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Star Wars: Scoundrels
Unavailable
Star Wars: Scoundrels
Unavailable
Star Wars: Scoundrels
Audiobook13 hours

Star Wars: Scoundrels

Written by Timothy Zahn

Narrated by Marc Thompson

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

To make his biggest score, Han's ready to take even bigger risks.
But even he can't do this job solo.
 
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Han Solo should be basking in his moment of glory. After all, the cocky smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon just played a key role in the daring raid that destroyed the Death Star and landed the first serious blow to the Empire in its war against the Rebel Alliance. But after losing the reward his heroics earned him, Han's got nothing to celebrate. Especially since he's deep in debt to the ruthless crime lord Jabba the Hutt. There's a bounty on Han's head-and if he can't cough up the credits, he'll surely pay with his hide. The only thing that can save him is a king's ransom. Or maybe a gangster's fortune? That's what a mysterious stranger is offering in exchange for Han's less-than-legal help with a riskier-than-usual caper. The payoff will be more than enough for Han to settle up with Jabba-and ensure he never has to haggle with the Hutts again.
 
All he has to do is infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy's most notoriously impregnable safe. It sounds like a job for miracle workers . . . or madmen. So Han assembles a gallery of rogues who are a little of both-including his indispensable sidekick Chewbacca and the cunning Lando Calrissian. If anyone can dodge, deceive, and defeat heavily armed thugs, killer droids, and Imperial agents alike-and pull off the heist of the century-it's Solo's scoundrels. But will their crime really pay, or will it cost them the ultimate price?

Praise for Scoundrels
 
"Rapid-fire adventure [that] adds yet another dimension of enjoyment to a rousing galactic romp."-Library Journal
 
"Highly entertaining . . . excellent Star Wars . . . There are many twists and turns [and] Zahn manages to find ways to twist them one step further than you'd expect."-Examiner.com
 
"[Scoundrels] brings freshness to the franchise."-USA Today


From the Hardcover edition.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 1, 2013
ISBN9780449808351
Unavailable
Star Wars: Scoundrels
Author

Timothy Zahn

Timothy Zahn is the New York Times–bestselling science fiction author of more than forty novels, as well as many novellas and short stories. Best known for his contributions to the expanded Star Wars universe of books, including the Thrawn trilogy, Zahn also wrote the Cobra series and the young adult Dragonback series—the first novel of which, Dragon and Thief, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Zahn currently resides in Oregon with his family.

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Reviews for Star Wars

Rating: 3.9331209407643315 out of 5 stars
4/5

157 ratings20 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Exiting the whole way with a nice twist at the end. High quality listening material for sure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyed it overall and would recommend. Listened to a few other recent Star Wars fiction having read a lot 20 years ago but generally found them under whelming. Compared to Phasma for example there's a lot more to the original characters here and they're more than window dressing to the big names. This was more in line with what I was hoping for and engaging as an audio book. Still suffers, occasionally, from an excess of fantasy solutions to fantasy problems which leaves me zoning out a little. But I enjoyed the characters, the story and the reading was excellent.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Timothy Zahn is one of the only authors in this world that I would let get away with anything. That said, Star Wars heist Han Solo, a rolling ball and a whip in the same paragraph? Delightful!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Big fan of Timothy Zahn when he writes Star Wars novels. This will keep you guessing until the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good book overall. A little hard to follow as far as the map goes (this is mostly because of it being an audiobook). I also think there were too many characters. Although, I love heist books. Great book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    If, like Princess Leia, there aren't enough scoundrels in your life, then Timothy Zahn's Star War's heist novel might be for you.

    I'm a sucker for Star Wars, but after gobbling up The Thrawn Trilogy as a teenager, I somehow lost track of Star Wars fiction. I don't know if it was disappointment with the Prequel films or because I got distracted by other books, but somehow I didn't read many other Star Wars novels. For a lot of years, I didn't read anything in the Star Wars Universe.

    Then, I discovered John Jackson Miller's Kenobi, which I listened to an audio production of. The reading was fantastically produced, full of sound, music, voice actors, and sound effects, and I loved it. It didn't hurt that the writing was good, the plot gripping, and the characters sympathetic. Never was life on Tatooine so colorful and alive, even in A New Hope. Obi Wan Kenobi was already one of my favorites of the many Star Wars characters (let's be honest: the Prequels are as much about him as they are about Anakin's fall to the Dark Side). After Miller's novel, I was sold: Kenobi was a paragon of the Jedi, an archetypal hero.

    I was still relishing the savor of Miller's Kenobi when a friend recommended Timothy Zahn's Scoundrels, noting how much he had enjoyed the audio version. I found a copy of the audio book, and I was not disappointed. Like Kenobi, the reading integrates occasional sound effects, music, and adept voice changes. Star Wars audio books, I am coming to realize, are full productions and worthy entertainment.

    As a story, Scoundrels isn't too shabby, either. In contrast to Kenobi--and largely, the Star Wars movies--it is a heist type plot instead of a hero's journey. Initially, it was a rough shift for me. I'm a sucker for the hero's journey, and putting the characters I already knew into a heist setting was a shift. Once I realized what I was dealing with, however, I began to enjoy Scoundrels.

    The events of Scoundrels take place some time after A New Hope and before The Empire Strikes Back and provide the back story for Lando Calrissian's chilly welcome when the Millennium Falcon lands on Cloud City after Han, Chewbacca, Leia and the droids escape from Hoth. Han and Lando already have a rocky relationship, but when an opportunity to steal a massive fortune from a corrupt member of the Dark Sun crime syndicate, the two erstwhile friends find themselves in cahoots, along with a bevy of colorful and shady characters, some heroes, some shady, and almost all hiding a secret.

    Zahn's Star Wars heist Scoundrels is enjoyable, well paced, and if his characters are less sympathetic than the white knights of the Rebellion, it's only because this is a heist novel and almost everyone is working an angle to their own advantage. Still, heist novels are fun, and Zahn weaves the disparate plots and subplots with a deft hand, and each twist and surprise is a satisfying reveal
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I remember reading the Thrawn Trilogy back in the day and being amazed. Later I read the Hand of Thrawn Series and the two Outbound Flight books, which were also quite good. Scoundrels being the first Zahn book I have read since then I had high hopes, but was let down.While this is suppose to be Ocean's 11 meets Star Wars it definitely didn't keep me interested the same way one of those movies might. It was a 400 page book (hardcover), but the actual heist did't really take place until the last 100 pages. Before that there was an attempt to develop all the secondary characters, which none of them I really cared for much. This is to bad because Zahn was able to do this very well in his previous Star Wars novels. There was also a lot of rescuing individuals from the bad guys, over and over again.I found it very difficult to visualize where things were in relation to each other as the character's spent a lot of time in different parts of the same complex. One method of sneaking around was through the "between-floors gap", a term that was mentioned repetitively. This must be referring to the interstitial space above a dropped ceiling (for mechanicals, ducts, etc.). Just call it what it is, every other "real world" term was mentioned in this book except for cigar which was called "cigarra". Anyways you would think the greatest criminal organization in the galaxy would house their vital secrets and information in a building that was designed to be a little more secure. It was like the Death Star exhaust port times 10. The best part about the book is the ending, which you must be careful not to look at the last page. Many people were spoiled this way.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Lack of interesting characters outside of Han, Chewie, and Lando. Sorry isn't riveting or fun...blegh.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I initially chose to read this book because I enjoy Sci-fi, especially Star Wars or Star Trek. After getting into the book, I found the Sci-fi tag was only secondary. The heist and con games unfolding took center stage. The fact that the story used future technology only made the book better. How to break into a safe protected by all these not as yet existent security measures simply fascinated me.

    The story begins after Han Solo and his partner Chewbaca helped the rebel alliance destroy the Death Star. Han somehow lost the reward credits he received, so the story starts with Han broke and still owing money to Jabba the Hut, who placed a bounty on Han's head. After witnessing Han handle an altercation in a cantina resulting from the aforementioned bounty, Han is approached by a man, Eanjor, who offered a split of 163 million credits to re-acquire the fortune stolen from his father. Eanjer claimed that after a man named Villachor robbed his father's business, he blew up the building wounding Eanjer and killing his father. Eanjer had a prosthetic hand and eye and was covered with bandages and definately looked injured. Han checked the story and found Eanjer's father was indeed robbed and killed, so he agreed to the job only if he could assemble more people to help with the heist.

    The "scoundrels" Han assembled each had their own specialties; a team of twin girls who are expert burglars; a young man expert with explosives; a young woman with a photographic memory; a slight of hand and quick change artist; a space ship / vehicle thief; a woman who is a procurement expert; and the front man, Lando Calrissan. With Eanjor, Han, and Chewbaca, the 163 million would be split 11 ways. Also, in order to receive the full value of the credits, their was a biometric chip implanted so only Eanjer's father or family member with a dna match would be able to cash them. This gave Eanjer confidence that he would not be double crossed.

    The target of the heist, Villachor, was a sector chief for one of the galaxies most powerful crime organizations known as Black Sun. Investigating Black Sun was a pair of Imperial security operatives (spies for Darth Vader.) They become aware of Han's interest and assume an observatory mode. However, they do not remain in that mode for the entire story. Then the alliances and double crosses begin. The final twist does not appear until (literally) the last couple of sentences.

    I absolutely loved this book. It appealed to me on so many different fronts. Don't pass this up because you do not enjoy reading Sci-fi. This is a top notch heist and con artist book first and foremost. If you are a Sci-fi fan, it is only a bonus. Knowing some of the characters from previous Star Wars movies or books is also another bonus. For me, a fan of all, it was simply a fantastic and extremely enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read a review online that compares this story line to oceans eleven and that is a pretty good description of the type of story. The plan is complicated and there are a lot of characters to follow. I listened to the story and found the narrator was a bit distracting, though his voice were very distinct.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Star Wars meet Oceans 11. Han Solo gathers a group of people together to pull of a heist against a mafia (Black Sun) target. It works really well and we have a couple good story twists. This one could work well as a movie.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Timothy Zahn never fails to deliver terrific novels that combine sci-fi, military/political intrigue, and adventure. "Scoundrels" was a bit verbose, focused primarily on extended universe characters, and would be an ideal read for fans of con/heist, like Ocean's 11 or Leverage.If you're seeking Star Wars recommendations for a teen reader, look no further than Zahn's first Star Wars trilogy, and start with "Heir to the Empire." For a shorter, lighter read, try his novels featuring rogue Storm Troopers, "Allegiance" and "Choices of One."
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Lack of interesting characters outside of Han, Chewie, and Lando. Sorry isn't riveting or fun...blegh.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love Scoundrels. If you're looking for a fun, not too serious Star Wars story with a great twist, get this book now!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Han Solo assembles a team of scoundrels consisting of smugglers, swindlers, slicers, and more in order to stake out and perform a heist worth millions in credits. Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars: Scoundrels was a very entertaining book that kept on delivering, and concluded with a surprise ending that not only wrapped it up, but tied the bow. A very fresh style on Star Wars novels and I would not mind more like it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I rather enjoyed this book. I started it right after Zahn's Outbound Flight, a prequel of sorts to his Heir to the Empire trilogy. I was a little disappointed by Outbound Flight, but once I got into this book, I found it was a lot of fun.Ocean's Eleven in a Star Wars setting is the best way to describe it. You have to assume everything is going to work out in the end, because that is how this kind of story works, but you stick around to see how the author makes it all hang together. I stuck around, and it was well worth it.Of course, all of this has been relegated to "Legends" status by Disney, but I still get a kick out of what we used to call the Star Wars Extended Universe.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think my favorite thing about Timothy Zahn is how good he is at writing bad guys. People who would otherwise be just ordinary evil minions turn into people you're sad to see go in the final battle, even if they were trying to get Han and Lando killed.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was so looking forward to this book. It has Han Solo on the cover, who I have a giant crush on! It is written by Timothy Zahn, whose "Thrawn" trilogy I loved! Alas, that noise you hear is my expectations crashing and burning :("Scoundrels" did not feel like a Star Wars book. I have seen reviews refer to the book as "Ocean's 11 in space" - and it felt as if any 11 characters could have been inserted into the "main heroes" slots and nothing would have changed. It was hard to care about the heroes, and I kept feeling like I am missing huge parts of the book because it assumed a fairly detailed knowledge of Extended Universe canon (unless the world-building was just bad).Overall, the book was a disappointing experience. It took me four weeks to slog my way through it, and at the end I was skimming the pages, just wanting to get it over with.Oh, and what was it with Chewbacca 'warbling' all the time? He is not a freaking bird! (I am nitpicking, I know, I know....)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My Review: 6 - Worth Reading, with ReservationsHere's the thing: I love Star Wars. I am not, however, a fan of heist stories (think Ocean's Eleven, etc). This book is Star Wars meets Ocean's Eleven, featuring Han, Lando, Chewie, and a few other surprising and familiar faces along the way. On one hand, if you've not read any of the Expanded Universe novels, and you're a fan of both things mentioned above, you should have fun with this tale. If you're a fan of the EU novels, there's something weird about this one… it doesn't really feel like a Star Wars story, despite being written by the great and wonderful Timothy Zahn. There were also a few cameos and background that made me raise my eyebrows, because I was trying desperately to remember things I'd read years and years and years ago. So yeah, this is probably awesome for an EU newbie. It's plain fun for the regular EU reader, but I can't shake the feeling of weird it gave me. Not a bad weird, mind you, as it was fun to see what Han was up to between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Still, I'm looking more forward to James S.A. Corey's take on the character, which will hopefully be published late this year. :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As always, Zahn does a masterful job in the Star Wars universe. This one is set very shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star (the events of Episode IV); Han Solo has gone back to his life on the fringe, scuffling for jobs in an effort to pay off his debt to Jabba the Hutt. When he's approached for a seemingly impossible job that presents an opportunity to make a seemingly impossible amount of money, he dives in headfirst.Basically, the book is just fun. It's Han, Chewie, and Lando in their element, gathering a team and utilizing their skills as criminals and con artists. Yeah, you know they're going to live through it, but you also know that it's not going to be 100% successful, so it's a matter of connecting the dots and enjoying the ride. Also, I think we finally have a definitive answer to what Lando was referring to in The Empire Strikes Back when he says "You've got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled."I used to read every Star Wars novel. Now, given the sheer volume being published and the fact that so many of them are crap, I skip most of them. I never miss a Zahn title, though, and he never disappoints. This one is definitely worth the time.