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Star Wars: Tales #5
Star Wars: Tales from the New Republic
Written by some of today's leading science fiction writers, these tales sweep us into a world where the only laws are cunning, force, and power--and only the bravest, craziest, and deadliest dare to tread. Here mercs and smugglers, gangsters and warriors fight toe to toe, side by side, and behind each other's backs in the backwaters of a universe ripped apart by war.
On Zelos II a man and a woman are held prisoner in a dark cell, each fighting in their own way for survival at the hands of Imperial captors--and a chance for escape that could cost one of them their life. On the tortured landscape of Ryloth, Fenig Nabon awaits a ship of women warriors to complete a dangerous deal: the smuggling of a troupe of dancers to the homeworld of the Hutts--only to get more than she bargained for. And in a stunning novella written especially for this collection by Hugo Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole, Senator Garm Bel Iblis, believed dead at the hands of an Imperial assassin, teams up with Hal Horn in a duel against the Empire's most dangerous agent. At stake are the plans for a terrifying new weapon called the Death Star--and the fate of both the Empire and the New Republic.
Including these stories of intergalactic derring-do:
"Interlude at Darkknell" by Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole
"Jade Solitaire" by Timothy Zahn
"Gathering Shadows" by Kathy Burdette
"Hutt and Seek" by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
"The Longest Fall" by Patricia A. Jackson
"Conflict of Interest" by Laurie Burns
"No Disintegrations, Please" by Paul Danner
"Day of the Sepulchral Night" by Jean Rabe
"Uhl Eharl Khoehng" by Patricia A. Jackson
"The Last Hand" by Paul Danner
"Simple Tricks" by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
On Zelos II a man and a woman are held prisoner in a dark cell, each fighting in their own way for survival at the hands of Imperial captors--and a chance for escape that could cost one of them their life. On the tortured landscape of Ryloth, Fenig Nabon awaits a ship of women warriors to complete a dangerous deal: the smuggling of a troupe of dancers to the homeworld of the Hutts--only to get more than she bargained for. And in a stunning novella written especially for this collection by Hugo Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole, Senator Garm Bel Iblis, believed dead at the hands of an Imperial assassin, teams up with Hal Horn in a duel against the Empire's most dangerous agent. At stake are the plans for a terrifying new weapon called the Death Star--and the fate of both the Empire and the New Republic.
Including these stories of intergalactic derring-do:
"Interlude at Darkknell" by Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole
"Jade Solitaire" by Timothy Zahn
"Gathering Shadows" by Kathy Burdette
"Hutt and Seek" by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
"The Longest Fall" by Patricia A. Jackson
"Conflict of Interest" by Laurie Burns
"No Disintegrations, Please" by Paul Danner
"Day of the Sepulchral Night" by Jean Rabe
"Uhl Eharl Khoehng" by Patricia A. Jackson
"The Last Hand" by Paul Danner
"Simple Tricks" by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
397 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1999
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1805 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
November 7, 2020
Some great stories about Mara Jade, Darth Vader and Kyp Durron.
August 12, 2016
I felt like this was my least favorite of the "Tales" anthologies. Similar to the "Empire" one, the stories here didn't all relate to the New Republic; even the Zahn/Stackpole one takes place prior to ANH. Some were with the Rebellion; others were with the NR.
That wasn't my biggest gripe though. In about 1/4 of the stories, the characters were bland. I found myself losing interest with even some stories that weren't bland. I'd give it a 3.5 stars, and at first I felt the negative brings this down, but Zahn, Stackpole, Cassidy, and Pahl really make this anthology awesome.
The largest saving grace of this book is the five-section short story Interlude at Darkknell by Zahn and Stackpole, which focuses on Garm Bel Iblis, Hal Horn, and both Isards. Bel Iblis' family is killed and he heads on a mission to get something that the reader knows relates to the Death Star plans. It's something that would fit pretty well in the NEU.
Hal is after a thief named Moranda who commits what she feels is a petty theft but turns out to be one of the plans. Ysanne is sent by her father after the plans, and ropes Hal into aiding her.
The end showed very well how Armand trusts his daughter and his expectations for her.
Gathering Shadows: This focuses on the living dead on Zelos. I like the idea of worms animating bodies over the bioweapons in the novels by Joe Schroeder. Talk about creepy!
Hutt and Seek & Simple Tricks: These were the other saving graces of the book. I love seeing Shada Dukal and Fen Nabon again. There was great chemistry (both positive and negative) between all the characters. In the first, I really like how the news about Leia-Han-Isolder was written in. In the second, I love how Fen helps Kyp hate himself just a bit less.
No Disintegrations Please: I'm too fond that the story jumped between points of view so often, but it works with the fact that it was a story being told by a character. I do like how there was more of Fett.
Uhl Eharl Khoehng: I have no clue what the hell I just read. I'm appalled that such a fanfic-type story was so long and included in this. Now, I understand this anthology was published before TPM, so the stories were all definitely written prior to the prequels. However, for being written so "late" in the EU publications, this was a disaster. I was bored, confused, and cringed at the fact that there are Jedi all over the damn place when IN THE OT IT IS OBVIOUS THERE WERE NOT MANY JEDI. This was a wreck, better suited for fanfic.net (or whatever fanfic arenas were around in the late 1990s).
That wasn't my biggest gripe though. In about 1/4 of the stories, the characters were bland. I found myself losing interest with even some stories that weren't bland. I'd give it a 3.5 stars, and at first I felt the negative brings this down, but Zahn, Stackpole, Cassidy, and Pahl really make this anthology awesome.
The largest saving grace of this book is the five-section short story Interlude at Darkknell by Zahn and Stackpole, which focuses on Garm Bel Iblis, Hal Horn, and both Isards. Bel Iblis' family is killed and he heads on a mission to get something that the reader knows relates to the Death Star plans. It's something that would fit pretty well in the NEU.
Hal is after a thief named Moranda who commits what she feels is a petty theft but turns out to be one of the plans. Ysanne is sent by her father after the plans, and ropes Hal into aiding her.
The end showed very well how Armand trusts his daughter and his expectations for her.
Gathering Shadows: This focuses on the living dead on Zelos. I like the idea of worms animating bodies over the bioweapons in the novels by Joe Schroeder. Talk about creepy!
Hutt and Seek & Simple Tricks: These were the other saving graces of the book. I love seeing Shada Dukal and Fen Nabon again. There was great chemistry (both positive and negative) between all the characters. In the first, I really like how the news about Leia-Han-Isolder was written in. In the second, I love how Fen helps Kyp hate himself just a bit less.
No Disintegrations Please: I'm too fond that the story jumped between points of view so often, but it works with the fact that it was a story being told by a character. I do like how there was more of Fett.
Uhl Eharl Khoehng: I have no clue what the hell I just read. I'm appalled that such a fanfic-type story was so long and included in this. Now, I understand this anthology was published before TPM, so the stories were all definitely written prior to the prequels. However, for being written so "late" in the EU publications, this was a disaster. I was bored, confused, and cringed at the fact that there are Jedi all over the damn place when IN THE OT IT IS OBVIOUS THERE WERE NOT MANY JEDI. This was a wreck, better suited for fanfic.net (or whatever fanfic arenas were around in the late 1990s).
January 20, 2021
Short story collections are always mixed bags, but when you mix in the Star Wars universe, it gets even ... mixier? Maybe it's just worse. It's a rare thing for me to find a book in the EU that is written with emotion and character. They usually focus more on ideas, and these collections have stories that never get going enough to pull them together. They all feel very obvious and amateurish. Even the Zahn stories here were plodding and barely engaging. In one of the stories, the main character has his entire family die, and he treats it like it was no more worrisome than stepping in dog doo.
On the bright side, this is the last of the collections in the old canon. At least now I can focus on the novels again.
On the bright side, this is the last of the collections in the old canon. At least now I can focus on the novels again.
July 11, 2020
This JUST (and only JUST) makes it to three stars; it has all of the same problems as "Tales From the Empire" -- stories that simply did nothing to interest me, and included stories set OUTSIDE of the labelled time period. Luckily, this collection opens with a Zahn/Stackpole trilogy that is much more entertaining than their effort in "Tales From the Empire", and Zahn then follows up with a kick-ass Mara Jade story that puts everything else around it in the shade. That -- and only that -- lifts this collection to a higher rating.
November 22, 2017
A mixture of good,great and fantastic stories.
February 19, 2025
Some really good legacy Star Wars stories. Some more fully developed than a couple others. Overall, very fun to read.
January 2, 2022
A fun read that spans the outskirts of the Star Wars universe. Tales of smugglers, gamblers, bounty hunters and Jedi that help fill in the world of the franchise even more.
December 28, 2020
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: the fifth Tales collection, Tales from the New Republic, edited by Peter Schweighofer and Craig Carey.
SOME HISTORY:
The Star Wars Adventure Journal was published by West End Games between 1994 and 1997, and ran for fifteen volumes until financial problems forced West End Games to give up the license to publish further Star Wars material. The weird thing behind West End Games’ bankruptcy is that the owner's poor choice to siphon money from West End Games into his failing shoe company led to both of the companies declaring bankruptcy. Tales from the New Republic features eleven stories that either appeared in past issues of the Adventure Journal, were meant to appear in volumes sixteen or seventeen, or were created especially for this collection. And like in the previous volume, the authors are a combination of Star Wars regulars and fan writers.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
As with the previous volume, I don’t believe I ever read this Tales collection. Most of the stories were unfamiliar to me, and while I did know some details of the others, I suspect that it’s just leftover knowledge from Wookieepedia rabbit holes.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
If you’ve never read an issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, this collection serves as a glimpse into what it was like: a combination of pro and fan writers, writing about original characters and new planets that originated in roleplaying supplements. And it begins with another novella by Zahn and Stackpole, written specifically for this collection.
THE STORIES:
Interlude at Darknell by Timothy Zahn (Parts One and Four) and Michael A. Stackpole (Parts Two and Three)
Explains many things: why people thought that Garm Bel Iblis was dead, how the Rebels first became aware of the Death Star, and how Ysanne Isard eliminated her father. That's a lot to tackle in four chapters, but I thought that Zahn and Stackpole did a pretty good job. I liked seeing Moranda Savich and Hal Horn again, but the standout character for me was Bel Iblis. He loses his entire family in an assassination attempt, before he can hash things out with his wife. He's now completely enmeshed with the Rebel Alliance, like it or not.
"Jade Solitaire" by Timothy Zahn
This story was supposed to appear in volume 17 of the Star Wars Adventure Journal. Zahn gives us the backstory behind the acquisition of Mara’s ship, the Jade’s Fire, which clearly places this before the Corellian trilogy. Mara has come a long way since the Thrawn trilogy, and it was nice to see her complete loyalty to Karrde and his people as well as her slowly-improving Force skills.
"Gathering Shadows" by Kathy Burdette
This story was meant to appear in volume 16 of the Adventure Journal. There’s a lot going on here (zombies, secret Imperial bases), but I liked Burdette’s portrayal of our two main characters, Jai and Harkness. I was confused at first about where this fell in the timeline: the Battle of Endor happened two months ago, and the Alliance has already become the New Republic? But that change happened one month after Endor so it works.
"Hutt and Seek" by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
This story was also meant to appear in volume 16 of the Adventure Journal. I enjoyed getting to see Shada D’ukal again, and Fen Nabon was an interesting viewpoint character. Ghitsa’s obsession with tabloid news also lets you pinpoint this story precisely to during The Courtship of Princess Leia. (One quibble: Coruscantan? I thought it was Coruscanti, but maybe that’s just the accepted fanfic term.)
"The Longest Fall" by Patricia A. Jackson
My main criticism here is that Jackson’s writing style is absurdly overwrought. At least this one was short!
"Conflict of Interest" by Laurie Burns
I liked Selby’s realization that the people on Verkuyl were noticeably worse off before the arrival of the Empire (predatory company stores), and that the New Republic does have ulterior motives in trying to gain control of that world. This is the kind of moral/ethical nuance I like to consider in Star Wars.
"No Disintegrations, Please" by Paul Danner
The writing style was a little adjective-heavy (not as bad as Jackson, though), but I enjoyed both Boba Fett decimating an Imperial base as well as the Storyteller outsmarting Fett and earning his respect.
"Day of the Sepulchral Night" by Jean Rabe
Basically just Weequays on vacation.
"Uhl Eharl Khoehng" by Patricia A. Jackson
Jackson and I just don’t click. I have a soft spot for purple prose, but her writing is more like blazing neon purple. It’s way too dramatic and adjective-heavy and needlessly verbose. (Also, we have THREE separate Jedi--light or dark or otherwise--running around in this story, which strains the suspension of my disbelief.)
“The Last Hand” by Paul Danner
A young man wants to buy a lightsaber, falls in with an old gambler who’s miraculously still alive, and gets promised training from a ghost Jedi Master at the end. Eh, OK?
“Simple Tricks” by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
Another story with Fen and her partner Ghitsa. I loved the cameo appearance of Kyp Durron, and how Cassidy and Pahl dealt with him. Fen is really upset that Kyp committed genocide and got away with it; Kyp himself is struggling with his role as a Jedi and how he can atone for his actions.
ISSUES:
Once again, I’m left wondering why this collection was titled Tales from the New Republic? “Interlude at Darkknell” was set before the Battle of Yavin; Jackson’s stories seemed to be set during some amorphous period during the original trilogy; but other stories (like Zahn’s and Cassidy and Pahl’s) were very clearly set after the Battle of Endor. The title seemed to be chosen for its similarity to the previous collection’s naming convention rather than because of any unifying theme. (Compared to the first three Tales collections, this does make it harder to place these stories within the timeline.)
There are far too many Jedi running through these stories: this is especially noticeable with Jackson, but there also was inexplicable Jedi activity in Paul Danner’s “The Last Hand” as well. I know these were written before the prequel trilogy, but Jedi aren’t abundant in the original trilogy either..
Quality was variable; completely understandable when most of the authors are amateurs rather than professionals. As I said in my review of Tales from the Empire, I loved that the writers here were professors or lawyers or students, and solely writing from a love of Star Wars.
IN CONCLUSION:
Zahn and Stackpole’s novella, Zahn’s story about Mara Jade, and Chris Cassidy & Tish Pahl’s two stories are worth seeking out. The others feel less important. But if you are also interested in diving into more of the Star Wars Adventure Journal (volume 14 features a short story by Barbara Hambly about Callista solving a murder mystery on Gamorr), you’ll be glad to hear that pretty much everything West End Games produced is now available online.
I hope you have a happy holiday season! I’ll hopefully be jumping back into this reread in February with the first of the New Jedi Order books, Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/5Or4FNcRt48
This week’s focus: the fifth Tales collection, Tales from the New Republic, edited by Peter Schweighofer and Craig Carey.
SOME HISTORY:
The Star Wars Adventure Journal was published by West End Games between 1994 and 1997, and ran for fifteen volumes until financial problems forced West End Games to give up the license to publish further Star Wars material. The weird thing behind West End Games’ bankruptcy is that the owner's poor choice to siphon money from West End Games into his failing shoe company led to both of the companies declaring bankruptcy. Tales from the New Republic features eleven stories that either appeared in past issues of the Adventure Journal, were meant to appear in volumes sixteen or seventeen, or were created especially for this collection. And like in the previous volume, the authors are a combination of Star Wars regulars and fan writers.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
As with the previous volume, I don’t believe I ever read this Tales collection. Most of the stories were unfamiliar to me, and while I did know some details of the others, I suspect that it’s just leftover knowledge from Wookieepedia rabbit holes.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
If you’ve never read an issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, this collection serves as a glimpse into what it was like: a combination of pro and fan writers, writing about original characters and new planets that originated in roleplaying supplements. And it begins with another novella by Zahn and Stackpole, written specifically for this collection.
THE STORIES:
Interlude at Darknell by Timothy Zahn (Parts One and Four) and Michael A. Stackpole (Parts Two and Three)
Explains many things: why people thought that Garm Bel Iblis was dead, how the Rebels first became aware of the Death Star, and how Ysanne Isard eliminated her father. That's a lot to tackle in four chapters, but I thought that Zahn and Stackpole did a pretty good job. I liked seeing Moranda Savich and Hal Horn again, but the standout character for me was Bel Iblis. He loses his entire family in an assassination attempt, before he can hash things out with his wife. He's now completely enmeshed with the Rebel Alliance, like it or not.
"Jade Solitaire" by Timothy Zahn
This story was supposed to appear in volume 17 of the Star Wars Adventure Journal. Zahn gives us the backstory behind the acquisition of Mara’s ship, the Jade’s Fire, which clearly places this before the Corellian trilogy. Mara has come a long way since the Thrawn trilogy, and it was nice to see her complete loyalty to Karrde and his people as well as her slowly-improving Force skills.
"Gathering Shadows" by Kathy Burdette
This story was meant to appear in volume 16 of the Adventure Journal. There’s a lot going on here (zombies, secret Imperial bases), but I liked Burdette’s portrayal of our two main characters, Jai and Harkness. I was confused at first about where this fell in the timeline: the Battle of Endor happened two months ago, and the Alliance has already become the New Republic? But that change happened one month after Endor so it works.
"Hutt and Seek" by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
This story was also meant to appear in volume 16 of the Adventure Journal. I enjoyed getting to see Shada D’ukal again, and Fen Nabon was an interesting viewpoint character. Ghitsa’s obsession with tabloid news also lets you pinpoint this story precisely to during The Courtship of Princess Leia. (One quibble: Coruscantan? I thought it was Coruscanti, but maybe that’s just the accepted fanfic term.)
"The Longest Fall" by Patricia A. Jackson
My main criticism here is that Jackson’s writing style is absurdly overwrought. At least this one was short!
"Conflict of Interest" by Laurie Burns
I liked Selby’s realization that the people on Verkuyl were noticeably worse off before the arrival of the Empire (predatory company stores), and that the New Republic does have ulterior motives in trying to gain control of that world. This is the kind of moral/ethical nuance I like to consider in Star Wars.
"No Disintegrations, Please" by Paul Danner
The writing style was a little adjective-heavy (not as bad as Jackson, though), but I enjoyed both Boba Fett decimating an Imperial base as well as the Storyteller outsmarting Fett and earning his respect.
"Day of the Sepulchral Night" by Jean Rabe
Basically just Weequays on vacation.
"Uhl Eharl Khoehng" by Patricia A. Jackson
Jackson and I just don’t click. I have a soft spot for purple prose, but her writing is more like blazing neon purple. It’s way too dramatic and adjective-heavy and needlessly verbose. (Also, we have THREE separate Jedi--light or dark or otherwise--running around in this story, which strains the suspension of my disbelief.)
“The Last Hand” by Paul Danner
A young man wants to buy a lightsaber, falls in with an old gambler who’s miraculously still alive, and gets promised training from a ghost Jedi Master at the end. Eh, OK?
“Simple Tricks” by Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl
Another story with Fen and her partner Ghitsa. I loved the cameo appearance of Kyp Durron, and how Cassidy and Pahl dealt with him. Fen is really upset that Kyp committed genocide and got away with it; Kyp himself is struggling with his role as a Jedi and how he can atone for his actions.
ISSUES:
Once again, I’m left wondering why this collection was titled Tales from the New Republic? “Interlude at Darkknell” was set before the Battle of Yavin; Jackson’s stories seemed to be set during some amorphous period during the original trilogy; but other stories (like Zahn’s and Cassidy and Pahl’s) were very clearly set after the Battle of Endor. The title seemed to be chosen for its similarity to the previous collection’s naming convention rather than because of any unifying theme. (Compared to the first three Tales collections, this does make it harder to place these stories within the timeline.)
There are far too many Jedi running through these stories: this is especially noticeable with Jackson, but there also was inexplicable Jedi activity in Paul Danner’s “The Last Hand” as well. I know these were written before the prequel trilogy, but Jedi aren’t abundant in the original trilogy either..
Quality was variable; completely understandable when most of the authors are amateurs rather than professionals. As I said in my review of Tales from the Empire, I loved that the writers here were professors or lawyers or students, and solely writing from a love of Star Wars.
IN CONCLUSION:
Zahn and Stackpole’s novella, Zahn’s story about Mara Jade, and Chris Cassidy & Tish Pahl’s two stories are worth seeking out. The others feel less important. But if you are also interested in diving into more of the Star Wars Adventure Journal (volume 14 features a short story by Barbara Hambly about Callista solving a murder mystery on Gamorr), you’ll be glad to hear that pretty much everything West End Games produced is now available online.
I hope you have a happy holiday season! I’ll hopefully be jumping back into this reread in February with the first of the New Jedi Order books, Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/5Or4FNcRt48
July 7, 2015
This was truly a great collection of Star Wars short fiction. Each story is totally different, and yet forms a whole, of life in the Star Wars Galaxy.
Interlude at Darkknell: By Tim Zahn and Mike Stackpole, this one delivers. It is the big draw to the whole book, and lives up to that. We get to learn more about Hal Horn and Gen. Bel Iblis, against the background of some major galactic events. Good characters and some great tying together of loose threads. (similer to the Zahn/Stackpole in Tales from the Empire)
Jade Soliaire: Zahn really has some fun with this one, showing the infamous Mara Jade in action. While there are some tie ins with other stories in the universe (Hand of Thrawn especially), it stands alone by and large. Well written, and a fast read.
Gathering Shadows: Kathy Burdette does a great job with this one, showing the very real effects of tourture and imprisonment, with a healthy dose of doubt and disillousionment thrown in. Kind of heavey reading, but very emotional and well done.
Hutt and Seek/ Simple Tricks: Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl, two non-fiction writer SW nuts, pull it off. These two stories feature Fenig Nabon and her partner in crime Ghitsa Dogder, as they swindel denizens of the Galaxy. These two stories are pure fun, but offer an interesting look into the galaxy. Simple tricks has some great scenes with Kyp revealing the depth of his anguish for destroying Carida. Well done ladies.
The Longest Fall/Uhl Eharl Khoehng: Patricia A Jackson is a Dark Jedi Nut. Both of these stories feature Dark Jedi she created. While I am sick of Dark Jedi popping up whenever you kick a rock these days, these are good stories. While the Longest Fall is not really my cup of tea, it is a bit obvious, Uhl Eharl Khoehng is a great story. It comes back to the Dark Jedi and family featured in her story from Tales from the Empier. The Emotion and writing is GOOD in this one.
No Disitegrations, Please:
Paul Danner scores with this story, featuring the only movie character in the ENTIRE book, Boba Fett. It follows Fett as he battles an Imperial garrison for a bounty. Nice to really see Fett in major action.
The other stories are- Conflict of Interest, a nice one about the morality of the individuals and their respective govornments, Day of the Sepulchral Night, an interesting exposition on Weequays, and The Last Hand, a really nice story about a great gambler with a big heart, who (gasp!) is not Lando. I would be remiss if I did not commend Paul Youl for his wonderful cover, one of his best. (I still prefer the Bacta War cover) This book is 5/5, even better than its companion.
Interlude at Darkknell: By Tim Zahn and Mike Stackpole, this one delivers. It is the big draw to the whole book, and lives up to that. We get to learn more about Hal Horn and Gen. Bel Iblis, against the background of some major galactic events. Good characters and some great tying together of loose threads. (similer to the Zahn/Stackpole in Tales from the Empire)
Jade Soliaire: Zahn really has some fun with this one, showing the infamous Mara Jade in action. While there are some tie ins with other stories in the universe (Hand of Thrawn especially), it stands alone by and large. Well written, and a fast read.
Gathering Shadows: Kathy Burdette does a great job with this one, showing the very real effects of tourture and imprisonment, with a healthy dose of doubt and disillousionment thrown in. Kind of heavey reading, but very emotional and well done.
Hutt and Seek/ Simple Tricks: Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl, two non-fiction writer SW nuts, pull it off. These two stories feature Fenig Nabon and her partner in crime Ghitsa Dogder, as they swindel denizens of the Galaxy. These two stories are pure fun, but offer an interesting look into the galaxy. Simple tricks has some great scenes with Kyp revealing the depth of his anguish for destroying Carida. Well done ladies.
The Longest Fall/Uhl Eharl Khoehng: Patricia A Jackson is a Dark Jedi Nut. Both of these stories feature Dark Jedi she created. While I am sick of Dark Jedi popping up whenever you kick a rock these days, these are good stories. While the Longest Fall is not really my cup of tea, it is a bit obvious, Uhl Eharl Khoehng is a great story. It comes back to the Dark Jedi and family featured in her story from Tales from the Empier. The Emotion and writing is GOOD in this one.
No Disitegrations, Please:
Paul Danner scores with this story, featuring the only movie character in the ENTIRE book, Boba Fett. It follows Fett as he battles an Imperial garrison for a bounty. Nice to really see Fett in major action.
The other stories are- Conflict of Interest, a nice one about the morality of the individuals and their respective govornments, Day of the Sepulchral Night, an interesting exposition on Weequays, and The Last Hand, a really nice story about a great gambler with a big heart, who (gasp!) is not Lando. I would be remiss if I did not commend Paul Youl for his wonderful cover, one of his best. (I still prefer the Bacta War cover) This book is 5/5, even better than its companion.
March 21, 2018
1. Interlude at Darkknell, **, a grab bag of characters from various parts of the canon brought together in a muddled "episode".
2. Jade Solitaire, ***, more focused than 1, this story concentrates on Mara Jade. Talon Karrde is away negotiating a deal when a local businessman asks Mara to rescue his kidnapped daughter. If she doesn't the rest of Karrde's crew will be murdered. Simple blackmail? Maybe not.
3. Gathering Shadows, **, muddled, and rather pointless rescue tale
4. Hutt & Seek, **1/2, better structured, but...
5. The Longest Fall, *, Bleuhh!!!
6. Conflict of Interest,***, What happens when an intelligence agent begins to have doubts about her mission.
7. No Disintegrations, Please,**, a tale of Boba Fett
8. Day of the Sepulchral Night,**, ok tale of treasure seekers.
9. Uhl Eharl Khoehng,**, strange exploration of the world of a dark Jedi.
10. The Last Hand,**1/2, A young boy wants to buy a light sabre and takes on a gambler to try and win the price...
11. Simple Tricks, **1/2, another tale about the partners from Hutt & Seek, but too much serendipity to make a convincing tale.
This is one for the fanatics. Would I buy another of the "Tales" series because of this one - No.
2. Jade Solitaire, ***, more focused than 1, this story concentrates on Mara Jade. Talon Karrde is away negotiating a deal when a local businessman asks Mara to rescue his kidnapped daughter. If she doesn't the rest of Karrde's crew will be murdered. Simple blackmail? Maybe not.
3. Gathering Shadows, **, muddled, and rather pointless rescue tale
4. Hutt & Seek, **1/2, better structured, but...
5. The Longest Fall, *, Bleuhh!!!
6. Conflict of Interest,***, What happens when an intelligence agent begins to have doubts about her mission.
7. No Disintegrations, Please,**, a tale of Boba Fett
8. Day of the Sepulchral Night,**, ok tale of treasure seekers.
9. Uhl Eharl Khoehng,**, strange exploration of the world of a dark Jedi.
10. The Last Hand,**1/2, A young boy wants to buy a light sabre and takes on a gambler to try and win the price...
11. Simple Tricks, **1/2, another tale about the partners from Hutt & Seek, but too much serendipity to make a convincing tale.
This is one for the fanatics. Would I buy another of the "Tales" series because of this one - No.
June 6, 2015
Read Tales from the Empire FIRST!!!
To give you an idea of how much I enjoyed the first few stories, I had to go buy the book instead of staying with the library book! Definitely a good book for any Star Wars book collection!
Timeline so far for the 1st story (Interlude at Darkknell) is before A New Hope. Very exciting and well-written story.
1st story (Interlude to Darkknell, by Timothy Zahn & Michael A. Stackpole): read the short story from "Tales of the empire" before story 2. From Tales of the Empire, read "First Contact" and then read Tales from the New Republic, "Jade Solitaire"... Set after Return of the Jedi (not sure about 1st story) - rats, is this story supposed to be AFTER Mara & Luke meet, so at least read the first Zahn book "Heir to the Empire" before this one. Story was awesome!
3rd story (Gathering Shadows, by Kathy Burdette):
Only wish there was a way to know when in the timeline each sorry falls so I can read them in the proper order!
To give you an idea of how much I enjoyed the first few stories, I had to go buy the book instead of staying with the library book! Definitely a good book for any Star Wars book collection!
Timeline so far for the 1st story (Interlude at Darkknell) is before A New Hope. Very exciting and well-written story.
1st story (Interlude to Darkknell, by Timothy Zahn & Michael A. Stackpole): read the short story from "Tales of the empire" before story 2. From Tales of the Empire, read "First Contact" and then read Tales from the New Republic, "Jade Solitaire"... Set after Return of the Jedi (not sure about 1st story) - rats, is this story supposed to be AFTER Mara & Luke meet, so at least read the first Zahn book "Heir to the Empire" before this one. Story was awesome!
3rd story (Gathering Shadows, by Kathy Burdette):
Only wish there was a way to know when in the timeline each sorry falls so I can read them in the proper order!
December 15, 2012
This was a great read! The Zahn/Stackpole collaberation was really wonderful and I loved reading about Hal Horn in particular. I also really liked the Pahl/Cassidy collaberation that featured Kyp. Frankly, the characterization of him there rang much truer than the one in Vector Prime. Jean Rabe's story was refreshing since it was told from an alien's POV and the Bobba Fett story had an interesting twist, even for this not-a-Fett-fan. There did seem to be an awful lot of dark Jedi in some of the pre-Endor era stories, but since these were all written before TPM and the new info we have about the Sith, it is understandable. All in all a very good book.
July 6, 2009
A better, if uneven collection of Star Wars "Tales." Some do little to expand the SW universe. The opening tale, which the closest ties to former SW stories, is unambiguously dated before Episode Four, while most of the others extend beyond Episode Six.
January 26, 2016
It's always fun to go back to the Legends universe. The stories by familiar authors and with familiar characters are all pretty good. The rest are of varying quality. Pretty much what you'd expect from the Bantam era.
November 29, 2019
Love this extension of the original universe.
November 26, 2024
Stars: 3
Re-read: I would re-read the stories that got four stars from me.
Recommend to: Not high on the list for light readers of the EU unless you just want some quick stories that aren't tied to much else. Don't read before the Jedi Academy trilogy if you haven't read those yet.
My big takeaway from this book is that it would've been very helpful to know where in the timeline each story is, because I would have to spend quite a bit of time trying to find clues so I can understand what is going on. I'd say the quality of the stories is a bit higher than the other Tales from X books. Unlike the others, few of these stories connect to other stories, which is a shame. One of the things I enjoyed about earlier anthologies like Mos Eisley Cantina was how every story connected in some way to the others. So there would be some story I wouldn't be enthused by, and then I'd learn something in a different story that would make me view that earlier story in a new light. This book is basically a bunch of short stories completely unrelated to one another.
Interlude at Darknell: Timothy Zahn and Michael A Stackpole - 4-stars. Fun story involving Garm Bel Iblis, Hal Horn, and father/daughter Isard. The combination of Zahn and Stackpole worked very well.
Jade Solitaire: Timothy Zahn - 4 stars. Not as good as the first story, but enjoyable.
Gathering Shadows: Kathy Burdette: 3-stars. Decent but it doesn't stand out.
Hutt and Seek: Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl - 3 stars. The writing was fine but the story was silly.
The Longest Fall: Patricia A. Jackson - 2 stars.
Conflict of Interest: Laurie Burns: 4 stars. Closer to the first two stories in that it feels like a complete story just compressed.
No Disintegrations, Please: Paul Danner: 3 stars. A Boba Fett story that is too over-the-top to be good, but it's decent. Danner essentially made Fett into a god instead of just the best bounty hunter in the galaxy.
Day of the Sepulchral Night: Jean Rabe: 3.5 stars. This was an decent short story that works for a quick read.
Uhl Eharl Khoehng: Patricia A. Jackson: 2 stars. The story was kind of hard to follow.
The Last Hand: Paul Danner: 2-stars. A story about a gambler and a naive boy. This one falls in the category of too short to make the story engaging. I also have no idea when this story took place.
Simple Tricks: Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl: 2.5 stars. Recurring characters from the earlier story from this pair of authors. I liked the idea of the cameo, but the story never caught my interest. They seriously made "no sith" a thing.
Re-read: I would re-read the stories that got four stars from me.
Recommend to: Not high on the list for light readers of the EU unless you just want some quick stories that aren't tied to much else. Don't read before the Jedi Academy trilogy if you haven't read those yet.
My big takeaway from this book is that it would've been very helpful to know where in the timeline each story is, because I would have to spend quite a bit of time trying to find clues so I can understand what is going on. I'd say the quality of the stories is a bit higher than the other Tales from X books. Unlike the others, few of these stories connect to other stories, which is a shame. One of the things I enjoyed about earlier anthologies like Mos Eisley Cantina was how every story connected in some way to the others. So there would be some story I wouldn't be enthused by, and then I'd learn something in a different story that would make me view that earlier story in a new light. This book is basically a bunch of short stories completely unrelated to one another.
Interlude at Darknell: Timothy Zahn and Michael A Stackpole - 4-stars. Fun story involving Garm Bel Iblis, Hal Horn, and father/daughter Isard. The combination of Zahn and Stackpole worked very well.
Jade Solitaire: Timothy Zahn - 4 stars. Not as good as the first story, but enjoyable.
Gathering Shadows: Kathy Burdette: 3-stars. Decent but it doesn't stand out.
Hutt and Seek: Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl - 3 stars. The writing was fine but the story was silly.
The Longest Fall: Patricia A. Jackson - 2 stars.
Conflict of Interest: Laurie Burns: 4 stars. Closer to the first two stories in that it feels like a complete story just compressed.
No Disintegrations, Please: Paul Danner: 3 stars. A Boba Fett story that is too over-the-top to be good, but it's decent. Danner essentially made Fett into a god instead of just the best bounty hunter in the galaxy.
Day of the Sepulchral Night: Jean Rabe: 3.5 stars. This was an decent short story that works for a quick read.
Uhl Eharl Khoehng: Patricia A. Jackson: 2 stars. The story was kind of hard to follow.
The Last Hand: Paul Danner: 2-stars. A story about a gambler and a naive boy. This one falls in the category of too short to make the story engaging. I also have no idea when this story took place.
Simple Tricks: Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl: 2.5 stars. Recurring characters from the earlier story from this pair of authors. I liked the idea of the cameo, but the story never caught my interest. They seriously made "no sith" a thing.
December 30, 2022
Ultimately a mixed bag, but generally enjoyable trip into the Star Wars universe. Includes some of my favourite characters I’ve encountered in Star Wars novels and a couple of the best of their short stories.
Interlude at dark knell
I really enjoyed the parts with Hal Horn. If he’s a character who shows up in more Star Wars books I’ll be intrigued to read more of his adventures. Overall the structure of the story was decent with all the multiple intersecting storylines, but only Hal Horn’s was especially interesting.
Jade Solitaire
Most of this story felt like an expanded edition of a storybeat from one of the films. It wasn’t bad, some of it was good, but ultimately I didn’t find it very interesting and the ending felt too tidy.
Gathering shadows
I liked the idea of a conversation happening in the dark between to prisoners. I think it could have been more suspenseful if the story only showed one perspective and therefore there’s a chance until the end that the other person is a plant. Once the escape attempt begins I felt the story’s uniqueness dropped and the plot conveniences went up.
Hutt and seek
I like how in the dark this story keeps the reader right until the end. It even addresses some of the moral ambiguity present in the conflicts between major groups in Star Wars. Well written and quite funny at times. One of the best I’ve read so far.
The longest fall
Short and sweet; a bit predictable, but stringing the reader on with a sprinkle of hope.
Conflict of interest
I liked the overall premise and how it ended. I think it could have been a tad longer in order to fill out the end of the story, but overall it played with some interesting ideas, and hinted fairly subtly at how the story would go.
No disintegrations, please
Interesting twist at the end, but, due to it being told as a children’s story, it was told in a style that wasn’t subtle, but also wasn’t an exaggerated enough style to be charming.
Day of the sepulchral night
A bit strange as a story set in the Star Wars universe, but I at least appreciate that it introduced me to the Zelosian species and their planet.
Uhl Eharl Khoehng
A strange story. Some parts I felt like I’d already read it before (maybe as a preview at the end of another novel?) and the choices of the main characters were confusing from the start. The whole story feels strangely convoluted and convenient, while seemingly trying to push the boundaries of conventional Star Wars stories. Overall I feel like it didn’t work, but it could have with a bit more editing.
The last hand
The way the main characters are introduced was quite cinematic and the way the story unfolds felt quite fitting, though it felt like a Star Wars television pilot episode at times. I think because of the short, one-shot format of the story the archetype worked well.
Simple tricks
A pleasant surprise to get another adventure with my favourite duo from this collection. I think this pair of authors have the best writing style and created the most interesting stories in this collection. It’s sad to see that it doesn’t look like they’ve written much more in the Star Wars universe. I didn’t like this story quite as much as their other one, but it is my second favourite in the collection.
Interlude at dark knell
I really enjoyed the parts with Hal Horn. If he’s a character who shows up in more Star Wars books I’ll be intrigued to read more of his adventures. Overall the structure of the story was decent with all the multiple intersecting storylines, but only Hal Horn’s was especially interesting.
Jade Solitaire
Most of this story felt like an expanded edition of a storybeat from one of the films. It wasn’t bad, some of it was good, but ultimately I didn’t find it very interesting and the ending felt too tidy.
Gathering shadows
I liked the idea of a conversation happening in the dark between to prisoners. I think it could have been more suspenseful if the story only showed one perspective and therefore there’s a chance until the end that the other person is a plant. Once the escape attempt begins I felt the story’s uniqueness dropped and the plot conveniences went up.
Hutt and seek
I like how in the dark this story keeps the reader right until the end. It even addresses some of the moral ambiguity present in the conflicts between major groups in Star Wars. Well written and quite funny at times. One of the best I’ve read so far.
The longest fall
Short and sweet; a bit predictable, but stringing the reader on with a sprinkle of hope.
Conflict of interest
I liked the overall premise and how it ended. I think it could have been a tad longer in order to fill out the end of the story, but overall it played with some interesting ideas, and hinted fairly subtly at how the story would go.
No disintegrations, please
Interesting twist at the end, but, due to it being told as a children’s story, it was told in a style that wasn’t subtle, but also wasn’t an exaggerated enough style to be charming.
Day of the sepulchral night
A bit strange as a story set in the Star Wars universe, but I at least appreciate that it introduced me to the Zelosian species and their planet.
Uhl Eharl Khoehng
A strange story. Some parts I felt like I’d already read it before (maybe as a preview at the end of another novel?) and the choices of the main characters were confusing from the start. The whole story feels strangely convoluted and convenient, while seemingly trying to push the boundaries of conventional Star Wars stories. Overall I feel like it didn’t work, but it could have with a bit more editing.
The last hand
The way the main characters are introduced was quite cinematic and the way the story unfolds felt quite fitting, though it felt like a Star Wars television pilot episode at times. I think because of the short, one-shot format of the story the archetype worked well.
Simple tricks
A pleasant surprise to get another adventure with my favourite duo from this collection. I think this pair of authors have the best writing style and created the most interesting stories in this collection. It’s sad to see that it doesn’t look like they’ve written much more in the Star Wars universe. I didn’t like this story quite as much as their other one, but it is my second favourite in the collection.
January 23, 2025
Overall, I give this collection 3.5 stars. There were some gems but also some stinkers. The quality was very up and down. I will say that the stories I didn’t care for certainly gave me a greater appreciation for well written Star Wars stories.
Below are brief impressions of each story:
“Interlude at Darknell” - 5 stars.
“Jade Solitaire” - 5 stars. Fun extra characterization and backstory to characters later seen in the X-Wing novels and Zahn’s Thrawn novels.
“Gathering Shadows” - 3 stars. Fine but not one I plan to revisit.
"Hutt and Seek" - 4.5 stars. Featured some familiar faces from Zahn’s Hand of Thrawn duology and some clever plotting.
“The Longest Fall” - 1 star. No meaningful plot and the main character wasn’t believeable or likable.
“Conflict of Interest” - 4 stars. A bit of a melancholy ending for me, but this is otherwise a great example of a short story—very well written with realistic characters and a tense plot that kept me guessing.
“No Disintegrations, Please” - 4 stars! Boba Fett is the main character in this short story—he’s a little OP but this was a fun little story. Recommend.
“Day of the Sepulchral Night” - 3.5 stars. Kinda an odd story about a pair of treasure hunters, but it held my interest.
“Uhl Eharl Khoehng” - 1 star. Disjointed plot and the character moments did not feel earned. A baffling story. I didn’t like this one.
“The Last Hand” - 4 stars. Nice little story. Not amazing, but not bad either.
“Simple Tricks” - 4 stars. A bit uneven and not as good as their previous short story. Bonus star granted for some apparent tie ins to the Jedi Academy trilogy, which I’ve yet to read.
Below are brief impressions of each story:
“Interlude at Darknell” - 5 stars.
“Jade Solitaire” - 5 stars. Fun extra characterization and backstory to characters later seen in the X-Wing novels and Zahn’s Thrawn novels.
“Gathering Shadows” - 3 stars. Fine but not one I plan to revisit.
"Hutt and Seek" - 4.5 stars. Featured some familiar faces from Zahn’s Hand of Thrawn duology and some clever plotting.
“The Longest Fall” - 1 star. No meaningful plot and the main character wasn’t believeable or likable.
“Conflict of Interest” - 4 stars. A bit of a melancholy ending for me, but this is otherwise a great example of a short story—very well written with realistic characters and a tense plot that kept me guessing.
“No Disintegrations, Please” - 4 stars! Boba Fett is the main character in this short story—he’s a little OP but this was a fun little story. Recommend.
“Day of the Sepulchral Night” - 3.5 stars. Kinda an odd story about a pair of treasure hunters, but it held my interest.
“Uhl Eharl Khoehng” - 1 star. Disjointed plot and the character moments did not feel earned. A baffling story. I didn’t like this one.
“The Last Hand” - 4 stars. Nice little story. Not amazing, but not bad either.
“Simple Tricks” - 4 stars. A bit uneven and not as good as their previous short story. Bonus star granted for some apparent tie ins to the Jedi Academy trilogy, which I’ve yet to read.
November 15, 2019
This was better than Tales from the Empire, though it suffered from the same problem - the stories here are not about the New Republic or even in the New Republic. In fact, at least one story would've made far more sense in the other anthology, since it's set in the Empire. I have no idea how they decided what stories to put in these books!
While this is still very much a mixed bag, the stories here do a pretty good job of sucking the reader in. "Uhl Eharl Khoehng" was probably the weakest - it just felt muddled and there were too many weird leaps made by the characters. "No Disintegrations, Please," "The Last Hand," and maybe "Jade Solitaire" were the best. (Though I feel like I read "No Disintegrations, Please" or a story very similar to it somewhere before. Maybe I encountered that issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal at some point?)
The two stories about Fen and Ghitsa suffered badly from my really not understanding why the two are even partners. They can't stand each other and neither seems to need or have any obligation besides "partner" to the other. But why? Why would two people who dislike each other even team up in the first place? Especially when their respective professions don't require the other's. The plots weren't bad, but man did I not get the character motivations. Like, you hate each other, just... split up.
While this is still very much a mixed bag, the stories here do a pretty good job of sucking the reader in. "Uhl Eharl Khoehng" was probably the weakest - it just felt muddled and there were too many weird leaps made by the characters. "No Disintegrations, Please," "The Last Hand," and maybe "Jade Solitaire" were the best. (Though I feel like I read "No Disintegrations, Please" or a story very similar to it somewhere before. Maybe I encountered that issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal at some point?)
The two stories about Fen and Ghitsa suffered badly from my really not understanding why the two are even partners. They can't stand each other and neither seems to need or have any obligation besides "partner" to the other. But why? Why would two people who dislike each other even team up in the first place? Especially when their respective professions don't require the other's. The plots weren't bad, but man did I not get the character motivations. Like, you hate each other, just... split up.
December 21, 2022
Overall really enjoyed this anthology. Only a couple duds.
Interlude at Darkknell is Zahn and Stackpole showing why they are masters of their craft with this story about Bel Iblis and Ysanne Isard’s rise.
Jade Solitaire introduced H’sishi from the Wild Karrde crew
Hutt and Seek was a fun story about Hutt slave trade and their counselors and even had a couple Minstryl.
The Longest Fall was terrible.
Conflict of Interest was a good story of gaining a planet for the New Republic while showing that the NR might not be as good as advertised.
No Disintigrations, Please was a fantastic story about Boba Fett. Absolute masterpiece here.
Day of the Sepulchral Night wasn’t great.
Uhl Eharl Khoeng was better than the longest fall, but not great.
The Last Hand was a really fun story about the famous gamble Vo-Shay.
And Simple Tricks brought in Kyp Durron, but tried to be a bit too complex for my taste.
Interlude at Darkknell is Zahn and Stackpole showing why they are masters of their craft with this story about Bel Iblis and Ysanne Isard’s rise.
Jade Solitaire introduced H’sishi from the Wild Karrde crew
Hutt and Seek was a fun story about Hutt slave trade and their counselors and even had a couple Minstryl.
The Longest Fall was terrible.
Conflict of Interest was a good story of gaining a planet for the New Republic while showing that the NR might not be as good as advertised.
No Disintigrations, Please was a fantastic story about Boba Fett. Absolute masterpiece here.
Day of the Sepulchral Night wasn’t great.
Uhl Eharl Khoeng was better than the longest fall, but not great.
The Last Hand was a really fun story about the famous gamble Vo-Shay.
And Simple Tricks brought in Kyp Durron, but tried to be a bit too complex for my taste.
December 7, 2024
Just finished "Tales from the New Republic" edited by Peter Schweighhofer and Craig Carey. Instead of a regular, standalone novel telling a single long form story, this is a collection of short stories by a handful of different authors, similar in style to "Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina" which I read a couple of months ago. Instead of focusing on the traditional and well known characters from the film series, the authors chose to explore lesser known side characters, many of which were created entirely for their entry in this collection. I was feeling pretty good about it at first since the early stories start out strong, but the quality starts to drop about midway through and some of the premises just didn't seem to belong in a SW anthology book. The entries by Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole stand out and set the bar too high early on that the follow up stories just couldn't live up to. Overall I have to settle on a mediocre score of 3/5.
December 30, 2021
Most of the stories here are extremely skippable, and it was really a trudge to get through. The only ones I enjoyed at all (or could even look at the table of contents and remember what they're about) were Interlude at Darknell (for Hal Horn, because I'll *always* take connections to the EU's very best, the X-wing series), Jade Solitaire (for the spine-chilling descriptions of what those women had to go through), and Simple Tricks (for my "I will never forgive Kyp Durron, but this story almost kind of made me sympathize with him for a moment, and I hate that" feelings). Also have to echo others in that the name of this anthology is strange as many of the stories don't actually takes place in the New Republic Era.
January 18, 2020
The original Star Wars short story anthology was "Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina." That was a clever collection, with authors each picking incidental characters from the cantina scene in A New Hope and writing a story around them.
This later anthology doesn't quite live up to that first effort. The multi-part story "Interlude at Darknell", written in alternating parts by Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole, is well done. Several of the other stories are quite disappointing, particularly those by Patricia Jackson.
Overall, it's a light read for a Star Wars fan, but not worth re-reading and probably of little interest to anyone else.
This later anthology doesn't quite live up to that first effort. The multi-part story "Interlude at Darknell", written in alternating parts by Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole, is well done. Several of the other stories are quite disappointing, particularly those by Patricia Jackson.
Overall, it's a light read for a Star Wars fan, but not worth re-reading and probably of little interest to anyone else.
July 19, 2020
This seemed to be the weakest of the Tales short stories in my opinion. There are a few gems to be found in here but a lot of them were middling or just meh. Like Tales from the Empire, I found it odd that the stories didn't all take place in one era. I think that was the strength of the original 3 was that they all tied together to one event. They could have done at least a certain time period or something here but let it just meander and let me be a little confused about where some would be placed in the timeline. Well glad I read it but after waiting to read it for some time it was a bit of a letdown.
July 18, 2023
I enjoyed this much more than the Tales from the Empire. Like that one, this book had stories from some of my favorite characters--Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, and even Boba Fett. (I wish he had his right hand, Fennec Shand, with him. She was under-utilized in the show, Ming-Na could have rocked it so much more than she did.) It's been so long since I read through the whole series (yes, I am that person) that I kind of forget what Kyp Durron did. I vaguely remember, but I'm looking forward to getting to that part in the series and reliving all the memories of my childhood favorites.
January 29, 2023
I didn't love this, at all. I rarely drop a 2-star anymore but this just wasn't an engaging read. I really liked the Certain Point of View offerings and thought this might have been inspiration (It was released pre-Disney, transitions to Legends). It wasn't. The stories just weren't interesting. We didn't get tangential characters we knew about, we got stories about characters we don't know, places we don't know, with very little stakes.
June 28, 2017
I give this book three stars because some of the stories within were one star and others were five stars. It took me a bit to get through this book because some of the stories were just bland and slow. I felt like they did not add much to the overall Star Wars story. A few of them though were great and pulled me right in. This book is worth a read once, but I do not see myself cracking the cover again. I also do not really think Star Wars is a very good fit for short stories, you just do not get enough information to get hooked and invested in it.
November 29, 2023
Not as good as the previous one, but still my second favorite tales book. None of the stories were bad, but they also never reached the same heights as some of the ones from Tales From the Empire. The final story reads like an amateur fanfiction with a total self insert, I absolutely loved it, albeit ironically.
November 8, 2019
As is expected of an anthology, I enjoyed some stories more than others. My favorites were the ones that involved characters I knew from other books. I'm looking forward to reading more in the "Tales from...." series.
March 17, 2023
This collection of short stories was poorly named, as very few of the stories actually took place during the New Republic time period. Most of the short stories were forgettable, but a few stood out, particularly the final one which I won’t spoil.
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