Star Wars The Han Solo Trilogy: The Hutt Gambit by A. C. Crispin

Synopsis:

Here is the second novel in the blockbuster new trilogy that reveals the never-before-told story of the young Han Solo.  Set before the Star Wars(r) movie adventures, these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler and thief.

Solo is now a fugitive from the Imperial Navy.  But he has made a valuable friend in a former Wookiee slave named Chewbacca, who has sworn Han a life debt.  Han will need all the help he can get.  For the Ylesian Hutts have dispatched the dreaded bounty hunter Boba Fett to track down the man who already outsmarted them once.  But Han and Chewie find themselves in even bigger trouble when they agree to lend their services to the crime lords Jiliac and Jabba the Hutt.  Suddenly the two smugglers are thrust into the middle of a battle between the might of the Empire and the treachery of their outlaw allies...a battle where even victory means death!

Review by Patrick:

So, the Imperial Navy didn't sit too well with Han. And who can blame him, those guys are jerks.

But then we get Chewbacca! The first book of the series introduced the Wookies to us, and we know how Han is fond of them, but this book is where we get to meet the iconic sidekick, and get to find out why they were together in the first place.

Okay, enough about the characters, what about the story line, you say? Well, pretty good. I mean you really get to find out what the Hutts have been doing. It ties back to the first book, but gives some really interesting insights on the politics surrounding the Hutts, the Imperials, their relation to each other, and the Outer Rim. This is also before Jabba is really in power, so we see him learning, planning, and ultimately becoming the slime ball we all know him to be in the movies.

Ah. I guess you can't explain the story without the characters. Anyways, the book was good. The plot built up with suspense, because you knew what was coming. The end of the book was going to be a battle, that's for sure. But then, ingenuity won the day, and Crispin created a battle plan that had guts, nerve, a barrel of luck, and some good strategy. The end of this book was movie quality, and I wouldn't mind paying the box office to see this one in theaters.

Disclaimer: There were no X-Wings in this book.

So, if you read the first book of this trilogy, keep reading. It's worth it. I'm giving this book a 4.5 for excellence in plot and character building.