Rating: 
Summary: Nice finish (beginning?)
Review: Crispin does a nice job writing about the early exploits of our favorite Star Wars character, as well as other well known and new faces in the Universe. It is also interesting how she fits it all in with Brian Daley's version of Han's earlier Corporate Sector/Tion Hegemony adventures. Overall, a very nice lead up to the Star Wars Trilogy we all know and love. P.S. Keep an eye out for Dash Rendar's cameo. It's sort of neat how she ties him as well as Prince Xizor and Guri into all this!
Rating:
Summary: Disapointing
Review: If you have read the first two books in this series, and enjoyed Bria's character, skip this book. It was a let-down concerning her character's development. However, if you found Tereonza or the Hutts more to you're liking, go ahead and pick it up. It also explains why Lando really hates Han, why Han ended up with Leia and not Salla or Bria.
It was also neat to see Winter, Shallomar, Jalus, Muuurgh and Mrrov, Malla, and some of the Ylesian priests. I just have one question: Can anyone tell me what happened with Jessa, Mako, or Shug???
Rating: 
Summary: Great teaser for prequels
Review: The story is well told and hard to put down. You will not believe the end.
Rating:
Summary: Questions Answered
Review: Great book! I couldn't put it down. It made me want to watch the movie again.Now we know what Han was referring to when he said in Empire about Lando, "Well that was a long time ago. I'm sure he must've forgotten about that." We also find out how Han won the Falcon "fair and square." And how he made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. And he did that hauling a bunch of kids! And exactly why Jabba was angry at Han. It was interesting to see other characters making cameo appearances, or at least being talked about them (e.g., Mon Mothma and Leia) AC also goes beyond explaining what happened to Han Solo for the movies. She also explained events for the grahpic novel "Dark Empire". She tells the story between Salla and Han. As well as Shug Ninx, ZeeZee, and Han's old place on Nar Shadda. Guess Mako decided to get some new legs since we see him running after Han and Leia, and shooting at them together with Boba Fett and another bounty hunter. But I hate it when authors kill a major character. Bria. I knew she was going to die, although I had hoped she would go off and leave Han again, looking for herself or something just like Callista in Planet of Twilight. I guess it was necessary though so that Han wouldn't have any more old girlfriends suddenly appearing. Still... I didn't like it. At least, that also explains somewhat how the Rebels got the plans for the Death Star. A.C. did her research. I know of one source where she got the name of the system, Star Wars: The National Public Radio Dramatization. (Which I have by the way.) It would be interesting to somehow have these events and people referred to in future novels. Chewie's wife and kid? I didn't know he had a famliy... unless my memory's failing me. All in all, A.C. did a wonderful job "setting the stage for Han's role in the Star Wars films"... a great prologue for that galaxy far, far away...
Rating:
Summary: People make me cry.
Review: Okay, this pertains to the entire Han Solo Trilogy, not just Rebel Dawn. I've noted a couple of similar complaints in negative reviews, some of which I just had to respond to. Boba Fett, for one thing. One reviewer claimed that Boba Fett should not have been included in the trilogy because the author didn't do her research and had Boba Fett making up that name for himself when we know he was a clone of Jango. First off, these books came out years before Attack of the Clones and the revelation that Boba Fett was a clone. With that in mind, this reviewer would do well to note that Boba Fett used Jaster Mereel, the name of his father's mentor, as an alias while he was a Journeyman Protector on Concord Dawn. Once he was exiled, he went back to being known as Boba Fett. The book states as much. Talk about not doing your research... Others complained about Bria Tharen usurping Mon Mothma and co. as the founder of the Rebellion. What the heck? Obviously, some people are so desperate to find something to complain about they have no compunctions about, shall we say, "stretching the truth." Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Garm Bel Iblis were the three MOST IMPORTANT founders of the Rebellion. They headed the largest resistance cells and therefore contributed the most people and materiel to the conflict. They were the founders of the Rebellion. Bria Tharen was one of thousands of founding MEMBERS. Three people can't very well overthrow an empire by themselves, can they? Geesh. Another complaint I noticed was that the Han Solo of The Paradise Snare was not the Han Solo of A New Hope. Hmmm, well, taking into consideration the fact that said novel takes place TEN YEARS before the movie in question... Well, I just don't know. Draw your own conclusions. Several people around here seem to be very good at doing that...
Rating:
Summary: Sets up the trilogy well.
Review: It has a great plot, and sets up the movie trilogy well. It wouldn't make a great movie, but it has a feeling of suspense. Unlike the other Star Wars novels, there is no specific "enemy", besides any authority in the area, pirates, and bounty hunters. Therefore you do not know what is going to happen and what the other side is going to do. This makes it more suspenseful, and it describes the pre-Alliance days of Han, Lando, Chewie and even Boba Fett. It also does a good job of eliminating all of the new characters, except Xaverri, Salla and Durga (who appear in later novels), that were created for the purpose of the trilogy. Bria was shot. Mako was perilized. Jiliac was killed by Durga. This makes it possible to not interfer with the future storyline. I did not like the gap in the middle, however. I think it was there because the other Han Solo Trilogy takes places then, but I have not read them and that is why I don't know.
Rating:
Summary: a fine conclusion to the Han Solo trilogy
Review: "Rebel Dawn" is the concluding volume in A.C. Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy. It begins not long after "The Hutt Gambit". This novel spans a period of several years (approximately 5, I believe) and leads right into Han Solo's first appearance in "Star Wars: A New Hope". Unlike the previous two Han Solo novels by Ann Crispin, "Rebel Dawn" spreads its focus between Han Solo, the Hutts, Lando Calrissian, and Han's former love and now rebel leader Bria. While this slows down the pace of the action, it also adds a level of depth and complexity not often found in a Star Wars novel.
There is a lot going on in "Rebel Dawn". Shortly after the novel begins we get to see the famous scene where Han Solo wins the Millenium Falcon from Lando Calrissian in a game of sabacc. From here we move on to Bria Tharen trying to convince the future leaders of the Rebel Alliance that they should all unify and fight the Empire together. At the time of this novel there were small pockets of resistance and many who disagreed with the Empire, but nothing was organized. In "Rebel Dawn" we can see the Alliance begin to take shape. From Bria's efforts we move to intrigue between the Hutts. Jabba and Jiliac are engaged in Hutt clan warfare against Durga the Hutt (and his clan). This section, which takes up a fairly large chunk of novel, is surprisingly interesting. There is much more depth to the Hutts than we get from the movies or even the other novels. Their culture is much deeper than throwaway lines calling Jabba a "gangster". Hutts are that, and more. Besides this, we also visit Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld and see Chewbacca married. For the first time (that I am aware of) we get to experience the domestic life of the Wookiees. Fairly interesting. If all this wasn't enough, the book is about Han Solo after all. Han has much to do here, from traveling with Chewie, gambling, making the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, reuniting with Bria, becoming involved in the actions of the Rebellion, and much more. "Rebel Dawn. is a very full book.
This is the conclusion to one of the strongest series in the Star Wars universe. The writing is top notch, entertaining, informative (for the Star Wars fan), and simply fun. It is everything that a Star Wars novel should be. This book even leaves room for the Han Solo Adventures which are written by Brian Daley by giving brief glimpses of Han's exploits in the Corporate Sector. This trilogy (and this book in particular) is far superior to Daley's trilogy, and is perhaps the definitive Han Solo story. We get nearly his entire life without getting too bogged down in every single smuggling run and adventure he has been on. Crispin spins a very good story here, and one which is worth reading for the Star Wars fan. This book (and trilogy) gives us everything we need to know about Han Solo and why he is the way he is in Episode Four.
-Joe Sherry
Rating:
Summary: The Force is with this one!
Review: With the notable exceptions of Brian Daley and T. Zahn, I've been disgusted by the supposed Star Wars novels. A.C. Crispin, however, obviously knows the universe and shows it with her on-target depictions of beloved characters. Fans of the Marvel comic series will be delighted to see some of those characters pop up from time to time, and Chrispin neatly ties in not only Lucas' work but also Brian Daley's. This is an excellent trilogy and I highly recommend it for real Star Wars fans. Even the most hardcore will find NO fault here. Neither does this critic, for what it's worth, and I quit counting the times I've watched Star Wars after it topped a hundred.
Rating:
Summary: Solid if unspectacular finish to a well-written trilogy!
Review: Picking up directly after the Hutt Gambit, Rebel Dawn suffers in comparison to its well-written predecessors. The book is much more predictable and the return of characters followed throughout the trilogy is a give. Bria, Han's love from the first book is reunited with the scruffy smuggler, only to betray him for the Rebel Alliance. Han loses all his friends except Chewie, but in the meantime is able to make the fastest Kessel Run ever, loses spice from Jabba and generally gets set up for plot points that take place in the classic trilogy. Although it is an above average Star Wars book, Rebel Dawn is a bit of a letdown after the previous 2 books, but is still an adequate conclusion to the Han Solo trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Solo beginnings
Review: The one thing that I like most about this book is the fact that the author has so perfectly executed the consistency of the storyline. I am a lifelong fan and would know if she dropped the ball. She doesn't. I love the way she explains how Han got the record for making the Kessel Run and the reason Lando is mad at him in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. I am seriously impressed with these serious yet fun novels. Any fan of Solo should read them. If you have ever wondered just how Han Solo got his start, this is the book for you. Crispin has captured the flavor of the Star Wars and the characters of Han, Chewie, and Lando perfectly. The story is rich and exciting and full of great action. However, it is more than the typical action we are used to from Star Wars. It is rich in plot, locations, and characters. I highly recommend this book and the series as a whole.
|
