Star Wars: Survivor's Quest [Hardcover]

While this is a traditional page turner from Zahn, "Survivor's Quest" is not exactly a brain-twister; assuming you know the formula, it will be quite simple to plot the strategy Zahn employs. The majority of the action occurs towards the latter half, with the beginning doing a significant amount of character and suspense building. Those expecting a novel with the cadre of familiar heroes will be disappointed; this is entirely a Skywalker affair. There is no Chewie, no Leia, no Jedi twins, no Ackbar. In short, this is the ultimate successor to the Thrawn Trilogy and Duology.

The plot is straightforward: Outbound flight has been found in Chiss space and the Nine Families have decided to make a gift to the New Republic by allowing the Jedi to reclaim the old husk. The invitation comes from Voss Parck and General Fel and the so-called "Empire of the Hand," but is intercepted. And thus begins a chase for answers and hidden saboteurs. A lot happnens on different levels--another Zahn trademark--and it would do to read this in one sitting, possibly with a notebook. No one is who they seem to be, from the Chiss to Commander Fel to Bearsh to Jinzler, but all is revealed in due course by an author skilled in the craft of fiction.

While one may know what to expect, the trip is half the fun. This is a most welcome return to grace by the master of Star Wars fiction, and it certainly serves as a welcome precursor to the NJO saga. Yet there are a few flaws; Pressor's casual comment that records of the battle that crippled Outbound Flight were destroyed and the unexplained corpses serve as warning signs, but these will undoubtedly feed into Zahn's upcoming Clone Wars-era novel detailing the exit of Outbound Flight. Similarly, I felt the casual mention of another Thrawn clone (mere supposition tossed out by Luke and Mara at the end) to be somewhat of a stretch, but it is eminently possible given the ever-changing face of the Star Wars literary universe. And the occasional references to droidekas, the Clone Wars, and the Trade Federation seem forced as well, but this does serve to bridge the two eras.

"Survivor's Quest" is for the loyal fan, as it details the politics and internal structure of the Chiss and is centered around a casual reference to an extragalactic ship whose goal was to seek out life beyond the galaxy proper. And I'm certain we can expect a sequel to this as well, possibly tying up some of the NJO loose ends--after all, there's something a little too Vong-esque about the Vaagari.

Pick this up. You will not be disappointed. Indeed, it is nothing short of a gift to those of us who appreciate a good story set in the galaxy far, far away.

Luke Skywalker and Mara Jada Skywalker, married for three years now, are helping Mara's old boss, Talon Karrde, go straight by informing some of his old friends that he will no longer be doing business with them. After rebuking one irate customer, Karrde catches up with them and gives them a message to go to Nirauan (the planet where they faced down the Hand of Thrawn in Vision of the Future). There, they are told that Outbound Flight, an exploratory mission sent out by the Old Republic 50 years ago, has been found by the Chiss (who happen to be the species of their old enemy, Admiral Thrawn). Outbound Flight was a ring of six massive dreadnaught battleships bound to an inner core, resulting in a huge ship, but the Chiss reportedly destroyed it years ago. The Chiss have asked Luke and Mara to come and inspect it, representing the New Republic. They have to keep their eyes and ears open, however, as old enemies show up as well as new. Who will be their allies and who will betray them? Mara also has to come to terms with her former life as the Emperor's Hand during the time of the Empire, making a decision that could change her life forever. Luke and Mara have to stretch their Jedi skills to the maximum to make it out of the bowels of Outbound Flight alive, as well as preventing a galactic war.

I love the fact that the recent Star Wars non-NJO books have focused on only a few of our favourite characters. This gives the book an opportunity to really expand on their characterization, as well as explain certain changes between the old series and the New Jedi Order books. Survivor's Quest focuses exclusively on Luke and Mara, their relationship, and Mara's past. I've always enjoyed Mara, as she's one of the most dynamic new Star Wars (i.e. non-movie) character around. She's gone through massive changes since Zahn's first novel, where she wanted nothing more then to kill Luke Skywalker. Now they're married, sharing a bond that goes beyond love, a bond through the Force. When they first meet up with Commander Fel (the son of one of their old enemies) and his stormtrooper squad, memories flood her, memories of her time with the Empire. She begins to fall into old habits of command. She has a case of "survivor's guilt," as she realizes that while the Emperor was horrible, some of the Imperial policies may have actually been good. She and Luke have seen the New Republic struggle with petty wars and other conflicts among member planets, and the Imperials were efficient. Watching her thoughts is very intriguing.

The best thing about this is that Zahn doesn't push this in the reader's face by trying to explain it. Instead, the reader gets to see some of her thought processes as she handles the situations that come up during the events of the novel. Luke occasionally presses her to talk, but he's usually unsuccessful. Instead, he just has to be supportive as well as being a good teammate. Watching them work together was a real treat. We've seen it in the New Jedi Order books, but this is when it was still fresh, and it was a wonder to see.

Mara is Zahn's creation, so it's not surprising that he handles her well. The good thing is that he handles pretty much everybody else reasonably well too. This is especially true of Fel and, to a lesser extent, the stormtroopers. The troopers are individualized as far as having names goes, though they aren't given a great deal of character. One negative is that a big deal is made of one of the troopers being an alien, which would have been unheard of in the Empire's time where anti-alien prejudice was prominent. However, nothing much is made of it other then the odd mention or two. Still, the book does a good job (along with Tatooine Ghost) of making the troopers much more competent then they were in the movies. Fel is an interesting character to watch as he leads his squad in action. He's thoroughly competent and intelligent, and the best thing you can say about him is that you're not wishing for the book to go back to someone else when he's on screen.

There are some unanswered questions that bring the book down, however. There is a scene in the middle of the book where Fel and one of his troopers talk about hiding something on the Chiss ship, but it's never referred to again. After this scene, you keep expecting the Imperials to eventually do something that they never do. It was jarring. Secondly, the animosity that the Outbound Flight survivors have toward Jedi is never explained. These feelings have a major impact on the story and the result, but we are given no reason why it exists. Is it just because the Jedi failed to successfully fight off the Chiss when they attacked? If so, it seems rather harsh to be feeling that way 50 years later.

All in all, Survivor's Quest is an effective tale, full of action and great characterization of the main characters. While there are some plotting difficulties as mentioned above, it's an enjoyable read, especially for those who are getting a bit tired of The New Jedi Order. Give it a shot.

David Roy