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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
Timothy Zahn has done it again, and has written easily the best book of the new canon. Thrawn's origin story reenforces what we learned about his character from his re-arrival in Rebels- that despite being de-canonized at one point, Thrawn remains one of the finest characters that Star Wars has to offer. There are allusions to mysteries that will no doubt be better spelled out in future films, but I won't spoil them here. One of the books most spirited strengths is that there's enough here to satisfy science fiction fans, the casual Star Wars fan, and even those severely put off by the dismissal of the original, masterful Thrawn trilogy. I can only hope that they keep Zahn on as a writer for the new canon, but more importantly that Thrawn survives Rebels and has run-ins with the original trilogy characters.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Super fun read! Love Star Wars, it was great to read my first Star Wars story and it be such a great book.
My hot take: Thrawn was a more interesting character in Rebels than Zahn’s books. And that was a low bar.
An incredibly boring story more focused on political maneuvering and ladder climbing than military strategy or literally any character development.
An incredibly boring story more focused on political maneuvering and ladder climbing than military strategy or literally any character development.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It has been almost 20 years since I last read a Star Wars novel. I read a handful of them in early middle school and enjoyed them quite a lot. I don't remember much about them, but I do remember that they (and the Harry Potter books) introduced me to fantasy, which is a genre I'm very familiar with now. I'm sure nostalgia played a role, but this was a genuinely fun read. It was exactly what the doctor ordered after reading three dense tomes back-to-back-to-back. Like ginger in between bites of sushi, this was a superb palate cleanser.
Star Wars: Thrawn focuses on three main characters, one of which undergoes a fantastic character development arc. The other two experience some change, but it's largely along a predictable track. I won't spoil names, but the character arc of the first person I mentioned is absolutely fantastic. It's difficult to write development arcs as well as Mr. Zahn did.
I was drawn to the Thrawn series because the titular character is mentioned in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. I really enjoyed The Mandalorian, so I figured that I better read up on Thrawn. He becomes an important character in the Galactic Empire. Speaking of which, the novel provides a refreshing look at the Empire. In the movies, it is an evil dictatorship, which makes sense because the protagonists are rebels. But in Thrawn, the Empire is described as mundane and bureaucratic. Rebels and insurgents are the bad guys from this perspective.
In short, I liked the book a lot. It was very well-written and absolutely worth borrowing from my local library. If you like political machinations, morally gray characters, and a hyperintelligent Sherlock Holmes/Jack Ryan type protagonist, you'll probably like Star Wars: Thrawn.
Star Wars: Thrawn focuses on three main characters, one of which undergoes a fantastic character development arc. The other two experience some change, but it's largely along a predictable track. I won't spoil names, but the character arc of the first person I mentioned is absolutely fantastic. It's difficult to write development arcs as well as Mr. Zahn did.
I was drawn to the Thrawn series because the titular character is mentioned in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. I really enjoyed The Mandalorian, so I figured that I better read up on Thrawn. He becomes an important character in the Galactic Empire. Speaking of which, the novel provides a refreshing look at the Empire. In the movies, it is an evil dictatorship, which makes sense because the protagonists are rebels. But in Thrawn, the Empire is described as mundane and bureaucratic. Rebels and insurgents are the bad guys from this perspective.
In short, I liked the book a lot. It was very well-written and absolutely worth borrowing from my local library. If you like political machinations, morally gray characters, and a hyperintelligent Sherlock Holmes/Jack Ryan type protagonist, you'll probably like Star Wars: Thrawn.