Rating: Summary: Han and Leia finally take that big step! Review: At the end of "Return of the Jedi", it seemed obvious that Han Solo and Princess Leia were going to get together and it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that they would get married shortly thereafter. Alas, the huge task of rebuilding the Republic and establishing and workable government while also battling the remnants of the Empire took precedence and their love affair was not able to advance much further. "Courtship of Princess Leia" is the story of that finally resolves all the questions about Han and Leia's romance. Of course, it's not done without some obstacles that need to be overcome.
In "Courtship...", Leia serves as the New Republic's Minister of State (the Star Wars equivalent of the U.S.'s Secretary of State). She is presented with a grand opportunity to recruit the planets of the Hapes Cluster (more than 60 worlds) to become members of the New Republic. There's a catch, though. The royal family of Hapes will agree to have their worlds become part of the New Republic only if Leia marries Hapes' heir to the throne, Prince Isolder (reputed to be one of the handsomest men in the galaxy). Leia is in love with Han, but knows how important it is to get Hapes to join the New Republic. Prodded by her own ministers of protocol and advisers, Leia agrees to consider the proposal. Han reacts badly to this news and ends up 'kidnapping' Leia and taking her to the remote planet of Dathomir, which Han apparently 'won' in a card game. Luke Skywalker ends up being compelled by Isolder to help retrieve his sister and his wayward friend. The journey to Dathomir leads to a number of fascinating adventures and discoveries. Dathomir appears to be a planet that has an indigenous population of force-sensitive witches. As with any group of force-wielding beings, there are factions of both light side and dark side witches (the dark siders being called the Nightsisters). The story consists of trying to resolve Han/Leia/Isolder triangle, thwart treachery planned by Isolder's mother, help the light side witches defeat the Nightsisters, and deal with the reappearance of Imperial Warlord Zsinj, who has a major score to settle with Han.
Dave Wolverton seems to grasp the characters well enough to be true to who they are in this novel. In the movies Han was always impulsive and often appeared hurt under his macho exterior if something got in the way of his love of Leia. Wolverton also does a good job of creating a multi-faceted character out of Prince Isolder, as opposed to making him some pretentious royal fop with an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Isolder understands the importance of the alliance between Hapes and the New Republic and is very taken by Leia, but he hesitant to force Leia into a marriage that she may not want. The resolution of his conflict with Han over Leia and with his own mother's attempt to assassinate Leia does not feel like a cop-out and seems quite satisfying. The introduction of the force-sensitive witches was also a fine addition to this novel and the Star Wars universe. Their matriarchal society is a new element in this saga and many of their powers and characters play major roles in later novels.
As a stand alone novel, "Courtship of Princess Leia", more than holds its own. Wolverton created a story that plunged deeper into the backgrounds and emotions of many of our beloved characters and made their adventures come alive. After reading the final page, one cannot help but be filled with hope for the future in the Star Wars universe.
Rating: Summary: Here it goes... Review: I read the Heir to the Empire before I read The Courtship of Princess Leia and let me tell you after reading Zahn's books you'll think every other Star Wars book can't compare. Courtship does not stay true to the Star Wars characters. Han Solo was cr4eated into a starved for love child, Leia- way too stubborn for her own good. And what was with Luke floating down in air? He may become powerful but he isn't yet. The Prince Isolder was a bit too ego manic for me. The only character a slightly liked was The Queen Mother, she was bitchy, in a good way. I did like that Luke had something of a love interest. Those witches and the Nightsisters, what was up with them? I just think that if you want to read this book, read it before you read Zahn's trilogy, because this one wasn't half as good.
Rating: Summary: I just couldn't put it down Review: I've read some of the star wars books which include the Thrawn trillogy and the jedi academy trillogy. I liked all of those books very much too but I liked The Courtship of Princess Leia even better because it had Luke, Han, and Leia (along with R2-D2 and C3-P0) All together for most of the book. It was nice to not be jumping across the galexy at the beginning of each new chapter. I thought it was a great story.
Rating: Summary: What if... Review: ...Prince Isolder of Hapes was successful in his courtship of Leia? And then Han Solo and Teneneil Djo of Dathomir caught each other on the rebound? Would they as a couple be known as "The Captain and Teneniel?"
Rating: Summary: Not as good as other Star Wars Books Review: For starters this book is not that great. I read the books out of series because that is how I acquired them and started with the Thrawn Trilogy. I was enthralled in that series and read the whole trilogy in less than 2 weeks. Then I found a copy of this book at the Goodwill and bought it with high hopes. Once I read the first chapter, I knew I was in for a long read. This books reads almost like a fantasy novel with the force witches being the main foe on Dathomir. The author makes Leia out to be a whiny little princess snob, C3PO as an annoying droid who all of a sudden has the ability to play music, and not to mention Luke as a know it all Jedi knight bent on the "light side" of the force. I found the book so boring it took me 6 days to read it. I say avoid this one at all costs.
Rating: Summary: Perhaps the best Star Wars Book Review: I've read nearly every book written in the Star Wars series, and this is the only book I was interested in reading again - and I enjoyed it even more the second time!This book explores Luke's relationship with the Force in a pleasant and interesting way. Dave Wolverton did a great job - I'm sad he hasn't written more books in the series.
Rating: Summary: Great Book! Review: I thought this book was awsome! I highly recomend it!
Rating: Summary: Great book... Review: This is a great book, but suffers from bad writing... If you put that aside this is a fun adventure that will keep you asking for more. If you're new to Star Wars books, and you're working towards the New Jedi Order Series, this book is not necessary. The main point obviously, is that Han Solo and Leia Organa get married. That is really the only main thing that will be remembered in future books. If you want to catch all the Star Wars books, then this one is definetely worth your time. I really enjoyed it.
Rating: Summary: Cool cover, bad book Review: What I remember clearest from reading this book is that the characterization was terrible. Han is portrayed like Homer Simpson. He's not meant to be as dumb as the author makes him out to be. And then Luke's Force powers (which should be way better than in Return of the Jedi) are almost totally ignored when he meets the witches of Dathomir. And Leia, as every other review has mentioned, dumps Han for some dorky prince. Another big problem is the setting. There's only one planet in the whole book (actually, I think Coruscant was in there for a little). Star Wars movies always have two or three planets in them, lots of space battles, and cool stuff like that. All they did here was walk around in the mud on Dathomir. And the space battle at the end [stinks] and has nothing to do with the rest of the book. If my review seems a little vague, that's because I read the book many years ago and only recall the worst parts.
Rating: Summary: A preety good book Review: It was an okay book but not the best. The Jedi Apprentice books are better though.
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