Matthew Stover’s 2008 novel, Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, takes place after Return of the Jedi, following the Expanded Universe novels The Truce at Bakura and the Jedi Prince series, specifically Prophets of the Dark Side. Stover described his intent as seeking to evoke Alan Dean Foster’s Star Wars novels like Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and Brian Daley’s Han Solo series. Though Stover wrote following the conclusion of the Prequel Trilogy (he also wrote the novelization of Revenge of the Sith), the tone and style of his work easily recalls the Bantam era of Star Wars novels that began in 1991 with Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy and concluded in 1999 with X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar.

Stover’s novel features Luke Skywalker toward the end of his military career following the destruction of the Second Death Star, where he finds himself struggling with the legend that has built up around him (pg. 21). A mission comes up to travel to Mindor, a planet in an unstable system following the Empire’s gravity experiments, where a new warlord calling himself Lord Shadowspawn is raising a fleet. Stover incorporates elements from the prequels, with some surviving Clone Troopers forming the core of Shadowspawn’s army as they retain their original programming (pgs. 35-36). As Luke investigates Shadowspawn’s base on Mindor, he realizes that the new warlord is a former Emperor’s Hand code-named Blackhole, though that is but one of this new threat’s identities as he was also Lord Cronal, the director of Imperial Intelligence (pg. 132). Luke reckons with the nature of the Force as well as his own legacy, deciding where he can be of most benefit to the New Republic.

As a villain, Cronal neatly fits the model of Imperial warlords that characterized the Bantam era of books. Stover works to develop the relationship between Han Solo and Princess Leia, portraying it in a fashion that nicely foreshadows where they are at the beginning of the Thrawn Trilogy while also exploring Leia’s Force potential. Stover similarly works to portray Lando Calrissian at a point between Return of the Jedi and Heir to the Empire, including a reference to where Lando got the idea for the Shieldships he uses in the Thrawn Trilogy (pg. 254). Stover includes references to the final Jedi Prince book, Prophets of the Dark Side, both in exploring Cronal’s history (pg. 135) and with a reference to the phrase, “Emperor’s black bones,” which members of the Imperial remnant used as a curse throughout the Jedi Prince series (pg. 91). Finally, Stover works in a nice winking reference about Mara Jade for his readers (pg. 311). Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor neatly bridges the Bantam and Del Rey Star Wars novels and tells a solid adventure story guaranteed to entertain fans. ( )

This SW book was a bit heavier in the technical and science-based aspects than I am used to (which is a fault of my abilities perhaps rather than the book!) So for me, it was a bit harder to lose myself in the book as I often can with a good SW novel. ( )

soon after the Empire has fallen. A shadowy figure returns to reunite the empire. But it turns out he has some power to transfer his consciousness and he wants to trap Luke and take him over. Overall, this was on the level of The Crystal Star. It was just not on the same level as Stover's other StarWars books and that was very disappointing. It was more like reading some melodramatic play or something. ( )

Luke investigating his own war crimes and criticizing his own propaganda? SIGN ME UP FOR A TEN BOOK SERIES.

Why no Leia POV? WHY NO LEIA POV ( )

Luke investigating his own war crimes and criticizing his own propaganda? SIGN ME UP FOR A TEN BOOK SERIES.

Why no Leia POV? WHY NO LEIA POV ( )