Rating: 
Summary: Good read, but not like a Zahn novel
Review: I most definently would read this book, but read it before any of the thrawn books because it will be a let down compared to Zahn. Definently a good book and worth reading though.
Rating: 
Summary: More like 4 and 1/2 but one thing ruined it
Review: First I have to get this off my chest what is with all the hype? Perry did a good job here but the book does not deserve: games
posters
sound tracks and comic books. The villian Prince Xzar last of a battered poeple sometimes can be a bit overbearing and in the end I think he was disposed of 2 easily. I mean if this guy is the head of a vast underground empire wouldn't you think he had better armerment then he did? The good part is that the book provides a nice leeway between the events of ESB and ROTJ. I don't know about you but I always found it hard to fasom that our heros hung out for the better part of year while waiting for their favorite smuggler to get out the block of Carbonite. As I always say, thats just my opinion I could be wrong.
Rating:
Summary: 4½ Stars - Lots of Fun
Review: Shadows of the Empire for me has been a six year journey. It seemed that it caused quite a stir upon its release, but for some reason I stayed away from it. It had as many detractors as it had proponents. With more time on my hands now, I finally grabbed a copy for myself and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I needn't have worried, it's a great read. But was pleasantly surprised that the book isn't really about the heroes, but instead focuses more on the rivalry between Lord Darth Vader and the leader of the galaxy's largest and most powerful crime syndicate leader, Prince Xizor. Perry does an excellent job balancing the action between the two villains and the other characters. Set just before the action in Return of the Jedi. Shadows of the Empire is a highly enjoyable read. Prince Xizor is a Falleen, a race of highly evolved humanoid reptiles whose family was destroyed when a virus, created on his homeworld by the Empire, got out of control causing Vader to order an entire city affected by it destroyed. Years later Xizor has concocted a scheme whereby he will kill Luke Skywalker, denying Emperor Palpatine his prize and causing Darth Vader serious loss of face in the Emperor's eyes. While Xizor's motivations are typical for the genre and somewhat weak, his machinations in engineering Vader's downfall are exceptionally well thought out, as is Xizor's personality and background. Luke Skywalker, his yet as unknown sister Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian are hot on the tail of bounty hunter Boba Fett who they believe is still in possession of Han Solo frozen in carbonite. Once they locate Fett, they plan to simply take Han from him. To help them in their quest they have hired Dash Render- an expert pilot and smuggler that reminds them of Han Solo with his arrogance and self-assured nature. Dash is simply there as a foil- to play off Leia and Luke while making the reader wish Han Solo was back. His character is purposely two-dimensional and even Lando gets more to do and has more depth. However, the dymanic between Luke and Dash is very interesting. While Luke normally looks up to Han, here he finds Dash's arrogance and superiority grating. After several attempts on Luke's life, Vader slowly learns what Xizor is up to, but is constantly frustrated as he is one-upped by the Dark Prince as he attempts to curry favor with the Emperor. By providing the location of a secret Rebel base. In truth the asteroid-based ship yard is not a Rebel stronghold, but a competitor that Xizor uses the Imperials to eliminate. Darth Vader's own thoughts are very interesting. His own plans of turning Luke the Dark Side and destroying the Emperor are tainted by conflicting emotions of love that he does not understand. There are also interesting scenes with Vader using the Dark Side to sustain himself outside of his life-supporting armor in preparation for the day when he will no longer need it. Perry has near complete control over the characters, which he understands very well. Luke's progress through out the book is a wonderful stepping stone between the Empire Strikes Back to Return of the Jedi- his power in the Force is growing, as is his confidence. Luke is never out of character; always likeable, he is at a crossroads between farm boy and the serious young Jedi in the last film. Perry understands the Force as so well that the reader is convinced utterly of Skywalker's progression in skills and power. I can think of one Bantam era author who should take notes on how to write a Jedi instead of supplying his own misdirected interpretations about them. Shadows of the Empire is light reading. It's a well thought out action story that seeks only to entertain. The action is fast paced and different enough from those seen the films to hold the reader's interest from start to finish. Characters are vivid, especially Xizor and Vader, who as I said are the real stars of the book. While perhaps overly hyped when it was released six years ago (how many books have their own soundtracks?), if you have been considering taking a look at this, now might be the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Where The Heck Did The Hype Come From?
Review: One of the most-hyped Star Wars novels to date, Shadows of the Empire (SotE) is also one of the worst to date, in my opinion. Considering all the spin-off items this book generated (action figures, video games, and even a soundtrack!), it's amazing how lackluster this book ended up being. The worst thing about this book are it's characterizations. Luke, Leia, and the rest of the gang seem to have reverted to their 'A New Hope' characters, not having changed a bit. It's the worst with Luke, who whines his way almost through the entire novel, which is a huge step backward considering his maturity in 'Return of the Jedi'. Darth Vader is also prominently featured in this book, which you might think is a huge bonus, but it actually ends up making his character look awkward and weak. It definitely takes away from Vader's aura of mystery and power to see his thoughts throughout the book. The second problem is Xizor. One of the lamest bad guys ever featured in Star Wars, Xizor is a lizard with a huge libido and a love for power. This sounds like the makings of a great protaganist (sarcasm), but Perry only succeeds in creating a flat, uninteresting foil for our heroes. You'll probably end up reading SotE despite any negative reviews, but take my word for it, don't buy into the hype before you read it, and borrow it from the library before spending hard-earned cash on it.
Rating: 
Summary: Necessary to fill in the gaps between ESB & ROTJ
Review: This is a "must" to all fans who want to better understand ROTJ (Episode VI). Here you'll learn: - how did Luke build his lightsaber and why was it green
- why did the emperor mention that he had given the rebels the blueprints of the DeathStar on purpose and everything was a setup
- why was Alliance high staff sorry about the dead Bothans and many more useful and interesting things... I strongly reccommend it...
Rating:
Summary: Empires Power
Review: I haven't read all that many star wars books. Maybe about 10? Anyway this is a book that you need to read between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The book explains how 1) Luke gets a green lightsaber. 2) In Return of the Jedi Leia says "Many bothans died retreiving this information." it explains how and why 3) And it gives a new character or three. Xizor the criminal master of the Black Sun underground crime sindicate. Guri, his personal bodyguard, and Dash Rendar, a character several people didn't like. I thought he fit perfectly into the story. The story is about the Empire searching for Luke. The Emperor wants him to join the dark side. Xizor wants to become the New Darth Vader and become the New Dark Lord. HE tries to mess w/ vaders plans every chance he gets. Both the Empire and the Black Sun send bounty hunters out to find Luke. The Black Sun wants him dead and the Empire wants him alive. The best book I've read in awhile. The character development goes far beyond any other book. Fighting scenes are amazingly described and the story is amazingly perfect. The only thing that dissapointed me was that Boba Fett was not in the story at all. It didn't matter though once I started reading it.
Rating:
Summary: The Interim of V and VI
Review: Have you ever wondered what happened while Han Solo was frozen, and his friends were searching for him? If so, you've come to the right place. Many people would at first glance dismiss this book as a ripoff, or just another part of a stupid franchise, but this really is a great book. It tells the story of Dash Rendar, a man who looks like, has a similar ship as, and comes from the same planet as Han Solo. He is commisioned by Leia to watch Luke Skywalker's back, because he is a hunted man. As you know, Darth Vader wants him alive, but another man, Prince Xixor, wants him dead. Xixor is the head of an underground crime sydicate called Black Sun, and nothing would please him more than to see Vader fail. He believes that if Vader slips up, Emporor Palpatine will hire him to be his right-hand-man. The story follows the lines of Luke and Dash, Leia, Xixor, and Vader as they all try to accomplish their seperate goals. If you want a great read, try this book. It won't disappoint you, especially since there is no Jar Jar Binks.
Rating:
Summary: the Best Star Wars book ever written
Review: I have read many, many Star Wars books in my time, and so far Shadows of the Empire is my favorite by far. It is filled with all the things that made the original Trilogy great: intrigue, action and suspense. It is a great read.
Rating:
Summary: It was great!
Review: The author of Shadows of the Empire did a pretty good job. He made it so you understood the motivations of the caracters and why they did the things they did. The most interesting point of view that he did was Vaders. This was a really good book.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: This is actually my favorite Star Wars book. Perry does an excellent job with his characterizations of classic trilogy characters (especially Vader), and he is a very visual writer. Kudos to Perry for taking on the challenge of writing a novel set in the ESB-ROTJ time lapse, and succeeding in tying up loose ends after ESB. Awesome stuff, and much appreciated by this Star Wars fan. And a fellow Oregonian! ;-)
| 
