Star Wars: Last Shot - A Han and Lando Novel - Daniel José Older

Ironically, Last Shot was my last chance at giving the new Star Wars books a chance, and Daniel José Older blows it spectacularly. The core problem with setting books between films, in times of galactic peace, is that conflict must be manufactured. Never has it been more contrived than here. In a post Empire galaxy, Han Solo struggles to adjust to the burden of parenthood, only feeling good about life when he was someone to shoot at (his words). Along with his staple sexism and psychopathy, he now also has xenophobia to add to his character traits. Teaming up with his commitment shy buddy Lando Calrissian, they abandon their responsibilities and set off on a gung ho mission to recapture the adventure of their younger days.

A mad scientist alien has created a cult centred around grafting organic limbs onto droids with the goal of eventually turning all droids against their sentient overlords through a mysterious artefact called the Phylanx. The splatter house concept is bizarre, narratively unjustified, and tonally, light years away from what Disney hoped to achieve with their rebooted, sanitised franchise. A scene with murderous, Wookiee armed droids floating through space is an image even more ridiculous than the most derivative fan fiction out there. To make matters worse, the book operates on four distinct timelines, clumsily switching back and forth, further disorienting the reader in the process. A difficult narrative structure to pull off at the best of times, Older is woeful underskilled for the endeavour.

A poor plot and confusing structure could be half forgiven in the hands of a competent writer, but one only need glance at Older's preening pose on the author photo to know this will not be the case here. Best suited to penning highly colloquial young adult novels, Older was unwilling, or unable to adapt to an adult audience. He writes in a similarly disjointed, unprofessional style as Chuck Wendig, throwing out crass and modern turns of phrase at every opportunity. One dialogue technique he is particularly proud of is for somebody to have their sentence interrupted by a flashy action point, and for them to finish their remark in droll recognition of said event. Unfunny the first time it happens, the subsequent twenty or so occasions certainly grate on the nerves.

Characters in general have the vocabulary range of stroppy teenagers. Women are reduced to objects of sexual desire who continuously raise or 'waggle' their eyebrows cynically, the only way male Star Wars writers seem to know how to depict women. A quick Google search throws up Twitter camaraderie between Older and Wendig, confirming my suspicions that the hacks are in close cahoots. Older even references one of Chuck's characters early in the novel, like a giggling school boy gleefully using his buddy's creation as an Easter egg. Wendig, for his part, displays characteristic bad taste by praising the addition of Older's Ewok hacker, one of the more ludicrous inventions. There is also a depressed, socially conscious Gungan administrator, revealing the author's desire to present infantile absurdities.

Not to be outdone by Wendig's identity politics virtue signalling in his Aftermath trilogy, Older introduces Taka, a trans pilot with 'they' as a preferred pronoun. Obviously, this does not work on the page, resulting in yet more highly confusing passages. The character, it should be noted, is predictably superfluous and only exists for representation. Incongruously, despite Han's sexism and xenophobia, he seems to have no problem respecting and remembering to correctly use Taka's chosen pronouns at all times. An endorsement on the front cover describes the book as 'the flat-out funniest Star Wars novel to date.' This may be true if one has the humour of an eight year old. Frankly, I think Last Shot might be one of the worst books I have ever read. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Rating: 1/5