Heir to the Empire (Star Wars) (Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy , #1)

by Timothy Zahn

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.

• ISBN10: 0593024818
• ISBN13: 9780593024812
• Publish Date: 8 August 1991 (first published 1 May 1991)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 10 December 1993
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Bantam Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 409
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jennifer | Pushing Pages]

I meant to actually finish this earlier this past week, but time flies when you're an exhausted adult. Ha... hahaha... h a.

This book was fantastic. Zahn is a titan when it comes to 'Star Wars' fiction. My best friend Melody purchased this novel for me for either my birthday or a Christmas, and I've been holding onto it since, waiting for the right moment to dive in.

This novel takes place after Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi. Leia and Han are married, expecting twins. Luke is feeling the pressures of being a Jedi/Jedi Knight, and one of the few remaining that he is in contact with. Leia is practicing her Force-sensitive talents. The droids are being my fav robot sons. Chewie is still large and in-charge, and the Empire is still trying to keep their momentum and take over the galaxies within reach despite their losses. The New Republic has stood up from the ashes of the war before it, to be the face of democracy in a time of little direction. And at the forefront of Zahn's novel, Grand Admiral Thrawn has assumed his position and taken on a full-frontal assault to track down the Skywalker twins and soon-to-be Solo twins.

Zahn gives you a full-view of the worlds that were otherwise un-visited through just the films. Most SW fans, however, know that in order to get to know the full breadth of SW lore, we have to rely on more than just the films. My only "complaint" about this novel, is that the descriptions for these worlds were a little lacking in places. There were some settings that I could picture on my own - whether or not it was his vision or not - while some worlds I wouldn't have completely understood their makeup without having already known about them from previous stories or games. But even then, you're building a story based on an already-existing world. Which isn't easy, because how can you ever do it in a way that's new or helpful to an audience that will pick up the book? Overall, the book completely captures the attitudes, mannerisms, manners and speech patterns of our well-known characters while illuminating spaces of lesser-known characters. At the end of the day, that's the main reason to love and enjoy this series from its start. It feels familiar and true.

Also, the unexpected twists and turns that Zahn takes you down with Thrawn's enigmatic military strategies is so enticing. And, at least for this novel, most of the perspective of these commands come from those in his fleet reacting to situations, rather than Thrawn himself. This distance only builds more mystery and tension in learning more about who Thrawn is as a strategist, leader and person.