Title: The Truce at Bakura
Auhtor: Kathy Tyers
Pages: 341
Time: 4 ABY

Introduction
I'm finally there, the post-OT part of the EU! What will become of Luke? What will happen to the Jedi? How will the Empire change? Many new paths lay open and there is a bunch of great writers who have already walked across them. I'm really looking forward to follow their footsteps and enter the new Star Wars galaxy. The first step is "The Truce at Bakura". I had no idea what to expect, so I went in pretty blank. I do have an opinion now however, and it isn't completely positive. I'll tell you why.

Novel quality
The novel picks up the story where ROTJ ended. It is no right after the battle of Endor and the balance of power in the galaxy has been turned upside down. The Rebel Alliance receives a message from Governor Wilek Nereus of Bakura. An invading force has attacked the Imperial presence there and appears to have the upper hand in the battle. After careful deliberation the Rebel Alliance decides to send a fleet to help the Bakurans out. It could turn out really well for the just established New Republic if they would be able to change an Empire-loyal planet into a part of the Republic.

As you can see, the novel starts out very interesting. It gets a bit different when we get out first view of the invaders and their methods. The invaders, the bird-like Ssi-ruuk, use some kind of technique to transfer the essence of life forms into a machine. To help them do this, they have enslaved a young human named Dev. The Ssi-ruuk have been described pretty well and their interaction with Dev is interesting. But somehow, the total package they provide seems a bit too far outside the Star Wars frame of reference. Especially the essence-transplant they perform and the way it is done seems a bit out of place in a galaxy driven by the Force. This in itself takes some fun out of reading the novel. You will also probably find yourself wondering at times why such a powerful foe was needed right after the defeat of the Empire. A political struggle and a spread of several smaller battles would have been a better choice at this time in Star Wars history.

However, the novel does provide for a fun and rather exciting read. Luke's thought, Han and Leia's interaction and the political struggle that is definitely present during the story provide for a lot of good moments. The semi-evil character Dev is interesting and helps the Ssi-ruuk gain just that little bit of a human face they need. Dev is force sensitive and develops an interesting connection with Luke which plays out quite well during the novel. All in al this is a solid novel with some very good moments, we even see Darth Vader come around for some time with his daughter. The only real thing the novel suffers from is the scale. The Ssi-ruuk are first shown as super dangerous foes, potentially more dangerous than even Darth Sidious, but in the end they are defeated relatively simple. I feel Ms. Tyers set of in too high a gear. The great way in which she tells her story however more then makes up for this and made me really enjoy my first post-OT ride.
Rating: 84/100

Personal tilt
As you have read above, I wasn't completely positive about this novel. Somehow the Ssi-ruuk and their methods seemed a bit too much for me. On top of that their threat-potential also fluctuates a little too much during the novel. Overall though, the novel is very enjoyable. The political and power structure between the New Republic and the Empire is really well put together and reading about our old favorites (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, etc.) is really nice. If I go with my feeling, I can seriously recommend this novel to anyone interested. It is a very solid introduction into the New Republic era and it's also very enjoyable to read. I don't think there are many, Star Wars fans that will be disappointed by this novel. It's simply solid.
Rating: 82/100

Overall rating: 83.2/100

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See my Book review summary for other reviews and a my personal top ten.