Scoundrels: Star Wars Legends

By: Timothy Zahn

Narrated by: Marc Thompson

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • To make his biggest score, Han's ready to take even bigger risks. But even he can't do this job solo.

Han Solo should be basking in his moment of glory. After all, the cocky smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon just played a key role in the daring raid that destroyed the Death Star and landed the first serious blow to the Empire in its war against the Rebel Alliance. But after losing the reward his heroics earned him, Han’s got nothing to celebrate. Especially since he’s deep in debt to the ruthless crime lord Jabba the Hutt. There's a bounty on Han's head—and if he can’t cough up the credits, he’ll surely pay with his hide. The only thing that can save him is a king's ransom. Or maybe a gangster’s fortune?

That's what a mysterious stranger is offering in exchange for Han’s less-than-legal help with a riskier-than-usual caper. The payoff will be more than enough for Han to settle up with Jabba—and ensure he never has to haggle with the Hutts again.

All he has to do is infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy’s most notoriously impregnable safe. It sounds like a job for miracle workers . . . or madmen. So Han assembles a gallery of rogues who are a little of both—including his indispensable sidekick Chewbacca and the cunning Lando Calrissian. If anyone can dodge, deceive, and defeat heavily armed thugs, killer droids, and Imperial agents alike—and pull off the heist of the century—it’s Solo’s scoundrels. But will their crime really pay, or will it cost them the ultimate price?

Critic reviews

“Rapid-fire adventure [that] adds yet another dimension of enjoyment to a rousing galactic romp.”—Library Journal

“Highly entertaining . . . excellent Star Wars . . . There are many twists and turns [and] Zahn manages to find ways to twist them one step further than you’d expect.”—Examiner

“[Scoundrels] brings freshness to the franchise.”—USA Today

Helps is all make sense!

This novel takes place between "Episode IV" and "Episode V," and really helps us understand how much time passed between the two. I liked that it also answered the questions of why Han and Lando are on the outs prior to their meeting to Cloud City, and how Lando become the leader of that city.

Nicely done, Mr. Zahn!

The narrator, Marc Thompson, was great! There were a lot of main characters in this story, and they each seemed to have a distinct sound. Plus, his Han and Lando voices were really good; at certain points, they were dead-on impressions of Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams. Nice going, Marc!

More Star Wars Goodness.

Where does Scoundrels: Star Wars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is above average. It is great for nostalgia. That being said, it isn't Timothy Zahns best work by a long shot.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was as expected.

Have you listened to any of Marc Thompson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He IS the voice of the Star Wars universe. Someone out there may be able to do better but he/she has not shown up yet. He makes the books far better than the written prose and this one is no different.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Start Wars book 4.5

Any additional comments?

This was a fun listen that I could enjoy with my young daughter. The Narrartor is one of the best and the technical aspects for Star Wars books are always top notch. The stories are not deep, if fact they are thin and extremely predictable but they get the job done.There won't be any real shocks or surprises but it is a fun visit with old friends and I liked it.

Oceans 11 Meets Stars Wars

Lots or twists and turns great characters. Excellent story, Timothy Zahn demonstrates yet again what a great story teller he is.

Fun story!

What did you love best about Scoundrels: Star Wars?

Great to revisit classic characters!

What did you like best about this story?

Fun to see a heist story carried out in the Star Wars universe.

Some of Zahn's Best Work

Wish DISNEY would let Timothy Zahn write their stuff, it would be a lot better. This is way better than Oceans 11, so its a must if you like Star Wars at all. Great performance too by the reader, love Thompson's work as well!