Review: Star Wars: Survivor's Quest (2004)

★★

Timothy Zahn is no stranger to the Star Wars Universe. He's written novels like the "Thrawn Trilogy," the "Hand of Thrawn Duology," and Outbound Flight. As well as a bunch of other standalone novels. But Zahn is known for the creation of "Thrawn," "Mara Jade," and "Talon Karrde." None of which George Lucas hated. He, in fact, approved all of those new characters and the marriage of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. I enjoyed the "Thrawn Trilogy," the "Hand of Thrawn Duology," and "Outbound Flight," but I didn't enjoy "Survivor's Quest" all that much.

This novel is technically a sequel to "Outbound Flight," despite the 50-year gap. "Survivor's Quest" was written 2-years prior to "Outbound Flight," but that's beyond the point. Timothy Zahn is not a bad writer, nor does his writing lack his normal style; it's just the story wasn't as exciting or fun as his previous novels. That in no way hurt the novel, the story and the characters hurt the story. Maybe it's because I read "Outbound Flight" before this.

I enjoyed the first half of the novel. Seeing Luke and Mara together as a married couple was wonderful. Zahn also introduced us to new characters who were all interesting at first, but lost all interest after everyone found the actual ship, "Outbound Flight." In fact, that's when the story lost almost all potential. Everything slowed down, and the pacing felt off. It felt like ideas were run out and Zahn had to come up with something, or someone at Lucasfilm decided to make this decision. I have no idea, but seriously, that pacing drop really slowed everything down.

The only character from the original films to make an appearance in this novel is Luke. There is a huge cast of characters, both human and extraterrestrial. The cast is so big that I occasionally forget who was who. It's a really complex political thriller in addition to being an action-adventure. The idea that Luke has matured, gotten married, and still occasionally takes time out of his life to save the galaxy was the sweetest part. Mara was also a recurring character, and as I mentioned earlier, I was happy to see those two finally married. They were my favorite part of the novel. Seeing those two bounce on top of each other really adds to their chemistry.

I would recommend this book to any Star Wars fan who has enjoyed Timothy Zahn's previous works, such as the: "Thrawn Trilogy," the "Hand of Thrawn Duology," and "Outbound Flight." This book serves as a sequel to "Outbound Flight" and is set in a time after the Rebellion and the Empire have formed a truce. Additionally, it delves into the lives of the beloved characters Luke and Mara, who are now a married couple. In the timeline, of course.