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A review by sl6677
The Last Command by Timothy Zahn
4.0
I am being lazy and am writing this review for all three books in the trilogy. It is also a very short review.
In my obviously biased opinion:
1. Zahn has created the most compelling Star Wars 'villain' since the original Darth Vader in Grand Admiral Thrawn. This includes every other Vader clone, Mary Sue-type troperific Big Bad, and most of all Boba Fett and any evil character from the unfortunate lesser six films.
The man studies a culture's artwork and through this insight figures out how to beat them in battle. Or, he does it as a ruse to confound enemy spies about his true military and tactical genius. Clever bastard.
2. The Expanded Universe could have stopped with these novels and we might all be better for it. Though I suppose the X-wing series can be given a pass.
3. The trilogy possesses the epic scope of the first three films while still delving into unknown areas in the SW Universe, and set the bar extraordinarily high for every EU author since. Even Zahn's other novels in the series just cannot compare.
4. The Noghri are one of the most interesting alien species in the entire SW Universe and are criminally underused. Their story is reminiscent of dozens of cultures throughout Earth's bloody history; a people deceived into enslaving themselves to those who caused a catastrophic diaspora in their past. The Empire did not merely subjugate these people, they systemically and secretly poisoned the environment to ensure their loyalty for the promise of renewal through technology. In the SW films the Empire was always presented as so powerful as to not need such tactics. I think Zahn presented a much more realistic kind of tyranny.
As a kid I devoured this trilogy at least once a year all through middle and high school. It's just pure entertainment and Zahn, much like Lucas before he turned shill, clearly studies at the Joseph Campbell school of heroic sagas.
In my obviously biased opinion:
1. Zahn has created the most compelling Star Wars 'villain' since the original Darth Vader in Grand Admiral Thrawn. This includes every other Vader clone, Mary Sue-type troperific Big Bad, and most of all Boba Fett and any evil character from the unfortunate lesser six films.
The man studies a culture's artwork and through this insight figures out how to beat them in battle. Or, he does it as a ruse to confound enemy spies about his true military and tactical genius. Clever bastard.
2. The Expanded Universe could have stopped with these novels and we might all be better for it. Though I suppose the X-wing series can be given a pass.
3. The trilogy possesses the epic scope of the first three films while still delving into unknown areas in the SW Universe, and set the bar extraordinarily high for every EU author since. Even Zahn's other novels in the series just cannot compare.
4. The Noghri are one of the most interesting alien species in the entire SW Universe and are criminally underused. Their story is reminiscent of dozens of cultures throughout Earth's bloody history; a people deceived into enslaving themselves to those who caused a catastrophic diaspora in their past. The Empire did not merely subjugate these people, they systemically and secretly poisoned the environment to ensure their loyalty for the promise of renewal through technology. In the SW films the Empire was always presented as so powerful as to not need such tactics. I think Zahn presented a much more realistic kind of tyranny.
As a kid I devoured this trilogy at least once a year all through middle and high school. It's just pure entertainment and Zahn, much like Lucas before he turned shill, clearly studies at the Joseph Campbell school of heroic sagas.