Han Knows Women

I came across this meme the other day, causing a discussion with my wife. Like many people, she feels Han played the rogue when he failed to tell Leia he loved her in return.

I think it played out differently.

A Little History First
Cast your mind back. Our intrepid heroes are held prisoner by Darth Vader in Lando Calrissian's, Cloud City. They've been torchured and generally mistreated in an effort to lure Luke Skywalker there. Looking for a safe way to transport his dangerous cargo back to his master, Vader comes up with the idea to freeze him in carbonite. Calrissian warns Vader that putting humans in carbonite could potentially kill them. Vader decides to test the carbon freezing process on Captain Solo first.

The prisoners are marched into the carbonite freezing chamber. Lando informs Han that he's being put in carbonite. The bounty hunter, Bobba Fett, complains to Vader that he can't collect the bounty on a corpse, but Vader assures him he's covered. Our heroes instantly recognize there's a very good chance Han isn't going to survive this experiment. It's bad, and Han is going to die.

As Vader orders Solo into the freezing chamber, Leia steps forward. "I love you."

Han's lips form a tight line. "I know."

Wherein We'll Catch The Conscience Of The King ... Uh, Princess
So, what really happened here? Did Han play the rogue and fail to disclose him emotions? My money is on, 'NO,' and here's why.

From the very ending of Star Wars: A New Hope, and from the very beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, Han has been showing Leia how he feels, all while trying to get her to admit how she feels about him. Han confronts her, she dodges. He invades her space, she ducks out. She doesn't ever show it, or say it. But by the climax of the film, Han is about to die and Leia still hasn't confessed how she feels about him.

So as Han steps into the chamber of death, she blurts out, "I love you."

Han, who obviously loves her too, could have gone for the easy route. "I love you too." But he's a hero, damn it! And heroes care about their lady's feelings. Knowing Leia blurted it out because she couldn't live with herself if Han died not knowing how she felt, he comforts her psyche by satisfying her fears. "I know."

He could have said, "I know you do, sweetheart. I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of a smuggler and a princess don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy galaxy far, far away. Someday you'll understand that. Here's looking at you kid."

But he didn't.

Using conservation of words--because let's admit it, Vader is NOT a patient man--he tells her, "I know." At once, validating Leia's feelings and confirming his own.

My Verdict
While obviously a con artist, Han held genuine feelings for Leia. In what he felt were his final moments, Han was more worried about Leia than himself, so he wasn't glib, but compassionate.

That's my two-bits.

Red Harvest Review

Red Harvest is a prequel to Death Troopers, but you can read either book and enjoy the story. Red Harvest deals with the creation of a plague by a Sith master seeking, you guessed it, immortality.

The Good
This book is a great addition to the Star Wars horror line and explains the origins of the plague the Sith created. I still think Death Troopers was better, but Red Harvest is definitely a good read once the contagion begins.

As a zombie story, Joe Schreiber does a great job of making the zombies new and still deadly, while adding plenty of sci-fi creep factor. New elements keep popping up that differ from traditional zombie lore, but I felt these added to the nightmare scenario.

The Bad
Red Harvest starts off a little slow, but when the epidemic actually does begin you're up to your elbows in zombie goodness. The locations for the book were awesome, but I felt Mr. Schreiber could have done a lot more to make it more immersive. The descriptions of the environment, while creepy, are too brief and should have been significantly beefed up to make it more of a character. I kept thinking, this book would be so much more scary if I was afraid to be on the planets they were on. The potential was there, but it wasn't fully exploited.

Additionally, I felt a little distracted by the 'librarian' storyline, but it wasn't enough to make it terribly detracting from the overall story.

The Spin
If you like horror or zombies, this book is for you. If you like both and Star Wars, then check out Red Harvest and Death Troopers. You'll be glad you did.

Star Wars: X-Wing: Mercy Kill Review

Click to buy it at Barnes & Noble

I'm a Star Wars nut from way back, so any Star Wars review by me tends to be a little biased. But, I'm enough of a fan-boy that I can admit when I have a real gripe with the galaxy far, far away. That said, I'm glad Lucasfilm has raised the bar on their novels.

The Good
Star Wars: X-Wing: Mercy Kill takes place thirty years after the original X-Wing series, and just after the events in the Fate of the Jedi series. None of the original Star Wars characters take part, except for a brief cameo by Wedge Antilles. This was a predominant theme with the original X-Wing books, so it's not a real surprise.

But Mercy Kill adds delightful stories to the Star Wars universe. Building on the tension of an infiltration mission, coupled with building a new Wraith squadron from the ashes of the old one. It was exciting and fun. All the action of a heist story set in the Star Wars universe. At the very least, you get to see Gamorrean male go-go dancers.

The Bad
This book might only be meant for true Star Wars fans or sci-fi fans that can enjoy the Star Wars universe. You're not going to see any of the original characters and if you're not familiar enough with the X-Wing series (or the expanded Star Wars universe), you might feel like you walked into a new Jason Bourne movie without knowing who Jason Bourne is. Sure it'll have action, but you'll spend a little time catching up on the story. But even that's not a big deal, since Aaron Allston did a great job of providing enough clues to the history that all readers will be able to jump right in.

Click to buy it at B&N

Final Tally
As far as Star Wars books go, I think Mercy Kill is one of the better ones in the expanded universe. I give it high marks for action/intrigue and character development. My favorite character was Piggy, an altered Gamorrean with high intellect and the ability to speak. He pulls the spine of the story together, which was a wise choice.

If you're looking for another good expanded universe title, I recommend Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover. It's the first Clone Wars novel and stars Mace Windu. It also holds the distinction for being the first Star Wars book I've read that shows a Jedi acting intelligently and not just jumping into a hack-n-slash battle.