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paulviebranz 's review for:
Thrawn
by Timothy Zahn
As a fan of Star Wars Rebels who hasn't read any of the Legends novels featuring the Grand Admiral, and as somebody who has found the canon books about 3/4 hit to 1/4 miss so far, I went into this novel with fairly tempered expectations.
I was pleased to find myself totally enthralled in this story at every turn, from Thrawn's initial foray into the Empire; through Eli Vanto's Imperial coming-of-age; and Rebels' Governor Pryce's ascension through the Empire's bureaucratic hierarchy. Each of the three protagonists perspectives is distinct and engaging, and they are interwoven narratively and editorially to great effect.
My favorite aspect of the novel is its showcase of the Imperial fleet as more than just an evil force-- it is full of people just doing their jobs, who have no idea the treachery of the likes of Palpatine and Tarkin. Thrawn and Vanto both have their own reasons for joining the Empire, and frankly, after reading this book, even having rooted steadfastly against him on the animated series, I'm not convinced that he's really an evil person at all. He values loyalty and seeks order, and unfortunately for him he has placed his loyalty with the Emperor, and Phoenix Squadron is disrupting his order. In another galaxy, Thrawn could have been discovered by the Alliance, and been used just as effectively against the Empire.
Zahn's writing is fantastic from beginning to end. After the bafflingly contemporary stylized writing of Wendig and Older in Aftermath and Last Shot, I am very happy to be back in the hands of somebody whose sense of Star Wars gels better with my own. I particularly enjoy the bits of insight into Thrawn's thought processes.
While I would warn that this novel is not heavy with action, and is much more squarely dedicated to exploring the growth of Thrawn, Vanto, and Pryce as characters through riddles and politics, I can emphatically recommend this book to anybody for whom that type of story sounds appealing. This book peels back a few layers of Thrawn's character without drastically altering what we already know, and it does so in a mystery narrative that kept me reading straight through until the end.
I was pleased to find myself totally enthralled in this story at every turn, from Thrawn's initial foray into the Empire; through Eli Vanto's Imperial coming-of-age; and Rebels' Governor Pryce's ascension through the Empire's bureaucratic hierarchy. Each of the three protagonists perspectives is distinct and engaging, and they are interwoven narratively and editorially to great effect.
My favorite aspect of the novel is its showcase of the Imperial fleet as more than just an evil force-- it is full of people just doing their jobs, who have no idea the treachery of the likes of Palpatine and Tarkin. Thrawn and Vanto both have their own reasons for joining the Empire, and frankly, after reading this book, even having rooted steadfastly against him on the animated series, I'm not convinced that he's really an evil person at all. He values loyalty and seeks order, and unfortunately for him he has placed his loyalty with the Emperor, and Phoenix Squadron is disrupting his order. In another galaxy, Thrawn could have been discovered by the Alliance, and been used just as effectively against the Empire.
Zahn's writing is fantastic from beginning to end. After the bafflingly contemporary stylized writing of Wendig and Older in Aftermath and Last Shot, I am very happy to be back in the hands of somebody whose sense of Star Wars gels better with my own. I particularly enjoy the bits of insight into Thrawn's thought processes.
While I would warn that this novel is not heavy with action, and is much more squarely dedicated to exploring the growth of Thrawn, Vanto, and Pryce as characters through riddles and politics, I can emphatically recommend this book to anybody for whom that type of story sounds appealing. This book peels back a few layers of Thrawn's character without drastically altering what we already know, and it does so in a mystery narrative that kept me reading straight through until the end.