Well, I finally went back to reading this because I finished the Last of the Jedi series. We get another chunk of Ferus Olin's story, which I appreciated. I was pretty annoyed at the way Leia treated him,buti also feel like it was unnecessary for him to pretend to be a simmering court fool for years, so...*shrug*

The main plotline of this series is 9k but not great. I'll keep going with it at some point.

Star Wars Legends Project #230

Background: Hostage was written by [a:Alex Wheeler|2637206|Alex Wheeler|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and published in January 2009. It is the second in the 6-book Rebel Force series, following [b:Target|5826424|Target (Star Wars Rebel Force, #1)|Alex Wheeler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328839011l/5826424._SX50_.jpg|5998557] (my review). Wheeler is the author of the whole series, which is his only listed Star Wars work. However, as I read this series, the Internet is abuzz with rumors that Pablo Hidalgo, one of the official keepers of Star Wars lore and a member of the Lucasfilm Story Group supposedly confirmed on Twitter just this year that Alex Wheeler (long known to be a pseudonym) is in fact another pen name for Judy Blundell aka [a:Jude Watson|11912|Jude Watson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403530689p2/11912.jpg]. Blundell has issued a denial, but also posted a very confusing response to a different reader that suggested she in fact is the author. Under the name Jude Watson, Blundell has written some 50 Star Wars books, chief among the the 3 YA series chronicling the exploits of the main prequel-era Jedi throughout that time period.

Frankly, I'm not sure what to believe. Rebel Force is actually written to in some ways be a continuation of at least some of the characters and situations Watson established in her previous series, so if she didn't write it, it's a shame that those characters she shaped were handed off to someone else for their final adventures. On the other hand, if it is her, she's certainly adopted a somewhat different style of writing I would say, and one that I am not enjoying quite as much as her previous efforts. Still, people have speculated for years that Watson and Wheeler are one and the same, based on plot devices and themes that appear in Rebel Force.

In any case, Hostage takes place a few weeks after the Battle of Yavin, picking up very shortly after the end of the last book. The main characters are Han, Luke, and Leia, along with Chewie, the Imperial assassin X-7, and ex-Jedi Ferus Olin. The story takes place mostly on Yavin IV and Delaya, sister world to Alderaan.

Summary: Tasked with identifying and executing the pilot who blew up the Death Star, X-7 has successfully infiltrated the Rebellion and befriended Princess Leia. Knowing that she must have the information he needs, X-7 will stop at nothing to talk, trick, or (if he must) torture it out of her. But to do that, he'll need to stay close, which means accompanying Leia, Han, and Luke on their mission to Delaya, in the Alderaan system, new home to thousands of devastated refugees from Leia's homeworld. Emotionally vulnerable in the face of returning to the scene of her greatest loss, will Leia succumb to X-7's guile, or worse?

Review: After a week start, things are very much picking up in this book. If Watson is indeed the author, it's no surprise. This is the kind of thing she did best: unpacking the complex emotions of characters who have suffered significant trauma and loss. This is one of the few Star Wars books I've read that really deals with Leia's struggle in the period after Alderaan's destruction, and it's a rich vein of material, worthy of serious attention.

I had also forgotten that I had seen that Ferus Olin makes his return in this series. When last we saw him, his failure to launch a successful Rebellion against the nascent Empire had resulted in devastating personal consequences, and he had been tasked by Obi-Wan to watch over the young Princess Leia on Alderaan just as Obi-Wan himself was watching over Luke on Tatooine. Here, we learn that he was a much larger presence in Leia's life than Obi-Wan was in Luke's, but that he has played the role of a pompous, flattering hanger-on at court, and Leia kind of despises him and doesn't understand why her father placed so much trust in him. It's an interesting dynamic that contrasts with the relationship between Luke and Obi-Wan, and I look forward to seeing it unfold.

In addition, the story here is much more compelling, maybe because it's more personal to our heroes and the stakes seem so much higher. We begin to see Luke continuing to learn to trust his instincts, although it's clear that he hasn't quite fine-tuned them as a guidance system in line with the Force. But his moral compass serves him well in its stead in this case.

This was a really solid entry, and I hope the series continues in this vein. I'm still not sold on X-7 as the villain character, but although that element seems about to come to a head, his role in the better subplots of this book weren't as prominent.

B

This book was better than the last now that all the setup is done. I also really like these cover designs. The sideways Rebel Force/ title things on each page are somewhat annoying though.

Decided to do a little kid reading with summer reading kicking off at work. Chose Star Wars since I am a fan nerd. Nothing extraordinary here but nice to know there is OT fic out there for the youngsters. The characters basically behave like themselves too which is a bonus. In this one Leia is haunted by her past.

It dawned on me while reading this book that Rebel Force is a great title for this series, since it appears to be about the growth of the Rebellion, as well as Luke coming into his own Force powers. It makes for a good double-meaning, and suggests a greater depth to the stories. Unfortunately, the stories themselves don't hold up well under scrutiny.

With this volume, Leia visits a planet near Alderaan where there live the Alderaanian refugees. While there, she's kidnapped, and it's up to Luke, Han, and Chewbacca to save her. It's a better adventure than Target, but it suffers some because Wheeler seems to lose his grip on the characters. Leia comes across as petty and petulant near the end of the book, and it doesn't ring true to her character. Luke and Han feel closer to the characters you would expect, but Leia feels like a different character all together.

Also, this book suffers from the timing problem that exists between the prequels and the original trilogy, where about eighteen years have passed, but characters who should be in their mid- to late-thirties are portrayed as in their fifties or older. It's not Wheeler's fault, but it stands out as an issue. I'd love to see a writer attempt to explain the aging of those characters.

Hostage also features Ferus Olin, a character originally introduced by Jude Watson in the Jedi Quest series, which is a nice throwback to her work in the Expanded Universe. For all the attention the Lucas characters get, it's nice to see Watson's characters get some love from other authors, too. I'd like to see more of her work get referenced in the adult books, too.

This is a decent read, even if it suffers from how Wheeler characterizes Leia. As far as kids' books go, it's compelling and interesting, and the kids reading them should overlook the quibbles I had with parts of the story. Adults, though, might have some issues with it.

The second installment in the Rebel Force series sees Leia grappling with the aftermath of a shattered, elitist bond between planets in a system she idealized. Not as much follow through as I would have liked in her ensuing ethical quandary, but still impressive for a young readers book.

No spoilers, but a character I never thought I'd see again comes back in an intriguing way!

Fast paced action and more enjoyable than the first. Leia, Luke, Han, Chewie and the droids visit refugees from Alderaan, when a group of the refugees decide that kidnapping Leia and turning her over to the Empire is the way to get what they desire.