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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
VISION OF THE FUTURE, book 2 in the Hand of Thrawn duology, may be my all-time favorite Star Wars book. It's definitely in my top three. It's my favorite because -- SPOILERS here --
Luke & Mara. Every moment on the page with them is fabulous.
Talon Karrde and Shada -- love the way the work together.
The resolution between Karrde and Jorge Car'das (great scenes).
Plotting Moff Disra and fake Thrawn.
So many clones.
Wedge & Corran & Rogue Squadron.
Fantastic space battles.
Unexpected peace.
Threats from the Unknown Regions hinting at what's to come.
Okay, so this may not be one of my typical reviews but I will tell you this, VISION OF THE FUTURE is one of those books that I've read multiple times and still swoon at specific parts (yes, Luke & Mara) and I laugh -- loudly, and I always cheer at the end with Admiral Pellaeon, and I get all the warm fuzzies on the very last pages, because again -- Luke & Mara.
Luke & Mara. Every moment on the page with them is fabulous.
Talon Karrde and Shada -- love the way the work together.
The resolution between Karrde and Jorge Car'das (great scenes).
Plotting Moff Disra and fake Thrawn.
So many clones.
Wedge & Corran & Rogue Squadron.
Fantastic space battles.
Unexpected peace.
Threats from the Unknown Regions hinting at what's to come.
Okay, so this may not be one of my typical reviews but I will tell you this, VISION OF THE FUTURE is one of those books that I've read multiple times and still swoon at specific parts (yes, Luke & Mara) and I laugh -- loudly, and I always cheer at the end with Admiral Pellaeon, and I get all the warm fuzzies on the very last pages, because again -- Luke & Mara.
This book reminded me of how great the EU is and how great Zahn is at writing it. Great story with fantastic characters. Loved it.
Probably more like 3 and a half stars, but it was about 300 pages too long which really made it hard to finish. I'm glad I did, because it was an awesome story, but genuinely nobody needed that much of the caves. It's too many caves, Timothy.
This duology is impressive. Like, really impressive.
Take these two novels as one large book, since that’s the way it was intended. The first is around four hundred pages, with the second just reaching seven hundred. It is a behemoth intended as one long story.
I was confused as the first book just cuts off, and felt mostly like a setup - that is why.
The narrative of this story is enormous as it is basically trying to close off and explain every single thread in the New Republic era of Star Wars novels published by Bantam.
And it does a fantastic job.
Luke and Mara’s relationship naturally swells into a burning love in this story, and it feels so well-earned. They are forced to work together against a great enemy, closed off from everyone else, and truly connect on a deep level.
They work through their own problems together: Luke’s failures as a master; Luke failing Mara; Mara’s issues with people; Mara’s trauma from the empire. Zahn just does such a good job writing these two.
I adore the plotline with the fake Thrawn. There is an imposter pretending to be Thrawn, the only true final way to unite the Empire again is under Thrawn, and he inspires a new burning fire in the hearts of the imperials, allowing them what seems to be their only chance.
I haven’t read the X-Wing novels or I, Jedi yet, but I’m sure the fans of those would be pleased by Corran Horn’s plotline in this with Wedge, as they do get a lot of focus!
And their story is interesting as they work with a mysterious woman in an attempt to stop imperial terrorists. The woman, who I still don’t know the identity of, is a really fun character as she is very clever and knows way more than she should!
The story with Luke and Mara on Nirauan was fascinating for me, as we started to explore the Chiss people, and Thrawn on a deeper level. This is truly where Thrawn becomes a complex character, even though he isn’t truly present in the story!
The reveal that Thrawn has a clone in waiting is insane, and almost creepy.
This book is artistic in a way. The thing I loved was how it ended, as it all began.
The final scene is with Luke and Mara, looking out on a view and drinking hot chocolate. Luke is about to leave, when Mara stops him, saying she’ll go with him.
This is beautiful to me, as ‘Heir to the Empire’ begins with Luke drinking hot chocolate over the view of Coruscant, and ‘The Last Command’ ends with an interaction between Luke and Mara, with Luke leaving, and Mara stopping him to say she’s coming with him too! Really clever!
Overall, it is a masterful conclusion to the Bantam era of novels, and a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the Thrawn trilogy.
Take these two novels as one large book, since that’s the way it was intended. The first is around four hundred pages, with the second just reaching seven hundred. It is a behemoth intended as one long story.
I was confused as the first book just cuts off, and felt mostly like a setup - that is why.
The narrative of this story is enormous as it is basically trying to close off and explain every single thread in the New Republic era of Star Wars novels published by Bantam.
And it does a fantastic job.
Luke and Mara’s relationship naturally swells into a burning love in this story, and it feels so well-earned. They are forced to work together against a great enemy, closed off from everyone else, and truly connect on a deep level.
They work through their own problems together: Luke’s failures as a master; Luke failing Mara; Mara’s issues with people; Mara’s trauma from the empire. Zahn just does such a good job writing these two.
I adore the plotline with the fake Thrawn. There is an imposter pretending to be Thrawn, the only true final way to unite the Empire again is under Thrawn, and he inspires a new burning fire in the hearts of the imperials, allowing them what seems to be their only chance.
I haven’t read the X-Wing novels or I, Jedi yet, but I’m sure the fans of those would be pleased by Corran Horn’s plotline in this with Wedge, as they do get a lot of focus!
And their story is interesting as they work with a mysterious woman in an attempt to stop imperial terrorists. The woman, who I still don’t know the identity of, is a really fun character as she is very clever and knows way more than she should!
The story with Luke and Mara on Nirauan was fascinating for me, as we started to explore the Chiss people, and Thrawn on a deeper level. This is truly where Thrawn becomes a complex character, even though he isn’t truly present in the story!
The reveal that Thrawn has a clone in waiting is insane, and almost creepy.
This book is artistic in a way. The thing I loved was how it ended, as it all began.
The final scene is with Luke and Mara, looking out on a view and drinking hot chocolate. Luke is about to leave, when Mara stops him, saying she’ll go with him.
This is beautiful to me, as ‘Heir to the Empire’ begins with Luke drinking hot chocolate over the view of Coruscant, and ‘The Last Command’ ends with an interaction between Luke and Mara, with Luke leaving, and Mara stopping him to say she’s coming with him too! Really clever!
Overall, it is a masterful conclusion to the Bantam era of novels, and a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the Thrawn trilogy.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
The bird/bat things are annoying AF in the audiobook but the rest of the book is great.
The second - and final - book in Timothy Zahn's Hand of Thrawn duology, Vision of the Future thus follows on from Specter of the Past.
In this, Luke is off to rescue Mara, while the New Republic itself moves closer and closer to internal war over the involvement of a group of Bothans in the destruction of Caamas, all of which is due to the (unknown to the Republic) machinations of a trio of Imperials, one of whom is impersonating Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Looking back on this, it's also interesting to note the veiled hints at future events - in particular, at just what is out in the Unknown Regions - that would later come to play a major role in the ongoing series (and, as a side-note, which is round about where I stopped reading them).
As this was written before prequels, there's also the occasional jarring note where this doesn't quite mesh properly, in particular with the references to the Clone Wars.
Like Specter of the Past, and OK read, but not as good as the Heir to the Empire series.
In this, Luke is off to rescue Mara, while the New Republic itself moves closer and closer to internal war over the involvement of a group of Bothans in the destruction of Caamas, all of which is due to the (unknown to the Republic) machinations of a trio of Imperials, one of whom is impersonating Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Looking back on this, it's also interesting to note the veiled hints at future events - in particular, at just what is out in the Unknown Regions - that would later come to play a major role in the ongoing series (and, as a side-note, which is round about where I stopped reading them).
As this was written before prequels, there's also the occasional jarring note where this doesn't quite mesh properly, in particular with the references to the Clone Wars.
Like Specter of the Past, and OK read, but not as good as the Heir to the Empire series.