Recently
I decided to read another classic SW-novel once again: 'Lando
Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu'.
Compared to the beloved 'Han Solo Adventures' of Brian Daley, the three novels by L. Neil Smith have received less of attention throughout the years. In fact, they have hardly received any attention at all. The only two characters that surpassed their presence in the novels are Vuffi Raa and Rokur Gepta. I took the time to read the book properly and to note any name or terminology that appeared in the novel for Yodapedia, the Flemish / Dutch SW Wikia.
I must admit I still remember the overall story of the book, but I had forgotten about details such as the Dinosaurs, Hall and how Lando was pulled into searching for the Mindharp. Basically 'Mindharp of Sharu' is a pretty good novel. It features a inexperienced Lando who's hardly capably of landing the Falcon, but who already can shape the turn of events during any Sabacc match.
'Mindharp' is even written in a smaller microcosmos that Daley's novels about Han and Chewie. Those took place in the Corporate Sector and the Tion Hegemony, but Lando's adventures all take place in The Centrality and in 'Mindharp', Lando only visits the Oseon and the Rafa System. In 'Stars' End' Han and Chewie visit six systems. But Smith manages to create a great microuniverse in the Rafa System and it doesn't bother one bit. Compared to the modern EU novels where planets are destroyed as often as it rains on the equator, that's a big difference and I do prefer the low profile books anytime!
Another particular funny and interesting issue is how many earthly animals are mentioned in the novel (albatross, sardine, dinosaur and elephant) and how many weird exclamations are used like 'By the Eternal' and 'Entropy'.
Like I mentioned before, there are hardly any additional sources about the Lando Adventures. A sourcebook by West End Games was intended to appear, but when WEG lost the licence, the plans went up into smoke. So what's left is 'The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons' where we get a profile on Rafa V , a few tiny bits (but some great illustrations) in 'The Essential Chronologies' (both original and 2nd edition) and 'The Essential Atlas' which as a great map of The Centrality and a short explanation of the most important systems.
The Atlas makes a great combination with the superb article 'A Campaign Guide to the Centrality' in 'Star Wars Gamer 5' by Michael Kogge. For an article, it does an amazing job and has almost everything, except a map of the region. So the Atlas and the article make one great team. The article is the closest thing to a Sourcebook we have about Lando's adventures and I fear we might never again dig into them once again, which is a shame considered the amount of attention new EU novels sometimes receive.
http://nl.starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lando_Calrissian_and_the_Mindharp_of_Sharu
Compared to the beloved 'Han Solo Adventures' of Brian Daley, the three novels by L. Neil Smith have received less of attention throughout the years. In fact, they have hardly received any attention at all. The only two characters that surpassed their presence in the novels are Vuffi Raa and Rokur Gepta. I took the time to read the book properly and to note any name or terminology that appeared in the novel for Yodapedia, the Flemish / Dutch SW Wikia.
I must admit I still remember the overall story of the book, but I had forgotten about details such as the Dinosaurs, Hall and how Lando was pulled into searching for the Mindharp. Basically 'Mindharp of Sharu' is a pretty good novel. It features a inexperienced Lando who's hardly capably of landing the Falcon, but who already can shape the turn of events during any Sabacc match.
'Mindharp' is even written in a smaller microcosmos that Daley's novels about Han and Chewie. Those took place in the Corporate Sector and the Tion Hegemony, but Lando's adventures all take place in The Centrality and in 'Mindharp', Lando only visits the Oseon and the Rafa System. In 'Stars' End' Han and Chewie visit six systems. But Smith manages to create a great microuniverse in the Rafa System and it doesn't bother one bit. Compared to the modern EU novels where planets are destroyed as often as it rains on the equator, that's a big difference and I do prefer the low profile books anytime!
Another particular funny and interesting issue is how many earthly animals are mentioned in the novel (albatross, sardine, dinosaur and elephant) and how many weird exclamations are used like 'By the Eternal' and 'Entropy'.
Like I mentioned before, there are hardly any additional sources about the Lando Adventures. A sourcebook by West End Games was intended to appear, but when WEG lost the licence, the plans went up into smoke. So what's left is 'The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons' where we get a profile on Rafa V , a few tiny bits (but some great illustrations) in 'The Essential Chronologies' (both original and 2nd edition) and 'The Essential Atlas' which as a great map of The Centrality and a short explanation of the most important systems.
The Atlas makes a great combination with the superb article 'A Campaign Guide to the Centrality' in 'Star Wars Gamer 5' by Michael Kogge. For an article, it does an amazing job and has almost everything, except a map of the region. So the Atlas and the article make one great team. The article is the closest thing to a Sourcebook we have about Lando's adventures and I fear we might never again dig into them once again, which is a shame considered the amount of attention new EU novels sometimes receive.
http://nl.starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lando_Calrissian_and_the_Mindharp_of_Sharu
