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Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars #2
Star Wars: Slave Ship
He's both feared and admired, respected and despised. Boba Fett is the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter. Now he finds himself the hunted in the oldest game of all: survival of the fittest.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 6, 1998
164 people are currently reading
2,804 people want to read
About the author
K.W. Jeter
97Ìýbooks358ÌýfollowersKevin Wayne Jeter (born 1950) is an American science fiction and horror author known for his literary writing style, dark themes, and paranoid, unsympathetic characters. He is also credited with the coining of the term "Steampunk." K. W. has written novels set in the Star Trek and Star Wars universe, and has written three (to date) sequels to Blade Runner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
May 13, 2023
As with the first book, this is a different take on George Lucas' space opera, but a good one nonetheless.
July 21, 2018
If The Mandalorian armor could be considered two steps forward, The Slave Ship is like tripping on one’s shoelaces and landing in a patch of quicksand. Muddled in it’s own inertia, the story barely moves forward as it attempts to explain its past. Featuring only the minorest of new characters it’s really more of the same.
Sure enough, the titillating trio of Dengar, Neelah, and good ol� Boba Fett continue on their quest to� who knows where. Since the green suited fellow doesn’t bother to let his crew know where they’re going, neither do we. And this vagueness is only compounded by further action that does little more than move the plot a few milimeters at a time. Toss in a piecemeal fabrication of thin chapters that (for the most part) merely bookend the tale, other than a smattering of action here and there � their story is functionally impotent.
Strike one has passed the plate, and strike two follows shortly thereafter. With the here and now neglected for about half the work, the backstory of Boba Fett’s short-lived partnership with Bossk stands uncomfortably alongside equally questionable plot development regarding the other green dude’s [Xixor] intrigues. Instead of a linear delineation of causal relationships, we’re given thin servings of happenings and happenstance that don’t really move the full course of story, let alone provide a scintilla of cohesion to tie it all together.
Increasingly bored with this written mess, I wasn’t the least bit surprised when strike three put this story out of its misery. The leader of KDY [Kuat Drive Yards] Kuat of Kuat finds himself embroiled in a highly convoluted and insanely confusing backstabbing attempt (first metaphorically then literally) that occurs near the crescendo of the book. Even though this character is of (ostensibly enough) utmost important to the book, he too suffers from a mystifyingly vague development that brings a whole new level of depth to the word: vague. A modicum of character development would have helped tremendously but, it’s non-existent. So what shit goes down � I was quite unable to care about what was going on.
All in all, The Slave Ship is a disappointing strike-out. While it’s predecessor was definitely flawed, it was a solid line-drive that would have at least put your attention on base. Book #2 however, is like a caught foul ball that leaves players in scoring position stranded on the inning’s 3rd out.
Sure enough, the titillating trio of Dengar, Neelah, and good ol� Boba Fett continue on their quest to� who knows where. Since the green suited fellow doesn’t bother to let his crew know where they’re going, neither do we. And this vagueness is only compounded by further action that does little more than move the plot a few milimeters at a time. Toss in a piecemeal fabrication of thin chapters that (for the most part) merely bookend the tale, other than a smattering of action here and there � their story is functionally impotent.
Strike one has passed the plate, and strike two follows shortly thereafter. With the here and now neglected for about half the work, the backstory of Boba Fett’s short-lived partnership with Bossk stands uncomfortably alongside equally questionable plot development regarding the other green dude’s [Xixor] intrigues. Instead of a linear delineation of causal relationships, we’re given thin servings of happenings and happenstance that don’t really move the full course of story, let alone provide a scintilla of cohesion to tie it all together.
Increasingly bored with this written mess, I wasn’t the least bit surprised when strike three put this story out of its misery. The leader of KDY [Kuat Drive Yards] Kuat of Kuat finds himself embroiled in a highly convoluted and insanely confusing backstabbing attempt (first metaphorically then literally) that occurs near the crescendo of the book. Even though this character is of (ostensibly enough) utmost important to the book, he too suffers from a mystifyingly vague development that brings a whole new level of depth to the word: vague. A modicum of character development would have helped tremendously but, it’s non-existent. So what shit goes down � I was quite unable to care about what was going on.
All in all, The Slave Ship is a disappointing strike-out. While it’s predecessor was definitely flawed, it was a solid line-drive that would have at least put your attention on base. Book #2 however, is like a caught foul ball that leaves players in scoring position stranded on the inning’s 3rd out.
August 7, 2009
This is the second book in the Star Wars "Bounty Hunter Wars" series. And while it did engross me and I did read it in less than 24 hours, it's not exactly an example of fine writing. Yes, the characters are somewhat compelling. Yet Jeter didn't invent many of them, he just gives them things to do. Sometimes.
One thing that the author does constantly is have his characters ruminate. And ponder. And recall. And have all sorts of passive internal monologues. What's worse than that is that he routinely does so in the middle of interminable dialogue exchanges that move the plot forward as slowly as a glacier. He will have a character pose a question to someone, then one or the other of them will go off on an internal monolgue (sometimes for two or more pages) before an answer occurs. And by then, it's hard to care what the question was.
Aside from the internal monologues being his favorite way to give insight into his characters (instead of having them...you know...interact with each other), Jeter likes long meetings where every plot point is discussed at length. He must think his readers are somewhat dim. Then again, maybe he knows how bored they might be from reading endless internal monologues and feels the need to hammer home the plot points over and over and over again.
If I had to say, I'd guess that at least half of this book could have been scrapped by a good editor and the story would be pretty much the same.
My main objection comes from the last third of the novel, where the story takes a long, boring, somewhat pointless detour into the machinations of Kuat of Kuat, who might be the villain (but it's not clear at this point if he really is or not). He certainly has something to hide and wants Boba Fett dead. But so does a lot of the Star Wars galaxy. Why the author felt it was necessary to involve Kuat in a long, drawn out diplomatic (and violent) power struggle with his own people just to provide one small kernel of important data (the identity of the mystery woman traveling with Boba Fett) is a mystery to me. Again, a good editor needed to get to work on that section.
My other concerns are largely the same as the ones I had about the first book in this series "The Mandalorian Armor," the characterizations don't quite match up with what other authors and the Star Wars films would have us believe about these characters. The bounty hunters come off as vicious, dim-witted bumblers for the most part. It's not hard to see why Boba Fett is the best. But it also makes a reader wonder why the rest of them even bother trying to compete.
While Boba Fett is convincing as an unstoppable bounty hunting force, his personality is inconsistent. Some scenes with him are great, others are not. He talks too much for a taciturn bounty hunter. At least we don't get into his head, which would ruin the suspense for some of the stunts he pulls.
"Slave Ship" (by the way, the title has no relevance to the action of the book) is not a great work of fiction at all, but it did hold my interest (despite the long boring stretches) enough for me to finish it and proceed to the third and final book in the series.
One thing that the author does constantly is have his characters ruminate. And ponder. And recall. And have all sorts of passive internal monologues. What's worse than that is that he routinely does so in the middle of interminable dialogue exchanges that move the plot forward as slowly as a glacier. He will have a character pose a question to someone, then one or the other of them will go off on an internal monolgue (sometimes for two or more pages) before an answer occurs. And by then, it's hard to care what the question was.
Aside from the internal monologues being his favorite way to give insight into his characters (instead of having them...you know...interact with each other), Jeter likes long meetings where every plot point is discussed at length. He must think his readers are somewhat dim. Then again, maybe he knows how bored they might be from reading endless internal monologues and feels the need to hammer home the plot points over and over and over again.
If I had to say, I'd guess that at least half of this book could have been scrapped by a good editor and the story would be pretty much the same.
My main objection comes from the last third of the novel, where the story takes a long, boring, somewhat pointless detour into the machinations of Kuat of Kuat, who might be the villain (but it's not clear at this point if he really is or not). He certainly has something to hide and wants Boba Fett dead. But so does a lot of the Star Wars galaxy. Why the author felt it was necessary to involve Kuat in a long, drawn out diplomatic (and violent) power struggle with his own people just to provide one small kernel of important data (the identity of the mystery woman traveling with Boba Fett) is a mystery to me. Again, a good editor needed to get to work on that section.
My other concerns are largely the same as the ones I had about the first book in this series "The Mandalorian Armor," the characterizations don't quite match up with what other authors and the Star Wars films would have us believe about these characters. The bounty hunters come off as vicious, dim-witted bumblers for the most part. It's not hard to see why Boba Fett is the best. But it also makes a reader wonder why the rest of them even bother trying to compete.
While Boba Fett is convincing as an unstoppable bounty hunting force, his personality is inconsistent. Some scenes with him are great, others are not. He talks too much for a taciturn bounty hunter. At least we don't get into his head, which would ruin the suspense for some of the stunts he pulls.
"Slave Ship" (by the way, the title has no relevance to the action of the book) is not a great work of fiction at all, but it did hold my interest (despite the long boring stretches) enough for me to finish it and proceed to the third and final book in the series.
July 8, 2009
You've got to be kidding me. Jeter--and Bantam Spectra--should be embarrassed to have their names associated with this book. over half of it--ninety percent of chapters 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8--are recapitulation of the previous book: Mandlorian Armor.
The rest are the same cliches--holo Darth puppet growls; Kud'ar Mub'at spares Balance sheet's life; Bossk swears to kill Boba Fett next time; Everyone in the universe seems to know the thoughts of the secretive, evil Prine Xizor. Yawn.
Probably the worst SW fan fiction ever written.
The rest are the same cliches--holo Darth puppet growls; Kud'ar Mub'at spares Balance sheet's life; Bossk swears to kill Boba Fett next time; Everyone in the universe seems to know the thoughts of the secretive, evil Prine Xizor. Yawn.
Probably the worst SW fan fiction ever written.
June 25, 2023
I don’t give a fucking shit about Kuat of Kuat
July 24, 2010
Please just shut up and do something already!
Fett, Dengar and Neelah leave Tatooine and outsmart Bossk, who lay in wait for them. In the backstory post-A New Hope, Fett continues to destroy the remnants of the Bounty Hunter's Guild.
NOTE: Based on the novel (read years ago) and the audiobook.
I Liked:
I wasn't too impressed with him in The Mandalorian Armor, but here Kuat of Kuat really becomes interesting. Part of that may be that he actually does something other than watching video feeds of scenes from Return of the Jedi. Here, he has to face off with other noble clans who would love to get rid of him and place themselves as leaders.
Another character I really liked was Balance Sheet, on of Kud'ar Mub'at's sub-assemblies. I liked how he was cunning, I liked how he was subtle, and I liked how he seemed important.
Jeter can write some really nice actions scenes. When Bossk is leaving the Hound's Tooth, thinking there is a bomb, it was pure adrenaline. I also enjoyed reading Boba Fett nab the Imperial Stormtrooper defector.
I Didn't Like:
As my review title indicates, everyone in this book loves to talk...too much. Of all the books that could be 100%, pure, frenzied, unrestrained action, this is the one that you would think would be brimmed with it. It's about bounty hunters! Ruthless, cunning, manipulative bounty hunters, always clawing for the bounty. Now, there are a few moments like that (I mentioned it above), but unfortunately, they take a backseat to everyone's talking!
Xizor spends so much time talking, talking, talking to Vader and Palpatine about his plan, divulging every last detail down to the bow ties and the underwear! And when he isn't yammering to Palpatine about his plot, he is thinking about how diabolical he is and how soon Vader will fall.
Kud'ar Mub'at is another talker/thinker. He spends way too much time gloating over his intelligence, while his own sub-assembly develops independence and starts to undermine him! Wake up, Spider-boy!
But by far the worst is Boba Fett. He has always been portrayed as relatively silent and cryptic. Not here. Here, he can't shut up for two seconds. He'll launch into a detailed description of what is going on, what the situation is, and what will happen if you cross him with little provocation (and yet, he never seems to divulge anything useful...). Have mercy! I mean, it is so easy to skip pages (or if you are listening, tone out several minutes) and not miss a thing! Bad!
Now, we know this is book two of the Bounty Hunter's Trilogy, so you would probably want to read book one before, right? Well, maybe, maybe not. You could probably launch directly into book two, with the copious amount of recapping and filling in that is done. I am all for some reminders, but I don't need a blow by blow of how Dengar rescued Boba Fett from the Sarlac.
Questions get answered...but as absolutely slow as possible. We are starting to see how the two stories correlate...sort of. Personally, all it does to me is make Neelah more annoying. God, if I have to hear how she doesn't remember her life one more time...
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Mild (I couldn't recall anything honestly).
Neelah was a dancer at Jabba's palace.
Even with all the talking, some violence occurs. Explosions, firefights, Vader choking Xizor, that sort of thing.
Overall:
This book makes me sad. It took a cool concept and really made it boring. Not to mention, if all the repetition, recapping, and TALKING were cut out, this book would probably have been the last four chapters to the first book. So, unless you like to read about people thinking and then talking to everyone for pages on end about what they were thinking, I would pass.
Fett, Dengar and Neelah leave Tatooine and outsmart Bossk, who lay in wait for them. In the backstory post-A New Hope, Fett continues to destroy the remnants of the Bounty Hunter's Guild.
NOTE: Based on the novel (read years ago) and the audiobook.
I Liked:
I wasn't too impressed with him in The Mandalorian Armor, but here Kuat of Kuat really becomes interesting. Part of that may be that he actually does something other than watching video feeds of scenes from Return of the Jedi. Here, he has to face off with other noble clans who would love to get rid of him and place themselves as leaders.
Another character I really liked was Balance Sheet, on of Kud'ar Mub'at's sub-assemblies. I liked how he was cunning, I liked how he was subtle, and I liked how he seemed important.
Jeter can write some really nice actions scenes. When Bossk is leaving the Hound's Tooth, thinking there is a bomb, it was pure adrenaline. I also enjoyed reading Boba Fett nab the Imperial Stormtrooper defector.
I Didn't Like:
As my review title indicates, everyone in this book loves to talk...too much. Of all the books that could be 100%, pure, frenzied, unrestrained action, this is the one that you would think would be brimmed with it. It's about bounty hunters! Ruthless, cunning, manipulative bounty hunters, always clawing for the bounty. Now, there are a few moments like that (I mentioned it above), but unfortunately, they take a backseat to everyone's talking!
Xizor spends so much time talking, talking, talking to Vader and Palpatine about his plan, divulging every last detail down to the bow ties and the underwear! And when he isn't yammering to Palpatine about his plot, he is thinking about how diabolical he is and how soon Vader will fall.
Kud'ar Mub'at is another talker/thinker. He spends way too much time gloating over his intelligence, while his own sub-assembly develops independence and starts to undermine him! Wake up, Spider-boy!
But by far the worst is Boba Fett. He has always been portrayed as relatively silent and cryptic. Not here. Here, he can't shut up for two seconds. He'll launch into a detailed description of what is going on, what the situation is, and what will happen if you cross him with little provocation (and yet, he never seems to divulge anything useful...). Have mercy! I mean, it is so easy to skip pages (or if you are listening, tone out several minutes) and not miss a thing! Bad!
Now, we know this is book two of the Bounty Hunter's Trilogy, so you would probably want to read book one before, right? Well, maybe, maybe not. You could probably launch directly into book two, with the copious amount of recapping and filling in that is done. I am all for some reminders, but I don't need a blow by blow of how Dengar rescued Boba Fett from the Sarlac.
Questions get answered...but as absolutely slow as possible. We are starting to see how the two stories correlate...sort of. Personally, all it does to me is make Neelah more annoying. God, if I have to hear how she doesn't remember her life one more time...
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Mild (I couldn't recall anything honestly).
Neelah was a dancer at Jabba's palace.
Even with all the talking, some violence occurs. Explosions, firefights, Vader choking Xizor, that sort of thing.
Overall:
This book makes me sad. It took a cool concept and really made it boring. Not to mention, if all the repetition, recapping, and TALKING were cut out, this book would probably have been the last four chapters to the first book. So, unless you like to read about people thinking and then talking to everyone for pages on end about what they were thinking, I would pass.
August 12, 2012
After really enjoying the first book of The Bounty Hunter Wars, Slave Ship starts off really slow. Nearly the first one hundred pages are introspection and scheming which while that was enjoyable in the first volume, it was because there was a balance between thinking and action. As I read the opening pages, I had trouble getting into the story I'd been eating up just days before. Thankfully, the book does pick up steam as it goes along and some interesting things do happen. I still feel like Boba Fett, Dengar, and Zuckuss are the most likable characters and they are the ones that keep me reading. While I liked this book overall, it was inconsistent and makes me wonder if this series was too ambitious or whether it could have been two longer books instead of a trilogy. I'm definitely curious to read Hard Merchandise in the coming days.
June 26, 2023
This book was too long for the total lack of plot, but at least it was still science fiction.
April 5, 2011
For being based around a character that talks so little...there is SO much talking in this book.
Boba Fett does one incredibly badass thing in the very beginning of the book. He outwits and outplays his bounty hunter rival, Bossk (who is regarded as the second best bounty hunter in the galaxy.)
Unfortunately, after this very cool scene the book comes to almost a dead stop after that. Any chapter revolving around Prince Xizor (and seriously, Xizor sounds like some kind of allergy medicine...) the Emperor, Kud'ar Mub'at or Kuat of Kuat are dreadfully slow moving and full of long lengthy conversations and meditations--and since everyone is after the same thing (outwitting the others and having the most power) these conversations and musings are repetitive and boring.
I think Boba Fett suffers from being too badass. He's a character that is always one step ahead, that always knows what's going on (regardless of everyone else and their endless scheming) he is always prepared, is never caught off guard and no one will ever get the better of him. He will also never fall in love or have any sympathy, empathy or any emotions really not even really anger or annoyance. What's left is not a lot to work with as far as a main character. It's easy to see why these are the only three books that feature Boba Fett as more than a secondary character despite his huge popularity.
I think the author missed a good opportunity to explore Boba Fett's reasoning behind his actions. The bounty hunter is always in it for the money and the hunt. But what does he do with all that money? It's a question asked in the book, but one that so far hasn't been answered. Besides that I am not sure what else the author could do without completely breaking the already established mold for the character.
I am going to read the last book in the series, but I am glad it's the last one.
Boba Fett does one incredibly badass thing in the very beginning of the book. He outwits and outplays his bounty hunter rival, Bossk (who is regarded as the second best bounty hunter in the galaxy.)
Unfortunately, after this very cool scene the book comes to almost a dead stop after that. Any chapter revolving around Prince Xizor (and seriously, Xizor sounds like some kind of allergy medicine...) the Emperor, Kud'ar Mub'at or Kuat of Kuat are dreadfully slow moving and full of long lengthy conversations and meditations--and since everyone is after the same thing (outwitting the others and having the most power) these conversations and musings are repetitive and boring.
I think Boba Fett suffers from being too badass. He's a character that is always one step ahead, that always knows what's going on (regardless of everyone else and their endless scheming) he is always prepared, is never caught off guard and no one will ever get the better of him. He will also never fall in love or have any sympathy, empathy or any emotions really not even really anger or annoyance. What's left is not a lot to work with as far as a main character. It's easy to see why these are the only three books that feature Boba Fett as more than a secondary character despite his huge popularity.
I think the author missed a good opportunity to explore Boba Fett's reasoning behind his actions. The bounty hunter is always in it for the money and the hunt. But what does he do with all that money? It's a question asked in the book, but one that so far hasn't been answered. Besides that I am not sure what else the author could do without completely breaking the already established mold for the character.
I am going to read the last book in the series, but I am glad it's the last one.
November 27, 2018
While I enjoyed the first installment in KW Jeter's Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, The Mandalorian Armor, quite a bit, this one was quite a chore to get through. Compared to part 1, there is very little action. Lots of long, seemingly endless exchanges of dialog between characters. Jeter is a solid writer, so you never quite throw the book against the wall and give up, but it was definitely an unsatisfying novel, pretty blatantly just a set up for Part 3. Blah. Makes you wonder why every Star Wars story had to be a trilogy, I have a solid suspicion that this entire trilogy could have been condensed into one big, awesome book, instead of three, as this installment felt somewhat useless... we'll see if it makes more sense after I read part 3. It took me a couple of weeks to read part 1, it took me nearly two months to read this one... that's telling.
July 8, 2022
The saga of The Bounty Hunter Wars continues in K.W Jeter's Slave Ship, the second book in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy.
Set in the Legends Timeline. The story is split between Episode IV and Episode VI timeframe. The storyline proceeds with Boba Fett rebuilding himself and his schemes as the Rebels mass for a final attack on the Death Star II at Endor. Simultaneously, we have a second plot line focused on flashbacks continuing the older story of the Bounty Hunter Wars and how Fett was able to destroy the old Bounty Hunter's Guild. Xizor's schemes to eventually take on Darth Vader and the Emperor are central to the plotline, and we spend more time with Kuat of Kuat, although his agenda and importance remain unclear.
Slave Ship,Ìýsuffers monumentally from pacing issues. The characters talk in very lengthy monologues, and the descriptions tend to be repeated ad infinitum.
I found myself skimming at multiple points because it felt likeÌýnothingÌýwas happening. On top of that, the interesting characters seemed to fall into the background as more new characters and conflicts were introduced.Ìý
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the character of Kuat of Kuat in this novel. The world building surrounded Kuat Drive Yards was also some of the best writing in the book. The subplot Of interplay between Prince Xizor making a power play and Vader trying to play Xizor was good, too. But again, these are characters that should have been on the side of what was, before, a story of Boba Fett and Dengar with Bossk as a villain.
I did not enjoy the bounty hunter scenes all that much here. Bossk seems very one dimensional, though the bomb on a ship stunt Boba Fett pulled on him was great. On the flip side, I guess my perception of Fett as having some kind of Mandalorian honor may have been overblown because he just turns traitor, seemingly, on his team. I didn’t like that choice for his character. It didn’t have the right feel. I wonder how it will play out in the third book.
Overall, Slave ShipÌýis a merely okay read. It’s a desert of boredom punctuated by enough oases of excitement to keep me reading. That was a silly sentence, but there it is. I hope the third book redeems it.
Set in the Legends Timeline. The story is split between Episode IV and Episode VI timeframe. The storyline proceeds with Boba Fett rebuilding himself and his schemes as the Rebels mass for a final attack on the Death Star II at Endor. Simultaneously, we have a second plot line focused on flashbacks continuing the older story of the Bounty Hunter Wars and how Fett was able to destroy the old Bounty Hunter's Guild. Xizor's schemes to eventually take on Darth Vader and the Emperor are central to the plotline, and we spend more time with Kuat of Kuat, although his agenda and importance remain unclear.
Slave Ship,Ìýsuffers monumentally from pacing issues. The characters talk in very lengthy monologues, and the descriptions tend to be repeated ad infinitum.
I found myself skimming at multiple points because it felt likeÌýnothingÌýwas happening. On top of that, the interesting characters seemed to fall into the background as more new characters and conflicts were introduced.Ìý
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the character of Kuat of Kuat in this novel. The world building surrounded Kuat Drive Yards was also some of the best writing in the book. The subplot Of interplay between Prince Xizor making a power play and Vader trying to play Xizor was good, too. But again, these are characters that should have been on the side of what was, before, a story of Boba Fett and Dengar with Bossk as a villain.
I did not enjoy the bounty hunter scenes all that much here. Bossk seems very one dimensional, though the bomb on a ship stunt Boba Fett pulled on him was great. On the flip side, I guess my perception of Fett as having some kind of Mandalorian honor may have been overblown because he just turns traitor, seemingly, on his team. I didn’t like that choice for his character. It didn’t have the right feel. I wonder how it will play out in the third book.
Overall, Slave ShipÌýis a merely okay read. It’s a desert of boredom punctuated by enough oases of excitement to keep me reading. That was a silly sentence, but there it is. I hope the third book redeems it.
February 3, 2020
A lot of things going for this trilogy, namely the worldbuilding and the humor. Every time Bossk tries to one up Boba Fett it makes me laugh out loud, especially the opening chapter! I really was into the development of Kuat of Kuat and the Kuat Drive Yards, which is surrounded by a royal family which must be modeled on the Saudi princes? There is some good intrigue in the latter part of the novel around them. On the negative side, a couple chapters featuring Prince Xizor feel repetitive, as he constantly dwells on his hatred of Darth Vader.
May 21, 2021
Not as fun as the first book (and a little too much talking), but still a solid read.
August 10, 2023
These characters LOVE to hear themselves talk and think. They just go on and on and on and on... Each of them has a "thing" they like talking and thinking about and that is all they focus on. Yes, this was truly an ideal entertaining read.
March 24, 2023
Really slow first half of the book but it ended up being a good read. Just too slow in the beginning for my taste. Good book overall.
July 19, 2024
Boba Fett is a badass, part 2
November 23, 2020
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: the second book in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, Slave Ship by K.W. Jeter.
SOME HISTORY:
Back cover blurbs sometimes contain misleading descriptions, and Slave Ship is no exception. On the back cover, the phrase "For in order to gain his freedom he must outwit a sentient weapon that feeds on Human spirits" describes a part of the book that doesn’t exist. At all. Why is that sentence there? Was it a planned subplot that didn’t make the final cut into the printed book?
While the first book was a NYT bestseller, I couldn’t find any data that Slave Ship made the New York Times paperback bestseller list for any of the weeks after its release.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
Still going into this read blind. Unlike with , though, I found the cover art for Slave Ship to be a much better representation of what the book was about, even if the back cover blurb completely jumbles the dual timelines.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
In the past, Boba Fett continues on his quest to completely demolish the Bounty Hunter’s Guild; while in the present, Fett captures Bossk’s ship and sets out in search of villains unknown.
THE CHARACTERS:
Boba Fett’s a cipher in this book. Even when we’re in his POV, there’s little on what drives him or makes him tick. He also decidedly does not play well with others; he double-crosses both Bossk and Zuckuss during the hunt for Trhin Voss'on't, the ex-stormtrooper, and while he explains his reasoning behind using the Hound’s Tooth to Dengar and Neelah, he doesn’t deign to tell them their destination.
I continue to be confused by Jeter’s characterization of Dengar. “Payback: The Story of Dengar� from established that the only emotions he feels are rage, hope, and loneliness, so why is he such a nervous idiot in these books? Neelah thinks about how it’s good that he plans to retire, because he’s not cut out for the bounty hunting trade. But I thought he was a fairly successful bounty hunter?
A little bit of progress with Neelah’s plotline, even if that mostly happened during Kuat of Kuat’s chapters. We now know that she’s really Kateel of Kuhlvult from a Kuati noble house, and that her sister Kodir is looking for her. (The explanation behind the name “Neelah� doesn’t make any sense, though--if child!Neelah couldn’t pronounce “Kateel,� I’m not sure how you’d get “Neelah� from that name.) She’s not particularly likeable either; she thinks very highly of herself, and I’m not sure what role she’ll play in the next book.
Bossk is such a verbose moron. He overthinks everything; he has no concept of successful strategizing; he talks too much; there’s little sense of the ruthless killer we met from past stories. I also could have done without the constant references to his murder/cannabilism of his father.
Xizor is still scheming against the Bounty Hunter’s Guild. I wondered, though, if his antagonism towards Vader was perhaps a little overdone? While Xizor and Vader are decidedly vying for power in , I’m not sure that Xizor would be quite so obvious about his dislike of Vader.
Ku’dar Mu’bat is likewise still in league with Xizor (and I have to confess that I couldn’t remember his name while reading, so my notes list him as “Spider Man.�) He’s playing the two Guild factions off each other, but his small spider offspring Balancesheet also seems to be angling for a coup.
Kuat of Kuat ended up being the most interesting character in this book! After monologuing too much to his chief of security in Chapter 3, we got a fascinating look into Kuati politics in Chapter 13. While K of K doesn’t support the Rebellion, he doesn’t want to overly commit to the Empire either. One of the other noble families tries to wrestle control of the Kuat Drive Yards from House Kuat, and K of K has gotten himself into some deep doo-doo. In an attempt to foil Prince Xizor’s interest in the Yards, he fabricated evidence that Xizor was behind the death of Luke Skywalker’s aunt and uncle. Boba Fett has this evidence, which explains why K of K tried to kill him in book 1. K of K also hires Kodir of Kuhlvult as his new security chief, and we’ll see in book 3 where that leads.
ISSUES:
Again, a body horror warning! I found both the poor miners in Chapter 11 as well as the Elder of Knyleen in Chapter 13 upsetting, though not to the degree of squick that D’Harhan evoked in book 1. Be aware.
In , we weren’t given any overt explanation behind the decision to move back and forth between the past and present timelines. I assumed that the past scenes were playing out because Boba Fett was reliving his past conflicts with the Guild during his time recuperating from the Sarlacc. In Slave Ship, though, we’re told in Chapter 5 that Dengar is telling Neelah the history of the Guild’s dissolution. The way the past scenes are written doesn’t mesh with this framework, though, and the logic starts to fall apart for me. The past scenes are not written like Dengar is telling a story; instead, we are inside Bossk’s head, or inside Prince Xizor’s. Dengar may know the events, but there’s no way that he knew these character’s internal thoughts.
Continuing on from the first book, everyone talks far too much. In Chapter 2, Boba Fett says “I’m not in the habit of justifying my methods to anyone,� but he had previously been explaining himself for pages on end. Bossk constantly monologues. Characters will carry on conversations with each other, only to devolve into lengthy internal musing for multiple pages in the middle of the conversation. If, say, half of the needless verbosity was cut out of this book, it’d be a much easier read.
Xizor’s scheme makes little sense. The Emperor in league with Xizor dangles this huge bounty for an ex-stormtrooper in front of everyone. This will supposedly rip the Bounty Hunter’s Guild apart once and for all. How though? Is it because Voss'on't killed a bunch of hunters before Fett was able to nab him? Because I’m not sure how this will fatally sever anyone’s ties to the two competing Guild groups. And Xizor now wants Fett dead as well, because he...knows too much, I guess?
But above all, nothing significant happens here. In the present timeline, Boba Fett and co. are en route to...somewhere. (Fett won’t reveal where exactly.) In the past timeline, Fett screws over Bossk again. There’s really no need for three books here, and I suspect if you removed a lot of the endless monologuing, this could have formed one beefy, more satisfying book. (I also suspect that the dual timelines might have worked better in one single book as opposed to three.)
IN CONCLUSION:
Did Slave Ship improve on anything from ? Not really. Kuat of Kuat is now a more interesting character, but overall nothing happened here. If you still want to read the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, go for it (I guess); but after finishing Slave Ship, I think I would have been better served by just skimming the Wookieepedia article and jumping into book 3.
Next up: the third of Aaron Allston’s X-Wing books, .
My YouTube review:
This week’s focus: the second book in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, Slave Ship by K.W. Jeter.
SOME HISTORY:
Back cover blurbs sometimes contain misleading descriptions, and Slave Ship is no exception. On the back cover, the phrase "For in order to gain his freedom he must outwit a sentient weapon that feeds on Human spirits" describes a part of the book that doesn’t exist. At all. Why is that sentence there? Was it a planned subplot that didn’t make the final cut into the printed book?
While the first book was a NYT bestseller, I couldn’t find any data that Slave Ship made the New York Times paperback bestseller list for any of the weeks after its release.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
Still going into this read blind. Unlike with , though, I found the cover art for Slave Ship to be a much better representation of what the book was about, even if the back cover blurb completely jumbles the dual timelines.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
In the past, Boba Fett continues on his quest to completely demolish the Bounty Hunter’s Guild; while in the present, Fett captures Bossk’s ship and sets out in search of villains unknown.
THE CHARACTERS:
Boba Fett’s a cipher in this book. Even when we’re in his POV, there’s little on what drives him or makes him tick. He also decidedly does not play well with others; he double-crosses both Bossk and Zuckuss during the hunt for Trhin Voss'on't, the ex-stormtrooper, and while he explains his reasoning behind using the Hound’s Tooth to Dengar and Neelah, he doesn’t deign to tell them their destination.
I continue to be confused by Jeter’s characterization of Dengar. “Payback: The Story of Dengar� from established that the only emotions he feels are rage, hope, and loneliness, so why is he such a nervous idiot in these books? Neelah thinks about how it’s good that he plans to retire, because he’s not cut out for the bounty hunting trade. But I thought he was a fairly successful bounty hunter?
A little bit of progress with Neelah’s plotline, even if that mostly happened during Kuat of Kuat’s chapters. We now know that she’s really Kateel of Kuhlvult from a Kuati noble house, and that her sister Kodir is looking for her. (The explanation behind the name “Neelah� doesn’t make any sense, though--if child!Neelah couldn’t pronounce “Kateel,� I’m not sure how you’d get “Neelah� from that name.) She’s not particularly likeable either; she thinks very highly of herself, and I’m not sure what role she’ll play in the next book.
Bossk is such a verbose moron. He overthinks everything; he has no concept of successful strategizing; he talks too much; there’s little sense of the ruthless killer we met from past stories. I also could have done without the constant references to his murder/cannabilism of his father.
Xizor is still scheming against the Bounty Hunter’s Guild. I wondered, though, if his antagonism towards Vader was perhaps a little overdone? While Xizor and Vader are decidedly vying for power in , I’m not sure that Xizor would be quite so obvious about his dislike of Vader.
Ku’dar Mu’bat is likewise still in league with Xizor (and I have to confess that I couldn’t remember his name while reading, so my notes list him as “Spider Man.�) He’s playing the two Guild factions off each other, but his small spider offspring Balancesheet also seems to be angling for a coup.
Kuat of Kuat ended up being the most interesting character in this book! After monologuing too much to his chief of security in Chapter 3, we got a fascinating look into Kuati politics in Chapter 13. While K of K doesn’t support the Rebellion, he doesn’t want to overly commit to the Empire either. One of the other noble families tries to wrestle control of the Kuat Drive Yards from House Kuat, and K of K has gotten himself into some deep doo-doo. In an attempt to foil Prince Xizor’s interest in the Yards, he fabricated evidence that Xizor was behind the death of Luke Skywalker’s aunt and uncle. Boba Fett has this evidence, which explains why K of K tried to kill him in book 1. K of K also hires Kodir of Kuhlvult as his new security chief, and we’ll see in book 3 where that leads.
ISSUES:
Again, a body horror warning! I found both the poor miners in Chapter 11 as well as the Elder of Knyleen in Chapter 13 upsetting, though not to the degree of squick that D’Harhan evoked in book 1. Be aware.
In , we weren’t given any overt explanation behind the decision to move back and forth between the past and present timelines. I assumed that the past scenes were playing out because Boba Fett was reliving his past conflicts with the Guild during his time recuperating from the Sarlacc. In Slave Ship, though, we’re told in Chapter 5 that Dengar is telling Neelah the history of the Guild’s dissolution. The way the past scenes are written doesn’t mesh with this framework, though, and the logic starts to fall apart for me. The past scenes are not written like Dengar is telling a story; instead, we are inside Bossk’s head, or inside Prince Xizor’s. Dengar may know the events, but there’s no way that he knew these character’s internal thoughts.
Continuing on from the first book, everyone talks far too much. In Chapter 2, Boba Fett says “I’m not in the habit of justifying my methods to anyone,� but he had previously been explaining himself for pages on end. Bossk constantly monologues. Characters will carry on conversations with each other, only to devolve into lengthy internal musing for multiple pages in the middle of the conversation. If, say, half of the needless verbosity was cut out of this book, it’d be a much easier read.
Xizor’s scheme makes little sense. The Emperor in league with Xizor dangles this huge bounty for an ex-stormtrooper in front of everyone. This will supposedly rip the Bounty Hunter’s Guild apart once and for all. How though? Is it because Voss'on't killed a bunch of hunters before Fett was able to nab him? Because I’m not sure how this will fatally sever anyone’s ties to the two competing Guild groups. And Xizor now wants Fett dead as well, because he...knows too much, I guess?
But above all, nothing significant happens here. In the present timeline, Boba Fett and co. are en route to...somewhere. (Fett won’t reveal where exactly.) In the past timeline, Fett screws over Bossk again. There’s really no need for three books here, and I suspect if you removed a lot of the endless monologuing, this could have formed one beefy, more satisfying book. (I also suspect that the dual timelines might have worked better in one single book as opposed to three.)
IN CONCLUSION:
Did Slave Ship improve on anything from ? Not really. Kuat of Kuat is now a more interesting character, but overall nothing happened here. If you still want to read the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, go for it (I guess); but after finishing Slave Ship, I think I would have been better served by just skimming the Wookieepedia article and jumping into book 3.
Next up: the third of Aaron Allston’s X-Wing books, .
My YouTube review:
April 2, 2023
If I waited a year for this to come out, I’d have been very disappointed. Not much really happens. And it treads many familiar plot points. With that being said, I’ll still keep going to finish out the trilogy.
May 11, 2020
K.W. Jeter is a very frustrating author. On one hand, he has so much potential in his books, on the other hand, he just doesn't live up.
The best part of this book is the plot. I loved the team up of Boba Fett and Bossk and I loved their dynamic. I also liked the twists in the last chapter and just how rutheless Boba Fett and Bossk can be. While I was frustrated with Kuat of Kuat's storyline(which I think is a kind of cheesy name), his plotline towards the end was interesting and the twists were fascinating.
One of my biggest problems with this book is I don't connect with the characters. I find several of them interesting, but I don't connect with the characters. I also know the fate of all but two of the characters in the book, so I never feel worried for a character. That's probably the one thing that keeps this book from being good.
Also, Jeter repeats himself. A lot. He uses the words "merchandise" and "barve" and "bounty hunter" over and over and over, on almost every page. He also included the incredibly gross fact about the Trandoshan species about 5 times, and each time it grossed me out and wasn't necessary.
As a whole, this isn't a good book. I don't feel any vitriolic feelings toward the book, which is good, I just didn't like it. I'd give it a two star rating on goodreads, but the ending really, really got me interested in finishing the trilogy, so I'll give it three stars on goodreads. 5.0 out of 10!
The best part of this book is the plot. I loved the team up of Boba Fett and Bossk and I loved their dynamic. I also liked the twists in the last chapter and just how rutheless Boba Fett and Bossk can be. While I was frustrated with Kuat of Kuat's storyline(which I think is a kind of cheesy name), his plotline towards the end was interesting and the twists were fascinating.
One of my biggest problems with this book is I don't connect with the characters. I find several of them interesting, but I don't connect with the characters. I also know the fate of all but two of the characters in the book, so I never feel worried for a character. That's probably the one thing that keeps this book from being good.
Also, Jeter repeats himself. A lot. He uses the words "merchandise" and "barve" and "bounty hunter" over and over and over, on almost every page. He also included the incredibly gross fact about the Trandoshan species about 5 times, and each time it grossed me out and wasn't necessary.
As a whole, this isn't a good book. I don't feel any vitriolic feelings toward the book, which is good, I just didn't like it. I'd give it a two star rating on goodreads, but the ending really, really got me interested in finishing the trilogy, so I'll give it three stars on goodreads. 5.0 out of 10!
April 26, 2016
Did you know that Boba Fett was the bestest and most feared bounty hunter in the whole entire galaxy? If you read this you will, because you're reminded of the fact four or five times a chapter (I'm not exaggerating).
It happened in the first of the series, and it's somehow worse in this one. Every character Fett meets is so awed by his very presence that they can barely summon the energy necessary to verbally fellate him. He's so brave, and dreamy. Even the Emporer knows Boba Fett's name, and respects and fears his methods.
Honestly it would be a good, pulpy read if it didn't fawn so heavily on the main character, but the constant praise it lavishes on him for the slightest deed makes it almost unreadable. Sometimes quite imaginative with some interesting characters, but this is glorified fan fiction.
It happened in the first of the series, and it's somehow worse in this one. Every character Fett meets is so awed by his very presence that they can barely summon the energy necessary to verbally fellate him. He's so brave, and dreamy. Even the Emporer knows Boba Fett's name, and respects and fears his methods.
Honestly it would be a good, pulpy read if it didn't fawn so heavily on the main character, but the constant praise it lavishes on him for the slightest deed makes it almost unreadable. Sometimes quite imaginative with some interesting characters, but this is glorified fan fiction.
November 17, 2016
This was actually a really good book. It hinged on the fascinating character of Boba Fett--a bad guy you'll really love. He is an undefeatable, indefatigably self-centered, ingenious, cool-calm-collected Star Wars dude. Within my knowledge of the whole Star Wars picture, he is truly one of the most interesting characters. And you get a lot of him in this book. His mere presence induces suspense and danger and ambiguity, the expectancy of the unexpected. What will he pull next?
This is the best Star Wars novel I've read; hands down. Although I realize that doesn't necessarily sound like a great endorsement in itself, it does mean something, especially if you're a Star Wars nerd who takes this stuff at least half seriously.
It's a page turner! No resolution at the end; it draws you irresistibly to the next book...
This is the best Star Wars novel I've read; hands down. Although I realize that doesn't necessarily sound like a great endorsement in itself, it does mean something, especially if you're a Star Wars nerd who takes this stuff at least half seriously.
It's a page turner! No resolution at the end; it draws you irresistibly to the next book...
January 29, 2019
The author tends to ramble. Often, two characters will start a dialogue only to interrupt it with the inner monologue of one of the characters. This can last for several pages before the dialogue resumes. Most of the monologues are unnecessary for the plot.
The action is also predictable in that there isn’t much. Every time one character is pointing a blaster at someone else, with the intention of killing them, there tends to be several pages of talking and inner monologue before there is a shot fired. And surprise: Nobody dies.
If you read this book by skipping all parts that are not dialogue, you won’t have missed anything essential to the plot. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration if you never read this at all.
The action is also predictable in that there isn’t much. Every time one character is pointing a blaster at someone else, with the intention of killing them, there tends to be several pages of talking and inner monologue before there is a shot fired. And surprise: Nobody dies.
If you read this book by skipping all parts that are not dialogue, you won’t have missed anything essential to the plot. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration if you never read this at all.
August 9, 2013
An okay effort, but suffers from 2 major problems:
1. Like most 90's Star Wars trilogies there are way too many pages without anything actually happening. The editors should have sized the Bounty Hunter Trilogy down to a duology or just one novel even.
2. Boba Fett is one tough cookie. We get it. We do not need to be reminded on nearly every single page that he is cunning, dangerous, badass, menacing, etc. etc. etc.
True Star Wars fans should still read this, other readers are now forewarned.
Oh and Boba Fett's Mandalorian helmet has a dark, t-shaped visor. Just so you know.
1. Like most 90's Star Wars trilogies there are way too many pages without anything actually happening. The editors should have sized the Bounty Hunter Trilogy down to a duology or just one novel even.
2. Boba Fett is one tough cookie. We get it. We do not need to be reminded on nearly every single page that he is cunning, dangerous, badass, menacing, etc. etc. etc.
True Star Wars fans should still read this, other readers are now forewarned.
Oh and Boba Fett's Mandalorian helmet has a dark, t-shaped visor. Just so you know.
October 26, 2015
One problem with book series is that sometimes the author takes a lot of time and lines and chapters trying to recap what happened in the last book for those people that are reading the second or third part.
That happens in these book and nearly half of it goes like that. However, after that ... many good things happen and transform this book into something else and absolutely saves it. And, for me at least, it also saves Book 1.
I certainly hope that the next book ends in a BANG!
That happens in these book and nearly half of it goes like that. However, after that ... many good things happen and transform this book into something else and absolutely saves it. And, for me at least, it also saves Book 1.
I certainly hope that the next book ends in a BANG!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2022
Star Wars Legends Project #297
Background: Slave Ship was written by and published in October 1998. This is the second of the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, all written by Jeter.
Slave Ship set both during the events of Return of the Jedi (4 years after the battle of Yavin) and in the months after the Battle of Yavin, picks up the thread of both timelines right where The Mandalorian Armor leaves off. The main characters are Boba Fett, Dengar, Neelah, and Bossk, with major appearances by Prince Xizor, Kuat of Kuat, and Kud'ar Mub'at. The story mostly takes place on and around Tatooine and Kuat, and at various locations in space.
Summary: Boba Fett, Dengar, and Neelah have survived long enough to escape the surface of Tatooine, but they still have to somehow reach a destination known only to Fett while evading the formidable forces arrayed against them. Meanwhile, Kuat of Kuat faces a reckoning of his own as he battles to tie off some troublesome loose ends. As they travel, Neelah continues to learn about the war between the bounty hunters, as the old Bounty Hunters Guild disintegrates into factions and infighting, while the galaxy's biggest power players lurk in the background, gleefully pulling the strings.
Review: There is one very good chapter near the end of this book that I suddenly, vividly remembered as I started reading it that really delivers on the kind of backstabbing intrigue that this series has been promising all along, but it's way too little, way too late. And most importantly, it has nothing to do with any of the bounty hunters. It's almost comical at this point how far a series called "The Bounty Hunter Wars" has gone out of its way to not show us any warring among the bounty hunters. We're told all the time that the wars are happening, and what the names of 2 of the factions are, but there is literally no additional information about who is fighting, who is dying, who is winning or losing . . . nothing.
This series is basically about how the galaxy's bounty hunters become pawns to be manipulated by the politically powerful, chiefly Prince Xizor and his various major rivals and minions. But, although Jeter alludes to dozens if not hundreds of bounty hunters, he didn't come up with any new bounty hunters to introduce beyond the half-dozen or so that we already know from the films. And since the "Bounty Hunter Wars" portion of this story is set before we see those characters on-screen, we already know that none of them die. So we hear over and over about how all of the bounty hunters are slaughtering each other left and right, but never any specifics, let alone any actual scenes depicting what's going on with them. I don't know when I've read a series that was less interested in the events it's supposedly about.
Instead of any bounty hunters warring, what we get is a whole lot of filler. This is maybe 150 pages worth of plot packed tightly into 330-something pages. Jeter pads things out by reiterating every important piece of information from the first novel (which was published a mere 4 months before this), and throwing in a lot of unimportant summarizing as well. He doesn't advance hardly any of the "present day" portion of the plot at all in this novel, instead using it mostly as an awkward, overlong framing device for the flashbacks. I half wondered what the justification was for not just telling the story in chronological order, and maybe there's some legitimate reason that I'm forgetting buried at the end of the final novel. I expect, though, that it's just another gimmick to stretch one novel worth of story into a trilogy of books, and putting events in order would only further reveal the poverty of the overall narrative.
Even the action is getting pretty repetitive at this point. I've lost the exact count, but he has described Slave I being totally destroyed in a fiery explosion 4 or 5 times by this point in the series, only for it to turn out that Boba Fett actually pulled some trick (like, in one case, flying a remote-controlled shell replica of his ship out ahead of himself, which . . . come. on.). And, like, of course he pulled some trick, because at no point is Fett written as a character who is ever in any real danger or distress. That's not just because we know he survives the various events of both past and present in this series. Jeter's depiction of Fett is as a character who cannot be surprised or caught off-guard or taken unawares or unprepared by anyone. He's pretty much always several steps ahead, and even when he's not, he can catch up immediately and race ahead effortlessly. There's not even much joy in speculating about "how's he going to get out of THIS one" because the solution usually feels like a total cheat. There's even what's almost an unintentional running joke in the first book where the medical droids who are nursing him back to health keep saying, "You have to be careful with him, he's in a fragile state and you could literally kill him if you don't take it easy" and the other characters are like "lol no he's unkillable." Why even bother with medical treatments at all, then . . .?
The most annoying bits, though, are the POV chapters where basically nothing happens other than page after page of one of the antagonists thinking to themselves about how clever they are and contemplating all of their motivations and methodologies ad nauseum. My favorite example of this is chapter 6. The chapter begins with an underling handing Prince Xizor a report he's been waiting for. We're then treated to three full pages of totally extraneous details about Xizor, Black Sun, and the Falleen before he reads the report. The report is a single line which tells Xizor information that the reader already knows, and that Xizor also already expected. There are then five more full pages of inner monologue where Xizor contemplates his information network, his leadership style, the state of his various schemes . . . all of this, again, totally extraneous and irrelevant detail . . . before the chapter finally draws to a close. That's 8 pages in which the only thing that happens is that Xizor receives a piece of information that is not news to him or to the reader. You almost have to respect that kind of commitment to fulfilling a specific page quota when you find that you don't actually have enough story to get you there. Here's just a taste:
And on it goes . . . Aside from wasting our time, I don't know even know what this interlude is supposed to communicate other than that Xizor is an idiot. I can't stress enough how utterly trivial the information is that he has received, and we already know that he is in direct communication with the party that the information is about, and that there's no reason he couldn't have just gotten it directly from that source. That he would bother to assign a Black Sun Vigo to drop everything and get this information, and then contemplate offing him despite him being a widely-known example of utter loyalty to Black Sun simply so that one less person knows this "secret" that, again, does not matter in the slightest just defies any kind of sense. I do see the various things that Jeter is trying to put across here, but he's doing it so very badly.
Anyway . . . this is an overlong review to complain about an overlong book, but at least now you really know that you don't have to read this. You're welcome.
D+
Background: Slave Ship was written by and published in October 1998. This is the second of the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, all written by Jeter.
Slave Ship set both during the events of Return of the Jedi (4 years after the battle of Yavin) and in the months after the Battle of Yavin, picks up the thread of both timelines right where The Mandalorian Armor leaves off. The main characters are Boba Fett, Dengar, Neelah, and Bossk, with major appearances by Prince Xizor, Kuat of Kuat, and Kud'ar Mub'at. The story mostly takes place on and around Tatooine and Kuat, and at various locations in space.
Summary: Boba Fett, Dengar, and Neelah have survived long enough to escape the surface of Tatooine, but they still have to somehow reach a destination known only to Fett while evading the formidable forces arrayed against them. Meanwhile, Kuat of Kuat faces a reckoning of his own as he battles to tie off some troublesome loose ends. As they travel, Neelah continues to learn about the war between the bounty hunters, as the old Bounty Hunters Guild disintegrates into factions and infighting, while the galaxy's biggest power players lurk in the background, gleefully pulling the strings.
Review: There is one very good chapter near the end of this book that I suddenly, vividly remembered as I started reading it that really delivers on the kind of backstabbing intrigue that this series has been promising all along, but it's way too little, way too late. And most importantly, it has nothing to do with any of the bounty hunters. It's almost comical at this point how far a series called "The Bounty Hunter Wars" has gone out of its way to not show us any warring among the bounty hunters. We're told all the time that the wars are happening, and what the names of 2 of the factions are, but there is literally no additional information about who is fighting, who is dying, who is winning or losing . . . nothing.
This series is basically about how the galaxy's bounty hunters become pawns to be manipulated by the politically powerful, chiefly Prince Xizor and his various major rivals and minions. But, although Jeter alludes to dozens if not hundreds of bounty hunters, he didn't come up with any new bounty hunters to introduce beyond the half-dozen or so that we already know from the films. And since the "Bounty Hunter Wars" portion of this story is set before we see those characters on-screen, we already know that none of them die. So we hear over and over about how all of the bounty hunters are slaughtering each other left and right, but never any specifics, let alone any actual scenes depicting what's going on with them. I don't know when I've read a series that was less interested in the events it's supposedly about.
Instead of any bounty hunters warring, what we get is a whole lot of filler. This is maybe 150 pages worth of plot packed tightly into 330-something pages. Jeter pads things out by reiterating every important piece of information from the first novel (which was published a mere 4 months before this), and throwing in a lot of unimportant summarizing as well. He doesn't advance hardly any of the "present day" portion of the plot at all in this novel, instead using it mostly as an awkward, overlong framing device for the flashbacks. I half wondered what the justification was for not just telling the story in chronological order, and maybe there's some legitimate reason that I'm forgetting buried at the end of the final novel. I expect, though, that it's just another gimmick to stretch one novel worth of story into a trilogy of books, and putting events in order would only further reveal the poverty of the overall narrative.
Even the action is getting pretty repetitive at this point. I've lost the exact count, but he has described Slave I being totally destroyed in a fiery explosion 4 or 5 times by this point in the series, only for it to turn out that Boba Fett actually pulled some trick (like, in one case, flying a remote-controlled shell replica of his ship out ahead of himself, which . . . come. on.). And, like, of course he pulled some trick, because at no point is Fett written as a character who is ever in any real danger or distress. That's not just because we know he survives the various events of both past and present in this series. Jeter's depiction of Fett is as a character who cannot be surprised or caught off-guard or taken unawares or unprepared by anyone. He's pretty much always several steps ahead, and even when he's not, he can catch up immediately and race ahead effortlessly. There's not even much joy in speculating about "how's he going to get out of THIS one" because the solution usually feels like a total cheat. There's even what's almost an unintentional running joke in the first book where the medical droids who are nursing him back to health keep saying, "You have to be careful with him, he's in a fragile state and you could literally kill him if you don't take it easy" and the other characters are like "lol no he's unkillable." Why even bother with medical treatments at all, then . . .?
The most annoying bits, though, are the POV chapters where basically nothing happens other than page after page of one of the antagonists thinking to themselves about how clever they are and contemplating all of their motivations and methodologies ad nauseum. My favorite example of this is chapter 6. The chapter begins with an underling handing Prince Xizor a report he's been waiting for. We're then treated to three full pages of totally extraneous details about Xizor, Black Sun, and the Falleen before he reads the report. The report is a single line which tells Xizor information that the reader already knows, and that Xizor also already expected. There are then five more full pages of inner monologue where Xizor contemplates his information network, his leadership style, the state of his various schemes . . . all of this, again, totally extraneous and irrelevant detail . . . before the chapter finally draws to a close. That's 8 pages in which the only thing that happens is that Xizor receives a piece of information that is not news to him or to the reader. You almost have to respect that kind of commitment to fulfilling a specific page quota when you find that you don't actually have enough story to get you there. Here's just a taste:
Only a few seconds had passed from Xizor's examination of Vigo Kreet'ah's report to his complete understanding of all that it meant. The subtle pheromones exuded by his body had another effect on the keyed chemicals imbedded in the flimsiplast. All the words were suddenly hidden by a burst of flame, as the flimsi's fibers self-ignited. In a moment, the report was a rose flower of black ash, curling in Xizor's palm. The momentary heat was a trifle, barely a test of his rigorously maintained self-control; his martial training had inured him to pain much greater than this. Even before the flames had died, he crushed the remnants of the burning flimsi into a smear of dust inside his fist. The message it had contained was now safely extinguished from the universe.
Or almost gone. The words still resided in Prince Xizor's memory—and that of his trusted lieutenant, Vigo Kreet'ah. There was power in knowledge, especially the knowledge of secret things. Other creatures' secrets; and when the information was something that was of interest and importance to Emperor Palpatine, then the secret was very powerful indeed. A shame, mused Xizor, that it should be diminished by anyone else being a party to it. Secrets had finite energy; each sentient creature added to the knowledge diluted that strength. Even a Black Sun Vigo such as Kreet’ah, who supposedly had the organization’s interests at heart just as much as his overlord did—Xizor would have to make a strategic decision about that. A personnel decision; granted, Kreet’ah’s loyalty was proverbial inside the Black Sun ranks � but there were younger, up-and-coming foot soldiers who would welcome the chance at a promotion. If a vacancy at the top should some day appear �
Xizor brushed the vanished report’s ashes from his hand; the black flakes drifted, almost weightless, against the folds of his cape. For another few seconds, he weighed Vigo Kreet’ah’s existence in the delicately balanced scales of his thoughts—and made his decision. Kreet’ah would live, at least for a while longer. An underling’s unswerving loyalty deserved some consideration, after all—at least enough to purchase someone like Kreet’ah a little more life and breathing space.
And on it goes . . . Aside from wasting our time, I don't know even know what this interlude is supposed to communicate other than that Xizor is an idiot. I can't stress enough how utterly trivial the information is that he has received, and we already know that he is in direct communication with the party that the information is about, and that there's no reason he couldn't have just gotten it directly from that source. That he would bother to assign a Black Sun Vigo to drop everything and get this information, and then contemplate offing him despite him being a widely-known example of utter loyalty to Black Sun simply so that one less person knows this "secret" that, again, does not matter in the slightest just defies any kind of sense. I do see the various things that Jeter is trying to put across here, but he's doing it so very badly.
Anyway . . . this is an overlong review to complain about an overlong book, but at least now you really know that you don't have to read this. You're welcome.
D+
June 18, 2021
If you’re looking for a book with excellent characterization, exciting action, thrilling space battles, complex schemes, and a solid plot…put this book down and move on to the next one.
If, however, you’re looking for excessive, repetitive inner monologues, bizarre characterization, inconsistent use of flashback techniques, and schemes that are supposed to be clever but are actually so obvious it makes all the characters look like idiots for falling for them…hoo boy, grab yourself ten copies of Slave Ship!!
The biggest downside to this book is the previously mentioned excessive, repetitive inner monologues. Not only do they meticulously retell the events of the first book, but they come at the worst times. Characters will be having a conversation, and then one slips into an inner monologue for several pages, and then when they come back to the conversation, the reader has completely forgot what they were even talking about. It also leaves characters with the most static characterization. Kuat of Kuat is out for the best interest of KDY, Prince Xizor is evil and has great sexual prowess (???), Neelah thinks she’s the smartest person in the room despite having almost no clue what’s happening, Bossk hates Boba Fett, Kud’ar Mub’at needs to get rid of Balancesheet but doesn’t want to. Boba Fett is the only one whose head we don’t really get into, but it’s unnecessary anyways because Jeter just has the silent, menacing bounty hunter explain all his plans to his opponents and “partners� once he’s pulled them off for…reasons. As for Dengar and Zuckuss, they’re both so unbearably stupid that I can’t fathom how they’ve actually managed to survive. I know what Zuckuss looks like, yet I kept picturing him as a little kid because that’s how naïve and idiotic he was portrayed.
The plot is- woo, the plot is a doozy. If you asked me to summarize this book, I would just stare at you while monologuing in my head about how to explain the plot. I think my biggest issue is that it builds up all this tension about the Bounty Hunters Guild and how Kud’ar Mub’at is playing both sides, but then literally never does anything with it. Maybe that’ll be addressed in book three, but I felt a little cheated that I had to deal with an entire boring chapter about the politics of it only for it to never become an issue. Then there’s this long chapter at the end that deals with Kuat of Kuat, where he’s accused of treachery, and they all just sort of shrug it off because he outsmarted his enemy on the spot. Never mind the visual evidence against him, dude just strolls on out of there without so much as a minor protest from the others gathered. I can see how events in the past connect to what’s happening in the present, but the problem is that there’s no real tension because the reader already knows Boba Fett and Bossk will survive their partnership because we know they’re alive in the present. We know Xizor will fail. We know Kuat is going to meddle and dig himself a grave. It leaves no real mysteries during the flashback scenes, which take up the bulk of the book.
The format is confusing, too. At first, it’s Dengar telling Neelah, which really doesn’t make sense despite the weak attempts to explain how he can tell everything that happened like he was there. So, is this supposed to be an unreliable narrator? Or just a poor excuse for swapping to a flashback? And then at the end, instead of switching back to Dengar in the present, it switches to Kuat in the present, and then back to Neelah and Boba Fett. It’s not confusing to actually follow the timeline for the most part, just confusing on why Jeter chose that format to tell the story in.
The little ship race between Fett and Suhlak was pretty fun to read, though. I wish that had lasted half as long as the inner monologues.
So, if you want a book that will religiously tell instead of show, even at the cost of consistent characterization or any semblance of action, grab yourself Slave Ship and get reading. May the Force be with you and may you have more patience for this bogged down mess of this book than I did.
If, however, you’re looking for excessive, repetitive inner monologues, bizarre characterization, inconsistent use of flashback techniques, and schemes that are supposed to be clever but are actually so obvious it makes all the characters look like idiots for falling for them…hoo boy, grab yourself ten copies of Slave Ship!!
The biggest downside to this book is the previously mentioned excessive, repetitive inner monologues. Not only do they meticulously retell the events of the first book, but they come at the worst times. Characters will be having a conversation, and then one slips into an inner monologue for several pages, and then when they come back to the conversation, the reader has completely forgot what they were even talking about. It also leaves characters with the most static characterization. Kuat of Kuat is out for the best interest of KDY, Prince Xizor is evil and has great sexual prowess (???), Neelah thinks she’s the smartest person in the room despite having almost no clue what’s happening, Bossk hates Boba Fett, Kud’ar Mub’at needs to get rid of Balancesheet but doesn’t want to. Boba Fett is the only one whose head we don’t really get into, but it’s unnecessary anyways because Jeter just has the silent, menacing bounty hunter explain all his plans to his opponents and “partners� once he’s pulled them off for…reasons. As for Dengar and Zuckuss, they’re both so unbearably stupid that I can’t fathom how they’ve actually managed to survive. I know what Zuckuss looks like, yet I kept picturing him as a little kid because that’s how naïve and idiotic he was portrayed.
The plot is- woo, the plot is a doozy. If you asked me to summarize this book, I would just stare at you while monologuing in my head about how to explain the plot. I think my biggest issue is that it builds up all this tension about the Bounty Hunters Guild and how Kud’ar Mub’at is playing both sides, but then literally never does anything with it. Maybe that’ll be addressed in book three, but I felt a little cheated that I had to deal with an entire boring chapter about the politics of it only for it to never become an issue. Then there’s this long chapter at the end that deals with Kuat of Kuat, where he’s accused of treachery, and they all just sort of shrug it off because he outsmarted his enemy on the spot. Never mind the visual evidence against him, dude just strolls on out of there without so much as a minor protest from the others gathered. I can see how events in the past connect to what’s happening in the present, but the problem is that there’s no real tension because the reader already knows Boba Fett and Bossk will survive their partnership because we know they’re alive in the present. We know Xizor will fail. We know Kuat is going to meddle and dig himself a grave. It leaves no real mysteries during the flashback scenes, which take up the bulk of the book.
The format is confusing, too. At first, it’s Dengar telling Neelah, which really doesn’t make sense despite the weak attempts to explain how he can tell everything that happened like he was there. So, is this supposed to be an unreliable narrator? Or just a poor excuse for swapping to a flashback? And then at the end, instead of switching back to Dengar in the present, it switches to Kuat in the present, and then back to Neelah and Boba Fett. It’s not confusing to actually follow the timeline for the most part, just confusing on why Jeter chose that format to tell the story in.
The little ship race between Fett and Suhlak was pretty fun to read, though. I wish that had lasted half as long as the inner monologues.
So, if you want a book that will religiously tell instead of show, even at the cost of consistent characterization or any semblance of action, grab yourself Slave Ship and get reading. May the Force be with you and may you have more patience for this bogged down mess of this book than I did.
August 31, 2017
In the grand scheme of Star Wars (and especially in the legends line), Slave Ship and the rest of Jeter's Bounty Hunter War trilogy aren't exactly the pinnacle of great writing, or even a truly great example of the literary side of Star Wars. Though I don't necessarily agree with the multiple complaints and negative reviews these books seem to garner on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and Amazon, it's pretty apparent that there are a fairly good number of things wrong with them.
As he did in Mandalorian Armor, K.W. Jeter once again somehow manages to make the titular character of Boba Fett, and other "bounty hunter scum" like Zukkus and Bossk seem prone to long winded segments of never ending dialogue. This is a series of books that focus on some of the film franchise's most nefarious and unscrupulous characters so you wouldn't be wrong in thinking that there would be a plethora of violence and action among the pages/ Those moments do happen here and there, but they're incredibly few and far between, replaced, instead by wordy conversations and 30 plus page dialogues that do little to further the story and only make these infamous bad guys boring as hell.
It also makes everything SO. FREAKING. REPETITIVE. As has been stated in other readers' reviews, Slave Ship is, in essence, a 100 page story compiled with 200 other pages of needless and useless review of the previous book. Had this book been published 5 or 6 years later after the first one, I could kind of get the repetition of themes and rehashing of ideas, but Slave Ship was published the exact same year as The Mandalorian Armor. There is no excuse for that amount of unnecessary repetitive narrative. Hell, there are like 5 or 6 chapters in this book that are almost carbon copies of the chapters from book 1. Xizor goes and talks to Darth Vader and the emperor for 20 long pages? Already done. Vader gets all pissy and chokes Xizor again? Yep, that was already covered in the first book. Was the numerous times that Neelah went on at length over and over again about how she watched Jabba dump that poor Twilek dancing girl in the Rancor pit not enough for you the first time through? Well, you're in luck cuz we get to read about it another half a dozen times. And, as an added bonus, we get to sit through 60 boring ass pages of Kuat of Kuat talking to other people about who the hell knows what?
And yet, even with all these negative things and the near glacial pacing of this book, the times I wanted to throw it across the room because Boba Fett would never shut the hell up, or Bossk continuously does stupid shit that he should know better than to do, there was something about Slave Ship that I actually kind of sort of enjoyed. Maybe it was the lack of the normal Star Wars staple characters. Maybe it was because there was little talk of the Force, or the much written Rebels vs Imperials dynamic. Maybe it was because, though it's boring, and slow and lacks a lot of excitement that we've all come to expect from the Star Wars world, it was just different and unique enough to keep me reading. I don't know. Whatever the case, though Slave Ship isn't perfect, it's somewhat forgettable and it's not as good as its predecessor, there's still something about it worth reading and worth your time.
As he did in Mandalorian Armor, K.W. Jeter once again somehow manages to make the titular character of Boba Fett, and other "bounty hunter scum" like Zukkus and Bossk seem prone to long winded segments of never ending dialogue. This is a series of books that focus on some of the film franchise's most nefarious and unscrupulous characters so you wouldn't be wrong in thinking that there would be a plethora of violence and action among the pages/ Those moments do happen here and there, but they're incredibly few and far between, replaced, instead by wordy conversations and 30 plus page dialogues that do little to further the story and only make these infamous bad guys boring as hell.
It also makes everything SO. FREAKING. REPETITIVE. As has been stated in other readers' reviews, Slave Ship is, in essence, a 100 page story compiled with 200 other pages of needless and useless review of the previous book. Had this book been published 5 or 6 years later after the first one, I could kind of get the repetition of themes and rehashing of ideas, but Slave Ship was published the exact same year as The Mandalorian Armor. There is no excuse for that amount of unnecessary repetitive narrative. Hell, there are like 5 or 6 chapters in this book that are almost carbon copies of the chapters from book 1. Xizor goes and talks to Darth Vader and the emperor for 20 long pages? Already done. Vader gets all pissy and chokes Xizor again? Yep, that was already covered in the first book. Was the numerous times that Neelah went on at length over and over again about how she watched Jabba dump that poor Twilek dancing girl in the Rancor pit not enough for you the first time through? Well, you're in luck cuz we get to read about it another half a dozen times. And, as an added bonus, we get to sit through 60 boring ass pages of Kuat of Kuat talking to other people about who the hell knows what?
And yet, even with all these negative things and the near glacial pacing of this book, the times I wanted to throw it across the room because Boba Fett would never shut the hell up, or Bossk continuously does stupid shit that he should know better than to do, there was something about Slave Ship that I actually kind of sort of enjoyed. Maybe it was the lack of the normal Star Wars staple characters. Maybe it was because there was little talk of the Force, or the much written Rebels vs Imperials dynamic. Maybe it was because, though it's boring, and slow and lacks a lot of excitement that we've all come to expect from the Star Wars world, it was just different and unique enough to keep me reading. I don't know. Whatever the case, though Slave Ship isn't perfect, it's somewhat forgettable and it's not as good as its predecessor, there's still something about it worth reading and worth your time.
August 23, 2018
After being so disappointed with the first book in this series, I went into the second book with lowered expectations. It helped at the start -- it felt like it was a little bit better -- but by the first third of the book, it felt like I was reading the first book all over again. It wasn't engaging, and I felt myself lucky if I were reading twenty pages a day.
Like the first book, Slave Ship flips between two timelines, one during the events of The Empire Strikes Back, the rest about halfway into the events of Return of the Jedi. This time, I at least recognized that Jeter was using a framing device by having Dengar telling Neelah what happened in the past. I don't remember that being the structure in the first novel, but as long as it took to get through it, and as hard as it was for me to pay attention to it, I could have just missed it.
Also, by this book, the Bounty Hunters Guild has been disbanded, which was news to me. Did it happen in the first book and I just missed it? (I'm willing to admit this is likely the case.) Or is it like the Clone Wars and it happened between entries in the series? Now, don't think that you won't know this is the case, though; Jeter tells us over and over again that it's been disbanded, thanks to Boba Fett. It's sort of like "With great power comes great responsibility" in Spider-Man: You're going to hear it again and again and again.
Jeter still has some cool, cyberpunky ideas, which are rarely seen in the Expanded Universe, so I think it's refreshing to see them here, but he doesn't do much with those ideas. His characters are flat, the plot seems forced, and he uses a lot of info-dumps. His action scenes are also flat, and since there are a few battles that take place, that's unfortunate.
Speaking of characters, that of Boba Fett feels off. I know he's supposed to be a ruthless character, but Jeter makes him this emotionless, manipulative character who doesn't quite gel with how I perceive him from the movies. Ruthless is one thing, but sociopathic is a little different. Plus, we never get any of Fett's point of view, so we never know what his motivations are. I'm sure that's intentional -- Fett has always been a mysterious character -- but as much as he's featured on the covers and summaries of the books, I expected a bit more attention paid to his character.
So, I'm going to finish the series (I've come this far, and I've already committed to reading all the EU books, for good or ill), but the second book hasn't given me any reason to change my mind on its quality. I'm tempted to just read the Wookieepedia entry for the third book so I can jump ahead, but I'm a slave to my projects. I won't expect it will change my mind about the series, though.
Like the first book, Slave Ship flips between two timelines, one during the events of The Empire Strikes Back, the rest about halfway into the events of Return of the Jedi. This time, I at least recognized that Jeter was using a framing device by having Dengar telling Neelah what happened in the past. I don't remember that being the structure in the first novel, but as long as it took to get through it, and as hard as it was for me to pay attention to it, I could have just missed it.
Also, by this book, the Bounty Hunters Guild has been disbanded, which was news to me. Did it happen in the first book and I just missed it? (I'm willing to admit this is likely the case.) Or is it like the Clone Wars and it happened between entries in the series? Now, don't think that you won't know this is the case, though; Jeter tells us over and over again that it's been disbanded, thanks to Boba Fett. It's sort of like "With great power comes great responsibility" in Spider-Man: You're going to hear it again and again and again.
Jeter still has some cool, cyberpunky ideas, which are rarely seen in the Expanded Universe, so I think it's refreshing to see them here, but he doesn't do much with those ideas. His characters are flat, the plot seems forced, and he uses a lot of info-dumps. His action scenes are also flat, and since there are a few battles that take place, that's unfortunate.
Speaking of characters, that of Boba Fett feels off. I know he's supposed to be a ruthless character, but Jeter makes him this emotionless, manipulative character who doesn't quite gel with how I perceive him from the movies. Ruthless is one thing, but sociopathic is a little different. Plus, we never get any of Fett's point of view, so we never know what his motivations are. I'm sure that's intentional -- Fett has always been a mysterious character -- but as much as he's featured on the covers and summaries of the books, I expected a bit more attention paid to his character.
So, I'm going to finish the series (I've come this far, and I've already committed to reading all the EU books, for good or ill), but the second book hasn't given me any reason to change my mind on its quality. I'm tempted to just read the Wookieepedia entry for the third book so I can jump ahead, but I'm a slave to my projects. I won't expect it will change my mind about the series, though.
December 24, 2024
My Reading Log
Plot Summary
Slave Ship by K.W. Jeter is the second installment in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, continuing the gritty tale of Boba Fett’s survival and dominance in the galaxy’s underworld. The story alternates between past and present timelines, exploring Fett’s betrayal of the Bounty Hunters� Guild and his current quest to thwart the schemes of Prince Xizor and the Black Sun syndicate. Meanwhile, tensions rise within the Guild as Bossk vies for control, and Kuat of Kuat manipulates events from the shadows. With layers of intrigue and action, the novel delves deeper into themes of loyalty, ambition, and the cost of power.
Characters
Boba Fett - The unyielding bounty hunter at the center of the action, navigating dangerous alliances and deadly foes.
Dengar - Fett’s uneasy ally, continuing to assist him while questioning his own role in Fett’s schemes.
Neelah - The mysterious woman with no memory, determined to uncover her past and how it connects to Fett.
Kuat of Kuat - The enigmatic ruler of the Kuat Drive Yards, pulling strings to protect his empire from the chaos.
Bossk - A rival bounty hunter, seeking to seize power within the fractured Bounty Hunters� Guild.
Cradossk - Former leader of the Guild, whose influence lingers despite his weakening position.
Prince Xizor - The cunning leader of Black Sun, orchestrating a larger plot that threatens Fett and others.
The Bounty Hunters� Guild - The backdrop of the power struggle between rival factions and individuals.
Quotes
"In the end, it’s not who has the most power, but who knows how to wield it." � Boba Fett
"The Guild is only as strong as its secrets, and secrets are a bounty all their own." � Bossk
"Every alliance has a price, and survival is the highest currency." � Neelah
Plot Summary
Slave Ship by K.W. Jeter is the second installment in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, continuing the gritty tale of Boba Fett’s survival and dominance in the galaxy’s underworld. The story alternates between past and present timelines, exploring Fett’s betrayal of the Bounty Hunters� Guild and his current quest to thwart the schemes of Prince Xizor and the Black Sun syndicate. Meanwhile, tensions rise within the Guild as Bossk vies for control, and Kuat of Kuat manipulates events from the shadows. With layers of intrigue and action, the novel delves deeper into themes of loyalty, ambition, and the cost of power.
Characters
Boba Fett - The unyielding bounty hunter at the center of the action, navigating dangerous alliances and deadly foes.
Dengar - Fett’s uneasy ally, continuing to assist him while questioning his own role in Fett’s schemes.
Neelah - The mysterious woman with no memory, determined to uncover her past and how it connects to Fett.
Kuat of Kuat - The enigmatic ruler of the Kuat Drive Yards, pulling strings to protect his empire from the chaos.
Bossk - A rival bounty hunter, seeking to seize power within the fractured Bounty Hunters� Guild.
Cradossk - Former leader of the Guild, whose influence lingers despite his weakening position.
Prince Xizor - The cunning leader of Black Sun, orchestrating a larger plot that threatens Fett and others.
The Bounty Hunters� Guild - The backdrop of the power struggle between rival factions and individuals.
Quotes
"In the end, it’s not who has the most power, but who knows how to wield it." � Boba Fett
"The Guild is only as strong as its secrets, and secrets are a bounty all their own." � Bossk
"Every alliance has a price, and survival is the highest currency." � Neelah
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2022
Stars: 2.5
Re-read: Probably. Depends on how the last book turns out.
Recommend to: Sort of the more hardcore SW fans. It has less appeal to casual fans than I previously thought during prior reads.
I had to go back and lower my rating after I wrote down this line: Jeter somehow made Prince Xizor, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine boring. It hard to believe that I could read a book and kind of sigh in resignation when I begin a scene with the three of them, because it felt so tedious. Part of the problem is that the core plot of this trilogy so far is laughably weak.
This was one of my favorite trilogies from the first two times reading it. I've been let down so far on the first two books on my third reading. So far it seems like the trilogy would be far better if it had been edited down to two. There is far too much repetition and meandering conversations that go on for way too long. There is far too little bounty hunting, and most of the time we read about the really slow moving plans of various parties as they slowly discuss various topics in vague ways for twenty pages at a time. The repetition gets extremely annoying as well. There will be times when allies will reiterate their plan I'm assuming only for the benefit of the reader. It is done in a very clumsy manner. Here is an example: Another incredibly annoying trait is
There were other annoyances. One that was mind boggling was that Boba Fett is surprised that Dengar knows who Bossk is. They are two of the most prominent bounty hunters in the galaxy.
This is after ESB where Dengar, Bossk, and Boba Fett were all tasked by Vader to capture Han Solo. They were standing almost right next to each other. I think there are only six bounty hunters in the scene, and Jeter somehow thinks that Boba Fett wouldn't remember that both Dengar and Bossk were there? Or maybe he just forgot about this scene? I think that may be worse. There are only a handful of scenes that actually have bounty hunters featured in the OT, and this scene is probably the most prominent. It boggles the mind that this got past Jeter and everyone who proofread the book.
The characters are still a mixed bag. I wish Disney would've read these books before making a Boba Fett show. Disney is an abomination though, so they're determined to take a vicious and ruthless character like Boba Fett and turn him into a stupid, ineffective, and bumbling fool who generally has instincts to...take care of other people and do right by them? What? Yeah, that's dumb. Jeter may make Fett a bit too omniscient, but that's far better than neutering him and completely changing his character. The other bounty hunters are unfortunately almost completely worthless.
The only other character that sticks out is Neelah. She was a mildly interesting character in the first book with a promising look towards future books. That's basically torn down in this one. Kuat of Kuat was decent, and his little string of scenes was one of the better parts of the book simply because something finally happened.
In the first book, it was always easy for me to follow the two separate timelines. I had a really hard time in this book.
Other things:
- Far too many people seem to know that Xizor is head of Black Sun for Vader and Palpatine not to know.
- Like four different people randomly bring up that they think there is about to be a big battle around Endor where the Empire is amassing a fleet. What? So it's basically common knowledge? What happened to all the bothans that died to get them that information? Why were the rebels surprised when the Imperial fleet shows up and traps them in ROTJ? Were they all unaware of what apparently every random creature in the galaxy knows? No, it's just laziness. It's like in the first book when everyone knew all about Skywalker's moisture farm and people like Kuat of Kuat knew about Ben Kenobi and I think even that he was a Jedi. It doesn't serve any purpose beyond a cheap way for Jeter to tie his product to the beloved OT.
-In a fit of madness, Jeter reveals that the past events being told are being relayed to Neelah via Dengar. There are countless things Dengar would have no way of knowing that have been described, not to mention the constant inner monologues and thoughts of various characters. So is all of that now just Dengar being theatrical? It was truly bizarre.
Re-read: Probably. Depends on how the last book turns out.
Recommend to: Sort of the more hardcore SW fans. It has less appeal to casual fans than I previously thought during prior reads.
I had to go back and lower my rating after I wrote down this line: Jeter somehow made Prince Xizor, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine boring. It hard to believe that I could read a book and kind of sigh in resignation when I begin a scene with the three of them, because it felt so tedious. Part of the problem is that the core plot of this trilogy so far is laughably weak.
This was one of my favorite trilogies from the first two times reading it. I've been let down so far on the first two books on my third reading. So far it seems like the trilogy would be far better if it had been edited down to two. There is far too much repetition and meandering conversations that go on for way too long. There is far too little bounty hunting, and most of the time we read about the really slow moving plans of various parties as they slowly discuss various topics in vague ways for twenty pages at a time. The repetition gets extremely annoying as well. There will be times when allies will reiterate their plan I'm assuming only for the benefit of the reader. It is done in a very clumsy manner. Here is an example: Another incredibly annoying trait is
There were other annoyances. One that was mind boggling was that Boba Fett is surprised that Dengar knows who Bossk is. They are two of the most prominent bounty hunters in the galaxy.
This is after ESB where Dengar, Bossk, and Boba Fett were all tasked by Vader to capture Han Solo. They were standing almost right next to each other. I think there are only six bounty hunters in the scene, and Jeter somehow thinks that Boba Fett wouldn't remember that both Dengar and Bossk were there? Or maybe he just forgot about this scene? I think that may be worse. There are only a handful of scenes that actually have bounty hunters featured in the OT, and this scene is probably the most prominent. It boggles the mind that this got past Jeter and everyone who proofread the book.
The characters are still a mixed bag. I wish Disney would've read these books before making a Boba Fett show. Disney is an abomination though, so they're determined to take a vicious and ruthless character like Boba Fett and turn him into a stupid, ineffective, and bumbling fool who generally has instincts to...take care of other people and do right by them? What? Yeah, that's dumb. Jeter may make Fett a bit too omniscient, but that's far better than neutering him and completely changing his character. The other bounty hunters are unfortunately almost completely worthless.
The only other character that sticks out is Neelah. She was a mildly interesting character in the first book with a promising look towards future books. That's basically torn down in this one. Kuat of Kuat was decent, and his little string of scenes was one of the better parts of the book simply because something finally happened.
In the first book, it was always easy for me to follow the two separate timelines. I had a really hard time in this book.
Other things:
- Far too many people seem to know that Xizor is head of Black Sun for Vader and Palpatine not to know.
- Like four different people randomly bring up that they think there is about to be a big battle around Endor where the Empire is amassing a fleet. What? So it's basically common knowledge? What happened to all the bothans that died to get them that information? Why were the rebels surprised when the Imperial fleet shows up and traps them in ROTJ? Were they all unaware of what apparently every random creature in the galaxy knows? No, it's just laziness. It's like in the first book when everyone knew all about Skywalker's moisture farm and people like Kuat of Kuat knew about Ben Kenobi and I think even that he was a Jedi. It doesn't serve any purpose beyond a cheap way for Jeter to tie his product to the beloved OT.
-In a fit of madness, Jeter reveals that the past events being told are being relayed to Neelah via Dengar. There are countless things Dengar would have no way of knowing that have been described, not to mention the constant inner monologues and thoughts of various characters. So is all of that now just Dengar being theatrical? It was truly bizarre.
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