Vintage Wars #1: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye
When Splinter of the Mind’s Eye came out in the Spring of 1978 it was one of the first entries into Star Wars lore, following Marvel’s Star Wars comic which had launched in ‘77 and preceding the infamous Holiday Special. Author Alan Dean Foster had previously ghost written the Star Wars novelization but this was his first outing in the Star Wars universe under his own name. This book came out 2 years before The Empire Strikes Back and when Foster wrote this it wasn’t even known there would be a sequel.
There are parts of the book that are very dated, especially in it’s attitude to Leia, she’s written quite inconsistently, at turns intelligent and others like she’s stupid. Yes Leia is sassy and can be hotheaded but the Leia we now know would never be stupid enough to talk back to her captors when they don’t know who she is. But of course in 1978, Alan Dean Foster had much less to go on, and I think it’s pretty easy to put this down to the time when compared to Foster’s novelization of The Force Awakens. Luke & Leia wrestling outside the tavern feels out character for both and just weird, and a potential romance between Luke and Leia is laid on pretty thick and comes across corny and dated even if they hadn’t been made siblings later on. The story is also more violent at times than we are now used to from SW, in particular the description of imperial officer Grammel stabbing a miner in the eye is pretty shocking. The book can veer off into high fantasy at times, like Vader forming a ball of white energy to throw at Luke, and is also an example of what the force is capable of is still being worked out.
There is a lot to like in the book however, Star Wars books always introduce new characters and species and Splinter of the Mind’s Eye is no different, giving us Hin & Kee, two Yuzzem who are kind of obvious Wookie stand-ins but are great fun nonetheless. Although the story can suffer from not knowing what is coming later it is great to feel some consequences to the events of the first movie with Leia suffering trauma and flashbacks from her interrogation on board the Death Star at the hands of Tarkin & Vader. The underground battle in the Conway village, fighting off the Imperials in the cavern feels like classic Star Wars, with the native Coway and our heroes defeating the more heavily armed and advanced empire just like the Ewoks and Rebels would later do in Return of the Jedi. Despite some reservations about the fantasy elements and abrupt end (Vader falls down a hole?!), the final confrontation between Luke, Leia and Darth Vader is tense and climatic. Especially enjoyable are things that would influence the Star Wars of the future such as the fact the book is set on the planet of Mimban which would be mentioned again in legends and canon over the years and finally appear on screen 40 years later in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Then of course we also have the first appearance of a Kaiburr Crystal, and although that would change to Kyber Crystal later, it is fascinating to see, especially as it still has a connection with the force, acting as an amplifier of the force which would later become the lightsaber power source.
Splinter of the Mind’s Eye is Star Wars still finding it’s tone, it’s not quite the family space fantasy we know and love, at times more sci-fi, at others very fantasy heavy, but also laying out a blueprint for others to follow and build upon. It’s the galaxy far, far away before it’s fully formed, an important book in Star Wars history that although I didn’t love it, I’m glad I read it and most fans will find something to appreciate.
🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 /5
Jonny O
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