Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- This first book in a trilogy takes place five years after Return of the Jedi (Ballantine, 1983) by James Kahn. Han and Leia are now married and expecting twins; Luke is continuing his training as a Jedi, while training Leia. The Republic is at peace, having defeated Darth Vader and the evil Empire. Enter Grand Admiral Thrawn, ex-warlord of the empire, with his rogue Jedi knight. They attack the Republic and attempt to kidnap Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia for their own nefarious purposes. It's great fun to romp with the ``Star Wars'' cast of humans, droids, and aliens again. While it is not on a par with Zahn's creative, powerful works such as Cascade Point (Baen, 1987), Heir is well written for what it is. Recommended for YA collections needing a Star Wars fix. --John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA2-
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; 2nd printing edition (May 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553296124
• ISBN-13: 978-0553296129
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (383 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 80 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

By	Alex Diaz-Granados "fardreaming writer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

16 of 19 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

By	Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Star Wars: Heir To The Empire (Hardcover)

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.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Continuation, May 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Wars: Heir To The Empire (Hardcover)

Heir to the Empire is the first in a wonderfully written trilogy by Timothy Zahn. This authorized continuation to the Star Wars saga takes place five years after Return of the Jedi.

The last of the Emperor's ruthless regime, Grand Admiral Thrawn, has taken over the Imperial Starfleet, and positioned it for a suprise attack on the New Republic, with the help of a long-lost dark Jedi Knight. Thrawn is the ultimate villian. He shows incredible poise and patience where others have failed in the past.

All of the familiar characters are back along with some incredible new ones, who fit perfectly into this action-packed book. Zahn loads the book with incredible detail, and sets beautifully-descibed backgrounds for the great storyline. He clearly develops the plot so that, by the end of the novel, you can't wait to read the next book of the series.

The character development is superb, and he maintains good descriptive language in this excellent book of intrigue and mystery. The classic good vs. evil conflict has never been more interesting, because you can't tell who truly is the good and who is the evil. You cannot go wrong with this book.