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Review by Ewan, Star Wars Books, UK, 2008:
"It is hard to look at this book without thinking of comparing it to other youth novel series such as Last of the Jedi or Jedi Quest by Jude Watson, but by chapter two of this story it was easy to see that any such comparisons would be unfounded and unjustified. Star Wars newcomer Alex Wheeler has a writing style that is easy to follow and she successfully captures the nature of the Big Three, Luke, Leia and Han, as they were at the end of Episode IV: A New Hope. Leia is brazen and cocksure, knows how to take charge in any situation and is inspirational to those that follow her and at the same time hiding her grief for her father and her planet; Luke is the not-so-innocent-anymore farmboy who, though still shocked by the death of his mentor "Old Ben" Kenobi at the hands of Darth Vader, struggles to aspire to the faith and trust placed in him by Kenobi and the rest of the Rebellion; while Han is the still the roguish scoundrel who saved the day in Episode IV but is slowly beginning to realise that there are things worth fighting for (a trait glimpsed by Kenobi in Brian Daley's radio-play adaptation of A New Hope, but not seen in the film).
"The primary antagonist in this story is a new character to the Star Wars universe, an individual bred especially as an assassin and spy, without a name he has only a designation: X-7. A character whose ruthlessness and chilling attitude towards killing is unexpected in a story marketed towards nine to twelve year-olds, but whose actions are intimated at rather than purposefully described. However, as X-7 takes on a fake persona to infiltrate our band of heroes, I found myself empathising with X-7's bleak, tortured and unemotional life. His unquestionable loyalty and allegiance to his Imperial master, instigated by brutal torture and mind control, makes we wish he will eventually understand the true nature of real loyalty and thus break his Imperial bonds.
"Wheeler has added a few nice touches to her story that will appeal to the larger Star Wars audience, Palpatine's reaction to the destruction of the Death Star, cameos for Thrawn (just a Captain at this point) and Crix Madine, a mission to Muulinst (a planet featuring heavily in The Clone Wars series and books, but has been rarely seen in the wider EU) and podracing.
"However, at the same time, and more specifically for fans of the larger EU, there is the small matter of continuity. This story is set two weeks after the Battle of Yavin, a time already overcrowded with sources describing what happened to our heroes immediately after the destruction of the Death Star. Whilst there is no immediate conflict, as yet in the overall story, with more recent EU material, especially Vader's Quest (the storylines are reminiscent of each other), it is clear that in the question of continuity with older material, such as the Marvel comics and the LATimes comic strips from the late 1970's/early 80's, yet more retcon maybe required to maintain the balance.
"Rebel Force: Target is a refreshing read amidst an EU that has mirrored the prequel films too much, it harks back to a more innocent time in Star Wars history, when you could count the number of characters on just two hands and when you knew who were the good guys and who were the baddies. But, at the same time, it is also difficult to see this story of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca and the droids appealing to its target audience (no pun intended) of nine to twelve year olds who are more involved with the current incarnations of The Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. And that is a shame."
Rating: 4.5 / 5