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Dec 16, 2009

Wealhtheow rated it:

This book is very basic, by-the-numbers sf--but with the added thrill of being written right after A New Hope came out. Thus, the entire story is about Luke and Leia's sexual tension. Sure you always intended them to be siblings, Lucas. Sure.

5 comments like (8 people liked it)

Dec 08, 2008

Jim rated it:

I don't know what the story is behind this book. I read it well before the second Star Wars movie was released, thinking it would be it. But it wasn't. In fact, it's not part of the Star Wars story that I know of. That alone makes it kind of interesting.

Foster had to write this book as part of his contract for the novelization of Star Wars. Originally, this was supposed to be the basis for a low budget sequel, but then Star Wars hit it big & it was decided there would be a big More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 25, 2008

Paul rated it:

I wonder why i didn't read this as a kid? I remember seeing this and the Han Solo books, but didn't read them.

The data above says this was published in 1986, but the copy i have says "copyright 1978 by The Star Wars Corporation." That puts it right after "Star Wars".

Luke is a lot smarter here than he is in the movies. At times i wondered if this story wasn't intended for Han Solo at some point in its development. He not only seems more streetwi More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 22, 2011

Travis rated it:

In 1976, a little paperback book called Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker appeared on the mass market. A little blurb notified the readers that it was soon to be a motion picture from its author, George Lucas. You probably know the cinematic story from there, but the literary world of Star Wars is often overlooked. To begin, Lucas did not pen that first novel; it was ghostwritten by noted science-fiction author Alan Dean Foster. No one knew whether the film would make any mone More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 16, 2008

Penny rated it:

Wow, I had totally forgotten this one until I saw it mentioned in the recent reviews. It came out before "The Empire Strikes Back" movie. Naturally Luke and Leia would be the star-crossed lovers(no pun intended, of course). I remember the bit about the lake as being really creepy. The old lady (can't remember her name) and the fuzzy things . . .Yuzzums or something? At the time it seemed like it would be the plot of the next movie. Guess we guessed wrong on that one!
Very exc More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Mark rated it:

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Dec 29, 2011

Mark rated it:

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Oct 10, 2011

Coryke rated it:

As the first book written about the Star Wars universe, this is the "what might have been" follow up to Star Wars (A New Hope). The story about how this could have been the sequel as opposed to Empire Strikes Back is out there and easy to find so I won't go through that. Consequently, you have to read this story knowing two things, one, Foster was basing his characterizations on just one movie, and two, he didn't know which direction Lucas would take the story and the relationships of More...

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Jun 16, 2011

David rated it:

The first novel to be written after the original Star Wars movie is actually an interesting read with moody settings, a sense of discovery and the ultimate bad guy - Darth Vader. There is also some historic value for Star Wars fans as this book held completely different ideas before the Star Wars "canon" started to become solidified.

I have a feeling people don't like the book mainly because it doesn't fit the feeling of the now-established Star Wars universe... which is un More...

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Aug 04, 2009

Johne rated it:

The full title for this book is "Splinter of the Mind's Eye: From the Further Adventures of Luke Skywalker." Sadly, this would be the last book that would carry that interesting 'adventures of Luke Skywalker' moniker. It would be scrubbed from Star Wars when that story was later rebranded as 'A New Hope.' This story was written by ADF for a specific reason. Lucas had no assurance that Star Wars would be a hit, and this is the story that would have followed up Star Wars if it went the w More...

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Jan 15, 2012

Jeff rated it:

I'd like to give this one 5 stars for purely sentimental reasons. If you're a lifelong Star Wars fanatic like me, 30 years of age or older, you probably miss the days when our beloved trilogy had yet to be ruined by horrible prequels and an expanded universe that is just foolish. Well, this book is a relic of those days, when so little was known about the Universe beyond Tatooine and Endor, when The Clone Wars and Anakin Skywalker were things our imaginations had to do figure out for us.
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Sep 17, 2011

Dave rated it:

A quick read but a good story. Billed as the "first of the expanded universe books," but it isn't really. It's interesting to read as a "work in progress" look at the forming of the story behind the original trilogy of Star Wars films. Some of the elements of the future films (like a furry aboriginal race teaming up with the rebels to defeat the Empire and the now ubiquitous cutting off of hands and arms) are there and they may have been an influence on the future films. H More...

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Feb 20, 2008

Bryan rated it:

I had never read any of the "Star Wars" fiction before, and with good reason.

I was in a nostalgic mood when I picked this up at the library. What makes this book most interesting is that it was released not long after the first (or the fourth, depending on how technical you want to get) "Star Wars" movie was released. The plot is predictable, the writing is almost laughable, and Darth Vader doesn't appear until the last 20 pages.

Read it only if you n

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 26, 2011

Alex rated it:

In some ways I feel a little bit like poor Alan Dean Foster got shafted here. The idea behind this book was to write a sequel to Star Wars that could be turned into a movie on a low budget and presuming that Harrison Ford wouldn't return as Han Solo. When in hindsight we look at how the Star Wars saga turned out, with Empire Strikes Back being not just the high point of the series, but of sci-fi/fantasy movies in general, this "what-if" looks tragically unambitious and rather stupid. More...

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Jun 27, 2010

Adam rated it:

I knew going in that Splinter was going to be bad. But I thought, it might be interesting to read - see what things were like back in the day, before lots of EU habits were established. However, Foster's writing simply seems way off base. The book does a very poor job of fitting the SW style. Nearly all of the characterizations are off as well - though I wasn't particularly bothered by Luke's weird feelings about Leia, as some reviewers seem to be. If he didn't know she was his sister at th More...

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Sep 11, 2011

Mark rated it:

Sad to say, but this rather weak, early addition to the Star Wars saga is so far from the story line of the , now well known, Star Wars universe that it really doesn't deserve it's main 'Banner' title.
I read this at 11/12 years of age, and loved it at the time. But now.....well, let's just say it's so full of plot holes it should be known as Swiss Cheese Wars!

As a reference point, it should be noted that the author, Alan Dean Foster, was behind the writing of several scripts for n More...

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Jun 03, 2009

Ron rated it:

Read years ago. Disappointed. Because of this work, I did not read any more Star Wars spin-off books until 2008.

2009: Tried to read it again. Got only to page 34. If this book started the Star Wars "expanded universe", it's wonder it didn't implode. Pretty standard space opera stuff, but if--and it's the big "if" of the series--if we didn't already care about Luke, Leia, et al., there's nothing in this story which would compel your attention. Bland.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Oct 16, 2011

Shinn rated it:

I first started Splinter of the Mind's Eye a while ago but abandoned it when I came across this: "... whenever he looked at her, the other caused emotions to boil within him like soup too long on the fire". However, I'm more accepting of unintentionally hilarious writing now and willing to read even such gems as "Swerving slightly like a crippled camel in a sandstorm, the fighter continued to drop." Oh Alan Dean Foster, where would we be without your silly similes?

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Jul 31, 2011

Cameron added it

Barely readable - only for the Star Wars completist; it is just as well this never was produced as it would have killed the franchise. I know the history of script; cheap sequel, reuse sets, drop the expensive actors. A tough gig by any means, but this story is awful.

Dagobar, Yavin IV and Endor mashed into a single plodding environ packed with reptillian ewookies. Chewbacca turned into 2 not-quite wookies and Yoda and Han Solo combined into a parody crone. Plus a lot of other plot and visual el More...

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May 18, 2009

Inkling rated it:

I know it's fashionable to rip on this book; it absolutely does not fit into the existing Star Wars canon. But this was the first bit of Star Wars fiction that was ever published in the long years between the original Star Wars and The Empire Strike Back. I have always liked Alan Dean Foster's work in the Star Trek universe, and I thought he did a fine job here, given what he had to work with — which was not much. Star Wars fiction was an open canvas when this was published. Foster committed the More...

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Feb 24, 2011

Ryan Zimmerman rated it:

This book is the reason I tend to avoid books by Mr. Foster, and I know it’s a bit unfair. I read this book not long after watching Star Wars and I was excited. Here was a book, a continuation of the story. I was enthralled; ecstatic… and then I actually read it.
Blea!
Total GARBAGE!
It’s not really Mr. Fosters fault, it was an authorized Star Wars Story, and subsequent movies have rendered it irrelevant (stuff in the book turned out to be wrong according to the next movies). But More...

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Nov 22, 2011

Jen rated it:

A non-canon adventure story that's basically Foster's vehicle for really weird similes whenever he's discussing a female and also for introducing strange new species. It was fun, in a Star Wars-bad-is-awesome kind of way, and it was interesting to hear the voices of the original actors in the dialogue here. Yep, I still prefer the prequel characters, but who doesn't love a good Vader death stare that intimidates even in text? Or the super, super awkward relations of the Skywalker family befor More...

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May 19, 2010

Barry rated it:

The most interesting aspect of this book is Luke without much Force power. It is fascinating to watch him live life without being attuned to the Force. Later on in the Expanded Universe he becomes inseparable from the Force and seems invincible. In this book he is very much vincible, and it makes for a story that is more raw and dangerous. The interplay between Luke and Leia is also fascinating to watch.

That said, the story is straight forward and easy to see where it is going. Thi More...

0 comments like

Feb 26, 2009

Christine rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 15, 2009

Vanessa rated it:

I have to say that I was truly disappointed in the quality of writing in this book. I was under the impression that it was a Star Wars classic, not because of its age, but because of how amazing it was. I have an extremely old copy of it, so perhaps it has gone through some editing and revisions since then...? I have read other books by this author before, and I was completely taken aback by this one. I had been led to believe that it was written for adults, but I believe it would be more approp More...

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Mar 16, 2009

Alex rated it:

This was one of those books that I read too early in life to understand or appreciate. It's a bizarre story that never made it into the Star Wars saga that we know. Thus, the story makes little sense. I tried to read this because I was such a Star Wars fan, but Foster's writing was a bit over my head. I think I started reading this shortly after seeing the Empire Strikes Back, and couldn't quite figure out what was going on. I should probably go back and read it again just for the story inc More...

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Jun 23, 2011

Jon rated it:

I really enjoyed this book!! "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" was written right after "A new Hope" was released. Luke & the princess are constantly flirting and it's funny considering we all know how it turns out.Nobody knew what George Lucas was going to do with the series at this time. The story starts out with Luke and Leia going to an important meeting & all of the sudden they're ship encounters problems, and they are forced to land on an unknown planet. Just so happens, the More...

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Aug 21, 2010

Matt rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Aug 29, 2011

Derrick rated it:

Takes place between ANH and ESB. So Foster didn't know that Luke and Leia were siblings, in which case he can be excused for the romantic leanings in this book. Still grossed me out though. I mean, twin-cest! Ughhh!
The Force was certainly not a developed idea like it is now, that was obvious from the battle between Luke and Vader at the end. But considering it was written in '78, it isn't a bad book at all. I'm sure there are some continuity things that are a little off, but nothing major More...

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Jun 25, 2010

slaveofone rated it:

There are a couple reasons to read SOTME and there are a couple reason not to. If you're into Star Wars (and I don't refer here to anything that developed after the theatrical release of Jedi except, perhaps, the Zahn trilogy or Dark Empire), you will probably find interest and entertainment in it. Don't expect anything similar to those stories, however. This is no tale of the wars among the stars. The details here are mainly concerned with the landscapes of an alien world and its main protagoni More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)