Star Wars: Most Wanted

‘Most Wanted’ acts as a kind of prequel to the ‘Solo’ spinoff film. Set a few years before, it has very little do with the events of the film, though, and as such acts as more of a prequel to the characters of Han and Qi’ra instead. It provides a bit of background on both of them and tries to show how they develop into who they become in the film. It’s a novel that sets them on their ‘path’.However, it is not the most exciting story and often feels a little basic. Perhaps this is because it is aimed at a YA audience. It is concerned with an Imperial defector, known enigmatically as ‘the Engineer’, selling off Imperial technical secrets. A particular sale of information attracts the attention of Han and Qi’ra’s boss, Lady Proxima, who uses them as her agents in the deal. When things inevitably go sour Qi’ra and Han end up being hunted by numerous groups/crime syndicates seeking the ‘prize’. The bulk of the novel then ends up being a run-around and there’s little more to it than them escaping somehow from one group and situation to the next. None of it is that exciting either and there are echoes of chases we’ve already seen in ‘Solo’.The novel is more successful in revealing how Han and Qi’ra become the characters we meet in ‘Solo’. It provides background on the White Worms situation on Corellia in which we find Han and Qi’ra in during the opening section of the film as well as revealing how the relationship of trust develops between them. The novel portrays how they become close friends through their mutual endeavours, struggles, successes and loss. It is a bit clunky at times but doesn’t get bogged down by romance or teenage angst whilst laying the basis for their future romantic relationship.Han’s characterisation is a bit of new Han with hints of the old. However, it is sometimes a little hard to really get to grips with this characterisation, or that of the film, if you have previously read the other, now non-canon, novels that concentrated upon Han before ‘A New Hope’. They’d cemented quite a strong image/portrayal of Han that is difficult to entirely shake off.Qira has, perhaps, a bit more depth to her than in the film. It is clearly a less mature and confident version. The novel does a good job of showing how she would progress to becoming the character that we meet later in ‘Solo’.A pleasant enough little addition to the Star Wars universe but not particularly engrossing.