Shadows of the Empire--Novel Review

I didn’t read the novel until 2009, so when I first cracked open my paperback copy of Shadows of the Empire, I was struck with a bit of whiplash. The timing seemed to be off quite a bit by the standards of the comic mini-series, which picked up immediately after The Empire Strikes Back. And since this was the book that focused on the characters familiar of Luke, Leia, and Lando, it was a better entry point for the story to people who hadn’t been into the expanded universe before this book.

So, what’s to explain about the setup of this book? Obviously, if you saw ESB, you already know that Han Solo was already captive of Boba Fett, and being taken to Jabba the Hutt, Luke was traumatized by finding out Darth Vader was his father, and Lando was guilty of being an idiot and getting his friends captured by the Empire. And that’s exactly where the book picks up. However, the story of our famed heroes hunting down Boba Fett isn’t what makes this book what it is. The villains take the lead here.

Darth Vader takes the lead in Shadows of the Empire, facing a threat he considers worse than the Rebel Alliance: Prince Xizor, a Falleen, and head of the Black Sun crime syndicate. Xizor was brought in by the Emperor to fast track the construction of the second Death Star. Not trusting Xizor, Darth Vader fights a war of words with him, as they slink their way around each others actions.

Vader’s insecurities with Xizor being so close to the Emperor adds an interesting depth to Vader as a character, and does wonders for the relationship between the two Sith lords. While Return of the Jedi and the prequel films depict their relationship as more slave/master, Shadows of the Empire almost makes it seem like father and son. Xizor is the new kid in town, and being sent on worthless missions makes Vader feel unwanted in the Emperors court. While it’s not quite as innocent as this, and there is a lot more violence involved, it’s interesting to note this shift in how we can see Vader.

Prince Xizor is one of the new characters created for the series, and as I mentioned, Vader’s true foe. He’s cold, tactical, and probably the most oversexed character in the Star Wars universe. Yes, folks, the lizard man, Xizor, attempts to seduce…

Well, I’ll let your read the books to find that out.

Anyway, Steve Perry brought the story to life for the most part, but I can’t say that the book is perfect. On one hand, there is his idea of humor. It works sometimes, but there is a moment in the story which is a bit on the side of infamous at this point. Towards the climax, C-3P0 and R2-D2 fly the Millennium Falcon. No, it doesn’t work that well. The other problem with the book is that it is subject to being part of the multimedia project of Shadows of the Empire. Since it was a novel, rather than the comic, it should have been able to work in all of the important details from the other stories rather than glossing over them.

However, these flaws don’t hinder the overall experience too much. Between a new look at classic characters in the moment that we know them best (Galactic Civil War era), and interesting new friends and foes, Shadows of the Empire is an excellent book to fill in the gap between Empire and Jedi. As for it being a decent place to start in the Expanded Universe, you can do better, but don’t let that stop you.

4.5/5

Tomorrow, we’re going to take a look at the LucasArts video game for the Nintendo 64. Hope you’ll check it out.