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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
The Hand of Thrawn duology should be a movie. Or movies. Or TV-series, animated series or any other cinematographic adaptation you can think of. When I finally put down the book after an almost non-stop read, my first thought was: "Yes. This is Star Wars."
Specter of the Past set up a great premises for a good storyline and Vision of the Future has clearly come to the potential, even exceeding it. The plot was not entirely foreseeable and in places where it was, the characters even implied that something was bound to fail. There is just the right amount of action added to the adventure combined with some good places of suspense and scheming, topped up with realistic dialogues and interactions.
Just as in Specter of the Past most characters are kept into their canonical selves, keeping in mind the great time that has passed since the movies' (and the reader is constantly reminded how many years it has been. The level of character development is moderate, probably most evident in Luke and all of his dilemmas. Several characters were introduced anew, but the plotline mostly kept to the known characters with all the limitations it set in place (no, he's not dead, because that'd break the space and time continuum) and it done so very well.
Now I'm still a newcomer to Star Wars novels, but this book seems to contain a greater deal of romance than the average. It has a great deal of jedi-esque (there is no emotion, there is peace, therefore we must never tell our true feelings and all that) romance and a good deal of Leia worrying about Han and Han worrying about Leia and some other characters either sending loving eyes at each other (or blaster bolts at the bad guys they're against) in addition to several implied situations. While normally I don't like my science fiction sweet, this time it sort of adds to the charm.
However be aware that this book will spoil you in at least two ways:
1. Just like the Thrawn Trilogy, it sets up high expectations for other Star Wars books, expectations that are rarely met.
2. If you haven't read any other Star Wars books, it will spoil a great many events that occur up to the events of the book.
Specter of the Past set up a great premises for a good storyline and Vision of the Future has clearly come to the potential, even exceeding it. The plot was not entirely foreseeable and in places where it was, the characters even implied that something was bound to fail. There is just the right amount of action added to the adventure combined with some good places of suspense and scheming, topped up with realistic dialogues and interactions.
Just as in Specter of the Past most characters are kept into their canonical selves, keeping in mind the great time that has passed since the movies' (and the reader is constantly reminded how many years it has been. The level of character development is moderate, probably most evident in Luke and all of his dilemmas. Several characters were introduced anew, but the plotline mostly kept to the known characters with all the limitations it set in place (no, he's not dead, because that'd break the space and time continuum) and it done so very well.
Now I'm still a newcomer to Star Wars novels, but this book seems to contain a greater deal of romance than the average. It has a great deal of jedi-esque (there is no emotion, there is peace, therefore we must never tell our true feelings and all that) romance and a good deal of Leia worrying about Han and Han worrying about Leia and some other characters either sending loving eyes at each other (or blaster bolts at the bad guys they're against) in addition to several implied situations. While normally I don't like my science fiction sweet, this time it sort of adds to the charm.
However be aware that this book will spoil you in at least two ways:
1. Just like the Thrawn Trilogy, it sets up high expectations for other Star Wars books, expectations that are rarely met.
2. If you haven't read any other Star Wars books, it will spoil a great many events that occur up to the events of the book.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When I started reading these two Hand of Thrawn books, I was kind of confused by all the characters and where they were all going - literally all over the galaxy and beyond. But then Timothy Zahn brings the threads together in some crazy and exciting ways and I couldn't put it down towards the end.
I waffle between a 3 and 4 star review and here’s why. This duo, along with “Specter of the Past”, was another great storytelling by Timothy Zahn. His writing is great, thorough, and you can really picture the events that are unfolding as you read them. The three stars come in in that I feel there were far too many characters to follow and seemed like far too many statements or conversations in which characters addressed events that occurred in the many other books in the Star Wars non-canon universe. It made this particular story fall flat to me. Again, still great storytelling and he did his best considering he had to include all the other nonsense since his “Heir to the Empire” trilogy, but ugh. “Heir to the Empire” continues to remain at the top of my list.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Yes
3.5 stars
This one was a little more interesting than the first book in the duology, but still not nearly as good as the original Thrawn trilogy. There was still too much politicking, travelling, and scheming going on for my taste. The only sections that really grabbed my attention were Mara and Luke's. They explored what it means to be a Jedi and actually uncovered "The Hand of Thrawn". Han, Leia, Lando, and Talon did eventually. But that happened quickly and all at the very end. For most of the book they were just spinning their wheels and bouncing around the galaxy.
This series is a pretty decent addition to the collection of any Star Wars fan. It's well-written and does give you a lot of lore to sink your teeth into. But if you are going in hoping for action and adventure (like I was), you'll be a bit disappointed.
*Update*
I just found out there is a sequel to this duology, called "Survivor's Quest", that delves into Thrawn's plans to explore the Outer Rim. "Vision of the Future" eluded to Thrawn's goal of seeking unity in the galaxy but never told us if there was a reason for that. Could it be that there is a bigger threat in the Outer Rim that could endanger the entire galaxy?? Now I gotta get another book... :)
This one was a little more interesting than the first book in the duology, but still not nearly as good as the original Thrawn trilogy. There was still too much politicking, travelling, and scheming going on for my taste. The only sections that really grabbed my attention were Mara and Luke's. They explored what it means to be a Jedi and actually uncovered "The Hand of Thrawn". Han, Leia, Lando, and Talon did eventually
Spoiler
help Pellion to stop the war and bring about peaceThis series is a pretty decent addition to the collection of any Star Wars fan. It's well-written and does give you a lot of lore to sink your teeth into. But if you are going in hoping for action and adventure (like I was), you'll be a bit disappointed.
*Update*
I just found out there is a sequel to this duology, called "Survivor's Quest", that delves into Thrawn's plans to explore the Outer Rim. "Vision of the Future" eluded to Thrawn's goal of seeking unity in the galaxy but never told us if there was a reason for that. Could it be that there is a bigger threat in the Outer Rim that could endanger the entire galaxy?? Now I gotta get another book... :)
I had the same trouble getting through this book as the first one. The story really dragged in places.
I think I thought the romance between Luke and Mara was sweet when I read it the first time, but it was so clumsy. Not creepy or bad, just not very well developed.
I think I thought the romance between Luke and Mara was sweet when I read it the first time, but it was so clumsy. Not creepy or bad, just not very well developed.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
bit too long