Scan barcode
jollie_ollie's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tarmstrong112's review
2.0
Meh. Didn't really need to read this to continue the New Jedi Order series. The Han and Leia relationship stuff should have been in a proper NJO novel and not this novella as it has been an important plot point so far.
pushingdessy's review
4.0
I literally only read this because I was promised Han and Leia, since I haven't read anything else set after Thrawn. After Tatooine Ghost, I knew Denning wouldn't disappoint, and he didn't. I would pay him to write more official Han/Leia stories.
yak_attak's review
4.0
Review/Thoughts on Twitter
https://twitter.com/serswjm/status/1224700677399683072?s=20
(Spoilers)
https://twitter.com/serswjm/status/1224700677399683072?s=20
(Spoilers)
lustrs's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
blancwene's review
3.0
For 2021, I decided to reread Del Rey’s first attempt at a multi-author book series in the Star Wars universe: The New Jedi Order, which was published between 1999 and 2003. This shakes out to 19 novels, two eBook novellas, three short stories, and a tangentially-related prequel era novel.
This week’s focus: the first eBook release in the New Jedi Order, “Recovery” by Troy Denning.
SOME HISTORY:
In conjunction with Microsoft, Amazon started selling eBooks on their website in the year 2000. Del Rey accordingly jumped into the eBook market with “Darth Maul: Saboteur” by James Luceno in February 2001, and “Recovery” by Troy Denning in December 2001. StarWars.com announced that Recovery would be available in the four major e-book platforms: Microsoft Reader, Gemstar, peanut press and Adobe/Glassbook. But for those less technologically savvy, “Recovery” was also included as an 80-page prologue in the mass market paperback version of [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891].
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE NOVELLA:
I don't think I ever read “Recovery” before! I initially read [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891] in hardcover, and I wasn’t an eBook consumer until 2007. Since [b:The Essential Reader's Companion|13121565|Star Wars The Essential Reader's Companion|Pablo Hidalgo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326922516l/13121565._SX50_.jpg|18296768] from 2012 dates the novella to after [b:Balance Point|320346|Balance Point (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #6)|Kathy Tyers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330833461l/320346._SY75_.jpg|311099] but before [b:Edge of Victory: Conquest|320347|Edge of Victory I Conquest (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #7)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403184941l/320347._SY75_.jpg|1776613], I thought I’d read it in-between the two.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Though the Yuuzhan Vong were victorious in their conquest of Duro, they failed to kill Leia Organa Solo. But unless she receives medical attention soon, the badly wounded Princess will die. Pursued by bounty hunters, her husband Han begins a race against time...
Disclaimer:
First, I wouldn't recommend reading Recovery before [b:Edge of Victory: Conquest|320347|Edge of Victory I Conquest (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #7)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403184941l/320347._SY75_.jpg|1776613], because it contains spoilers for the beginning of that novel. It instead runs somewhat concurrently with Keyes’s novel, and serves to explain why Han and Leia are absent from the story.
The Good:
--Han and Leia's relationship. I felt like they still had unfinished business after [b:Balance Point|320346|Balance Point (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #6)|Kathy Tyers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330833461l/320346._SY75_.jpg|311099]. They actually reconciled here, and worked through a lot of the grief and frustration that had plagued their relationship after Chewbacca's death. They both accept responsibility, and it looks like they'll be able to move forward. There was also a slow return to their usual banter, which I had missed.
--We meet more Jedi, both new (Izal Waz and the Barabels) and quasi-new (Eelysa). Maybe too many new characters for a short story--especially when they're powerful, trained Jedi that none of our main characters have ever encountered? Tesar and his sisters will return in [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891], though, so it was nice to catch their first appearance.
The Meh:
--Recovery is short--only eight chapters--but a lot happens here. I felt like the lovely conversations between Han and Leia were far outnumbered by action scenes: the assassination attempt on Corellia, Han and Leia's escape, the trap on the way to Commenor, then Han and Leia's arrival on Coruscant. I also found the action scenes hard to follow, and I have to admit that parts of the opening firefight and the trap were difficult for me to picture.
--While the reader knows that Viqi Shesh is traitorous trash, I felt like the conclusion of Han and Leia's investigation was a little rushed, but that may have been a consequence of the shortened length.
--Eelysa's relationship to the established timeline is a little wonky, to say the least. She first appeared in Kristine Kathryn Rusch's [b:The New Rebellion|700095|The New Rebellion (Star Wars)|Kristine Kathryn Rusch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327008455l/700095._SY75_.jpg|686406], where we learned that she was born shortly after the Battle of Endor. So by the time of Recovery (26 years after the Battle of Yavin), she should be no older than 22--but Leia describes her as a woman in her thirties, and she's been on multiple long-term intelligence missions and trained multiple Jedi?
My Verdict:
I’m not sure Recovery is an essential NJO read, but it was a nice detour. Han and Leia are ready to move forward with their marriage, Leia's safe and on the path to a healthy recovery, we meet some new Jedi who will play a greater role in the next hardcover release, and the book ends with a reference to the Great River--Luke Skywalker's underground fugitive network aimed to protect the Jedi.
Next up: the first book in the Edge of Victory duology, [b:Edge of Victory: Conquest|320347|Edge of Victory I Conquest (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #7)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403184941l/320347._SY75_.jpg|1776613] by Greg Keyes.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/4DsTE4cxCec
“Recovery Covered” on StarWars.com: https://web.archive.org/web/20050204233543/http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/novel/news20011008.html
This week’s focus: the first eBook release in the New Jedi Order, “Recovery” by Troy Denning.
SOME HISTORY:
In conjunction with Microsoft, Amazon started selling eBooks on their website in the year 2000. Del Rey accordingly jumped into the eBook market with “Darth Maul: Saboteur” by James Luceno in February 2001, and “Recovery” by Troy Denning in December 2001. StarWars.com announced that Recovery would be available in the four major e-book platforms: Microsoft Reader, Gemstar, peanut press and Adobe/Glassbook. But for those less technologically savvy, “Recovery” was also included as an 80-page prologue in the mass market paperback version of [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891].
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE NOVELLA:
I don't think I ever read “Recovery” before! I initially read [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891] in hardcover, and I wasn’t an eBook consumer until 2007. Since [b:The Essential Reader's Companion|13121565|Star Wars The Essential Reader's Companion|Pablo Hidalgo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326922516l/13121565._SX50_.jpg|18296768] from 2012 dates the novella to after [b:Balance Point|320346|Balance Point (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #6)|Kathy Tyers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330833461l/320346._SY75_.jpg|311099] but before [b:Edge of Victory: Conquest|320347|Edge of Victory I Conquest (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #7)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403184941l/320347._SY75_.jpg|1776613], I thought I’d read it in-between the two.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Though the Yuuzhan Vong were victorious in their conquest of Duro, they failed to kill Leia Organa Solo. But unless she receives medical attention soon, the badly wounded Princess will die. Pursued by bounty hunters, her husband Han begins a race against time...
Disclaimer:
First, I wouldn't recommend reading Recovery before [b:Edge of Victory: Conquest|320347|Edge of Victory I Conquest (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #7)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403184941l/320347._SY75_.jpg|1776613], because it contains spoilers for the beginning of that novel. It instead runs somewhat concurrently with Keyes’s novel, and serves to explain why Han and Leia are absent from the story.
The Good:
--Han and Leia's relationship. I felt like they still had unfinished business after [b:Balance Point|320346|Balance Point (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #6)|Kathy Tyers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330833461l/320346._SY75_.jpg|311099]. They actually reconciled here, and worked through a lot of the grief and frustration that had plagued their relationship after Chewbacca's death. They both accept responsibility, and it looks like they'll be able to move forward. There was also a slow return to their usual banter, which I had missed.
--We meet more Jedi, both new (Izal Waz and the Barabels) and quasi-new (Eelysa). Maybe too many new characters for a short story--especially when they're powerful, trained Jedi that none of our main characters have ever encountered? Tesar and his sisters will return in [b:Star by Star|35448|Star by Star (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #9)|Troy Denning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331005005l/35448._SY75_.jpg|349891], though, so it was nice to catch their first appearance.
The Meh:
--Recovery is short--only eight chapters--but a lot happens here. I felt like the lovely conversations between Han and Leia were far outnumbered by action scenes: the assassination attempt on Corellia, Han and Leia's escape, the trap on the way to Commenor, then Han and Leia's arrival on Coruscant. I also found the action scenes hard to follow, and I have to admit that parts of the opening firefight and the trap were difficult for me to picture.
--While the reader knows that Viqi Shesh is traitorous trash, I felt like the conclusion of Han and Leia's investigation was a little rushed, but that may have been a consequence of the shortened length.
--Eelysa's relationship to the established timeline is a little wonky, to say the least. She first appeared in Kristine Kathryn Rusch's [b:The New Rebellion|700095|The New Rebellion (Star Wars)|Kristine Kathryn Rusch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327008455l/700095._SY75_.jpg|686406], where we learned that she was born shortly after the Battle of Endor. So by the time of Recovery (26 years after the Battle of Yavin), she should be no older than 22--but Leia describes her as a woman in her thirties, and she's been on multiple long-term intelligence missions and trained multiple Jedi?
My Verdict:
I’m not sure Recovery is an essential NJO read, but it was a nice detour. Han and Leia are ready to move forward with their marriage, Leia's safe and on the path to a healthy recovery, we meet some new Jedi who will play a greater role in the next hardcover release, and the book ends with a reference to the Great River--Luke Skywalker's underground fugitive network aimed to protect the Jedi.
Next up: the first book in the Edge of Victory duology, [b:Edge of Victory: Conquest|320347|Edge of Victory I Conquest (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #7)|Greg Keyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403184941l/320347._SY75_.jpg|1776613] by Greg Keyes.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/4DsTE4cxCec
“Recovery Covered” on StarWars.com: https://web.archive.org/web/20050204233543/http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/novel/news20011008.html
huitzilo2012's review
2.0
Its not that I didn't enjoy the book it just wasn't up to the excitement level of the book preceeding or following it. and saying a lot considering Balance Point was my least favorite of the NJO so far.
More...