Bruguru's Full Review: K. W. Jeter - Hard Merchandise
There is nothing worse than getting really interested in a gripping series of novels, only to have the final installment be a let down. Sadly, that is exactly what happens in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, a series of novels taking place in the Star Wars universe. The first two books, The Mandalorian Armor and Slave Ship, were lots of fun and built up plenty of suspense as you read through the action. These were two really enjoyable reads for a Star Wars fan, and as a result, I was anticipating more of the same along with some interesting resolution in Book III, Hard Merchandise.
Sadly, that never materialized. To be sure, Hard Merchandise does tie up most of the loose ends from the series, though not in a manner as interesting as we have seen in the first two books. Instead, the climax seems anticlimactic, the action a letdown, and much of the action is too drawn out, as if the author needed to fill out his last novel to get it over with.
As in the past, the story here takes place on a split schedule, some of it just after the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, the rest during the timeframe of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Most of Hard Merchandise occurs during the latter period. The bounty hunter Boba Fett, in possession of a renegade Imperial stormtrooper with an enormous price upon his head, is on his way to collect his due. Along the way, his ship is attacked by the evil Prince Xizor.
Xizor is the evil mastermind behind an insidious plot to thin out the ranks of the bounty hunters, leaving behind only the hardiest and meanest of the lot to serve his galaxy-spanning Black Sun crime organization and, ostensibly, the Galactic Empire. Unfortunately for Boba Fett, he has learned a little too much about Xizor’s schemes, and the prince wants him eliminated.
Fast forward to the present (as far as the novel is concerned). Boba Fett is obviously still alive, but Xizor is dead, having been killed by Darth Vader. But Vader and Fett were not the Prince’s only enemies, and someone is going to great lengths to recover fraudulent evidence that seems to involve the deceased crime lord in the murder of Luke Skywalker’s aunt and uncle. Though Fett does not possess this fabricated evidence, too many of his foes think he does, and the bounty hunter must now race to find it or be targeted by forces even he may not be able to overcome.
Along the way, Hard Merchandise will feature the bounty hunters Bossk and Dengar, and offer a resolution to their involvement in the series. Readers will also discover the true identity of the slave girl Neelah who helped rescue Fett from certain death in the Sarlaac pit.
Unfortunately, the author takes his time giving us the answers to the questions building in readers’ minds since Book I. Indeed, the first 100 pages of Hard Merchandise seem to serve little other purpose than to flesh out the book. True, they do setup one aspect of the developing conclusion, but a battle between Fett and his cargo (the renegade stormtrooper) advances the story not a bit and drags far too long. Likewise the confrontation with Xizor, another disappointment.
So should you read Hard Merchandise? If you’ve read the first two novels (which I do recommend) then the answer is yes, if only to round out the trilogy. Perhaps Hard Merchandise suffers in comparison to those two installments. Don’t be surprised, however, if you’re a bit disappointed with Hard Merchandise.
The bestselling Bounty Hunters trilogy s thrilling conclusion ties into the storyline of the cult phenomenon Shadows of the Empire . Here is the story...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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