This week, I read the Solo prequel book telling us about some of Han and Qi'ra's adventures on Corellia. It's a pretty exciting story and a great read, and it really gives us a lot of context to Han and Qi'ra relationship in Solo as well as giving us more context for the movie's opening scenes on Corellia. If you're a fan of Solo, I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try.
Spoilers ahead for Most Wanted by Rae Carson!
Han and Qi'ra's relationship is undoubtedly the most intriguing part of this book. I loved seeing their early dynamic, how they grow from acquaintances to sort-of friends to having forged a strong bond of trust. There isn't really anything particularly romantic in this book like what we see them having in the movie, but they have a really great connection by the end that's created from this crazy adventure they find themselves on, between all of these different gangs and the Empire. I also really liked the look inside of these characters that the book offers. We get to see the concoction that is Han's early relative naivete and optimism, his willingness to just go with his instincts along with his more cynical nature that grows more and more hardened by the time we see him in movies like A New Hope. I also really loved learning more about Qi'ra and getting a look into her though processes. Like how she justifies the actions of others by deciding what she would do and her desires to live with luxuries. It was also informative on her character to see how though she naturally leans towards meticulous planning and an impersonal (and arguably self-serving) outlook, spending time with characters like Han warms her up and makes her have a softer view of things. It bodes well for I think her potential character arc in the future, and I'm excited to see how it goes.
I also just wanted to mention Tsuulo. He's an educated and kind White Worm who gets sucked along on Han and Qi'ra adventure. He's a really funny character (taking advantage of people's lack of knowledge on Huttese to curse them out while pretending to have a genuine conversation), and I really enjoyed his presence in the book, especially his faith in the Force and how he subtly brought that element of Star Wars into the fold without it overwhelming the criminal underworld aspect with an especially Force sensitive character. He unfortunately dies after getting shot, but his death scene was really touching and well-written and I definitely enjoyed it.
Another really cool part of this book was learning a little bit more about Lady Proxima and the White Worms on Corellia. We got a look inside how that works and how Lady Proxima keeps control over her White Worms and is able to try and gain their loyalty. I think something else that was cool to learn was how the White Worms aren't particularly powerful financially, but have influence in other ways. They bid for an important datacube of stolen Imperial plans, but their bid is embarrassingly low against that of the Kaldana Syndicate (a violent gang) or the Droid Gotra (a group of droids that are pro-droid liberation, but go about it violently). However, Proxima's connections and knowledge of the literal underworld of Corellia's sewers make her powerful enough to have influence and be a strong ally later.
Comments