Pirate's Price by Lou Anders
Pirate's Price written by Lou Anders, illustrated by Annie Wu
Okay, I'm just gonna come right out and say it...this book was flipping magical!!! If you love Hondo, you HAVE to read this book. His voice comes through loud and clear and it is so easy to hear him speaking in his voice as you read the narrative. The vast majority of the book is from his point of view and so even in the lines between dialogue, as he's telling the story, it's clearly Hondo. Lou Anders is a genius!! I truly hope he gets put on something else Star Wars in the future because not only did Hondo come through perfectly, the story itself was so much fun! We get new species and new planets but they are all thoroughly fleshed out in such a way that it doesn't feel rushed or like an after thought. And old species are added in throughout allowing for a continuous universe which I dearly appreciate. We in fact are gifted three complete stories about Hondo's adventures with the Falcon!
The framework is the same as that of Lando's Luck with Bazine Netal hoping for information on the Falcon at the beginning and end of the story. But this time she's looking to actually purchase the ship and because there are three stories total, we hear from her in between each storytelling as well. And this time Bazine meets her informant (Hondo) on Batuu itself in Black Spire Outpost! It is also made very clear that the framing story takes place a good time after The Last Jedi!! So we get a further glimpse into what's going on to add to the glimpse we've already gotten from "The Awakening" story arc in the Poe Dameron long-run comic series. I'm so glad they're giving us these little morsels to whet our appetites and get us even more excited for IX!!
On to the stories...
First off, we have the story of Hondo, Han, Chewie, and Mahjo Reelo. Hondo crash lands on Galagolos V (a swampy, stinky, humid planet) where he then runs into a couple of Cloddograns fighting with a human woman (Mahjo Reloo). He proceeds to save her and proclaim his fame and then just walks away when she asks him to do her a favor. He needs a ship and just wants to get off this stinkball of a planet. So, he sees the Millennium Falcon and knows it will soon be his (also feeling a strange sense of wonderment at the ship)! Of course, Han and Chewie enter the picture and Hondo is not so lucky. But then Mahjo shows up as the person Han and Chewie have just made a deal with! They are to fly to the third moon of Dhandu to obtain a key from the spoiled son of a weapons merchant named Jayyar Lu-wehs so they can get into the Undervaults of Gwongdeen and acquire a collection of Novian rubies. On the third moon of Dhandu, chaos ensues and the group run into a gang of Pakiphantos (described below and pictured below) led by Trunc Adurmush who is out for Han Solo's hide! Finally, the crew land on Gwongdeen and...again...chaos ensues!! The plotline for how this part of the story plays out is quite engaging and has some interesting Clone Wars connectivity which always gets my blood pumping!!
Secondly, we have the story of Hondo and Maz, taking place on Takodana! Chewie and Han are investigating starship theft and play it so not smoothly that they get caught by a couple of Dowutins (Grummgar's species). In response, Hondo proceeds to try and steal the Falcon!...again... Maz catches up with him and the two jet off...in the Falcon...to apprehend the thieves. This one had some wonderful surprises and twists, not to mention the canon connectivity of including Nexu as the watchdogs of the thieves' lair!!
And thirdly, we have Hondo and the porgs! This whole story takes place after The Last Jedi!! Rey and Chewie have reached out to Hondo about acquiring a needed part for the Falcon...but they warn him of the porgs. He has no idea what porgs are until after he takes possession of the ship and one continuously eats the food he is trying to cook. But he quickly becomes friends with the creatures and they help him get out of a bad spot when Trunc Adurmush shows up again!!!! as a pirate trying to hijack the Falcon! Again, the connectivity is blissful!
And then the ending!!! Once we're back in the frame story with Bazine Netal, she exchanges credits with Hondo to take hold of the Falcon for herself, but...you'll have to read to find out. It is SO GOOD!!!
Trivia:
-Some Suertons have the ability to subconsciously affect probability! This makes so much sense in the context of the novella "The Ride" by John Jackson Miller in the Canto Bight collection!! Love that this bit was added in.
-A couple of seemingly alcoholic beverages include a Fuzzy Tauntaun and a Carbon Freeze.
-Bardelberan 7 is the planet Hondo is escaping from before he crash lands on Galagolos V.
-Sortuvian brain moths are a frightening parasite.
-Gwongdeen is a planet known for its super high security in the Undervaults.
-Hondo can speak Shyriiwook and even knows some Wookiee proverbs. He speaks Ugnaught with a slight accent.
-Some pieces on a holochess board include Ghhhks, Kintan striders, and Grimtaashes.
-The third moon of Dhandu is a small, yellow-orange satellite with "rolling auburn-colored grasslands that stretched from yellow sea to yellow sea." The cities are placed on the backs of giant turtle-like creatures called turlossus with vast flat shells, six feet, and a cluster of proboscises that they suck up grass with. They travel in herds of twenty or so, occasionally moving about and changing position, causing locations in the cities to change as the turlossus move. "Catwalks and bridges are raised and lowered between locales." The inhabitants of the moon, the Dhanduese, are flightless and feathered. Visitors to the moon must where weighted ankle bracelets because there is low gravity.
-An edible dish is glowblue noodles and chav.
-Pakiphantos are an elephant-like species that have large, flappy ears, long trunks, and tusks on either side of their mouths.
-A star went supernova in the Throffdon System during the first story.
-Gwongdeen appeared to be a uniformly, radiant red planet from the outside, but was in fact "covered by a biological sea...composed of trillions of tiny organisms...forming a dense, viscous liquid" like a membrane. The core of the planet is rock. This membrane parts to make way for starships and closes back in behind them once they enter the atmosphere.
-Gwongdeenian sub-subterranean gastropods are large snail-like creatures that slink along leaving large trails of slime behind that they follow on repeat. They are non-sentient.
-Thornsuckle plants are a very deadly, supposedly extinct plant.
-The Mandagronian Mob was the worst sort of scoundrels and scum in the galaxy. Even worse than the Obsidian Combine or the Randolean Ring.
-Beixander 9 is a "lonely little moon in a quiet system."
So there you have it! So much to take in and so freaking much to love!! I can't get over how hard I fell for this story. It is officially my new favorite canon novel...followed closely behind of course by From A Certain Point of View! Even if you are not familiar with Hondo, this is a super fun ride. But if you are familiar with Hondo, this book is beyond spectacular!!! I CANNOT wait to check out the audio book because it's the voice of Hondo himself, Jim Cummings! This will be a first for me as I've already read the book and have so much more to read but I simply will not be able to pass on this fabulous opportunity. So check it out!!!
The framework is the same as that of Lando's Luck with Bazine Netal hoping for information on the Falcon at the beginning and end of the story. But this time she's looking to actually purchase the ship and because there are three stories total, we hear from her in between each storytelling as well. And this time Bazine meets her informant (Hondo) on Batuu itself in Black Spire Outpost! It is also made very clear that the framing story takes place a good time after The Last Jedi!! So we get a further glimpse into what's going on to add to the glimpse we've already gotten from "The Awakening" story arc in the Poe Dameron long-run comic series. I'm so glad they're giving us these little morsels to whet our appetites and get us even more excited for IX!!
On to the stories...
First off, we have the story of Hondo, Han, Chewie, and Mahjo Reelo. Hondo crash lands on Galagolos V (a swampy, stinky, humid planet) where he then runs into a couple of Cloddograns fighting with a human woman (Mahjo Reloo). He proceeds to save her and proclaim his fame and then just walks away when she asks him to do her a favor. He needs a ship and just wants to get off this stinkball of a planet. So, he sees the Millennium Falcon and knows it will soon be his (also feeling a strange sense of wonderment at the ship)! Of course, Han and Chewie enter the picture and Hondo is not so lucky. But then Mahjo shows up as the person Han and Chewie have just made a deal with! They are to fly to the third moon of Dhandu to obtain a key from the spoiled son of a weapons merchant named Jayyar Lu-wehs so they can get into the Undervaults of Gwongdeen and acquire a collection of Novian rubies. On the third moon of Dhandu, chaos ensues and the group run into a gang of Pakiphantos (described below and pictured below) led by Trunc Adurmush who is out for Han Solo's hide! Finally, the crew land on Gwongdeen and...again...chaos ensues!! The plotline for how this part of the story plays out is quite engaging and has some interesting Clone Wars connectivity which always gets my blood pumping!!
And thirdly, we have Hondo and the porgs! This whole story takes place after The Last Jedi!! Rey and Chewie have reached out to Hondo about acquiring a needed part for the Falcon...but they warn him of the porgs. He has no idea what porgs are until after he takes possession of the ship and one continuously eats the food he is trying to cook. But he quickly becomes friends with the creatures and they help him get out of a bad spot when Trunc Adurmush shows up again!!!! as a pirate trying to hijack the Falcon! Again, the connectivity is blissful!
And then the ending!!! Once we're back in the frame story with Bazine Netal, she exchanges credits with Hondo to take hold of the Falcon for herself, but...you'll have to read to find out. It is SO GOOD!!!
Trivia:
-Some Suertons have the ability to subconsciously affect probability! This makes so much sense in the context of the novella "The Ride" by John Jackson Miller in the Canto Bight collection!! Love that this bit was added in.
-A couple of seemingly alcoholic beverages include a Fuzzy Tauntaun and a Carbon Freeze.
-Bardelberan 7 is the planet Hondo is escaping from before he crash lands on Galagolos V.
-Sortuvian brain moths are a frightening parasite.
-Gwongdeen is a planet known for its super high security in the Undervaults.
-Hondo can speak Shyriiwook and even knows some Wookiee proverbs. He speaks Ugnaught with a slight accent.
-Some pieces on a holochess board include Ghhhks, Kintan striders, and Grimtaashes.
-The third moon of Dhandu is a small, yellow-orange satellite with "rolling auburn-colored grasslands that stretched from yellow sea to yellow sea." The cities are placed on the backs of giant turtle-like creatures called turlossus with vast flat shells, six feet, and a cluster of proboscises that they suck up grass with. They travel in herds of twenty or so, occasionally moving about and changing position, causing locations in the cities to change as the turlossus move. "Catwalks and bridges are raised and lowered between locales." The inhabitants of the moon, the Dhanduese, are flightless and feathered. Visitors to the moon must where weighted ankle bracelets because there is low gravity.
-An edible dish is glowblue noodles and chav.
-Pakiphantos are an elephant-like species that have large, flappy ears, long trunks, and tusks on either side of their mouths.
-A star went supernova in the Throffdon System during the first story.
-Gwongdeen appeared to be a uniformly, radiant red planet from the outside, but was in fact "covered by a biological sea...composed of trillions of tiny organisms...forming a dense, viscous liquid" like a membrane. The core of the planet is rock. This membrane parts to make way for starships and closes back in behind them once they enter the atmosphere.
-Gwongdeenian sub-subterranean gastropods are large snail-like creatures that slink along leaving large trails of slime behind that they follow on repeat. They are non-sentient.
-Thornsuckle plants are a very deadly, supposedly extinct plant.
-The Mandagronian Mob was the worst sort of scoundrels and scum in the galaxy. Even worse than the Obsidian Combine or the Randolean Ring.
-Beixander 9 is a "lonely little moon in a quiet system."
So there you have it! So much to take in and so freaking much to love!! I can't get over how hard I fell for this story. It is officially my new favorite canon novel...followed closely behind of course by From A Certain Point of View! Even if you are not familiar with Hondo, this is a super fun ride. But if you are familiar with Hondo, this book is beyond spectacular!!! I CANNOT wait to check out the audio book because it's the voice of Hondo himself, Jim Cummings! This will be a first for me as I've already read the book and have so much more to read but I simply will not be able to pass on this fabulous opportunity. So check it out!!!
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