Chapter By Chapter> Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire ch. 8

Chapter by Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.

Last time it was all action, except for Dash Rendar’s backstory. However, we left our heroes in the middle of their attack on an Imperial base they think Boba Fett is hanging at with the Carbonited Han Solo. Let’s see what happens in this installment.

We start…with more Xizor being a jerk. Because THAT’S what we were wanting. Not more of the space battle, or second team sneaking in under the radar. No, we needed to see Xizor using Guri to break up with a mistress seconds after he left her bed (the mistress, not Guri) because his pheromones made getting a date too easy. Then use some kind of inhibitor next time! Then it’s the gut-wrenching action of…deciding what to eat at a restaurant he partly owned, and finding spontaneity to be a refreshing change to ordering ahead. You know, I do understand going back and forth between action and other moments, but this does less for the plot that Vader’s scene last chapter, isn’t even exciting, and really doesn’t tell us anything about the posh douche that we didn’t already know or cared about. Let’s get back to the battle already!

See, that’s the back-and-forth we need. Luke and Rogue Squadron running their distraction while Dash leads the other party to the “backdoor” of the shipyards. One of the Rogues, Dix, gets shot down which snaps Luke back to the reality that this isn’t a fun trip but a serious battle, which is good. Luke isn’t perfect but he knows when to get his head out of those clouds Yoda was worried about now and then. Meanwhile, Dash leaves our heroes because he was only paid to be a guide, not to join in the battle, just as a squad of TIE fighters come to say hi. And they can see Fett’s ship is indeed there. This is more like it.

And I’m hoping chapter nine doesn’t start with the Emperor eating a piece of cake or something. Wait until this battle is over before looking at the people not involved, or at least connect what they’re doing to the attempt to rescue Han. Otherwise you’re keeping us from the part of the story we want to see. We’ll find out next week if Perry follows that advice.