Star Wars Bounty Hunter Wars #1: The Mandalorian Armor

As the Rebellion gathers force, Prince Xizor proposes a cunning plan to the Emperor and Darth Vader: smash the power of the Bounty Hunters Guild by turning its members against each other. Only the strongest and most ruthless will survive, and they can be used against the Rebellion. It's a job for the fiercely independent Boba Fett, who jumps at the chance to destroy his rivals. But Fett soon realizes the game is rigged, as he finds himself the target of murderous factions, criminal conspiracies, and the evil at the Empire's dark heart. Boba Fett has always finished first. And in this game, anything less is death.

He's the most feared and successful bounty hunter in the galaxy.  He is Boba Fett, and even the most hardened criminals tremble at his name.  Now he faces the deadliest challenge of his infamous career—an all-out war against his most dangerous enemies.

As the Rebellion gathers force, Prince Xizor proposes a cunning plan to the Emperor and Darth Vader: smash the power of the Bounty Hunters Guild by turning its members against each other.  Only the strongest and most ruthless will survive, and they can be used against the Rebellion.  It's a job for the fiercely independent Boba Fett, who jumps at the chance to destroy his rivals.  But Fett soon realizes the murderous factions, criminal conspiracies, and the evil at the Empire's dark heart.  Boba Fett has always finished first.  And in this game, anything less is death.

VOYA

This first installment of The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy revolves around Boba Fett, the helmeted bounty hunter who captured Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back and was apparently killed during the opening act of Return of the Jedi. Although Boba Fett appeared in only a handful of scenes in the last two Star Wars movies, the character has always been a cult favorite. Jeter, who first came to critical attention with 1984's Dr. Adder (o.p.), has been favorably compared to Philip K. Dick; he even wrote two sequels to Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Del Rey, 1996, (c)1968), the novel that inspired the film Blade Runner. This story follows two time lines: one during the events covered by Star Wars and one during Return of the Jedi. The later events deal with Fett's near-death experience in the belly of the Sarlacc, and his rescue by another bounty hunter and an escaped slave girl. The earlier time line deals with Fett's infiltration of the Bounty Hunter's Guild to cause its destruction at the behest of the mysterious Kud'ar Mub'at. Unbeknownst to Fett, he is actually being set up by Prince Xixor, an ally of the evil Emperor as well as the leader of the criminal organization Black Sun. This volume suffers from the weakness of many trilogies in that it is mostly setup, and very little of substance occurs. The events that do occur, such as an attempt to kidnap a former mob accountant, are mostly set pieces to show how vicious and uncaring Boba Fett is, even toward his nominal allies. It is possible that the subsequent volumes in the series will have a better handle on this mysterious character, and all of the plot elements liberally scattered about will be connected in a more satisfying fashion. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Broad general YA appeal, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9).