Scoundrels: Star Wars Legends

By: Timothy Zahn

Narrated by: Marc Thompson

Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

To make his biggest score, Han's ready to take even bigger risks.

But even he can't do this job solo.

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?

©2012 Timothy Zahn (P)2012 Random House Audio

I ROLLED MY CHANCE CUBES AND WON ON THIS BOOK!

I've listened to quite a few sci-fi and fantasy audiobooks, none of them from the Star Wars universe. I grew up watching and loving most of the movies (and movie offshoots) and characters. Although I am a nerdy sci-fi guy, I would not classify myself in the same 'Galaxy' as some of the more hardcore Star Wars aficionados. I normally wait to buy books with plenty of positive reviews and do not take a ton of chances on unreviewed books. With that said, I absolutely loved this book.

The author retained the imagery of the original movies as my mind's eye had seen them. I did a little research on his other audiobooks and saw a very positive trend, most of his other books are above 4 stars with plenty of reviews. He definitely has a lot of experience in the Star Wars universe as well.

The voice acting was GREAT! Especially, Han's voice (his inflection and canter was spot on). The production with the background noise was not overwhelming and definitely helped in setting the atmosphere and storytelling.

If you are new to the Star Wars audiobook universe, I would highly recommend you take a chance on these scruffy nerf herders.

38 of 38 people found this review helpful

The Story is Simply OK, the performance is great

I've read many Star Wars books that takes place before, during and after the legendary first 3 films. Yeah, sure, the entire 6 film collection that will eventually include more and more SW films. I'm a fan, just like you.

Story had the potential to be so much more but it simply falls flat. Zahn spent too much time on minutiae. There are some characters but too much details on safes, weapons, etc. The background story between Solo and Lando was interesting and it could have been expanded. Chewy was pretty much playing the background well I guess that's his position. The twist in the end simply made me chuckle. "Ok, yeah," I thought with a chuckle.

The performance was great! The voices, the ambiant background noise, the crowds, the different accents. Lucas Books produce top-notch material.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Helps is all make sense!

This novel takes place between "Episode IV" and "Episode V," and really helps us understand how much time passed between the two. I liked that it also answered the questions of why Han and Lando are on the outs prior to their meeting to Cloud City, and how Lando become the leader of that city.

Nicely done, Mr. Zahn!

The narrator, Marc Thompson, was great! There were a lot of main characters in this story, and they each seemed to have a distinct sound. Plus, his Han and Lando voices were really good; at certain points, they were dead-on impressions of Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams. Nice going, Marc!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

So much fun!

Ages ago, before audio books, I had read Timothy Zahn's Star Wars trilogy on the recommendation of a friend. Seeing this title, and reading the reviews, prompted me to try it, partly because I trust Zahn to write a good tale that isn't jarring with the Star Wars universe that -I- grew up with (pre Episode I, tyvm).

I was not disappointed. The narration was just fabulous, with all the different voices, giving what was already a fun, interesting story greater scope and depth. I think fans of 'heist' stories will enjoy it regardless of their interest in the Star Wars setting (or lack of interest, gasp!) because you don't /really/ have to be a fan or know much to feel involved in the story. Being a fan just makes the little 'easter eggs' more fun. :)

The ending was unexpected, which is always fun! A thoroughly enjoyable listen all around.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Amazing story and the usual amazing narration

What made the experience of listening to Scoundrels: Star Wars the most enjoyable?

Marc Thompson is incredible at duplicating existing accents and creating new ones in the Star Wars books. His voice inflections combined with the great sound effects make the experience itself of listening to the book the most enjoyable thing about the book. I almost can't afford to drive while listening to his books because I end up so absorbed in the narration that I miss turns!

As far as this book specifically goes, I appreciated the twists and turns and unpredictability of the storyline. For being a single book detached from any other particular Star Wars storyline, it was well-developed, well-executed, and wrapped up completely at the end. There's nothing I hate more than loose ends at the end of an otherwise great book. This one has none of them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Scoundrels: Star Wars?

For me, it was the last couple of minutes of dialog of the story. Definitely not what was expected, but it made sense and did a good job of tying everything together.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

More Star Wars Goodness.

Where does Scoundrels: Star Wars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is above average. It is great for nostalgia. That being said, it isn't Timothy Zahns best work by a long shot.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was as expected.

Have you listened to any of Marc Thompson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He IS the voice of the Star Wars universe. Someone out there may be able to do better but he/she has not shown up yet. He makes the books far better than the written prose and this one is no different.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Start Wars book 4.5

Any additional comments?

This was a fun listen that I could enjoy with my young daughter. The Narrartor is one of the best and the technical aspects for Star Wars books are always top notch. The stories are not deep, if fact they are thin and extremely predictable but they get the job done.There won't be any real shocks or surprises but it is a fun visit with old friends and I liked it.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Ocean's Eleven....in SPAAAAAACCCEEE

Where does Scoundrels: Star Wars Legends rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved this book. I've listened to it easily 5 or 6 times.

What other book might you compare Scoundrels: Star Wars Legends to and why?

Like the title says, it's essentially Ocean's Eleven, with Han Solo getting together a team of other scoundrels to pull off a heist.

Which character – as performed by Marc Thompson – was your favorite?

Lando and Han's voices were SPOT ON, and the ensemble cast had just enough variation in their voicings that I could tell who was speaking which line.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I'm a sucker for heist films and books, I love hearing and seeing the plotting and scheming and execution of said plans. TBH, I hope that the Solo Star Wars movie is based off of this, but it probably won't be.

Any additional comments?

Wish this was still officially canon, but it's now part of the Legends canon

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Well Worth a Listen

If you could sum up Scoundrels: Star Wars in three words, what would they be?

Probably "Explains a lot." It does a good job retying Han to the criminal underworld that he is from, and ushering his story pretty cleanly from New Hope to Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It also develops Lando's character perhaps more that he has been in any previous work.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Probably the Crime Lord. His paranoia came off as very realistic, and the conclusions he was drawing based on events were very plausible. It made him a villain you really wanted to see get his.

What about Marc Thompson’s performance did you like?

He had a very versatile voice, able to convincingly do Imperial officer arrogance and air-headed social butterfly with equal skill. There was also a good pacing to his voice. A minor issue though, was his tendency to get carried away with that pacing and suddenly jolt you out of the immersion by being too heavy handed with emphasis. Didn't happen often though.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not too much. The suspense in the story mostly came at the end. As planning was a huge part of the narrative, it always felt like it would keep til the next listen. It was interesting enough to be engaging, but not so much as to be gripping.

Any additional comments?

Overall, it's probably the weakest Timothy Zahn book I've read/listened to. That's really not saying much, as I've been very impressed with every Zahn story I've come into contact with (The Thrawn Trilogy being an all time favorite story,) and it certainly had some of the Zahn touches, like amazing original characters, cameos that are not heavy handed, and a high stakes story.

If you're a fan of heist stories, it's a good one. If you're looking for character development on Lando or Han, it has that too. If you're looking for more information on larger events, or character development on Chewbacca, you're probably going to be a bit disappointed.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Han, Chewie, and Lando... getting into "trouble" again

Unfortunately the best part of this book is the narration. 5 stars for Marc Thompson who does an amazing job with the voices. The sound effects are a bit annoying and I (kind of) got past it, but it knocks the performance grade down a star.
As for the story, others have summed it up as Star Wars meets Oceans 11. That's very accurate. There are some fun twists and interesting gadgets but I could have used more story substance. All-in-all it was just okay.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fair, but could of been less boring, in my view

Nothing against the Narrator, Thompson is the best for Star Wars, but seemed the story was less then I expected. It was ok to listen too.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Cool Dudes of Star Wars Hists

Where does Scoundrels: Star Wars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A good book well written. Voice acting is good to. But don't expect too much in the way of the force..

What other book might you compare Scoundrels: Star Wars to, and why?

Mercy Kill

Have you listened to any of Marc Thompson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

As always perfect

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Scoundrels have their day.

Any additional comments?

nope

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great performance, decent story!

As usual, Marc brings this heist tale to life with his fantastic voice acting. To put it in perspective, even my wife, not that big a Star Wars fan, is hooked on any book read by him.

Great original story

This is a great story line, Han at his best, brilliant characters, and at the end the last minute of the story just blew me away

Excellent Star Wars story

This story fits perfectly into the timeline. The cast of characters is well voiced by the narrator. The sound effects add to the immersion. All though the book I kept wondering how the characters were going to get their task done.

Not one of Zahn's finest

If it wasn't for the narration of Marc Thompson I wouldn't have finished this book. He does a fair impression of Han and Lando - though I don't think Chewie was his handy work ;)

The story itself is a mess, it feels like it's trying to be something it isn't (oceans 11 or oceans 1138). It gets bogged down in mundane narratives which add nothing to the story, like describing action sequences in 'holovids', and makes the story painfully slow paced in places.

But when it does come to life (which is about 20% of the overall book) it is quite an enjoyable experience

For me it's just ok.

Over complicated plot. Slow story.
New Characters introduced didn't really hold my interest.
On the positive side there are some great sound effects and impersonations by the narrator..
Struggling to finish this I'm afraid.I have managed to get over half way.

Enjoyed

pretty slow to start but worth going all the way to the end, picks up the pace

Ultimately disappointing

What did you like best about Scoundrels: Star Wars? What did you like least?

What did I like best? the idea...Least the execution.

Would you ever listen to anything by Timothy Zahn again?

Off the back of the euphoria of The Force Awakens, I made the mistake of buying two at the same time. I probably wont buy a third,

Have you listened to any of Marc Thompson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, He does a passable Harrison Ford and if he is the voice of Chewie, then his wookie is fluent.

Was Scoundrels: Star Wars worth the listening time?

I started so I will finish. I listen to it in the car, so it is fine for that. it is light, fairly straight forward and not very challenging.

Any additional comments?

It often feels that this novel was retro fitted into the Star Wars universe. When you read any book, especially a fantasy book you need to believe that the world you are reading about and the characters are real. This is called Suspension of Disbelief. The job of the author is to create a world that is internally consistent and seamless. This is neither internally consistent nor is it Seamless. I was quite enjoying the book, set as all Star Wars stories are "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away".... My suspension of disbelief came crashing down when two of the characters went off to play pool. From that point on every little inconsistency jarred. Sorry, I do realise how petty that sounds, but its like seeing that sports car in the background of the chariot race in Ben Hur...it totally shatters the illusion.

Another fun adventure in a galaxy far far away

A fun adventure featuring a wide and varied cast of characters. A good caper but perhaps there's too much going on at times making it not so easy to track plot lines and characters that you've only met here for the first time. If this is no longer part of the canon it doesn't stop it being an entertaining visit to the old Star Wars universe.

Oceans 11

Felt a bit like oceans 11 but in a starwars way. Good twist at the end though.