Star Wars: Scourge [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Scourge is the first Star Wars novel to truly tackle the Hutts, and I loved the way they are stylized in the way of the Godfather. The Hutts really break out from their typical two dimensional characterizations into something a bit richer. Yet at the heart of this novel, it's very much a Jedi story. Throughout the core of the novel is the personal growth of Jedi Master Mander Zuma. He's not your typical Jedi and he comes complete with flaws, doubts, strengths, and a bit of humor. As an archivist for the Jedi library, his field skills are a bit rusty. His underdeveloped powers and experience, combined with his senior status, creates a Jedi character that is very different from what we usually see.

From investigations into drugs, Hutts, vengeful Rodians, the death of a Jedi Knight, and a mysterious Spice Lord who appears to be behind everything, Scourge is a fun adventure with some wonderful characters that bring the story to life. In a way, this is like a murder-mystery novel combined with the Godfather starring a Jedi librarian who learns to become a field agent. It's totally unique and very entertaining read that is just as good as Paul S. Kemp's Crosscurrent and John Jackson Miller's Knight Errant novels; a perfect addition to the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

I have had a tumultuous relationship with the wash rinse repeat cycle that the Star Wars novels fell into for so long until now. With his debut Star Wars novel Scourge, Jeff Grubb has restored my faith in the Star Wars books! As you can tell by the book description this novel is a mystery adventure that takes Mander Zuma into parts of the Star Wars universe hat many of us have heard of, but few have gotten a chance to visit, welcome to Hutt space! I was fascinated to get to peek into the behind the scenes operations of the Hutts. Jeff Grubb mentioned that he looked to the Mafia and the Godfather movies for inspiration. The great thing about Hutts is that you can count on the fact that they will betray and backstab you. At no point throughout the entire book do any of the characters forget this. At times the lines get blurry but I prefer knowing that the person that I'm dealing with will screw me over, then I can whatever I can to avoid the screwing and if it does happen it isn't a big surprise.
Two aspects of this book surprised me in the best possible way. The first was the time that Jeff Grubb took exploring the concepts and consequences behind the Jedi mind trick. Most fans have seen the mind trick used in the movies enough to become numb to the effects it has on its targets. In Scourge Thru the teachings of Mander Zuma we learn just how powerful this "trick" can actually be. The second aspect that I loved was the way Mander approached the problems he encountered. Mander is a Jedi who doubts his abilities as a Jedi. He is an archivist not a warrior. He looks at the light saber as a tool not an extension of his body. Manders greatest weapon is his intellect. It is nice to see a Jedi who has learned to harness his intellect the way most Jedi wield a light saber or hide behind wisdom.
I could fill pages discussing this book, but I would rather you buy a copy of it and find out for yourself why Jeff Grubb is such a damn good author. This is a well paced, well written, mystery, adventure that has a cast of characters that would be the envy of any Broadway show. Read this book and allow yourself to be taken back to those days when Star Wars made you want to throw on your prison orange jump suit, strap into your X wing and take on the entire Empire by yourself!

While I certainly enjoy the long-form series of Star Wars novels, such as the recently concluded "Fate of the Jedi", I do think there needs to be a balance. Much like the Star Trek novels, there's room for continuity-laden continuations of the main timeline/narrative, and stand-alone novels set during a particular period or time. When there are massive events taking place in the galaxy, one would expect that the consequences and shifts in the status quo will have a ripple effect on the smaller scale.

The recent novels by Paul Kemp have shown that the smaller scale approach has its place, and this stand-alone effort by Jeff Grubb follows a similar strategy. In keeping with the recent releases spinning out of the Old Republic MMO, this novel is based on a role-playing module centered on the Hutts and an unusual Jedi named Mander Zuma.

Unlike many of the typical Jedi heroes, Zuma is primarily an archivist. In other words, a glorified librarian. An archivist who has undergone Jedi combat training, to be sure, but still, not one of the front line Jedi that we're used to seeing. And since this is set between the founding of the Jedi Academy and the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong, it's not a period when every Jedi would be tasked with preparing for civilization-ending conflicts. Zuma definitely comes across as the kind of Jedi that has heard a lot about the galaxy, but hasn't quite experienced it for himself yet.

Zuma's apprentice dies under questionable circumstances, which leads Zuma on a hunt for the truth behind a particularly nasty kind of potent spice and the Hutts that produce and distribute it. Very quickly, the novel turns into the Star Wars version of "The Godfather", which is far more interesting than one would initially think. Hutt family politics are far from cordial, and Zuma finds himself in hot water time and again.

The plot never stalls, and the character interactions are top notch. Zuma is a fully fledged character with a solid support team in Reen (his apprentice's sister) and Eddey (a deceptively quiet Bothan). The Hutts are surprisingly unique, despite being saddled with the typical Star Wars homogenous species stereotype.

Grubb includes a character from the Corporate Sector Authority, which I barely remember from those early Brian Daley novels. While the character added a nice bit of complication to the story, in terms of the challenges that Zuma had to overcome to resolve the Tempest situation, I couldn't help but wonder if I was forgetting details of those earlier appearances of the CSA that might have added another layer to the story. I don't believe so, since the author placed the organization in context, but the thought did occur.

I was also a bit disappointed in the resolution of the central mystery. Perhaps it's just from reading/watching too many stories of this type over the years, but I figured out who the Spice Lord was relatively early in the proceedings. It didn't necessarily take away from the ending very much, since events flow very quickly towards the end, but like any mystery, certain things seem perfunctory once you've figured out what the characters still don't know.

All told, though, it was a very quick and pleasant read. For a tale that features none of the characters familiar to most Star Wars fans, takes place in a very small subset of the overall Star Wars universe, and focuses on implementation of a specific fictional sub-genre, it is very accessible.

Anyone picking this up should be prepared to accept that the size of the book is not indicative of the size of the story; as per the current PR push, there is a substantial amount of preview/sampler material in the back of the book. My digital version ended at a little over 60%, so adjust expectations accordingly.