Death Troopers is brutal and intense. It starts like a good horror movie should; introducing you to the cast of characters and getting you interested in them. But it’s not long before things start to go bad with a capital B. The letters that were a part of the viral marketing take place at the same time as most of the early chapters of the novel (though they are not a part of the book itself) and give you a small feel for how things are going to go. In fact, I found it actually helped add to the anticipation – because I had read those letters, I knew what was coming and so I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it all goes down. But to talk about it anymore is to get into spoiler territory, so if you want to read the full review click on the link.

The first part of Death Troopers is very similar to the early part of The Stand, where the virus first breaks out; but with Star Wars trappings instead. I wondered if there was any connection to the virus that was being developed in the X-Wing novels, but ultimately that’s left open. In general one could claim a weakness of the story is its lack of connection to the greater EU, but I’ll come back to that in a bit.  Joe Schreiber has definitely got a good feel for the Star Wars universe, and while this is a small novel in scope, it didn’t feel out of place to me. I found myself invested in these unknown characters rather quickly, especially when comparing this to Death Star, a book which completely failed to get me interested in the characters. Han and Chewie are portrayed well, just as I’d expect them to be in this pre-A New Hope timeframe. At the same time, it’s a little convenient that they just happen to be present on the Purge already. I actually think there were other opportunities to bring them into the story. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

On the way to a permanent prison facility, the Purge breaks down in an area of space where a empty Star Destroyer is lying derelict. Captain Sartoris, an unlikeable prison guard who’d as soon kill a prisoner as look at him, leads a team of Stormtroopers onboard to retrieve the materials they need to affect repairs on the Purge. They unknowingly get infected by some virus, and bring it back onboard the Purge before realizing what’s happened. Soon people begin dying, and the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Cody can’t do anything about it. But there are a few who are immune, including teenage inmates Kale and Trig Longo – jailed because their father was an anti-Imperial sympathizer.

Some of the scariest moments come in the beginning as things fall apart; a Wookie child cradling his dead parents and refusing to leave them, hallways of the dead that our survivors must traverse. But then the bodies start to disappear, and that’s when the undead begin to rise. And like all good zombie stories, they are hungry.

Once Dr. Cody does find a antidote, she releases the prisoners in solitary – Han and Chewie – which I thought was unfortunate since the Stormtroopers earlier in the novel pointed out a Corellian freighter onboard the Star Destroyer which I thought might be theirs (later confirmed not to be). Captain Sartoris meanwhile keeps Trig and Kale from using the last escape pod, so he can save himself. But when all the survivors decide to abandon the Purge and see if they can find a way to reactivate the Star Destroyer, they find it’s not so empty after all; and these zombies are adapting and learning.

The plot is still very tight, tense and well written. Death Troopers is an engaging book; a very good story, well written and enjoyable. I’d call it a ‘fun’ one-off adventure, easily accessible to new readers and veterans alike, featuring Han and Chewie, but there’s nothing really ‘fun’ about it. It’s fairly horrific, intense and scary in parts; a good Halloween story. Joe Schreiber is a strong writer in this area, and it was a satisfying novel. I think this book succeeds on many levels, and should be a big hit with those who are looking for books less mired in expanded universe continuity – which is why I’m not sure the lack of those links is ultimately a detriment to this book. But either way, I can easily recommend Death Troopers, and I’ll be looking forward to Joe Schreiber’s next Star Wars book.