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flowerhatprincess's review
5.0
4.5 Stars
It's fast paced and has a unique cast of characters. Thrawn himself has everything come a little too easily but it's pulled off very well and shows his intellect in unique ways. Eli is probably my favorite character in the book he's just a good hearted person. Thrawn and Eli are mostly stationed in spaceships or in councel meetings in the book and while they do more talking than fighting I really enjoy their scenes.
Arihnda is the other character the book flips to and it shows the diplomatic part of the world and her character really brings you down into the world of Coroscant and shows the different levels of their society.
The plot itself was fine for an opening book, it felt more like we were just going with the flow than trying to get to a specific outcome, however many interesting things do happen to both Thrawn and Arihnda throughout the story.
This is the first Timothy Zahn book I've read and I love his writting style- I'm excited to pick up the next two installments of this series and any of his other 40+ books.
I listened to the audible book and it had a full cast of characters and sound effects, the voice actors gave a brilliant performance- my only grip is that the length of the audiobook is a bit long.
It's fast paced and has a unique cast of characters. Thrawn himself has everything come a little too easily but it's pulled off very well and shows his intellect in unique ways. Eli is probably my favorite character in the book he's just a good hearted person. Thrawn and Eli are mostly stationed in spaceships or in councel meetings in the book and while they do more talking than fighting I really enjoy their scenes.
Arihnda is the other character the book flips to and it shows the diplomatic part of the world and her character really brings you down into the world of Coroscant and shows the different levels of their society.
The plot itself was fine for an opening book, it felt more like we were just going with the flow than trying to get to a specific outcome, however many interesting things do happen to both Thrawn and Arihnda throughout the story.
This is the first Timothy Zahn book I've read and I love his writting style- I'm excited to pick up the next two installments of this series and any of his other 40+ books.
I listened to the audible book and it had a full cast of characters and sound effects, the voice actors gave a brilliant performance- my only grip is that the length of the audiobook is a bit long.
bookish2024's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this, but between the jargon, numerous characters, and overall tedium, this was so hard to follow!
I first started reading the physical book and then I switched to audio, and that helped a little bit. I was vested up to 30%, but I kept asking myself, “Am I missing something? What is the point of all of this?” By 50% I wanted to quit, and by 85% I stopped paying attention altogether.
I first started reading the physical book and then I switched to audio, and that helped a little bit. I was vested up to 30%, but I kept asking myself, “Am I missing something? What is the point of all of this?” By 50% I wanted to quit, and by 85% I stopped paying attention altogether.
adam_z's review
3.0
Despite a slow start, the payoff was worth it. For those of us who have been intrigued by Grand Admiral Thrawn since his first appearance in the 1990's, it's an especially nice treat to finally get the backstory to one of the most intriguing characters in the Star Wars universe.
This goes from Thrawn's first encounter with the Empire on up to the events just preceding his appearance on Rebels (TV series).
I almost want to give 4 stars, but I got frustrated with all the time spent reading about Arihnda Pryce - not that it was bad, but I wanted more THRAWN.
...And was that a setup for an Eli Vanto novel I saw?
This goes from Thrawn's first encounter with the Empire on up to the events just preceding his appearance on Rebels (TV series).
I almost want to give 4 stars, but I got frustrated with all the time spent reading about Arihnda Pryce - not that it was bad, but I wanted more THRAWN.
...And was that a setup for an Eli Vanto novel I saw?
katy_ryn's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable read, especially if you have a weakness for morally ambiguous characters and imperial politics like I do.
groovydavid8's review
3.0
ugh imagine writing a character who’s literally the least interesting part of the book smh
wifi_bifi's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kbarnes0411's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- 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
4.0
choptopapologist's review
5.0
I definitely read this out of order, but I was desperate to learn more about Thrawn. He is curious, crafty, cold, and genuinely one of the coolest SW characters I have had the pleasure of reading about. This was a thrilling tale of his rise to Grand Admiral, and I am excited to see where he goes in the rest of his career with the Empire. Definitely one of my favorite SW books to date.
beachybookstack's review against another edition
4.0
Journey to Grand Admiral basically. The slow reveal of the Death Star project was subtle enough early in the book but becomes really obvious despite not being discussed until the last chapter. I find that Thrawn is interesting and his preference for limiting civilian casualties is... admirable. Meanwhile, Arihnda Pryce just slow falls down the path of power to being a POS politician. Eli is probably the most moral main character as he learns the ropes of imperial tactics. Having him sent off to the Ascendancy was nice of Thrawn lol I'm curious to see if that goes anywhere in the next book.
The full audiobook production was great, music and effects. The narrator, Marc Thompson, gave each character their own personality.
"The malice fades but never entirely disappears" is the perfect description of the Emperor. The stream of Thrawn's internal observations are odd but you get used to them as his thoughts reveal whether he trusts other people or not.
The full audiobook production was great, music and effects. The narrator, Marc Thompson, gave each character their own personality.
"The malice fades but never entirely disappears" is the perfect description of the Emperor. The stream of Thrawn's internal observations are odd but you get used to them as his thoughts reveal whether he trusts other people or not.