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106 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heir to the Empire worthy first literary Star Wars sequel, September 19, 2003
This review is from: Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
In 1991, Bantam Books and Lucasfilm Ltd. reinvigorated interest in the Star Wars universe (well, galaxy) by gathering a diverse group of noted science fiction writers and starting a regular series of novels set in the time period which follows Return of the Jedi. Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, the first volume of a three-book cycle, was almost an instant phenomenon when it was published in hardcover. With its depiction of the continuing battle between what is left of the Galactic Empire and the fledgling New Republic, this novel cleverly mixes the characters from the Classic Trilogy with a cast of newly created heroes and villains, some of whom will make appearances in other authors' Star Wars works. As Heir to the Empire begins, the New Republic has been engaged in a long campaign to mop up the remnants of the once-mighty Empire. The once dreaded Imperial Fleet is in disarray, political and military control of the late Emperor Palpatine's New Order has changed hands several times, yet the former Rebels have reduced Imperial dominion to one quarter of its former size. Yet even as Mon Mothma and the New Republic government establish democratic rule from Coruscant (former capital of both the Old Republic and the Galactic Empire), a new dark force has arisen in the form of one of the Empire's most cunning warriors. His name is Thrawn, and his tactical and intellectual gifts are so great that the racist and sexist Palpatine had promoted him to be the only non-human to wear the white uniform of Grand Admiral. For several years after the Battle of Endor (where the Rebels destroyed the second Death Star and both the Emperor and Darth Vader died), Thrawn was pacifying the Unknown Regions until his return to Imperial territory. Now, with a small but powerful Imperial fleet at his command, the mysterious Grand Admiral believes he holds the key to the undoing of the New Republic and the restoration of the Empire. Zahn not only introduced a set of new characters that would become essential to what fans know as the Expanded Universe series (the charming smuggler-chief Talon Karrde, the beautiful but mysterious Mara Jade, the devoted Imperial fleet captain Pelleaon, and the mad clone Joruus C'baoth), but he brought fans of the movie heroes up to date on the lives of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and the droids. A professional reviewer, at the time of the book's first appearance in 1991, wrote that Heir to the Empire "captures the spirit of the movie trilogy so well, you can almost hear John Williams' soundtrack." Indeed, Zahn does a superb job rendering the personalities from George Lucas' films that one can almost hear Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels when reading their characters' dialogue. The pace of the book is brisk and the action sequences are so well done that one can swear they are cinematic. Although there are many Star Wars authors whose novels are spellbinding, Zahn stands head and shoulders above the crowd.
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22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
NOBODY does it better than Zahn---except for Lucas himself, November 2, 2000
Being a hard-core Star Wars fan since '77, I was thrilled but cautious when 'Heir To The Empire' first came out. I had read 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye', the FIRST Star Wars novel outside of the original trilogy books (which ALL stink, by the way) and although it was entertaining, it just seemed like a story with characters who had the same names as Leia & Luke & Darth etc. There was no real substance that tied the 'spirit' of the movies to the book. But even so, I gave Timothy Zahn a shot, and all I can say is WOW! He has captured the very 'essence' of Star Wars PERFECTLY. IF George Lucas ever decided to make Episode 7, 8 & 9 he would start with 'Heir' for sure. I don't think even HE could improve upon his own stories any better than Zahn has. Everything from Grand Admiral Thrawn (a fantastic character, and MUCH more depth than Darth or the Emperor) to the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade, to the ingenious introduction of creatures that actually REPEL the Force, this book and it's incredible sequels are NOT to be missed. If you have EVER wondered if there were novels about the Star Wars Universe that were every bit as good as the movies, than Zahn is your author and the next series you read should start with 'Heir To The Empire'. I have read and re-read this series 3 times now, and each time I find something new to remember, and another reason to be impressed with Zahn's writing style and ability. I have also read almost all of the 'other' Star Wars novels out there (since a rash of them have been published since the completion of 'The Last Command') and there are but a small few that are even worthy of the Star Wars name, and none of THEM even rival THIS series by Zahn. I'm telling ya, THIS is IT! Ever wonder where Lucas came up with the name for the Imperial world, 'Coroscant'? He BORROWED it from Zahn (no joke). I figure if you don't read this series, you just CAN'T be a serious fan of Star Wars...but if you ARE, don't put off grabbing this entire series ASAP. It's just fantastic Space Opera. Go ahead, give it a shot. Read book 1, enjoy. Go to book 2, repeat. Etc.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun, May 13, 2004
This review is from: Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
A very entertaining, action-packed first volume in a trilogy that retains the values of the films. The Rebel Alliance has since become the New Republic and is struggling to form a galactic government with the planet Coruscant as its center. However, the honeymoon period is about to be cut short, when a vicious tactical genius aided by a powerful Jedi Master take over the remants of the Empire and set out to destroy the fledgling New Republic. The characters that we know and love have grown in stature but have not lost their capacity to be in the center of things. Luke's continuing his development as a fully-fledged Jedi Knight, Han has continued his shift to respectability by marrying Princess Leia and the two of them even have twins on the way who promise to be tremendously strong in the Force. The famous droid duo of C3PO and R2-D2, and the Wookie Chewbacca all return as well. Periphery characters such as Wedge and Lando Calrissian are fleshed out as well. New characters are also introduced. The charming smuggler Talon Karrde makes an appearance, spearheading the remants of Jabba the Hutt's criminal organisation, and so does his fiesty red-haired partner-in-crime Mara Jade, a dangerous woman with a mysterious past and a sharp tongue. A new race of gray-skinned aliens called the Noghri, who serve the Empire as lethal commandos, are also along for the ride. The best of these characters though is the red-eyed, blue-skinned, white-uniformed Grand Admiral Thrawn; a deliciously brilliant tactical genius, dangerous and decisive, and with such a degree of class, charm and intelligence that its impossible not to warm to the guy. He is also refreshingly grey in a universe that was depicted in the films as black and white (until that revelation at the end of the middle film). He has a thirst for power, and does not suffer fools, but neither does he have the evil capriciousness that led Darth Vader to summarily execute those men who failed him. He is a realistic military commander, who gets the best out of his available resources but does not waste them foolishly. The evil Jedi Master Joruus C'Baoth though is a relentlessly irritating concoction however, as petulant and moody as a teenager. The fact that Zahn meant to have him this way does not soften the blow either. I felt compelled to read on if only for the intensely satisfying moment when this guy would meet his doom. The writing itself is limited, but Zahn has an eye for an action set-piece and these don't fail to disappoint. I did get annoyed at the overuse of the words 'sardonically', 'sarcastically' and 'countered', and the extensive tight smiles, lip twisting and sentence ellipsis. Its still true to the films though, with space battles, fire fights and a healthy dose of stormtroopers, and the story itself is so full of twists and turns that it is a guaranteed page-turner. Its no literary masterpiece, but if you love the films and a juicily convoluted plot that never fails to excite, then you won't go far wrong with this.
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