Specter Of The Past

I was reading this while on vacation in Bandon, OR. I only learned later after I got home that the author, Timothy Zahn, lives in Bandon, OR! That's so funny - it's not a big place, either, like 3,000 people.

I really liked this book. It was a lot of fun to read. It has been so long since I read the original Thrawn trilogy that I don't think I could fairly compare those books to this. I think the story could have moved along a little more quickly and there could have been a little more action, but it's also building up the plot for a nice pay-off in the sequel, so I can understand to a certain degree.

This is a great book about human nature disguised in the trappings of a sci-fi setting. How many times do we let our own concerns get in the way of what is best for a bigger group. I liked also the exploration of how much a government should be responsible for - it is timely today in the United States. I've been reading newer Star Wars releases, so it's been fun to go back and see Luke, Han, and Leia when they are younger and know less.

A decade after the death of the brilliant Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Empire is but a shadow of its former self. Concluding that defeat by the New Republic is inevitable, Thrawn's protégé and successor as the Empire's supreme military commander, deicides that the best option remaining is to seek peace with the New Republic. Yet a corrupt Grand Moff has other plans. Allying with a con man and a former royal guardsman, the trio foster the belief that Thrawn has returned and is fomenting civil war within the fragile New Republic by reopening old wounds that had been long neglected in the face of the Imperial threat. With politics riven by tensions and riots breaking out on dozens of worlds, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, and Han Solo show more work desperately to discover the perpetrators behind a decades-old crime. Soon a race is underway, one that will end in the truth — or the collapse of everything that they have worked for.

In this book, the first of Timothy Zahn's "Hand of Thrawn" duology, the author makes a welcome return to the Star Wars franchise. His book displays all of the strengths of his original Thrawn trilogy, with intricate plotting, exciting action, and memorable characters. The story zips along nicely, though it suffers somewhat from Zahn's decision to focus on setting up events for their resolution in the second book. Though it makes for a less satisfying reading experience than his previous series, it is nonetheless an entertaining work that will leave readers eager to pick up the concluding volume the moment they get to the last page. show less

If this book isn't quite as good as Timothy Zahn's original trilogy of Star Wars novels, that's not to say that it's not an excellent read. The biggest problem I found (beyond the absence of Thrawn, one of the most fascinating characters in his original book series), is that so much time had passed between the original trilogy and this novel, time which had been filled with many other novels. Zahn refers to characters and societies and events that happened in books which I have not read, and while I applaud him using continuity, there were times where I felt decidedly out of the loop.

The end of Star Wars?!

This duology is the original end of the classic battle against the empire. There are some hokey elements and it doesn’t quite stack up to the Thrawn Trilogy’s quality, but definitely worth the read. It follows up the trilogy well, gives happy endings for the core Star Wars heroes, and finally brings the galaxy to peace. There’s quite a few characters and references to other books but if you’ve only read the thrawn trilogy you’ll know most of the principal players and you’ll be able to enjoy this follow up.

I struggled for a while deciding whether I "liked it" or "really liked it." If 3.5/5 was an option, I'd choose that. It took zero effort for the story to begin unfolding because it was written in a known universe full of famous characters. I found that experience almost relaxing.

Reading this book felt exactly like watching a Star Wars movie to me. That was fun. I burned through 80 pages one day, which is not something I normally do. There wasn't really any reading fatigue with this one.

I do have some criticism. Does everyone in the galaxy have a caffeine problem? Dehydrated? The author uses physical twitching an annoying amount. Everyone's twitching in every scene it feels like -- their lips, their cheeks, their knees. There are a show more handful of times where characters' thought patterns are shared across multiple characters and it feels unimaginative. Character perspective was probably the weakest aspect of the book. It wasn't unique enough from character to character.

Overall, reading the book was fun, I liked the story, but I wouldn't give the author a gold star for skillfulness in writing. Will I read the second book? Maybe. show less

Of all the Star Wars authors, Timothy Zahn has given us the best stories and the most interesting plot lines. He also develops the characters and each acts as what you would expect them to do. And this is another example where he does all the right things. And to top it off, he brings back the best character / villain in a way that will make you wonder why no one else has done something similar. I only have one regret: that I finished it too fast and there's not more too read. Well, there is the second book which concludes the story so I guess I can also regret that there won't be a third.