Comments

After spending much of the last two books sulking over the death of Chewbacca, Han Solo finally jumps back into the driver's seat. The first half of the Agents of Chaos duology brings Han back into the storyline.

Han's position has been one of recovery and not so much of the old wry Han that we've all come to love. His suffering of loss, the terror of losing a loved one, and the anger towards his own son have brought Han to places he's never been. Sounds like a great set up for what's to come.

And for the most part it is....

As Han begins to confront his demons, the rest of the galaxy is still a bit up in the air. For Han it seems to be all about avenging his friend's death. He finds a way to help his cause and that of a friend in Roa. While I have nothing against Roa's character and don't necessarily think this is a bad way to go, I can't help but think that Han's redemption should be following a greater path than saving Roa and his wife.

But having said that, the point is to separate him from his comfort zone and also from those that have been at the cause of his despression. And as far as that goes, the quest for Roa and his wife will do the trick.

The other subplot (which of course eventually finds its way into the main one) is the Vong conspiracy to kill the Jedi by offering them information in the form of defectors. Elan and Vergere fill this role and their plot is well conceived, but unfortunately for them they never reach their target. And in one sense, it's unfortunate for us as well. A confrontation with her and a few Jedi may have been a good read.

These comments may sound like I'm second guessing the choices made, but really, things worked out very well as written. The finale with the different groups trying to attack/trick or who knows what was exciting and it's interesting to watch as other outside groups begin to get their hands involved in the outcome of the war.

Luke, Mara, Leia and her children are more or less sidelined for this one, but a few interesting points have come with them. The first being a reprieve for Mara and her disease. I suppose she is the most logicial to have been inflicted, but the old Mara was far more interesting to me. The second is the notion of the traitor being introduced.

Overall, like the two books before it, Hero's Trial is effective, but not one that really knocked it out of the park.

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