History Literature / TheCourtshipOfPrincessLeia

** Luke believes sixteen is "too young to learn the ways of the Jedi". This in spite of the fact that Yoda says Luke is ''too old'' to be trained at twenty-two in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack.'' Later the prequel films confirmed Jedi were typically trained from childhood. Then again, the sequel films make it clear that Luke didn't think highly of how the Jedi Council ran things during the Old Republic era.

** Luke believes sixteen is "too young to learn the ways of the Jedi". This in spite of the fact that Yoda says Luke is ''too old'' to be trained at twenty-two in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack.'' Later the prequel films confirmed Jedi were typically trained from childhood.

* LoveTriangle: Han and Leia start out as lovers, but then Isolder, Crown Prince of the Hapes, proposes a marriage alliance which would help the New Republic greatly. Leia also becomes attracted to him, and legitimately feels torn between them. This continues throughout much of the book, until Isolder falls for another woman, Teneniel, and Leia chooses Han, marrying him at the end.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Isolder is not only a combat-trained star pilot, he surprises both Han and Leia by revealing that after his older brother was killed, Isolder deliberately left the Hapan royal court and spent years tracking down his brother's killers, infiltrating the pirate gang they joined, and eventually capturing them. Except for the last part, he did it all on his own.

* MsFanservice: after choosing a hide tunic to change into, Teneniel casually strips down in front of Isolder and sponges herself clean. Being used to the raging beauties of the Hapes Cluster, Isolder tries to tell himself he finds her homely by comparison. Then she mentions how in winter after a hard day's work she enjoys burrowing naked into a snowdrift.

%%* WickedWitch: Gethzerion.

* WeAreAsMayflies: Mother Rell, though WordOfGod says she dies shortly after the events of the novel.

* WickedWitch: Gethzerion.

%%* WeAreAsMayflies: Mother Rell, though WordOfGod says she dies shortly after the events of the novel.

%%* WickedWitch: Gethzerion.

* HealingHands: Luke heals Teneniel after she's struck by a Nightsister's Force lightning, and put his hands on her doing so.

** Luke believes sixteen is "too young to learn the ways of the Jedi". This in spite of the fact that Yoda says Luke is ''too old'' to be trained at twenty-two in Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack. Later the prequel films confirmed Jedi were typically trained from childhood.

** Luke believes sixteen is "too young to learn the ways of the Jedi". Later Legends books and the films showed children were mostly trained from ''childhood'' to be Jedi.

Written by noted science-fiction/fantasy author [[Literature/TheRunelords Dave Wolverton]], it was the first ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' novel to feature the future Literature/XWingSeries antagonist Warlord Zsinj, although the way he is portrayed here is [[TooDumbToLive substantially different]] from what [[ObfuscatingStupidity fans of that series]] may be used to.

** The origins of the Hapes Consortium - and how! The Hapans' ancestors were a large band of SpacePirates that pillaged nearby shipping lanes, taking the most beautiful females they found on the ships back to their bases, and over time, having only beautiful women giving birth led to most of the Hapan race being extremely beautiful. Put very simply, just because your parents are beautiful, there's no guarantee that you won't have [[{{UnusualEuphemism}} a face for radio]]. It was never stated explicitly that every child born was amazingly attractive though. However, those who were not physically appealing didn't do well on Hapes. Survival of the fittest came into play. Family embarrassments were likely stashed away. Hence why Hapans seemed radiant.

* BroughtDownToNormal: Isolder is affronted, though understanding, when Teneniel calls him "just a commoner" compared to Luke - the only male Force user seen on the planet since Mother Rell's time.

* ContemptibleCover: The infamous "Leia-in-a-wedding-dress" cover was switched out for a more conventional, action-oriented one because people thought the book was a romance novel -- [[{{Irony}} which it is, in many respects.]]

* WorldOfActionGirls: ''Star Wars'' has lots of {{action girl}}s already-this book takes it UpToEleven with not one but ''two'' different matriarchal cultures here which feature warrior women ''[[AmazonBrigade en masse]]'', the Hapans and Dathomiri. The entire Hapan military is made up of female soldiers, while Crown Prince Isolder's bodyguards are also entirely women. Dathomiri clans meanwhile have Force-using "witches" catch men and also fight each other with their "magic". Only the evil Nightsisters use male soldiers too-Imperial stormtroopers who have been trapped on the planet and obey them out of fear. Leia naturally remains an {{action girl}}, but is largely overshadowed with all the rest. Tenenial Djo, a Dathomiri woman, has the most focus of them. Out of them all, just one or two female characters ''aren't'' {{action girl}}s here.

!!This book provides examples of:

* MagicalIncantation: The Witches of Dathomic mostly speak to work spells, aside from very minor ones. Teneniel is astonished that Luke can do "magic" (as she thinks of it) just by thought alone. He explains this is how Jedi learn, and so it seems Witches have inadvertently limited themselves by requiring chants to use Force powers.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The B plot might as well be subtitled ''The Erotic Adventures of Luke Skywalker'', as he gets to be [[FemmeFatale seduced by a queen who tries to kill him]] and [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale enslaved by an amazon]].

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Gethzerion offers the Nightsisters' children as hostages as proof of their willingness to work with Zsinj. General Melvar asks how he can trust they will value the lives of their children since they previously admitted their own lives held to value to them. She replied that "No mother could be so evil." Whether or not you believe her is another thing entirely.

** The book has Luke say droids too are living beings, and can be sensed through the Force, while most ''Legends'' material had the opposite view.

* DoAndroidsDream: As seen under NiceToTheWaiter, Luke can sense droids through the Force and thus treats them no different to any other sentient, pointing to "yes" ([[ContinuitySnarl other books had them unable to be sensed]]).

* LadyLand: Dathomiri women run the tribes and the men are essentially slaves. The Hapes Consortium applies as well, with women at the top of the social structure.

* MagicalIncantation: The Witches of Dathomic always chant to work spells, aside from very minor ones. Teneniel is astonished that Luke can do "magic" (as she thinks of it) just by thought alone. He explains this is how Jedi learn, and so it seems Witches have inadvertently limited themselves by requiring chants to use Force powers.