I was disappointed by this book. I remembered it as one of the best Star Wars Extended Universe novels, and while it was good enough for fanfiction, it reminded me that I don't actually want to read fanfiction in book form. I think I would have done much better with it if I had had it on a screen - I'm much more forgiving of bad writing on a screen. As it was, I just sort of got bored. ( )

I was disappointed by this book. I remembered it as one of the best Star Wars Extended Universe novels, and while it was good enough for fanfiction, it reminded me that I don't actually want to read fanfiction in book form. I think I would have done much better with it if I had had it on a screen - I'm much more forgiving of bad writing on a screen. As it was, I just sort of got bored. ( )

Heir to the Empire is the first book in the Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy. This entire series is a must read for the avid (or even slightly interested) Star Wars book reader. The ever present struggle of good vs. evil is mixed with a lot of emotional self-discovery in our beloved Luke Skywalker. ( )

It is such a shame that Lucas determined that all novels based on his Star Wars franchise were to be non-canonical, as Zahn's trilogy - one of the first Expanded Universe works of fiction - is a well-accomplished sequel to the original film trilogy.

Zahn manages to create believable relationships, in a believable settings, following on from what we already knew from the films. And he also filled a lot of backstory about the Clone Wars, and the rise of the Empire (which Lucas mostly ignored when it came to the scripts of his second trilogy).

Unfortunately, if you have read any of the other books written in the Expanded Universe, you have either read one where the characters are facing an even bigger, more destructive, superweapon than ever before, or one where the characters are extremely one-dimensional, until the fall into the dark side, where they just become rather pitiful.

However, if Zahn is your first Expanded Universe author, then you're in luck. No superweapons, and some good characterisations - such as Luke worrying if he can ever be as good a teacher as Yoda, and Han and Leia's marriage.

Interestingly, the leader of the evil Empire isn't a monstrous dark Jedi, or really outright evil, although he is quite ruthless. He is a person who, having sworn service to an Empire in its strength, is seeking to restore that strength - although he doesn't want to be Emperor himself. That said, he is hard to empathise with, as Zahn does lay on the "ruthless antagonist" a bit.

I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoyed the original movies - and also to anyone interested in space-opera type science fiction. ( )

This is the best Star Wars book I have ever read. The story grabs you from the very start and never lets go, Zhan captures every character perfectly from Luke to Chewbacca. If you only read one Star Wars book make it this one. ( )