Ricky Church reviews Star Wars: Last Shot – A Han and Lando Novel by Daniel José Older…
Han Solo and Lando Calrissian are two of Star Wars‘ most recognizable characters in the franchise, what with Han’s devil-may-care attitude and and Lando’s immaculate sense of style and class. Just in time for the release of the next spin-off film Solo: A Star Wars Story, author Daniel José Older writes Star Wars: Last Shot, a Han and Lando adventure that spans three separate timeframes in the galaxy, focusing on the duo when they were young scoundrels and a couple years after the Battle of Endor when they’re galactic war heroes. The book is an entertaining read that delves into the characteristics of Han and Lando and the journey they’ve had throughout the course of the saga as they try to stop a potential uprising in the galaxy.
The story begins in peacetime with Han and Lando settling into their new roles when actions from their past comes back to haunt them. Both Han and Lando have to face a doctor-turned-gangster named Fyzen Gor whose none too happy with the captain of the Millennium Falcon for apparently stealing his prized possession, a device that can control any droid in the galaxy to kill whoever he wants. Problem is both Han and Lando encountered him at separate points in their early criminal careers, making the exact placement of this device a mystery.
Last Shot begins intriguingly enough and Older captures the voices of Han and Lando very well, especially in the case of Lando. The classy rogue seems just like himself from the films and when the book shifts to his perspective there’s an energy to it that’s immediately compelling. The young Lando sequences are especially entertaining, giving us a hint as to what he and his relationship with Solo‘s L3-37 was like. He’s also able to capture Lando’s vulnerability as a ‘respectable’ man in peacetime, one who actually has plenty of people to care for including a potential and permanent romantic partner.
While Older does well with Han’s voice, he’s not quite the Han we know which is a pro and con in the story. Older explores Han’s misplacement in the galaxy now that he doesn’t have a fight, is married to a senator and is dealing with one of his most difficult challenges yet: fatherhood. Its interesting to see Han so unsure of himself as he begins this new role, but Older’s examination of what makes Han who he is goes fairly in-depth into his journey throughout the saga, a fact that’s even more apparent with the flashbacks to his younger days presumably shortly after he won the Falcon. There are some points, however, where Older’s writes Han, or at least his perspective, as slightly more comedic or slapstick than he usually is. This happens far more often when the narrative shifts to young Han, but though it can be a bit off-putting, Older still has a good take on the smuggler.
The supporting characters are a bit less memorable. Apart from Chewbacca, the members of Han and Lando’s crew are Kaasha, Lando’s Twi’lek partner, a young Han Solo-like pilot Taka Jamoreesa and, the most memorable of them simply for her species and role, an Ewok slicer named Peekpa. Kaasha has some nice chemistry with Lando, showing she’s a match for his suave ways and just as much of a determined fighter as he is, while Taka gets a few moments that open him up, but ultimately plays him off as the typical brash and gun-toting young sidekick. Chewie unfortunately doesn’t feature much into the storyline, both past and present. It would have been nice to see how much has changed with Chewie now that his home planet is free from the Empire’s control and he’s reunited with his family, but aside from a couple lines said in passing, there’s not much information on his front.
The story also leaves somewhat to be desired. It starts off pretty well as Lando comes to Han for help and begin recruiting their team, but it peters out a bit in the middle and doesn’t really pick up again until the climax. The most interesting aspect of the story is how Han and Lando are out to prevent a droid uprising, and not one like the Clone Wars, but a true droid uprising of all droids overthrowing their masters. Most Star Wars media have never delved too much into how droids are treated in the universe and this was one factor Older succeeded in examining. He also utilizes some creepy and gory elements of true droid/human/alien hybrids as the villain seeks to reach a new stage of enlightenment for the galaxy thanks to his love of droids.
The flashback portions of Last Shot also feature some of the book’s best material. The Lando flashbacks are all great while Han’s are entertaining, though they do get a bit repetitive. Older crates a nice intermixing of the three separate stories and how they fit together, creating several questions for readers the further along in the book they get as the mystery over what they’re all after and what it does is slowly discovered.
Last Shot’s pacing is a bit of an issue in the middle and the book’s tone shifts a little more into the comedy than it should at times, but Older balances the comedic and dramatic aspects of the story fairly well. His take on Lando is the big selling point of the book and despite Han coming off more slapstick at times, he still captures the voice of everyone’s favourite scoundrel. Star Wars: Last Shot has its flaws, but its still a good read with a nice spotlight on Han and Lando that fans will enjoy.
Rating: 7/10
Ricky Church
