Reviews

Heir to the Empire deserves the reputation it has earned. The book masterfully captures the essence of the original trilogy, continuing the story in an organic way, while introducing some extremely captivating new characters, such as Thrawn, Pellaeon, Mara Jade, C'baoth and, perhaps most surprisingly, Karrde. It's true that you could argue that the author relied heavily on elements from the classic trilogy (perhaps even too much), but I can imagine that this was important at a time when there were no new stories in the galaxy, nor the possibility of revisiting the movies as we do today.

The stars of the book are undoubtedly Han Solo (you get the feeling that Zahn's favourite is our smuggler) and Luke Skywalker, but I think there's a good distribution of attention between the main characters, although I hope to see more emphasis on Leia in the next books.

It's true that some of the ideas presented in the book no longer fit perfectly with the canon. However, that doesn't compromise the pleasure of simply enjoying the story.

The audiobook version, narrated by the phenomenal Marc Thompson, elevates the experience even further, as is usual with Star Wars audiobook productions.

Heir to the Empire is an extremely entertaining read, with an excellent pace that easily keeps you hooked. For all Star Wars fans who want to see more thrilling, high-risk adventures with our classic heroes, this book is a must.

Looking forward to continuing the trilogy!

jasonlee77's review against another edition

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4.0

I’ve wanted to read this for many years and as they say; better late than never!

I had so much fun with this first book in the series! To see the Star Wars Universe carry on, 5 years after The Return Of The Jedi is quite amazing! The whole crews here, with so many added characters. Thrawn being the biggest addition to Star Wars lure here.

Thrawn is interesting and it’s captivating to see his gradual build here, as a character and a leader of the fledgling Empire. I don’t know the story and haven’t read the reboot series, so this is all new to me, but I can see Thrawn getting very ruthless soon. Especially once he catches up with Karrade.

I’m really glad I went ahead and got book 2 because I’m going right into that, starting tonight.

lloydie666's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

masonearnhardt's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

kasey555's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I listened to the experts and started with Timothy Zahn. I really wanted to get into the Star Wars books and the general concensus was to start with ‘Heir to the Empire.’ I have nothing to compare to yet but it is definitely more narrative than a lot of the Star Wars content. One of the pieces I really thought was unique, was that the story and set up really seemed to feel authentic to the original Star Wars story (including dialogue out of necessity). It was a great introduction to Thrawn (a Rebels charater I already LOVED). Truly I expected more from this but it was still enjoyable and will definitely finish the series. (ALSO there is an incredible audiobook read by Marc Thompson. 10/10 would recommend)

ceeess's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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