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(Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis #1)
In the blockbuster bestselling tradition of Heir to the Empire comes this thrilling addition to the Star Wars(r) saga, as peace gives way to a new threat..
It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscan..more
It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscan..more
Published March 1st 1996 by Del Rey
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Jul 11, 2010Crystal Starr Light rated it did not like it Shelves: read-at-your-own-risk, don-t-quit-your-day-job, star-wars, so-bad-it-s-horrible
'What have you done with *Fill-in-the-Blank*?'
Luke Skywalker feels that he no longer can feel the Force the same way and decides to leave and search out a life of hermitude, like Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, a woman penetrates his fortress, with stories of his mother. Luke ventures out to find out more.
Meanwhile..
Lando is bored stiff and goes to Admiral Drayson, chief of Alpha Blue, for an interesting mission. Lando then gathers a team of Lobot, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to investigate a mysterious 'ghost..more
May 07, 2009Kelly rated it did not like itLuke Skywalker feels that he no longer can feel the Force the same way and decides to leave and search out a life of hermitude, like Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, a woman penetrates his fortress, with stories of his mother. Luke ventures out to find out more.
Meanwhile..
Lando is bored stiff and goes to Admiral Drayson, chief of Alpha Blue, for an interesting mission. Lando then gathers a team of Lobot, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to investigate a mysterious 'ghost..more
Shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, truly-dreadful, fiction
The worst Star Wars book I ever read. And truly, that is saying something to earn that distinction- it beat out Barbara Hambly and her off the charts absurdity. Congrats, Michael P. Kube-McDowell!
Jan 15, 2015Ian Reay rated it really liked it
I have an uncommon and slightly unhealthy addiction to Star Wars novels. I have read 54 of them, which is utterly ridiculous and not something I share with everybody. I could have read 54 other books and been a lot smarter, but I didn't. I mean, seriously, I even counted them. Ridiculous.
This is to hopefully give my opinion more credibility when I say that this is hands-down the smartest, most mature Star Wars novel I have yet to read. It has garnered a bad reputation since it certainly resides..more
This is to hopefully give my opinion more credibility when I say that this is hands-down the smartest, most mature Star Wars novel I have yet to read. It has garnered a bad reputation since it certainly resides..more
Jan 03, 2010Ron rated it liked it
See, it can be done. Not may not please Star Wars fans, but it's better science fiction--and a better story--than most bearing the SW imprint. The first contact thread was fun. Speaking of which, yes, there are distinct threads (so far) interwoven to keep the tension up, if nothing else.
Luke has a crisis of faith, Leia has a crisis of confidence, Han smirks, and Lando plays the odds. Lando's thread is probably the most unique, and therefore most enjoyable. The Yevetha resonate with nineteenth ce..more
Luke has a crisis of faith, Leia has a crisis of confidence, Han smirks, and Lando plays the odds. Lando's thread is probably the most unique, and therefore most enjoyable. The Yevetha resonate with nineteenth ce..more
I had low expectations for this novel based on the recent Star Wars novels I've read (Crystal Star, Planet of Twilight) that have taken place at around the same timeline. I had also read a review of the book indicating that it would be heavy in military jargon and that it deviates from the usual SW style. So my hope was that it would be similar to the Republic Commando series. That one, while not my cup of tea and not central to the running SWU plotline, was at least very well written and fairly..more
Oct 21, 2009Joseph rated it it was ok
I am giving this 4 stars, but it really is a 3 star book. The reason is the overall rating for the book is like 3.12 or something, which it deserves, but there are worse SW books out there that have 3.86 or so ratings..
Anyways, The Black Fleet is a lost division of ships that when the Emperor was defeated was supposed to self blow up and be destroyed so the Rebels wouldn't get it. But another alien race took over and stole it before it happened. The setting is 12 years after Return of the Jedi,..more
Anyways, The Black Fleet is a lost division of ships that when the Emperor was defeated was supposed to self blow up and be destroyed so the Rebels wouldn't get it. But another alien race took over and stole it before it happened. The setting is 12 years after Return of the Jedi,..more
Sep 02, 2012Tracy rated it it was ok
Eh. Not as good as SW books can be (the X-Wing series), but not as horrible as many of them (Courtship of Princess Leia, for instance). The trouble with many of the SW books that feature the movie characters is that I find the characterizations in the book to be extremely inconsistent. Leia in this book is ineffectual, naive, and narrow-minded, pretty much the opposite of her movie character. Luke goes from peaceful hermit determined to take no more action in the world to an impatient jerk while..more
Mar 15, 2011William rated it liked it
This was a thousand times better than Crystal Star. I still shudder when I mention that book. This novel had some intrigue, a reasonable plot, and some decent action sequences. I do believe the writers for Star Wars could condense these three book arcs into longer, but better edited single books. Like the Jedi Academy series, this one has such separate plots, you get the feeling that each could have been handled in its own book. Besides that, I didn't think Leia was so gullible. Is the position..more
I've read a LOT of Star Wars books. The first time I tried reading this book was about 10 years ago. I couldn't make it past the first few pages. The writing it pretty horrible.
I tried to read the book again about three years ago. I figured maybe my reading skills weren't up to the task the first time. Nope, the book is still trash.
I've never come across another book before that I physically couldn't read. I just don't understand how a professional writer can write so poorly.
I tried to read the book again about three years ago. I figured maybe my reading skills weren't up to the task the first time. Nope, the book is still trash.
I've never come across another book before that I physically couldn't read. I just don't understand how a professional writer can write so poorly.
This was the book that caused me to abandon reading this Expanded Universe crap altogether. I picked up R.A. Salvatore's 'contribution' a few years after this, and that confirmed that I had made the right decision. Pure garbage.
I read this series because I am a completist when it comes to reading (no more!). Please, take my advice and put the book down, don't order it, don't download it . . . just walk away.
Aug 18, 2017Colin McEvoy rated it liked it
I had heard bad things about Before the Storm and the Black Fleet Crisis series in general, and I went in with low expectations, especially given that I had found some of the other Star Wars novels I had read from this storyline era (I, Jedi, Children of the Jedi, Planet of Twilight) to be severely lacking. While this novel is largely a novel setting the scene for the rest of this trilogy (I mean, it’s called Before the Storm, for crying out loud), I found it enjoyable enough. Despite a few issu..more
Looking back the first time I saw the Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy in the must-read for Star Wars novel novice reader's list was the one of the things I do not regret buying soon enough. But when I really got my mitts on the whole trilogy, I just hoped, 'give it a try, it wouldn't hurt you..wouldn't it?'
A short review for Before the Storm, book one of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy would make up for it then?
First of all, this is one of the most boringly interesting Star Wars novels out there. I h..more
A short review for Before the Storm, book one of the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy would make up for it then?
First of all, this is one of the most boringly interesting Star Wars novels out there. I h..more
Jun 23, 2018James Taylor rated it it was ok
By pure coincidence, I read this book after The Jedi Academy trilogy, so it was a nice surprise to find out it follows on. Luke leaves his Academy to go into hiding, but is then visited by a mysterious woman who claims to know his mother, so he goes with her to learn more.
Leia is visited by the Yethethan Nil Spaar and tries to form an alliance with him. He seems insistent that he only wants peace and to be left alone, rather than join. Meanwhile, the New Republic find intelligence on the Black..more
Leia is visited by the Yethethan Nil Spaar and tries to form an alliance with him. He seems insistent that he only wants peace and to be left alone, rather than join. Meanwhile, the New Republic find intelligence on the Black..more
Things I dislike: 1)Lukes whole philosophy at the beginning of the book. I get that this was still sort of early days for the star wars EU but it just seems really strange to me. Especially with how quickly he drops it in the same book.
2) Leia's whole outlook and actions leading up to the crisis just seems really weird and out of place to me. Again sort of early days and I'm reading them chronologically by in universe timeline but she has never seemed this unwilling to listen to people that hav..more
2) Leia's whole outlook and actions leading up to the crisis just seems really weird and out of place to me. Again sort of early days and I'm reading them chronologically by in universe timeline but she has never seemed this unwilling to listen to people that hav..more
May 23, 2019Theresa rated it really liked it
This book has three stories going on that I assume will converge into one story as it gets going.
Luke has decided to go live like a hermit until a stranger comes along and tells him she knew his mother and that she could use his help. This book was published in 1996 so in this series his mother is not Padme. Although this story barely gets started in this book, so the stranger might not even be telling the truth.
Lando has taken Artoo and C3-PO on an adventure to a ship that may or may not be aba..more
Luke has decided to go live like a hermit until a stranger comes along and tells him she knew his mother and that she could use his help. This book was published in 1996 so in this series his mother is not Padme. Although this story barely gets started in this book, so the stranger might not even be telling the truth.
Lando has taken Artoo and C3-PO on an adventure to a ship that may or may not be aba..more
Tom Clancy goes to Coruscant. If you enjoy vacationing in the mind of a hard-right militarist, and like having that splashed over onto SW, you will enjoy this. Very much a product of its time, with none of the anxieties or self-doubt that crept into America's consciousness in the decades after it was written. Democracy is great but needs to be routinely saved from itself by people ignoring its rules and subverting its institutions. This works out great in the books, because the rule-breakers are..more
Sep 17, 2017C. rated it liked it
Star Wars Storm Troopers Images
As a fan of Han Solo fantastic father, this book gets stars for every Solo family moment it includes, but the plot was mostly yawnable from my memory of having read it long ago, and in this reread it's similarly so. If you like Solo family shenanigans, this book does have those and so might be worth picking up on that merit alone. I also appreciate that it deals with Leia's position and parentage and potential political fallout from it, but overall I probably won't pick it up again, and there we..more
Nov 26, 2018Brendan Pelto rated it really liked it
Disclaimer: 4 stars for a SW Novel. Don't think it is near high art.
Better than average. Don't pick it up thinking you're getting the full story, it is definitely a third of a book. The author does a great job making lesser known characters and new characters come to life. Luke is mopey and disappears from the novel, which is nice, because he has been mopey for most of the EU.
Weird segment where Ackbar barges in on Leia and Han 'hoping his friends are not mating'.
Better than average. Don't pick it up thinking you're getting the full story, it is definitely a third of a book. The author does a great job making lesser known characters and new characters come to life. Luke is mopey and disappears from the novel, which is nice, because he has been mopey for most of the EU.
Weird segment where Ackbar barges in on Leia and Han 'hoping his friends are not mating'.
I would have given this book 4 stars except for the way the Princess Leia character was written. She seemed totally out of 'character' and it only seemed a cheap plot motivator. Emphasis on the title 'Princess'. Naive, proud, dismissive, arrogant, pouty.. you get the idea. Almost destroyed the whole story.
So, clearly on a Star Wars reread at the moment, apologise in advance haha!
This was one of my favourites. The intrigues that Leia is having to deal with & how she copes between the role of mother, wife and politician is very interesting. The only thing I didn’t really like was the lando subplot? So weird! Waiting to see if it improves in book 2.
This was one of my favourites. The intrigues that Leia is having to deal with & how she copes between the role of mother, wife and politician is very interesting. The only thing I didn’t really like was the lando subplot? So weird! Waiting to see if it improves in book 2.
A good read, so far looking forward to the rest of the series.
Star Wars Before The Storm Review
Pretty good for a Star Wars book, I am already reading the next one.
This started out promising. I was excited because it included a lot of good characters. Great start to a series. What happened next..well, meh.
As a kid collecting EU novels and stories, I was always puzzled by _The Black Fleet Crisis_ trilogy. It was wildly different in tone and subject matter from most of the EU, I didn't know whether I hated it or loved it, and it seemed to have been largely ignored by the rest of the EU (ever see the Yevetha or Black Sword Command or the White Current mentioned elsewhere?). This ignoring has happened for a number of other books like the _Dark Empire_ comics or _Crystal Star_, but usually for good re..more
Sep 27, 2010Benjamin Thomas rated it it was ok
I am a Star Wars fan. When the first movie came out I was just out of the 9th grade and was absolutely captivated. It is one of the few movies I have seen more than once in the theater and I actually saw it 5 times there, even taking my 85 year-old grandfather to see it. I've seen every one of the movies as soon as it came out and while I agree with most people that the second trilogy (prequel) was not as good as the first trilogy I still enjoyed them. I read the first few novels that came out a..more
Jan 03, 2012Scott Rhee rated it really liked it Shelves: star-wars, science-fiction, movie-tie-in
Every once in a while, I have to let my sci-fi geek get its freak on (I have no idea what the hell that statement means, but it sounds appropriate), which usually entails a lazy day of watching six hours straight of cheesy science fiction movies. My wife loves it when I do this.
So, anyway, I just recently watched the original Star Wars trilogy again, for the 153rd time, and it still remains awesome. Now, of course, I am back on a Star Wars book-reading kick. There are roughly several hundred-pl..more
So, anyway, I just recently watched the original Star Wars trilogy again, for the 153rd time, and it still remains awesome. Now, of course, I am back on a Star Wars book-reading kick. There are roughly several hundred-pl..more
Meh. 2.3 stars.
Reading from the back, we know that this won't align with the Prequels, due to the fact that Luke goes to his 'mother's world.' If I recall correctly, this was retconned in a way that makes Luke first think he's going to her planet but then doesn't.
We get some very neat information on Yevethan technology.
Nil Spaar, a Yevetha, has been fighting against the Imperials since the Battle of Endor. Twelve years later, he goes to the New Republic for 'the promise of safety.'
Everyone but..more
Reading from the back, we know that this won't align with the Prequels, due to the fact that Luke goes to his 'mother's world.' If I recall correctly, this was retconned in a way that makes Luke first think he's going to her planet but then doesn't.
We get some very neat information on Yevethan technology.
Nil Spaar, a Yevetha, has been fighting against the Imperials since the Battle of Endor. Twelve years later, he goes to the New Republic for 'the promise of safety.'
Everyone but..more
Feb 03, 2012Donovan rated it really liked it
The Black Fleet Crisis is a trilogy of books set about 12 years after Return of the Jedi. They consist of:-
Before the Storm
Shield of Lies
Tyrant's Test
Plot ***Spoilers***
Before the Storm
It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscant. Yesterday's Rebels have become today's administrators and diplomats, and the factions that fou..more
Before the Storm
Shield of Lies
Tyrant's Test
Plot ***Spoilers***
Before the Storm
It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscant. Yesterday's Rebels have become today's administrators and diplomats, and the factions that fou..more
Dec 17, 2013Mark Oppenlander rated it liked it
This is the first book of a trilogy and the author seems intent on getting a whole bunch of stuff rolling all at once. The story is set about 10-12 years after the original film trilogy. Leia is now the Chief of State of the New Republic and the remnants of the Empire are mostly wiped away. However, other threats emerge.
Leia enters into negotiations with a mysterious alien named Nil Spaar who represents a sector that has largely been cut off from the rest of the galaxy during the civil war. Howe..more
Leia enters into negotiations with a mysterious alien named Nil Spaar who represents a sector that has largely been cut off from the rest of the galaxy during the civil war. Howe..more
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Michael Paul Kube-McDowell's earliest science fiction stories began appearing in magazines such as Amazing, Asimov's, and Analog in 1979. His 1985 debut novel Emprise, the first volume of the Trigon Disunity future history, was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. The Quiet Pools, published as a Bantam hardcover in 1990, was a Hugo Award nominee.
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“Palpatine sought power over others. Yoda sought power from within. Palpatine wanted control of everything, in the hopes of building what he thought would be a perfect universe. Yoda gave up the idea of controlling or perfecting the universe, in the hopes of understanding it.” — 0 likes
More quotes…Synopsis
- In the blockbuster bestselling tradition of Heir to the Empire comes this thrilling addition to the Star Wars (r) saga, as peace gives way to a new threat.. It is a time of tranquillity for the New Republic. The remnants of the Empire now lie in complete disarray, and the reemergence of the Jedi Knights has brought power and prestige to the fledgling government on Coruscant. Yesterday's Rebels have become today's administrators and diplomats, and the factions that fought against imperial tyranny seem united in savoring the fruits of peace. But the peace is short-lived. A restless Luke must journey to his mother's homeworld in a desperate and dangerous quest to find her people. An adventurous Lando must seize a mysterious spacecraft that has weapons of enormous destructive power and an unknown mission. And Leia, a living symbol of the New Republic's triumph, must face down a ruthless leader of the Duskhan League, an arrogant Yevetha who seems bent on a genocidal war that could shatter the fragile unity of the New Republic..and threaten its very survival.
Product Identifiers
- 0553572733
- 9780553572735
- 126281
Key Details
- Michael P. Kube-McDowell
- 320 pages
- Star Wars - Legends Ser.
- Paperback
- 1996-03-01
- English
- Random House Publishing Group
- 1996
Additional Details
- 1
- 1996
Dimensions
- 6.9 Oz
- 0.6 In.
- 4.2 In.
- 6.8 In.
Classification Method
- 2012-427000
- CPB
- 813.5/4
- 20
Reviews
- The New Republic faces a terrifying threat from the darkest depths of the Empire.