Title: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

Author: Timothy Zahn

Series: Thrawn Trilogy #1

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: It is a time of renewal, five years after the destruction of the Death Star and the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire. But with the war seemingly won, strains are beginning to show in the Rebel Alliance. New challenges to galactic peace have arisen. And Luke Skywalker hears a voice from his past. A voice with a warning. Beware the dark side…. The Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet back into barely a quarter of the territory that they once controlled. Leia and Han are married, are expecting Jedi twins, and have shouldered heavy burdens in the government of the new Republic. And Luke Skywalker is the first in a hoped-for new line of Jedi Knights. But thousands of light years away, where a few skirmishes are still taking place, the last of the Emperor’s warlords has taken command of the remains of the Imperial fleet. He has made two vital discoveries that could destroy the fragile new Republic—built with such cost to the Rebel Alliance. The tale that emerges is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale—in short, a story that is worthy of the name Star Wars. –Goodreads

The Review:

Well, color me a Star Wars nut -> I loved this!

I don’t know why only just now I’m suddenly all fired up about diving into the SW Universe. Maybe it was coming away from The Rise of Skywalker (Episode 9…) feeling disappointed in the cheap trick writing and lack of any meaningful conclusions. Maybe it was also catching Mike’s Book Reviews’ really good video about where to start in the SWU, which might have removed the intimidation factor I felt of trying to pick a place to jump in. Whatever the case, I’m happy it led me here now.

Here’s the thing about the Thrawn Trilogy – it’s a direct continuation after Return of the Jedi. And it was written in 1991!! You mean to tell me that I could’ve been discovering what happens next THIS WHOLE TIME?! Good hell, I don’t even think I saw the original films until after these were written.

And with such amazing cannon stories right at our fingertips it begs the question: why didn’t someone just adapt THIS instead of messing around with everything else on the market? These are great! A most excellent new villian (no, Palpatine did not somehow return), all the characters we know and love, plenty of space battles and action, and a fun new set of conflicts that play out like a cinematic production in your head.

If you hadn’t heard, Disney arbitrarily decided everything that had once been cannon is no longer. I’m of the opinion that THIS is the bonafide Lucas-approved cannon, and nothing Disney delcares will convince me otherwise. It almost seeems as if they were just too lazy to do any research on what had been written and that scrapping it all was someone’s brilliant quick fix. After all, who needs years of carefully thought-out lore when all you plan to do is make shitty movies anyway?

Apparently I’ve internalized some hostility I didn’t know I was harboring.

Anyway, I experienced this on audio and it’s the way to go. It includes the recognizable cinematic music during the intro and various action scenes throughout. It offers sound effects and other ambiance noises (would someone please find out what is making that goddmaned beeping noise?), and the voice actor does awesome impression of the main characters (AND Chewy, C3PO, and R2D2, who sound like themselves – woot!). It’s a true experience, and I wasn’t kidding when I said it was like watching a movie.

Overall, I’m so excited to be dipping my toes into these stories, and can’t wait to read more of this genuine continuation. :)

Recommendations: if you’re a Star Wars fan or have been looking for a reason to become one, give this a try! It’s wonderfully nostalgic, tons of fun, and so, so satisfying in it’s role as the TRUE continuation to Luke, Leia, and Han’s stories.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Tracey, Dagmara, and Poochtee! <3

by Niki Hawkes