Six Degrees: From Jordan McKell to Han Solo

Here we are again for another go-round of book-hopping, character-comparing, fictional fun! It's the game that goes anywhere. It travels easily from earth to the stars to fantasy worlds and back all without leaving the comfort of your couch... though you can also play while on the move, in the car, on a plane, on a train, near or far! (Ahem, I think I've been reading too much Dr. Seuss lately)Last week, DJ took us from the dystopian earthly realm of Steelheart to the futuristic science fiction/mystery of the Icarus Hunt in the blink of an eye. In his post he talked about the main character Jordan McKell, "a pilot and a smuggler and a fairly no-nonsense type of guy. He’s not trying to run a nefarious sort of life, but he keeps having to make deals on the wrong side of the tracks. Thankfully, more often than not, his right hand “alien” Ixil is there to bail him out."I absolutely could not resist. You knew I wouldn't be able to, didn't you? I mean, you had to see this coming! (Avengers reference intentional) If you've been reading this blog of mine for any period of time, you already know I'm a huge nerd. You may also be aware of my love of the Star Wars movies. You may or may not know that I also absolutely love the Star Wars EU (expanded universe), which exists mostly in novel form. So, no, I'm not cheating. Han Solo really does count as a book character! But which book?Well, I'm going to use the Han Solo trilogy (The Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, and Rebel Dawn) by A.C. Crispin. It has some different characters than one might expect.The story begins approximately ten years before the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope. Han is just 19 years old and has been practically raised by a ruthless crime lord named Garris Shrike. A former bounty hunter, who gave up that life because what he calls "bad luck" (but really was just his own impatience) caused him to lose the richest bounties (dead people tend to be worth less than live ones). He is described as older, with a warped sense of humor, and an iron fist clenched around his people. Han hates and fears Shrike, but has learned to cover those feelings up with bravado, all while waiting for his chance to escape.Another member of Shrike's crew is a female wookie named Dewlanna. She is the only one who has ever been kind to Han, and is his friend and the closest thing to a mother he has ever known. She has cared for him in the ten years he has been with Shrike, and is the crew's cook.When Han does finally escape from Shrike's clutches, he ends up working as a pilot for a priest by the name of Teroenza in hopes of earning enough money to enter the Imperial Academy. Teroenza is one of the most vile characters ever written. Distantly related to the Hutts, Teroenza and his ilk are tasked with receiving the pilgrims on the planet Ylesia and feeding them and providing spiritual guidance in the form of daily "Exultation" - a ceremony that fills the pilgrims with happiness and contentment. Teroenza is kind of your basic, slimy guy who has been given a certain amount of authority and feels that his job is far more arduous than it actually is, and that he should be given more respect because of it. Despite living like a king amongst paupers, Teroenza is not satisfied with his role in the world.While on Ylesia Han meets a Togorian named Muurgh (a catlike creature). Muurgh is tasked as being Han's bodyguard of sorts (though Han is fairly certain that Muurgh's job is not so much to guard Han, but to prevent him from escaping or deviating from his appointed tasks), however, eventually they end up being friends. Muurgh is incredibly honorable, extremely loyal, and unfailingly honest. He left his homeworld in hopes of finding his mate, Mrrov, who left to see the galaxy, but then never returned. He is working for the priests of Ylesia because he ran out of credits and cannot continue his search until he has earned some more.Also on Ylesia, Han meets a young pilgrim (officially called 921), but he eventually learns that her name is Bria Tharen. She is described as tall and lovely, and was planning to study archeology before she decided to make the pilgrimage to Ylesia in search of a more "spiritually fulfilling" life. Han knows there is something wrong with what is going on with the Pilgrims and everything on Ylesia, so he begins to investigate. What he finds is more than disturbing...It's really a great trilogy, with all sorts of clever nods to the original movie trilogy and "aha!" moments that interweave explanations for who Han Solo is into a very convincing history. In the trilogy, you will learn why Han doesn't put any stock in "hokey religions" and why he always wears pants with red stripes on the sides. You'll get to witness his first encounter with the strong, loyal warrior: Chewbacca, as well as where Han's distaste for the Empire comes from. You'll watch him learn how to fly through an asteroid field and learn the background behind him and Lando the entrepreneuring, adorable gambler who leaps from one exciting enterprise to another faster than most people switch shoes, and discover how Han came to be in possession of the Millenium Falcon... If you love Han Solo, this trilogy is well-written, fun, and more than worth the read!As always, please feel free to join in on the Six Degrees game. We post every Tuesday, but feel free to post whenever you like. You don't have to spin off from this post, either, you can find the complete list (and instructions on how to participate) HERE and pick any character from any of the posts that strikes your fancy!