Star Wars: Death Star-Michael Reaves and Steve Perry

Star Wars: Death Star
Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
Del Rey, Oct 2007, $25.95
ISBN: 9780345477422

Grand Moff Tarkin for three decades lobbied for the Death Star, a war vessel the size of a large moon, to be built. His dream comes to fruition as his killing ship with its special pandemic death weaponry is constructed in outer space in the Horuz Sector by residents of the nearby prison planet Despyre.

Lieutenant Commander Vil Dance is euphoric to be a fighter pilot on the Death Star. After her cantina burned down in Imperial City Memah Roothes and her bounceRodo open another one on the Death Star . Dr. Gli Divini has not been allowed to leave the service and when he is transferred to the Death Star, it is just another undesirable assignment to him. Political prisoner Teela Kaarz jumps at the chance to get off of Despyre and use her skills as an architect on Death Star. Master Chief Petty Officer Tenn Graneet wants to be the one to use the largest laser in the known universe. Planet prisoner Ratua Dil, a Zelosiann is a con artist smuggler and who sneaks onto the Death Star and blends in with the crew. It is only after two worlds are annihilated that these crewmembers realize what they work on and want out; with the help of an archivist and a librarian they may be able to escape.

For those living on a far planet in a distant time, the Death Star is the massive starship that Luke and company destroyed in the original Star Wars movie. STAR WARS: DEATH STAR takes a look inside the humongous weapon of planetary destruction-ship at the crew and ordinary people living in something the size of a large moon. Readers will see first hand the normal everyday folks who make the Death Star work and their elation to be part of it turning to horror as worlds are destroyed by its weaponry. Cameo appearances by a who’s who of the 1977 movie adds a sense of time and place to a fascinating character study of everyday people caught up in supporting the atrocities of deliberate genocide of the innocent as a terrorist effort to defeat the opposition.

Harriet Klausner