Wow. Can't believe you actually read this - somehow never saw you dipping into this sort of stuff, next stop Star Trek? Were you aware it was originally published in 1978 and so before Empire Strikes Back was even filmed? (runs back into geek shed).

Oh, my god! We had a copy of this book way back when. I never actually read it, which wasn't that big a surprise I was around 8-9 years old. Was a couple more years before I really got into books. Never got around to reading it. Just gave off the stink vibe like nobody's business.

I hope this was research for your Star Wars project. According to the Secret History of Star Wars, this was going to be the second film if the first didn't make enough to justify a big-budget sequel.

Sean wrote: "I hope this was research for your Star Wars project. According to the Secret History of Star Wars, this was going to be the second film if the first didn't make enough to justify a big-budget sequel."

Listen to the podcast I just posted :)

there is also a comicbook series that evolved the star wars universe before the empire strikes back was written/released. I don't know the name of the series or the creators but I remember hearing about some alien rabbitpeople. Maybe someone else can point you to this series

Peter, it was a comic book series based on this book. It's mentioned on the wikipedia page:

The book was later adapted as a graphic novel by Terry Austin and Chris Sprouse and published by Dark Horse Comics in 1996. It incorporated characters from The Empire Strikes Back that did not appear in the original novel.

Ha ha ha ha!!! I read this when I was 10 or something. I must listen to your review of this, it will be hysterical!

I remember finding the first issue of the Star Wars comic book (Marvel Comics) at a 7-11 at Lake Tahoe, California, before the movie had come out. My brother and I actually managed to get our hands on the first two issues before ever seeing the movie. I think that's how many issues came out before the movie was released in 1977. First two issues take you up through leaving Tatooine. Imagine how weird that was then going to see the movie. The whole movie adaptation took six issues. The comic book then launched into an adaption of Seven Samurai staring Han Solo as Kembei. One of Han Solo's recruits to protect the farming village was a green carnivorous rabbit. I had actually forgotten about the rabbit, but I recently found the omnibus at my local public library. And, nostalgia wouldn't let me not check it out. Oh, man, is the comic book bad. One of the other recruits was a delusional old man who thinks he's a Jedi Knight named Don-Wan Kihotay. After the Seven Samurai adaptation, Luke and Leia finally get back in the comic for a water world adventure involving sea dragons. Flipping through the omnibus, it's actually vaguely disturbing how often the comic had Luke and Leia kiss, which shows you how long before Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi these issues originally came out.

Star Wars Omnibus
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77...

If you hunt down Jim Shooter's blog, you can read a fascinating account of how Roy Thomas single-handedly caused the comic adaptation to come about. Apparently, nobody else at Marvel Comics had thought this Star Wars thing would ever amount to anything.

I have a copy of this that I picked up at half priced books for a quarter on clearance that I haven't read yet. I should read it before I listen to your review.

Michael wrote: "I have a copy of this that I picked up at half priced books for a quarter on clearance that I haven't read yet. I should read it before I listen to your review."

No you shouldn't.

Even as a Star Wars obsessed teen who thought Alan Dean Foster's Icerigger was "Awesome" I remember thinking this book stunk. Looking forward to some laughs when I hear your thoughts on this....literature....

Hey, back off, all you haters! This book was clearly aimed at the younger crowd. Splinter was published when I was about 10 years old and it hit my world at just the right time for me, a year or so after Star Wars came out and my little mind was hungry for more space opera. Mind you, reading it as an adult I might just gag on it. But back then I needed to read about light sabers, R2D2, and Luke and Leia. And Darth Vader. Definitely Darth Vader. The mystique surrounding Vader was so thick during those years before we knew anything about their whole family saga. Let's just say that Splinter came at a time when this boy needed that kind of escape.

I also have good memories of reading this when I was about ten. You should just hang on to those good memories.