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Star Wars Legends: Novels
Star Wars: Shadow Games
SOME GAMES ARE PLAYED FOR LIFE OR DEATH.
Javul Charn is the most famous pop star in the galaxy—and the runaway bride of a violent lieutenant in Black Sun, the crime syndicate commanded by Prince Xizor. Or so Javul says. Soon after Dash Rendar, broke and desperate, agrees to be Javul’s bodyguard, he realizes that openness is not her strong suit—and that murder is stalking her tour. Between the discovery of dead bodies in a cargo hold and an attack by an unidentified warship, Dash and co-pilot Eaden Vrill desperately try to understand who is terrorizing Javul’s tour and why. When Han Solo suddenly joins Javul’s road show, the stakes are raised even higher. Now Dash, who has a history with Han and an even worse history with Prince Xizor, follows his instincts, his discoveries, and Javul herself—straight into a world that may be too dangerous to survive.
Javul Charn is the most famous pop star in the galaxy—and the runaway bride of a violent lieutenant in Black Sun, the crime syndicate commanded by Prince Xizor. Or so Javul says. Soon after Dash Rendar, broke and desperate, agrees to be Javul’s bodyguard, he realizes that openness is not her strong suit—and that murder is stalking her tour. Between the discovery of dead bodies in a cargo hold and an attack by an unidentified warship, Dash and co-pilot Eaden Vrill desperately try to understand who is terrorizing Javul’s tour and why. When Han Solo suddenly joins Javul’s road show, the stakes are raised even higher. Now Dash, who has a history with Han and an even worse history with Prince Xizor, follows his instincts, his discoveries, and Javul herself—straight into a world that may be too dangerous to survive.
338 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
65 people are currently reading
1751 people want to read
About the author
Michael Reaves
130 books211 followersMichael Reaves is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and screenwriter whose many credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone, Batman: The Animated Series, and Gargoyles. His novels include the New York Times bestseller STAR WARS: Darth Maul- Shadowhunter and STAR WARS: Death Star. He and Neil Gaiman cowrote Interworld. Reaves has also written short fiction, comic books, and background dialogue for a Megadeth video. He lives in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
January 31, 2012
Dash Rendar, with Nautolan copilot, Eaden Vrill and droid, Leebo, is in a bit of a sticky situation: a recent Kessel Run and a run-in with Imperials have left his ship, the Outrider, a bit of a mess. Now he needs to scrape up some money to pay for the repairs, but where is a pilot without a ship going to find work? Javul Charn solves that problem—she says she has an obsessive fan on her tail and needs bodyguard work. Only, once Dash, Eaden, and Leebo join Javul’s crew, they quickly find out that nothing is as it seems.
I’ve been pumped about this book for quite some time. You see, Michael Reaves is one of my favorite Star Wars authors. He might have his hiccups (Death Star), but overall, he is a competent writer and an interesting storyteller. I had thought (based on REALLY early summaries) that this would be a follow-up to his Coruscant Nights trilogy, and I won’t deny that I was a bit disappointed when I found out that it was about Dash Rendar instead. Dash hasn’t been my favorite character; if you read my review of Shadows of the Empire, you’ll see I wrote that I felt he was too much like Han Solo. However, even that couldn’t dampen my excitement too much for this book, and on the most part, I was pleasantly surprised.
Michael Reaves and coauthor Maya Bohnhoff (newbie to Star Wars Expanded Universe) do a great job with characters. Dash Rendar is the most sympathetic I’ve ever read him. No longer was he a Han Solo carbon copy. I felt he was his own character, with his own motivations, with his own reckless behavior (such as during the beginning, when he is making the Kessel Run), with his own doubts and misgivings. Eaden Vrill was my personal favorite; he was the deadpan straight man to Dash Rendar, the Mr. Spock, if you will (which is odd, as Mr. Spock from Star Trek isn't my favorite character). I liked bringing in the teras kasi master to the novels (something I haven’t seen yet), and even his being related to Kit Fist, a fairly major canon character, isn’t unfathomable. Leebo was a riot. Sure, Reaves is not unaccustomed to smart-talking droids (I-Five, anyone?), but Leebo is not I-Five. I-Five was sentient, self-aware, capable of being snarky on his own, and Leebo most certainly is not (he is snarky because of a program from a previous master). Han Solo is in top form. I love how Dash finds him irritating and obnoxious, and yet, Han Solo is never out of character (though it is sacrilege to send Chewie away when this would be a perfect opportunity to showcase him!).
I wish I could say the other characters were as delightful and charming, but for me, they weren’t. Javul Charn was one shade of irritating after another. Here was this woman who consistently lies, runs away, putting herself in danger at the expense of others, and yet we are supposed to be charmed to death because she is “so sweet and innocent and beautiful”. BLECH! I’m sorry, but if I were Dash, there would have been several times I would have throttled the woman. Tell the frakkin’ truth already, hussy! And as a sidenote...where are the drugs, the booze, the boys, the dancers that should be dripping all over her? I'm not asking for raunchy, wild sex or opium dens, but having a popstar this squeaky clean feels really fake. Javul is the most sanitized popstar since Hannah Montana, a fictional popstar meant for TWEENS.
As for the rest of the cast, largely unmemorable. Dara, Javul’s stage manager, starts out like she would be interesting, but then disappears into the background. Her only character is that Dash calls her “Spike”. A ton of Javul’s crew (the captain, the first mate, the engineer, the cargo master, the costumer, all whose names I have forgotten) are introduced only to make the mystery more interesting in the beginning. They are introduced and abruptly sent away, making me wonder why bother introducing them in the first place (and no, “to be a red herring” is not a good excuse). Hitch Kris really bordered on stereotypical Black Sun baddie; all the comments about how he missed Javul only because her road show gave him an excuse to distribute contraband destroys any nuance his character could have. And why can’t “bad guys” have decent relationships? Just because they are “bad guys” does NOT mean they are evil in love as well. Edge introduces an interesting element--an assassin out for Javul--but other than his one note performance (that stretches VERY thin by the end), there is nothing really to him.
For the first half of the book, I really enjoyed the story. Sure, it was your standard mystery, but I liked it. Star Wars doesn’t typically do standard mysteries, and it was pretty well done. But once the story became yet another Rebel-Empire plot, I checked out. For once, I would like to read a story where the events didn’t have some grand impact into the epic battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Death Star and even the Coruscant Nights Trilogy were both decent novels, and neither relied on some silly Rebel plot to make the story work. Not to mention, when we finally find out "whodunnit", it was a conclusion that was confusing, badly explained (not a complaint you will see me give very often--I usually like authors to let me figure out how the culprit did the dirty), and basically ended up being exactly the person(s) you predicted halfway through (or earlier).
Also, the story felt like it went on too long. I won't go into too much detail, but the ending was drug out and a "surprise" was added that felt unnecessary and awkward, only inserted to make sure to squeeze in one more action scene. Granted, action scenes are well done in this book, but squeezing one more in to make an action scene quota is unnecessary.
The writing is pretty solid, but that is what I’ve come to expect from Reaves. I get the impression that Bohnhoff might have done quite a bit of the writing itself, as I didn’t see many of Reaves’ favorite words (frisson, for example). Sometimes, Dash becomes too emotional, too talky about his feelings (like a woman), and I am guessing that Bhonhoff wrote those sections. However, still kudos to her for doing such a good job.
And now, we return for another…Nerd Nitpicks!
WARNING: Nerd Nitpicks may have what some consider to be light spoilers. Proceed with warning.
1. TATOOINE?!?! REALLY!?!?! Our famous holostar was raised on Tatooine, the supposed buttcrack of the galaxy, the point farthest from the bright center. NOTE TO AUTHORS: STOP USING TATOOINE AS THE HUB OF YOUR ENTIRE STORY!
2. ALDERAAN!?!? ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Are the only two planets in this galaxy Tatooine and Alderaan?
3. Javul is Leia’s cousin?!?! Are you kidding me??? Is it not big enough that she is a holostar, but she also has to be connected to EVERY SINGLE MAJOR CHARACTER in the original trilogy (and if you don’t think so…related to Leia…flew on the Millennium Falcon with Han…lived on Tatooine like Luke…).
4. Can we PLEASE have an Imperial who takes his job seriously? D’Vox is just a joke. I know he’s supposed to be from some comic I haven’t read, so that’s why his characters is painted as it is, but still. All these slobby, power-hungry, money-grubbing Imperials makes me want to pull my hair out. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times: I don’t doubt that the Empire has plenty of these kinds of guys, but you can’t tell me that the Empire would still be in existence if not for the average bail who legitimately believes in the cause.
5. Tatooine is 36 hrs away from Kessel at SUBLIGHT? Does not compute...does not compute...
6. Empire Murders Family Sob Story #376,567. Javul's mommy and daddy were harmless traveling musicians when the Empire goes, "They used to be in the Republic military...let's kill 'em!" Yeah, that's my first thought too. Let's murder the people who were in the military because they might rise up against you. How did the Empire last 20 years again??
Thank you for joining us for another Nerd Nitpicks!
I feel the first half of this book is more solid than the latter half, though fans of the more traditional Star Wars novel might think the opposite. I liked the mystery, I liked the investigation. Once the novel turned into a standard “Rebels vs. Imperials”, I just didn’t think it worked. I still enjoyed myself and was stunned to find myself liking Dash Rendar. A decent time waster and a perfect place for a Star Wars newbie to jump in. I hope both Reaves and Bohnhoff get to write a lot more Star Wars novels in the future.
I’ve been pumped about this book for quite some time. You see, Michael Reaves is one of my favorite Star Wars authors. He might have his hiccups (Death Star), but overall, he is a competent writer and an interesting storyteller. I had thought (based on REALLY early summaries) that this would be a follow-up to his Coruscant Nights trilogy, and I won’t deny that I was a bit disappointed when I found out that it was about Dash Rendar instead. Dash hasn’t been my favorite character; if you read my review of Shadows of the Empire, you’ll see I wrote that I felt he was too much like Han Solo. However, even that couldn’t dampen my excitement too much for this book, and on the most part, I was pleasantly surprised.
Michael Reaves and coauthor Maya Bohnhoff (newbie to Star Wars Expanded Universe) do a great job with characters. Dash Rendar is the most sympathetic I’ve ever read him. No longer was he a Han Solo carbon copy. I felt he was his own character, with his own motivations, with his own reckless behavior (such as during the beginning, when he is making the Kessel Run), with his own doubts and misgivings. Eaden Vrill was my personal favorite; he was the deadpan straight man to Dash Rendar, the Mr. Spock, if you will (which is odd, as Mr. Spock from Star Trek isn't my favorite character). I liked bringing in the teras kasi master to the novels (something I haven’t seen yet), and even his being related to Kit Fist, a fairly major canon character, isn’t unfathomable. Leebo was a riot. Sure, Reaves is not unaccustomed to smart-talking droids (I-Five, anyone?), but Leebo is not I-Five. I-Five was sentient, self-aware, capable of being snarky on his own, and Leebo most certainly is not (he is snarky because of a program from a previous master). Han Solo is in top form. I love how Dash finds him irritating and obnoxious, and yet, Han Solo is never out of character (though it is sacrilege to send Chewie away when this would be a perfect opportunity to showcase him!).
I wish I could say the other characters were as delightful and charming, but for me, they weren’t. Javul Charn was one shade of irritating after another. Here was this woman who consistently lies, runs away, putting herself in danger at the expense of others, and yet we are supposed to be charmed to death because she is “so sweet and innocent and beautiful”. BLECH! I’m sorry, but if I were Dash, there would have been several times I would have throttled the woman. Tell the frakkin’ truth already, hussy! And as a sidenote...where are the drugs, the booze, the boys, the dancers that should be dripping all over her? I'm not asking for raunchy, wild sex or opium dens, but having a popstar this squeaky clean feels really fake. Javul is the most sanitized popstar since Hannah Montana, a fictional popstar meant for TWEENS.
As for the rest of the cast, largely unmemorable. Dara, Javul’s stage manager, starts out like she would be interesting, but then disappears into the background. Her only character is that Dash calls her “Spike”. A ton of Javul’s crew (the captain, the first mate, the engineer, the cargo master, the costumer, all whose names I have forgotten) are introduced only to make the mystery more interesting in the beginning. They are introduced and abruptly sent away, making me wonder why bother introducing them in the first place (and no, “to be a red herring” is not a good excuse). Hitch Kris really bordered on stereotypical Black Sun baddie; all the comments about how he missed Javul only because her road show gave him an excuse to distribute contraband destroys any nuance his character could have. And why can’t “bad guys” have decent relationships? Just because they are “bad guys” does NOT mean they are evil in love as well. Edge introduces an interesting element--an assassin out for Javul--but other than his one note performance (that stretches VERY thin by the end), there is nothing really to him.
For the first half of the book, I really enjoyed the story. Sure, it was your standard mystery, but I liked it. Star Wars doesn’t typically do standard mysteries, and it was pretty well done. But once the story became yet another Rebel-Empire plot, I checked out. For once, I would like to read a story where the events didn’t have some grand impact into the epic battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Death Star and even the Coruscant Nights Trilogy were both decent novels, and neither relied on some silly Rebel plot to make the story work. Not to mention, when we finally find out "whodunnit", it was a conclusion that was confusing, badly explained (not a complaint you will see me give very often--I usually like authors to let me figure out how the culprit did the dirty), and basically ended up being exactly the person(s) you predicted halfway through (or earlier).
Also, the story felt like it went on too long. I won't go into too much detail, but the ending was drug out and a "surprise" was added that felt unnecessary and awkward, only inserted to make sure to squeeze in one more action scene. Granted, action scenes are well done in this book, but squeezing one more in to make an action scene quota is unnecessary.
The writing is pretty solid, but that is what I’ve come to expect from Reaves. I get the impression that Bohnhoff might have done quite a bit of the writing itself, as I didn’t see many of Reaves’ favorite words (frisson, for example). Sometimes, Dash becomes too emotional, too talky about his feelings (like a woman), and I am guessing that Bhonhoff wrote those sections. However, still kudos to her for doing such a good job.
And now, we return for another…Nerd Nitpicks!
WARNING: Nerd Nitpicks may have what some consider to be light spoilers. Proceed with warning.
1. TATOOINE?!?! REALLY!?!?! Our famous holostar was raised on Tatooine, the supposed buttcrack of the galaxy, the point farthest from the bright center. NOTE TO AUTHORS: STOP USING TATOOINE AS THE HUB OF YOUR ENTIRE STORY!
2. ALDERAAN!?!? ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Are the only two planets in this galaxy Tatooine and Alderaan?
3. Javul is Leia’s cousin?!?! Are you kidding me??? Is it not big enough that she is a holostar, but she also has to be connected to EVERY SINGLE MAJOR CHARACTER in the original trilogy (and if you don’t think so…related to Leia…flew on the Millennium Falcon with Han…lived on Tatooine like Luke…).
4. Can we PLEASE have an Imperial who takes his job seriously? D’Vox is just a joke. I know he’s supposed to be from some comic I haven’t read, so that’s why his characters is painted as it is, but still. All these slobby, power-hungry, money-grubbing Imperials makes me want to pull my hair out. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times: I don’t doubt that the Empire has plenty of these kinds of guys, but you can’t tell me that the Empire would still be in existence if not for the average bail who legitimately believes in the cause.
5. Tatooine is 36 hrs away from Kessel at SUBLIGHT? Does not compute...does not compute...
6. Empire Murders Family Sob Story #376,567. Javul's mommy and daddy were harmless traveling musicians when the Empire goes, "They used to be in the Republic military...let's kill 'em!" Yeah, that's my first thought too. Let's murder the people who were in the military because they might rise up against you. How did the Empire last 20 years again??
Thank you for joining us for another Nerd Nitpicks!
I feel the first half of this book is more solid than the latter half, though fans of the more traditional Star Wars novel might think the opposite. I liked the mystery, I liked the investigation. Once the novel turned into a standard “Rebels vs. Imperials”, I just didn’t think it worked. I still enjoyed myself and was stunned to find myself liking Dash Rendar. A decent time waster and a perfect place for a Star Wars newbie to jump in. I hope both Reaves and Bohnhoff get to write a lot more Star Wars novels in the future.
November 23, 2025
This book is a bit unique in Star Wars for its subject matter, and yet still has the touchstones of a Star Wars story. It balances being "something old and something new" at the same time.
What's particularly different here is the idea of a pop star in Star Wars. We don't usually see the entertainment side of the galaxy, so seeing a pop-star who is travelliing to different planets and needing protection is interesting. But the way that Reaves and Bohnhoff unfold the story makes it fit very well.
There's a lot of touchstone elements of Star Wars, such as the Kessel Run, a back-talking droid, familiar planets, and even Han Solo himself shows up. And pulling in Dash Rendar as the main character brings a bit of cool nostalgia for fans of Shadows of the Empire.
There are many reveals and mysteries as part of the book, and I thought they were revealed well, although nothing was particularly shocking.
My real only issue with the book was the lack of presence by the villains. We have the threat of multiple villains in the book, and yet they for the most part are very off-page (one of them doesn't even show up in the book at all despite being important to the plot!). I just wanted more of them, maybe even their POV to make the book stronger. As it's written, its almost entirely from Dash Rendar's perspective, and he wasn't particularly interesting enough to carry the whole book for me.
Overall, its a fun book. It's not particularly incredible, but a fun read in Star Wars. 7 out of 10.
What's particularly different here is the idea of a pop star in Star Wars. We don't usually see the entertainment side of the galaxy, so seeing a pop-star who is travelliing to different planets and needing protection is interesting. But the way that Reaves and Bohnhoff unfold the story makes it fit very well.
There's a lot of touchstone elements of Star Wars, such as the Kessel Run, a back-talking droid, familiar planets, and even Han Solo himself shows up. And pulling in Dash Rendar as the main character brings a bit of cool nostalgia for fans of Shadows of the Empire.
There are many reveals and mysteries as part of the book, and I thought they were revealed well, although nothing was particularly shocking.
My real only issue with the book was the lack of presence by the villains. We have the threat of multiple villains in the book, and yet they for the most part are very off-page (one of them doesn't even show up in the book at all despite being important to the plot!). I just wanted more of them, maybe even their POV to make the book stronger. As it's written, its almost entirely from Dash Rendar's perspective, and he wasn't particularly interesting enough to carry the whole book for me.
Overall, its a fun book. It's not particularly incredible, but a fun read in Star Wars. 7 out of 10.
January 11, 2024
A Dash Rendar story, and very neo noir. A very good who-done-it. Dash was hired by a well known singer as a bodyguard and has to figure out who keeps trying to kill her, which turned out to be pretty much everyone.
This is one of those SW books that no one ever talks about, but I really enjoyed it. Dash, from the old Shadows of the Empire game, he basically never appears in anything other then this novel and the one with the same name as the game, but I wish he did. He's a fun character.
I didn't care for Javul or her crew, I found them all to be pretty annoying and one note. But I loved Dash, his copilot and his droid. They were a great trio. And Han was good too, but it felt weird to write out Chewie for no reason.
Also, making Javul Leia's cousin was very odd. And she was a weird character for being a popstar, she didn't have any groupies or anything, so for her being the most famous popstar in the galaxy, it didn't feel like it whatsoever. I wish she could've just been a normal character instead of being a secret Rebel too.
This is one of those SW books that no one ever talks about, but I really enjoyed it. Dash, from the old Shadows of the Empire game, he basically never appears in anything other then this novel and the one with the same name as the game, but I wish he did. He's a fun character.
I didn't care for Javul or her crew, I found them all to be pretty annoying and one note. But I loved Dash, his copilot and his droid. They were a great trio. And Han was good too, but it felt weird to write out Chewie for no reason.
Also, making Javul Leia's cousin was very odd. And she was a weird character for being a popstar, she didn't have any groupies or anything, so for her being the most famous popstar in the galaxy, it didn't feel like it whatsoever. I wish she could've just been a normal character instead of being a secret Rebel too.
June 10, 2012
Shadow Games was, as Star Wars novels go, merely mediocre. It was an interesting premise: go outside the normal realm of seedy criminals, warriors, and aristocracy and look at some mainstream pop culture - holostars. Of course, this seemed too good to be true, and was, since the holostar business turns out to be nothing more than a theme, a novel setting for the same old saving-the-galaxy amid plenty of tense violence story. The fact that Charn was a performer figured into the story in logistical ways, in detail, but not in plot - that is determined by her role in politics - nor in perspective, since the story is told from Dash Rendar's perspective. Dash's presence here seems gratuitous and unfortunate. He is out of his element - a smuggler acting as security chief - and no good reason is given why he should be chosen for that role. Though I typically bridle at the reckless inclusion of big-name characters like Han, he was at least acting in an appropriate role here, as a smuggler and ship captain. Though I won't spoil it, the main plot point itself is by far the worst gratuitous addition - adding another element to a party that already has too many guests, and in turn making this tale really about saving the galaxy (which it didn't need to be!)
The worst mistake in the book, which I can't believe got past the editors, was that the authors severely misunderstood interplanetary travel. For some reason, they seemed to think that sublightspeed travel could go between planets within days and weeks, instead of years. It's simply not done - without hyperdrives, there is no way to cross interstellar space. I don't understand how they could have flubbed that one, even acknowledging the inconsistencies and ambiguities surrounding hyperspace travel.
The worst mistake in the book, which I can't believe got past the editors, was that the authors severely misunderstood interplanetary travel. For some reason, they seemed to think that sublightspeed travel could go between planets within days and weeks, instead of years. It's simply not done - without hyperdrives, there is no way to cross interstellar space. I don't understand how they could have flubbed that one, even acknowledging the inconsistencies and ambiguities surrounding hyperspace travel.
March 4, 2012
This one turned out really good. The authors really got Han Solo right. The is the first time I've read a novel involving Han in which the book portrayal matched the original Harrison Ford movie version.
The primary protagonist left something to be desired but the rest of the characters were great. If Dash had been more complicated I think I would have been willing to give it five stars. I would give it 4.4 stars if the option was available because my issues with Dash don't warrant a full point off.
Sometimes Star Wars novel characters can be too cookie cutter. This was different and along with the story made it an enjoyable read. Also, it tells a story that is alluded to but never revealed until now concerning certain information that was, "acquired at a great cost".
Reaves is not one of my favorite authors but he did a good job on this one. If you've seen A New Hope then you can jump right into this book. In fact it is probably a good way to get introduced to Star Wars novels if you haven't read any before.
The primary protagonist left something to be desired but the rest of the characters were great. If Dash had been more complicated I think I would have been willing to give it five stars. I would give it 4.4 stars if the option was available because my issues with Dash don't warrant a full point off.
Sometimes Star Wars novel characters can be too cookie cutter. This was different and along with the story made it an enjoyable read. Also, it tells a story that is alluded to but never revealed until now concerning certain information that was, "acquired at a great cost".
Reaves is not one of my favorite authors but he did a good job on this one. If you've seen A New Hope then you can jump right into this book. In fact it is probably a good way to get introduced to Star Wars novels if you haven't read any before.
April 28, 2025
Star Wars: Legends: Shadow Games by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, Michael Reaves
challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.75 Stars
I had fun with this story.
It is like a mixture of The Bodyguard (1992 film) with Kevin Costner and singer Whitney Houston...AND a second rate Han Solo, in Dash Rendar.
I actually liked Dash Rendar, as a protagonist. He was just a "Dime Store" Han Solo...in my mind. That may be a bit harsh, but it was a fun read. Nothing earth shattering (or galaxy shattering...even one, far, far away).
The singer, Juval Charn...in some ways reminded me of Taylor Swift, if she would commit to being, not just against the Orange Turd, but would actively work with/for the Rebellion, to oust him and his regime from power.
So, as I was reading this story...those are the things that were populating my mindset.
It was fun. A popcorn book experience. Glad I read it, but I doubt I'd read it again (but who's really to know...I might, some day, reread everything...again).
challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.75 Stars
I had fun with this story.
It is like a mixture of The Bodyguard (1992 film) with Kevin Costner and singer Whitney Houston...AND a second rate Han Solo, in Dash Rendar.
I actually liked Dash Rendar, as a protagonist. He was just a "Dime Store" Han Solo...in my mind. That may be a bit harsh, but it was a fun read. Nothing earth shattering (or galaxy shattering...even one, far, far away).
The singer, Juval Charn...in some ways reminded me of Taylor Swift, if she would commit to being, not just against the Orange Turd, but would actively work with/for the Rebellion, to oust him and his regime from power.
So, as I was reading this story...those are the things that were populating my mindset.
It was fun. A popcorn book experience. Glad I read it, but I doubt I'd read it again (but who's really to know...I might, some day, reread everything...again).
November 27, 2024
3.5
This book was good. Not Reaves best work, but I’m unsure as to how much he penned. Enjoyable, great Easter eggs scattered throughout. Anyone seeking more Dash Rendar content will be pleased.
This book was good. Not Reaves best work, but I’m unsure as to how much he penned. Enjoyable, great Easter eggs scattered throughout. Anyone seeking more Dash Rendar content will be pleased.
July 28, 2012
This book just didn't do it for me. I was never caught up in the story. It never drew me in and held me in suspense like most of the other Star Wars books I've read. Another problem I had with it is the style in which it was written. Far too verbose for me. Some sentences seemed downright laughable. I quote: "The approaching ship was stealth black, so light-sucking fuliginous that it registered on Dash's wonky perception as a hole in space." And there are better ways to describe "very dark" than "stygian", in my opinion. This seems to be common to all of Mr. Reaves' material; in the first two pages of the included preview to his book "Jedi Twilight", I had to look up "ecumenopolis", "animalcule", and "interregnum." I pity the people who read that without instant electronic dictionary lookup.
Summary: The slow storyline, writing style, and all-around non-Star-Wars feel prevented me from enjoying this book. Oh, and did I mention that exactly 15% of this book is ads trying to get you to buy other books? Not what I paid for.
August 28, 2014
Was a little skeptical at first with the story line.Famous singer on the Holonet being harassed by a stalker.However their was a whole lot more to the story.The droids in the story were hilarious.Throw in Han Solo and you got yourself one heck of a ride.
May 27, 2024
I was about to give this book three stars, as I recall liking it well enough when I read it a couple of months ago. But then I realized I couldn't remember much about it, so I looked up a few reviews, ranging from those who loved the book to those who hated it, just to recall the plot. Unfortunately, remembering more of the novel didn't serve it well in my memory. It only affirmed that my lack of recollection was probably a consequence of this book's absolute mediocrity.
The story follows Dash Rendar, a recurring character from the Shadows of the Empire novel and video game. Dash is sort of Han Solo light, a ship captain and smuggler, working with his copilot, a Nautalan by the name of Eaden Vrill, and a wise-cracking robot named Leebo. When Rendar's ship, the Outrider becomes damaged while making the Kessel Run, he must come up with some cash to make repairs. He and his crew hire themselves on as bodyguards to interstellar holostar Javul Charn. They discover that someone is trying to kill her, or slow her down, which makes the entire story a sort of noir detective tale, but, you know, set in the Star Wars universe.
I enjoyed the components of this book that focus on Charn, Rendar, and the search for the assassin. Charn was once dating a Black Sun Vigo, and he becomes an obvious suspect, as bodies keep turning up, and sabotage occurs on Charn's ship. Rendar as smuggler turned hard-boiled detective actually works.
However, in the second half of the book, Reaves and his co-author Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff seem compelled to add in canon characters (Han Solo shows up as a start) and tie the plot to the larger Star Wars mythology. They also don't really resolve the romantic tension between Charn and Rendar. That's too bad, because as a stand-alone story set in the Star Wars universe, the novel works pretty well. Once you add in the fact that this is basically The Bodyguard in space, the lack of a "happily ever after" for the leads really suppresses the joy.
A couple of the action set pieces are unique and mildly entertaining. However, this feels like a filler novel, dictated by an editorial staff, a book that ultimately has too many corporate responsibilities to really find its own path or way forward. The lack of courage and originality in some of these Star Wars tales becomes their undoing.
The story follows Dash Rendar, a recurring character from the Shadows of the Empire novel and video game. Dash is sort of Han Solo light, a ship captain and smuggler, working with his copilot, a Nautalan by the name of Eaden Vrill, and a wise-cracking robot named Leebo. When Rendar's ship, the Outrider becomes damaged while making the Kessel Run, he must come up with some cash to make repairs. He and his crew hire themselves on as bodyguards to interstellar holostar Javul Charn. They discover that someone is trying to kill her, or slow her down, which makes the entire story a sort of noir detective tale, but, you know, set in the Star Wars universe.
I enjoyed the components of this book that focus on Charn, Rendar, and the search for the assassin. Charn was once dating a Black Sun Vigo, and he becomes an obvious suspect, as bodies keep turning up, and sabotage occurs on Charn's ship. Rendar as smuggler turned hard-boiled detective actually works.
However, in the second half of the book, Reaves and his co-author Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff seem compelled to add in canon characters (Han Solo shows up as a start) and tie the plot to the larger Star Wars mythology. They also don't really resolve the romantic tension between Charn and Rendar. That's too bad, because as a stand-alone story set in the Star Wars universe, the novel works pretty well. Once you add in the fact that this is basically The Bodyguard in space, the lack of a "happily ever after" for the leads really suppresses the joy.
A couple of the action set pieces are unique and mildly entertaining. However, this feels like a filler novel, dictated by an editorial staff, a book that ultimately has too many corporate responsibilities to really find its own path or way forward. The lack of courage and originality in some of these Star Wars tales becomes their undoing.
October 13, 2017
I’ve never seen The Bodyguard, but when my wife heard me tutting to myself about the plot of this novel, and asked me to describe it, she said, “that’s The Bodyguard, just in space”.
I can’t argue!
Anyway, despite its more than passing resemblance to a blockbuster movie, this novel was still a Star Wars romp, with a refreshingly different flavour to the typical Star Wars story.
What knocks it down to a 3-star rating is the poor writing style, the pretty clichéd characters, and the inadequate research done by the authors (the in-universe references are full of chronologically unlikely bits, such as mentions of ewoks pre-ROTJ), or terminology such as “antigrav”, when a more typical in-universe term would be “repulsorlift”).
The story would have worked just as well if the hero had been Han Solo instead of Dash Rendar, but I suppose it is nice to see a little bit more of the Shadows of the Empire protagonist.
So, in essence: fun, but lightweight.
I can’t argue!
Anyway, despite its more than passing resemblance to a blockbuster movie, this novel was still a Star Wars romp, with a refreshingly different flavour to the typical Star Wars story.
What knocks it down to a 3-star rating is the poor writing style, the pretty clichéd characters, and the inadequate research done by the authors (the in-universe references are full of chronologically unlikely bits, such as mentions of ewoks pre-ROTJ), or terminology such as “antigrav”, when a more typical in-universe term would be “repulsorlift”).
The story would have worked just as well if the hero had been Han Solo instead of Dash Rendar, but I suppose it is nice to see a little bit more of the Shadows of the Empire protagonist.
So, in essence: fun, but lightweight.
December 30, 2020
This would be getting four stars, but the last 50 pages or so really let it down. Love the concept though... like The Bodyguard in space.
Dash Rendar - a Han Solo-like character introduced in Shadows of the Empire - in a moment of desperation accepts a job as bodyguard to a pop star who is having trouble with a stalker on her tour of the galaxy. Only, it turns out it's not as simple as he'd been led to believe and finds himself way out of his depth.
Dash Rendar - a Han Solo-like character introduced in Shadows of the Empire - in a moment of desperation accepts a job as bodyguard to a pop star who is having trouble with a stalker on her tour of the galaxy. Only, it turns out it's not as simple as he'd been led to believe and finds himself way out of his depth.
July 19, 2021
I'd probably rate this closer to 3.5 stars, as I found the story rambled too much for my taste. But I fell in love with the characters, and I like the way the novel acts as a distorted mirror/premonition of another smuggler/princess combination in the Lucasverse...so it gets the round-up to 4 stars.
April 14, 2020
A fun, action packed adventure with a sarcastic Han Solo, Dashing Dash Tendar and witty droid sidekick. The humor and plot twists elevate this book among the many star wars books I've read. The little nods and cameos were also a nice touch. Highly recommend for a fun star wars adventure.
February 17, 2023
review to come
August 27, 2022
Writing was really good. The story was so-so.
April 8, 2020
Star Wars Legends Project #223
Background: Shadow Games was written by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff and published in November of 2011. Reaves is the author of several Star Wars novels beginning with Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, most of which feature a few of the same set of recurring characters. (This is the exception, featuring instead a character created by Reaves's frequent co-author, Steve Perry.) Counting this one, Bohnhoff has co-written three Star Wars novels with Reaves (one uncredited). They are her only Star Wars work.
Shadow Games takes place during the weeks before the battle of Yavin. The main character is Dash Rendar. Han Solo and Prince Xizor also play major roles. There are several other major characters, but pretty much all of them are one-shots. The story takes place on several planets, including Alderaan, Christophsis, Rodia, and Tatooine.
Summary: Ace pilot and smuggler Dash Rendar is grounded after his ship, the Outrider, is severely damaged in a Kessel Run he's lucky to complete alive. Unfortunately, he lacks the funds to fix it, and without a ship, he's short on the means to get the funds. An unexpected solution presents itself when holostar Javul Charn comes looking for a bodyguard. Her galactic tour has been plagued by anonymous threats and near-lethal sabotage. Nevertheless, Dash feels confident he and his crew are well up to the challenge . . . only Javul hasn't told him the whole story, and her entire entourage may be in far greater danger than any of them understand.
Review: Well, not so very long ago, in my review of Death Troopers, I went through this whole thing about Star Wars books about new characters that have to also shoehorn in movie characters, probably at the insistence of the publisher . . . and that's actually exactly what happened with this book. Apparently Reaves and Steve Perry originally pitched it in 2007, but abandoned the idea when they heard they'd have to change their idea to include major characters from the films. A few years later, the publisher approached them to see if they'd do it (with the changes), and Perry still passed, but Reaves agreed. The title was decided via fan poll. So, there you go.
In the last Reaves/Bohnhoff collaboration I reviewed, I noted that I preferred their writing together to what I'd recently been reading of Reaves solo work, but that the plots seemed to meander a bit and spin their wheels. I'd say that's basically true here, as well. Reaves is pretty good at character creation, and I really liked the original characters here. The writing was good. But it all just seemed to go in circles for most of the middle. And then there was a really confusing post-climax burst of danger that made no sense whatsoever on several levels, and that left a bad taste in my mouth.
I think I'd have minded it all a lot less if the destination had felt more worthwhile. There's what feels like an interesting mystery at the heart of this story, and a series of revelations that get us closer and closer to learning what it is . . . but the solution isn't remotely interesting. It's just another Star Wars book that's about what is apparently the only thing Star Wars books are allowed to be about. Maybe it bothered me more here because of the dangled promise of something a little bit different.
C+
Background: Shadow Games was written by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff and published in November of 2011. Reaves is the author of several Star Wars novels beginning with Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, most of which feature a few of the same set of recurring characters. (This is the exception, featuring instead a character created by Reaves's frequent co-author, Steve Perry.) Counting this one, Bohnhoff has co-written three Star Wars novels with Reaves (one uncredited). They are her only Star Wars work.
Shadow Games takes place during the weeks before the battle of Yavin. The main character is Dash Rendar. Han Solo and Prince Xizor also play major roles. There are several other major characters, but pretty much all of them are one-shots. The story takes place on several planets, including Alderaan, Christophsis, Rodia, and Tatooine.
Summary: Ace pilot and smuggler Dash Rendar is grounded after his ship, the Outrider, is severely damaged in a Kessel Run he's lucky to complete alive. Unfortunately, he lacks the funds to fix it, and without a ship, he's short on the means to get the funds. An unexpected solution presents itself when holostar Javul Charn comes looking for a bodyguard. Her galactic tour has been plagued by anonymous threats and near-lethal sabotage. Nevertheless, Dash feels confident he and his crew are well up to the challenge . . . only Javul hasn't told him the whole story, and her entire entourage may be in far greater danger than any of them understand.
Review: Well, not so very long ago, in my review of Death Troopers, I went through this whole thing about Star Wars books about new characters that have to also shoehorn in movie characters, probably at the insistence of the publisher . . . and that's actually exactly what happened with this book. Apparently Reaves and Steve Perry originally pitched it in 2007, but abandoned the idea when they heard they'd have to change their idea to include major characters from the films. A few years later, the publisher approached them to see if they'd do it (with the changes), and Perry still passed, but Reaves agreed. The title was decided via fan poll. So, there you go.
In the last Reaves/Bohnhoff collaboration I reviewed, I noted that I preferred their writing together to what I'd recently been reading of Reaves solo work, but that the plots seemed to meander a bit and spin their wheels. I'd say that's basically true here, as well. Reaves is pretty good at character creation, and I really liked the original characters here. The writing was good. But it all just seemed to go in circles for most of the middle. And then there was a really confusing post-climax burst of danger that made no sense whatsoever on several levels, and that left a bad taste in my mouth.
I think I'd have minded it all a lot less if the destination had felt more worthwhile. There's what feels like an interesting mystery at the heart of this story, and a series of revelations that get us closer and closer to learning what it is . . . but the solution isn't remotely interesting. It's just another Star Wars book that's about what is apparently the only thing Star Wars books are allowed to be about. Maybe it bothered me more here because of the dangled promise of something a little bit different.
C+
January 7, 2012
Original Post: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/01/...
Now and then, I like to read the occasional Star Wars novel. I’ve been interested in reading Shadow Games, one of Arrow’s newer Star Wars titles for quite some time now, and when I brought it a few days ago in Waterstones along with a couple of other books I cracked it open and began to read. And, I found the novel to be quite enjoyable. Really, I did – it was a fun, space-opera romp that allows me to continue saying that all the Star Wars novels that I’ve read are good, even if Shadow Games is only my third.
This particular novel follows the adventures of Dash Rendar and his crew who are stranded on Tatooine with a broken-down hyperdrive, when they at last find a way to raise credits in order to repair that hyperdrive. The saviour comes in the form of Javul Charn, a human holostar who has problems of her own, and is stalked by an over-zealous fan. Needing a bodyguard to protect her during the tour to the Corellian Run, she and Dash soon find themselves working together. That is, right up until things go wrong, very wrong – and when Han Solo, Dash’s rival, shows up to help – it seems unlikely that Dash, even with the help of Han, will be able to help Javul Charn.
After all, Dash couldn’t even protect his own family…
This is the first novel that I’ve read by both these authors, and right from the start I can see plot holes with Shadow Games. For example, unless I missed something – it’s unlikely that Javul Charn would hire a bunch of smugglers when you could hire several more bodyguards who actually know what they’re doing?
However, that’s not to say Shadow Games was bad though – far from it, I really enjoyed the collaboration by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – you couldn’t tell if there was a change in writing/pace where one took over from the other (indeed, even if one did take over from the other), as the pace is consistently fast throughout this novel.
Although Shadow Games lacks lightsaber fights between Jedi and Sith, and big-scaled ground/air battles commonly seen in the movies and various other novels, this particular addition to the Expanded Universe doesn’t really need the addition of any lightsaber-boasting character to make the story better. After all, if something isn’t broke, why fix it?
Shadow Games itself is an appropriately named title, for reasons that I won’t delve into here due to verging onto the spoiler territory, but at least I’m glad that it’s not called Dash Rendar and the Shadow Games (See my review of Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor), or something else along those lines.
Although not a super-fast, whizzing through pages, staying up until 1am to see what will happen next read, Shadow Games is an enjoyable, evenly paced read and despite its flaws, is a well crafted read that will have me looking forward to reading anything by either Michael Reaves or Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff in the future, Star Wars or not.
Shadow Games, isn’t a game-changing story that will shape the future of the Star Wars universe, and indeed – it doesn’t pretend to be, after all, it’s set just before A New Hope, despite the fact that there are indeed a lot ‘hints’ towards George Lucas’ Episodes IV and V that left me smiling once I spotted them, and this novel could have almost been a prequel movie to Episode IV.
This novel is also one of those sort of novels that get better as it goes on, you start off not expecting much by it but as the story goes on, you start to get more intrigued by what Reaves and Bohnhoff have to offer, so don’t put it down if you struggle to get into it at first. You’ll like it – or at least, you should.
Verdict: 4/5
Now and then, I like to read the occasional Star Wars novel. I’ve been interested in reading Shadow Games, one of Arrow’s newer Star Wars titles for quite some time now, and when I brought it a few days ago in Waterstones along with a couple of other books I cracked it open and began to read. And, I found the novel to be quite enjoyable. Really, I did – it was a fun, space-opera romp that allows me to continue saying that all the Star Wars novels that I’ve read are good, even if Shadow Games is only my third.
This particular novel follows the adventures of Dash Rendar and his crew who are stranded on Tatooine with a broken-down hyperdrive, when they at last find a way to raise credits in order to repair that hyperdrive. The saviour comes in the form of Javul Charn, a human holostar who has problems of her own, and is stalked by an over-zealous fan. Needing a bodyguard to protect her during the tour to the Corellian Run, she and Dash soon find themselves working together. That is, right up until things go wrong, very wrong – and when Han Solo, Dash’s rival, shows up to help – it seems unlikely that Dash, even with the help of Han, will be able to help Javul Charn.
After all, Dash couldn’t even protect his own family…
This is the first novel that I’ve read by both these authors, and right from the start I can see plot holes with Shadow Games. For example, unless I missed something – it’s unlikely that Javul Charn would hire a bunch of smugglers when you could hire several more bodyguards who actually know what they’re doing?
However, that’s not to say Shadow Games was bad though – far from it, I really enjoyed the collaboration by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – you couldn’t tell if there was a change in writing/pace where one took over from the other (indeed, even if one did take over from the other), as the pace is consistently fast throughout this novel.
Although Shadow Games lacks lightsaber fights between Jedi and Sith, and big-scaled ground/air battles commonly seen in the movies and various other novels, this particular addition to the Expanded Universe doesn’t really need the addition of any lightsaber-boasting character to make the story better. After all, if something isn’t broke, why fix it?
Shadow Games itself is an appropriately named title, for reasons that I won’t delve into here due to verging onto the spoiler territory, but at least I’m glad that it’s not called Dash Rendar and the Shadow Games (See my review of Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor), or something else along those lines.
Although not a super-fast, whizzing through pages, staying up until 1am to see what will happen next read, Shadow Games is an enjoyable, evenly paced read and despite its flaws, is a well crafted read that will have me looking forward to reading anything by either Michael Reaves or Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff in the future, Star Wars or not.
Shadow Games, isn’t a game-changing story that will shape the future of the Star Wars universe, and indeed – it doesn’t pretend to be, after all, it’s set just before A New Hope, despite the fact that there are indeed a lot ‘hints’ towards George Lucas’ Episodes IV and V that left me smiling once I spotted them, and this novel could have almost been a prequel movie to Episode IV.
This novel is also one of those sort of novels that get better as it goes on, you start off not expecting much by it but as the story goes on, you start to get more intrigued by what Reaves and Bohnhoff have to offer, so don’t put it down if you struggle to get into it at first. You’ll like it – or at least, you should.
Verdict: 4/5
October 19, 2022
This book was a fascinating experience. What started off as an easy 4 stars whittled down lower and lower until it's current state at one star. I really did try and like this book but it's flaws only got worse the longer the book went on.
I've read every other Michael Reaves Star Wars book, besides Death Star, and his incessant use of tired tropes is what really killed this book for me. As usual it's filled with his favorite things, one note characters, snarky robots, and fan service so on the nose it's just annoying. One character says "Han Solo would have to be frozen in Carbonite before he'd join the rebellion." Which should say everything that's needed.
What could've been a fun, cheesy romance story between the lower class male and the higher class female instead becomes a story that manages to somehow be both very predictable and incredibly convoluted. But worse than that it drags on for way longer than it should, ending up more long winded than this review.
I actually enjoyed Dash Rendar. He's a fun character, more of a Kurt Russell type than a Han Solo. Unfortunately he's the only likeable character. Javul Charn, our other main character is so annoyingly stupid and frustrating that she loses any likeability, especially when all the book does is tell you how great she is. Han Solo gets to be in this book, again written as a heroic and noble character like the EU loves to do (both in cannon and legends). Of course that means he loses any sense of character progression or an arc if he's always been a hero, but that's not a problem unique to this book.
The rest of the characters are either one note, or basically non existent. Only there to add more suspects to the predictable mystery or to die. It's bad when the second most likeable character is the stoic and reserved one who has little personality outside of being a Teras Kasi master, a fact they'll bring up every paragraph he's mentioned in.
This book is a boring, rambling, waste of any potential and full of the tropes and failures that makes so many people put off from the EU. Characters from the movie shoehorned in, everyone is related to someone else, bouncing around the same 4 planets, and fan service that doesn't even make sense in context of the universe. If I can prevent one person from wasting their life on this book I'll die satisfied
I've read every other Michael Reaves Star Wars book, besides Death Star, and his incessant use of tired tropes is what really killed this book for me. As usual it's filled with his favorite things, one note characters, snarky robots, and fan service so on the nose it's just annoying. One character says "Han Solo would have to be frozen in Carbonite before he'd join the rebellion." Which should say everything that's needed.
What could've been a fun, cheesy romance story between the lower class male and the higher class female instead becomes a story that manages to somehow be both very predictable and incredibly convoluted. But worse than that it drags on for way longer than it should, ending up more long winded than this review.
I actually enjoyed Dash Rendar. He's a fun character, more of a Kurt Russell type than a Han Solo. Unfortunately he's the only likeable character. Javul Charn, our other main character is so annoyingly stupid and frustrating that she loses any likeability, especially when all the book does is tell you how great she is. Han Solo gets to be in this book, again written as a heroic and noble character like the EU loves to do (both in cannon and legends). Of course that means he loses any sense of character progression or an arc if he's always been a hero, but that's not a problem unique to this book.
The rest of the characters are either one note, or basically non existent. Only there to add more suspects to the predictable mystery or to die. It's bad when the second most likeable character is the stoic and reserved one who has little personality outside of being a Teras Kasi master, a fact they'll bring up every paragraph he's mentioned in.
This book is a boring, rambling, waste of any potential and full of the tropes and failures that makes so many people put off from the EU. Characters from the movie shoehorned in, everyone is related to someone else, bouncing around the same 4 planets, and fan service that doesn't even make sense in context of the universe. If I can prevent one person from wasting their life on this book I'll die satisfied
October 29, 2024
Struggled to finish this one and probably should have given up. I'm on board for an early adventure of Dash Rendar, and even doing a riff on The Bodyguard, as well as classic noir where the bruiser is hired by a bombshell showgirl on the run from her gangster ex. Alas, it's so choppily written and sloppily structured, never quite finding the balance between being its own story and a prequel to both Shadow of the Empire and an unneeded immediate lead-in to A New Hope. The best bit is when our heroes are trying to chase down and stop an assassin in the middle of a big holo concert, but instead of being the core of this thriller, it's just a brief interlude between frequent convoluted sabotages and whodunnits with unsatisfying reveals, and weird bits where the authors will heavily detail things that ultimately don't play into the story, like all the ins and outs of a star yacht that we quickly abandon for the Millennium Falcon (also, too much Han, let this be Rendar's story), or explaining where everyone is posted on a ship right before they suddenly have to scramble and run around from an attack. It's meaningless clutter, and feels like a hastily assembled first draft. Wouldn't it be great to expand on the idea of what it's like to be a touring pop star in this universe? Record deals, streaming licenses, touring schedules. Really peel back the curtain. They touch on this stuff at times, but it's always sidetracked by the espionage mess.
Leebo was fun, though. I'm game for more Leebo.
Leebo was fun, though. I'm game for more Leebo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2021
Stars: 2
Re-read: No
Recommend to: People who liked Reaves other SW stories. If you liked his writing beyond Shadow Hunter, give it a chance. If not, avoid it.
This book is 2 stars, because the plot is pretty boring and mostly pointless along with a ton of cutesy eye rolling moments that Reaves loves. The vast majority of the plot was pointless because . That is probably 2/3 of the plot.
Another frustrating part of reading any of the books written by Reaves is his sloppy writing mixed with his lack of understanding of the galaxy. Here are a few examples: . Just another example of reading a Reaves' SW book and think,, "What the heck is happening?"
Reaves is also a huge fan of putting in silly lines that wink at events from future movies, which never pays off.
There just isn't much to like about this book.
The plot was boring and worse, the book is filled with either sloppy or idiotic writing that ruin any chance of this being a quality book. It's particularly disappointing that Reaves didn't do anything with a character as cool as Dash Rendar. The only thing I like about Reaves' books is that he has the courage to do things that are pretty different like the med-star duology and the series that tries to be a noir detective series. They never work out in my opinion, but I appreciate that he tried.
Re-read: No
Recommend to: People who liked Reaves other SW stories. If you liked his writing beyond Shadow Hunter, give it a chance. If not, avoid it.
This book is 2 stars, because the plot is pretty boring and mostly pointless along with a ton of cutesy eye rolling moments that Reaves loves. The vast majority of the plot was pointless because . That is probably 2/3 of the plot.
Another frustrating part of reading any of the books written by Reaves is his sloppy writing mixed with his lack of understanding of the galaxy. Here are a few examples: . Just another example of reading a Reaves' SW book and think,, "What the heck is happening?"
Reaves is also a huge fan of putting in silly lines that wink at events from future movies, which never pays off.
There just isn't much to like about this book.
The plot was boring and worse, the book is filled with either sloppy or idiotic writing that ruin any chance of this being a quality book. It's particularly disappointing that Reaves didn't do anything with a character as cool as Dash Rendar. The only thing I like about Reaves' books is that he has the courage to do things that are pretty different like the med-star duology and the series that tries to be a noir detective series. They never work out in my opinion, but I appreciate that he tried.
November 25, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this one...
Reread this one November of 2020 and would definitely rate it lower.
It was fun in a predictable way but it has some issues that are far more evident on a reread. The female characters have no agency (to be fair, everyone other than Dash seems to exist to further the plot along only but the women seem to have it worse as there are so few of them and they often seem particularly inept...), the plot is seldom surprising and moves along at a particularly slow pace...
It isn't terrible at all and I see what Reaves was going for (a noir styled take on The Bodyguard in space...) so it was still worth the read. Just maybe not twice through. I remember Reaves' other Star Wars books being much better than this...
Reread this one November of 2020 and would definitely rate it lower.
It was fun in a predictable way but it has some issues that are far more evident on a reread. The female characters have no agency (to be fair, everyone other than Dash seems to exist to further the plot along only but the women seem to have it worse as there are so few of them and they often seem particularly inept...), the plot is seldom surprising and moves along at a particularly slow pace...
It isn't terrible at all and I see what Reaves was going for (a noir styled take on The Bodyguard in space...) so it was still worth the read. Just maybe not twice through. I remember Reaves' other Star Wars books being much better than this...
April 30, 2012
It seems that the world's obsession with celebrities has even made its way into space operas; the focus of Shadow Games is an intergalactic pop star, which I have never seen in all my experiences with Star Wars. It almost seemed like something out of a Disney Channel Original Movie instead of a George Lucas creation. Handling Star Wars in such a way may sound like a bit of a strain, and it is, but this book wasn't terrible. If you've read all the well-known Star Wars novels, such as the Thrawn/Hand of Thrawn series and all of the New Jedi Order books, and are looking for a different take on the "galaxy far, far away," this could be worth a read, though I would suggest getting it from the library instead of purchasing it
July 10, 2025
Fun with Dash & Han
This was a great book from Michael Reaves, teaming up with Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff. Dash Rendar and Han Solo together, aiding a performer on the run from Imperials and Black Sun. As usual, he has a great cast of characters, and I really liked Dash's partner Eaden and his smartass droid Leebo. Fun on the run with a bit of romance and lots of great references throughout to tie in to other parts of the Star Wars universe. I love the sense of humor and world building in his books. A great lesser known book that was a lot of fun.
This was a great book from Michael Reaves, teaming up with Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff. Dash Rendar and Han Solo together, aiding a performer on the run from Imperials and Black Sun. As usual, he has a great cast of characters, and I really liked Dash's partner Eaden and his smartass droid Leebo. Fun on the run with a bit of romance and lots of great references throughout to tie in to other parts of the Star Wars universe. I love the sense of humor and world building in his books. A great lesser known book that was a lot of fun.
March 29, 2023
”I feel sorry for you, Dash, I really do. Letting a woman get under your skin like that. I’ll tell you one thing – that’s never gonna happen to me.”
I miss the ‘old’ Star Wars expanded universe.
Shadow Games provides a bit of backstory for the Han Solo-lite smuggler Dash Rendar, a character from the now apocryphal Shadows of the Empire project that bridged the gap between Empire and Jedi and introduced -- as its principal antagonist -- the Black Sun crime boss Prince Xizor. The details of that story are by now hazy in my memory – though as I write this, I did dig out an old c.d. of the music orchestrated for this imaginary movie – and I grabbed this book from my local library more for nostalgia’s sake than anything else.
And while it wasn’t exactly the crème de la crème of Star Wars novels, Shadow Games has its charms. It’s theme – as the cash-strapped Dash Rendar takes a job bodyguarding intergalactic pop star Juval Charn – is refreshingly different from more traditional Star Wars fare and, while its not hard to guess the secret Charn is hiding, co-authors Reaves and Bohnhoff credibly tour us through the less seen, less seedy-side of the Star Wars universe. We also get a nice batch of new characters, and while Dash feels a bit dunderheaded at times, his co-pilot Eaden Vrill brings the cool with his quasi-Jedi powers. There’s also the ‘nicely played ‘ addition of at least one familiar face from the original trilogy who is played pitch-perfect in his ‘supporting’ role.
This one ‘felt’ like Star Wars especially as the Dash and Juval play cat-and-mouse with the Imperial administrator of Bannistar Station, and I miss the days when the Star Wars book line was so strong it could carry tales of side-characters and B-listers. Loose ends are left unspooled at the end of this book. If they were picked -up elsewhere or just left unanswered when the license got gobbled up by Mickey Mouse, I don’t know. But if you still remember and reminisce about just how good the old Del Rey Star Wars line of books was, this isn’t a bad trip down memory lane.
September 19, 2023
Well, that was disappointing.
I'd forgotten how annoying Dash Rendar is. It's like someone made an outsized copy of Han Solo, but with none of the charm and a bad temper. He's also jumpy as fuck, pulling his blaster on allies and neutral people over and over, but I don't think he ever did his quick draw on an actual enemy. There's also this weird bit early on where he calls women "fems" but then that goes away (thankfully) for the rest of the book. (I suppose it could've been worse. He could've actually called them "feeemales," but it was still enough to give me Ferengi/incel vibes.)
He'd start to seem a little less awful and then he'd do something delightful like kick a mouse droid or shake the woman who hires him to protect her and I'd be right back to wondering why I was bothering to keep reading. He did mostly knock off the gross stuff by about half way through the book, but that may have been because actual Han Solo was in the book at that point and it's a lot harder to sell your lead if the guy he was copied from is right there not being a complete ass.
I mostly stuck with the book because I wanted it to be what it starts out sounding like it is: Star Wars just about more ordinary people (if a pop star and an asshole smuggler can be considered ordinary). But no, we can't really color outside the lines. It's got to end up involving the Rebellion. And even that might have worked if we didn't have to drag in more movie characters. Doing that ends up making the galaxy seem so small.
Then again, the author really didn't grasp how travel works in the Star Wars universe, so maybe it's a good thing they thought the galaxy could fit in a shoe box.
(And, yes, I know part of why I'm irritated is that I really want other stories in the Star Wars universe. Different characters, different plots, different problems. Just make something different, please.)
I'd forgotten how annoying Dash Rendar is. It's like someone made an outsized copy of Han Solo, but with none of the charm and a bad temper. He's also jumpy as fuck, pulling his blaster on allies and neutral people over and over, but I don't think he ever did his quick draw on an actual enemy. There's also this weird bit early on where he calls women "fems" but then that goes away (thankfully) for the rest of the book. (I suppose it could've been worse. He could've actually called them "feeemales," but it was still enough to give me Ferengi/incel vibes.)
He'd start to seem a little less awful and then he'd do something delightful like kick a mouse droid or shake the woman who hires him to protect her and I'd be right back to wondering why I was bothering to keep reading. He did mostly knock off the gross stuff by about half way through the book, but that may have been because actual Han Solo was in the book at that point and it's a lot harder to sell your lead if the guy he was copied from is right there not being a complete ass.
I mostly stuck with the book because I wanted it to be what it starts out sounding like it is: Star Wars just about more ordinary people (if a pop star and an asshole smuggler can be considered ordinary). But no, we can't really color outside the lines. It's got to end up involving the Rebellion. And even that might have worked if we didn't have to drag in more movie characters. Doing that ends up making the galaxy seem so small.
Then again, the author really didn't grasp how travel works in the Star Wars universe, so maybe it's a good thing they thought the galaxy could fit in a shoe box.
(And, yes, I know part of why I'm irritated is that I really want other stories in the Star Wars universe. Different characters, different plots, different problems. Just make something different, please.)
August 29, 2020
A much more recently written adventure romp set just before the original trilogy, Shadow Games features Dash Rendar (of the "Shadow of the Empire" series of EU media) as protagonist, with the familiar face of Han Solo in a supporting role.
On the whole, this one's just a little better than "okay". Dash is out of his roguish element and serving as a "security chief" for a pop star. Said pop star, Javul Charn, is a pretty frustrating character to read. She is, as tends to be with modern female protagonists, exceedingly competent to the point of looking her male counterparts utterly foolish at some points, while at other junctures being so conversely naive and helpless that she's not believable as a character on the whole. Similarly, Han is just a self-absorbed mercenary without any of his redeeming qualities, and even Dash is a pretty boring read: a rash braggart whose introspection is pretty much always too late to make a difference. At least he's just alert enough to save the day when it matters.
After Death Star, I thought this novel was pretty underwhelming in terms of immersion and storywriting. I wonder how much of it is Reaves' co-author, and how much of it is the handicap of writing a wholly original story with well-established characters.
This one is worth a read for fans of Rendar - though he's not at his best, and those really hungry for the final dregs of the superior Legends canon. If you just want more Han Solo, don't bother - his role is minimal other than a bit of joke-cracking.
On the whole, this one's just a little better than "okay". Dash is out of his roguish element and serving as a "security chief" for a pop star. Said pop star, Javul Charn, is a pretty frustrating character to read. She is, as tends to be with modern female protagonists, exceedingly competent to the point of looking her male counterparts utterly foolish at some points, while at other junctures being so conversely naive and helpless that she's not believable as a character on the whole. Similarly, Han is just a self-absorbed mercenary without any of his redeeming qualities, and even Dash is a pretty boring read: a rash braggart whose introspection is pretty much always too late to make a difference. At least he's just alert enough to save the day when it matters.
After Death Star, I thought this novel was pretty underwhelming in terms of immersion and storywriting. I wonder how much of it is Reaves' co-author, and how much of it is the handicap of writing a wholly original story with well-established characters.
This one is worth a read for fans of Rendar - though he's not at his best, and those really hungry for the final dregs of the superior Legends canon. If you just want more Han Solo, don't bother - his role is minimal other than a bit of joke-cracking.
April 1, 2024
Javul Charn is a galactically famous singer in need a bodyguard. Dash Rendar is a smuggler currently stranded on Tatooine due to his ship being in for repairs. If he didn't need the money, he'd probably have refused - and if he'd known Charn had made such powerful enemies, he'd have never sat down with her in the first place. When Black Sun wants to kill someone...they usually succeed.
This book neatly filled one of the gaping holes in the Legends canon and just in time too - it was published the year before Disney bought Star Wars. Dash Rendar was derided (and rightly so) for being almost a clone of Han Solo when he was introduced for the 1996 multimedia event Shadows of the Empire, but I weirdly grew to like him and was a bit sad that he never appeared in much else (and we knew he survived).
At least my Dash Rendar action figure got to enjoy many adventures...
Anyway, we didn't see much of Dash at all or get a real sense of how he'd interact with Han Solo. Shadow Games rectified that. Dash is a character that works well in a mystery. Perhaps it's on the nose that he had his own "Bria" (as Han did), but that feels more like a nod to how he's been perceived by fans. This book is also another great example of how good Bohnoff is at elevating Reaves' contributions from "crap" to "actually enjoyable". I detest (or semi-tolerate) every single Star Wars book he wrote without her.
While the sluggish pacing does bog things down a bit, Shadow Games is a fun read (for the most part) and I'm glad that Dash Rendar got to have another adventure - one that didn't involve me moving his arms and legs and making "pew pew" noises.
This book neatly filled one of the gaping holes in the Legends canon and just in time too - it was published the year before Disney bought Star Wars. Dash Rendar was derided (and rightly so) for being almost a clone of Han Solo when he was introduced for the 1996 multimedia event Shadows of the Empire, but I weirdly grew to like him and was a bit sad that he never appeared in much else (and we knew he survived).
At least my Dash Rendar action figure got to enjoy many adventures...
Anyway, we didn't see much of Dash at all or get a real sense of how he'd interact with Han Solo. Shadow Games rectified that. Dash is a character that works well in a mystery. Perhaps it's on the nose that he had his own "Bria" (as Han did), but that feels more like a nod to how he's been perceived by fans. This book is also another great example of how good Bohnoff is at elevating Reaves' contributions from "crap" to "actually enjoyable". I detest (or semi-tolerate) every single Star Wars book he wrote without her.
While the sluggish pacing does bog things down a bit, Shadow Games is a fun read (for the most part) and I'm glad that Dash Rendar got to have another adventure - one that didn't involve me moving his arms and legs and making "pew pew" noises.
April 23, 2022
"I really liked it!" - 4 out of 5 star rating.
I really enjoyed this one. It is super light, fun, popcorn style reading that actually introducing a party of characters that are fun, interesting, and super enjoyable to read about.
Dash Rendar... what a name. Reminds me of Dodgeball movie character Lazer and I couldn't help envisioning this look and persona throughout the book. All of his companions are equally fun too, from the droid Leebo (good Rodian name actually), alien co-pilot Eaden Vrill (Nautolan), and more. Overall the cast of characters here was well done and strong. Then, our old pal Han Solo joins in on the fun and continues to make a good book just get even better.
I've read quite a few books from this author, and I have to say by far this is the best one from him I've touched thus far.
Much better than the entire Coruscant Nights trilogy and his The Last Jedi books. His Medstar duology book #1 was damn good, probably on par with this one actually, but book #2 in the series dropped off a bit. Again, I think it is fair to say that this is his best work yet.
Shadow Games was overall an absolute pleasure to read and definitely recommend this one, especially being a standalone.
I really enjoyed this one. It is super light, fun, popcorn style reading that actually introducing a party of characters that are fun, interesting, and super enjoyable to read about.
Dash Rendar... what a name. Reminds me of Dodgeball movie character Lazer and I couldn't help envisioning this look and persona throughout the book. All of his companions are equally fun too, from the droid Leebo (good Rodian name actually), alien co-pilot Eaden Vrill (Nautolan), and more. Overall the cast of characters here was well done and strong. Then, our old pal Han Solo joins in on the fun and continues to make a good book just get even better.
I've read quite a few books from this author, and I have to say by far this is the best one from him I've touched thus far.
Much better than the entire Coruscant Nights trilogy and his The Last Jedi books. His Medstar duology book #1 was damn good, probably on par with this one actually, but book #2 in the series dropped off a bit. Again, I think it is fair to say that this is his best work yet.
Shadow Games was overall an absolute pleasure to read and definitely recommend this one, especially being a standalone.
September 25, 2017
The premise of Shadow Games is that a superstar singer has to hire a bodyguard to keep her safe from obsessive fans and other threats while she's on tour. So, yeah, this is The Bodyguard set in the universe of Star Wars, in what is the most unlikely meshing of stories I've yet seen in the Expanded Universe.
Amazingly, the story isn't that bad. It's not the most exciting novel I've read so far, but it moves as well as any of the other Star Wars books, and touches on enough of the usual tropes one would expect to find in the book. The downside of those usual tropes is that it becomes obvious what's really going on when the bodyguard is sensing the singer isn't telling him everything he needs to know. I won't spoil it for you, but if you can't figure it out by the halfway point, maybe you're new to the world of Star Wars.
I wouldn't rank Shadow Games among the worst the EU has to offer, but neither is it the best. That's a sentence that perfectly illustrates the saying, "damning with faint praise", but this isn't exactly a book to get too excited about. Fans of Reaves might like it, since it follows his usual style.
Amazingly, the story isn't that bad. It's not the most exciting novel I've read so far, but it moves as well as any of the other Star Wars books, and touches on enough of the usual tropes one would expect to find in the book. The downside of those usual tropes is that it becomes obvious what's really going on when the bodyguard is sensing the singer isn't telling him everything he needs to know. I won't spoil it for you, but if you can't figure it out by the halfway point, maybe you're new to the world of Star Wars.
I wouldn't rank Shadow Games among the worst the EU has to offer, but neither is it the best. That's a sentence that perfectly illustrates the saying, "damning with faint praise", but this isn't exactly a book to get too excited about. Fans of Reaves might like it, since it follows his usual style.
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