Choices of One

I read almost all the star wars books 20 years ago, but when I reread the novels this year, I started with the New Jedi Order and Legacy eras. Choices of One, set between episodes IV and V, shows an unfamiliar side of Luke Skywalker: unskilled with the Force and doubtful of his own abilities.

Mara Jade is the Emperor's Hand, so you shouldn't root for her, but she is a compelling antihero. Unlike Darth Sidious, Mara is not a caricature of evil. Although her goal is a strong Empire, she also seeks justice for the oppressed. Similarly, Thrawn, who makes a few appearances in the novel, is building "an empire of justice and dignity for all beings."

As usual, Zahn is a master storyteller. I had predicted the resolution of the plot early on show more but immediately rejected it due to subtle red herrings scattered through the novel. As a result, I was surprised when the true villain's identity was revealed. show less

Timothy Zahn returns to Star Wars literature with Choices of One, which stars all the usual characters, and then some. Zahn's books usually have revolved somehow around Thrawn, and his military genius, and Choices of One continues that tradition.

Set just eight months after the events in Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and Luke are all reunited on a mission to evaluate an offer of alliance from an Imperial Governor in an outlying region of the Empire, near the Unknown Regions. The plot thickens as each character somehow gets drawn toward the same location, for seemingly different reasons.

What's refreshing about this novel is the leap backward in time--relative to the more recently-released Fate of the Jedi show more series, in which Luke is an exile, and his son, Ben, is a Jedi Knight growing into his own. Readers are provided with a look at Luke, before he had any confidence in his skills with the Force; before Leia blurted that infamous "I love you," to Han, and of course before Han could retort, "I know." Chewbacca is still alive, though really doesn't appear nearly as much as he should have. Mara Jade is still the Emperor's Hand (though now being referred to as the Emperor's Justice), and both Darth Vader and the Emperor make brief appearances. The Hand of Judgment, the group of AWOL Stormtroopers also return, and play a pivotal role in the book; in fact, it could be said this book is mostly theirs.

There are some really good scenes with Luke, struggling with his lack of training in the Force, and overcoming--or failing to overcome--those challenges with which he's faced. Leia and Han are still struggling to not only come to terms with how they feel about each other, but also with their places in the Rebel Alliance. It's yet another unique look inside events that readers have never truly had the veil pulled back on before. Unfortunately, that promise isn't fully fulfilled, as we see little from Han's point of view, and even less from Leia's.

Mara Jade certainly remains impressive, especially with her improvisational capabilities, though she seems awfully powerful in the Force for someone who's not a true Jedi or Sith. In contrast to Luke's aptitude in the Force at this point in time, it's a good thing they never had to square off, as Luke wouldn't stand a chance.

Thrawn makes his appearance once again, though at a much lower level in the hierarchy as only a Senior Captain. His military prowess is displayed, though it's clear that he's not as ruthless as he will be later in the saga. In fact, he's portrayed very nearly as a good guy. Overall, it's an interesting plot thread, but falls a little flat.

Unfortunately, the novel is nearly ruined by a confusing story arc involving a character named Lord Odo. At one point, it seems quite clear that Lord Odo is in fact Thrawn, but is later revealed to be otherwise. (This won't spoil the book, and might actually help make things more clear, in the end). When the revelation came, it unbalanced a lot of the story, and confuses the ultimate outcome.

Near the end of the novel, the story starts coalescing nicely into what would appear to be an epic battle, but ends much less interestingly. After the Thrawn Trilogy, where the space battles are huge and interesting, the finale doesn't achieve the same levels of intrigue.

Still, the unique timeframe, and character development in this book still make Choices of One a worthwhile read. show less

It is definitely starting to feel like Zahn has reacted to the overly-complicated Star Wars EU plotlines by retreating into his shell and writing books *only* about his pet creations Thrawn, Jade and the Karrde organization. I have fond memories of Heir to the Empire, but doing more and more books about the same characters is only serving to make them all less mysterious and more hounded by absurd continuity contortions, like the rest of the Star Wars EU.

Timothy Zahn returns to Star Wars literature with Choices of One, which stars all the usual characters, and then some. Zahn's books usually have revolved somehow around Thrawn, and his military genius, and Choices of One continues that tradition.

Set just eight months after the events in Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and Luke are all reunited on a mission to evaluate an offer of alliance from an Imperial Governor in an outlying region of the Empire, near the Unknown Regions. The plot thickens as each character somehow gets drawn toward the same location, for seemingly different reasons.

What's refreshing about this novel is the leap backward in time--relative to the more recently-released Fate of the Jedi show more series, in which Luke is an exile, and his son, Ben, is a Jedi Knight growing into his own. Readers are provided with a look at Luke, before he had any confidence in his skills with the Force; before Leia blurted that infamous "I love you," to Han, and of course before Han could retort, "I know." Chewbacca is still alive, though really doesn't appear nearly as much as he should have. Mara Jade is still the Emperor's Hand (though now being referred to as the Emperor's Justice), and both Darth Vader and the Emperor make brief appearances. The Hand of Judgment, the group of AWOL Stormtroopers also return, and play a pivotal role in the book; in fact, it could be said this book is mostly theirs.

There are some really good scenes with Luke, struggling with his lack of training in the Force, and overcoming--or failing to overcome--those challenges with which he's faced. Leia and Han are still struggling to not only come to terms with how they feel about each other, but also with their places in the Rebel Alliance. It's yet another unique look inside events that readers have never truly had the veil pulled back on before. Unfortunately, that promise isn't fully fulfilled, as we see little from Han's point of view, and even less from Leia's.

Mara Jade certainly remains impressive, especially with her improvisational capabilities, though she seems awfully powerful in the Force for someone who's not a true Jedi or Sith. In contrast to Luke's aptitude in the Force at this point in time, it's a good thing they never had to square off, as Luke wouldn't stand a chance.

Thrawn makes his appearance once again, though at a much lower level in the hierarchy as only a Senior Captain. His military prowess is displayed, though it's clear that he's not as ruthless as he will be later in the saga. In fact, he's portrayed very nearly as a good guy. Overall, it's an interesting plot thread, but falls a little flat.

Unfortunately, the novel is nearly ruined by a confusing story arc involving a character named Lord Odo. At one point, it seems quite clear that Lord Odo is in fact Thrawn, but is later revealed to be otherwise. (This won't spoil the book, and might actually help make things more clear, in the end). When the revelation came, it unbalanced a lot of the story, and confuses the ultimate outcome.

Near the end of the novel, the story starts coalescing nicely into what would appear to be an epic battle, but ends much less interestingly. After the Thrawn Trilogy, where the space battles are huge and interesting, the finale doesn't achieve the same levels of intrigue.

Still, the unique timeframe, and character development in this book still make Choices of One a worthwhile read. show less

This is a great novel that involves Star Wars characters totally original from the movies, while also involving the same cast of characters we’ve grown to know and love. We get some interesting stories in between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth as we follow Luke, Han, Chewbacca, and Leia in their tactical tango with Mara Jade and her band of rogue stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgement. Together, these rivals will inadvertently help each other take down Nuso Esva as the galaxy’s greater threat. What I liked about this book is that it provides unique detail about Mara Jade’s status as the Emperor’s Hand as she struggles with law and order in a complicated galaxy.

Zahn brings some much needed polished writing to the Star Wars universe. I actually put the book down when I got tired so that I would be able to understand what he was writing.[and yes, that is a good thing]

I had fun reading this, a bit more than I had reading [b:Star Wars Allegiance|2487682|Star Wars Allegiance|Timothy Zahn|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320503711s/2487682.jpg|2934013], not sure why though. Seemed to have more action than I remember in Allegiance.

Glad I bought this one...

I have always loved the Star Wars universe and especially the novels that were written about it. Timothy Zahn definitely writes my favorite books about it. His stories fit quite well within the framework of the existing Star Wars world while adding something new and extra to it. I like his writing style and characterizations a great deal.