Star Wars Legends Fan Group discussion

May 2022 Legends Group Read

Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry



The Group read starts on May 1st.

- First published in May 1996


"Here is the untold story of the events that took place between the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi: a novel in which Darth Vader still lives--and battles a villain as powerful and evil as himself.

SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE

It is a time of crisis. Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, is being taken to the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt. As Princess Leia mounts a rescue mission including Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, and a brilliant young pilot, Darth Vader pits himself against a cunning and ruthless rival. Xizor is the leader of a powerful crime syndicate who seeks to supplant Vader for the favor of their mutual master, the dreaded Emperor. Their target: Luke Skywalker. Suddenly Luke finds himself the potential prize of the two most evil entities in the galaxy--one who wants him alive...and one who wants him dead."

I've actually started this pretty well, but haven't been able to keep up with reading it. The edition I have has super small print. I tried to find it on audio but only can find an abridged version.

I actually liked the story so far, but it is a bit slow.

I read this last year and really liked it. generally, the books with the original cast are not my favorite because(with some exceptions ) their arc kind of ended with Rotj and it's awkward when the authors recycle them with a new villain of the month without any character growth. shadows of the empire works better imo because it is set between empire and Rotj. the story is compelling and so are the characters.

Is there going to be a June book?

Darlene wrote: "Is there going to be a June book?"

Yes, I hope so. It's Allyssa's turn. Either she picks a book herself or I will move my July plans forward and we'll vote on a YA/middle grade Legends book. There are tons of those and so far we haven't read any of those.

Is this a standalone novel?

I'm reading it right now and I would say yes. It seems to be a self-contained novel between Episodes 5 and 6.

Darlene wrote: "I'm reading it right now and I would say yes. It seems to be a self-contained novel between Episodes 5 and 6."

Ok thanks Darlene.

I'm nearly done with the book. It started out very slow, but it got really good by the middle of the book. Some parts were a bit sexy, but still pretty PG.

I wasn't impressed by Dash in this book. Was he a significant character in the game?

I read this one a while back and remember it being really bad but also really entertaining.