By: Michael Reaves, Steve Perry Publisher: Del Rey Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Del Rey Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 384 Publication Date: October 16, 2007 Release Date: October 16, 2007
Product Description: “THAT’S NO MOON.” –Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Death Star’s name says it all, with bone-chilling accuracy. It is a virtual world unto itself–equipped with uncanny power for a singularly brutal purpose: to obliterate entire planets in the blink of an eye. Its annihilation of the planet Alderaan, at the merciless command of Grand Moff Tarkin, lives in infamy. And its own ultimate destruction, at the hands of Luke Skywalker, is the stuff of legend. But what is the whole story, and who are the players, behind the creation of this world-killing satellite of doom?
The near extermination of the Jedi order cleared the way for Palpatine–power-hungry Senator and Sith Lord–to seize control of the Republic, declare himself Emperor, and usher in a fearsome, totalitarian regime. But even with the dreaded Darth Vader enforcing Palpatine’s sinister will, the threat of rebellion still looms. And the Emperor knows that only abject fear–and the ability to punish dissent with devastating consequences–can ensure his unchallenged control of the galaxy. Enter ambitious and ruthless government official Wilhuff Tarkin, architect of the Emperor’s terrifying dream come true.
From inception to completion, construction of the unprecedented Death Star is awash in the intrigues, hidden agendas, unexpected revelations, and daring gambits of those involved on every level. The brightest minds and boldest egos, the most ambitious and corrupt, the desperate and the devious, all have a stake in the Death Star–and its potential to control the fate of the galaxy.
Soldiers and slaves, loyalists and Rebels, spies and avengers, the innocent and the evil–all their paths and fates will cross and intertwine as the Death Star moves from its maiden voyage to its final showdown. And a shadowy chapter of Star Wars history is stunningly illuminated in a thrilling, unforgettable adventure.
An Amazing Read! I love Star Wars novels, but I hate to buy hardcover when I know I could wait a year or 18 months and it'll be out in paperback. However, after staring at this cover every time I entered a bookstore for about three months, I finally made up my mind and just bought it. AND I AM SO GLAD I DID!
I could not put this book down. I read it while eating lunch, I read it in the tub, I read it in bed! The story line spans several years and focuses on a small cast of main characters who are seemingly independent of one another. Eventually, all of these people cross paths. You'll meet some new characters, and you'll also be reintroduced to older characters from other movies and novels. I won't ruin the wonderful string of surprises in store for you, though, reader! If you're one of those "on the fence" types regarding purchasing hard covers, please take my advice, from one Star Wars "on the fence" type to another, GO BUY THIS BOOK!
Enjoyable I found Death Star enjoyable, but there was one short-coming. At the beginning, there were so many new characters not from the movie that it was sometimes difficult to remember who was who. The book came together nicely, though, into a good story that parallels a New Hope.
The development of characters who were introduced, but never expounded in A New Hope was refreshing. Putting in dialog direct from the movie helped me see exactly who each of those people were.
I applaud the authors for not putting us through a rehash of A New Hope. Death Star could easily have become a "See how much we know about the movie" type of book. (Oh, and I LOVE that they gave reasoning to Obi-Wan Kenobi's calling Darth Vader "Darth" instead of Anakin or Vader.)
A subpar Star Wars novel This book begins in the months before completion of the Death Star and the 2nd half of it basically is a behind-the-scenes look into A New Hope.
From the start, I didnt think too highly of this one. There are several chapters devoted to the subplots of several minor characters that are, as you would expect, woven together at the very end of the book, in typical SW fashion. For the most part, their stories are very boring.
As you could guess, people onboard the Station were having issues dealing with the destruction of Despayre and Alderaan, I won't give away more than this.
The authors' captured those emotions well, and nailed Tarkin and most of the Imperials on the mark. There will be little here for Vader fans like myself; nothing you dont already know.
Flat The story fell flat with very uninteresting characters. I kept waiting for them to have some sort of goal, mission or adventure. They had boring backstory, they met, then they get up and leave. Vader and Tarkin were developed well.
"Fear will keep local systems in line - fear of this battle station." So did anybody who watched the original Star Wars movie wonder about the origin of that massive battle station, the Death Star? Or were you intrigued by the image at the end of Episode III, with it slowly being built in the distance as the new Darth Vader, the Emperor, and Tarkin look out the window? Michael Reaves and Steve Perry have written Death Star, the story of not only the creation of the station, but also the Imperial story behind the first movie, all the way up to the station's destruction. Unfortunately, what they've forgotten to give us are interesting characters to wrap the story around.
While the concept of Death Star is extremely interesting, I have a lot of problems with the execution. Reaves and Perry give us all of these new characters to get involved with, anchoring them with the viewpoints of Tarkin and Vader as well, but they fail to make the new characters very interesting. Of course, they all pair up in various romantic entanglements, and of course none of the Imperial officers we see like what Tarkin and Vader are doing once the Death Star actually starts being used. It would have been nice to have a main character (perhaps not a viewpoint character, but one who is in the same circle as the ones we do get) who actually supports the bad guys. It would have made for some interesting conflict among them. But no, instead we're given a couple of normal military officers who quickly turn once they see the true evil of the Empire.
Because of the overwhelming disinterest I had with the main characters, the building of the station actually is a chore to read. This quickly goes away when Tarkin and Vader are "on screen," as we see just how determined Tarkin is to get the Death Star going. We see his ruthlessness, but we also see a (somewhat, anyway) softer side in his affair with Admiral Daala (I'll give those of you who have a twinge at the thought of Tarkin actually having sex a moment to collect yourselves, but take heart that at least it's all only implied in the book). Vader is sent by the Emperor to help the investigation into a couple of rebel attempts to sabotage the station before it's completed, which sort of explains why he's almost acting as Tarkin's lackey in the first movie. In Death Star, he's willing to let Tarkin's ego take apparent control, but he's ready to step in if necessary.
The book gets most intriguing when the first movie starts. It's almost like getting a behind the scenes look at the events of the movie as we see the thought processes from the Imperial side. It's all very interesting, and these sequences are also the only times the original characters become even remotely interesting as well. The characters start reacting to the events that we've already seen, and realizing what they may have gotten themselves into. The writing of the book also gets a lot more interesting here, as it becomes a bit more action than the more boring set-up at the beginning of the book. Thankfully, none of this continuity gets in the way of the story. I appreciated that.
This book would have been a standout if Reaves and Perry had made their original characters interesting. Instead, it takes the action in Death Star, at least halfway through the book, to make this reader become engaged with them at all. Thus, we get an interesting idea, some cool intertwining with one of the movies, and some cool Vader/Tarkin scenes to tide us over until we get to more boring scenes. This makes an excellent book thoroughly average instead. You won't regret reading it, but it could have been so much better.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
