Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey

Not a Book Report

I enjoy reflecting on the movies, TV, books and other media that I consume. I’m notoriously sentimental. This series documents the books that I read. These aren’t reviews or recommendations. Just a list. For me. Mostly so that I can page through what I read, where I was, and when.

Why did I read it?

I have spent most of 2025 in a SciFi era and have enjoyed reading books by the writing team James S.A. Corey, especially their newest series The Mercy of the Gods. I was digging through their back catalog while waiting on the next novel and noticed they wrote a Star Wars story years ago. And it was the second of a two-novel series with the first written by Martha Wells, another Hugo Award winner.

While these are no longer canon (following the great Disney Legends purge) I still love Star Wars and I love James S.A. Corey so I figured I’d pick this up. Bonus points that the first novel in the series was written by Wells. It felt like the OKC Thunder in 2011 - a team of people early in their careers really going places.

What is it?

Publisher Summary

When the Empire threatens the galaxy’s new hope, will Han, Luke, and Leia become its last chance?

When the mission is to extract a high-level rebel spy from the very heart of the Empire, Leia Organa knows the best man for the job is Han Solo—something the princess and the smuggler can finally agree on. After all, for a guy who broke into an Imperial cell block and helped destroy the Death Star, the assignment sounds simple enough.

But when Han locates the brash rebel agent, Scarlet Hark, she’s determined to stay behind enemy lines. A pirate plans to sell a cache of stolen secrets that the Empire would destroy entire worlds to protect—including the planet where Leia is currently meeting with rebel sympathizers. Scarlet wants to track down the thief and steal the bounty herself, and Han has no choice but to go along if he’s to keep everyone involved from getting themselves killed. From teeming city streets to a lethal jungle to a trap-filled alien temple, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and their daring new comrade confront one ambush, double cross, and firestorm after another as they try to keep crucial intel out of Imperial hands.

But even with the crack support of Luke Skywalker’s x-wing squadron, the Alliance heroes may be hopelessly outgunned in their final battle for the highest of stakes: the power to liberate the galaxy from tyranny or ensure the Empire’s reign of darkness forever.

How did I read it?

Notes - No Spoilers

• Again, for some odd reason, this took me forever. That should not have been the case. Star Wars. SciFi Novels. Han Solo! But for whatever reason, this dragged on again just like the predecessor. Maybe the longest time for me without a finished book in years.
• I don’t think it was entirely the book’s fault. I’ve been busy lately between travel, a very busy toddler, and work.
• They do a great job with Han Solo, though, and it is fun to see some of the darker almost horror elements in their writing here that are rare in Star Wars but commonplace in the joint authors’ other works like The Expanse.
• I also appreciate the deeper exploration of the relationship between Han and Luke, something I think the movies skip past a bit too much.
• I did like the obvious aside about the doomed feeling of spending your entire life on one system. It’s a thought I’ve never had before (of course), but in the context of Star Wars it does feel claustrophobic.
• “You see?” Han said. “That’s a terrible plan. This is why we don’t use plans. We’re really bad at them.”