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Title: Been there, done that.
Review: I notice that the previous customer reviews generally agree that "Specter of the Past" isn't as good as the original trilogy. In fact, it is practically a rewrite, minus the suspense. The original trilogy is held by many to be the high point of the Star Wars books, an opinion I don't share, though it certainly is better than most of them. Zahn manages to make Leia a little less dull than usual, but he is no good at all with Luke, and seems to know it, as Luke is a bit-player here. Zahn also brings a few more characters into play, which helps a bit. Mara Jade's popularity with the faithful is a baffler, because her character never develops beyond a lot of sarcasm. But the relevation of the plot from the first robs the book of even fake suspense. The only thing we don't know: when is Luke going to ever get laid?
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