The Courtship of Princess Leia - Book Review

First published in 1994, Dave Wolverton’s The Courtship of Princess Leia takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi. Princess Leia is courted by Prince Isolder of the Hapes Cluster, but Han Solo, not willing to lose Leia, embarks on a daring mission to win her heart. The book takes the characters to the mysterious and dangerous planet of Dathomir, where they encounter the powerful Force-wielding witches known as the Nightsisters. As political intrigue, personal conflicts, and dark forces come into play, the characters must navigate through a complex web of relationships, alliances, and challenges to secure the future of the galaxy.

The Courtship of Princess Leia has all the makings of a fun Star Wars novel: familiar characters, political intrigue, dangerous enemies, a campy storyline; however, a number of elements left me wanting more. Most glaringly confusing is how easily Princess Leia’s emotions are swayed by the hunky Prince Isolder. Maybe I misinterpreted things, but the state of Han and Leia’s relationship at the end of Return of the Jedi seemed pretty solid. Who knew all it would take for Leia to question her love for Solo was a rich prince? I kept waiting for a solid answer to this puzzling scenario (Isolder possibly having some sort of Force gifts that sways emotions), but Leia (at least the Leia of Legends) truly was enamored with a hot guy with money. Similarly, Han Solo is uncharacteristically thrown off by Leia’s new crush; I wanted more of the brazen bravado that won Leia over in the first place and, while he eventually gets there, he spends the majority of the novel like a kicked puppy with his tail between his legs.

The politically intriguing, dangerous, and campy plotline also left a lot to be desired. It seems like Wolverton was trying to force too many storylines into one book, which caused the entirety of the novel to feel fractured and not quite sure what it’s trying to be. Is it a love story? A tale of vengeance against Warlord Zsinj? A Nightsisters origin tale? Unfortunately, I think the answer to all of these questions is yes.

Something very cool that Wolverton does in Courtship is introduce the planet Dathomir and the Nightsisters. Depicted slightly differently than their canon counterparts, these Nightsisters are a splinter faction of the native Witches of Dathomir. A number of them (and their rancor steeds) are crucial elements to the overall story and were probably the most enjoyable part of the novel. I was particularly intrigued by Teneniel Djo, who isn’t technically a Nightsister, but a Force-sensitive human female who’s part of the Singing Mountain Clan of Dathomiri Witches. She’s quirky, strong, and just the type of character that I wanted to succeed in the end (which she ultimately does in a very satisfactory way). Wolverton also deserves credit for capturing C3-PO’s essence; in Courtship he’s a kooky humorous mess that absolutely works.

The Courtship of Princess Leia became part of The Essential Legends Collection in 2023 with updated cover art by Nicole Rifkin which will definitely make heads turn. For better or worse, this book is the definition of a wild ride and it’s no surprise that it has delighted Star Wars fans for decades.

Pick up your copy of The Courtship of Princess Leia, The Essential Legends Collection today!