool I am....
Uh... spoilers, I guess:
I understand the authors have done well for themselves in other media, even children's media that I consumed as a child, but this was bad. I'm not entirely sure of the intended age range for this series, but it was just too simple and several of the characters and their situations were just corny. Han has a floating house near Cloud City and is having a house warming party? Luke needs to get insurance for the landspeeder he rents on Tatooine while trying to find Han a gift? We need to know the name of the insurance company, because as a child audience, this sort of detail interests us? Just WTF?
Deceased Emperor Palpatine's son is a madman of a triclops named... Triclops, but another triclops named Trioculus rules the remnants of the Empire by pretending to be the heir to the Empire? He's also so in love with Princess Leia and obsessed with making her his empress he'll forsake what's good for his own life and for the Empire?
The plot around Zorba the Hutt is all fine and good, his desire for revenge against Leia, and he proves to be a cunning villain, but the execution is generally lame. Would I have enjoyed this and been enthralled at age 8... 10... 12? I don't know. I can enjoy plenty of childish media, and there's lots of children's books that are more engaging than this that I read in grade school, so I don't know what happened here. But the cover!
I wonder, were these considered part of Expanded Universe canon? I believe some of the small details came out of the tabletop roleplaying game guides and lore, but damn if lots of those details aren't unnecessary even for trying to ground players/readers into that galaxy far, far away....
Am I going to read the other three books I have? ...Reluctantly, like the tool, tool I am....
January 3, 2025
So, you know how in Superman II, things happen that really doesn’t make sense to the character, his power set, or the universe at large? But it’s still a classic because you grew up with it, it’s charming, and Christopher Reeve is still the best Superman in terms of pure charm? This trilogy / series of books doesn’t have that. I love the old Superman and Batman stories from the 40s, and having read Marvel from the 60s, I realize that Stan Lee is a legend for a reason. It’s not age or pre-cannon rules that bother me about this. It’s simply how loose this story is told, and how strangely the Force is used. Like, it’s 80 pages fast. Which doesn’t bother me. I like reading a kid’s book a few times a year. I find them charming, and the simplicity is often something that an adult author should at times consider. But when the original trilogy called the Force an old religion? This book really leans into that type of thinking, complete with nonsense prophecy about Vader’s glove, of all things.
I don’t think I rated the first two books this low. After all, it’s a fun sneak peak into the very first books that would become a major portion of my reading list. And it’s not like the newer stuff really sucks me in. But that shiny strangeness is now faded, and I’m left with silly tales that, to be fair, were not aimed at me, and I’m not really as amused with this one. But it could be that the others weren’t as bad, but just as silly, so who knows. Anyway, yeah, if you’re a SW completionist, as I am about the EU anyway, yeah, these books are short enough that they’re worth rolling through. But don’t confuse that with “good,” and if you’re like I was two years ago, short on time and money, then blow past these and read something worth your time.
I don’t think I rated the first two books this low. After all, it’s a fun sneak peak into the very first books that would become a major portion of my reading list. And it’s not like the newer stuff really sucks me in. But that shiny strangeness is now faded, and I’m left with silly tales that, to be fair, were not aimed at me, and I’m not really as amused with this one. But it could be that the others weren’t as bad, but just as silly, so who knows. Anyway, yeah, if you’re a SW completionist, as I am about the EU anyway, yeah, these books are short enough that they’re worth rolling through. But don’t confuse that with “good,” and if you’re like I was two years ago, short on time and money, then blow past these and read something worth your time.
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June 17, 2025Dark greetings, everyone. So, there's a reason that this is the only one of these stupid books that my sister remembers reading and that's because it's FUCKING INSANE.
Han builds a sky house by hand. Luke, Ken, and the droids somehow fit into a Y-wing (????) and go to Droidfest on Tatooine to get Han a housewarming gift. Jawas have a regional manager?????? Leia floats like 10 ft above the crowd at Han's housewarming party in a comfy chair. Chewie's back on his zoochberry bullshit. Han teaches Leia something called "The Space Pirate Boogie" and then makes her cry LOL. Kate, Han's new droid, falls off the sky house. Lando loses Cloud City in a game of sabacc to Jabba's dad. Ken gets drugged after eating "candy flavored buns" he got from Jabba's dad. Trioculus gets frozen in carbonite by, yep you guessed it, Jabba's dad.
And the braze. Soooo much braze.
Oh and ALSO, the part at the end where Han asks Leia if she wants to go on a romantic retreat or whatever and her IMMEDIATE response is "Sure, but only if my BROTHER CAN COME"??????
Han builds a sky house by hand. Luke, Ken, and the droids somehow fit into a Y-wing (????) and go to Droidfest on Tatooine to get Han a housewarming gift. Jawas have a regional manager?????? Leia floats like 10 ft above the crowd at Han's housewarming party in a comfy chair. Chewie's back on his zoochberry bullshit. Han teaches Leia something called "The Space Pirate Boogie" and then makes her cry LOL. Kate, Han's new droid, falls off the sky house. Lando loses Cloud City in a game of sabacc to Jabba's dad. Ken gets drugged after eating "candy flavored buns" he got from Jabba's dad. Trioculus gets frozen in carbonite by, yep you guessed it, Jabba's dad.
And the braze. Soooo much braze.
Oh and ALSO, the part at the end where Han asks Leia if she wants to go on a romantic retreat or whatever and her IMMEDIATE response is "Sure, but only if my BROTHER CAN COME"??????
April 2, 2022
Honestly? I'm just amazed by how far they've pushed these characters into kids' territory while still being completely in character. Again, there's just something extremely nostalgic and freeing about returning to this series and pretending the prequels and sequels don't exist. I had surprisingly good taste in the third grade, there's more to enjoy about these books even now, the authors 1000% knew EXACTLY what they were doing, but I also unironically enjoy the 1960s Batman tv show so take that as you will.
April 2, 2024
Zorba the Hutt's Revenge (Star Wars: Jedi Prince #3) by Paul and Hollace Davids.
Basic storyline: Luke has found the Lost City of the Jedi along with a young Jedi Prince named Ken. (Honestly folks, I'm not making this up). The evil Trioculus wants to find Ken and silence him because of some secrets he knows. Also, the father of an old enemy is seeking revenge on Leia for the death of his son.
Wow, some of the dialogue in this one is just not good, even for 8-12 year olds in the early 1990's. Another one to just pass by. I gave it 2 stars.
#MiddleGradeMarch2024.
Basic storyline: Luke has found the Lost City of the Jedi along with a young Jedi Prince named Ken. (Honestly folks, I'm not making this up). The evil Trioculus wants to find Ken and silence him because of some secrets he knows. Also, the father of an old enemy is seeking revenge on Leia for the death of his son.
Wow, some of the dialogue in this one is just not good, even for 8-12 year olds in the early 1990's. Another one to just pass by. I gave it 2 stars.
#MiddleGradeMarch2024.
December 29, 2025
Star Wars: Legends: Jedi Princd 03 Zorba the Hutt's Revenge by Hollace Davids, Paul Davids
3.0 Stars
adventurous reflective sad
Fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
Ugh. I'm just not into this series. The villains are comical. The story seems too simple. Yes, I know that this is a Middle Grade story, but goodness...why?
I'm just trying to get through this series. Just a few more books to go.
3.0 Stars
adventurous reflective sad
Fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
Ugh. I'm just not into this series. The villains are comical. The story seems too simple. Yes, I know that this is a Middle Grade story, but goodness...why?
I'm just trying to get through this series. Just a few more books to go.
March 7, 2022
I think I've finally figured out what bugs me about this series; they've forgotten violence is an option. Everytime they face a problem they act exasperated like it's unsolvable, but in ever other book/comic/cartoon the solution would be bomb, blaster, or lightsaber.
I'm not regretting reading these, but I'd never suggest then to others.
I'm not regretting reading these, but I'd never suggest then to others.
June 17, 2022
This is where I get a sneaking suspicion that wait, HAVE I read these books before?? (Yes, but only #confirmed by the last book in the series) Anyways, I'm a reliablity engineer and Han's stupid floating house is stressing me out and everyone there is gonna die, and tbh they deserve it. The weird gender essentiist housekeeping droid should die too. Also, my favorite thing about this book is that jabba's father's elaborate hairstyle implies that jabba was keeping himself strictly shaved. Was Lando actually hired as his personal aesthetician? Inquiring minds wish to know
September 19, 2018
Still pretty cheesy dialogue and heavy on the environmental message with the 'braze' on Bespin, but there are some nice twists involving various characters, mainly Lando and Leia. The character of K8-18 is intriguing also.
May the Force be with you!
May the Force be with you!
August 24, 2020
Like the previous book, I'm giving this one two stars because it made me laugh. The illustrations of Zorba the Hutt are now my lifeblood. Should I ever get a tattoo, the illustration of him laughing is my first choice.
October 7, 2021
1. The way Luke and Han treat Ken MELTS MY HEART.
2. This series and the Thrawn trilogy have really warmed me towards Lando.
3. Leia has a total boss moment in ch. 6.
4. That twist was pretty damn cool.
5. This book ends on a heartwarming note.
2. This series and the Thrawn trilogy have really warmed me towards Lando.
3. Leia has a total boss moment in ch. 6.
4. That twist was pretty damn cool.
5. This book ends on a heartwarming note.
May 1, 2023
Only picked it up because I read the prior 2 novellas, but this one was kind of boring tbh.
Not much action in there, a quick read nonetheless.
I'm a sucker for anything involving Han Solo though, so that's that.
Not much action in there, a quick read nonetheless.
I'm a sucker for anything involving Han Solo though, so that's that.
July 20, 2020
When I was 10, i thought these books were awesome. Twenty years later it turns out they are the horrendous equivalent of a starwars b-movie.
August 2, 2022
Yep, still a rubbish kids’ book. Unfortunate because I don’t hate the basic concepts and kinda like the art.
February 1, 2023
Imo a step-up from the previous two books in the series, Zorba and Trioculus providing some interesting clashing of egos.
March 1, 2025
Fun story
June 3, 2025
Easy reading. Small plot and some action. Not great, but an easy quick read that is never boring or trying to fit any agenda. For fans only
June 23, 2025
I don't understand the hate for this book, I loved it.
August 27, 2019
Auuuuuuugh.... this series is so baaaaadddd. It can't have been "canon" even back in the EU, can it? It's so cringey - and on top of that the plot seems like it was written by a fifth grader. "Suddenly the droid fell over the balcony for no reason." (I'm paraphrasing here.) And yet.... My completionist tendencies are sending me on to the next book anyway.
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