Published in 1996 and written by Kevin J. Anderson, DARK SABER was met with lackluster appreciation and most fans of "Star Wars" found it to be a ho-hum installment. However, it contains one of the more intriguing plots:

DARK SABER operates on a premise that in 1996 was mere fiction. Although lipservice about defending our country against terrorism was whispered, somehow most of society didn't think that factions of fantactics could get a hold of the technology, or hatch a plan, that would bring severe harm to the United States.

Likewise, the characters in the "Star Wars" saga were focused on an enemy that was all but dead: the Empire. In reality, even after the Cold War, some focused on Russia and believed the Soviet Union would again emerge to haunt us with threats of nuclear destruction. Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker did not comprehend that a serious threat could be managed by the Hutts. Yes, they were a crime organization that struck terror into those they dealt with, but the Alliance was too large to be bothered with petty criminals.

In DARK SABER we have the clearest reality of what would happen after the Second Death Star was destroyed. It would not be the Empire that the Alliance would continue to battle, but new threats that wanted to build an Empire of their own. In the memory of the Republic and the dust of the Empire these forces would rise to destroy what the Alliance had fought for through the years.

DARK SABER falls short in not allowing the Hutt and his minions to have even a minor victory. This perhaps is the mind of the author; believing that true terrorists never get too far, but perhaps in a galaxy far, far away as well as in one not so far away we forget that any step toward victory is too large a leap to allow madmen and their schemes.

If the reader is looking for a chilling reminder of more innocent times, and a good read, he or she should dig up DARK SABER on amazon.com or your local library.