While not eliciting the rapturous praise of John Jackson Miller’s Kenobi, Martha Wells’ Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge was mostly well received – with reservations – by the fansite community. (I gave it a B.)
- Bria at Tosche Station says the “does so many things right that it’s difficult to pick a place to start.” She praises the characterization, new characters and the balance of tension and fun.
- Kay at Fangirl said the portrayal of Han and Leia’s relationship was “great fun,” and that “their romantic tension is so thick, you can only just barely see through it.”
- TheForce.Net has a double review from Adam Nettina and Adam Throne, and neither were particularly impressed, rating it a 6/10 and 4.5/10.
- William at EUCantina was disappointed that there seemed to be “nothing particularly Alderaanian” about the crew of the Aegis and in Chewbacca and Luke’s diminished roles, he still found the book “very enjoyable overall,” giving it a 4/5.
- Bryan at Big Shiny Robot found that story echoed the Marvel comics from the OT years, and said “Wells brings a gravitas to the material that I really enjoyed.”
- Aaron at Star Wars Report thought the book started out strong, despite not playing to his preferences, but found that it “ultimately fizzled.”
- Amy of Geek with Curves was also pleased with the Leia characterization and thought the book’s tone was right on.
- Eleven Thirty-Eight’s Lisa is pleased by the variety of species and races in the cast, and calls Wells’ characterization of Leia “one of her best.” She also discusses the book with another one of the site’s writers, Jay.
- Peter at Lightsaber Rattling overall found it a “a solid edition to the Star Wars library,” but found that the story could use more fleshing out.
- Geralyn at Roqoo Depot calls it a “rollicking Star Wars adventure,” giving it a 4/5.
- Mark Newbold at Jedi News says that Wells “gets” Leia and that the book is a “success.”
The reviewers at Knights’ Archive both played it down the middle. Megan liked the diversity and Leia’s characterization, but found the prose “workmanlike” and the ending abrupt. Bryan agreed on the characterization, cast and conclusion, but found most of the plot and the villains “boring.”
If you still haven’t picked it up, there’s a book trailer and Martha Wells interviews on Roqoo Depot and EUCantina.
Thanks for the mention, appreciate it. Hoping more folks notice that we’ve reviewed every new comic and novel this year so far and are aiming to go back and catch a lot of the back catalogue. Not as impressive as the stellar archive of reviews TF.N and some of the other sites have amassed, but a start.
I didn’t use the word “fizzles” in my review, but I think that’s the best word to describe the book.
I don’t know what they’re talking about…It was amazing. Although I agree with Knight’s Archive, the ending was quite abrupt and a bit hard to follow. But the characterization was spot-on, and the scene in the bathroom was so funny.