Vision of the Future: Star Wars (The Hand of Thrawn) [Kindle Edition]

Timothy Zahn (Author)

Book Description

Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn brings his epic two-volume series The Hand of Thrawn to an explosive conclusion with a discovery that rocks the New Republic to its foundations--and threatens to resurrect the Empire.

The Empire's master plan is under way. The New Republic is on the verge of civil war and the rumor that the legendary Admiral Thrawn has returned from the dead is rallying the Imperial forces. Now Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and their allies face the challenge of their lives. They must infiltrate a hidden fortress filled with Imperial fanatics, rendezvous with a double-dealing Imperial commander, and journey into enemy territory to learn the identity of those responsible for an act of unthinkable genocide. But most important of all is the truth about Thrawn. In his hands--alive or dead--rests the fate of the New Republic.

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!




© 1998 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM
All rights reserved. Used under authorization.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Grand Admiral Thrawn, long believed dead, has returned. Civil war is imminent in the New Republic. And what--or who--is the Hand of Thrawn? Vision of the Future is the conclusion of the two-part Hand of Thrawn series, written by Timothy Zahn, Hugo Award-winning author of the original trilogy based on the Star Wars films. The book is read by Tony Award-nominee Anthony Heald, who uses his theatrical talents to perform everything from love scenes to fight scenes as the story unfolds. His range of voices--from the "distinctive, somewhat prissy" voice of C-3PO to the gruff cynicism of Han Solo--is complemented by selections from John Williams's score and sound effects from the Star Wars films. (Running time: 3 hours, 2 cassettes) --C.B. Delaney

Review

Praise for the Star Wars(r) novels of Timothy Zahn:

Specter Of The Past:

"Zahn returns splendidly to the ranks of Star Wars authors...absorbing reading. Label this one 'not just for Star Wars fans'--for sure!"
--Booklist

Heir To The Empire:

"Moves with a speed-of-light pace that captures the spirit of the movie trilogy so well, you can almost hear John Williams's soundtrack."
--The Providence Sunday Journal

Dark Force Rising:

"Zahn has perfectly captured the pace and flavor of the Star Wars movies. This is space opera at its best."
--The Sunday Oklahoman

The Last Command:

"Filled with characteristic Star Wars technology and cosmic battles...the detail and plot development far exceed what are possible in a two-hour movie."
--The Indianapolis Star


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2981 KB
• Print Length: 722 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0553578790
• Publisher: Spectra (June 28, 2011)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00513FPOC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,641 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #18 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations > Star Wars

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Force is Strong with this One December 6, 1999

By John

Format:Hardcover

Some of these reviews are great; they really are. Almost as good as reading the book itself. Its good to see that so many readers get so emotionally attached to the characters; emphasised particularly well with the war of words between Mara and Callista fans. And to think that the two women didn't even feature in the movies. People seem to either love or hate the outcome, and that is always a sign of a great novel. Personally, I loved the outcome!

As with any good SW novel, there is plenty of sci-fi action and plot enhancement here, but it does however take a back seat to character development. Yes, this is very much a character-driven novel; in particular with Jade and Skywalker (still can't get over how cool this name is!). OK, so the issue of the dynamic duo getting married is perhaps the worst kept secret on the Internet, but what makes this such compelling reading is down to the way in which Zahn executes this theme. There were so many barriers existing between the two, not to mention the emotional turmoil and personal demons which needed to be overcome before they could establish a relationship.

I also loved the way Zahn resolved the Lando/Mara issue without making Lando come across as the bad guy. For all his faults, Lando is a key figure in the SW universe and deserves positive attention, and it was nice to see him lead the Republic forces at the end against those nasty Imperial Star Destroyers.

It was also interesting to note that one or two readers felt too much of the novel was taken up by Luke and Mara. I wonder why they thought this; I for one would not have minded in the slightest had the entire book only consisted of these two characters.... And lets face it people, we would have even willingly seen the Empire win if it meant Luke and Mara getting together in the process.

There is not much I can say to fault this novel, but there is one little aspect which affected me on a purely personal level and one which I felt we could have done without. I am referring to the smuggler's tale of the titanic battle between a dark Jedi and Yoda. I have always believed that Lucas depicted Yoda as the apotheosis of all that is Jedi with the exception of using the force to do battle. We did not see the little master fight in any movie and I firmly believe we will not do so in episodes 2 and 3, because to do so would degrade the single most unique character of the Star Wars universe. Therefore I felt Zahn could have easily omitted this part without detriment to the quality of the story. However this is just one minor flaw on a purely personal level.

On another personal level, as a huge Mara fan (who can never again watch "Return of the Jedi" in the same manner!), I thoroughly enjoyed the new insights we got to see in Mara. For example, other peoples' opinion of her matters greatly to her (such as Han's impression when seeing her wearing Lando's shirt). Moreover, the fact that (and why) she has never been in a relationship before was shrewdly fabricated and written. Its amazing how much a person can change in ten years. And she "highly respected and cared" for Luke during all those years (a fact which is also emphasised in Stackpole's "I, Jedi"). Needless to say, Zahn executed this character development flawlessly (I still think she is his best creation; better even than Thrawn - and that's saying something!). While on the subject, I'm very troubled by the comments referring to Mara's death in the future. It is blatantly obvious (from the word "forever" among other things) that Zahn intends both Mara and Luke to have a long, happy and prosperous future together and I hope other authors will respect his wishes when writing subsequent novels. Incidentally, there have been very few comments made about the picture of Mara on the cover art of this novel. There are so many disparate images of her around these days; however this is the one I like best and if this is how Zahn invisaged his enchantress turned Jedi Knight, then its good enough for me.

Apologies for using the term "Mara" 9 times (now 10!) in this review. What can I say? I'm just a humble fan! Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I hoped April 10, 2011

By Mathachew

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Below is an excerpt of my full review of the Hand of Thrawn duology:

There were a number of problems I had with the books. They moved slow, there was overlapping of separate sub plots in one instance, and resolutions to some of the problems brought up within the book are a stretch to buy. Vision of the Future was 66% longer than Specter of the Past (528 pages vs 352 pages), and far, far longer than it needed to be. Chapter after chapter of many characters travelling to their destination, either in a ship, a cave or building, it just kept going and going for a few minutes worth of action or dialog. There were at least three separate groups of people that were essentially trying to accomplish the same exact goal: find an original copy of the Caamas document to indict the Bothans responsible. One of the three was never even resolved.

Talon Karde searched for the former leader of Karde's smuggling and information group, hoping that he would have a copy of the Caamas document; if there was a chance anyone outside the Empire were to have a copy, it would be him (the how is never established). He does not have it, but he happens to have proof that the resurrected Thrawn is not really Thrawn. Again, how? We never find out, but this bit of information becomes crucial in quelling the advancements of the Empire on the New Republic. Once this is done, peace is made between the New Republic and the Empire, and to ensure that neither one is keeping secrets from the other, Karde's organization becomes an independent third party to validate information and ensure honesty between the two. What's to stop the Empire from not sharing any information with Karde's organization? And then there's the whole issue of the Caamas document.... The New Republic is on the brink of civil war over the destruction of a planet that occurred many years prior, but there was no such reaction for the destruction of several other systems. Old grudges were renewed with the excuse being the Caamas document. I had a hard time accepting that thousands of systems would let peace crumbled and war spread over that. The Caamasi were a revered species, but still hard to swallow.

Anyways, the series ended up falling flat for me, not nearly as enjoyable as the Thrawn Trilogy, and I expected more from Zahn. Perhaps I was leaning too much on the hype of Zahn rather and set my expectations too high. It was an okay read. I did not hate it, but I did not love it. Better than previous books, but not among the best. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Heir Trilogy 2 - Not near as good December 28, 2010

By Viper5783

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Ok, I am reading VOTF right now, and I came on here to see what others thought. So I will give my insights for others to see as well.

A lot of people dislike the Luke/Mara relationship, but I actually like it a lot better than the Callista one. I know a lot of people liked her but the whole way they fell for each other(she was a computer) and then she actually took over the body of one of his students was way too weird. So, Mara is a lot better choice to me. Also, this storyline is really the most compelling of the entire book. It is very interesting and at least you feel like something is being accomplished.

Now to the problems.....this book is way too long with way too many filler items that don't move the book along at all. I mean, Karrde's trip is a waste, and so was Han's and Lando's, I mean who didn't know Thrawn gave them an altered copy??? Wedge and Corran's was going along pretty good and then they just up and have to leave, waste again. Even if you like the character stuff, the fact it does nothing to push the plot ruins it.

Also, the whole concept of everybody doing different things is just way too much stuff in my opinion. It's not that I can't keep up, it's I don't want to have to keep up with that much stuff. I mean, Luke and Mara, Leia, Han and Lando, Karrde, the Empire, Rogue Squadron, Vengeance, Bel Ibis, all are different storylines!!!! Way too many, concise it man.

Plus, the whole idea of the fake Thrawn ploy just seemed unreal to me. I mean, really, in a galaxy like SW, you have to believe there are ways to make a "fake" person, so why would anybody have believed it just by what was written in the book, a guy who looks and sorta acts like him. I would suspect a fake all along.... And, once given knowledge of other things like him not working with Pelleaon yet they still believe. Plus, with his tactical genius, his plan in this book was to.......do nothing???? I mean except to plan a little subterfuge, watch the New Republic destroy itself and pick apart the pieces left over. That's not a really great(interesting) plan for a genius like Thrawn. So it was obvious it was a fake throughout the book and I do believe I would think that even if the reader wasn't allowed to know the Empire side of the story.

Also, and I just got to this part so it's fresh and really frustrating. The 3 headed Empire ploy group know of a "Hand of Thrawn" but seem to not know anything about it for the entire series and then suddenly when it shows, they know who exactly they are and all by name. That doesn't make any sense. To know who they are, they must have had some knowledge of them so why not already be in contact with them? Just a current peeve.

One other thing that I didn't get, ok, the clones, they get the call and talk as if they are ready to do the Empire's bidding even after all these years. Next thing you know, they are actually helping Leia and Han and just want to be left alone. I know there was a mention of that being part of Thrawn's plan but....it seems really ridiculous to me. It just doesn't make good sense at all. It seems like a total contradiction.

So, after all that, while the book is entertaining in the sense it is SW and I just like SW books, it has glaring problems that bother me that I just didn't expect to see in a Zahn book after the original trilogy he did which was so wonderful. Read more ›

More About the Author

Timothy Zahn is the Hugo Award-winning author of more than a dozen original science fiction novels and the bestselling Star Wars trilogy Heir to the Empire, among other works. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

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#33 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#83 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#84 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#88 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#32 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#33 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#83 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#84 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#88 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction