No hydrospanners needed to break down this book!
Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo Adventure
By Greg Rucka | Illustrations by Phil Noto
It is a period of civil war. The heroic freedom fighters of the REBEL ALLIANCE have won their most important victory thus far with the destruction of the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR.
But the Rebellion has no time to savor its victory. The evil Galactic Empire has recognized the threat the rebels pose, and is now searching the galaxy for any and all information that will lead to the final destruction of the freedom fighters.
For the MILLENNIUM FALCON’s crew, who saved the life of Luke Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin, their involvement with the rebels is at an end. Now HAN SOLO and CHEWBACCA hope to take their reward and settle some old debts. . . .
By Mike Audette // Greg Rucka’s Smuggler’s Run gives us the kind of Han Solo and Chewbacca story we’ve been looking for. It’s a brilliantly written adventure that showcases the charm, wit, brashness, and–more often than not–stupidity that has become synonymous with Han Solo. With the marketing for The Force Awakens seemingly being focused on Solo, this book serves a nice preview for what we could see in December.
Capturing the voice of Han Solo is something that does not come easy, but I can say for sure that Rucka was effective at doing so. While reading the book you will find that you can practically hear Harrison Ford’s voice echoing in your ears. Every sly remark, tongue-in-cheek question of authority, and cocky answer of bravado is so spot-on that you can’t but help smile. Thrown into no-win scenarios at every turn, Solo shows just what kind of gambler he’s come to be known as.
Rucka does a great job portraying the kind of camaraderie that exists between Solo and Chewbacca. The way he writes their dialogue without explaining what Chewie is saying is something that brings the reader into the story. Just as in the Original Trilogy, the Millennium Falcon becomes its own separate character. The descriptions of how the two co-pilots have modified every nook and cranny of the ship echoes what we’ve learned from the films–and presumes that we’ll see more in the Sequel Trilogy.
Introducing us to a few new characters and locations is what makes this book fit right into the Star Wars universe. Two of these characters do the job of expanding the growing number of new female characters in the new canon. Imperial ISB agent Beck, physically imposing with her cybernetic eye and full-faced length scar, as well as ship captain and bartender Delia Leighton, are awesome additions to the universe. They both seem to have history without us actually knowing each and every detail. I would definitely like to see either of them get included into some of the new stories going forward.
Overall, Smuggler’s Run is a great self-contained story that gives us some fun character moments, nice story details, and expands the universe in a positive way.
