Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by David Maddox
Han Solo, intergalactic rogue and smuggler extraordinaire has just helped the fledgling Rebellion destroy the Empire's newest
super weapon, the Death Star. However, the reward he received has been lost in an unfortunate 'incident.' Still in deep debt
to crime lord Jabba the Hutt, a growing bounty on his head, the erstwhile pilot of the Millennium Falcon desperately needs a big
score with a huge payout.
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by David Maddox
1991. It had been seventeen years since the first Star Wars film had graced the silver screen. Over
time, its popularity had dimmed. The toys were no longer on the shelves and an entire generation had only experienced
the trilogy on their TV screens. There were rumors of another trilogy, theories about what was going on at the
fabled Skywalker Ranch, but these had become the stuff of legend, little believed by more than the hardcore Star Warrior.
Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Rich Horton
This is the final book in the author's YA series of adventures about Jack Morgan and his alien
companion Draycos. Draycos and his people are refugees from another galaxy, with
the unusual ability to become two-dimensional and be sort of a tattoo on appropriate hosts -- which, fortunately,
humans are. Draycos' people, the K'Da, are fleeing maximally evil aliens, the Valahgua.
Star Wars: Allegiance by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by David Maddox
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... a simple farm boy helped destroy a space station, a scoundrel found fell in love with a
Princess and a Sith Lord found redemption. The original Star Wars Trilogy reverberates through the hearts of all ages. As this
year marks the 30th Anniversary of Episode IV: A New Hope, what better way to relive those nostalgic feelings than with
a trip back to mere weeks after the destruction of the first Death Star.
Star Wars: Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by David Maddox
A prequel to 2004's Survivor's Quest, the story takes us back to a
post-war Naboo, before the inception of the Clone Army. The reader gets to meet a non-clone Jorus C'baoth and see the beginnings
of the Outbound Flight project, which, theoretically, will take Jedi and settlers to the far reaches of the next galaxy.
Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Rich Horton
Earth is the twelfth of the Twelve Empires: twelve alien races linked by an explicitly
train-like interstellar travel system.
The system is run by the Spiders, inscrutable aliens who do not allow details of their FTL method to be understood
by anyone. But they do allow races access to this transportation network -- for a price.
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The Green And The Gray by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
It begins at night, in Riverside Park on the edge of Manhattan Island, where a small group has gathered for a ceremony. They
are of two distinct racial types, one being dark-haired and olive-skinned, while the others are shorter and built like
wrestlers. The groups have come to seal a deadly bargain, intended to stop an old war reigniting. The price, is the life of
a 12-year-old girl named Melantha Green.
Star Song and Other Stories by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
In his introduction to this collection, Timothy Zahn explains that he has always liked short stories, and especially short story
collections. "Unless there was a novel by a [new and unknown] author X that looked particularly intriguing," Zahn says, "I always
preferred to start with a short story collection. Why? Because a collection gave me a better idea of the author's range than a novel ever could."
Manta's Gift by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
Alma loved its central idea -- an ornery, shallow and callow human youth trades a hopeless existence as a quadriplegic
for a chance to be reborn as an alien being with a (reasonably) human mind. The description of a birth from the point of view of
the thing being born is... interesting. The depiction of what is a truly alien society -- in setup, in physiology, in mindset -- is
well done, and is a fascinating thread to follow throughout.
Angelmass by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Donna McMahon
The plot focuses on Chandris, a 16-year-old street kid on the run, and Kosta, a 20-something doctoral student
who has been sent to the Seraph system by the warlike Pax government to spy on Angelmass, a peculiar black hole. For the last 20
years, people in the Seraph system have been harvesting "angels" (subatomic particles) from the hole and wearing them as
necklaces. Allegedly, wearing an angel causes human beings to become good, ethical, and honest.
Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Smuggler Jordan McKell feels certain his employer hasn't told him everything about the mysterious
sealed cargo he's supposed to pilot to Earth. And sure enough, before McKell can even blast off, things heat up.
First he's detained by the port authorities as a suspected murderer. Then his employer disappears, leaving him
with a note, a cash box full of wages, and a hastily assembled crew of mismatched humans and aliens flying the
strangest looking ship McKell has ever seen.
Star Wars: Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by Thomas F. Cunningham
This is the first book of the two-volume series, The Hand of Thrawn.
It stands out from the many other Star Wars follow-up stories,
due mainly to the author's ability to maintain and expand upon the myth that George Lucas began.
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