Death Troopers

Feb 21, 2010

Jason (FNORDinc) rated it

Shelves: reviewed, reviewed-on-fnordinc

like an unconcerned lover, meeting you for a “nooner”, Death Troopers is quick and dirty. it doesnt ask you how you are doing or if you are getting close. when it is finished, it rolls out of bed and leaves you staring, asking “what exactly just happened”. you feel a little dirty, then you shower and get back to work. in the end, it is still a nooner, so who can scoff at that? not i.

a little background info to explain the above..

as a kid, i was an avid book reader. you put it...more

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May 18, 2011

Jeremy stephens rated it

Shelves: books-of-2011

This was like the movie "I Am Legend" if it were in space. The only thing I didnt like about this book was that it seemed like this book wasn't originally written as a star wars novel but then later various references and characters were added in so that it could be labeled as a Star Wars novel. The plot was lacking in detaials- especially character development and information on why the situation on the star destroyer occurred. a back story or two would have been nice. i was tempted ...more

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Dec 06, 2011

Christopher rated it

This was a very good and original story for the expanded Star Wars universe. Joe Schreiber writes a very convincing horror story set in a time just before Episode IV. And considering the amounts of blood that gets sprayed around in this book, I doubt a movie or TV version would get anything but an R rating. Though I am not personally afraid of zombies, this book did remind me of the necromorphs from the great video game, "Dead Space," and I must tip my hat to Schreiber for conjuring up...more

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Sep 02, 2011

Tarl rated it

· review of another edition

I read Horror. I read StarWars. I like zombies.
What more could I ask for?
NOT THIS.
*ahem*
Let me lay it out. The plot could be anything, be it aliens, zombies, whatever. It doesn't feel very StarWars to begin with. Yes, Han is there, and no, that's not a spoiler. Sadly, that's actually a saving grace, as without him and Chewie, this book would have been even more dreadful and would have gotten a one star rating.

This book is full of things that happen as a coinc...moreI read Horror. I read StarWars. I like zombies.
What more could I ask for?
NOT THIS.
*ahem*
Let me lay it out. The plot could be anything, be it aliens, zombies, whatever. It doesn't feel very StarWars to begin with. Yes, Han is there, and no, that's not a spoiler. Sadly, that's actually a saving grace, as without him and Chewie, this book would have been even more dreadful and would have gotten a one star rating.

This book is full of things that happen as a coincidence, yet instead of happening once or twice, it happens all the time. Specially with zombies that are related to the person suddenly appearing out of the blue, JUST when it will make an impactful moment. Or something will happen that will help the people in the story just appears out of thin air. It quickly grows tiresome. I mean, yes, the father of the kids suddenly appears...but he was dead before the virus hit, and from the way the virus works, it doesn't reanimate dead tissue, but takes over a living organism and then kills it only to take over. So why is he walking around, plus, wouldn't his body have been destroyed by the authorities? This IS a prison barge of the Imperials...I doubt they would have that kind of caring.

But I digress.

The characters are flat, one dimentional characters. Sure they care for each other, cry a lot, sob a lot, have issues with seeing their loved ones or coworkers stumbling after them looking for flesh, but there's NO character building. Even the main character, one of the brothers, doesn't evolve as a character throughout the entire story. He never becomes something more than he is in a horrific situation.

Someone said this story leaves you like a lover after a whirlwind night in bed, wondering what happened and feeling a little dirty. Honestly, this story leaves you feeling like you contracted an STD. The only reason it got two stars is that it wasn't as badly written as it could be. That's saying something.

I WAS thankful there weren't any Jedi, another reason for the two stars. (and not one) Too often there's a temptation to use Jedi in ANY StarWars story, needed or not. This one at least was left to normal 'mortals' as it were.

My advise, leave this one on the shelf. Don't spend money on it. It's not worth it. It was a book written to capitalize on the zombie market, and feels like it was rushed from the number of tropes in it. If one more person sees their family member come at them, or there's the repenting bad guy (who was shown to have no redeaming qualities, even with his brief flashback), or the hoard of zombies crowded into the turbines (really, he could barely see the bottom, and suddenly he can make them out clear as day?).

Just...don't.
Get a good zombie collection, or something with an actual story to it. Not something that reads like the wall of a bathroom stall. (and not in an amusing way either) If it seems like I am being cruel and without positives to this story, I really, really wish I could. I honestly WANT to say something good about it, but it's that hard. I'm sorry Joe Schreiber, this book probably made you a lot of money, but I am sure you can write a lot better stuff. (and most likely have)(less)

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Aug 11, 2011

Elizabeth Usual rated it

I see a lot of reviews for this book where the reviewer says either "I don't like Star Wars" or "I don't like horror". I love both, and am therefore the ultimate reviewer of this book.

There were some really good points to this book. The ship's doctor's experience working on an Imperial prison barge is about as politically deep as the Star Wars universe gets at its best, providing an introduction to critiques of the prison industrial complex. While it's not like r...moreI see a lot of reviews for this book where the reviewer says either "I don't like Star Wars" or "I don't like horror". I love both, and am therefore the ultimate reviewer of this book.

There were some really good points to this book. The ship's doctor's experience working on an Imperial prison barge is about as politically deep as the Star Wars universe gets at its best, providing an introduction to critiques of the prison industrial complex. While it's not like reading an Angela Davis or bell hooks article, it's a genuine introduction to politics in a way that the galaxy far, far away hasn't seen since Michael Stackpole's X-Wing series. Beyond that, this book uses lots of 5 dollar words, which I -- a 26 year old female with an above average vocabulary -- didn't know. I became familiar with the words morass, gelid, ovipositor, and saw several others which haven't stuck with me. Therefore, if you're a parent of a middle school or high school kid who wants to read this book, I'd shrug and let them. It'll teach some vocabulary, and maybe provide the foundations for later critical review.

The bad news is, this book utterly failed for me as a horror story. The zombie sickness starts out as a fatal disease, and is far too effective, leaving very few characters to actually be in danger by the time the corpses come back to life, not too mention too much coincidence of who is naturally immune, whereas within the Star Wars universe having a more alien diverse cast of species who were different enough to not be affected would have been more believable (Did I really just write that?). Any writer of zombie or slasher fiction worth their royalties should know to let more characters survive the initial sickness, because the smaller the group of characters being pursued by zombies, the higher percentage will survive, and thus our fear is lowered at every instance. The number of times a zombie actually gets someone is far too low in this book, and once you as the reader figure that out you will not feel any significant jeopardy for the characters. It doesn't help that the book is only 250 pages long, and you don't really encounter any zombies until page 150.

TL;DR: Too much sickness, too little zombie.

Also, the book relies on some surprise "celebrity cameos" -- one of the few true surprises of the book, I highly recommend not reading more reviews if you want to maintain the surprise -- who the reader knows are not in jeopardy because we see them alive elsewhere in the series, and more damningly, fail to do anything truly bad ass, instead just hanging around for their star power.

It's a diverting read, and has educational points to enough of a degree that you can feel like you tricked your kid into reading something of value, but for sheer entertainment value, if you close your eyes and picture "Star Wars" and "Zombies" together, you can probably do better than this within the confines of your own imagination.(less)

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Jul 24, 2011

NJMetal rated it

Death Troopers marks my return to the Star Wars genre after hiatus that has now spanned several years. A return I would not have made had I not recieved the book as a brithday present. To my delight, I find myself happy to have revisited that galaxy far, far away.
The most striking thing about the book is the cover. A bloody battered stormtrooper helmet bloodied, cracked and hanging by a hook thru one of the lenses from a chain. Immeditaly one can see this is not your typical Star Wars ...more

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Jul 23, 2011

Luke Baldock rated it

I don't usually travel into the world of the Star Wars extended universe. But let's face it, with that cover and the promise of Star Wars meets zombies, who can resist. I certainly couldn't and I'm glad I took the plunge. It was a fairly short read and I finished much faster than I expected, mostly because the back of the book contains a few chapters from other stories. Still, I didn't feel short changed at all. It is pretty much a zombie film in space. With a few references removed and specific...more

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Jun 27, 2011

Blake Northcott rated it

· review of another edition

If you love zombies, you’ll like this book.

If you love Star Wars, you’ll really like this book.

And if your two favourite things in the entire world happen to be zombies AND Star Wars, you’ll probably have an orgasm before you finish reading the first chapter.

I was originally drawn to this book by the cover, and by the fact that I needed an audio book to listen to on a long drive, and this filled my three criteria: it was unabridged, around 6 hours in length, ...more

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Jun 13, 2011

Brian rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. While being a fun twist to the Star Wars Universe (A sci-horror) it lacked the sticking power that the other novels have. The characters were all pre-molded and while i could put that aside, Schreiber decided to use two of the most iconic characters from all of Star Wars. Chewbacca and Han Solo were both in this book. It might seem like a big spoiler... but there really is no back story to it other than "they caught us and here we are". The book takes place before New Hope... and s...more

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Feb 25, 2011

Curt rated it

I am not a Star Wars fan. I enjoy the original trilogy films, but beyond that, I have no interest. So why would I read a Star Wars book and expect to enjoy it? A couple of reasons. First, I like to try different genre stuff. Maybe I'm missing something. Zombie Storm Troopers? That's kinda hard to resist. Also, I heard an interview with Joe Schreiber, and he seems like a good egg. So why not give it try?

Mr. Schreiber is a competent writer. There were no glaring mistakes or serious plot ...more

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Jun 21, 2010

Amanda rated it

Well, well, well. Zombies+Star Wars. Some may say it spells disaster, but it was pretty legit. This is definitely no epic tale of doom, but Joe Schreiber gets the job done.

Schreiber uses a simplistic zombie formula: the virus. As zombie lovers know, zombies are usually created by spells(people waking the undead who suddenly develop a thirst for brains or voodoo), or virus(contagious through bite etc.). The rage virus is kind of a cheater zombie, but Schreiber uses the classic. It's a...more

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Feb 19, 2010

Ryan rated it

This is a very easy read even for someone who is not entirely familiar with the Star Wars universe (it helps if you have the basic background given in the movies). Upon first reading the book's jacket the plot sounded similar to the episode "Bushwhacked" from the tv series 'Firefly', which is what initially caught my attention. The story moves quickly and makes the book hard to put down. The characters were interesting and well written. I would have definitely given it 5 stars except f...more

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Jan 28, 2010

Eric rated it

I really wanted this book to be filled with win. Star Wars plus Zombies! How could that be bad? Well, it’s not bad. That’s not exactly the ringing endorsement anybody really wants though, is it?

First problem is that I’m genuinely not a fan of the horror genre. I like the occasional horror movie but I skip all the torture porn, green filter wannabe ghost scary, splatter fest 30 year old reboot give me your money for something you’ve seen before crap. IF it’s good I’m very into it, but...moreI really wanted this book to be filled with win. Star Wars plus Zombies! How could that be bad? Well, it’s not bad. That’s not exactly the ringing endorsement anybody really wants though, is it?

First problem is that I’m genuinely not a fan of the horror genre. I like the occasional horror movie but I skip all the torture porn, green filter wannabe ghost scary, splatter fest 30 year old reboot give me your money for something you’ve seen before crap. IF it’s good I’m very into it, but the kind of things that scare me aren’t the same things that scare most folks. Death Trooper felt like a very standard eliminator to me – you know bunches of people are going to die, but who actually makes it out in the end? That would require a depth of caring about the characters that I just didn't get.

Second problem is that I *am* a fan of Star Wars. This is a two-fold struggle for any author. There’s the battle against nostalgia plus the weight of trying to ram a new story into an existing, rigid story line. This story pulls off the part about fitting into the time line really well (as if there were any choice in the matter), but I was really underwhelmed by the powerful opportunity to use known characters. I won’t spoil the details here, but it seemed flat compared to what it could have (or should have) been. Staying away from the known characters altogether would have been a better option here. There was no chance that the known characters would be eliminated and that takes away from the suspense in an elimination based story.

I don’t want to give the impression that I didn’t like the book. I did like it, I just desperately wanted it to be more than it was. It was a very fast read with good pace and interesting action scenes. I know this would make an excellent movie – one I would pay to go see in the theater. Let’s hope we get to see a movie version of this. I’d love to see zombies wandering around a star destroyer on the big screen with all the squishy bits in surround sound.(less)

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Dec 07, 2009

Carla rated it

This book takes a fun concept---zombies + Star Wars---and fails to deliver on its promise. The plot itself is a fairly standard horror/zombie story that could have taken place anywhere, and the Star Wars details are simply layered over the top. The structure of the plot is well done, but there are some serious problems with the book as a whole.

The inclusion of two characters famous from the movies [I won't mention their names, as to not spoil it:] was rather pointless, especially sin...more

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Nov 18, 2009

Leeanna rated it

Star Wars: Death Troopers, by Joe Schreiber

I believe I saw "Death Troopers" advertised as the first Star Wars horror novel. Although I am not a horror fan, I am an avid Star Wars fan so I had to read it. My first impression came about 100 pages into the novel: it's just a horror story with some Star Wars dressing.

That aside, it's an okay horror story, but it seems very typical. Abandoned ship, check. Mysterious virus, check. Zombies, check. Add some Star Wars e...more

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Aug 23, 2011

Lana rated it

Star Wars: Death Troopers is ostensibly the franchise's first official foray into horror. Those who have read the books with Callista in them, or certain books in the NJO series (embrace the pain), will beg to differ. Nevertheless, this book contains zombies!!! and lots of gore!!! but wasn't the most substantial thing. At right around 250 pages, it was a ridiculously fast read - I sat down and read it in an afternoon, and was left thinking I could have spent my birthday money on something el...more

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Jul 10, 2011

Adam Kranz rated it

Shelves: star-wars, richland-public-library

Star Wars and Zombies - great combination, great premise for a novel? Death Troopers is unabashedly a gimmick novel, and it suffers from serious predictability on that point. And the Star Wars aspect doesn't quite come off - the story is the expected zombie story only loosely grounded in the GFFA. One grasping connection is made with familiar lore through the unnecessary and contra-indicated inclusion of Han and Chewie, and the much more interesting potential connection - how the creation of ...more

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Nov 22, 2009

Chad rated it

Shelves: star-wars-novels

This was just begging for a 3.5 star review (better than mediocre, but not super-great), but as I flipped through the final pages and came upon the preview for "Omen" I was reminded what a real mediocre Star Wars novel looks like, and in comparison, "Death Troopers" doesn't look half bad.

It definitely had a few things to overcome, but the good overshadows the bad such that I'm honestly having trouble remembering anything I didn't like about it. At first I was wor...moreThis was just begging for a 3.5 star review (better than mediocre, but not super-great), but as I flipped through the final pages and came upon the preview for "Omen" I was reminded what a real mediocre Star Wars novel looks like, and in comparison, "Death Troopers" doesn't look half bad.

It definitely had a few things to overcome, but the good overshadows the bad such that I'm honestly having trouble remembering anything I didn't like about it. At first I was worried that it would just be a cliche horror story with some Star Wars setting tacked on. But quite honestly, EU newcomer, Joe Shreiber, peppers just enough continuity through his plot to make this feel like a real part of the Extended Universe, without overdoing it with the slavish devotion to recyling references to older stories that have hampered the last several Star Wars novels.

I was also worried that the arrival of a few Star Wars mainstays would derail the interest I was developing in the orignal characters Schreiber had created. A lot of the older Bantam novels that were one-and-done stories relied on hokey coincidences that brought all of the main characters into the mix whether their presence served the story or not. Indeed, some of the most enjoyabel EU novels I've read center around completely original characters. And since original characters are not integral to future plots or attached to fanboys expectations, you can play around with them a lot more and put them into legitimately tense situations since something bad might actually happen to them! If Luke Skywalker wandered into the room (which he DOES NOT in this novel), no one actually thinks he's going to get eaten by ravenous space zombies.

So when a few familiar characters do enter the picture, I was afraid all the tension would get sucked out of the room. But amazingly enough, Schreiber manages to make their presence an organic part of the plot, and keeps them around only as supporting characters with a logical role to play in the the plot's goings-on. And he was able to do this mostly because he created relatively solid characters in the Longo brothers, Doctor Cody, and ICO Sartoris. Schreiber does some superb quick sketches that bring these characters to life with a minimum of back-story, such that they are able to carry the plot.

Which brings me to the single biggest factor that made this novel successful for me. By remembering that his characters are actually supposed to be real people, Schreiber wisely keeps them at the forefront, and never shunts them off to the side in favor of overdoing the horror elements. There are some pretty gory passages, and surprisingly few punches are pulled with descriptions of the zombie-sickness's effects. But it alwys comes back to the characters, and since I cared about them, I was always eager to see what was going to happen to them next.

So combine all of that together, and you get a pretty breezy read with moments capable of legitimate shock about characters you like, but to whom just about anything can happen. Kudos to Del Rey for allowing Schreiber to write a Star Wars novel waaay off the beaten path. And kudos to Mr. Schreiber for not squandering the opportunity. He's written a surprisingly enjoyable novel.(less)

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Nov 18, 2009

logankstewart rated it

Shelves: horror, star-wars, thriller-suspense, sci-fi, library, zombies, 2009-read

I was quite intrigued when I first heard about the STAR WARS: Death Troopers novel. Actually, I believe I was open mouthed and awe struck. The introduction of zombies into the STAR WARS universe was unusual, but I grew instantly keen on the idea as soon as I learned of it.

The book is only around 240 pages and the pages turn very quickly. Partially because the chapters are short and action-filled, but also partially because the plot has you reading quickly to see what happens.
...moreI was quite intrigued when I first heard about the STAR WARS: Death Troopers novel. Actually, I believe I was open mouthed and awe struck. The introduction of zombies into the STAR WARS universe was unusual, but I grew instantly keen on the idea as soon as I learned of it.

The book is only around 240 pages and the pages turn very quickly. Partially because the chapters are short and action-filled, but also partially because the plot has you reading quickly to see what happens.

It’s hard for me to decide my opinion on this book. I was entertained by the plotline. I cared somewhat about the characters. I was intrigued by the zombie thing (who isn’t?). I was repulsed by the zombie thing (who isn’t?). And if you want to think about something that can scare you, think about zombie Wookies.

One problem I had with the book was that it wrapped up too nicely, too succinct for my liking. So much so that I had to roll my eyes in disbelief a few times. Sure, I can suspend reality into believing the undead are alive and hungry in a far away, make believe galaxy, but pushing too much luck/coincidence into a character and that suspended belief turns into disbelief.

One thing I really enjoyed was the rushed pace the novel took. The action is really intense and the fear of the characters is palpable. I had no problems visualizing the mob of zombies shambling through the corridors of the spacecraft. The blood and gore was described well enough to bring home the point, too.

I had mixed feelings about the characters. The two teenage brothers have my pity and I like them, but some of their actions are a bit stupid. The “sadistic captain of the guards” is also pitiable, but loathsome. The “rogue smugglers” were a bit too trite, but they held my attention. And the “lone woman on board,” who happens to be the chief medical officer, was a tad cliché, too. However, the relationships between these characters were for the most part well done.

As I said, I had mixed feelings on this book. It definitely fits in the STAR WARS universe (and apparently it is canonized), but only by setting, really. With a few minor tweaks, the novel could work in almost any given setting. I guess I wanted more STAR WARS philosophy, but it was lacking. I can recommend this book to you because it’s a very quick and entertaining read, but don’t set your hopes too realistically. Besides the few eye rolling scenes, I enjoyed the book.
(less)

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Apr 01, 2011

BookMarc rated it

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Predictable opening I guess but I just had to go there.
Even though I love the Star Wars movies I had never crossed paths with a Star Wars novel before. I had been meaning to for a long, long time but there was always something else that took preference. Well, I finally shoved all other books aside and made time for Death Troopers.
Do you like zombies? Do you like Star Wars? Then, in theory at least, you would love Death Troopers as it's e...moreA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Predictable opening I guess but I just had to go there.
Even though I love the Star Wars movies I had never crossed paths with a Star Wars novel before. I had been meaning to for a long, long time but there was always something else that took preference. Well, I finally shoved all other books aside and made time for Death Troopers.
Do you like zombies? Do you like Star Wars? Then, in theory at least, you would love Death Troopers as it's essentially a Star Wars zombie novel.
I liked the cover of the book as it was selling me on a more adult orientated novel. I didn't like that the cover of the book, when taken off and opened up showing the inside, doubled as a poster. I find it almost sacrilegious that someone even came up with the idea of making a poster out of a book cover. Book covers are meant to cover books and not be pinned to a wall.
So what about the story? Well, it's pretty much standard fare with a starship full of convicts contracting a virus, dying then coming back to life craving human flesh. I've never really understood why those who come back from the dead as zombies always crave human flesh? Why not carrots? Why not peanut butter? Always human flesh.
Anyhow, a few people happen to be immune one of which just happens to be a doctor who then goes on to make an anti-virus. That anti-virus is given to Han Solo and Chewbacca who don't actually appear in this novel until ninety-seven pages in. The novel itself is only 234 pages in length. The plot then revolves around Han, Chewie and a few other characters trying to make their escape and not being eaten by the zombies.
I'm sure my Star Wars novel virginity could have been given away to a more deserving read; one that would not leave me feeling unsatisfied and craving another novel to take to bed with me in order to satiate my literary desires. It's not that this book is terrible, it's just all very cliche and run of the mill. It started off well and the characters of Trig and Kale were promising. Unfortunately that promise was never fulfilled and I found myself not caring whether they lived or died. Of course, being a Star Wars novel there was never any doubt Han Solo and Chewbacca would survive so the supporting cast needed to be stronger.
If you're a big Star Wars fan then there's probably enough in this novel to keep you happy. If you're a zombie fan you will have read books like this countless times before. If you're a neutral then I wouldn't really recommend this novel at all.(less)

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Dec 13, 2009

Patrick rated it

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

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Feb 11, 2011

Steve Lowe rated it

My almost 13-year old son read this in one day, had a nightmare that night, and then insisted that I read it as well. I admit, I was intrigued by the concept and the cover art since it came out. After reading it over the course of about 3 days, I realize the cover art and the concept remain the best things about this book.

Death Troopers came out in 2009, so I'm not going to be revealing anything major here to the hardcore Star Wars fans, but still, here's a SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!! If...more

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Nov 02, 2010

Guillermo rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A search party is sent to search a neighboring, abandoned Star Destroyer after their Imperial prison barge Purge breaks down. In search for spare parts, what the party uncovers is a desolate coffin. Within the cool corridors, something they have never seen before lies in wait. Only half of the search party returns from the mission, most of which feeling sick. Soon the sickness spreads throughout the prison, leaving only a handful of survivors. The remainder only face on problem: the Dead refuse ...moreA search party is sent to search a neighboring, abandoned Star Destroyer after their Imperial prison barge Purge breaks down. In search for spare parts, what the party uncovers is a desolate coffin. Within the cool corridors, something they have never seen before lies in wait. Only half of the search party returns from the mission, most of which feeling sick. Soon the sickness spreads throughout the prison, leaving only a handful of survivors. The remainder only face on problem: the Dead refuse to remain so.

We're introduced to a few characters that you either like or you wish would vanish. Kale and Trig Longo, brothers who must do all they can to survive the barge after their father dies, seem to play the token youth characters - such as the kids in Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World; their presence doesn't really make sense, but they still appear as a plot device. Kale is strong and independent, while younger brother Trig is still young, very childlike despite his motivation. Zahara Cody, the chief medical officer, is the misfit in the Empire. While devoting her life to it, she is still very liberal at heart. She relates more to the inmates than her fellow workers and they don't let her live it down. Jareth Sartoris is our bad guy struggling with his lack of morals. A bad ass, the guard captain, he's only really looking out for himself. Every so often, though, a pang of guilt fills him and he second guesses his actions, despite not having the ability to fix them.

And what Star Wars novel would be complete without Han Solo and Chewbacca? Up until the 18th chapter, "Solitary," I was glad that Joe Schreiber hadn't included any characters from the films. Though, I wouldn't allow Han's presence to ruin the novel for me - which, it almost did as my reading of it slowed to a crawl afterward - it did take me out of the story. Once again, I repeat, this takes place a year before A New Hope. Maybe there's a rule about including Han Solo in the books, though. My friend, Eddie, made a side remark about the novels being worse than the prequels, asking me if Han Solo's made an appearance yet. He made those comments after I was introduced to our smuggler.

The story is quick paced, while leaving room for character growth - despite how obvious it would be. It's probably too much for me to state it's canon for Star Wars fans, but it is a must read for zombie fans. Four star rating, that seems fair.(less)

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Nov 12, 2009

Kristina rated it

Shelves: books-i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My husband informs me that this book is special because it is the first ever Star Wars horror book. He read it first and apparently enjoyed it, so he asked me to read it next. I am a fan of the Star Wars movies, but not the type of fan that would pick up a Star Wars book on my own. I started reading with some reservations, but I agreed to give it a chance for my husband's sake.

One would think that with the huge variety of aliens and monsters that populate the Star Wars universe ...moreMy husband informs me that this book is special because it is the first ever Star Wars horror book. He read it first and apparently enjoyed it, so he asked me to read it next. I am a fan of the Star Wars movies, but not the type of fan that would pick up a Star Wars book on my own. I started reading with some reservations, but I agreed to give it a chance for my husband's sake.

One would think that with the huge variety of aliens and monsters that populate the Star Wars universe there would be ample material for a creature story. Or perhaps with the nicely established mythology of "The Force" and the delicious badness that is The Dark Side there would be lots of material to craft an evil Sith story. No. Schreiber chooses not to mine any of these rich sources of potential plot lines and delivers us a second-rate generic zombie story.

The plot concerns a deadly virus that originates on an Empire Star Destroyer. The virus kills everyone on board the Destroyer and spreads to a very unfortunate prison barge that happens to dock and come aboard the "abandoned" ship in search of parts to fix their engine. Everyone on the prison barge dies from the virus except a select group of people that become the main characters in our story. These people have some sort of natural immunity to the disease. They include two teen aged brothers who were inmates on the barge, the ship's doctor, captain of the guard on the barge and . . . get this . . . Han Solo and Chewbacca. That's right. Blatant stunt casting there.

The novel starts out pretty well. Schreiber creates a creepy atmosphere in the beginning chapters. The novel is at its best when the characters (and the reader) don't know what's going on and people are dropping dead everywhere. Things take a turn when it is revealed that this virus doesn't just kill people, it makes them into zombies with an intense hunger for the flesh of the uninfected. From that point on the novel becomes a rather bland story of people trying to survive among the undead. With Han Solo. And Chewbacca.

The characters are flat and utterly uninteresting. The younger brother, Trig, won't stop crying throughout most of the story, which is incredibly annoying after a while. The captain, Sartoris, is supposed to be evil, but not enough time is spent developing his character for this to be believable or enjoyable. The most interesting character is the doctor, but even she suffers from being underdeveloped. The novel splits the characters up and jumps viewpoint from person to person throughout the story. This is irritating because most of the characters are boring and I didn't really care to read about what they were doing when they were on their own. The novel would have been greatly improved if Schreiber had chosen just one character and stuck with them throughout the story. This method would have allowed for greater character development and increased scariness, as isolation is a great tool to use in horror stories. Everything is scarier when you are alone.

I suppose my greatest issue with the novel is that the plot became so bland that it wasn't really a Star Wars book. It could have taken place in any science fiction landscape. There was nothing especially "Star Wars" about it, except for the fact that it included Han and Chewy. Although I suppose that was a smart move on Schreiber's part in the end. You don't have to even try to develop characters that are already developed from a movie. Since making round characters evidently isn't his strong point, using these guys gave him some pre-packaged heroes.

In conclusion, the bloody storm trooper's helmet dangling from a chain pictured on the cover of this novel is way cooler than anything you'll find inside the novel's pages. It is a generic, poorly plotted story that fails at being scary or even interesting. Yes, I am being too hard on a Star Wars book, but I feel like this could have been so much better. Original, interesting characters, a Star Wars-concentric plot idea and a consistent point of view would have improved it greatly. I was disappointed. (less)

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Jun 19, 2010

Jesse Whitehead rated it

I think if I was a horror fan I might have found this book more enjoyable. It was probably a great horror novel -- I don't really know. It wasn't a great Star Wars novel but it wasn't the even close to the worst one I've read yet so...

Two things...

First, if the prison barge or the Star Destroyer, either one, had happened to have a supply of bacta in their medical facility -- as every medical facility in Star Wars has, the stuff is cheap as bandaids and cures EVERYTHING --...more

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Apr 12, 2010

Michael rated it

Shelves: sci-fi, star-wars

Zombies and Star Wars what a great combination. At least it could have been one of the greatest combinations ever. Death Troopers starts slow and ends fast. The build up of characters and the situation that is about to happen build up for to long before they have to deal with the zombies. When the zombies finally arrive they book ends to quickly. There's not enough tension to keep the book moving.

The best part of Death Troopers is you get to experience a little time with crazy z...more

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Dec 10, 2009

Steven rated it

Shelves: star-wars

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

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Dec 07, 2009

Michael rated it

Shelves: read-in-2009

The old adage says you should never judge a book by its cover.

Maybe we should update it to say that we should never judge a book by its cover or its Internet marketing campaign.

Images of the cover for this "Star Wars" book began to slip out months ago along with the tease of stormtroopers plus zombies. Based on that alone, the novel had to be worth reading, right?

Yes and no.

As a standalone novel in the "Star Wars" universe, the...more

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Jan 24, 2011

Angel rated it

Recommends it for: Star Wars fans, zombie tales fans

Shelves: science_fiction, horror_and_thrillers

A curious idea: zombies and Star Wars. The SW franchise pretty much has the skill to grab whatever genre may be popular at the time and make a Star Wars tale out of it. That's what all those Republic Commando stories were, for instance; they were off the fact that a while back all those squad-based combat video games were popular. The zombie idea is not a bad one, but it is not great either. It's basically nice entertainment for a while. The novel uses the bioweapon/virus angle (think things lik...more

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Oct 13, 2011

Kevin Fitzsimmons rated it

I had read numerous reviews pillorying this novel for not being close enough to the Star Wars universe, or for not having a convincing villain, or for just being sort of sick. I have to confess, I picked up this novel a year ago. Read a couple pages, put it away and just picked it up again to read in a waiting room. This probably wasn't fair to this novel, since waiting rooms make me cranky and hyper-critical.

For me, the biggest "complaint" about the novel would be the gore...moreI had read numerous reviews pillorying this novel for not being close enough to the Star Wars universe, or for not having a convincing villain, or for just being sort of sick. I have to confess, I picked up this novel a year ago. Read a couple pages, put it away and just picked it up again to read in a waiting room. This probably wasn't fair to this novel, since waiting rooms make me cranky and hyper-critical.

For me, the biggest "complaint" about the novel would be the gore. Not that I have anything against gore (in the right place), but I imagine that readers who have just finished reading Tatoonie Ghost, or The Courtship of Princess Leia might be shocked at some of the graphic images in this novel, e.g., piles of decapitated bodies, disturbing images involving children, and cannibalism. These are not usually concepts that one encounters in a Star Wars novel.

Thank God we encounter them here, cuz Mary, this novel rocked my socks off.

Joe Schrieber has written a novel that combined just enough horror and adventure to keep me glued to the page. He does an excellent job setting the stage, establishing characterization and developing the plot in an intriguing way. I actually gave a damn about what happened to these characters, and in any horror/adventure novel that is key. These are decent people who are essentially tortured for 288 pages.

Admittedly, this may be the most unorthodox of all the Star Wars novels I have read, at the same time it is the one I enjoyed the most. It breaks the Star Wars novel mold and is very refreshing. I think one of the coolest things a novel can do in an established universe is play around with the rules. Schrieber definitely bends the rules, but he keeps it believable. The canon characters are well played, and the EU characters have a complexity that I wish more Star Wars novelists would consistently emulate. Death Troopers is a great yarn that I devoured [pun intended] in two days and hated to put down. I had a lot of fun with it, and I think a lot of you other folks will as well.(less)

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