[.ca] TRUCE AT BAKURA (ISBN 0553095412)

Wonderful!:
I've been a Star Wars fan since I was a kid and first read this book when I was in fifth or sixth grade. A lot of the plot went way over my head because I was little and did not understand some of the political parts. In fact, I mainly read it for the romance between Han and Leia, who have always been my favorite characters. I went back, however, and read it a few months ago, and I really enjoyed it. It really is a wonderfully written addition and truly one of my favorite books, probably my favorite Star Wars book. Every paragraph is written well and incredibly interesting. In fact, of all the Star Wars books I've read, this is the one I enjoy the most. It is a great read for anyone who is interested in Star Wars and wants to learn more about the characters. The scene between Leia and her father is one of the more powerful of the book. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Tyers' post Episode VI tale is effective....:
Kathy Tyers' Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura, first published in 1994, is an enjoyable "expanded universe" novel featuring the heroes from the Classic Trilogy in a tale set almost right after Return of the Jedi. In this novel that pits both Imperial and Alliance forces against a new extragalactic threat, Tyers weaves a tapestry full of adventure, excitement, political intrigue, thrilling space battles and even a little bit of romance. As the novel begins, Luke Skywalker -- still feeling the effects of his battle with the Emperor only the day before -- takes his X-wing fighter out on a routine flight over the moon of Endor. But almost as soon as he is space borne and flying amidst the battle-scarred Rebel fleet, Luke must rescue his friend and fellow pilot Wedge Antilles; while inspecting an intercepted Imperial message drone, Wedge has triggered off a security device and risks losing his hand...or even his life. Using his Jedi powers and fighting the painful and debilitating aftershocks of Palpatine's Force lightning strikes, Luke saves Wedge and the message drone is retrieved. In it, the Alliance discovers, the Imperial governor of Bakura, unaware that the second Death Star has been destroyed and that the Emperor is gone, warns Palpatine that a new threat against the Empire has emerged. Bakura is under attack by a powerful alien task force and half of the Imperial forces have been destroyed. Knowing that Bakura has only been under Imperial control for three years and hoping the system will leave the Empire out of gratitude for aid from the Alliance, the Rebel leaders send a small force commanded by Luke, while his sister Leia, accompanied by Han Solo, Chewbacca and See Threepio, volunteers to negotiate a truce with the devious Wilek Nereus, the Imperial governor. Soon, Rebel and Imperial forces unite to fight off the reptilian Ssi-ruuk, intelligent dinosaur-like creatures (they resemble velociraptors) that can entrap the life forces of sentient beings inside droid fighters. Enticed by a deal proposed by the now-dead Palpatine to exchange this technology for -- one supposes -- thousands of the Empire's undesirable captives, the Ssi-ruk have made their way to Imperial territory. Now, having no one to bargain with, the aliens have come to conquer the human-ruled Galactic Empire. On Bakura, Luke will feel the first stirrings of romantic attraction to the beautiful Bakuran Senator Gaeriel Captison, a young woman who not only believes in the stability the Empire offers the galaxy, but is also a follower of the Cosmic Balance, a religion whose basic teachings state that the Jedi are more a threat than a boon to the galaxy. Their use of the Force upset the cosmic balance and caused the resulting chaos and strife that led to the rise of the Empire. In addition, Luke and Leia must deal with two very different Imperial officers: the wily and untrustworthy Gov. Nereus and the more diplomatic Commander Pter Thanas, captain of the small Imperial cruiser Dominant. Together, they must defeat the Ssi-ruuk and hope that the truce at Bakura holds long enough for the combined force of Imperials and Rebels to turn back this alien invasion.

One of the greatest books I've ever read.:
I liked this book because it was very interesting. The book explores what happens after Darth Vader is defeated and, for the time being, peace is restored. This book has many reasons to be read, and I think many will want to know why. The major events in this book are all very exciting. For example, Leia gets a suprise visit from someone. Luke meets someone special. Strange this are happening on the planet of Bakura. Luke gets a message from someone familiar telling him to go to Bakura. Kathleen Tyers' writing style is very unique. She made the characters very believable. She made them react and sound like a normal person would react. She didn't make them sound phony. She also did a good job at building the suspense. She made it so that one minute you could be reading about the fate of one person and the next reading about what another person was doing. I think that the characters stayed with me even after I finished reading the book. That's how much I liked this book. I would recommend this book to my friends, family, and many other people so they could enjoy it like I did. I would also like to read more books like this one and by the same author.

One of the Weaker Entries in the Continuing Star Wars Saga.:
The various Star Wars novels set after the conclusion of Episode VI have been a mixed bag. Some of the novels have been worthy continuations of the Star Wars saga while others have been uninspired filler stories. Kathy Tyers' "The Truce at Bakura" is a single novel outing that falls into the latter disappointing category. Soon after the Battle of Endor has ended, a communications drone is intercepted which contains a message from Bakura's Imperial Governor. The message was intended for the Emperor and warns him that Ssi-ruuk has entered the Bakura system and is laying siege to Imperial forces. The Rebel Alliance sees the attack as an opportunity to try and pry the system away from Imperial control and dispatches a delegation to Bakura. Once there, the Rebels discover the Ssi-ruuk is as great a threat to them as they are to the remnants of the Empire. Realizing that there are no other alternatives, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa secure a temporary truce with their former enemies in order to defeat their common foe. "The Truce at Bakura" is just too lackluster a tale to be considered a Star Wars adventure. None of the swashbuckling fun or witty humor of the films is present here. The single volume format for the story also works against the novel as it severely hinders the character development of the primary film characters. Luke and Leia have their moments in the spotlight but everyone else is essentially relegated to spot duty. The Ssi-ruuk are dreary villains compared to the memorable cinematic adversaries and their practice of transferring humanoid energies into androids is a derivative science fiction plot device. The writing itself is awkward and does not flow as smoothly as Timothy Zahn's superior style. It is possible that "The Truce at Bakura" may have been a worthy addition to the Star Wars mythos had the story been spread over more than one book, but it is sadly nothing noteworthy as a stand-alone single novel.

Flat and slow, but still compelling:
"The Truce at Bakura", while not the first book to be published in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" has that honor), it is the first chronological story to take place after "Return of the Jedi". Literally hours after the final battle above the Endor moon, which rebellion forces are cleaning up the aftermath of the vicious and legendary space battle, and signal beacon sent from the fringe world of Bakura arrives in system seeking out the local imperial presence to request help in repelling and alien invasion. Luke, who is still physically and emotionally recovering from his battle with the Emperor and the death of his father, Darth Vader, and Han and Leia, who are also recovering from the battle while exploring their burgeoning new romance, are assigned the duty of taking a task force to Bakura to inform them that the Empire is now longer in power and to also provide whatever assistance they can in helping the Bakurans repel the alien invaders known as the Ssi-Ruuk. After having read the original Timothy Zahn 'Thrawn' trilogy ("Heir to the Empire", "Dark Force Rising", and "Last Command"), reading "The Truce at Bakura" was a bit of a let down. There are some good moments and good characters to this book, but too often it gets bogged down in the internal politics of the planet (which is still run by an Imperial governor) and the too much time aboard the Ssi-Ruuk ships with the unpronounceable names of the aliens. One of the better characters introduced is Gariel Captison, a young, pretty, strong-willed politician who advocating Bakuran independence and is a potential love interest for Luke. The Ssi-Ruuk are also formidable characters, as fierce an alien race the New Republic will face until the deadly arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong 20 years later. In addition to territorial cravings, the Ssi-Ruuk also seek to enslave huge numbers of the Bakuran people to be used in a gruesome scientific process called 'entechment', which actually transfers the life energies of an individual from their flesh body into a droid controlled ship. These ships are thought to be much more efficient fighters, although the people trapped within them are suffering tremendously. As with most of the Star Wars novels, "...Bakura" has its fair share of government intrigue and conspiracy, much of which is designed to thwart the efforts by the Republic to help save Bakura. As mentioned before, too much time is spent on the dealings of the government and that does slow the book down considerably. Yet, on the whole "The Truce at Bakura" is a good novel and provides some insight into characters, places, and events that will have a major impact on the Star Wars Universe in years to come.