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manells_'s review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
beanie0116's review
4.0
It was overall good but not anything close to the first one. I think the part I didn’t see coming was the purpose of the factory and their armour production— I assumed it was used for like other droid parts, not really Order 66 in the end. Very cool… I love Anakin Skywalker this book ruined me on that end.
maximusvitale66's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dmcke013's review against another edition
3.0
First introduced in Timothy Zahn's 'Heir to the Empire' trilogy - a trilogy that, I fell, was instrumental in bringing Star Wars back to prominence - the character of the tactical brilliant and strategic genius Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the few to survive Disney's cull of the old EU following their purchase of Lucasfilm.
And, what's even better, they even brought back the same writer.
This is thus the second Thrawn book in the 'new' timeline, flitting back and forth between the 'now' (early days of the empire, just after the Clone Wars) and the 'then' (during the Clone Wars, prior to Order 66) and moving between the characters of Thrawn himself (both periods), Padme Amidala (in the 'then' only, obviously!) and Vader/Anakin ('now'/'then' respectively) - I particularly liked the way that Vader refused to remember/call Anakin by name, but only ever as 'the Jedi', even if I wasn't so sold on the description of 'second sight' (although it does 'tie in' to the movies, particularly 'The Phantom Menace' in explaining how Jedi reflexes seem so fast).
And yes, I'm pretty sure that Thrawn expects - if not outright knows - Vader's big secret (i.e. his actual identity)
And, what's even better, they even brought back the same writer.
This is thus the second Thrawn book in the 'new' timeline, flitting back and forth between the 'now' (early days of the empire, just after the Clone Wars) and the 'then' (during the Clone Wars, prior to Order 66) and moving between the characters of Thrawn himself (both periods), Padme Amidala (in the 'then' only, obviously!) and Vader/Anakin ('now'/'then' respectively) - I particularly liked the way that Vader refused to remember/call Anakin by name, but only ever as 'the Jedi', even if I wasn't so sold on the description of 'second sight' (although it does 'tie in' to the movies, particularly 'The Phantom Menace' in explaining how Jedi reflexes seem so fast).
And yes, I'm pretty sure that Thrawn expects - if not outright knows - Vader's big secret (i.e. his actual identity)
theroguerebels's review against another edition
4.0
In some ways, this is the simplest Thrawn story ever…
In other ways, it’s very complicated. We follow Thrawn through two separate adventures in two separate times in his life working with two familiar faces who are actually one person!
Boom. Mind blown.
One story details Thrawn’s adventure during the Clone Wars teaming up with Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. The other story deals with Thrawn teaming up with Darth Vader on a mission to Batuu after destroying the Rebel base on Atollon in the season 3 finale of Star Wars Rebels: Zero Hour.
Both adventures take place on Batuu at the edge of wild space which is another interesting connection. The setting and some of the circumstances provide for lots of interesting moments between Thrawn and his current ally.
The plot of both adventures is more straightforward than any other Thrawn book I’ve encountered. The great thing about this book isn’t the puzzle pieces of putting together Thrawn’s mysterious plans, it’s seeing Thrawn interact with some very familiar characters and learning their secrets.
All in all this book is worth the read. The inclusion of so many familiar characters for Thrawn to interact with really makes the moments here. Some of my favorites? The fight in the cantina, a song for the departed, cloaking devices and gravity wells, moving moons, Skywalking through hyperspace, failure at Atollon, the unbelievable Bendu, ceremonial daggers, cortosis, the Grysks, the empty armor, the Clone Armor, Serrenian royalty, The Jedi, TIE Defender suggestions, Jedi attire observations, the Phoenix Cell, the Ascendancy, the Darkhawk, Blurrgfire, Meese Caulf, and the one man Marg Sabl!
The book is basically two straight forward stories involving Thrawn and his cooperation with Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Watching the Grand Admiral piece together the mysteries of The Jedi is definitely my favorite thing to watch unfold in this story. As is Vader’s interests of Thrawn’s true loyalties. While not necessarily far-reaching or on any grand scale, it is wonderfully interesting along with seeing the direct comparison of Skywalker and Vader’s battle tactics and approach.
– Sal P.
“The warrior’s path lies before us. Let us see where it leads.”
– Thrawn
In other ways, it’s very complicated. We follow Thrawn through two separate adventures in two separate times in his life working with two familiar faces who are actually one person!
Boom. Mind blown.
One story details Thrawn’s adventure during the Clone Wars teaming up with Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. The other story deals with Thrawn teaming up with Darth Vader on a mission to Batuu after destroying the Rebel base on Atollon in the season 3 finale of Star Wars Rebels: Zero Hour.
Both adventures take place on Batuu at the edge of wild space which is another interesting connection. The setting and some of the circumstances provide for lots of interesting moments between Thrawn and his current ally.
The plot of both adventures is more straightforward than any other Thrawn book I’ve encountered. The great thing about this book isn’t the puzzle pieces of putting together Thrawn’s mysterious plans, it’s seeing Thrawn interact with some very familiar characters and learning their secrets.
All in all this book is worth the read. The inclusion of so many familiar characters for Thrawn to interact with really makes the moments here. Some of my favorites? The fight in the cantina, a song for the departed, cloaking devices and gravity wells, moving moons, Skywalking through hyperspace, failure at Atollon, the unbelievable Bendu, ceremonial daggers, cortosis, the Grysks, the empty armor, the Clone Armor, Serrenian royalty, The Jedi, TIE Defender suggestions, Jedi attire observations, the Phoenix Cell, the Ascendancy, the Darkhawk, Blurrgfire, Meese Caulf, and the one man Marg Sabl!
The book is basically two straight forward stories involving Thrawn and his cooperation with Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Watching the Grand Admiral piece together the mysteries of The Jedi is definitely my favorite thing to watch unfold in this story. As is Vader’s interests of Thrawn’s true loyalties. While not necessarily far-reaching or on any grand scale, it is wonderfully interesting along with seeing the direct comparison of Skywalker and Vader’s battle tactics and approach.
– Sal P.
“The warrior’s path lies before us. Let us see where it leads.”
– Thrawn
jonbabcock's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
telltalepage's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not entirely sure if it was because the plot was hard to follow, or if it was because I read this during a reading slump, but I didn't enjoy this as much as the first rebooted Thrawn novel.
Plot wise, this took place in two times: during the end of the Clone Wars, and during the height of the Empire. During the Clone Wars, Padme Amidala follows one of her former handmaidens to an Outer Rim planet and Anakin follows after to make sure she didn't fall into trouble. When arriving in Batuu airspace, Anakin bumps into the Chiss, Thrawn, who joins forces with the Jedi to find Padme. In the "present" time, the Emperor sends Darth Vader and Admiral Thrawn to Batuu, where he sensed a disturbance in the Force. The two stories intertwine, naturally.
I have never read a Star Wars novel involving Vader before; it was a unique experience to read bits of this from his point of view, as he is probably one of the most complex and unique characters in the Star Wars universe. At times I found it very funny to think of Vader doing all of these things, since I often picture him as being stiff: both in physical form (he mostly stands around in the movies) and in fighting form, and yet he was given a bit more life in this book. Thrawn, as always, was just as annoying perfect as in his first novel, but perhaps moreso now that he held the reins of his story instead of Eli Vanto. I missed Thrawn's narrative from the first novel but I understand that it's been many years and he's obviously grown more as a character and into his role for the Empire by now. It broke my heart a little to read about Anakin, especially as it paired with him later in life as Vader. Padme was a nice addition, as her negotiation skills and intelligence brought a human flare to the affair on Batuu.
As for the writing style, Zahn is by far my favorite Star Wars novelist (thus far) so I'm not sure why I didn't connect to the plot more this time around. The story jumped between two periods of time, as I mentioned before, but it wasn't consistent. It was like every other chapter, so I often found myself trying to remind myself where I was in each timeline every time I started a new chapter. The story was told in Anakin, Padme, Thrawn, and Vader's point of views, which meant that the story jumped around a lot. It was still flawlessly written, and I enjoyed reading about how a Jedi uses the Force.
All in all, I enjoyed this, just not as much as I'd hoped. I may try rereading it when I'm not in such a reading slump to see if I enjoy it more!
Plot wise, this took place in two times: during the end of the Clone Wars, and during the height of the Empire. During the Clone Wars, Padme Amidala follows one of her former handmaidens to an Outer Rim planet and Anakin follows after to make sure she didn't fall into trouble. When arriving in Batuu airspace, Anakin bumps into the Chiss, Thrawn, who joins forces with the Jedi to find Padme. In the "present" time, the Emperor sends Darth Vader and Admiral Thrawn to Batuu, where he sensed a disturbance in the Force. The two stories intertwine, naturally.
I have never read a Star Wars novel involving Vader before; it was a unique experience to read bits of this from his point of view, as he is probably one of the most complex and unique characters in the Star Wars universe. At times I found it very funny to think of Vader doing all of these things, since I often picture him as being stiff: both in physical form (he mostly stands around in the movies) and in fighting form, and yet he was given a bit more life in this book. Thrawn, as always, was just as annoying perfect as in his first novel, but perhaps moreso now that he held the reins of his story instead of Eli Vanto. I missed Thrawn's narrative from the first novel but I understand that it's been many years and he's obviously grown more as a character and into his role for the Empire by now. It broke my heart a little to read about Anakin, especially as it paired with him later in life as Vader. Padme was a nice addition, as her negotiation skills and intelligence brought a human flare to the affair on Batuu.
As for the writing style, Zahn is by far my favorite Star Wars novelist (thus far) so I'm not sure why I didn't connect to the plot more this time around. The story jumped between two periods of time, as I mentioned before, but it wasn't consistent. It was like every other chapter, so I often found myself trying to remind myself where I was in each timeline every time I started a new chapter. The story was told in Anakin, Padme, Thrawn, and Vader's point of views, which meant that the story jumped around a lot. It was still flawlessly written, and I enjoyed reading about how a Jedi uses the Force.
All in all, I enjoyed this, just not as much as I'd hoped. I may try rereading it when I'm not in such a reading slump to see if I enjoy it more!
Spoiler
PS. Thrawn instantly knowing Anakin and Padme were romantically involved and (almost?) instantly knowing Vader was Anakin was literally the best part of this entire novel. I screamed at the last few pages.joeyc1110's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lori85's review against another edition
3.0
Not as fun as the first book. Too many action sequences whereas the previous one had a lot of world-building and politics.
kerrycat's review against another edition
5.0
oh.my.heart.
thought I was prepared for the Vader/Anakin psychological mess but no - the Ahsoka reference was a hard hit, too
thought I was prepared for the Vader/Anakin psychological mess but no - the Ahsoka reference was a hard hit, too