Star Wars: Last Shot review
There aren’t enough well written scoundrels in our lives, but Daniel José Older depicts what may well be the best portrayal of Han Solo outside of the movies
Han Solo, everyone’s favourite scoundrel, is a very difficult character to write for. Solo: A Star Wars Story looks like it may suffer from that problem, and arguably it’s down to Harrison Ford that many of Solo’s great lines came off in the movies. But Older, in Star Wars: Last Shot, has proved that he’s up to the challenge of portraying Han as a likeable smuggler with a lot of depth. Throw in Han’s feelings towards being a father too, and Last Shot becomes a must-read for all Solo fans.
The story takes place over three timelines: Han’s past, Lando’s past, and the present day (2 years after the battle on Jakku). Instead of having big chunks of narrative from one time and then moving on (Lord of the Rings style) Older seamlessly entwines the three different plot points. After finishing one chapter, the narrative shifts, and it’s done for a reason: to provide more background information from before, or to see what impact the events of the past had on the present day. The story unfolds at a steady pace and is packaged well.
Don’t expect to be blown away by the story though. It’s fun and enjoyable, but nothing special. It revolves around Fyzen Gor, a Pau'an gangster who aims to take control of all droids in the galaxy and create an uprising. There’s not too much reason given as to why he wishes to do this, and it would have been nice for more of a tie-in with a criminal organization that has already been heavily featured in the Canon-texts. Lando, however, does feel a deep connection to Gor’s plan: he has made part of his fortune through droid manufacturing and feels responsible for what they could do.
Lando is presented as suave and confident, but his character is not as well captured as Han’s is. In a pretty surprising addition, throughout the novel he develops deep feelings for a beautiful Twi’lek named Kaasha Bateen, who played a pivotal role in the Free Ryloth Movement. And, of course, Chewie is included in Older’s story, but little information is given about his life back on Kashyyyk, before he joins with Han once more.
From the very first reunion of Lando and Han, where Lando punches his best friend in the nose, it’s clear that Older knows how to write for Han Solo’s character. This is the driving force in what is a fun, but shallow story. Don’t expect a page-turning plot from Last Shot, but if you’re looking one last run from Solo, Chewie and Lando, then this is the book for you!
Hopefully Most Wanted, released on May 25th, manages to present Solo as well as Last Shot did.