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![[The Rebellion]](images/banner.jpg) |
Events that occur from 2 years before
to 5 years after the Battle of Yavin. |
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Death Troopers |
BOOK STORY |
Joe Schreiber |
Del Rey [US]; Arrow
Books [UK] |
Story published as:
Hardback Novel [US only] (2009)
Paperback Novel [UK] (2009) / [US] (2010)
Audio Book (2009)
e-Book (2011) |
Download
Death Troopers bookmark [pdf] |
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Rating:
If you have read this book, please
rate it:
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Reviews:
3 reviews [Average review
score: 3.5 / 5] |
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Synopsis:
Pressed into action by Emperor Palpatine, Imperial
forces have stepped up efforts to hunt down and imprison
Rebel sympathizers, shipping them off to newly formed
detainment moons via huge prison barges. By necessity
these barges are floating chambers of degradation and
vice, notoriously unreliable spacecraft staffed by
Imperial corrections officers whose cruelty rivals that
of the inmates. The Imperial Prison Barge Purge is
hauling its load of prisoners, criminals and murderers,
human and non-human, across the galaxy, when it breaks
down in deep space. Soon after, the ship's warden
discovers a derelict Star Destroyer, seemingly
abandoned, and sends a boarding party to scavenge parts
to repair the Purge. Half of them don't come
back. The ones that do are infected with a virus so
deadly that within hours, it has wiped out ninety-nine
percent of the barge's population. But for the handful
of survivors - two brothers, the Purge's female
chief medical officer, and a sadistic captain of the
guards, along with a certain rogue smuggler and his
Wookiee sidekick - the true horror is just begun.
Because those inmates and guards who died of the virus
don't stay dead...and when they come back, they're
extremely hungry. Against their better judgment, the
survivors take refuge aboard the massive creaking
emptiness of the Destroyer, only to discover that its
original population has not disappeared at all - and
that they've been waiting for them. |
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Chronology:
This story occurs approximately 1 year before the Battle
of Yavin. |
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Related Stories (in
chronological order):
- Red
Harvest by Joe Schreiber
- The Phantom Menace
- Attack of the Clones
- Revenge of the Sith
- Death Troopers
- A New Hope
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Reviews: |
Review by Bones, UK,
2010:
"The concept of a Star Wars horror novel was, quite frankly,
intriguing. The front cover accentuated any curiosity, although I
remained sceptical as to whether or not it would actually be scary.
After reading the blurb, my cynicism grew: this is a book about
zombies, something that has been pretty much used, abused, cast
aside, reinvented and generally trampled into the ground by
Hollywood et al.
"It was too my great delight, then, that I did indeed find my
pulse quickening through certain parts of the story. Not perhaps in
the same way as, say, watching Alien for the first time, but
definite physiological responses. It was quite gripping in place,
considering the story was, on the whole, formulaic. After all, with
a group of survivor's alone and cut off from civilisation, you can
predict before reading that there will be a body count. It's all
about which of them will survive and how the others will die. In
this regard (no spoilers here) I was satisfied with much of this
aspect of the story. I also particularly liked the introduction of
unexpected characters.
"The book itself was relatively short, but I doubt anything
else could have been done with the story to elongated it without
compromising the atmosphere that was being created. But the main
gripe I had was that it didn't really feel like a Star Wars book. I
suspect that was why the unexpected characters turned up - to root
the story in the EU. But most of the way through, perhaps, the first
half of the book, it felt like any other sci-fi horror book: bleak,
grey and industrial. Whilst it probably doesn't detract from the
story itself, I did find it difficult to integrate this into the
Star Wars universe.
"In spite of that, I enjoyed this book and look forward to
Schreiber's next offering in the EU."
Rating: 3.5 / 5 |
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Review by Pedro,
England, 2010:
"The concept of the virus was good but it seemed like a typical
zombie story. I liked how it was different to zombie stories in that
it was a virus created by the Empire and that they learned from
things, they weren't typical mindless zombies wondering around. The
fact that the Empire created the virus was interesting, it showed
just how evil it was and how low it would stoop to achieve things.
"I didn't actually find it that scary, and I think that Joe
tried to make it graphic to make is more scary. Sometimes, I think
that making something graphic makes it less scary.
"I suppose adding in Han and Chewie helped the readers latch
onto something familiar, but i think that the book didn't need them
really.
"The book could have been made longer, by extending the end, I
felt it was to abrupt, and by making more of the virus.
"So much hype surrounded it before it was released because it
was the first horror Star Wars novel, but I think it could have been
done a lot better, perhaps by a different author."
Rating: 3 / 5 |
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Review by Jay, USA,
2009:
"Book started out slightly slow but it builds up steam as it
goes and adds a few surprises as you read it. I thought it stayed
true to the Star Wars universe."
Rating: 4 / 5 |
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here. |
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