Star Wars: Most Wanted
September 2018
Dave
Dave
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Author:
Rae Carson
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Publisher:
Ergmont
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Originally published:
25 May 2018
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Page count:
352 (Paperback)
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RRP:
£9.99 (Paperback)
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The novel is a Solo origin story set on Corellia a couple of years before the recent Solo: A Star Wars Movie.
The opening of the book introduces Han and Qi’ra as well as other members of Lady Proxima’s gang (the White Worms), including a Rodian called Tsuulo. These three are initially rivals in the gang and there is little trust or affection at the beginning of the novel. Han and Qi’ra are both looking for promotion within the gang and both are given a mission by Lady Proxima that – she claims – will allow each of them to obtain the same promotion. Neither know of the other’s mission, and each is looking to fulfil their role and get the coveted promotion. The missions are linked however, and when one doesn’t go to plan the other is compromised. Both escape from the fallout of their individual missions (Qi’ra by good planning and Han by good chance) and run into each other in the sewers below the surface of the planet. Now both Han and Qi’ra are on the run from two rival gangs, the imperials and Lady Proxima herself, who is looking to punish the pair for failing in their missions. Realising they need help, they reach out to Tsuulo, who’s technical abilities are greater than their own. After a number of near disasters and close escapes from those chasing them, the three discover what the background is to their missions and why everyone is after them. |
It all stems from an imperial engineer who is herself on the run and looking to sell imperial tech to the highest bidder to obtain funds so she can go into hiding.
The three heroes of the novel work together to retrieve the tech for the engineer and get back into the good books of Lady Proxima.
Most Wanted is classed as a ‘young adult’ novel, and Rae Carson has developed a reputation for writing adventure novels for this age group. For me, this means that the writing style is more simplistic than novels focussed on older audiences, however that does not detract from a great piece of writing and this is a novel I would recommend. The book is fast paced, with plenty of action and the characters are well developed and well used.
One thing I did pick up on was how Han repeatedly used ‘his gut’ to make decisions. Often with positive outcomes. In recent podcasts for the Jedi Council I have mentioned that I think Han was Force sensitive, and that he had some kind of pre-sight ability, allowing him to make quick decisions with limited intelligence on the situation with a high probability of success. I believe that this novel fleshes out this pre-cognition still further showing how he developed a reliance upon his own abilities without necessarily knowing the details early in his life as a rogue. And Qi’ra is shown to be a highly intelligent woman who can hold her own with more experienced players in the underworld of the Empire.
Whilst the RRP is steep for a paperback, you can pick this novel up for half the price if you shop around and I would suggest its worth hunting down as it provides some nice background material to the movie itself.
The three heroes of the novel work together to retrieve the tech for the engineer and get back into the good books of Lady Proxima.
Most Wanted is classed as a ‘young adult’ novel, and Rae Carson has developed a reputation for writing adventure novels for this age group. For me, this means that the writing style is more simplistic than novels focussed on older audiences, however that does not detract from a great piece of writing and this is a novel I would recommend. The book is fast paced, with plenty of action and the characters are well developed and well used.
One thing I did pick up on was how Han repeatedly used ‘his gut’ to make decisions. Often with positive outcomes. In recent podcasts for the Jedi Council I have mentioned that I think Han was Force sensitive, and that he had some kind of pre-sight ability, allowing him to make quick decisions with limited intelligence on the situation with a high probability of success. I believe that this novel fleshes out this pre-cognition still further showing how he developed a reliance upon his own abilities without necessarily knowing the details early in his life as a rogue. And Qi’ra is shown to be a highly intelligent woman who can hold her own with more experienced players in the underworld of the Empire.
Whilst the RRP is steep for a paperback, you can pick this novel up for half the price if you shop around and I would suggest its worth hunting down as it provides some nice background material to the movie itself.