Han Solo. The image of a scruffy nerf herding smuggler immediately comes to mind. I’ve been around the block a few times so I remember seeing Star Wars as a kid in 1977…at a drive in theater. Not many of those around anymore. I had no idea that this movie was going to be the start of a lifelong fandom of several movies, books, and even roleplaying games.

For this May 4th I wanted to go back to when Star Wars was popular but before it was a global phenomena. Between 1977 and 1980 when The Empire Strikes Back hit theaters Star Wars was growing rapidly. Don’t even get me started about the action figures. My entire collection has been lost to time and several moves but back then they weren’t collectors pieces. They were toys and I have to say I reenacted every scene from the movie I could remember. There weren’t any streaming services back then you had to rely on memory and eventually it would be reformatted for TV and you would scour the tv guides to see if it was upcoming.

Something I did miss out on as a kid were the early Star Wars novels. My love of reading really kicked in later in grade school and by that time I was focused more on Star Trek.

So for my next book review I decided to go back and found Han Solo at Stars’ End by Brian Daley. I happened upon a paperback copy of the book at Half Price Books. Although you can find the book on Amazon as the Han Solo Adventures. Han Solo at Stars’ End is actually book one in a three book series of unrelated stories. Originally published separately they have since been combined into one volume.

My copy has a print date of 1980 so we’re going way back with this one.

This is a fast paced easy to read popcorn adventure. You grab a snack along with the book and you can have it read in a night or two.

It is set before the events of Star Wars. Han Solo and Chewbacca are smugglers looking for the next big score. There are no heavy moral decisions about the fate of galaxy here. Although Daley does insert a hint of the moral fiber that develops in Han over the course of the original trilogy of movies.

For Han and Chewbacca its all about their freedom amongst the stars. As long as the pair has their ship, the Millennium Falcon, they control their destiny. In order to keep the ship running and make enough to get ahead of the competition, not to to mention the authorities, they take on a range of jobs.

For starters they are running a supply of guns to a group of rebels (not THOSE rebels, yet…) who are opposing an organization known as the Corporate Sector Authority. While it isn’t the Galactic Empire the Authority controls its territory with an iron fist. With its own paramilitary security force and a private fleet of starships the Authority regulates the flow of goods and steam rolls any opposition. Which puts it at odds with Han and Chewbacca along with a slew of other people.

One such case is a planet populated by a race of being who were coerced to work in harsh conditions because their physiology was ideal for the planet (maximizing Authority productivity and profit). Empty promises of wealth and rewards leaves the aliens trapped. In order to free themselves they arrange a shipment of firearms to be delivered in secret.

Our favorite smuggler, who doesn’t need or want to know what he’s smuggling, gets the job. Successfully landing while evading Authority forces Han makes his delivery. At first when the aliens attempt to relay their plight Han wants nothing to do with it. But he sympathizes with the poor creatures and offers some tactical suggestions. Dismissing their cause as hopeless he nonetheless helps.

Unfortunately the Falcon is damaged during this run and needs repairs along with some overdue upgrades. At this point the story takes off.

Realizing the needs for repairs and upgrades Han and Chewbacca seek out the best name in starship modifications, a man know as Doc. He has the best equipment and technicians and can keep a secret.

Finding the secret workshop there is an immediate complication. Doc is missing after making a parts run. His daughter Jessa enlists Han to help find her father. As it turns out several opponents of the Authority have gone missing recently and Jessa has a contact who it close to finding the missing persons. She offers Han a simple proposition. All of the repair and upgrades the Falcon needs in exchange for him and Chewy picking up her contact.

The one minor complication is that her contact is on a world in the heart of the Authority sector. Han initially passes, not wanting to get involved but for the good of his ship (at least that what he convinces himself is the “real” reason) he takes the job.

Han Solo At Stars’ End is a wild literary ride. It doesn’t try to be too serious. Any moral qualm Han has is quickly overcome and the plot moves along. It isn’t like Timothy Zahn’s Heir To The Empire series. Daley is just taking you along for the ride without any heavy thinking required. I enjoyed the book for what it was. A quick delve into the world of Star Wars. Mind you there are no Jedis, no Sith, and no mention of the Force. It’s just a smuggler and his copilot wookie trying to make a living in the galaxy.

At the time of its initial publishing there had been only one, non-movie related, Star Wars novel. Han Solo At Stars’ End was one of the first attempts at expanding on the universe that George Lucas had created.

Brian Daley spins a simple, easy to follow, story. You have to remember the context of his book. It was one of the first to look deeper into the characters. Over the last forty plus years the Star Wars universe has expanded exponentially.

Before the Emperor, before Thrawn, and before midichlorians we had two smugglers just trying to make their way in the galaxy. If you are a collector of Star Wars memorabilia or want to check out some of the original fiction that came out back in the beginning then I think Han Solo At Stars’ End is for you. While the paperbacks might be a little hard to come by nowadays they have been reprinted over the years and they are available on Amazon.com for the Kindle.

The pace of the book is simple and direct. The paperback is only 183 pages so the story moves fast.

Although Daley does appear to settle a decades old dispute. Namely, in Star Wars: A New Hope would Han shoot first?

Apparently Han not only did shoot first in that epic scene with Greedo but he would not have been apologetic about it. There is a scene in Han Solo At Stars’ End where Han and Chewy are with the group looking for Doc and other missing friends and family members. The smugglers wait nervously as the group’s leader, Rekkon, hacks the Authority data network with assistance from a pair of special droids Jessa provided named Blue Max and Bullox. An unexpected knock on the door of the room results in a quick draw from Han and Chewy ready to blast any threat. Rekkon cautions Han to not always resort to shooting first when a potential threat arises. To which Han replies: “I happen to like to shoot first, Rekkon. As opposed to shooting second.” Note that the word “like” in that sentence is printed in italics in the book for emphasis.

They can go back and edit the scene to look like Greedo got the first shot in but there it is plain as day, long before the debate ever started.

If you have any old Star Wars stories to share feel free to add them in the comments below. I’d also like to hear your thoughts if you have read some of the old books and how you think they compare to the more recent novels.

Thank you and May the 4th Be With You…