The Heart of the Rebellion (Star Wars: Empire, Vol. 4) Paperback – May 17, 2005

My Husband actually likes these books and he is 40. He is a big fan of Star Wars (not to the point of collecting SW items) and likes to read most of the spin offs. He said that these books are written pretty good.

This was well written. I loved it. The art was outstanding.I am going to buy the next one right now.

Collecting issues #5-6, 20-22, and the Valentines special of the Stars Wars: Empire series, this graphic novel focuses on one of the most complex and interesting characters in the Star Wars universe: Princess Leia."Princess... Warrior" shows Leia in the days just before Star Wars: A New Hope. Still a Senator, moving through the galaxy in her Blockade Runner, she's trying to bring aid to the fledgling Rebellion. Unfortunately for them and her, she's drawn too much attention. When faced with her first tastes of battle, Leia finds her values, character, and strength tested severely. This story also features Captain Antilles as a major character, a treat for die-hard fans." A Little Piece of Home" takes place shortly after Star Wars: A New Hope. Leia's former boyfriend and his brother managed to escape the destruction of Alderaan because they were vacationing on a moon they owned. That moon would make an ideal Rebel base. But as she rekindles her feelings for Raal they find themselves in impossible circumstances, struggling for their lives. But that struggle is just as hard as Leia wining the respect of Raal's older brother, Heeth. Heeth and Raal are some of Leia's last connections to her home planet, will she loose them, too?" Alone Together" is 3 months after the Star Wars: A New Hope, and the fleet is adrift. Han, Chewie, Leia, and Deena Shan, a newcomer to the Rebellion. Deena is nursing a huge crush on Han Solo, but that's placed by the wayside when the four must answer a distress call on a distant planet. Easily my favorite story of the four, it's a funny, quick, entertaining lead." A Valentines Story" takes place just before Empire Strikes Back. Leia, Han and Chewbacca are piloting two spacecraft to the new base at Hoth. Han and Leia are in one craft, Chewbacca in another. Caught in a storm as they try to land, they all crash, but after Han and Leia attempt to rescue Chewbacca they struggle together to survive. They also bond together in their own way. A touching and sweet tale in many ways.This graphic novel shows many aspects of Leia, and shows her growing up, as well as filling in some of the gaps between movies. Highly recommended for Star Wars fans or anyone interested in reading about a strong female lead character.

Star wars Empire Volume 4 is by far the weakest of the Empire volumes. This is because where as the other volumes offered epic scale and scope of the Star Wars Expanded Universe this volume tells simplistic tales focusing solely on Princess Leia. There are four Princess Leia tales in total which mostly try to demonstrate how she became strong in the face of the Empire and her romance with an old boyfriend and the blossoming of her and Hans love. It's an o.k. read but if this was the first Star Wars comic you read you probabaly wouldn't feel the urge to read another. I'm hoping it's just a blip and volume 5 will be as intriguing as the first volume or at least as good as volumes 2 and 3.

I really enjoyed this Star Wars Empire graphic novel. I found it much more interesting and exciting that Vol 1 of this series, for example. The comic format is used really well with no gaps and confusion. It has stunning graphics and really good storytelling. It gives the reader insight into Princess Leia's past and her behavioural quirkes. It really fills in the gap between the films 'A New Hope' and 'The Empire Strikes Back' showing us her progress as a person and a war leader in the Rebellion.