• Razor's Edge

  • Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion, Book 1
  • By: Martha Wells
  • Narrated by: January LaVoy
  • Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (835 ratings)

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Razor's Edge  By  cover art

Razor's Edge

By: Martha Wells
Narrated by: January LaVoy
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Publisher's summary

Times are desperate for the Rebel Alliance. Harassment by the Empire and a shortage of vital supplies are hindering completion of a new secret base on the ice planet Hoth. So when Mid Rim merchants offer much-needed materials for sale, Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo lead an Alliance delegation to negotiate a deal.

But when treachery forces the rebel ship to flee into territory controlled by pirates, Leia makes a shocking discovery: The fierce marauders come from Leia's homeworld of Alderaan, recently destroyed by the Death Star. These refugees have turned to pillaging and plundering to survive - and they are in debt to a pirate armada, which will gladly ransom the princess to the vengeful Empire...if they find out her true identity.

Struggling with intense feelings of guilt, loyalty, and betrayal, Leia is determined to help her wayward kinspeople, even as Imperial forces are closing in on her own crippled ship. Trapped between lethal cutthroats and brutal oppressors, Leia and Han, along with Luke, Chewbacca, and a battle-ready crew, must defy death - or embrace it - to keep the rebellion alive.

©2013 Martha Wells (P)2013 Random House Audio

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What listeners say about Razor's Edge

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    384
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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    11

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not the typical Star Wars Book

I have been a fan of the expanded universe from the very start - graphic novels, short stories, books, whatever I could get my hands on. I'm oldschool though and I really do like the adventures of Leia, Han and Luke the best and this is a nice look into Leia's world.

As I started this book I was a little put off by the narrator - that being said, I think she does a fantastic job. Ok, granted she is not Marc Thompson but...I think that's the point - this is a book about Leia, not Han, not Lando - Leia and some other very prominent female characters and January Lavoy does an excellent job on every single one. I also think she does a pretty good job of Han and Luke (C3P0 was a little weak but not really distracting)- I would recommend she not try Lando though, that guy is just too smooth.

This book isn't all space battles and shoot-em-up, although it has plenty of that too. Instead I enjoyed getting into Leia's mind, behind the self-assured mask a bit. I would have liked to go even deeper but this was a nice change of pace. Wells does a good job of setting the foundation for the Leia and the woman/jedi she later becomes.

Let your prejudices go - no it's not Thompson, get over it. Let Wells and Lavoy take you into Leia's world.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good book, but wrong choice of narrator

If you could sum up Razor's Edge in three words, what would they be?

Good book, but the Audiobook felt inconsistent with the usual high quality of Star Wars audiobooks.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Razor's Edge?

Overall, I loved the exploration of a time period which is often not dealt with in Star Wars novels. The personal struggles and guilt within Leia were well written.

Would you be willing to try another one of January LaVoy’s performances?

Probably not - this is the first audio book I have ever considered looking for a print version instead. The narrator's voice is pleasant, and the narration aspects were good - but when doing characters' dialogue, it was difficult to distinguish between characters. It really detracted from my ability to feel involved in the story. And all the men sounded as if it was an impression of Rosie O'Donnell after 40 cigarettes. For many books, I am sure she would be great, but it really didn't work here.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not especially, but that's fine. I like to break the books up and listen to them on my drive to work.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Horrible narrator!!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No! Hard to get into when the narrator is so bad! Story is ok....

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of January LaVoy?

Marc Thompson

Did Razor's Edge inspire you to do anything?

Return the book!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book, Adequate Narrator.

Where does Razor's Edge rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have no earthly idea.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I can't due to my busy schedule.

Any additional comments?

Great Book, very entertaining, and brings a new light to the destruction of a certain planet and Leia Organa. I love the why they had written the characters Han and Leia, but their interactions seemed... odd and not in the odd way it should; uncomfortable, skirting around these feelings they've got, etc. No this just felt... well odd. Aside from that the characters were well written and the plot was interesting and drew you in but... the narrator isn't perfect.

Now I don't know if it's something to do with vocal depth or not but all of January LaVoy's men sounded like she was doing one of the those random deep voice impressions of someone. Again I'm not sure if it's just me or maybe the Narrator isn't the best choice for a female narrator but I don't see Marc's or Johnathan's female characters as those random high voiced interpretations. Maybe it's harder to make a deeper voice than a higher voice? I'm not sure.

In the end, though, i had fun with this book, it was interesting, it drew me in, and the overarching story was once you reach the end ties together. I will suggest this to any and all Star Wars fans!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rich in Depth and Texture

Where does Razor's Edge rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A true giant of a sleeper. At first I thought this book would be a vanilla, one I would have to work my way through to get to what appeared to be the better book of the series, based on reviews. I was pleasantly surprised how wrong I was.

Who was your favorite character and why?

As the book cover makes no qualms of showing, this is primarily Leia's story. So teaming up Martha Wells and January LaVoy seemed only logical. Actually it was brilliant. Although there are many female characters I grew to love and hate, my favorite is January who brought them all to life.

Have you listened to any of January LaVoy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

My favorite Star Wars book to date is Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, read by Daniel Davis. Daniel's rich and deep tones are hard to compare with, so at first January's voice took time to warm up to, however, as Martha's rich tapestry of sights, sounds and smells brought the story to life in a way no other Star Wars book has, January's voice became as natural in male voice and wookie as the strongest female characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listen to books during long commutes and this is one I am sure to listen to again.

Any additional comments?

Although the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn may be the hallmark of all Star Wars expanded universe novels, and Darth Plagueis incomparable in Daniel's delivery, Razor's Edge is now one of my very favorite stories in the Star Wars universe. It may not have shaken the heavens, but it did forever alter the stars of my Star Wars love affair.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very Meh.

The book was very average. The story line was very uneventful and the characters, with the exception of Leia, were very boring as well. Also, a warning, you will be very annoyed by how often Han calls Leia “Your Worship”. Almost every single time he addresses her. After the first 50 times, I was done.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Feels like a dollar store version of Star Wars

What disappointed you about Razor's Edge?

The story itself was pretty slow, but I couldn't get past way the narrator did the voices for the male characters...especially the main characters. You get used to quality in the Star Wars novels and this one felt and sounded like a generic knock off version.

What could Martha Wells have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

A more exciting story line would have been good. This one was very slow. She also used several instances of profanity and innuendo in the book that don't fit well in Star Wars titles. I guess you get used to a certain level of quality and it just wasn't here in this book.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of January LaVoy?

Anyone. You get used to quality like Marc Thompson who actually sounds like the characters from the Star Wars movies. This book sounded more like the movie "The Ringer" with Johnny Knoxville. I just kept imagining Han Solo saying " Hi my name is Glenn...guess how many fingers I have"

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No. I have nearly all of the Star Wars titles in my library and this one was actually painful to listen to.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Alderaanian survivors, we hardly knew ye

This is a superb story set between the 1st & 2nd films of the Luke Trilogy. On a mission to secure supplies for the Alliance, Princess Leia & Han encounter survivors of the destruction of Alderaan who are left with a ship and a strong survival instinct. The book focuses on some really interesting female characters who lead the parties involved. It doesn't have a feminist approach though, as there's plenty of action present, and the male characters are multi-layered and still contribute significantly to the plot.

This is part of a trio of books (not a trilogy... they are stand-alone stories) called Empire and Rebellion. This is the "Leia" entry; the "Han" book is called Honor Among Thieves, and is also excellent. The "Luke" installment, Heir To The Jedi, was disappointing.

January LaVoy's performance as the reader was terrific -for the female characters. Some of the male characters she pulled off very well, and others not so much. Her Han Solo takes some getting used to. Bottom line, I got used to it -and gave the performance 4/5 stars.

This is a very exciting adventure, with a lot on the line and a lot of deep emotions running through it. Exploring Leia's tortured thoughts about the destruction of her home planet, and her connection to survivors of the catastrophe, adds much to the drama of our favorite space opera.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Another Gem!

Loved being able to see another side of Star Wars without the Dark and Light side in conflict over sabres. Gave great background to Leia's and Han's story. loved it!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Lame story

What did you like best about Razor's Edge? What did you like least?

This story is just lame. I like the time frame it's told in, but the story itself just falls flat.

What was most disappointing about Martha Wells’s story?

It could have been better

What does January LaVoy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I like the tones she uses.

Was Razor's Edge worth the listening time?

Not in the least. But as a star wars fans....

Any additional comments?

Don't spend money on it. Use a credit if you must.

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2 people found this helpful