Scott's Rating:   2.5 out of 4

This is the first book in the Star Wars Missions series. The novel is part of a kid's role playing game. The book sets up the premise, then kicks into the game, then the story concludes. This book is very hard to find because it is only available through direct order from Scholastic through schools or book fairs. As it says on the back cover, "This Scholastic edition is only available for distribution through the school market". You'll only be able to find it there or through the secondary market. Kind of a bummer for collectors.

This story takes place the day after the Death Star is blown up. A Star Destroyer assault shuttle waiting for a signal from Grand Moff Tarkin goes to Yavin 4 to investigate why they have not heard from him. They soon realize the battle station was destroyed and they go to Yavin 4 to investigate. Han Solo takes the Falcon up, against orders, and forces the shuttle to land on Yavin 4. That's when the game kicks in and you are assigned, as a Rebel soldier, to track down the shuttle and stormtroopers in the jungle. Along the way your character discovers an ancient military outpost in a temple ruin and a droid that soon becomes your sidekick. Along the way we also learn that the Death Star was carrying massive amounts of contaminated bacta. Why? We find out in the next book! It is the first book in a multiple book storyline by Ryder Windham.

Scott:

    This is a neat little game for kids. Hopefully they enjoy it. The sub-plot about the bacta on the Death Star was most interesting to me. I'm sure this will develop in the next book. There's also a very amusing scene where Han Solo poses as a doctor and tells a captured Imperial that he needs a bacta treatment. It doesn't take the Imperial very long to let them know it was contaminated. That was pretty good.

Scott:

    As with all these books, they are very hard to find. And as much trouble as it was to find, there's not much story here. The game takes up the bulk of the book. The back of the book pretty much summarizes the entire story which isn't a lot.

Also early in the book Han Solo deliberately disobeys orders and attacks an assault shuttle on his own. Is this the same Han Solo that a day or two before was skipping out of town because he didn't want to risk his neck for anyone? It seemed a little out of character for Han at that point in his life.

Scott:

    Definitely the name of the captain of the assault shuttle: Captain Skeezer. Oy!