Bantam Press 1999
Various settings, from pre-ANH to during the Jedi Academy trilogy
| 'Tales from the New Republic' edited by P. Schweighofer
and C. Carey
Bantam Press 1999 Various settings, from pre-ANH to during the Jedi Academy trilogy |
|
1. 'Interlude at Darkknell' by Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole (84 pages)
Set pre-ANH, Senator Garm Bel Iblis is getting in deep with the Rebel
Alliance, and he goes on a dangerous mission to track down information
on 'Tarkin's project' (wonder what that could possibly be...)
Other characters you may have heard of: Moranda Savich (ends up on
Bothawui during 'Vision of the Future'); Ysanne Isard (from the X-wing
novels) and her father Armand; and Hal and Corran Horn (X-wing novels,
'I, Jedi', NJO series).
Any good? - excellent. I'm a glutton for 'missing moments' stories,
and this fills in lots of gaps! Very well written, with a great plot.
2. 'Jade Solitaire' by Timothy Zahn (44 pages)
Guess who this is about?! Find out what happened to Mara, Karrde, Dankin
and the rest of the crew after the Thrawn trilogy. This story also sees
the introduction of H'sishi (she shows up in 'Specter of the Past') and
Sansia Bardrin, a cool female character.
Any good? - yup. And the ending is brilliant!
3. 'Gathering Shadows' by Kathy Burdette (41 pages)
Set 2 months after RotJ, this short story has two main characters, Dirk
Harkness (a mercenary) and Jai Raventhorn (a female Intelligence operative),
who have both been captured and interrogated by Imperials.
Any good? - the odd gruesome moment; drags in places, but still a nice
little story.
4. 'Hutt and Seek' by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl (35 pages)
Set 4 years post-RotJ, during 'Courtship of Princess Leia'. Main characters
are Fenig Nabon (a Corellian smuggler); her sidekick Ghitsa Dogder (a con
artist); and two Mistryl, Shada D'ukal (shows up in 'Vision of the Future')
and Dunc T'racen.
Any good? - this one I like! An all-female cast (!), a nice little
plot, great characterisations, and the occasional reference to the events
of 'Courtship' as seen by the 'general public'.
5. 'The Longest Fall' by Patricia A. Jackson (14 pages)
Set post-ESB, possibly later. Very short story of an Imperial Captain awaiting 'punishment'. Didn't do a lot for me, but all you Imperials and Darksiders out there will probably love it!
6. 'Conflict of Interest' by Laurie Burns (31 pages)
Set 3 years after RotJ, the main character is Selby Jarrad, a female
undercover operative.
Any good? - very well written, with lots of suspense - you're never
quite sure who the baddies are.
7. 'No Disintegrations, Please' by Paul Danner (29 pages)
Flashback to pre-ANH, this is a Boba Fett story, and a damn good one!
Get into the mind of the galaxy's most famous bounty hunter, and see him
in action! And a couple of silly jokes thrown in, just for good measure
(ìNew Hope Settlementî and ìElstree Barî - made me laugh!).
Any good? - absolutely brilliant, with a great ending. I wasn't much
of a Boba Fett fan until I read this; now I'm a convert.
8. 'Day of the Sepulchral Night' by Jean Rabe (20 pages)
Main characters are Solum'ke and Diergu-Rea, a couple of Weequay lovers.
This is a short, romantic, adventure story.
Any good? - different, if not downright weird - I liked it.
9. 'Uhl Eharl Khoehrig' by Patricia A. Jackson (38 pages)
Set between the trilogies (ie. pre-ANH). Characters are Fable Astin
(a female Jedi who flies a YT-1300 freighter), Deke Holman (a male Socorran),
and Jaalib Brandl (actor). There's a dark Jedi out to get Fable...
Any good? - it's okay. A kinda weird Jedi story.
10. 'The Last Hand' by Paul Danner (22 pages)
Set just before, or possibly during, ANH. The title refers to Sabacc,
and has nothing to do with the Emperor's Hand. Characters are Nyo (an innocent
farmboy) and Kinnin Vo-Shay (a famous gambler).
Any good? - pretty good. Sort of a jolly little adventure with a bit
of mystery.
11. 'Simple Tricks' by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl (39 pages)
Set during the Jedi Academy trilogy, this story sees the return of Fen
and Ghitsa (see chapter 4). Stuck on a backwater planet, you can be sure
the girls will come up with some scam. And a character from the Jedi Academy
trilogy shows up.
Any good? - great. I love these characters, and it's a nice missing
moment from the JA trilogy.
Overall review - good book, with some great stories. I hope Del Rey are looking at some of these authors, because even the stories that didn't particularly appeal to me were obviously written by SW fans, who care about the stuff they're writing. This book is probably not for you if you only want to read about Luke, Leia, Han, and the droids, but it is especially recommended for Mara Jade and Boba Fett fans, and anyone who likes 'missing moments' stories.
Rating -- 7 out of 10