The Han Solo Trilogy: Volume Three: Rebel Dawn reveals Han’s life until ANH. Han enters a high stakes sabacc tournament upon Bespin and wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando due to legendary Solo luck. With a new ship, he and Chewbacca take bigger risks in order to make bigger bucks. As Han Solo returns from the Corporate Sector, he’s offered a chance to complete a mission with his former lover, Bria Tharen, on the planet Ylesia. Rebel and click on the link below!

As Han plays the final hand of the Bespin sabacc tournament, someone is watching him. She watches his facial ticks, the way he holds own against Lando, not from a heart of malcontent or greed but of regret. She is Bria Tharen, a rebel in the new Resistance, here on Bespin to unite planetary rebellion groups opposed to harsh Imperial rule.

This is not one but many instances where Han and Bria are literally in the same room, same planet, same coordinates but still fail to connect. Bria is a Resistance leader and Han is a smuggler. It stands to reason that these two could unite if they really, really wanted to, especially since Han and Bria are inevitably thinking about each other. Yet they don’t. After awhile, this became frustrating and it seemed to unnecessarily prolong the Bria/Han lovers-lost story.

After Bespin, Chewbacca and Han visit Kashyyyk. Chewbacca makes his first and only appearance as the POV when he follows the engagement rituals to Mallabuck. Strangely, the chapter opens describes what Han was doing on Kashyyyk so I was surprised when I found it was from Chewie’s POV and not Han’s. Granted, Chewie has a life debt to Han and is Han’s friend but I felt like I was head-popping when I found out this was from Chewie’s POV.

Durga the Hutt has quite the situation: He’s obsessed with finding out who killed this father. Unfortunately, since Besadii is reorganizing and deciding upon new leadership after Aruk’s death, Durga doesn’t have the funds or muscle power to create a power base and discover Aruk’s murderer. This is where Black Sun comes in, complete with human replica droid. This where most of dramatic tension comes: How far is Durga willing to go? How much does his revenge mean to him, even at the cost of losing everything?

A.C. Crispin didn’t forget about Jabba as well. His story evolves around his relationship to his aunt, Jiliac, how her child has changed Jiliac and the consequences of that change upon the Hutt’s clan. I felt like I could relate to Durga and Jabba’s struggles better than Han’s but more on that later.

Meanwhile, Han, Salla Zend and Chewbacca are flying near the Pit. Salla’s ship, Rimrunner, is too close to the blackhole, leading a life-threatening situation. How Salla responds after her near-death experience is peculiar yet nightmarish but I don’t think it’s too out of character. The male readers will certainly sympathize with Han’s situation. Han’s response is to leave and flee to the Corporate Sector. Given Han’s reaction, I can’t say I’d be as helpful as Salla was in Dark Empire but maybe she’s a more forgiving woman than I am.

Han’s adventures in the Corporate Sector are told through three random interludes strewn between Lando and Bria’s actions. These interludes don’t reveal any plot (only name-dropping and allusions) from the classic Brian Daley series; just Han’s drinking post-adventures, thinking about Lando and of course, Bria. I found wracking my brain, trying to remember what happened. Fortunately, there is Wookieepedia. A.C. Crispin could’ve given a brief summary those who haven’t read the series in years, like me.

While Han is in the Corporate Sector, Bria and Lando encounter each other and Boba Fett on Queen of the Empire. This volume is published in 1998 so Boba Fett is without his current retcon—he’s meticulous but follows his own moral code. Lando chats up Bria in the ship’s pub; Bria is under disguise as a singer but using her first name, which she acknowledges to Lando is uncommon. Lando off-hand mentions Han Solo and Bria’s fangirl response leads to a meeting in her quarters to discuss Han. As Bria heads back to her quarters, she’s knocked out by Boba Fett.

There are many things wrong with this scenario: 1) why is Bria, a Resistance leader with Intelligence experience, using her real name and especially one that’s unique? 2) Lando coaxes Bria into talking by saying verbatim what Han did in Volume One i.e. “I want to be your friend, trust me.”? 3) Why is Bria, on a mission, willing to divulge her life details to a stranger that mentions Han Solo? She might as well put a target on her back. I wanted to send her to Shada D’ukal and Mara Jade Skywalker for “How to be a Spy” lessons. Given how Bria acted, there’s no cunning involved from Boba Fett to track her and, consequently, I felt Bria got what she deserved.

Bria and Lando are saved by Lando’s ex-girlfriend who happens to be a pirate and happens to be looting Queen of the Empire. Boba Fett is “persuaded” (read: bribed) to leave Bria alone and he does. Given that this is the second time Boba has been deprived by his bounty through the intervention of Lando, I’m surprised that Boba Fett hates Han more than Lando.

Han returns from the Corporate Sector. I’d like to say that he’s a changed man but he isn’t. There’s no account for the different characterization between Brian Daley’s Han Solo and A.C. Crispin’s Han Solo: they are treated as if they are the same person but Brian Daley’s Han Solo is edgy and ruthless and A.C. Crispin’s Han Solo is like Luke Skywalker’s understudy, mostly goody-goody and prone to thinking about personal relationships than smuggling and rivalries.

Speaking of rivalries, Durga finds out who his father’s murderer is. This leads to an awesome Hutt vs. Hutt smackdown where wits and tails are the only weapons yet I found myself distracted by Durga’s inner thoughts of “kill…kill…KILLKILLKILL!!” (pg. 271). How Jabba attains his clan’s leadership is disturbing, somewhat emotional and true to his character.

Han and Bria *finally* meet in a bar on the Smuggler’s Moon. Bria proposes a mission to Ylesia, which needs Resistance and smugglers in order to be successful. The rest of the book deals with the Ylesian mission and how it affects Han’s relationships with Bria and his friends. It also explains Han’s trouble with Jabba and the twelve parsecs. It is not original. At least dialogue-wise…

I say this because Han’s dialogue to Bria about why he cannot do the mission, how Bria persuades Han to do the mission and Lando’s dialogue to Han seeking a loan after the Ylesian mission are straight from ANH and ESB respectively. In other words, Han cannot go because “I don’t stick my neck out for anyone,” Bria convinces him by thinking about the “treasure” and Lando tells Han that he has “colossal nerve in the entire galaxy for coming here after what you pulled on Ylesia!” (pgs. 289, 290, 375)

The novel ends in Mos Eisley’s cantina. Han discovers Bria’s fate as well as the new proposition from Chewbacca with an old man and young moisture farmer. The ending is open-ended, leaving Han ready for his next act in ANH.

If you want to read the best novels about Hutts, this series is for you. If you want Star Wars novels that focus more on romance, this series is for you. If you want a realistic Han Solo back story, please read Brian Daley.

Join me in a few months when I review the Wraith Squadron books!