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Review by Gini McDonagh & Chris Bishop
The Hutt Gambit
by A.C. Crispin
Bantam Spectra books
Shave a decade or so off the Han Solo of the Star Wars movies, and who have you got? Figuring that out has been the job of A.C. Crispin in The Han Solo Trilogy. In the first book, The Paradise Snare, we are presented with a Han who grew up, orphaned, in a sort of Oliver Twist fashion, escaping in his late teen years from a cruel Fagin-type boss named Shrike, struggling to leave behind his criminal past and finally entering the Imperial Space Academy, ready to start a fresh life as an Imperial officer.
The second book, The Hutt Gambit, picks up several years later. Han, disgraced and court-martialed, finds himself under the watchful and not entirely welcome guard of a wookiee, Chewbacca, whom he has rescued from Imperial slavery. That rescue has left him adrift and without much in the line of future career prospects.
So when an opportunity to haul freight presents itself, he jumps at the chance. He teaches Chewie the art of flying and all seems to be going well - until on one of their first deliveries he spots Bria Tharen, the lovely Corellian girl who abandoned him at the end of the first book. In his desperate attempt to catch up with her, he is unfortunately identified by members of the t'landa Til, the false-prophet group of slavers in service to Aruk the Hutt. His carefully planned false identity is completely blown and they put a bounty on his head big enough to attract any and all bounty hunters. Including Boba Fett.
Between fending off bounty hunters and staying out of Imperial trouble, Han begins a period of employment with Jiliac the Hutt, uncle of the already formidable and eventually infamous Jabba and clan rival of Aruk. This relationship brings Han to Nar Shadaa, the Smuggler's Moon, orbiting above the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta. As Han continues dodging, killing or disabling bounty hunters on a regular basis, he is drawn into the intrigue of Hutt politics, both intra-clan schemes and strained relations with the Empire. Trouble between the Hutts and the Imperials turn Nar Shadaa (and the smuggler friends Han makes there) into a sacrificial target for an Imperial attack. Han and friends get wind of the impending attack and organize a resistance. Can a ragtag group of fiercely independent spacers learn combat technique and obey orders well enough to turn back the attack of an Imperial Star Destroyer? Well, this is Star Wars….
FAMILIAR TERRITORY
Author Crispin makes long strides towards filling in the gaps of Han Solo's history.
We discover how Han became such an excellent pilot. We see how Han earned of his
record time on the Kessel Run. We are there when Boba Fett is first contracted to capture
Solo (the result of that hunt gives reason to the chip on his shoulder that Fett has for
Han in later years). We meet Lando Calrission and Lando in turn introduces Han to
the one, true, absolute love of his life - the Millennium Falcon - and we are
witness to the moment.
The Hutt Gambit, besides coloring in Han's past, also manages to tie in other future Star Wars plotlines through use of many cameos. Aruk the Hutt, leader of the Besadii kajidic, is father to Durga, seen in Darksaber and Shadows of the Empire. We meet Mako Spince, who will show up later in the SW timeline in the Dark Horse comic Dark Empire. There is also Xaverri (The Crystal Star), the illusionist who casts her spell on Han; Salla Zend (Dark Empire), Han's smuggling companion/lover, and Sinewy Ana Blue and Wynni (The New Rebellion). Imperial TIE pilot and future Baron Soontir Fel (X-Wing Rogue Squadron comic series) is on hand to give us an early indication of his character, and even an unnamed Dark Lord of the Sith makes an appearance. Oddly, Crispin wasn't allowed to outright state the name of the character, although the breath mask was a certain giveaway.
The other strangely missing element is Han's time at the Imperial Academy, which takes place "off camera" between books one and two. Now, chances are any moderately knowledgable Star Wars fan knows that Han was a lieutenant in the Imperial Navy and why he was kicked out. Unfortunately, though Crispin would have loved to write the story about EXACTLY how Han and Chewie met, Lucasfilm forbade it, leaving that tale shrouded in secrecy. Crispin does, however, know how to tap dance around the forbidden.
The danger in any book which fills in the blanks in a well-known character's history is that all the pieces coming together has an almost cutesy feel. The Hutt Gambit suffers a bit from this, but it is more a hazard of the subject matter than any fault of Crispin. The lively, entertaining story is better written than the first book of the series, moving right along without bogging down in flashbacks. Crispin makes good use of Han's military training, a nice set-up for his useful service in the Rebellion, but doesn't overplay her hand.
And in good Star Wars tradition, the book reads as an independent story, wrapping up its own plotline rather than leaving it hang for the concluding book. There's enough left up in the air, though, to make the reader anxious for Rebel Dawn, the final installment.
Just how does Han win the Falcon from Lando? What "double-cross" does Han pull on Lando that we hear mentioned in their meeting on Bespin in TESB? And under what circumstances would a hot-shot like Han get boarded by Imperials and dump that famous cargo of spice that aggravates Jabba into putting a price on one of his best employees? The series finale has many promises to keep.
ECHO STATION Grade: A
( Chris Bishop and Gini McDonagh had no idea they were collaborating and have never met, though doubtless they've passed each other frequently on the Information Superhighway.)
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