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Star Wars Legends: Novels
The New Rebellion
Somewhere in the galaxy, millions suddenly perish in a blinding instant of pain, anguish, and despair—a disruption of the Force so shocking it is felt by Luke at his Jedi academy on Yavin 4 and by Leia at home on Coruscant. It is a deed that rivals the terrifying power of the Death Star, the long-destroyed weapon of the defeated Empire. But where did it happen? And how? And why?
Then death comes to Coruscant itself. As Leia, head of the New Republic, prepares to address the Senate, a massive explosion rocks the meeting hall, decimating the Senate’s ranks. Leia survives and recovers, only to be faced with calls to resign from office. Even worse, some of the Senators lay the blame for the attack on Han Solo.
As Leia works desperately to clear Han’s name, Han and Chewbacca journey to the lawless asteroids of Smuggler’s Run to track down rumors of a secret plot against the New Republic. And Luke goes in search of Brakiss, a former Jedi student who has turned his considerable talents to the dark side of the Force and might well have been involved in the unexplained deaths of millions that so disturbed Luke and Leia. But Brakiss is only a small part of the carnage taking place on Coruscant and elsewhere. Luke is being stalked by a master of the dark side who is determined to rule as the next emperor. Luke, Leia, and Leia’s Jedi children are targeted to die. Then billions will follow, in a holocaust unequaled in galactic history.
Then death comes to Coruscant itself. As Leia, head of the New Republic, prepares to address the Senate, a massive explosion rocks the meeting hall, decimating the Senate’s ranks. Leia survives and recovers, only to be faced with calls to resign from office. Even worse, some of the Senators lay the blame for the attack on Han Solo.
As Leia works desperately to clear Han’s name, Han and Chewbacca journey to the lawless asteroids of Smuggler’s Run to track down rumors of a secret plot against the New Republic. And Luke goes in search of Brakiss, a former Jedi student who has turned his considerable talents to the dark side of the Force and might well have been involved in the unexplained deaths of millions that so disturbed Luke and Leia. But Brakiss is only a small part of the carnage taking place on Coruscant and elsewhere. Luke is being stalked by a master of the dark side who is determined to rule as the next emperor. Luke, Leia, and Leia’s Jedi children are targeted to die. Then billions will follow, in a holocaust unequaled in galactic history.
386 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1996
108 people are currently reading
2851 people want to read
About the author
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
1,365 books721 followersKristine Kathryn Rusch is an award-winning mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy writer. She has written many novels under various names, including Kristine Grayson for romance, and Kris Nelscott for mystery. Her novels have made the bestseller lists –even in London– and have been published in 14 countries and 13 different languages.
Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.
In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".
She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances
Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.
In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".
She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
January 10, 2022
Luke and Leia feel a disturbance just moments before the great Senate Hall explodes. Luke senses that Brakiss, one of his former students turned Dark has something to do with it, and he leaves to seek him out. Han, who had been meeting with a smuggler with apparent knowledge of the explosion, leaves for Smuggler's Run to learn more about this plot, leaving Leia at home to protect Han from negative implications and to balance the power held precariously by the former Imperial senators who now populate the senate.
NOTE: This is a review based on the audio book and what I remember from reading the actual novel years ago.
I Liked:
I was afraid going into this book. Terrified at the outcome, terrified to read yet another subpar Star Wars novel. But I was pleasantly surprised at what Rusch gives us. The New Rebellion is a rather enjoyable novel.
Rusch firstly pulls us into the novel really quickly. She introduces her new character, Kueller, and ties in Brakiss from the Young Jedi Knights series. Not a chapter later, the Senate explodes. This was a good move, the audience didn't really need a huge build up like we did in the Black Fleet Crisis or the Thrawn Trilogy.
The story isn't hugely complicated, yet is different and unique. For fear of giving spoilers, I won't reveal the source of the explosions, but it is not a superweapon and has a very believable grounding. The story then follows the three (four, if you include the bad guys) subplots: Leia, Han, and Luke. These are well done, exceedingly, and all tie into the main plot perfectly. Leia stays on Coruscant for a while until she and Wedge leave for Almania. Han decides, after speaking with a smuggler who promptly dies, to head to Smuggler's Run. Lando then goes after Han, at Leia's request. Lastly, Luke leaves to seek out Brakiss. Through his interactions with Cole Fardreamer, we set off another thread, where Cole leaves with R2-D2 and C-3PO. Unlike with other books (namely, the Black Fleet Crisis), all the plots tie in with each other and don't go branching off in other, strange, disconnected ways. Not to mention, each plot thread makes sense for each character on it. Leia isn't going to Smuggler's Run and Han isn't after Brakiss or some other strange combination.
I was impressed with how Rusch handled the characters. Han was a perfectly balance of smuggler and general. I liked how Leia was biased against the former Imperials who were joining the Senate (and how Rusch didn't fall back on having them be portrayed as bad guys--in many ways, Leia is the "bad guy" for being so biased). And I want to applaud Rusch's Luke. While I do have reservations (see below), Luke is much, much, much better written than in almost every other book. He was powerful, he was smart, he was a Jedi. I could believe that this was the Luke in the movies. Cole Fardreamer was an interesting character, if too Luke Skywalker for my liking. I did enjoy seeing Rusch include Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, two characters who are continually overlooked in EU. I thought they were adequately done.
I Didn't Like:
How is it that so many people are from Tatooine or there are Tatooine references? This book has two of them: Cole Fardreamer is from Tatooine (hence the last name) and the smugglers import Jawas from Tatooine to clean equipment. I am really beginning to doubt Luke's whiny "If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."
While Rusch does a much better job than many other authors, she still falls back on crippling Luke to make him, I guess, more manageable. Here, Luke falls and breaks his ankle. Of course, he can't get away to fix it up. Oh, no, he has to walk all over the place, climb ladders, battle with a broken ankle. Good grief.
One of my few complaints about the audiobook was how the narrator gave Wedge Antilles an inexplicable Scottish accent. I didn't even know who he was personifying until I finally caught a "Wedge" and did a double take. What is even stranger is that I never recall the narrator in the Jedi Academy Trilogy audiobooks Wedge having a Scottish accent and Wedge certainly didn't have a Scottish accent in the movie.
Rusch doesn't do a particularly impressive job with the ysalamiri. She almost makes the animal generate a motion sickness field. Mara gets headaches in the field, Kueller suddenly acts stupid, Luke and Leia get sick...you catch my drift. My impression of the ysalamiri is that they push back the Force. You could sense the darkness in the Force, and, once inside, you couldn't sense the Force and were as if blinded. None of the symptoms have ever included "nausea, vomiting, migraines, and stupidity".
I thought the plot was really creative, but the payoff at the end is very weak and lacking. I couldn't help but be disappointed at the outcome.
The battle sequences were not particularly brilliant. Wedge takes a leap of faith and starts blasting at his allies to learn that the crew of the Star Destroyers are the stupidest droids that money can buy. I can't believe Kueller would have purchased droids without the ability to think strategically and tactically for the sole purpose of crewing his fleet. He should have sprung for the upgrade. Luke and Leia fight against Kueller, and while them working together is awesome, the actual battle is pretty lame. It goes something like this:
"Kueller smashed his lightsaber at Luke. Luke blocked, then blocked, then parried. Leia shot at Kueller and Kueller ducked."
*yawn*
But by far the worst part I found was the antagonists/villains. Brakiss and Kueller are just not up to the task. Not only am I amazed that both were former Jedi students (Luke has a bad success rate, huh?), but I was astounded that, yet again, Kueller wants Luke and Leia as his minions just for the heck of it. Oh-kay. That makes zero sense. Kueller was upset at Leia because his parents die, but now he wants to turn Luke and Leia to the Dark Side? I just don't get that line of logic. I think also Rusch attempted to make him minutely sympathetic, but it failed. Kueller is too pathetic, too evil, too maniacal laugh for me to feel sorry about his family. Also, kinda hard to overlook the mass murder to enact revenge (we *are* looking at you, Kyp Durron).
Brakiss is no better. I felt he was more whiny brat than an actual force. He was easily manipulated by Kueller, when that felt odd. Don't you remember what this guy looked like under the mask? Pillsbury Dough Boy? So why are you always cowering in fear? And having him get kidnapped as a baby by the Imperials--wow, it's almost as if the Imperials are bad now.
Overall:
One of the better books of this era, The New Rebellion has a lot going for it. Good story that doesn't rely on superweapons, good character interpretations, interesting developments. Not too fond of the bad guys, who are instantly forgettable, but this is one book that won't have you clutching your head in agony when you finish reading it.
NOTE: This is a review based on the audio book and what I remember from reading the actual novel years ago.
I Liked:
I was afraid going into this book. Terrified at the outcome, terrified to read yet another subpar Star Wars novel. But I was pleasantly surprised at what Rusch gives us. The New Rebellion is a rather enjoyable novel.
Rusch firstly pulls us into the novel really quickly. She introduces her new character, Kueller, and ties in Brakiss from the Young Jedi Knights series. Not a chapter later, the Senate explodes. This was a good move, the audience didn't really need a huge build up like we did in the Black Fleet Crisis or the Thrawn Trilogy.
The story isn't hugely complicated, yet is different and unique. For fear of giving spoilers, I won't reveal the source of the explosions, but it is not a superweapon and has a very believable grounding. The story then follows the three (four, if you include the bad guys) subplots: Leia, Han, and Luke. These are well done, exceedingly, and all tie into the main plot perfectly. Leia stays on Coruscant for a while until she and Wedge leave for Almania. Han decides, after speaking with a smuggler who promptly dies, to head to Smuggler's Run. Lando then goes after Han, at Leia's request. Lastly, Luke leaves to seek out Brakiss. Through his interactions with Cole Fardreamer, we set off another thread, where Cole leaves with R2-D2 and C-3PO. Unlike with other books (namely, the Black Fleet Crisis), all the plots tie in with each other and don't go branching off in other, strange, disconnected ways. Not to mention, each plot thread makes sense for each character on it. Leia isn't going to Smuggler's Run and Han isn't after Brakiss or some other strange combination.
I was impressed with how Rusch handled the characters. Han was a perfectly balance of smuggler and general. I liked how Leia was biased against the former Imperials who were joining the Senate (and how Rusch didn't fall back on having them be portrayed as bad guys--in many ways, Leia is the "bad guy" for being so biased). And I want to applaud Rusch's Luke. While I do have reservations (see below), Luke is much, much, much better written than in almost every other book. He was powerful, he was smart, he was a Jedi. I could believe that this was the Luke in the movies. Cole Fardreamer was an interesting character, if too Luke Skywalker for my liking. I did enjoy seeing Rusch include Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, two characters who are continually overlooked in EU. I thought they were adequately done.
I Didn't Like:
How is it that so many people are from Tatooine or there are Tatooine references? This book has two of them: Cole Fardreamer is from Tatooine (hence the last name) and the smugglers import Jawas from Tatooine to clean equipment. I am really beginning to doubt Luke's whiny "If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."
While Rusch does a much better job than many other authors, she still falls back on crippling Luke to make him, I guess, more manageable. Here, Luke falls and breaks his ankle. Of course, he can't get away to fix it up. Oh, no, he has to walk all over the place, climb ladders, battle with a broken ankle. Good grief.
One of my few complaints about the audiobook was how the narrator gave Wedge Antilles an inexplicable Scottish accent. I didn't even know who he was personifying until I finally caught a "Wedge" and did a double take. What is even stranger is that I never recall the narrator in the Jedi Academy Trilogy audiobooks Wedge having a Scottish accent and Wedge certainly didn't have a Scottish accent in the movie.
Rusch doesn't do a particularly impressive job with the ysalamiri. She almost makes the animal generate a motion sickness field. Mara gets headaches in the field, Kueller suddenly acts stupid, Luke and Leia get sick...you catch my drift. My impression of the ysalamiri is that they push back the Force. You could sense the darkness in the Force, and, once inside, you couldn't sense the Force and were as if blinded. None of the symptoms have ever included "nausea, vomiting, migraines, and stupidity".
I thought the plot was really creative, but the payoff at the end is very weak and lacking. I couldn't help but be disappointed at the outcome.
The battle sequences were not particularly brilliant. Wedge takes a leap of faith and starts blasting at his allies to learn that the crew of the Star Destroyers are the stupidest droids that money can buy. I can't believe Kueller would have purchased droids without the ability to think strategically and tactically for the sole purpose of crewing his fleet. He should have sprung for the upgrade. Luke and Leia fight against Kueller, and while them working together is awesome, the actual battle is pretty lame. It goes something like this:
"Kueller smashed his lightsaber at Luke. Luke blocked, then blocked, then parried. Leia shot at Kueller and Kueller ducked."
*yawn*
But by far the worst part I found was the antagonists/villains. Brakiss and Kueller are just not up to the task. Not only am I amazed that both were former Jedi students (Luke has a bad success rate, huh?), but I was astounded that, yet again, Kueller wants Luke and Leia as his minions just for the heck of it. Oh-kay. That makes zero sense. Kueller was upset at Leia because his parents die, but now he wants to turn Luke and Leia to the Dark Side? I just don't get that line of logic. I think also Rusch attempted to make him minutely sympathetic, but it failed. Kueller is too pathetic, too evil, too maniacal laugh for me to feel sorry about his family. Also, kinda hard to overlook the mass murder to enact revenge (we *are* looking at you, Kyp Durron).
Brakiss is no better. I felt he was more whiny brat than an actual force. He was easily manipulated by Kueller, when that felt odd. Don't you remember what this guy looked like under the mask? Pillsbury Dough Boy? So why are you always cowering in fear? And having him get kidnapped as a baby by the Imperials--wow, it's almost as if the Imperials are bad now.
Overall:
One of the better books of this era, The New Rebellion has a lot going for it. Good story that doesn't rely on superweapons, good character interpretations, interesting developments. Not too fond of the bad guys, who are instantly forgettable, but this is one book that won't have you clutching your head in agony when you finish reading it.
September 4, 2015
Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s “The New Rebellion” is one of the top ten best novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) series. Like the original trilogy, it is fun, exciting, fast-paced, and reminiscent of the classic pulp sci-fi stories from which George Lucas was inspired.
It is also one of the few SWEU novels that blatantly attempts to interject relevant social commentary within its fantasy setting, using the Star Wars universe as a way to examine current events. In this novel, Rusch cleverly examines the terrorist mindset: how and why terrorists do what they do.
Interestingly enough, Rusch published this novel in 1996, five years before 9/11 (but three years after the 1993 bombing of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, which resulted in six deaths and hundreds of injuries). “Al-Qaeda”, “Taliban”, and “Osama bin Laden” were not the common household terms that they are today. Americans went about their lives back then with a sense of safety and ignorance, as if the entire U.S. was encapsulated under a protective bubble from the dangers of the rest of the world.
Reading “The New Rebellion” today, with the jaded eyes of the post-9/11 world, tarnishes some of the “fun” of the novel, but Rusch is certainly not at fault. She could not have foreseen the horrors of that calm September Tuesday. That parts of her novel eerily parallel the events of that awful day may feel unsettling, it is purely coincidental.
The plot: President Leia Organa of the New Republic is just about to begin her speech to open Senate when an explosion interrupts the session. Dozens of senators are instantly killed, and hundreds are wounded, including Leia, in what appears to be a terrorist attack.
Just prior to the attack, Luke, Leia, and the Solo children felt a great disturbance in the Force, similar to the kind that Obi Wan Kenobi felt when Alderaan was destroyed many years before. Somewhere in the universe, millions of lives have been snuffed out in an instant.
The perpetrator of this heinous crime is a mysterious figure named Kueller, who sits on a self-appointed throne on the distant planet Almania. The Force is extremely strong within Kueller, but it is the Dark Side of the Force. He has waited a long time to exact revenge upon the children of Anakin Skywalker, and he has calculated an elaborate plot to destroy the New Republic, the Jedi Knights, and the entire Skywalker family.
To give more away would be spoilers. If you’re a Star Wars fan who hasn’t read this one yet, I highly recommend doing so now.
It is also one of the few SWEU novels that blatantly attempts to interject relevant social commentary within its fantasy setting, using the Star Wars universe as a way to examine current events. In this novel, Rusch cleverly examines the terrorist mindset: how and why terrorists do what they do.
Interestingly enough, Rusch published this novel in 1996, five years before 9/11 (but three years after the 1993 bombing of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, which resulted in six deaths and hundreds of injuries). “Al-Qaeda”, “Taliban”, and “Osama bin Laden” were not the common household terms that they are today. Americans went about their lives back then with a sense of safety and ignorance, as if the entire U.S. was encapsulated under a protective bubble from the dangers of the rest of the world.
Reading “The New Rebellion” today, with the jaded eyes of the post-9/11 world, tarnishes some of the “fun” of the novel, but Rusch is certainly not at fault. She could not have foreseen the horrors of that calm September Tuesday. That parts of her novel eerily parallel the events of that awful day may feel unsettling, it is purely coincidental.
The plot: President Leia Organa of the New Republic is just about to begin her speech to open Senate when an explosion interrupts the session. Dozens of senators are instantly killed, and hundreds are wounded, including Leia, in what appears to be a terrorist attack.
Just prior to the attack, Luke, Leia, and the Solo children felt a great disturbance in the Force, similar to the kind that Obi Wan Kenobi felt when Alderaan was destroyed many years before. Somewhere in the universe, millions of lives have been snuffed out in an instant.
The perpetrator of this heinous crime is a mysterious figure named Kueller, who sits on a self-appointed throne on the distant planet Almania. The Force is extremely strong within Kueller, but it is the Dark Side of the Force. He has waited a long time to exact revenge upon the children of Anakin Skywalker, and he has calculated an elaborate plot to destroy the New Republic, the Jedi Knights, and the entire Skywalker family.
To give more away would be spoilers. If you’re a Star Wars fan who hasn’t read this one yet, I highly recommend doing so now.
July 21, 2025
This was a surprise to me as I had really low expectations. The Standalones from the Bantam Era don't really have the best track record unfortunately. But this book just fired on all cylinders, and was such a fun read.
First of all, this book. handles every main character well. So often a character in other Bantam era standalone books would feel off or handled wrong. Here though, all of the main plotlines felt like they fit perfectly. And the new characters were fantastic.
This book sees the addition of Cole Fardreamer, a character who I absolutely cannot believe is not used in more books. He was my favorite part of the book and I was so invested in his story. Even though this is his only appearance, this will be a personal favorite minor character for me in the EU.
Luke's story hunting down Kueller was really interesting, as was the reveal of who Kueller really was. I also really enjoyed Leia's political subplot in the beginning of the book, and her more action plot in the second half.
The book doesn't feel as epic as the trilogies from its era, but it manages to at least feel bigger than the previous standalones, which all felt smaller in scope. It's not just the page count, but the pacing, the story, and the grandeur of the ending.
Han and Lando's storylines in this book were also done really well, and I felt that this is a rare book that was able to include a storyline for each and it still didn't feel like it was retreading the same thing.
R2D2 and C-3PO also had an excellent storyline here (with Cole Fardreamer). It's actually really clever what Rusch does with them.
My one complaint is that Brakiss felt like a forced inclusion in this book. He's a big deal in the Young Jedi Knights series, and it felt like he was shoehorned here. Had he been removed and his part of the story been something different (I don't know what that would be though), I think the book would have been even better.
Overall, this is an excellent book and I'm so thrilled it works so well. I'm just bummed I won't read more with Cole Fardreamer. But this book gets a 9 out of 10!
First of all, this book. handles every main character well. So often a character in other Bantam era standalone books would feel off or handled wrong. Here though, all of the main plotlines felt like they fit perfectly. And the new characters were fantastic.
This book sees the addition of Cole Fardreamer, a character who I absolutely cannot believe is not used in more books. He was my favorite part of the book and I was so invested in his story. Even though this is his only appearance, this will be a personal favorite minor character for me in the EU.
Luke's story hunting down Kueller was really interesting, as was the reveal of who Kueller really was. I also really enjoyed Leia's political subplot in the beginning of the book, and her more action plot in the second half.
The book doesn't feel as epic as the trilogies from its era, but it manages to at least feel bigger than the previous standalones, which all felt smaller in scope. It's not just the page count, but the pacing, the story, and the grandeur of the ending.
Han and Lando's storylines in this book were also done really well, and I felt that this is a rare book that was able to include a storyline for each and it still didn't feel like it was retreading the same thing.
R2D2 and C-3PO also had an excellent storyline here (with Cole Fardreamer). It's actually really clever what Rusch does with them.
My one complaint is that Brakiss felt like a forced inclusion in this book. He's a big deal in the Young Jedi Knights series, and it felt like he was shoehorned here. Had he been removed and his part of the story been something different (I don't know what that would be though), I think the book would have been even better.
Overall, this is an excellent book and I'm so thrilled it works so well. I'm just bummed I won't read more with Cole Fardreamer. But this book gets a 9 out of 10!
January 10, 2022
So Kueller/Dolph and his underling Brakiss were bombing the Republic with droids with detonators inside them and even installed bombs inside all the X-Wings new computers. Not a bad plan, and it killed a ton of people. But Leia and friends saved the day, as is tradition. Even R2 and C3P0 played a large role in this. It was a fun story and the stakes felt pretty high for once, which I find rare in a Star Wars book since the main characters can never die.
Solid story, and I actually really enjoyed it for being a lesser known book. I definitely felt like the whole Lando/smuggler plot line was unnecessary and too long honestly. But it was a nice callback for Hans backstory trilogy.
I thought the whole Kueller is gaining strength near Palaptine level from killing people weird too. Didn't really care for that either. Luke wasn't very impressive in this book either considering how powerful he's supposed to be at this point in his life. And lastly, it was strange that no other Jedi showed up to help Luke aside from Leia when he has a decent amount of Jedi at this point. Mara was there too even though she contributed nothing. Oh well.
Solid story, and I actually really enjoyed it for being a lesser known book. I definitely felt like the whole Lando/smuggler plot line was unnecessary and too long honestly. But it was a nice callback for Hans backstory trilogy.
I thought the whole Kueller is gaining strength near Palaptine level from killing people weird too. Didn't really care for that either. Luke wasn't very impressive in this book either considering how powerful he's supposed to be at this point in his life. And lastly, it was strange that no other Jedi showed up to help Luke aside from Leia when he has a decent amount of Jedi at this point. Mara was there too even though she contributed nothing. Oh well.
December 4, 2013
Of all the countless Star Wars novels that have been released, Kristine Kathyrn Rusch's The New Rebellion feels as though it really is one of the films. In fact, this book seems more like a Star Wars movie than some of the films themselves. I've read nearly all of the Star Wars expanded universe novels including the film adaptations and can personally vouch for this title. The New Rebellion is superb! Although I won't say it is the best Star Wars novel there is (it isn't), it is the ONLY novel that reads like it is part of the film saga. The character are so much like themselves in this book that I can't believe that George Lucas didn't write the dialogue! One of the big complaints that I have with the other Star Wars novels, is that they don't feel like the films. One of the reasons for this is that the other novels lack the trademark Star Wars humor. Fortunately, this book has all of the essential action and humor which defines Star Wars!
The only problem that I have with The New Rebellion is its main villain. (Note: this book was written before the release of Episodes 1-3.) With that said, I really hate most of the villains of the expanded Star Wars universe. After having been introduced to Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, it will take more than the generic wanna be Sith Lord to peek my interest. Why do Star Wars expanded universe authors think they always have to come up with 2nd class villains who they believe are even nearly as cool or powerful as Darth Vader?
Even so, I highly recommend The New Rebellion to Star Wars Fans. This book would get perfect marks if it dealt with more intriguing matter such as Sith Lords battling Jedis. It still rocks though!
The only problem that I have with The New Rebellion is its main villain. (Note: this book was written before the release of Episodes 1-3.) With that said, I really hate most of the villains of the expanded Star Wars universe. After having been introduced to Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, it will take more than the generic wanna be Sith Lord to peek my interest. Why do Star Wars expanded universe authors think they always have to come up with 2nd class villains who they believe are even nearly as cool or powerful as Darth Vader?
Even so, I highly recommend The New Rebellion to Star Wars Fans. This book would get perfect marks if it dealt with more intriguing matter such as Sith Lords battling Jedis. It still rocks though!
March 14, 2025
That was a good read.
While it hardly blew me away, this was top-tier comfy Bantam Star Wars - slightly cheesy, great action, fun characters, fun politics, and an overly dramatic, cool arse villain.
I loved the way this book treated the continuity of the Bantam books maturely, and it was a blast to return to this era, which was very warm and fun for me
Sure, this isn't anything majorly special, but I'm shocked many don't enjoy it. It's lots of fun, has some of the best characterisation of any of the original trilogy characters in the Bantam books, and also good writing for some of the popular EU characters like Mara Jade and Talon Karrde.
Kueller was a brilliant villain, a little cheesy and dramatic, as I stated, but solid and lots of fun to read. I loved the drama it added for Luke's character upon discovering who he is, and I really liked the mystery about him before that point.
I found myself skimming much of Han's plot in the middle act, and found a few bits like Artoo and Threepio's plots dreary, but I'm sure X-Wing fans will get a kick out of General Wedge Antilles' space battle and his ingenuity, and much of the bits featuring Lando.
Weaving between dark grittiness and cheesy fun, this book is a blast and a fun, comfy read that feels very much like the original trilogy.
While it hardly blew me away, this was top-tier comfy Bantam Star Wars - slightly cheesy, great action, fun characters, fun politics, and an overly dramatic, cool arse villain.
I loved the way this book treated the continuity of the Bantam books maturely, and it was a blast to return to this era, which was very warm and fun for me
Sure, this isn't anything majorly special, but I'm shocked many don't enjoy it. It's lots of fun, has some of the best characterisation of any of the original trilogy characters in the Bantam books, and also good writing for some of the popular EU characters like Mara Jade and Talon Karrde.
Kueller was a brilliant villain, a little cheesy and dramatic, as I stated, but solid and lots of fun to read. I loved the drama it added for Luke's character upon discovering who he is, and I really liked the mystery about him before that point.
I found myself skimming much of Han's plot in the middle act, and found a few bits like Artoo and Threepio's plots dreary, but I'm sure X-Wing fans will get a kick out of General Wedge Antilles' space battle and his ingenuity, and much of the bits featuring Lando.
Weaving between dark grittiness and cheesy fun, this book is a blast and a fun, comfy read that feels very much like the original trilogy.
August 6, 2007
Definitely one of my favorite Star Wars pieces. It's dark, it's innovative, and it's fast-paced - a surprisingly good read for sci-fi.
October 7, 2025
I feel like this is a hidden gem of Star Wars literature. While it's a bit long, and the pacing is slow at first, it kicks off and goes full speed and is highly entertaining for the majority of the book.
I really enjoyed the plot, and the characters are all portrayed really well.
It feels really rare at this period to have a standalone novel that tells a really impactful and important story. I was genuinely surprised going into this, this book was one I was expecting to just pass by before I got to the bigger stories in the timeline.
I really enjoyed the plot, and the characters are all portrayed really well.
It feels really rare at this period to have a standalone novel that tells a really impactful and important story. I was genuinely surprised going into this, this book was one I was expecting to just pass by before I got to the bigger stories in the timeline.
May 30, 2025
2.5
A little ways into this, I honestly though that Kristine Kathryn Rusch's entry into the old Star Wars lore was going to end up being a nice forgotten gemstone - not perhaps an all timer, but we had decent characterization that follow from where the characters were and should be, and solid plot with a memorable mystery/resolution behind it. It's a bit long winded and it's oddly preoccupied with with name-dropping other EU properties from around this time (but not doing anything with those connections), but hey - 'decent characterization' alone sets it much higher than many of these books, so what the hell.
The hell is that Rusch kinda just... peters out. The set up is solid, but everything in the execution becomes a mess. She's juggling too many pieces with so little detail to it. I still don't understand the smuggler asteroid thing or why that place in particular was so prominent, why there's a random crime boss who's just there to capture Lando (who otherwise does nothing in the book), why there's a all-droid-factory moon that creates droids and can shut down all droids everywhere (this makes no sense). It moves from good concept to just a breakneck litany of random shit happening because it must for Star Wars-y things to Star Wars.
And the name-dropping turns from weird references to a more modern style of nostalgia bait. Luke is purposefully made to mimic Ben, the bad guy is the most overt Darth Vader stand-in possible, there's a bit with Jawas, never explained, just because you recognize Jawas... stuff like that. The core here could've been strong, and the writing is decent to middling (still, possibly a strength when we're talking Star Wars), but overall, it's just going to fade into the depths of memory and I'm not going to care in a couple days here.
A little ways into this, I honestly though that Kristine Kathryn Rusch's entry into the old Star Wars lore was going to end up being a nice forgotten gemstone - not perhaps an all timer, but we had decent characterization that follow from where the characters were and should be, and solid plot with a memorable mystery/resolution behind it. It's a bit long winded and it's oddly preoccupied with with name-dropping other EU properties from around this time (but not doing anything with those connections), but hey - 'decent characterization' alone sets it much higher than many of these books, so what the hell.
The hell is that Rusch kinda just... peters out. The set up is solid, but everything in the execution becomes a mess. She's juggling too many pieces with so little detail to it. I still don't understand the smuggler asteroid thing or why that place in particular was so prominent, why there's a random crime boss who's just there to capture Lando (who otherwise does nothing in the book), why there's a all-droid-factory moon that creates droids and can shut down all droids everywhere (this makes no sense). It moves from good concept to just a breakneck litany of random shit happening because it must for Star Wars-y things to Star Wars.
And the name-dropping turns from weird references to a more modern style of nostalgia bait. Luke is purposefully made to mimic Ben, the bad guy is the most overt Darth Vader stand-in possible, there's a bit with Jawas, never explained, just because you recognize Jawas... stuff like that. The core here could've been strong, and the writing is decent to middling (still, possibly a strength when we're talking Star Wars), but overall, it's just going to fade into the depths of memory and I'm not going to care in a couple days here.
November 12, 2025
This book was much needed after the slog of books between Jedi Academy and this. This book felt like Star Wars-the characters, the plot, the villains. My only regret is this could have (and should have) been a trilogy instead of the Calista or Black Fleet trilogy which were very poor in terms of quality and in capturing the vibe of Star Wars. Hopefully, this will begin an upward trend in the EU/Legends books.
May 3, 2022
Star Wars: The New Rebellion takes place thirteen years after Return of the Jedi and continues the story of Luke, Leia, Han and company amidst the New Republic.
Overall, not a bad story, the lead up to the villain’s, Kueller, identity was good and had a real connection to Luke and a justification for wanting vengeance on Leia and the New Republic. What the weapon turned out to be was well done, I did not see that coming and it was far more elegant than any super-weapon, just as Kueller said it was.
I absolutely loved the bringing in of former Imperials to the New Republic Senate and how instead of portraying them as the typical bad guys, Leia’s inability to put aside past biases and her assumption that anything going wrong has to do with them makes her out as the bad guy. It was refreshing because she was being completely unreasonable; it’s been thirteen years since the Emperor died, when will she move on?!, and people were finally putting her in her spot.
The Smuggler’s Run plotline was meh. I liked the callback to Han’s smuggling days, and having read the Han Solo trilogy, the people he runs into there had more meaning especially with how they treat him and the events that take place there. But overall, it felt drawn out and unnecessary, just a long way to bring Han to where Luke and Leia are.
With about a third left in the book, the viewpoints started changing very frequently. Throughout the novel, I liked that many of these viewpoints ended with a cliffhanger, leaving you wanting to know what would happen to the characters, but as I neared the end there would be only a few paragraphs before it would leave you hanging as it switched to another character. I understand that these events are all happening simultaneously but when I’m in the midst of some big event I hated being dragged away for something less significant.
A solid entry in the Expanded Universe and a good one-book read after the lengthy Black Fleet Crisis trilogy.
Overall, not a bad story, the lead up to the villain’s, Kueller, identity was good and had a real connection to Luke and a justification for wanting vengeance on Leia and the New Republic. What the weapon turned out to be was well done, I did not see that coming and it was far more elegant than any super-weapon, just as Kueller said it was.
I absolutely loved the bringing in of former Imperials to the New Republic Senate and how instead of portraying them as the typical bad guys, Leia’s inability to put aside past biases and her assumption that anything going wrong has to do with them makes her out as the bad guy. It was refreshing because she was being completely unreasonable; it’s been thirteen years since the Emperor died, when will she move on?!, and people were finally putting her in her spot.
The Smuggler’s Run plotline was meh. I liked the callback to Han’s smuggling days, and having read the Han Solo trilogy, the people he runs into there had more meaning especially with how they treat him and the events that take place there. But overall, it felt drawn out and unnecessary, just a long way to bring Han to where Luke and Leia are.
With about a third left in the book, the viewpoints started changing very frequently. Throughout the novel, I liked that many of these viewpoints ended with a cliffhanger, leaving you wanting to know what would happen to the characters, but as I neared the end there would be only a few paragraphs before it would leave you hanging as it switched to another character. I understand that these events are all happening simultaneously but when I’m in the midst of some big event I hated being dragged away for something less significant.
A solid entry in the Expanded Universe and a good one-book read after the lengthy Black Fleet Crisis trilogy.
February 12, 2023
I really liked it! I thought it was a fun and thrilling addition to the star wars legends canon! I especially loved how Ms Rusch had an excellent grasp on Leia she was so badass in this. Also had some humor my favorite part was where Han Solo was called Leias Concubine XD
October 4, 2024
This book was a pleasant surprise, but the ending felt rushed and clumsy. The author wrote all the characters really well, even the droids (I make small exceptions, explained later) The writing was well paced, kept you guessing and intrigued. The plot was above average because of the mysteries surrounding everything, but had a few small flaws. For one the ending was a little anticlimactic. For every plot and subplot in this book there's so much build up and then it just ends suddenly leaving you not quite satisfied. The main bad guy is intriguing but ultimately forgettable for a few reasons that I won't go into because of spoilers. The appearance of brakiss is the same. Very intriguing but instead of making connections to where he ends up in the YJK series, the end of the book feels farther from that side of the character than the start. A few things popped up toward the end of the book that ended up going nowhere, and there were (again) a few connections I would have liked to see being made which would have made this book a stellar part of the universe. Instead it's one that is typically passed on. My final note is that Leia was written somewhat poorly, she seemed to lose her temper for plot convenience. I can't see a lifelong politician turned jedi having such a temper and so little control of themselves.
TLDR: small flaws hurt the final takeaway of this book, especially a seemingly rushed ending. It was still very enjoyable
TLDR: small flaws hurt the final takeaway of this book, especially a seemingly rushed ending. It was still very enjoyable
October 28, 2021
Imagine if the latest sequel trilogy had a plot that made sense in the Star Wars universe. You'd have this book. Plus with a Mara Jade appearance and a giant telepathic bunny/cat/lemur type critter that saves Luke Skywalker, what's not to love? As if that's not enough, you also get to see Lando, Han, and Chewie teaming up again, and, later on, R2 saving literally the entire galaxy, accompanied by a reluctant 3PO. So business as usual in the Skywalker saga. Oh, and the main villain wears a creepy, not-Vader-imitation mask. Thankfully, while staying true in tone to the original trilogy, old plot points aren't endlessly reused; there is no new imitation Death Star. The heroes face different threats this time, and I thought the author made a good call in showing how none of them are infallible, especially Luke, which made from some dramatic tension.
January 10, 2024
Too many storylines to actually care about all of them, and as a result also at least 75 pages too long, but overall very good. Unlike a lot of EU/Legends authors I felt like Rusch properly characterized all of the main characters and seems to actually understand the characters and their motivations
January 6, 2025
I never see this book mentioned anywhere when people discuss Star Wars books, and such I expected it to be bad, or worse boring. But I found it to be surprisingly good. Definitely an entertaining read.
3.5/5 stars
3.5/5 stars
July 11, 2025
no bc why did i love that so much
August 9, 2020
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
SOME HISTORY:
Rusch has written and co-written a lot of books in a variety of genres, from sci-fi and fantasy to mysteries and romances. She was also the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1991-1997, winning a Hugo Award in 1994 for Best Professional Editor. The New Rebellion was her first and only foray into the Star Wars universe. The wikipedia page for The New Rebellion claims that it was a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, but I couldn’t find any proof that it made the New York Times bestseller list for any week after its release.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
When I reread The Crystal Star, I felt like something was missing. Hadn’t Han visited some smuggler place before, with a cafeteria? Rereading The New Rebellion, I realized that I had conflated the two. I misremembered Han’s plotline, vaguely remembered Luke’s, and completely forgot the rest.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Somewhere in the galaxy, millions suddenly perish, and Luke and Leia are left wondering why and how. While Leia deals with an assassination attempt, a rumored plot against the New Republic, and allegations that Han is involved, Luke seeks out a former Jedi student who seems to be involved.
THE CHARACTERS:
First, I have to hand it to Rusch: the trio are doing three different things, but their plots play to their strengths and don’t make the story feel needlessly fragmented. Leia is dealing with conflict in the Senate, until a threat to Luke makes her take off for the Almanian system with Wedge in tow. Han meets an old smuggler buddy on Coruscant, and then Chewbacca and he head to Smuggler’s Run to investigate further. When Lando discovers that Han’s in danger, he too heads to Smuggler’s Run despite his shaky relationship with the crime lord on Skip 6. Luke tackles the Force investigation side here, and even Artoo and Threepio uncover part of the villain’s plan.
Leia has an interesting arc: the Senate has allowed former Imperials to be elected, and Leia inherently doesn’t trust them. When the Senate building is bombed in the beginning, she immediately suspects them. I feel like Rusch could have done a lot more with this; Mon Mothma tells Leia that the New Republic is changing and she’ll need to learn how to work with others, but then the book ends and we don’t get any resolution there. It was also a little jarring, coming from McDowell’s very developed Senate to a more vaguely portrayed one.
Luke doesn’t seem to spend a lot of time teaching at the Jedi Academy, since he’s always tearing off to investigate something or to “find himself.” He also doesn’t have a great track record teaching, since this book features two different students who left and turned to the Dark Side. Rusch also falls into the trap of injuring Luke so that the climactic fight seems more difficult and dangerous. I’m not a fan of superman Luke, but he’s walking wounded for most of this book: first when he’s attacked by the pink bubble creature on Msst, and then when his X-Wing explodes over Pydyr. Could we just see one lightsaber duel where Luke’s operating at full capacity? Luke vs Luuke in The Last Command was pretty cool!
Han and Lando get the “uncovering what the smugglers are up to” plotline. For Han, at least, this tended to lapse into some slapstick humor. I also found it amusing that whenever Han encounters old smuggler buddies in these books, they’re always completely new characters. I’m sure that he’s met many different smugglers during his career, but the crew at Smuggler’s Run very much do not have his best interests at heart. Lando comes to warn Han, and runs awry of a Glottalphib, which seems like a mix between a crocodile and a dragon. I’m not sure I buy that Lando could tread water for a day: he’s older than Han, who in turn is older than Luke and Leia.
Talon Karrde and Mara Jade make an appearance, which I’d be really excited about were it not for the fact that they don’t seem particularly in character. Karrde shows up at the Battle of Almania, and Wedge doesn’t know who’s flying The Wild Karrde? Rusch describes it as a space yacht when I’m pretty sure it’s a bulk freighter? And Mara is snappish again, with Han thinking about how he doesn’t trust her because she was once an Imperial agent. WHY DOES EVERYONE MISTRUST HER GOD I HATE THIS.
Brakiss was first introduced in the second Young Jedi Knights book, Shadow Academy, in September 1995, and died over Yavin IV in September 1996’s Jedi Under Siege. But this is both his first appearance in an adult novel, and his earliest appearance chronology-wise. (I, Jedi reveals that Brakiss was a member of the Jedi praxeum’s first class, but that didn’t come out until spring 1998.) We get his backstory here, and find out why he’s so conflicted. Brakiss hates Luke, yes, but at this point he hates everyone. He doesn’t want to use the Force, he’s scared of Kueller, and he just wants to be left in peace.
Kueller is presented as this huge threat, just like the Emperor, but I honestly don’t find him that threatening? Knowing that underneath the death mask is the baby face of Dolph the young adult doesn’t really help. (The Wookiepedia article features a hilarious picture of Kueller--I always imagined that the death mask looked more like Darth Nihilus in KOTOR, but what do I know.) His plan is basically to remove Leia and the Senate from power, take over himself, and become a benevolent ruler?? His fleet only consists of three Victory Star Destroyers and a bunch of TIEs, which doesn’t seem capable of much damage? Oh Dolph.
ISSUES:
The timeline doesn’t work. It only gets increasingly messier the further we get into the narrative. The Je’har started slaughtering their citizens on Almania, and Dolph’s parents were killed. He left the Jedi Academy, others from Almania reached out to the New Republic for help, but they were too busy with the Black Fleet Crisis. If The New Rebellion takes place thirteen years after the Battle of Endor, the Yevetha conflict was only a year ago. Yet Brakiss says that the droid factory has been making new model droids for two years, and the smugglers have been sending Kueller gear for a while.
Likewise, Brakiss apparently spent several years at Jedi praxeum before he fled back to his Imperial masters. Yet he says that he left before the Eye of Palpatine and Callista, and Children of the Jedi and Darksaber took place about a year after the formation of the Jedi Academy. (And then we have Lando’s business ventures: in Before the Storm he was bored and had nothing to do, yet in New Rebellion he’s still trying to get the Kessel mines up and running?)
I also find Rusch’s use of the Force slightly off in this book. Kueller uses the Force to block Luke and Leia’s perception of each other. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s similar to what Hethrir did to the Solo kids in The Crystal Star. Kueller also uses the deaths to grow stronger--literally, he seems to get bigger. And when Mara Jade shows up with two ysalamiri, they don’t merely cancel out the Force. They seem to make a physically ill; Han says that she looks queasy, and when the Thernbee appears Luke and Kueller feel discombobulated and like they’re moving through quicksand. I never got any sense of an adverse effect from ysalamiri in the Thrawn trilogy, and Luke and Mara spent days in the Myrkr forest without ill effects.
I felt like the part where Han was implicated in the bombing fell apart on closer inspection. We only see the ex-Imperial present the message, and then Leia’s emotional response. Why did no one else question this? One message alone does not make a case against someone. And I’m a little worried about Leia’s Presidential career: just one year ago during the Black Fleet Crisis she was facing removal from office, and now once again she’s being threatened with removal over something with very shoddy evidence to support it.
The pacing was very good until the end, when everything started to move way too quickly. Why does it take Wedge so long to figure out that Kueller’s ships are flown by droids? Why didn’t Han or Mara try to shoot Kueller? Leia has to literally use the Force to get Han’s blaster to do so. And in the very end, there’s not enough resolution. We’re told that Luke is in bacta, and Cole Fardreamer will be recognized for his role in uncovering the droid bomb plot, but that’s it. I needed a little bit more time to tie things up.
IN CONCLUSION:
I thought The New Rebellion started well, and I liked the general plot lines that all the characters followed. But by the end, it just didn’t work as well for me—both for the confusion around the timeline and for the way that it either misinterpreted or reinterpreted things from previous books. But it was still a fun read, and I’m glad I reread it.
Next up: the final book in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy, Tyrant's Test by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/DOdrJ3yefEc
This week’s focus: The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
SOME HISTORY:
Rusch has written and co-written a lot of books in a variety of genres, from sci-fi and fantasy to mysteries and romances. She was also the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1991-1997, winning a Hugo Award in 1994 for Best Professional Editor. The New Rebellion was her first and only foray into the Star Wars universe. The wikipedia page for The New Rebellion claims that it was a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, but I couldn’t find any proof that it made the New York Times bestseller list for any week after its release.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
When I reread The Crystal Star, I felt like something was missing. Hadn’t Han visited some smuggler place before, with a cafeteria? Rereading The New Rebellion, I realized that I had conflated the two. I misremembered Han’s plotline, vaguely remembered Luke’s, and completely forgot the rest.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Somewhere in the galaxy, millions suddenly perish, and Luke and Leia are left wondering why and how. While Leia deals with an assassination attempt, a rumored plot against the New Republic, and allegations that Han is involved, Luke seeks out a former Jedi student who seems to be involved.
THE CHARACTERS:
First, I have to hand it to Rusch: the trio are doing three different things, but their plots play to their strengths and don’t make the story feel needlessly fragmented. Leia is dealing with conflict in the Senate, until a threat to Luke makes her take off for the Almanian system with Wedge in tow. Han meets an old smuggler buddy on Coruscant, and then Chewbacca and he head to Smuggler’s Run to investigate further. When Lando discovers that Han’s in danger, he too heads to Smuggler’s Run despite his shaky relationship with the crime lord on Skip 6. Luke tackles the Force investigation side here, and even Artoo and Threepio uncover part of the villain’s plan.
Leia has an interesting arc: the Senate has allowed former Imperials to be elected, and Leia inherently doesn’t trust them. When the Senate building is bombed in the beginning, she immediately suspects them. I feel like Rusch could have done a lot more with this; Mon Mothma tells Leia that the New Republic is changing and she’ll need to learn how to work with others, but then the book ends and we don’t get any resolution there. It was also a little jarring, coming from McDowell’s very developed Senate to a more vaguely portrayed one.
Luke doesn’t seem to spend a lot of time teaching at the Jedi Academy, since he’s always tearing off to investigate something or to “find himself.” He also doesn’t have a great track record teaching, since this book features two different students who left and turned to the Dark Side. Rusch also falls into the trap of injuring Luke so that the climactic fight seems more difficult and dangerous. I’m not a fan of superman Luke, but he’s walking wounded for most of this book: first when he’s attacked by the pink bubble creature on Msst, and then when his X-Wing explodes over Pydyr. Could we just see one lightsaber duel where Luke’s operating at full capacity? Luke vs Luuke in The Last Command was pretty cool!
Han and Lando get the “uncovering what the smugglers are up to” plotline. For Han, at least, this tended to lapse into some slapstick humor. I also found it amusing that whenever Han encounters old smuggler buddies in these books, they’re always completely new characters. I’m sure that he’s met many different smugglers during his career, but the crew at Smuggler’s Run very much do not have his best interests at heart. Lando comes to warn Han, and runs awry of a Glottalphib, which seems like a mix between a crocodile and a dragon. I’m not sure I buy that Lando could tread water for a day: he’s older than Han, who in turn is older than Luke and Leia.
Talon Karrde and Mara Jade make an appearance, which I’d be really excited about were it not for the fact that they don’t seem particularly in character. Karrde shows up at the Battle of Almania, and Wedge doesn’t know who’s flying The Wild Karrde? Rusch describes it as a space yacht when I’m pretty sure it’s a bulk freighter? And Mara is snappish again, with Han thinking about how he doesn’t trust her because she was once an Imperial agent. WHY DOES EVERYONE MISTRUST HER GOD I HATE THIS.
Brakiss was first introduced in the second Young Jedi Knights book, Shadow Academy, in September 1995, and died over Yavin IV in September 1996’s Jedi Under Siege. But this is both his first appearance in an adult novel, and his earliest appearance chronology-wise. (I, Jedi reveals that Brakiss was a member of the Jedi praxeum’s first class, but that didn’t come out until spring 1998.) We get his backstory here, and find out why he’s so conflicted. Brakiss hates Luke, yes, but at this point he hates everyone. He doesn’t want to use the Force, he’s scared of Kueller, and he just wants to be left in peace.
Kueller is presented as this huge threat, just like the Emperor, but I honestly don’t find him that threatening? Knowing that underneath the death mask is the baby face of Dolph the young adult doesn’t really help. (The Wookiepedia article features a hilarious picture of Kueller--I always imagined that the death mask looked more like Darth Nihilus in KOTOR, but what do I know.) His plan is basically to remove Leia and the Senate from power, take over himself, and become a benevolent ruler?? His fleet only consists of three Victory Star Destroyers and a bunch of TIEs, which doesn’t seem capable of much damage? Oh Dolph.
ISSUES:
The timeline doesn’t work. It only gets increasingly messier the further we get into the narrative. The Je’har started slaughtering their citizens on Almania, and Dolph’s parents were killed. He left the Jedi Academy, others from Almania reached out to the New Republic for help, but they were too busy with the Black Fleet Crisis. If The New Rebellion takes place thirteen years after the Battle of Endor, the Yevetha conflict was only a year ago. Yet Brakiss says that the droid factory has been making new model droids for two years, and the smugglers have been sending Kueller gear for a while.
Likewise, Brakiss apparently spent several years at Jedi praxeum before he fled back to his Imperial masters. Yet he says that he left before the Eye of Palpatine and Callista, and Children of the Jedi and Darksaber took place about a year after the formation of the Jedi Academy. (And then we have Lando’s business ventures: in Before the Storm he was bored and had nothing to do, yet in New Rebellion he’s still trying to get the Kessel mines up and running?)
I also find Rusch’s use of the Force slightly off in this book. Kueller uses the Force to block Luke and Leia’s perception of each other. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s similar to what Hethrir did to the Solo kids in The Crystal Star. Kueller also uses the deaths to grow stronger--literally, he seems to get bigger. And when Mara Jade shows up with two ysalamiri, they don’t merely cancel out the Force. They seem to make a physically ill; Han says that she looks queasy, and when the Thernbee appears Luke and Kueller feel discombobulated and like they’re moving through quicksand. I never got any sense of an adverse effect from ysalamiri in the Thrawn trilogy, and Luke and Mara spent days in the Myrkr forest without ill effects.
I felt like the part where Han was implicated in the bombing fell apart on closer inspection. We only see the ex-Imperial present the message, and then Leia’s emotional response. Why did no one else question this? One message alone does not make a case against someone. And I’m a little worried about Leia’s Presidential career: just one year ago during the Black Fleet Crisis she was facing removal from office, and now once again she’s being threatened with removal over something with very shoddy evidence to support it.
The pacing was very good until the end, when everything started to move way too quickly. Why does it take Wedge so long to figure out that Kueller’s ships are flown by droids? Why didn’t Han or Mara try to shoot Kueller? Leia has to literally use the Force to get Han’s blaster to do so. And in the very end, there’s not enough resolution. We’re told that Luke is in bacta, and Cole Fardreamer will be recognized for his role in uncovering the droid bomb plot, but that’s it. I needed a little bit more time to tie things up.
IN CONCLUSION:
I thought The New Rebellion started well, and I liked the general plot lines that all the characters followed. But by the end, it just didn’t work as well for me—both for the confusion around the timeline and for the way that it either misinterpreted or reinterpreted things from previous books. But it was still a fun read, and I’m glad I reread it.
Next up: the final book in the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy, Tyrant's Test by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/DOdrJ3yefEc
April 24, 2025
Dialled in and forgettable. Hewing close to the formula of other novels in the series, we have a bunch of disconnected storylines brought together at the end for a foreseeable climax. It’s paint by numbers at this stage—looks to me that every author was given a list of characters to include (the core, inc Lando, plus the annoying kids) and instructed to make sure the world was set back to how it was at the start of the novel by the time it ends.
More irking was Brakiss, a character I’d never heard of and who only appears in a set of other novels (‘Young Jedi Knights’) released around about the same time. Clearly, Brakiss was on the list of characters to include. He serves little narrative purpose and adds a hundred and fifty pages to the book, making it quite flabby.
Nevertheless it’s well written and enjoyable enough. (Although are we honestly expected to believe that only one person realised that half the tech in the Galaxy was booby trapped with a bomb?)
More irking was Brakiss, a character I’d never heard of and who only appears in a set of other novels (‘Young Jedi Knights’) released around about the same time. Clearly, Brakiss was on the list of characters to include. He serves little narrative purpose and adds a hundred and fifty pages to the book, making it quite flabby.
Nevertheless it’s well written and enjoyable enough. (Although are we honestly expected to believe that only one person realised that half the tech in the Galaxy was booby trapped with a bomb?)
May 1, 2014
Star Wars The New Rebellion
Somewhere in the galaxy, millions of people are suddenly eradicated in seconds that then triggers a moment of sadness horror and pain. A moment so mentally traumatizing that it triggered a disturbance in the force, so shocking in the mind of Luke sky walker at his Jedi academy on Yavin 4 and Leia at home on Coruscant. As Leia head of the republic heads to discuss important matters with the senate, a immense explosion demolishes the meeting hall and obliterates a huge amount of the senate. Leia survives only to end up having to stand down from the office . During these events Luke Skywalker goes out on a journey to find and old Jedi student who was mislead, and turned his talents to the dark side and may have possibly been involved with the planning of the terrible events that recently took palace on Coruscant. I thought that this was a pretty decent book, there were many parts where I was at the edge of my seat and didn't exactly know was going to happen next. it was a bit suspenseful which made me eager to continue reading this book . In my opinion one of the morals in this book was learn to let go and forgive , and to not fear and do not hate. So I honestly think that this book deserves to be given four stars.
Somewhere in the galaxy, millions of people are suddenly eradicated in seconds that then triggers a moment of sadness horror and pain. A moment so mentally traumatizing that it triggered a disturbance in the force, so shocking in the mind of Luke sky walker at his Jedi academy on Yavin 4 and Leia at home on Coruscant. As Leia head of the republic heads to discuss important matters with the senate, a immense explosion demolishes the meeting hall and obliterates a huge amount of the senate. Leia survives only to end up having to stand down from the office . During these events Luke Skywalker goes out on a journey to find and old Jedi student who was mislead, and turned his talents to the dark side and may have possibly been involved with the planning of the terrible events that recently took palace on Coruscant. I thought that this was a pretty decent book, there were many parts where I was at the edge of my seat and didn't exactly know was going to happen next. it was a bit suspenseful which made me eager to continue reading this book . In my opinion one of the morals in this book was learn to let go and forgive , and to not fear and do not hate. So I honestly think that this book deserves to be given four stars.
April 3, 2010
Not a bad SW story, but they're so repetitive. All the usual folks going through the same motions. Little growth or change. That's the trouble with this kind of fiction, of course, if someone introduces something genuinely unique, it throws off everyone else.
Leia chiding herself for not doing Jedi drills is about as tiresome as whats-her-name pulling her braid in that other endless stream of stories (the Wheel of Time).
The biggest disconnect was Rusch's portrayal of the Force has a matter of personal effort. Wasn't that the whole point of Yoda's training as early as Episode Five? It's not about trying or effort or strength; it's about connecting to the power that's there. What do I know?
Leia chiding herself for not doing Jedi drills is about as tiresome as whats-her-name pulling her braid in that other endless stream of stories (the Wheel of Time).
The biggest disconnect was Rusch's portrayal of the Force has a matter of personal effort. Wasn't that the whole point of Yoda's training as early as Episode Five? It's not about trying or effort or strength; it's about connecting to the power that's there. What do I know?
May 13, 2018
This is such a delight to read. There are about 800,000 different plot lines but there is no struggle to keep them straight, and they all tie together so nicely at the end, it's just so soothing and good to read. Plus it has Luke getting the shit kicked out of him repeatedly which is just delightful and funny, and Leia uses the force and a lightsaber, and there's just. Anything you want out of this book, I guarantee it gives you. It's why it's my favorite EU book, because it's so buckwild and delightful. And it's LONG- it's like 500 pages long! But it goes by so quickly, because the pacing is just that good. And there's some amazing droid stuff in it??? Y'all you gotta just read this, because it's so good and fun.
August 21, 2012
Ce livre se passe 17 ans après l'Épisode 4. Un méchant nommé kueller décide de faire exploser le sénat, ce qui entrainera plusieurs morts. Luke Skywalker enquêtera pour savoir qui est ce Kueller. Il se rendra vite compte que c'est un de ses anciens élèves de l'Académie de Jedi.
Ce livre est vraiment ridicule. Le début avec l'attentat au sénat est bien mais c'est après que ça se gâte. Il y a plein de stupidité dans ce livre. Luke a de la difficulté à se défendre contre des genres de bulles roses qui l'attaquent et il a de la difficulté contre Kueller qui est en fait un jeune de 17 ans. C'est un livre de la saga à éviter à tout prix.
Ce livre est vraiment ridicule. Le début avec l'attentat au sénat est bien mais c'est après que ça se gâte. Il y a plein de stupidité dans ce livre. Luke a de la difficulté à se défendre contre des genres de bulles roses qui l'attaquent et il a de la difficulté contre Kueller qui est en fait un jeune de 17 ans. C'est un livre de la saga à éviter à tout prix.
May 5, 2025
Mixture of good and bad. I really wanted to like it, but the execution of the plot wasn't as good as it could have been.
Quite good as a political thriller though.
Quite good as a political thriller though.
January 10, 2017
This is wonderful: a fast paced action adventure, with an interesting sprinkling of post-Empire politics, and a plot where everyone has something interesting to do. In fact, its command of character is by far the best aspect of the novel; Han Solo has never been more laugh out loud fantastic, and both Threepio & Artoo get to show why they are the most heroic droids in the galaxy. A gem of a "Star Wars" novel that deserves far wider appreciation.
July 29, 2007
another book about another rebellion with another super weapon
April 7, 2011
Second Worst Star Wars Novel.... EVER
July 29, 2012
I didn't like the book when I originally read it, and I didn't like it with a second read-through.
April 24, 2013
Could not finish it. Poor writing. Poor plot. Rarely have I put a Star Wars book down...
October 15, 2021
I have read enough Star Wars books to know what makes a one great, good, bad, and terrible (check out my other SW reviews). This book falls into the "good" category. The best way to quickly tell whether a Star Wars book is going to be good is to assess how the author writes Han, Luke, and Leia.
Almost every Star Wars author can write Han. People seem to "get" what makes Han tick. If you are reading a SW book and they don't do Han well, strap in because it's going to be a bumpy ride. However, a lot of Star Wars writers can't write Luke or Leia. Luckily, Kristine Kathryn Rusch knows how to write all three, which automatically pushes this into the "good" category.
Han's side plot is interesting, and there is a great scene where he evaluates whether his friends from his smuggler days were ever really his friends. I felt he actually grew some as a character in that scene, especially when he compared his former friends to his New Republic friends.
Luke and Leia are written competently, but I don't think they grow in any real way. Luke deals a little bit with a fallen student, but he is basically the same character at the end as at the beginning. Though Rusch tries, I never felt like Luke was out of control of the situation. Leia is actually given a rather compelling arc, where she has to learn to forgive and forget the sins of former Imperials. However, execution is everything, and there were some execution issues. She mistreats the Imperials, but even though we find out that though they aren't as bad as she thinks, they are still terrible people. It would have been better if the fault was entirely on her. I thought Rusch was going to explore Leia's biases, but it never ends up being that nuanced.
Finally, there are some side characters that are given some cool stuff to do. Lando is a character that is often shoehorned into the narrative (looking at you Black Fleet Trilogy). However, his infusion into this narrative feels minimally contrived and it allows for some fun stuff with Han. Wedge also makes an appearance and I thought he was well-realized. Artoo and Threepio are appropriately funny, and I loved the original character of Cole FarDreamer.
What makes this book only good and not great is that I never felt like any of the characters Rusch wants the reader to feel in danger were actually in danger. Now, I knew none of the main characters were going to die. However, I never even felt like the New Republic was in that much danger.
The plan of the main villain, Kueller, is essentially to kill everyone in the Skywalker-Solo family and then figure out the details of how to take over the New Republic after that. He believes that Force-power alone will propel him to victory. That simply is not true.
He is the dictator of a pee-on planet beyond the Outer-Rim. He has no resources at his disposal, and the second he went on conquest, the New Republic would send a fleet to kill him. The best he could hope for is something like what the Imperials in the Core managed: make the price of victory too costly for the New Republic to care. At best, Kueller's plan would make him a regional power. Also, he conveniently forgets that Luke has entire Academy of competent Jedi Knights.
That said, the plot is very realistic. As the galactic hegemon, it is unlikely the New Republic would face many existential threats. In fact, it was refreshing that the villain in this novel was not an existential threat. However, all the characters treat him like he is an existential threat.
If the characters had treated him like what he is: a child with delusions of grandeur and some Force ability, it would have been a much better story. It would have been more unique and interesting to see Kueller treated as more of a tragic problem. Instead, the New Republic leaders quake in their boots because of this guy when they don't need to. After they kill him, they reflect on the fact that he was a boy, but no one considers that they may have overreacted.
That said, there is quite a bit to love in this book. I thought that Smuggler's Run was a very cool locale, and I loved everything Han went through there. I also liked Lando facing his Jabba the Hutt in the person of Nadreeson, boss of the Run. Also, the character work is competent. It doesn't set the world on fire, but all the characters feel like themselves at the end of the day.
On a final note, I think that Han should have been the one to kill Kueller. Rusch set it up to make it seem like it was going to be him, and I was relishing in the irony of it. Kueller, obsessed with the Force, killed by someone with no Force abilities. Though Han is the one that allows for Kueller's death, Leia is the one that pulls the trigger, which I thought was a missed opportunity.
All in all, I felt like the book was pretty good. Read the Thrawn Trilogy, Correllian Trilogy, and the Courtship of Princess Leia first. Then, if you want more Star Wars, this isn't a bad pick.
Almost every Star Wars author can write Han. People seem to "get" what makes Han tick. If you are reading a SW book and they don't do Han well, strap in because it's going to be a bumpy ride. However, a lot of Star Wars writers can't write Luke or Leia. Luckily, Kristine Kathryn Rusch knows how to write all three, which automatically pushes this into the "good" category.
Han's side plot is interesting, and there is a great scene where he evaluates whether his friends from his smuggler days were ever really his friends. I felt he actually grew some as a character in that scene, especially when he compared his former friends to his New Republic friends.
Luke and Leia are written competently, but I don't think they grow in any real way. Luke deals a little bit with a fallen student, but he is basically the same character at the end as at the beginning. Though Rusch tries, I never felt like Luke was out of control of the situation. Leia is actually given a rather compelling arc, where she has to learn to forgive and forget the sins of former Imperials. However, execution is everything, and there were some execution issues. She mistreats the Imperials, but even though we find out that though they aren't as bad as she thinks, they are still terrible people. It would have been better if the fault was entirely on her. I thought Rusch was going to explore Leia's biases, but it never ends up being that nuanced.
Finally, there are some side characters that are given some cool stuff to do. Lando is a character that is often shoehorned into the narrative (looking at you Black Fleet Trilogy). However, his infusion into this narrative feels minimally contrived and it allows for some fun stuff with Han. Wedge also makes an appearance and I thought he was well-realized. Artoo and Threepio are appropriately funny, and I loved the original character of Cole FarDreamer.
What makes this book only good and not great is that I never felt like any of the characters Rusch wants the reader to feel in danger were actually in danger. Now, I knew none of the main characters were going to die. However, I never even felt like the New Republic was in that much danger.
The plan of the main villain, Kueller, is essentially to kill everyone in the Skywalker-Solo family and then figure out the details of how to take over the New Republic after that. He believes that Force-power alone will propel him to victory. That simply is not true.
He is the dictator of a pee-on planet beyond the Outer-Rim. He has no resources at his disposal, and the second he went on conquest, the New Republic would send a fleet to kill him. The best he could hope for is something like what the Imperials in the Core managed: make the price of victory too costly for the New Republic to care. At best, Kueller's plan would make him a regional power. Also, he conveniently forgets that Luke has entire Academy of competent Jedi Knights.
That said, the plot is very realistic. As the galactic hegemon, it is unlikely the New Republic would face many existential threats. In fact, it was refreshing that the villain in this novel was not an existential threat. However, all the characters treat him like he is an existential threat.
If the characters had treated him like what he is: a child with delusions of grandeur and some Force ability, it would have been a much better story. It would have been more unique and interesting to see Kueller treated as more of a tragic problem. Instead, the New Republic leaders quake in their boots because of this guy when they don't need to. After they kill him, they reflect on the fact that he was a boy, but no one considers that they may have overreacted.
That said, there is quite a bit to love in this book. I thought that Smuggler's Run was a very cool locale, and I loved everything Han went through there. I also liked Lando facing his Jabba the Hutt in the person of Nadreeson, boss of the Run. Also, the character work is competent. It doesn't set the world on fire, but all the characters feel like themselves at the end of the day.
On a final note, I think that Han should have been the one to kill Kueller. Rusch set it up to make it seem like it was going to be him, and I was relishing in the irony of it. Kueller, obsessed with the Force, killed by someone with no Force abilities. Though Han is the one that allows for Kueller's death, Leia is the one that pulls the trigger, which I thought was a missed opportunity.
All in all, I felt like the book was pretty good. Read the Thrawn Trilogy, Correllian Trilogy, and the Courtship of Princess Leia first. Then, if you want more Star Wars, this isn't a bad pick.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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