What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures #3
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
The fabled hoard of the mad tyrant Xim was beyond measure---it was also, as far as Han Solo and his Wookiee partner Chewbacca were concerned, strictly legendary. But the pleadings of an old spacebum who had once saved his life---plus the fact that a trifling misunderstanding had set the deadliest gunman in the galaxy on his trail, making a secret expedition to almost any place seem highly desirable---were enough to grab Han Solo's interest.
But within hours of landing on the planet rumored to hold the treasure, Han's beloved spacecraft Millennium Falcon was hijacked, and his party had to contend with assassins and an army of killer robots.
This was no way, Han Solo felt, for a pair of honest smugglers to make a living...
But within hours of landing on the planet rumored to hold the treasure, Han's beloved spacecraft Millennium Falcon was hijacked, and his party had to contend with assassins and an army of killer robots.
This was no way, Han Solo felt, for a pair of honest smugglers to make a living...
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
24 people are currently reading
1241 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
January 23, 2012
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy is the last of the original Han Solo trilogy published way back between 1979 and 1980. The Indiana Jones movies began to appear in 1981. Keep those dates in mind.
Why? I'll get to it right now. Perhaps it would have been better to name this book Han Solo and the Temple of the Crystal Skull.
I was reading along -- at a slow, slow pace since I had other things to read -- when Han Solo sucked me in for a final reading push with a major divergence from what had become the Han Solo adventure formula. He's riding across a lake on the back of a giant dinosaur-like sauropteroid alien, who just happens to be a ferry on the planet Dellalt, when he looks up into the mountains, throws aside his hunt for the Millenium Falcon and embraces the hunt for treasure he's been on because he's struck by an idea. (Can you see the light bulb over his head? I could).
So off he goes withSallah ... um ... Chewbacca and a bunch of their adventuring partners, including a pseudo-love interest named Marion ... er ... Willie ... er ... Ilsa Hasti. I couldn't help myself. I flicked back to the cover and what did I see but the fucking Crystal Skull ... uh ... the Crystal Death's Head mask, the symbol of Xim, the Almighty Badass Tyrant of Dellalt. Next thing you know, Indy Han and his friends are being captured by the Ugha Tribe the Survivors in their mountainous temple. Then Mola Ram... um ... some nameless Survivor takes over and prepares them for sacrifice. Fast forward to Club Obi Wan ... the mountain top altar, where Han and Chewie figure out a way to escape. Chewie grabs a giant metal gong, decorated with the Paramount Pictures Logo ... er ... The Crystal Skull ... uh ... Xim's symbol and some runes, and he uses it to deflect all the blaster bolts and projectile bullets as the whole crew runs to the edge of the cliff -- and they jump off. But Chewie sees a chance to make a better escape, so he turns the Airplane's Life Raft ... uh ... Xim gong into a sled, and they all go on a huge toboggan run down the snows of Xim's mountain. Whew! But just as they reach a long flat run and it looks like they are safe ... BUMP ... they hit a bump that throws them off another cliff, and they fall into raging river a giant drift of powdered snow that cushions their fall. No village elders greet them, I'm afraid.
Now I'm not saying that George Lucas is a thief. Surely he would never steal ideas from other places for his own movies. And even if there are similarities between stories in a world full of stories, well, that is inevitable, isn't it? It's must be coincidence that Brian Daley's Han Solo and the Temple of the Crystal Skull has such a strong resemblance to set pieces and plot points in those other Harrison Ford vehicles. And it's probably coincidence, too, that this instalment of the Han Solo Trilogy is the weakest of the bunch. All coincidence.
It was still lots of fun for me, though, despite the journey into Professor Han Jones and his wonderful world of grave robbing. Too bad the Gallandro thread had to end the way it did. I'd have loved to see a whole bunch more of him.
Why? I'll get to it right now. Perhaps it would have been better to name this book Han Solo and the Temple of the Crystal Skull.
I was reading along -- at a slow, slow pace since I had other things to read -- when Han Solo sucked me in for a final reading push with a major divergence from what had become the Han Solo adventure formula. He's riding across a lake on the back of a giant dinosaur-like sauropteroid alien, who just happens to be a ferry on the planet Dellalt, when he looks up into the mountains, throws aside his hunt for the Millenium Falcon and embraces the hunt for treasure he's been on because he's struck by an idea. (Can you see the light bulb over his head? I could).
So off he goes with
Now I'm not saying that George Lucas is a thief. Surely he would never steal ideas from other places for his own movies. And even if there are similarities between stories in a world full of stories, well, that is inevitable, isn't it? It's must be coincidence that Brian Daley's Han Solo and the Temple of the Crystal Skull has such a strong resemblance to set pieces and plot points in those other Harrison Ford vehicles. And it's probably coincidence, too, that this instalment of the Han Solo Trilogy is the weakest of the bunch. All coincidence.
It was still lots of fun for me, though, despite the journey into Professor Han Jones and his wonderful world of grave robbing. Too bad the Gallandro thread had to end the way it did. I'd have loved to see a whole bunch more of him.
September 13, 2025
This is the final book of the three Han Solo novels that Daley wrote for Del Rey books. It was published in September of 1980 and so was obviously written before The Empire Strikes Back opened in theatres. At the time there were less than a handful of Star Wars books of any kind available, so Daley was pretty free to create as he chose. His Chewie is a badass who pulls peoples' arms out of their sockets upon occasion and his Han shot first, not their later watered-down iterations. This one seems more like an Indiana Jones adventure than a space opera, as he gets involved with searching for a long-lost ancient treasure. Han and Chewie work well on their own, before they met the other iconic characters, and Han is a smug and happy-go-lucky man of action who'd have given Malcolm Reynolds himself a good run for his money. (He and Chewie dint need no stinkin' Force; space pirates and killer robots are pretty straight forward problems... all you need is a good blaster.) It's a quick read, packed with action and adventure, worth an extra bucket of popcorn with extra butter all on its own.
January 1, 2020
Star Wars Legends Project #214
Background: Han Solo and the Lost Legacy was written by Brian Daley, and published in August 1980. It is the third of the three "Han Solo Adventures" written by Daley, who also adapted the Star Wars trilogy for radio.
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy takes place a few months after Han Solo's Revenge (my review), 1 year before the battle of Yavin. The main characters are Han Solo and Chewbacca, along with the droids Bollux and Blue Max and a few other returning characters from previous books in the series. The story takes place on various planets, mostly in the Tion Hegemony, primarily Dellalt.
Summary: Down on their luck yet again, Han and Chewie run across an old smuggler friend who thinks he's found a clue to the whereabouts of a long-lost treasure ship. He needs a ship, and Han wants a cut of the ultimate payday, but it won't be easy . . .
Review: I remembered this as being the best of this trilogy, but on a reread, it really isn't any better than the other two. But it's different. Say what you will about Daley's trilogy, you can't fault it on variety. I'd always thought of this as a sort of Indiana Jones story starring Han Solo, but of course it pre-dates the first Indiana Jones movie by a full year. Still, a hunt for a lost historical treasure starring a famous Harrison Ford character . . . the parallels are there, regardless, and the result is a lot of fun.
My biggest criticism is that the story does drag quite a bit in the middle, leading into a long, slow build to the climax. The climax, however, pays off perfectly, not only as an end to this story, but an end to a few dangling threads from the previous books as well. I'm not sure what else I could say about this entry that I haven't already said about the others in the trilogy, but this remains a collection that I would recommend to any Star Wars fan, and it's easily one of the most accessible series in the Expanded Universe . . . because it's the first series in the Expanded Universe.
B
Background: Han Solo and the Lost Legacy was written by Brian Daley, and published in August 1980. It is the third of the three "Han Solo Adventures" written by Daley, who also adapted the Star Wars trilogy for radio.
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy takes place a few months after Han Solo's Revenge (my review), 1 year before the battle of Yavin. The main characters are Han Solo and Chewbacca, along with the droids Bollux and Blue Max and a few other returning characters from previous books in the series. The story takes place on various planets, mostly in the Tion Hegemony, primarily Dellalt.
Summary: Down on their luck yet again, Han and Chewie run across an old smuggler friend who thinks he's found a clue to the whereabouts of a long-lost treasure ship. He needs a ship, and Han wants a cut of the ultimate payday, but it won't be easy . . .
Review: I remembered this as being the best of this trilogy, but on a reread, it really isn't any better than the other two. But it's different. Say what you will about Daley's trilogy, you can't fault it on variety. I'd always thought of this as a sort of Indiana Jones story starring Han Solo, but of course it pre-dates the first Indiana Jones movie by a full year. Still, a hunt for a lost historical treasure starring a famous Harrison Ford character . . . the parallels are there, regardless, and the result is a lot of fun.
My biggest criticism is that the story does drag quite a bit in the middle, leading into a long, slow build to the climax. The climax, however, pays off perfectly, not only as an end to this story, but an end to a few dangling threads from the previous books as well. I'm not sure what else I could say about this entry that I haven't already said about the others in the trilogy, but this remains a collection that I would recommend to any Star Wars fan, and it's easily one of the most accessible series in the Expanded Universe . . . because it's the first series in the Expanded Universe.
B
May 19, 2021
So...the Brian Daley-written Han Solo trilogy goes out with consistency: a lot of exciting but bonkers plotting, featuring far too many characters. But at its heart, you always find a superbly (and consistently) characterized Han Solo: witty, highly skilled, and adorably dopey at times. I also appreciate that he doesn't steer clear of Chewbacca's vicious side in a fight.
August 1, 2025
Harrison! This is Star Wars, not Indy! That doesn't come out till next year!
I agree with most reviews that this is the weakest of the Solo Adventures trilogy. But as a whole these short books are a lot of fun.
Before the EU as we know it, before the original trilogy, I wanted to experience Star Wars legends in its fullness, and this is where it truly began!
Nothing but fun, fun books! and Han is characterised superbly.
Next up: The Lando Calrissian Adventures
I agree with most reviews that this is the weakest of the Solo Adventures trilogy. But as a whole these short books are a lot of fun.
Before the EU as we know it, before the original trilogy, I wanted to experience Star Wars legends in its fullness, and this is where it truly began!
Nothing but fun, fun books! and Han is characterised superbly.
Next up: The Lando Calrissian Adventures
October 4, 2021
I feel guilty giving this just two stars because I can honestly say the world-building and the way the action scenes were done were really good. But it's just not my thing to read chapters and chapters of pure action. The finer details of the plot were also very confusing at times.
I've seen some people saying this probably "inspired" the Indiana Jones movies and... yeah, sounds legit.
Loved seeing the return of Han's sweatband, though, as well as learning of his appreciation for having his pores cleansed!
I've seen some people saying this probably "inspired" the Indiana Jones movies and... yeah, sounds legit.
Loved seeing the return of Han's sweatband, though, as well as learning of his appreciation for having his pores cleansed!
November 11, 2021
I really enjoyed the Han Solo trilogy if for no other reason it was great to read some Star Wars material before it got bogged down in continuity. These were written even before The Empire Strikes Back, so they only have the mythology of the initial movie to build on.
While I always wanted to be Luke because I thought having a jedi's power would be awesome, I think most of us have to admit that Han Solo is probably the coolest of the Star Wars heroes. (Lando perhaps being an exception?)
Overall this was much like the first two novels with Han and Chewie on a big mission and avoiding danger with plenty of gun fights and spaceship battles. The characters are interesting and the plot twists are only somewhat predictable.
Overall a good trilogy I would recommend to any Star Wars fan.
While I always wanted to be Luke because I thought having a jedi's power would be awesome, I think most of us have to admit that Han Solo is probably the coolest of the Star Wars heroes. (Lando perhaps being an exception?)
Overall this was much like the first two novels with Han and Chewie on a big mission and avoiding danger with plenty of gun fights and spaceship battles. The characters are interesting and the plot twists are only somewhat predictable.
Overall a good trilogy I would recommend to any Star Wars fan.
March 15, 2018
This was a fun series although not always great. This particular book should have been only a 3 star, but it got an extra star for ending really well not just as a book but also as a finale for the series.
This is not your normal Star Wars story but a treasure hunt set in a galaxy far far away. At times it really felt like I was reading Indiana Jones instead of Han Solo. I don't exactly know how I felt about that except to say that it was good touch of nostalgia. This series is not exactly a must read of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, but if you are a fan of Han and Chewbacca I guess you should give it a try.
This is not your normal Star Wars story but a treasure hunt set in a galaxy far far away. At times it really felt like I was reading Indiana Jones instead of Han Solo. I don't exactly know how I felt about that except to say that it was good touch of nostalgia. This series is not exactly a must read of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, but if you are a fan of Han and Chewbacca I guess you should give it a try.
September 11, 2023
This one was a drag. Too many overlong action sequences, which, of course, are tedious to read.
May 20, 2020
In this exciting adventure starring Indiana Jones in space, Indiana Jones (played by Han Solo) goes on a treasure hunt to find treasure. I don't think this is a spoiler because Han Solo isn't a rich bastard when we first meet him in Star Wars but he doesn't get a whole lot of treasure at the end. It turns out the treasure is so old that the things people thought of as "treasure" a long time ago in a galaxy sort of far away aren't worth much any more.
I guess I wasn't too woke as a kid when I first read this book because, back then, I don't remember constantly thinking as I read this, "What gives Han the right to take this treasure from the people who have already discovered it? When does a 'lost treasure' suddenly become the property of the people who found it rather than up for grabs to any person jerky enough to think they deserve it?" Han Solo and his treasure hunting buddies kill a lot of people who were just holding on to the treasure they found because Han Solo somehow decided the treasure didn't belong to anybody. How fair is that?! That penchant for believing treasure only belongs to the first white man that comes along to steal it is another reason this should have been an Indiana Jones book and not a Han Solo book. Aside from the lasers and spaces ships, of course. But how hard would it have been to just make the lasers into pistols and the space ships into zeppelins?
If you think I'm making a big deal over some some kind of newfangled social justice way of thinking then you're just pointing out that you're a jerk because nobody in their right mind (and I wasn't in my right mind at eight. I was in my eight year old mind. That kid also didn't understand how Dungeons & Dragons was about the human/dwarf/elf privilege to raid the homes of orcs and kobolds, murder them, and steal their life savings) should be able to read this without thinking Han Solo was being a gigantic, greedy butthole. Sure, he's never been too keen on following the law. But his moral compass has never been this out of whack. The labor droid Bollux shows more ethical clarity in this book when it tries to stop the war machine robots through diplomacy before resorting to violence!
I would like to get over this aspect of the book because aren't all stories about treasure hunters simply stories about people stealing artifacts from people with less power? Should I really be bothered by that?! I mean, I can get over Han Solo firing first and killing Greedo in cold blood because it was the only way he was getting out of that situation alive. Plus, bounty hunters know what they're getting into. And I'm okay with Han Solo breaking laws while smuggling because he knows what he's getting into and the consequences of his actions if he's caught. But I'm far less enthusiastic about a Han Solo who realizes the treasure he is after is in the hands of a whole race of people on a planet and he decides those people don't deserve the treasure simply because he wants it. And in quite a few cases, those people don't even deserve to live because they're using deadly force to defend the treasure which is theirs.
I'm glad Garfield has never shown this lack of ethics in his strips. He may be a cynical douche but at least he's just thinking his terrible thoughts to himself.
I guess I wasn't too woke as a kid when I first read this book because, back then, I don't remember constantly thinking as I read this, "What gives Han the right to take this treasure from the people who have already discovered it? When does a 'lost treasure' suddenly become the property of the people who found it rather than up for grabs to any person jerky enough to think they deserve it?" Han Solo and his treasure hunting buddies kill a lot of people who were just holding on to the treasure they found because Han Solo somehow decided the treasure didn't belong to anybody. How fair is that?! That penchant for believing treasure only belongs to the first white man that comes along to steal it is another reason this should have been an Indiana Jones book and not a Han Solo book. Aside from the lasers and spaces ships, of course. But how hard would it have been to just make the lasers into pistols and the space ships into zeppelins?
If you think I'm making a big deal over some some kind of newfangled social justice way of thinking then you're just pointing out that you're a jerk because nobody in their right mind (and I wasn't in my right mind at eight. I was in my eight year old mind. That kid also didn't understand how Dungeons & Dragons was about the human/dwarf/elf privilege to raid the homes of orcs and kobolds, murder them, and steal their life savings) should be able to read this without thinking Han Solo was being a gigantic, greedy butthole. Sure, he's never been too keen on following the law. But his moral compass has never been this out of whack. The labor droid Bollux shows more ethical clarity in this book when it tries to stop the war machine robots through diplomacy before resorting to violence!
I would like to get over this aspect of the book because aren't all stories about treasure hunters simply stories about people stealing artifacts from people with less power? Should I really be bothered by that?! I mean, I can get over Han Solo firing first and killing Greedo in cold blood because it was the only way he was getting out of that situation alive. Plus, bounty hunters know what they're getting into. And I'm okay with Han Solo breaking laws while smuggling because he knows what he's getting into and the consequences of his actions if he's caught. But I'm far less enthusiastic about a Han Solo who realizes the treasure he is after is in the hands of a whole race of people on a planet and he decides those people don't deserve the treasure simply because he wants it. And in quite a few cases, those people don't even deserve to live because they're using deadly force to defend the treasure which is theirs.
I'm glad Garfield has never shown this lack of ethics in his strips. He may be a cynical douche but at least he's just thinking his terrible thoughts to himself.
May 1, 2018
This was a fitting end to Brian Daley’s trilogy. In some ways, it seemed like a blend of Indiana Jones and Star Wars with Han Solo and Chewbacca on an adventure to find a lost treasure that brings them into contact with a near primitive collection of people. There is also a wild escape and the uncovering of the treasure itself. I was also surprised that portions of this book reminded me of a few events from The Phantom Menace. In fact, that movie colored my visualization of this novel some. Overall, this was a fun read and an interesting what might have been.
September 29, 2021
Stars: 3
Reread: Probably at some point.
Recommend to: Han Solo fans and you may as well read it if you've read the first two in the series. Not the most engaging EU book, but it is short and you really only need to read the first two short books in the series so it's a decent choice for someone who wants to read Star Wars without investing more time in the EU.
There isn't a ton to say about this book besides it is pretty entertaining but silly at times. Like his other books on Solo, Daley seems to get who the character is and has created realistic scenarios and behavior for him. The plot is a mess and they mostly just repeatedly stumble onto the next part of their quest.
My biggest complaint is how many scenes in the book appear to have been ripped off by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which obviously isn't the books fault. It is hard to miss for anyone who has seen Temple of Doom recently or more than once and then read this book.
One of the details I really loved about this book was how Daley made a point to show why Han was talented and capable at the things he is talented and capable at in the movies. Best of all, . Compare that to the Lando series where Lando behaves like Han and doesn't really show any reason why he becomes the character we see in the movies.
I just read a couple other reviews, and one stuck out to me because it was absolutely hilarious. This guy (Grunion Guy) starts going off about how it's so racist that white man Han Solo is going to murder and rob the people who rightfully own the treasure. He doesn't seem to grasp a few simple concepts from the book like:
- Han and his crew didn't even know these people existed.
-
-
-
-
So yeah, I'm so morally outraged that white man Han Solo didn't . And anyway, this Grunion Guy obviously doesn't grasp that when A New Hope starts, Han Solo is a freakin DRUG SMUGGLER. Just when I thought I had laughed enough, this guy then says that Dungeons & Dragons is "...about the human/dwarf/elf privilege to raid the homes of orcs and kobolds, murder them, and steal their life savings". Wow. So I guess if you are going to be morally outraged that drug smuggler (and white man, can't forget that) Han Solo doesn't hug it out with people who attempt to murder him repeatedly, maybe you should stick with the books where the pictures pop out. You're also racist trash if your focus is on Han being a white male in this science fiction space opera.
So all in all it's a fun little series worth reading if you like Solo or just want some early Star Wars. If you don't like the first book, you can always stop and you only wasted 200 pages or so.
Reread: Probably at some point.
Recommend to: Han Solo fans and you may as well read it if you've read the first two in the series. Not the most engaging EU book, but it is short and you really only need to read the first two short books in the series so it's a decent choice for someone who wants to read Star Wars without investing more time in the EU.
There isn't a ton to say about this book besides it is pretty entertaining but silly at times. Like his other books on Solo, Daley seems to get who the character is and has created realistic scenarios and behavior for him. The plot is a mess and they mostly just repeatedly stumble onto the next part of their quest.
My biggest complaint is how many scenes in the book appear to have been ripped off by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which obviously isn't the books fault. It is hard to miss for anyone who has seen Temple of Doom recently or more than once and then read this book.
One of the details I really loved about this book was how Daley made a point to show why Han was talented and capable at the things he is talented and capable at in the movies. Best of all, . Compare that to the Lando series where Lando behaves like Han and doesn't really show any reason why he becomes the character we see in the movies.
I just read a couple other reviews, and one stuck out to me because it was absolutely hilarious. This guy (Grunion Guy) starts going off about how it's so racist that white man Han Solo is going to murder and rob the people who rightfully own the treasure. He doesn't seem to grasp a few simple concepts from the book like:
- Han and his crew didn't even know these people existed.
-
-
-
-
So yeah, I'm so morally outraged that white man Han Solo didn't . And anyway, this Grunion Guy obviously doesn't grasp that when A New Hope starts, Han Solo is a freakin DRUG SMUGGLER. Just when I thought I had laughed enough, this guy then says that Dungeons & Dragons is "...about the human/dwarf/elf privilege to raid the homes of orcs and kobolds, murder them, and steal their life savings". Wow. So I guess if you are going to be morally outraged that drug smuggler (and white man, can't forget that) Han Solo doesn't hug it out with people who attempt to murder him repeatedly, maybe you should stick with the books where the pictures pop out. You're also racist trash if your focus is on Han being a white male in this science fiction space opera.
So all in all it's a fun little series worth reading if you like Solo or just want some early Star Wars. If you don't like the first book, you can always stop and you only wasted 200 pages or so.
December 8, 2018
Better than "Revenge" but still not quite as good as "Stars's End". 3.5/5.
June 21, 2025
Before the galaxy was built on prequels, prophecies, and Skywalker angst, there were The Han Solo Adventures—a trilogy of swashbuckling space capers penned by Brian Daley that captured Han Solo not as a myth, but as a mercenary with a heart, a smart mouth, and a very fast ship. The final installment, The Lost Legacy, is perhaps the most Indiana-Jones-meets-Star-Wars of them all: part treasure map, part ancient alien mystery, and all in for high-stakes adventure.
Set before the events of A New Hope, the novel follows Han and Chewbacca as they get swept up in the search for the treasure of Xim the Despot—a legendary tyrant whose lost hoard lies hidden on a distant, perilous world. Teaming up (and sometimes clashing) with the brainy but shady Professor Skynx (a literal insectoid academic with delusions of grandeur), Han’s latest gig spirals quickly from a simple score into a deadly race involving booby-trapped ruins, imperial entanglements, and hints of ancient galactic civilizations.
Daley writes with a pulpy flair, and it works perfectly. The tone is fast, fun, and filled with banter and blasterfire. The stakes never feel galaxy-ending, but that’s the charm—this is Star Wars stripped of Jedi mysticism and rebel politics. It’s just Han, Chewie, a dusty map, some ruthless rivals, and a whole lot of running for their lives.
What makes The Lost Legacy stand out is its pacing and character. Han is still very much the scoundrel here, long before the events that would make him a hero. But Daley gives him depth through small moments—his loyalty to Chewie, his flashes of decency when nobody's looking, his annoyance with pretension masking genuine curiosity. Chewie gets his due too, serving not just as comic relief but as a critical, growling pillar of support in moments of crisis.
And the treasure? Let’s just say the "lost legacy" ends up being a thematic twist, turning the whole quest on its head and reminding readers that sometimes, the real treasure isn’t what you think it is. (No spoilers—but it's got that “you chose... poorly” energy.)
In essence, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy is a breezy, action-packed adventure with the flavor of old-school serials and the heart of a scruffy-looking nerf-herder. It’s the perfect send-off to a trilogy that showed us the Falcon's cockpit long before a farmboy with a lightsaber ever stepped inside.
Set before the events of A New Hope, the novel follows Han and Chewbacca as they get swept up in the search for the treasure of Xim the Despot—a legendary tyrant whose lost hoard lies hidden on a distant, perilous world. Teaming up (and sometimes clashing) with the brainy but shady Professor Skynx (a literal insectoid academic with delusions of grandeur), Han’s latest gig spirals quickly from a simple score into a deadly race involving booby-trapped ruins, imperial entanglements, and hints of ancient galactic civilizations.
Daley writes with a pulpy flair, and it works perfectly. The tone is fast, fun, and filled with banter and blasterfire. The stakes never feel galaxy-ending, but that’s the charm—this is Star Wars stripped of Jedi mysticism and rebel politics. It’s just Han, Chewie, a dusty map, some ruthless rivals, and a whole lot of running for their lives.
What makes The Lost Legacy stand out is its pacing and character. Han is still very much the scoundrel here, long before the events that would make him a hero. But Daley gives him depth through small moments—his loyalty to Chewie, his flashes of decency when nobody's looking, his annoyance with pretension masking genuine curiosity. Chewie gets his due too, serving not just as comic relief but as a critical, growling pillar of support in moments of crisis.
And the treasure? Let’s just say the "lost legacy" ends up being a thematic twist, turning the whole quest on its head and reminding readers that sometimes, the real treasure isn’t what you think it is. (No spoilers—but it's got that “you chose... poorly” energy.)
In essence, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy is a breezy, action-packed adventure with the flavor of old-school serials and the heart of a scruffy-looking nerf-herder. It’s the perfect send-off to a trilogy that showed us the Falcon's cockpit long before a farmboy with a lightsaber ever stepped inside.
December 4, 2022
While not terrible, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy is my least favorite of the Han Solo adventures. Which is a shame because it started as my favorite easily. I think the biggest hindrance is that this story has so much more potential.
This book is a classic pulp treasure hunting, adventure story. With ancient riches from a fallen warlord centuries ago it has all the ingredients to be fantastic. However what should be a wild globe(s) trotting adventure is instead more a survivalist tale about trying to get the Millennium Falcon.
If you want a classic treasure hunting story this isn't it, it's another plot about Han and Chewie going after their ship for 80% of the book, which is a plot already explored in both previous stories at one point or another. It's such a disappointing and lame change of pace and really kills this book for me.
The characters are all entertaining however, if a bit stereotypical, but that's perfectly fine in a story so short. Pre A New Hope Han is written a little too kind and heroic for my liking, but Chewie really steals the show and Brian Daley earns his spot as one of the best Star Wars authors for how he writes Chewbacca.
However the character Gallandro deserves special mention for how much I hate this type of character. He was fine in the previous story, but here he becomes such an author favorite it's just insulting. Instead of letting actions speak for themselves the author continually hypes this character up using lines as "the most dangerous machine out here, was Gallandro" and other cheesy lines that's all telling you how cool this character is and not showing. The only redeeming factor is I do enjoy how his arc is wrapped up.
Without spoiling anything, I will say the ending is far too rushed and feels like it's hurriedly setting up Han for his appearance in A New Hope. The ending line is incredibly cheesy as well and made me groan really soiling my opinion by the very end and dropping this from a 3 star book into a 2 star book.
Overall I can't really recommend Lost Legacy unless you're a big fan of the previous two books and are willing to accept a downgrade.
This book is a classic pulp treasure hunting, adventure story. With ancient riches from a fallen warlord centuries ago it has all the ingredients to be fantastic. However what should be a wild globe(s) trotting adventure is instead more a survivalist tale about trying to get the Millennium Falcon.
If you want a classic treasure hunting story this isn't it, it's another plot about Han and Chewie going after their ship for 80% of the book, which is a plot already explored in both previous stories at one point or another. It's such a disappointing and lame change of pace and really kills this book for me.
The characters are all entertaining however, if a bit stereotypical, but that's perfectly fine in a story so short. Pre A New Hope Han is written a little too kind and heroic for my liking, but Chewie really steals the show and Brian Daley earns his spot as one of the best Star Wars authors for how he writes Chewbacca.
However the character Gallandro deserves special mention for how much I hate this type of character. He was fine in the previous story, but here he becomes such an author favorite it's just insulting. Instead of letting actions speak for themselves the author continually hypes this character up using lines as "the most dangerous machine out here, was Gallandro" and other cheesy lines that's all telling you how cool this character is and not showing. The only redeeming factor is I do enjoy how his arc is wrapped up.
Without spoiling anything, I will say the ending is far too rushed and feels like it's hurriedly setting up Han for his appearance in A New Hope. The ending line is incredibly cheesy as well and made me groan really soiling my opinion by the very end and dropping this from a 3 star book into a 2 star book.
Overall I can't really recommend Lost Legacy unless you're a big fan of the previous two books and are willing to accept a downgrade.
December 24, 2024
My Reading Log
Plot Summary
In Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Brian Daley, Han Solo and Chewbacca are drawn into a treasure hunt for the fabled riches of Xim the Despot. The quest leads them to a remote and dangerous planet where ancient mysteries and traps guard the treasure. Alongside a colorful cast of allies and rivals, including Gallandro, an enigmatic gunman, they must outwit dangerous foes and deadly environments. As the stakes escalate, Han and Chewbacca's resourcefulness and teamwork are tested in a classic tale of adventure, greed, and survival.
Characters
Han Solo - The charismatic smuggler, reluctantly leading the search for Xim’s treasure while navigating old and new enemies.
Chewbacca - Han’s stalwart Wookiee co-pilot, offering brute strength and unwavering loyalty.
Gallandro - A mysterious and deadly gunslinger, competing with Han for the treasure while harboring his own agenda.
Hasti Troujow - A treasure hunter with personal ties to the quest, seeking to uncover Xim’s legacy.
Bollux - The trusty labor droid assisting Han and Chewbacca with his practicality and hidden talents.
Blue Max - A clever computer system housed within Bollux, providing technical expertise crucial to solving puzzles.
Skynx - A scholarly and insectoid alien aiding the team with his knowledge of Xim’s history and technology.
Corporate Sector Authority (CSA) - Though less prominent in this story, their influence and bureaucracy still cast a shadow.
Xim the Despot (historical figure) - A legendary conqueror whose treasure forms the centerpiece of the story.
Quotes
"Riches don’t mean much when you’re dead, but surviving’s always a treasure." — Han Solo
"It’s not the treasure that matters—it’s the adventure that gets you there." — Chewbacca (translated by Han)
"History has teeth, and the past can bite harder than you think." — Skynx
Plot Summary
In Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Brian Daley, Han Solo and Chewbacca are drawn into a treasure hunt for the fabled riches of Xim the Despot. The quest leads them to a remote and dangerous planet where ancient mysteries and traps guard the treasure. Alongside a colorful cast of allies and rivals, including Gallandro, an enigmatic gunman, they must outwit dangerous foes and deadly environments. As the stakes escalate, Han and Chewbacca's resourcefulness and teamwork are tested in a classic tale of adventure, greed, and survival.
Characters
Han Solo - The charismatic smuggler, reluctantly leading the search for Xim’s treasure while navigating old and new enemies.
Chewbacca - Han’s stalwart Wookiee co-pilot, offering brute strength and unwavering loyalty.
Gallandro - A mysterious and deadly gunslinger, competing with Han for the treasure while harboring his own agenda.
Hasti Troujow - A treasure hunter with personal ties to the quest, seeking to uncover Xim’s legacy.
Bollux - The trusty labor droid assisting Han and Chewbacca with his practicality and hidden talents.
Blue Max - A clever computer system housed within Bollux, providing technical expertise crucial to solving puzzles.
Skynx - A scholarly and insectoid alien aiding the team with his knowledge of Xim’s history and technology.
Corporate Sector Authority (CSA) - Though less prominent in this story, their influence and bureaucracy still cast a shadow.
Xim the Despot (historical figure) - A legendary conqueror whose treasure forms the centerpiece of the story.
Quotes
"Riches don’t mean much when you’re dead, but surviving’s always a treasure." — Han Solo
"It’s not the treasure that matters—it’s the adventure that gets you there." — Chewbacca (translated by Han)
"History has teeth, and the past can bite harder than you think." — Skynx
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2017
If John Jackson Miller can write a Wild West story set in the Star Wars universe (Kenobi), then I suppose I should give Brian Daley some slack for writing a treasure hunt story set in the same. It seems like an odd choice, though, especially considering this was only the fourth book that expanded on the movies. I get the feeling Miller was looking to do something that hadn't been done in the Expanded Universe, but at the time Daley wrote this book, he could have done anything. Why this?
The story isn't bad, but it is slow and somewhat emotionless. It has its moments (Bollux and Blue Max are the most realized characters here), but the romantic sub-sub-subplot between Han and Hasti is about as convincing as the one between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. I had my concerns that the book would be a two-star affair, but I have to admit, the race for the treasure is engaging enough, and how Daley concludes the race is clever, and works surprisingly well.
What's weird about the book is I kept thinking I was reading an Indiana Jones book, not a Star Wars book. The race for the treasure, the discovery of the truth of the legend, and solving the riddles of finding the treasure itself would work well for another Indiana Jones story. (At the very least, it would be much better than Crystal Skull.) It also didn't hurt that I kept envisioning the same person as the lead character.
Daley gets Han Solo, even if the overall story doesn't quite fit him. The story fits into the EU in the sense that it ends with a loose end that will tie it in with the first movie, but Daley doesn't go into much detail over it. I like Crispin's trilogy better, since she fills in that detail, but the two trilogies together make for an intriguing backstory to science fiction's favorite scoundrel.
The story isn't bad, but it is slow and somewhat emotionless. It has its moments (Bollux and Blue Max are the most realized characters here), but the romantic sub-sub-subplot between Han and Hasti is about as convincing as the one between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. I had my concerns that the book would be a two-star affair, but I have to admit, the race for the treasure is engaging enough, and how Daley concludes the race is clever, and works surprisingly well.
What's weird about the book is I kept thinking I was reading an Indiana Jones book, not a Star Wars book. The race for the treasure, the discovery of the truth of the legend, and solving the riddles of finding the treasure itself would work well for another Indiana Jones story. (At the very least, it would be much better than Crystal Skull.) It also didn't hurt that I kept envisioning the same person as the lead character.
Daley gets Han Solo, even if the overall story doesn't quite fit him. The story fits into the EU in the sense that it ends with a loose end that will tie it in with the first movie, but Daley doesn't go into much detail over it. I like Crispin's trilogy better, since she fills in that detail, but the two trilogies together make for an intriguing backstory to science fiction's favorite scoundrel.
March 13, 2021
In his final novel exploring the early adventures of Han Solo, Brian Daley aims his character in the direction of his character arc in Star Wars and its various film sequels. He uses old pulp tropes to set his stage, and while Daley doesn't go so far as to project Han's story in the direction it would take in the final Star Wars film a couple of years later, he certainly does anticipate it.
Han's character development, though, takes up only enough space for a couple of pages--so short you can blink and miss it. Daley's real objective is to throw Han and Chewbacca into an endless series of races and narrow escapes, and he does it with what feels like real enthusiasm. Daley's Han runs and runs and never stops running (except, that is, to shoot somebody). His book is all action, with as simple a narrative plot as ever devised for pulp adventure.
The story feels like it anticipates Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film that would come out the year after Han Solo and the Lost Legacy came out. The book simply understands the genre it is meant to mimic, which gives it far less a distinctive Star Wars identity, and much more a kind of Saturday-morning-cartoon vibe.
It's all fun, though, and it is easily the least outlandish of Daley's weird and twisting plots. It's probably my least favorite of all three of the trilogy, though, if only because it feels oddly like the one that is the most restrained.
Still, it's a fun insight to the early days of Star Wars, and I really do wish Disney would look back on it for inspiration in a new series of adventures.
Han's character development, though, takes up only enough space for a couple of pages--so short you can blink and miss it. Daley's real objective is to throw Han and Chewbacca into an endless series of races and narrow escapes, and he does it with what feels like real enthusiasm. Daley's Han runs and runs and never stops running (except, that is, to shoot somebody). His book is all action, with as simple a narrative plot as ever devised for pulp adventure.
The story feels like it anticipates Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film that would come out the year after Han Solo and the Lost Legacy came out. The book simply understands the genre it is meant to mimic, which gives it far less a distinctive Star Wars identity, and much more a kind of Saturday-morning-cartoon vibe.
It's all fun, though, and it is easily the least outlandish of Daley's weird and twisting plots. It's probably my least favorite of all three of the trilogy, though, if only because it feels oddly like the one that is the most restrained.
Still, it's a fun insight to the early days of Star Wars, and I really do wish Disney would look back on it for inspiration in a new series of adventures.
January 29, 2025
This is book 22 on my read-through of the Star Wars Legends books.
Oh hell yes.
I know this is what everyone comments on, but it is genuinely insane that this book came out a year before Raiders of the Lost Ark. Han Solo and The Lost Legacy feels like the best possible combination of Star Wars and Indiana Jones -- the frantic action set pieces of the latter with the unbounded imagination of the former.
Yes the plot is "treasure hunt", but this book abounds in wondrous detail, to an almost absurd degree. Even random one-off characters often possess more personality than most entire books. Every action scene is somehow more wild and imaginative than the last. The prose is economical, but full of life and vibrancy.
I'm not what else to even say about this book rather than to just start listing off scenes and characters I loved. But to do so would be to cheapen the sense of wonder this book provides.
I would have appreciated if the ending was a bit...more. Beyond feeling a bit rushed, it could have used an extra twist or two to raise the stakes. It felt like this book needed at least one heroic sacrifice or moment of deep introspection. Also, for some reason, in a book with so many great characters, the two characters who end up as cardboard cutouts are the villains, which is a shame. But even though these complaints lessen the destination, they don't dull the journey.
No, this book doesn't have any deeper meaning or themes. But this is what peak pulp fiction looks like, executed with such attention to detail and creativity that it nearly ascends from low to high art. Nearly. But not quite. A well deserved 8.5/10, although I wish I could go higher.
Oh hell yes.
I know this is what everyone comments on, but it is genuinely insane that this book came out a year before Raiders of the Lost Ark. Han Solo and The Lost Legacy feels like the best possible combination of Star Wars and Indiana Jones -- the frantic action set pieces of the latter with the unbounded imagination of the former.
Yes the plot is "treasure hunt", but this book abounds in wondrous detail, to an almost absurd degree. Even random one-off characters often possess more personality than most entire books. Every action scene is somehow more wild and imaginative than the last. The prose is economical, but full of life and vibrancy.
I'm not what else to even say about this book rather than to just start listing off scenes and characters I loved. But to do so would be to cheapen the sense of wonder this book provides.
I would have appreciated if the ending was a bit...more. Beyond feeling a bit rushed, it could have used an extra twist or two to raise the stakes. It felt like this book needed at least one heroic sacrifice or moment of deep introspection. Also, for some reason, in a book with so many great characters, the two characters who end up as cardboard cutouts are the villains, which is a shame. But even though these complaints lessen the destination, they don't dull the journey.
No, this book doesn't have any deeper meaning or themes. But this is what peak pulp fiction looks like, executed with such attention to detail and creativity that it nearly ascends from low to high art. Nearly. But not quite. A well deserved 8.5/10, although I wish I could go higher.
March 13, 2018
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
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.
February 11, 2019
Finally done with the original Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley. While I respect the books for what they were at the time, these would definitely not be stories I would reccomend to casual fans who want to start in the expanded universe.
This book, "Han Solo and the Lost Legacy" is the longest of the three and is more of a Indiana Jones story in design rather than a Star Wars Story. Daley's use of 'droid instead of droid and "war-robot" instead of battle droid really took me out of the story.
However, I enjoyed Han and Chewie's relationship with Badure and Hasti. They were fun and Hasti was definitely the most interesting of the three female companions in the books, though that's not saying much.
The action was fun, although sometimes too drawn out. The biggest problem is that there isn't enough of a connection from book to book. It seems like there are minor references and the character of Gallandro carried over, but it feels too similar to the 1980s-90s Star Trek books where nothing happened of consequence.
Overall, better than the other two, but not by much. 5.9 out of 10(I'm adding a point for nostalgia since it's 42 years old.)[3/5 for goodreads purposes]
This book, "Han Solo and the Lost Legacy" is the longest of the three and is more of a Indiana Jones story in design rather than a Star Wars Story. Daley's use of 'droid instead of droid and "war-robot" instead of battle droid really took me out of the story.
However, I enjoyed Han and Chewie's relationship with Badure and Hasti. They were fun and Hasti was definitely the most interesting of the three female companions in the books, though that's not saying much.
The action was fun, although sometimes too drawn out. The biggest problem is that there isn't enough of a connection from book to book. It seems like there are minor references and the character of Gallandro carried over, but it feels too similar to the 1980s-90s Star Trek books where nothing happened of consequence.
Overall, better than the other two, but not by much. 5.9 out of 10(I'm adding a point for nostalgia since it's 42 years old.)[3/5 for goodreads purposes]
April 2, 2021
I'm almost sad that the read is over on this series... what a fun ride. Mr. Daley does an excellent job of bringing some closure to the pre-Star Wars Han Solo timeline and at no point commits any faux pas violating codex of the original movies. I can make no promises on the Disney garbage created afterwards, since clearly Disney did not care a whit about anything made before it "saved" Lucasfilms by buying it.
Han is still the lovable rogue and I really liked many of the secondary characters Daley created to move this story along. I'd love to see more done inside this Corporate Sector Authority world and development of expansion codex. Not going to happen, but it would be nice.
I won't call any of these books another "Last of the Mohicans" or "Hamlet", but for the genre they are damn fine reads. I think anyone who really loves the original 3 movies should settle down and give these books a read. You will not regret it and may find yourself an even bigger Han Solo fan after. 4 Stars well earned, borderline higher.
Han is still the lovable rogue and I really liked many of the secondary characters Daley created to move this story along. I'd love to see more done inside this Corporate Sector Authority world and development of expansion codex. Not going to happen, but it would be nice.
I won't call any of these books another "Last of the Mohicans" or "Hamlet", but for the genre they are damn fine reads. I think anyone who really loves the original 3 movies should settle down and give these books a read. You will not regret it and may find yourself an even bigger Han Solo fan after. 4 Stars well earned, borderline higher.
August 30, 2024
Rating 3
Quick fun read of another Han Solo & Chewbacca adventure.
The plot isn’t too serious and occasionally makes no sense, but it moves along at quite a pace. It slows to a brisk walk about 1/2 way through but then accelerated to the shoot out finally. This wrapped up the trilogy of vaguely linked stories and puts Han on the way to how he is first seen in ep.4
The characters of Han and Chewbacca are really well done I thought as I did when I read these on first publication. Probably that plus the fast paced action is why I remembered them so fondly.
As much as I liked some of the SW-EU novels that series became too adult and too serious (grim even) and lost a lot of the fun that the original films and these novels had. Yes there is darkness present but offset by other things and never all consuming, and even though I never read the final series of NJO I have never felt a pull to go back and give it a try.
Overall this was a good read and a definite recommendation to younger SW fans I think even now.
Quick fun read of another Han Solo & Chewbacca adventure.
The plot isn’t too serious and occasionally makes no sense, but it moves along at quite a pace. It slows to a brisk walk about 1/2 way through but then accelerated to the shoot out finally. This wrapped up the trilogy of vaguely linked stories and puts Han on the way to how he is first seen in ep.4
The characters of Han and Chewbacca are really well done I thought as I did when I read these on first publication. Probably that plus the fast paced action is why I remembered them so fondly.
As much as I liked some of the SW-EU novels that series became too adult and too serious (grim even) and lost a lot of the fun that the original films and these novels had. Yes there is darkness present but offset by other things and never all consuming, and even though I never read the final series of NJO I have never felt a pull to go back and give it a try.
Overall this was a good read and a definite recommendation to younger SW fans I think even now.
October 8, 2018
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.
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.
February 1, 2021
It was fun to revisit this book. While it might be the "weakest" of the three Han Solo books (I realize i rated it 4 stars), it is still better than Splinter of the Mind's Eye and (if the first book is any indication) is going to be better than all three Lando Calrissian books. Though there are not as many "adventures" as in the prior two books, it still moves at a fast pace, it has fun and interesting characters in it, and a character returns from a prior book.
It was a fun book to revisit. It was similar-yet-different in comparison to the first two books, but I felt it was well-written, considering its size (about two hundred or so pages), and the amount of "character development" that did occur. The next batch of books will be the Lando Calrissian trilogy.
It was a fun book to revisit. It was similar-yet-different in comparison to the first two books, but I felt it was well-written, considering its size (about two hundred or so pages), and the amount of "character development" that did occur. The next batch of books will be the Lando Calrissian trilogy.
February 19, 2021
Average ending to the first Star Wars spinoff series. The sidekick stories are wrapped up neatly, if not excitingly, while our heroes are able to journey into their future endeavors. It was interesting to read these initial books, but the content doesn't hold up compared to the later novels.
The trilogy is notable in that there are different alien species, planets, and events mentioned throughout all three books which are never seen again in the Star Wars universe, or only in very limited capacity. There are also inconsistencies with later Legends content, such as Xim the Despot predating the Old Republic, but that timeframe being described as generations ago instead of many millenniums past as established in later media.
The trilogy is notable in that there are different alien species, planets, and events mentioned throughout all three books which are never seen again in the Star Wars universe, or only in very limited capacity. There are also inconsistencies with later Legends content, such as Xim the Despot predating the Old Republic, but that timeframe being described as generations ago instead of many millenniums past as established in later media.
May 16, 2018
A supreme let-down honestly. The second book had gathered some steam and found a good groove I was hoping would pay off here. Unfortunately, the book just meanders through some rote adventure until a well-written ending that still isn’t enough to save it.
I will note, though, that during this time Daley was also creating the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back radio dramas, and those magnificent efforts undoubtedly drew his attention away.
The tradeoff is fair, in my view, but unfortunate. Can’t help but wonder what he would’ve done with more time or another year to work this all out. As it is, a forgettable pulp diversion.
I will note, though, that during this time Daley was also creating the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back radio dramas, and those magnificent efforts undoubtedly drew his attention away.
The tradeoff is fair, in my view, but unfortunate. Can’t help but wonder what he would’ve done with more time or another year to work this all out. As it is, a forgettable pulp diversion.
April 21, 2022
"I liked it." - 3 out of 5 star rating.
More of what we all love, especially if we are reading 70-80's Star Wars books and are on book 3 of the trilogy. More Han and Chewie, mix in some classic treasure hunt action, the bad guys on their tail, and all in you've got an excellent book (and overall very well done trilogy).
Oldies but goodies.
Brian Daley passed away in 1996 and authored 40+ sci-fi books. He continues to live, even beyond death, through his creative works. /insert some sort of one with the force reference/
This whole trilogy was a pleasure to read and absolutely recommend.
More of what we all love, especially if we are reading 70-80's Star Wars books and are on book 3 of the trilogy. More Han and Chewie, mix in some classic treasure hunt action, the bad guys on their tail, and all in you've got an excellent book (and overall very well done trilogy).
Oldies but goodies.
Brian Daley passed away in 1996 and authored 40+ sci-fi books. He continues to live, even beyond death, through his creative works. /insert some sort of one with the force reference/
This whole trilogy was a pleasure to read and absolutely recommend.
August 17, 2021
4th Star Wars book (excluding novelizations)
This book wraps up the Han Solo adventures series, and leaves nothing to disappoint, bringing the same crackhead energy as the first two. The characters, reacuring or otherwise are all fun, although poorly developed. The book demonstrates the eras trademarked sexism, but not too the detriment of the story. As I understand it, little of the lore introduced in this book goes on to be used later, it's still an interesting look into the early years of the EU.
This book wraps up the Han Solo adventures series, and leaves nothing to disappoint, bringing the same crackhead energy as the first two. The characters, reacuring or otherwise are all fun, although poorly developed. The book demonstrates the eras trademarked sexism, but not too the detriment of the story. As I understand it, little of the lore introduced in this book goes on to be used later, it's still an interesting look into the early years of the EU.
April 2, 2022
As with the "Empire Strikes Back" novelization I read last week, "Han Solo and the Lost Legacy" opens my mind a bit to the possibilities of the Chewbacca character. He's entertaining enough on the screen, but his barks and growls equaling a language that Han Solo can understand has always seemed ridiculous. The books, though, get in his head a little more, and while the barking language is still silly, I appreciate the character more.
There are, however, too many characters in "Lost Legacy," too many for a short book like this. The story is interesting enough, and the action is explained clearly, but Han's companions don't hold up against his friends from the movie series.
There are, however, too many characters in "Lost Legacy," too many for a short book like this. The story is interesting enough, and the action is explained clearly, but Han's companions don't hold up against his friends from the movie series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews