Customer Reviews

The Last Command (Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 3)

5 star:		(132)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Timothy Zahn gave it his best when he wrote The Last Command. Out of the entire trilogy, this is by far the best. The book is the longest of the three, but it is by far the fastest read. The storylines are so intense that it would be hard to even consider putting the book down until the last page. In the book, Grand Admiral Thrawn must anticipate the movement of the old republic while confronted with conflict on how to deal with the insane jedi master C'baoth, who has become as tyrannical as the Emperor himself. As this storyline progresses, Luke and Mara also must decide their fate, which could destroy or save the republic.

Fear blankets the New Republic under Thrawn's new special weapon. While under this fear, Leia's future jedi children are born, and Mara must attempt to resolve the Emperor's Last Command. All the storylines come together with such perfect emotion, action, and spectacular epic space battles. The Thrawn Trilogy is a good example of what defines the authentic good quality of the Star Wars universe - love, mythology, action, and fantasy. I honestly believe that these three novels are Episodes 7, 8, and 9. If you haven't read the Thrawn trilogy, you are missing out on one of the best science fiction gems of our time.

Timothy Zahn's third and final novel in the Thrawn Trilogy is so faithful to the spirit of George Lucas' original movie trilogy that many fans consider these novels to be Episodes VII, VIII and IX. And if you read this seminal three-book cycle, you'll see why, even though novels published later (such as Shadows of the Empire or Tatooine Ghost) go backwards in the "Star Wars" timeline.

Here, of course, all the plot threads started in the previous two novels are wrapped up, though some of them will continue to develop in other Star Wars novels. As in the movie series that inspired it, there are space battles and lightsaber duels galore, and the mixture of adventure, romance, and drama that made Star Wars such a popular movie series is vividly recreated in Zahn's crisp and lively writing.

Remember Star Wars? Not that joke of a series that came out with the most recent three movies, but instead that sometimes hokey, sometimes brilliant, always engrossing space opera from the seventies. Luke Skywalker, hero for millions of boys, Han Solo, dreamed of by girls everywhere, and Darth Vader, feared by all. That's the series that changed science fiction. Timothy Zahn loved those movies as much as I did. Timothy Zahn stayed true to that vision where George Lucas didn't. The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 3) is the conclusion of the best Star Wars story since we first met Luke and Han Solo.

As should be, the book is action from beginning to end, but that action is varied and tense. From light saber duels to Horatio Hornblower sea battles in space to political intrigue and obsessed vindettas.

The new characters feel like they were just off camera when Lucas filmed the original movies. Mara Jade has dreams of fighting Luke. She's an enforcer for a brilliant smuggler, Talon Kardde. Talon is a political animal, playing alliances and allegiances like chess moves while remaining likable and understandable.

The greatest addition of all is our true villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn. The reader understands that it's a good thing that Thrawn wasn't around for the rebel victories over the Emperor because the result would have been different. He's a mastermind, both strategically and tactically, and can only be defeated by underhanded means or overwhelming force.

To complicate matters, Thrawn's ally, the insane Joruus C'baoth, is a dark Jedi master trying to turn Luke to the dark side and to possess Leia's children, raising them as the seed to a new Jedi army.

The action doesn't stop and the ending is fantastic. Pick it up, enjoy it, and remember those good old days.

- CV Rick

Having read all 5 Zahn books, I felt obligated to write a review for my favorite of them all. I truly can't understand why anyone else writes Star Wars books. Well, I can understand it, I just wish they didn't have to! After his 5, I find the characters he created: Karrde, Jade, Thrawn, and Tierce and Flim in the new ones. He delves so deep into the roguish realm of SW that it gives readers a new perspective, while at the same time convincing us that the good guys are vulnerable. Nothing peeves me more than unstoppable heroes. My only real qualm: I actually want the bad guys to win. Come on, who really didn't want Thrawn to take over at least part of the galaxy, hmm?

What a GREAT wrap to the BEST Star Wars series in print. Let me tell you, if you thought that Star Trek was the only series to have a cloaking device, give this series a shot and you'll believe that Zahn actually made it up FIRST. NOBODY does it better! From the Empire base to a secret planet growing --- oh I just CAN'T bring myself to spoil it for you if you haven't read 'Dark Force Rising'...I sure would LIKE to tell you, though. I CAN tell you THIS: Mara Jade's unquenchable desire to kill Luke finally get's resolved...but not necessarily in the way you might think. Talon Karrde turns into a decent guy after all and (sad to say) Thrawn meets an untimely demise...or does he? Zahn's next series will have you guessing whether the good old Admiral was actually done in. Like I have said before about the other books in this series, Zahn has PERFECTLY captured the true 'essence' of the Star Wars Universe, and I have yet to find any other author who even comes close to being able to pull it off with the finesse that Zahn has. In short, this series is EVERY bit as good as the movies, and a GIANT LEAP ahead of ANY other Star Wars books in print. GET THIS SERIES!!

In my view this was one of the best of the Thrawn Trilogy's books, which was in turn one of the best Star Wars novels I've read. It built and built to a very climactic and devastating finish. However, the end is where problems arise for me.

The Luke/Mara relationship and their team's work are very quickly skipped over at the end. While I liked how the final battle in the throne room went, the aftermath seemed rushed.

However, how Thrawn was dealt with was not good. Thrawn is a character of such excellence and skill that Zahn wrote himself into a hole. There was no logical reason for the Empire to lose that final battle. After spending a quarter of the novel building up this trap, it all ends far too quickly. The betrayal was, I admit, a good idea, building through all three books. However, the suddenness of it happening, and the way the Imperials just turned and fled after the loss of Thrawn reeks of a plot contrivance.

I loved Thrawn as a character, and it felt wrong that he was just dispatched so quickly. As I said, it shows that the author had a hole he got himself into. The Republic could not beat the military genius head to head, so he had to call upon the big betrayal. This might well have worked if it was handled better.

Overall, I drop it one star for this rushed ending to an otherwise great story.

In many cases, a reader or viewer of Star Wars can anticipate what will happen in a story before it even starts. One expects the Rebellion/New Republic to be victorious in the end. This does not make the plot any less interesting. One has a vague idea of how the Thrawn Trilogy will end. Still, it is a quality read.

As Thrawn's plan begins to unhatch in "The Last Command", his relationship with Dark Jedi clone C'Baoth begins to crumble. At the same time, the New Republic is pulling allies from sources once thought to be unlikely. The greatest wild card in the story is Mara Jade. If you have not read other Star Wars books that chronologically occur after this book, her fate is a mystery. The author could not have written a more appropriate end to their conflict. Perhaps this is the biggest curve in the story.

As I have expressed in other reviews of Star Wars books, I tend to prefer when the story focuses more on dialogue than on battle scenes. With the exception of the end, this book does not dwell for extended periods in the tedium of describing battle scenes. For myself, this made the book a much quicker read.

Ranking the Thrawn Trilogy in order of preference, I would suggest the second book is best, while this book is the next best. By far, I liked the first book in the series the least. Trends in the reviews seem to follow my opinion to a degree.

Zahn is an excellent author, and I really enjoy his Thrawn series. Very easy reading and it seems to flow seemlessly with the original Star Wars movies.

This series started out perfectly with 'Heir to the Empire' and continued perfectly with 'Dark Force Rising' and 'The Last Command' brought it all together, well, perfectly. Timothy Zahn has absolutely NO equal when it comes to writing Star Wars novels. He captured the very essence of what made Star Wars so wonderful in the first place. Great stories with Fantastic characters and wonderfully drawn bad guys & aliens. All of that continues with 'The Last Command'. Every time Han, Leia or Luke speak, it sounds as if it were something the REAL characters would've said had this series been made into movies by George Lucas. But just as important as all of the old characters are developed, Zahn's new creations are just as essential and intricate to the story. Everyone from Mara Jade to Talon Karrde and his band of smugglers, and possibly the best bad guy created in the Star Wars Universe, Grand Admiral Thrawn. He's so good at being bad you almost root for the guy--ALMOST.

ALL the loose ends are tied up nicely in this last book. The Nohgri make critical revelations that will turn the tide on the success of the Empire, Mara Jade discovers a way to end her maddening dreams of fighting Luke Skywalker, and how will the Alliance handle a new threat of clones to man the Dark Force of ships recovered at the end of book 2? Sure, it takes YEARS to amass a number of clones, right? Or has Thrawn figured a way around that, too? Discover for yourself why Timothy Zahn has the best reviewed Star Wars books here at amazon.com. There is a reason why people love his books. If you are a true Star Wars fan, you should find out for yourself. I also recommend the Hand of Thrawn 2-book series that Zahn wrote a few years later, and while head & shoulders above the average and even above-average Star Wars fare out there, they too fall short of his original trilogy. I think I'm going to go out and re-read this series yet again.

This book, no, the entire trilogy, is worth far more than it's cover price. Each character comes alive on the pages, the plot is thick enough to need a knife. It draws the reader in from the start and doesn't let go until it's finished. You'll want to read this trilogy as fast as you can, yet wishing that it never ends. If you love Star Wars, (and anyone who doesn't is a fool) then you'll want to pick up these books! Zahn truely captures the essance of the Star Wars universe. He, like this trilogy, are simply the best!