Heir to the Empire (Star Wars - The Thrawn Trilogy

A long time ago, in a book store far away, someone suggested Timothy Zahn to me. I skimmed the first few pages, and in my impatient youth, shoved the book back onto the shelf with a muttered "Nah..."
But that's not a BAD thing. That's a GOOD thing. Because I read it last week, and was totally blown away.
Characters... the portrayal of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and all the others we know so well was solid. Mara Jade is just tremendously entertaining, and Captain Pellaeon is a terrific window into the Imperial Activities.
Grand Admiral Thrawn... "Whoa". A tactical genius with an awesome talent for determining a species' military blind spots from their artwork, Thrawn is controlled, precise, coldly calculating and even entertaining. There were points where I was cheering for him, only to be turned right around when he went after my favorite folks in the New Republic.
Great bad-guys are a rare and valuable thing. Thrawn qualifies completely.
The story is compelling, and there is no deux es machina (god in a box) ending in this. It goes on until the tale is told. A great novel, and I am pleased to have finally read it. And four other Star Wars novels by the same author.:)
Warning: It ends on a cliff-hanger. Great book, and the sequel... well, read the reviews. Read MY review. But whichever, read the books.
If you liked Wedge's Gamble, Isard's Revenge, or Solo Command, you'll dig this.

This series is a lot of fun, unlike many other books which were created from either television shows or movies. I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about, having skimmed The Hand of Thrawn Trilogy by the same author, I was quite sure what to expect... pleasantly surprised!

This series part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe - a universe put together chiefly by authors whom have written about characters or stories dealing with characters related to the Star Wars universe set forth by George Lucas. Much of the Expanded Universe is set forth in comic book form, while a small majority has made it as actual novels. George Lucas is not responsible for the independent growth of the Expanded Universe. Writers like Timothy Zahn are writers whose works have surpassed George Lucas's films by leaps and bounds.

Heir to the Empire tells the story of Grand Admiral Thrawn, a Chiss (an overly intelligent humanoid race whose eyes are read and whose skin is blue), and his quest to resurrect the fallen Empire after the Imperial defeat mentioned in the three original Star Wars movies. Thrawn isn't you average human character with ideologies which match human ideologies... he plays the part well of a cold and calculating Chiss whose only goal is to bring order and strength to the universe, order in the form of the Empire.

This novel is truly interesting because even if you weren't all that interested in a sci-fi read before, Zahn has the amazing military know how to make this novel appealing to anyone who likes reading about technical things (even if they are made up for the most part), or intense military battles (Zahn is a master at this, unparalleled in sci-fi/fantasy writings for it). The novel is a quick read, with fun characters if not a bit flat (as one would expect from many books which were somehow based off of movies), and fun around every corner for both younger and older audiences alike!

But it wouldn't be completely fair to Mr. Zahn to name only the good things about the book and inevitably the series as a whole.

As mentioned at times the characters seem a bit flat. For instance, while it is a great idea it comes across as a little bogus that Grand Admiral Thrawn could determine personality types and therefore individuals' courses of action on the battlefield. Is that really a big deal? Not really, what is though happens to be that the Grand Admiral Thrawn has little to no personality of his own - his subordinates have even less, as Zahn seemingly tries to have Thrawn's second in command - a man by the name of Palleon - have feelings about his former boss and compare those feelings to how he feels about the Grand Admiral. In the end this completely fails since no character is given a paragraph worth of description or explanation as to why they think the way they do.

Admittedly Grand Admiral Thrawn's intelligence is not obvious to the reader - that is to say any supremely logical connections he makes cannot be figured out by the reader, not because he's so intelligent, but because there's nothing to really figure out... Zahn makes it up as he goes along.

You end up liking the characters in this trilogy for who they seem to be through their actions and dialogue (which there is plenty of), the short amount of highly technical description you are given (which is presented in a "high quality" way), and any information you can bring with you from the Expanded Universe (if you don't have any, there is a good chance you might have missed a lot when reading the novels). If you don't know that much about Star Wars and/or the Expanded Universe, or don't care for it, you might not enjoy this series at all.

Despite some flaws which could have easily been corrected (but I suppose not at the expense of keeping a relatively medium sized book), Heir to the Empire and the trilogy it starts is just damn great for fans of Star Wars and fans of the Expanded Universe. Truly adds more depth to the rich world of Star Wars! Something remarkable not seen since the original three movies, and in the end it might just surpass them in many respects!

The Thrawn Trilogy, Volume 1, Heir to the Empire

This series starts five years after "The Return of the Jedi". The last of the grand admirals, Grad Admiral Thrawn has taken control of the last of the Imperial Fleet and is putting together a plan to finish off the rebel alliance. Princess Leia and Han have been married and Leia is expecting twins and Luke attempts to continue his Jedi training with what little information has been able to uncover.

The Good: This book (and the entire series) was very good. The writer did a good job of capturing the characters and it was good to read more of them including Luke, Han, Leia, Lando, Wedge and more. The story was plotted out very well, the attack plans from Thrawn were well thought out. There is plenty of action and battles etc. and the introduction of a new Dark Jedi.

The Bad: The only thing that comes to mind was that Grand Admiral Thrawn was a little too perceptive at points. But other than that nothing comes to mind.

Overall the book was very good and definitely worth picking up if you are a Star Wars fan.

This is the best Star Wars book ever written, hands down. A strong introduction, intermediary, and conclusion help make this book the greatest. Its villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn, is one of the greatest villains ever created. He is frightening, cold blooded, and has terrific eccentricities that make him more believable. What is most unusual, and impressive about him is that he is INTELLIGENT. This is something that is far too often overlooked when you read other novels. You actually grow to respect him as the book goes on. You really have to read the books in order to understand this respect, you respect him as a person, as an adversary, and as an equal. His strategies are believable, well thought out, and understandable. Some fellow readers even would go so far as to say that they found themselves rooting for the Grand Admiral. The characters from the movies are all there, believable as ever. Luke, Han, Chewie, Lando, the droids, and Leia are all well portrayed, as well as several other characters who you might have noticed in the backgrounds. None of the intertwining plot lines ever even borders on confusing, and you are always on the edge of your seat. When I first read this book, it was the first Star Wars book I ever read. I went up to read the first few chapters, and "woke up" hours later, having finished the book's entirety. You can read any one of the trilogy as a single novel, or as part of the greater picture. It is never difficult to catch on to the characters, or their trials as they battle for control of a galaxy far, far away.

Heir to the Empire is the book that kickstarted the Expanded Universe. There were others before it, but Star Wars was all but dead when this book was released.

Pros:
-The novel is very well written. It captured the Star Wars "environment" almost perfectly and it did feel like a true extension of the series.
-The characters are wonderfully written. The author made sure that they were still the characters we know and love but also had them develop naturally as the story went on. The three new "main" characters, Mara Jade, Thrawn, and Jorrus, are interesting and leave me wanting to see a lot more of them.

Cons:
-The plot. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars so I didn't think the plot was awful, but it was definitely the weakest part of an otherwise extremely strong novel. The plot focused too much on background and buildup and towards the end you realize that you are not much further than you were when you started. Thrawn is smart, but at times I felt his intelligence was a copout to move the story forward. There was no way he knew enough information to make some of the extremely accurate predictions he made.

Overall I am extremely excited to read Dark Force Rising as I am interested to see where the story goes now that the buildup is complete.

Grand Admiral Thrawn. Those words should strike fear into any Star Wars fan. Unfortunately George Lucas scrapped the idea of "Episodes 7, 8, and 9," and so we are left with our own imaginations to fill in the missing parts of his story. To say that this man is evil, cunning, and in every way a perfect villain is simply an understatement. Much like Darth Vader (the REAL Darth Vader, not the joke impostor foisted upon us in the last 3 S.W. movies), and Peter Cushing's character in Episode 4 (er... the first Star Wars movie), and Darth Maul: we - need - more. More villainy. More Thrawn. This book is not so much a story about everyone else involved in the plot as it is an introduction to a man so devious - and - brilliant that he overshadows the very plot itself.

If you wish to know more about what happens in the book, please do read other reviews, as they will undoubtedly reveal various plot points and twists. I simply wish to enlighten you to the fact that one of Star Wars' greatest characters was born in this book and lament that it really was a shame that he did not get a starring role in a movie so that the world could witness just how dangerous men like him are. If you saw ANY of the Star Wars movies, read-this-book. It is that good, and that important to th Star Wars saga. All the rest is commentary.

In a very real sense "Heir to the Empire" is the reason there are so many Star Wars novels being published these days. While in the 1980's there were several Star Wars Expanded Universe novels published, it was not until "Heir to the Empire" that the Star Wars boom really took place for novels. "Heir to the Empire" is set five years after the events of "The Return of the Jedi" and the New Republic is growing, is gaining strength and popularity. The fight is not over, though. Grand Admiral Thrawn is still holding on to the legacy of the Empire and he continues to fight against the New Republic. What is more, he is actually starting to win battles.

Thrawn takes the fight right to the heart of the New Republic, to Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo. To the unborn children of Han and Leia. Thrawn is one of the great villains in Star Wars lore. He is powerful, ambitious, and a fully realized villain. He is worthy of opposing our heroes. He may even overcome the New Republic and bring back the Empire. This is his aim.

In more than forty Star Wars novels that I have read "Heir to the Empire" is one of the best. It is easy to see why Timothy Zahn was able to usher in this new era of Star Wars novels. It is a well written book featuring our favorite characters in a new adventure and against new and interesting villains and characters. Besides Thrawn, Zahn has also introduced Karrde and Mara Jade, two more well written and interesting characters. For the Star Wars fan this is essential reading.

-Joe Sherry

I first read this book 15 years ago, and it hasn't lost its magic. While much of the rest of the Star Wars Expanded Universe has become bogged down with irrelevant characters and unrealistic plot twists, Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire Trilogy actually manages to recapture the feeling of the original Star Wars trilogy. The original characters all play great roles and the ploy is well paced. More important, this book introduced several of the Expanded Universe's most beloved characters, from Mara Jade to Grand Admiral Thrawn. I personally love how Zahn spends so much time with the Imperials, using Captain Gilad Pellaeon as a narrative device to explain plot twists to the reader. This allows readers to appreciate Thrawn as a character, but also deftly manages to preserve some surprises. Overall, this trilogy is required reading for any Star Wars fan (the other books - not so much).

"A Jedi can't get so caught up in matters of galactic importance that it interferes with his concern for individual people"
It's had a permanent space on my top books of all time, and there is a reason. Considered by most Star Wars fans to be the best Star Wars Expanded Universe novel and the birth of Expanded Universe itself, Heir to the Empire takes off about 5 years after Return of the Jedi.
Han and Leia are married and expecting twins. Luke is a Jedi Knight. And the New Republic is in its beginning stages. But the Empire hasn't laid down to die yet. A new threat arises, in a hidden Grand Admiral, Thrawn. He has enlisted a mad Jedi Master clone, Joruus C'baoth, in his quest to destroy the Rebellion once and for all.

I Liked:
Where to begin?
The Thrawn Trilogy (of which this is the first book) has been my favorite since I first read it way back when. But as you grow up, your tastes often change. I used to adore "I, Jedi" but when I reread it, there were some parts that I just couldn't enjoy as much as I did as a teen. So I wanted to reread Heir, to see if I still felt the same way, if the book was as good as I remembered, if it still deserved its first place slot in favorite books.
The answer to all three unspoken questions is the same. Yes, yes, yes!
Timothy Zahn is such an enjoyable author! I love the way he writes; in my opinion, it is perfect for a Star Wars setting. He is obviously knowledgeable about Star Wars (at this time, the only places he had to draw on were the Original movies, Splinter of the Mind's Eye and the Han Solo and Lando Adventure books) and it shows throughout. Some say he dwells a little too often on movie events, but I think it is great. The movies were such high points for the characters; no wonder they keep thinking of them as they go throughout this novel, as they experience similar (but not the same) events.
Zahn has also managed to absolutely nail Han, Luke, and Leia, what I like to teasingly call the Trinity of Star Wars Expanded Universe. Han remains the devilish scoundrel, but with more responsibility and maturity, like he was in Return of the Jedi. Luke was done perfectly, an excellent Jedi, yet not so omniscient (like too many authors have done in more recent novels) that he can't be caught by a simple trick. Leia is still stubborn, smart, and deeply in love with Han. All in all, Zahn didn't fail me one bit. As I read each one's point of view, it was easy to think I was in a Star Wars movie!
Zahn's original characters also shine. The devoted, non-power hungry Imperials, Paelleon and Thrawn, are well written. They aren't stupid Imperials out for a land grab for the sake of a land grab. They don't giggle their plots to everyone and his mother. They don't plot evil wicked plans behind closed walls while drinking purple tea (ten points for the one who guesses which villain that represents). They don't throw Star Destroyers pell-mell at the Republic with no plan. They plot. They scheme. They move logically and methodically. Therefore, since I happen to adore the Empire for some strange reason, I find they are probably the most competent Imperials in Star Wars Expanded Universe.
As for Zahn's neutral characters, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, I was equally impressed. Mara Jade doesn't come off as a Leia clone nor does she strike me as a damsel in distress. She obviously is cold and calculating, but is far from perfect. Yeah, the red hair/green eyes combo wins her Mary Sue points, as does her angsty past, but somehow, she isn't annoying. The whole world doesn't warp to her desires, so I can live with it. As for Talon Karrde, again, we have a scoundrel, a mercenary who rises above the stupid villain caricature.
Goodness! All these words and I still haven't gotten to the meat of the book: the plot! Again, showing Zahn's grasp for the Star Wars world, Timothy Zahn has written a story that, I feel, could be made into a Star Wars movie with very little manipulation. It is that good. Heck, sometimes, I swear I can hear the music!! Our characters have motivations that make sense based on their characters (Leia being the diplomat and demanding to go to Bimmisari, Thrawn being thoughtful and calculating and ordering a three prong attack on Bpfassh to test C'baoth, Luke when dealing with being held captive by Mara Jade and Talon Karrde). People don't miraculously gain powers to suit the story's need. There are space battles, attempted kidnappings, switching ships, villains, antagonists, aliens, distant planets, seedy spaceports...all perfect elements of a Star Wars novel.

I Didn't Like:
This will get petty, I warn you.
The concept of the ysalamiri is best described in this quote from Talon Karrde (page 223): "[The ysalamiri] seem to have the unusual ability to push back the Force--to create bubbles, so to speak, where the Force simply doesn't exist."
Well, based on the New Jedi Order (and the Yuuzhan Vong who didn't exist in the Force) and the Prequels (that say all living things have midichlorians, the building blocks of the Force), this seems rather odd. Not to mention...if the Force didn't exist around these guys, wouldn't Luke have been able to sense the void of the Force? However, I feel this "error" is more of an unclear view of the Force (Zahn wrote this in 1991 when Lucas probably had no clue what the heck the Force was) than a blatant disregard on the author's part.
Zahn also has a tendency to write dialogue in the following manner: "'Not here,' Ghent shook his head nervously..." Shaking one's head, nodding, or sighing are NOT ways to express dialogue (I want to know how to nod out a word or to sigh out an entire sentence). If Zahn had switched that comma to a period, then I would be sated and have nothing to complain about. But I would be remiss if I didn't bring it up, as it was a little distracting to me.
Lastly, I was not quite convinced with Zahn's characterization of Lando. Not to say he was bad, but just that I felt that it was a bit off from the way he was in the movies.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
I can't recall a single foul word!
Leia is pregnant? Does that count?
Well, there are space battles, an enlisted gets killed for an error, Thrawn is trying to kidnap Leia and Luke, and C'baoth is just a twinge mad...

Overall:
It's been a while since I read Heir to the Empire, and, to be honest, I was afraid it wouldn't be as good as I remembered.
Well, nothing to fear! Zahn truly captivated me all over again with this winning novel! If George Lucas could take advice from him, maybe the Star Wars prequels would have turned out better!
The only unfortunate thing is that the highest rating I can give is 5. So 5 stars it is! Thank you, Timothy Zahn, for making Star Wars come alive again!

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

I started reading this book about three years ago and within a month released I was just not in to it so I put it down and returned it to the library, disenchanted. I picked it up again recently and decided to give it another go. I don't know if it is because I am now more in to Star Wars then I was three years ago or what but this time I was totally entralled. THIS IS A VERY GOOD READ.

The story line is well written. I like how the author kept very true to the characters we know from Episodes iv - vi and the way they are woven in to a very good story with the exciting new character of the Grand Admiral. Speaking of which, Grand Admiral Thrawn - Timothy Zahn, a connection perhaps?

This is definitely a recommended read. Many reviewers consider this trilogy to be one of the better ones and I can see why. I give it only 4 stars because of the fact it didn't get me first time around but once it did it stuck. If you are a fan of Star Wars you will be a fan of this book.

I normally do not read derivative fiction, but I like the Star Wars universe, and Zahn's books have been recommended to me for years. The biggest problem I have with his writing is he seriously overuses certain phrases and words, and this persists throughout the trilogy. I won't say what they are, in hopes that you won't notice. Another small objection - as someone who has seen the original Star Wars trilogy countless times, whenever a character says something in these books that they said in the movie, it really jumps out at me, and if it's a stretch to make them say it in the particular situation, it's really obvious. There were several such points in the Thrawn Trilogy. What Zahn was good at was setting a good pace, believable characterization, generally good dialogue, a competence at describing settings, and generally good plotlines. A couple of the main characters were weakly drawn, but were not distractingly bad. Overall I found the whole trilogy fairly enjoyable.

This has to be the best star wars book out there. Zahn captures the action, ezcitment, and mystery of the movies.
1) Sophisticated language makes a good book. It adds that intellignet feeling to it. 2) The intent, from my perspective, in not saying what happened to the other Grand Admirals was to allow other authors the chance to elaborate on that. Personally, I like my novels with that kind mystery in them 3) I'm 13 years old, 11 when I read the book, and I understood what "cocking and eyebrow" meant. I read that terminallagy all the time. If you adults can't see the obvious, it's not Zahn's fault 4) At the Battle of Endor, the EXECUTER was destroyed. Zahn explains quite clearly how a good deal of the Empire's best and brightest were on it. He said it was the fast track to premotion, and remember, Vader was the Emperor's right hand man. He could have gotten anyone he wanted on his own personal Star Destroyer. 5) In the novels preceding Heir to the Empire, the Empire suffered defeat after defeat at the Alliance's hands. It is perfectly pluasible that the Empire didn't have alot of ships.
Heir to the Empire was an excellent book. Zahn receives applause from not only me, but the thousands of others who enjoyed his novels. I would suggest reading the other two novels in this trilogy, and reading the Hand of Thrawn books.

I very much enjoyed this book. Unlike some of the other books in the series, it's mostly action with politics playing in the background (as opposed to the other way around). The characters were well and richly drawn, the story tight and realistic. It's one of those books where events happen very fast; it covers a relatively short time span, but a lot happens. It made me laugh out loud several times, and cringe on the character's behalf at others. I look forward to picking up the next book.

The cornerstone of the modern Star Wars Expanded Universe, Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire was published in 1991 in an environment where Star Wars was considered a dusty relic of the 70s and 80s, except to some die-hard enthusiasts. At least, that was the perception going around. The reality was there was enough latent interest in the franchise to send this book soaring up the New York Times bestseller lists. I remember at the time believing there would never be any more Star Wars films and that this trilogy would act as a surrogate Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. Well, here we are eighteen years later and we've gotten three (soon to be four with the animated Clone Wars) more films, but still no sign of the infamous sequel trilogy. So, for the time being, perhaps the Thrawn Trilogy can be considered the closest thing we've got.

In light of that, the great news is this is one of the best books of the Expanded Universe and also one of its most cinematic. Zahn moved the timeline forward to five years after Return of the Jedi, and in doing so permitted the main characters to develop beyond what we saw in the films. Han and Leia are married with twin children on the way, and Luke is laying the groundwork for the future course of the Jedi. All the usual sidekicks are back and true to their film selves.

The key, though, is the new villain Zahn introduces, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn is a character of chilling intelligence, methodically plotting and executing a return to power for the scattered remnants of the Empire. He is ably assisted by Captain Pellaeon and a well-trained Imperial force of warships and troopers. Thrawn's earliest appearance in the Expanded Universe chronologically was in the excellent novel Outbound Flight, set decades earlier. Heir to the Empire does not reveal much of the intervening decades in his life but readers of the other book will immediately recognize the portrayal and development of Thrawn here.

Another significant addition to the Star Wars galaxy in this book is Mara Jade, former Emperor's Hand and Force user turned smuggler. Mara is a strong character who tends to dominate any scene she's in, but she makes a great foil to Luke Skywalker. They are connected by surprising events from the past, casting a new light on the battle at the Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi. Mara's adversarial relationship to Luke creates many opportunities for growth in both her and Luke and Zahn handles this well.

The best thing about Thrawn is he brings a true sense of danger that was lacking in the Empire's leaders since the Battle of Endor. Ysanne Isard was smart and malicious but lacked a sweeping vision. Warlord Zsinj was somewhat clever but also a bit silly and trite. The New Republic has faced many other opponents but not any with the potential for complete ruin that Thrawn brings. The addition of the rogue Jedi Joruus C'baoth to Thrawn's forces completes building the most credible threat the fledging government has faced in the Expanded Universe.

The storyline itself works well both as a largely standalone episode, not dissimilar to A New Hope, but also in planting the seeds for the two sequels. The storyline itself is well-crafted and marries perfectly with Zahn's strong characterizations. This book is essential reading for any fan wanting to enter the Star Wars Expanded Universe but also continues to be a rewarding read for fans saturated in the tales of that galaxy far, far away.

This is a graphic novel of the movie THE ATTACK OF THE CLONES. That pretty much sums everything up. However, being a graphic novel there are two major elements the book can be judged upon, art and story.
The art is very photorealistic and cinematic. There is a lot of detail and color. I must admit, I like the artistic style of the Marvel comics of the original trilogy much better than the photorealistic style of this book. However, for the style it is illustrated in, it is done quite well.
Story wise, the book stays pretty faithful to the movie. There are a few omissions from the film here, but there are also a few added scenes here that are not in the movie. A lot of the dialogue is taken directly from the film's script and though cheesy, reminds one of the language of the original trilogy.
This is something that most Star Wars fans will enjoy having and reading and works well as a memento to someone who hasn't seen ATTACK OF THE CLONES to perhaps get them excited enough to do so.

Timothy Zahn's books "Heir to the Empire", "Dark Force
Rising", and "The Last Command" are good books, don't get me
wrong. I just don't think they measure up to the Star Wars
mythos. Characterization is poor. All of the characters
sound exactly alike. Without the phrases "said Luke" or "Han
shouted", I wouldn't have been able to tell one guy from the
other. I found Han saying things that I just couldn't
imagine Harrison Ford saying, and it was the same way with
Luke, Leia, Lando, etc. Another thing that irked me was the
way the characters kept finishing each other's sentences.
After three books of this, one may become rather annoyed.
Some of the original characters are uninteresting as well.
While the plot was fast-paced and entertaining, the reader
doesn't get the full Star Wars experience. Zahn should have
paid more attention to characters and dialogue.

In the first book of the "Thrawn Trilogy", Grand Admiral Thrawn takes the reigns of the Empire. One of the most compelling aspects of the plots of the Star Wars series is the villains. Without Emperor Palpatine or Darth Vader, the movie plots may not have been as successful. As the main of the "Thrawn Trilogy", Thrawn is portrayed as a tactical genius. In comparison to other villains in the Star Wars galaxy, he does seem a tad dull.

Among the highlights of this book is the conflicts with the "gray aliens" and unlikely alliance with smuggler Talon Karrde on Myrkr. The resolution with the aliens may be surprising to some. Karrde brings a past foe to Luke's present that puts a different spin on the fall of the old Empire. I am intrigued to see this relationship to develop in other parts of the series. Vaguely introduced in this book is Jorus C'baoth, who is likely the clone of a deceased Jedi. Since he is almost a minor character in this book, I suspect he will play a more prominent role in the other books.

I was very close to giving this book five stars. The slower moments with Thrawn prevented me from doing so. The main villain in this series needs to get the readers attention. In this book, I never felt the same threat as other villains because he seems little more than a "military geek". Still, I am excited to read the other books in the series.

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn is the first book in a series that has come to be referred to as the Thrawn Trilogy. That is as it should be because Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the best villains in the entire Expanded Universe and this is one of the best books.

Our timeline is approximately five years after Return of the Jedi, so our favorite characters are still around, just five years down the road. Han and Leia have twins on the way. Luke is trying to establish a direction for the Jedi movement. Other favorites also have roles to play, but Thrawn steals the show. You can't help but be impressed by him even though he is one of the bad guys. His intelligence is overwhelming. He always seems to be at least one step ahead of everybody else. Captain Pellaeon, the commander of Thrawn's flagship, is constantly trying to understand the rationale behind the orders he receives. Thrawn is the last of the Emperor's warlords, and he has taken command of the remains of the Imperial fleet. His goal, in short, is to do what the Emperor failed to do, i.e., destroy the Republic. Mara Jade also is an important presence in Heir to the Empire. She is the former Emperor's Hand and a Force user, so her skills are considerable. One other character who has sided with Thrawn is Joruus C'baoth, a strange Jedi with a prickly personality and significant powers in the Force.

This book was first published in 1991 and was like a breath of fresh air for Star Wars fans who were missing the films. They could pull for their heroes again. Heir to the Empire is an excellent read on its own, but it also does a fine job of leading into the next two books in the trilogy. This is a must read for any Star wars fan.

I read this book on a recommendation from a friend when I decided to join the Expanded Universe of Star Wars. It, by far, was the best recommendation I have received for a book in a long, long time. Timothy Zahn is an excellent story teller who immerses you in the Star Wars universe. He doesn't bog down the story with techno-babble that can break up the flow of many a sci-fi story. Not that he abandons it, either. There is a lot of information to be gleaned from his knowledge of SW Technology. Lastly, the character development shows a true understanding of the Star Wars characters.

My only word of caution to you linear thinkers: This story was written almost a decade before Episodes I - III. Zahn extrapolated story lines that have become inconsistent with Lucas' story line since the release of the films, but if you can get over that, you are in for a sure treat!

In a very real sense "Heir to the Empire" is the reason there are so many Star Wars novels being published these days. While in the 1980's there were several Star Wars Expanded Universe novels published, it was not until "Heir to the Empire" that the Star Wars boom really took place for novels. "Heir to the Empire" is set five years after the events of "The Return of the Jedi" and the New Republic is growing, is gaining strength and popularity. The fight is not over, though. Grand Admiral Thrawn is still holding on to the legacy of the Empire and he continues to fight against the New Republic. What is more, he is actually starting to win battles.

Thrawn takes the fight right to the heart of the New Republic, to Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo. To the unborn children of Han and Leia. Thrawn is one of the great villains in Star Wars lore. He is powerful, ambitious, and a fully realized villain. He is worthy of opposing our heroes. He may even overcome the New Republic and bring back the Empire. This is his aim.

In more than forty Star Wars novels that I have read "Heir to the Empire" is one of the best. It is easy to see why Timothy Zahn was able to usher in this new era of Star Wars novels. It is a well written book featuring our favorite characters in a new adventure and against new and interesting villains and characters. Besides Thrawn, Zahn has also introduced Karrde and Mara Jade, two more well written and interesting characters. For the Star Wars fan this is essential reading.

-Joe Sherry

I first read this book 15 years ago, and it hasn't lost its magic. While much of the rest of the Star Wars Expanded Universe has become bogged down with irrelevant characters and unrealistic plot twists, Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire Trilogy actually manages to recapture the feeling of the original Star Wars trilogy. The original characters all play great roles and the ploy is well paced. More important, this book introduced several of the Expanded Universe's most beloved characters, from Mara Jade to Grand Admiral Thrawn. I personally love how Zahn spends so much time with the Imperials, using Captain Gilad Pellaeon as a narrative device to explain plot twists to the reader. This allows readers to appreciate Thrawn as a character, but also deftly manages to preserve some surprises. Overall, this trilogy is required reading for any Star Wars fan (the other books - not so much).

"A Jedi can't get so caught up in matters of galactic importance that it interferes with his concern for individual people"
It's had a permanent space on my top books of all time, and there is a reason. Considered by most Star Wars fans to be the best Star Wars Expanded Universe novel and the birth of Expanded Universe itself, Heir to the Empire takes off about 5 years after Return of the Jedi.
Han and Leia are married and expecting twins. Luke is a Jedi Knight. And the New Republic is in its beginning stages. But the Empire hasn't laid down to die yet. A new threat arises, in a hidden Grand Admiral, Thrawn. He has enlisted a mad Jedi Master clone, Joruus C'baoth, in his quest to destroy the Rebellion once and for all.

I Liked:
Where to begin?
The Thrawn Trilogy (of which this is the first book) has been my favorite since I first read it way back when. But as you grow up, your tastes often change. I used to adore "I, Jedi" but when I reread it, there were some parts that I just couldn't enjoy as much as I did as a teen. So I wanted to reread Heir, to see if I still felt the same way, if the book was as good as I remembered, if it still deserved its first place slot in favorite books.
The answer to all three unspoken questions is the same. Yes, yes, yes!
Timothy Zahn is such an enjoyable author! I love the way he writes; in my opinion, it is perfect for a Star Wars setting. He is obviously knowledgeable about Star Wars (at this time, the only places he had to draw on were the Original movies, Splinter of the Mind's Eye and the Han Solo and Lando Adventure books) and it shows throughout. Some say he dwells a little too often on movie events, but I think it is great. The movies were such high points for the characters; no wonder they keep thinking of them as they go throughout this novel, as they experience similar (but not the same) events.
Zahn has also managed to absolutely nail Han, Luke, and Leia, what I like to teasingly call the Trinity of Star Wars Expanded Universe. Han remains the devilish scoundrel, but with more responsibility and maturity, like he was in Return of the Jedi. Luke was done perfectly, an excellent Jedi, yet not so omniscient (like too many authors have done in more recent novels) that he can't be caught by a simple trick. Leia is still stubborn, smart, and deeply in love with Han. All in all, Zahn didn't fail me one bit. As I read each one's point of view, it was easy to think I was in a Star Wars movie!
Zahn's original characters also shine. The devoted, non-power hungry Imperials, Paelleon and Thrawn, are well written. They aren't stupid Imperials out for a land grab for the sake of a land grab. They don't giggle their plots to everyone and his mother. They don't plot evil wicked plans behind closed walls while drinking purple tea (ten points for the one who guesses which villain that represents). They don't throw Star Destroyers pell-mell at the Republic with no plan. They plot. They scheme. They move logically and methodically. Therefore, since I happen to adore the Empire for some strange reason, I find they are probably the most competent Imperials in Star Wars Expanded Universe.
As for Zahn's neutral characters, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, I was equally impressed. Mara Jade doesn't come off as a Leia clone nor does she strike me as a damsel in distress. She obviously is cold and calculating, but is far from perfect. Yeah, the red hair/green eyes combo wins her Mary Sue points, as does her angsty past, but somehow, she isn't annoying. The whole world doesn't warp to her desires, so I can live with it. As for Talon Karrde, again, we have a scoundrel, a mercenary who rises above the stupid villain caricature.
Goodness! All these words and I still haven't gotten to the meat of the book: the plot! Again, showing Zahn's grasp for the Star Wars world, Timothy Zahn has written a story that, I feel, could be made into a Star Wars movie with very little manipulation. It is that good. Heck, sometimes, I swear I can hear the music!! Our characters have motivations that make sense based on their characters (Leia being the diplomat and demanding to go to Bimmisari, Thrawn being thoughtful and calculating and ordering a three prong attack on Bpfassh to test C'baoth, Luke when dealing with being held captive by Mara Jade and Talon Karrde). People don't miraculously gain powers to suit the story's need. There are space battles, attempted kidnappings, switching ships, villains, antagonists, aliens, distant planets, seedy spaceports...all perfect elements of a Star Wars novel.

I Didn't Like:
This will get petty, I warn you.
The concept of the ysalamiri is best described in this quote from Talon Karrde (page 223): "[The ysalamiri] seem to have the unusual ability to push back the Force--to create bubbles, so to speak, where the Force simply doesn't exist."
Well, based on the New Jedi Order (and the Yuuzhan Vong who didn't exist in the Force) and the Prequels (that say all living things have midichlorians, the building blocks of the Force), this seems rather odd. Not to mention...if the Force didn't exist around these guys, wouldn't Luke have been able to sense the void of the Force? However, I feel this "error" is more of an unclear view of the Force (Zahn wrote this in 1991 when Lucas probably had no clue what the heck the Force was) than a blatant disregard on the author's part.
Zahn also has a tendency to write dialogue in the following manner: "'Not here,' Ghent shook his head nervously..." Shaking one's head, nodding, or sighing are NOT ways to express dialogue (I want to know how to nod out a word or to sigh out an entire sentence). If Zahn had switched that comma to a period, then I would be sated and have nothing to complain about. But I would be remiss if I didn't bring it up, as it was a little distracting to me.
Lastly, I was not quite convinced with Zahn's characterization of Lando. Not to say he was bad, but just that I felt that it was a bit off from the way he was in the movies.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
I can't recall a single foul word!
Leia is pregnant? Does that count?
Well, there are space battles, an enlisted gets killed for an error, Thrawn is trying to kidnap Leia and Luke, and C'baoth is just a twinge mad...

Overall:
It's been a while since I read Heir to the Empire, and, to be honest, I was afraid it wouldn't be as good as I remembered.
Well, nothing to fear! Zahn truly captivated me all over again with this winning novel! If George Lucas could take advice from him, maybe the Star Wars prequels would have turned out better!
The only unfortunate thing is that the highest rating I can give is 5. So 5 stars it is! Thank you, Timothy Zahn, for making Star Wars come alive again!

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

I started reading this book about three years ago and within a month released I was just not in to it so I put it down and returned it to the library, disenchanted. I picked it up again recently and decided to give it another go. I don't know if it is because I am now more in to Star Wars then I was three years ago or what but this time I was totally entralled. THIS IS A VERY GOOD READ.

The story line is well written. I like how the author kept very true to the characters we know from Episodes iv - vi and the way they are woven in to a very good story with the exciting new character of the Grand Admiral. Speaking of which, Grand Admiral Thrawn - Timothy Zahn, a connection perhaps?

This is definitely a recommended read. Many reviewers consider this trilogy to be one of the better ones and I can see why. I give it only 4 stars because of the fact it didn't get me first time around but once it did it stuck. If you are a fan of Star Wars you will be a fan of this book.

I normally do not read derivative fiction, but I like the Star Wars universe, and Zahn's books have been recommended to me for years. The biggest problem I have with his writing is he seriously overuses certain phrases and words, and this persists throughout the trilogy. I won't say what they are, in hopes that you won't notice. Another small objection - as someone who has seen the original Star Wars trilogy countless times, whenever a character says something in these books that they said in the movie, it really jumps out at me, and if it's a stretch to make them say it in the particular situation, it's really obvious. There were several such points in the Thrawn Trilogy. What Zahn was good at was setting a good pace, believable characterization, generally good dialogue, a competence at describing settings, and generally good plotlines. A couple of the main characters were weakly drawn, but were not distractingly bad. Overall I found the whole trilogy fairly enjoyable.

This has to be the best star wars book out there. Zahn captures the action, ezcitment, and mystery of the movies.
1) Sophisticated language makes a good book. It adds that intellignet feeling to it. 2) The intent, from my perspective, in not saying what happened to the other Grand Admirals was to allow other authors the chance to elaborate on that. Personally, I like my novels with that kind mystery in them 3) I'm 13 years old, 11 when I read the book, and I understood what "cocking and eyebrow" meant. I read that terminallagy all the time. If you adults can't see the obvious, it's not Zahn's fault 4) At the Battle of Endor, the EXECUTER was destroyed. Zahn explains quite clearly how a good deal of the Empire's best and brightest were on it. He said it was the fast track to premotion, and remember, Vader was the Emperor's right hand man. He could have gotten anyone he wanted on his own personal Star Destroyer. 5) In the novels preceding Heir to the Empire, the Empire suffered defeat after defeat at the Alliance's hands. It is perfectly pluasible that the Empire didn't have alot of ships.
Heir to the Empire was an excellent book. Zahn receives applause from not only me, but the thousands of others who enjoyed his novels. I would suggest reading the other two novels in this trilogy, and reading the Hand of Thrawn books.

I very much enjoyed this book. Unlike some of the other books in the series, it's mostly action with politics playing in the background (as opposed to the other way around). The characters were well and richly drawn, the story tight and realistic. It's one of those books where events happen very fast; it covers a relatively short time span, but a lot happens. It made me laugh out loud several times, and cringe on the character's behalf at others. I look forward to picking up the next book.

The cornerstone of the modern Star Wars Expanded Universe, Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire was published in 1991 in an environment where Star Wars was considered a dusty relic of the 70s and 80s, except to some die-hard enthusiasts. At least, that was the perception going around. The reality was there was enough latent interest in the franchise to send this book soaring up the New York Times bestseller lists. I remember at the time believing there would never be any more Star Wars films and that this trilogy would act as a surrogate Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. Well, here we are eighteen years later and we've gotten three (soon to be four with the animated Clone Wars) more films, but still no sign of the infamous sequel trilogy. So, for the time being, perhaps the Thrawn Trilogy can be considered the closest thing we've got.

In light of that, the great news is this is one of the best books of the Expanded Universe and also one of its most cinematic. Zahn moved the timeline forward to five years after Return of the Jedi, and in doing so permitted the main characters to develop beyond what we saw in the films. Han and Leia are married with twin children on the way, and Luke is laying the groundwork for the future course of the Jedi. All the usual sidekicks are back and true to their film selves.

The key, though, is the new villain Zahn introduces, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn is a character of chilling intelligence, methodically plotting and executing a return to power for the scattered remnants of the Empire. He is ably assisted by Captain Pellaeon and a well-trained Imperial force of warships and troopers. Thrawn's earliest appearance in the Expanded Universe chronologically was in the excellent novel Outbound Flight, set decades earlier. Heir to the Empire does not reveal much of the intervening decades in his life but readers of the other book will immediately recognize the portrayal and development of Thrawn here.

Another significant addition to the Star Wars galaxy in this book is Mara Jade, former Emperor's Hand and Force user turned smuggler. Mara is a strong character who tends to dominate any scene she's in, but she makes a great foil to Luke Skywalker. They are connected by surprising events from the past, casting a new light on the battle at the Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi. Mara's adversarial relationship to Luke creates many opportunities for growth in both her and Luke and Zahn handles this well.

The best thing about Thrawn is he brings a true sense of danger that was lacking in the Empire's leaders since the Battle of Endor. Ysanne Isard was smart and malicious but lacked a sweeping vision. Warlord Zsinj was somewhat clever but also a bit silly and trite. The New Republic has faced many other opponents but not any with the potential for complete ruin that Thrawn brings. The addition of the rogue Jedi Joruus C'baoth to Thrawn's forces completes building the most credible threat the fledging government has faced in the Expanded Universe.

The storyline itself works well both as a largely standalone episode, not dissimilar to A New Hope, but also in planting the seeds for the two sequels. The storyline itself is well-crafted and marries perfectly with Zahn's strong characterizations. This book is essential reading for any fan wanting to enter the Star Wars Expanded Universe but also continues to be a rewarding read for fans saturated in the tales of that galaxy far, far away.

This is a graphic novel of the movie THE ATTACK OF THE CLONES. That pretty much sums everything up. However, being a graphic novel there are two major elements the book can be judged upon, art and story.
The art is very photorealistic and cinematic. There is a lot of detail and color. I must admit, I like the artistic style of the Marvel comics of the original trilogy much better than the photorealistic style of this book. However, for the style it is illustrated in, it is done quite well.
Story wise, the book stays pretty faithful to the movie. There are a few omissions from the film here, but there are also a few added scenes here that are not in the movie. A lot of the dialogue is taken directly from the film's script and though cheesy, reminds one of the language of the original trilogy.
This is something that most Star Wars fans will enjoy having and reading and works well as a memento to someone who hasn't seen ATTACK OF THE CLONES to perhaps get them excited enough to do so.

Timothy Zahn's books "Heir to the Empire", "Dark Force
Rising", and "The Last Command" are good books, don't get me
wrong. I just don't think they measure up to the Star Wars
mythos. Characterization is poor. All of the characters
sound exactly alike. Without the phrases "said Luke" or "Han
shouted", I wouldn't have been able to tell one guy from the
other. I found Han saying things that I just couldn't
imagine Harrison Ford saying, and it was the same way with
Luke, Leia, Lando, etc. Another thing that irked me was the
way the characters kept finishing each other's sentences.
After three books of this, one may become rather annoyed.
Some of the original characters are uninteresting as well.
While the plot was fast-paced and entertaining, the reader
doesn't get the full Star Wars experience. Zahn should have
paid more attention to characters and dialogue.

In the first book of the "Thrawn Trilogy", Grand Admiral Thrawn takes the reigns of the Empire. One of the most compelling aspects of the plots of the Star Wars series is the villains. Without Emperor Palpatine or Darth Vader, the movie plots may not have been as successful. As the main of the "Thrawn Trilogy", Thrawn is portrayed as a tactical genius. In comparison to other villains in the Star Wars galaxy, he does seem a tad dull.

Among the highlights of this book is the conflicts with the "gray aliens" and unlikely alliance with smuggler Talon Karrde on Myrkr. The resolution with the aliens may be surprising to some. Karrde brings a past foe to Luke's present that puts a different spin on the fall of the old Empire. I am intrigued to see this relationship to develop in other parts of the series. Vaguely introduced in this book is Jorus C'baoth, who is likely the clone of a deceased Jedi. Since he is almost a minor character in this book, I suspect he will play a more prominent role in the other books.

I was very close to giving this book five stars. The slower moments with Thrawn prevented me from doing so. The main villain in this series needs to get the readers attention. In this book, I never felt the same threat as other villains because he seems little more than a "military geek". Still, I am excited to read the other books in the series.

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn is the first book in a series that has come to be referred to as the Thrawn Trilogy. That is as it should be because Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the best villains in the entire Expanded Universe and this is one of the best books.

Our timeline is approximately five years after Return of the Jedi, so our favorite characters are still around, just five years down the road. Han and Leia have twins on the way. Luke is trying to establish a direction for the Jedi movement. Other favorites also have roles to play, but Thrawn steals the show. You can't help but be impressed by him even though he is one of the bad guys. His intelligence is overwhelming. He always seems to be at least one step ahead of everybody else. Captain Pellaeon, the commander of Thrawn's flagship, is constantly trying to understand the rationale behind the orders he receives. Thrawn is the last of the Emperor's warlords, and he has taken command of the remains of the Imperial fleet. His goal, in short, is to do what the Emperor failed to do, i.e., destroy the Republic. Mara Jade also is an important presence in Heir to the Empire. She is the former Emperor's Hand and a Force user, so her skills are considerable. One other character who has sided with Thrawn is Joruus C'baoth, a strange Jedi with a prickly personality and significant powers in the Force.

This book was first published in 1991 and was like a breath of fresh air for Star Wars fans who were missing the films. They could pull for their heroes again. Heir to the Empire is an excellent read on its own, but it also does a fine job of leading into the next two books in the trilogy. This is a must read for any Star wars fan.

I read this book on a recommendation from a friend when I decided to join the Expanded Universe of Star Wars. It, by far, was the best recommendation I have received for a book in a long, long time. Timothy Zahn is an excellent story teller who immerses you in the Star Wars universe. He doesn't bog down the story with techno-babble that can break up the flow of many a sci-fi story. Not that he abandons it, either. There is a lot of information to be gleaned from his knowledge of SW Technology. Lastly, the character development shows a true understanding of the Star Wars characters.

My only word of caution to you linear thinkers: This story was written almost a decade before Episodes I - III. Zahn extrapolated story lines that have become inconsistent with Lucas' story line since the release of the films, but if you can get over that, you are in for a sure treat!

I've been watching Star Wars episodes (4-6) throughout my entire childhood. At the end of this incessant compulsion there used to be an empty feeling that has now been finally relieved. In Heir to the Empire Timothy Zahn (Hugo award winning author, trust me it's a big deal) delivers a staunch continuation into the Star Wars universe. He has brought forth a new trilogy and really starts it off with a bang. Zhan gives the reader a new story using the entire surviving old cast. He excels at maintaining Luke, the droids, the Wookie and the rest of the gangs classic personality while still creating new and interesting feats and growths for all these characters. There is a plethora of new villains, old heroes and some that are in-between. All of which fit perfectly in the star wars universe and are just as interesting or more so than some of classic icons e.g. Darth Vader.

Story (thrilling fun): Zahn starts us off five years after the battle of Endor. Han and Leia are married awaiting twins. Leia has under gone her apprentice as a Jedi and is gifted to say the least. Luke's a very powerful Jedi but not without limits or the need for assistance from time to time. The New Republic founder's (which includes our gang) are finding that maintaining their new leviathan of a government is nothing short of grueling. There also finding that just as the empire wasn't impervious to falling neither are they. The Empire is all but vanquished and beaten down but still holds considerable array of personnel and star ships. Plus a new Grand Admiral has trickled from the shadows thus giving us a story. His razor sharp cunning puts the Republics ability to maintain control into question along with giving Luke and the gang a whole new set of quests and adventures to overcome. Overall this gripping story is just as much fun as watching its predecessors.

Descriptions (lush): Zahn is simply an artist at painting exotic scenes that let my imagination be utterly entertained. His ability to provided vivid atmospheres really took this book to the next level. Zhan delivered time and time again whether conveying the ambiance of a star destroyer bridge, the swagger of fan favorite Han Solo or the urgency to survive in a hostile forest.

Originality (fresh): Zahn delves deep into galactic politics creating a broader space opera than ever before. There's new vicious species along with curiously gifted ones. Not to mention several well thought out diabolical schemes for the surviving Empire. Zahn ideas at times are flat out genius while others are nothing short of well crafted. I'm mainly impressed with Grand Admiral Thrawn who is the Empire's new glowing red eyed commander and the reader's new villain to love. Then coming out of woodwork is Mara Jade a female force to be reckoned with. Her closet is overflowing with secrets (don't worry no spoilers here) that really keep the story full of surprises. So much more but I don't want to ruin any of this instant classic fresh spins and turns.

Final thoughts (this is episode VII): If you love Star Wars this is really episode 7. It's as great as your imagination can handle and lives up to all the hype. For non-sci-fi readers or non-Star Wars fans this may not be for you yet if that is your M.O. I'm perplexed as to why you're even reading this review. This is solid book from character development down to plot and has excellent re-readability. To sum this up this is one of my all time favorite reads and authors. The real Heir to the Empire is Timothy Zahn.

Although I own the original "Heir to the Empire" book, I also purchased the 20th anniversary edition and I'm glad I did. It's hard to explain how exciting and thrilling it was in 1991 to get this fantastic continuation of the Star Wars saga. I loved revisiting the story along with the notes in this edition The Legends Expanded Universe is my continuation of the story after "Return of the Jedi", not whatever crap Disney does. So fun to revisit Luke, Han and Leia and be introduced to the great characters of Mara Jade, Thrawn, Pellaeon, Talon Karrde and others, with so many great stories yet to come.

I loved the story and the narrator. He does the voices of the characters so well, and then the music and sound effects (straight from the movies!) make the whole book seem cinematic. I'm glad I got this, and will get the rest of the trilogy next.

I've read many of the Star Wars books that tried to carry on the dream world that was so great for many of us from the movies. Of all the stories I've read, I believe whole-heartedly that this trilogy is the best. I love how it picked up immediately after the Emperor's fall and how high commands of the Empire had not gotten word that the Empire was defeated and could not/would not believe it. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the greatest characters I know of in the entire Star Wars universe. His character and command was amazing and seemed to show how even without the Emperor or Darth Vader the Empire was still quite capable of defeating the Rebels. I remember reading these books years ago and after the new movies (I, II, and III) came out I was hoping someone would see the potential of this storyline. Even if the story by Timothy Zahn is never brought to the big screen, it is worth the read. But I imagine afterwards you too will wish it was in the works in Hollywood.

I loved this book (and the entire trilogy)! The "Heir to the Empire" is the best SW novel I have read and one of the best sci-fi novels I have read in a long time. The characters (both old and new) are well-developed and interesting. Leia, Luke, and Han remained in character. I could hear the actors' voices saying their lines. I don't usually like the villians, but I made an exception in this case. I loved Mara Jade and her interaction with Luke was wonderful. Admiral Thawn was a wonderful adversary. As much as I hated him I also grudgingly respected him. The strategy match between the Alliance and Thawn was engaging. I like seeing competent bad guys. Sometimes the Imperials seem to have left their brain at home. This book is a worthwhile read whether you are a casual fan or a major fan. Also, check out some of Zahn's other books. The author has definite talent.

The Star Wars universe succeeds or fails with it's villian. Vader made the films. Maul redeemed an easily criticized Episode I. Zahn delivers to the fans a cerebral, cultured, and unique Heir to the imperial remnant with Thrawn.
As I rolled through this book, I longed for this to be the cinematic heir to Return of the Jedi (as I read this the first time in high school, long before Ep I). The characters are intriging, the settings are fresh, and our old favorites are once again brough to us as if we just left the celebration on Endor.
This was the first book I read from the expanded Star Wars universe. I have read every hard cover since and many of the paperbacks. And that is 100% due to how good a book (and a trilogy) Zahn has written.
I'm not a Star Wars Novel mark (although I am a huge fan) There have been awful novels. This one though is awesome.
Read it. And be prepared to anticipate the next book as much as you anticipated the movie back in the late 70's and early 80's.

Heir to the Empire is a masterpiece. Never have I picked up a book which kept me so riveted. A quality of this book which makes it so good is that I'm never quite sure who will prevail. When the New Republic face Ysanne Isard, Admiral Daala, the reborn Emperor, or Warlord Zsinj, I never have any doubts that the Empire is going to lose. Then I read about Grand Admiral Thrawn. The guy is amazing. He has everyone figured out and the Rebels are running around in circles. C'baoth is a perfect balance to Thrawn's style. One is so refined and so calm, the other is a raging lunatic with a very strange way of seeing things. Talon Karrde and Mara Jade are great, too. Talk about smugglers with depth. The battle of Sluis Van gives the Rebels a victory, but for how long. Thrawn will return!

Being a hard-core Star Wars fan since '77, I was thrilled but cautious when 'Heir To The Empire' first came out. I had read 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye', the FIRST Star Wars novel outside of the original trilogy books (which ALL stink, by the way) and although it was entertaining, it just seemed like a story with characters who had the same names as Leia & Luke & Darth etc. There was no real substance that tied the 'spirit' of the movies to the book. But even so, I gave Timothy Zahn a shot, and all I can say is WOW! He has captured the very 'essence' of Star Wars PERFECTLY. IF George Lucas ever decided to make Episode 7, 8 & 9 he would start with 'Heir' for sure. I don't think even HE could improve upon his own stories any better than Zahn has. Everything from Grand Admiral Thrawn (a fantastic character, and MUCH more depth than Darth or the Emperor) to the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade, to the ingenious introduction of creatures that actually REPEL the Force, this book and it's incredible sequels are NOT to be missed. If you have EVER wondered if there were novels about the Star Wars Universe that were every bit as good as the movies, than Zahn is your author and the next series you read should start with 'Heir To The Empire'. I have read and re-read this series 3 times now, and each time I find something new to remember, and another reason to be impressed with Zahn's writing style and ability. I have also read almost all of the 'other' Star Wars novels out there (since a rash of them have been published since the completion of 'The Last Command') and there are but a small few that are even worthy of the Star Wars name, and none of THEM even rival THIS series by Zahn. I'm telling ya, THIS is IT! Ever wonder where Lucas came up with the name for the Imperial world, 'Coroscant'? He BORROWED it from Zahn (no joke). I figure if you don't read this series, you just CAN'T be a serious fan of Star Wars...but if you ARE, don't put off grabbing this entire series ASAP. It's just fantastic Space Opera. Go ahead, give it a shot. Read book 1, enjoy. Go to book 2, repeat. Etc.

The book is incredible. Not perfect but damn close for me. I have not yet finished the trilogy so it feels like this book does a lot of building up for what is to come. Regardless the situations are tense and thrilling. This book kept me at the edge of my seat for pretty much the entire time reading. Definitely a must read.

This book was very entertaining with some new characters that I like very much, like Mara Jade and Talon Karde. The main villain in the story is the Grand Admiral Thrawn. I thought the Grand Admiral was a great villain for this story. He was very smart and very dangerous. His goal, of course, is to bring the galaxy under the control of the Empire.
This book has new characters, new worlds, and new aliens. All of which are fun to read about. There were a couple of things that I thought were kind of unbelievable, even in the context of a Star Wars story. I thought the ysalimari were kind of dumb and as clever as the Grand Admiral was, there were times when he just jumped to some wild conclusions that didn't really seem to hold with me. But I was able to overlook these limitations since the rest of the story was so enjoyable and so well written.

The Heir to the Empire and it's two companion books stand as the benchmark by which all Star Wars novels are judged. That's not just my opinion look up the reviews from 20 years ago. Add to that the fact that George Lucas has included characters from Timothy Zahn novels in his video games. This trilogy of books "The Thrawn Trilogy" pick up our heroes 5 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The Empire has been pushed back, way back. But now his under the command of the only surviving Grand Admiral in the Empire. Luke, Leah, Han, Lando, Chewbacca and the Droids are forced once more into danger. They must fight for the New Republic still trying to organize a new government.

These Books are so far from normal Sci-Fi of fight scenes the no emotional under pining. You really feel for these character and their struggles. And this is one of the best Audio books I've ever owned period. Extremely well done with music and sound effects. It is a little like listening to a radio drama only it's the unabridged novel. Fantastic, Wonderful, Awesome, Gripping, Heart Pounding, Funny, Moving. Please do yourself a favor... Buy this

Grand Admiral Thrawn is the head honcho that takes over the Imperial Fleet after the Battle of Endor. He's supposed to be this brilliant tactician. However, he seems to know just a bit too much. He doesn't use the force, yet somehow seems to know every move the Rebels are going to make. Sure, the Empire has its spies, but Thrawn seems to be omnipotent when it comes to strategy. Without explanation, he's always three moves ahead. "Oh, that's the Rebel's REAL target" and "The commander of the fleet is this general....oh, he just stepped down, not it's THIS general." How could he possibly know all this? Understanding battle tactics is one thing, and having insight is another thing, but being able to dictate every move at every moment is a bit much. Sometimes, he even predicts the Rebel's movements before THEY EVEN THINK OF IT! He'll stare out the window of his Star Destroyer, looking at a fleet of Rebel cruisers....he'll rub his chin....and magically know the next ten things about to happen. "Those X wings are going to bank left, then right, then retreat, then attack." It's almost as if he's read the book before the reader got to it. Great trilogy, cheap protagonist.

Heir to the Empire, and the rest of the books in this series, are phenomenal. Timothy Zahn gets the magic of the Star Wars universe down pat. The characters from the movie are true to character, and the new characters that he creates fit in so well with the Star Wars universe that if I didn't know better, I'd think George Lucas himself might have come up with them. A few other Star Wars authors could definitely learn from him. It's also the kind of book that you can read over and over again, and still not lose interest in it. Not only that, but I liked the fact that I couldn't guess where the plot was going while I was reading; Zahn had me in suspense the whole time. The Force was definitely with Zahn when he wrote these books.

This book was very entertaining with some new characters that I like very much, like Mara Jade and Talon Karde. The main villain in the story is the Grand Admiral Thrawn. I thought the Grand Admiral was a great villain for this story. He was very smart and very dangerous. His goal, of course, is to bring the galaxy under the control of the Empire.
This book has new characters, new worlds, and new aliens. All of which are fun to read about. There were a couple of things that I thought were kind of unbelievable, even in the context of a Star Wars story. I thought the ysalimari were kind of dumb and as clever as the Grand Admiral was, there were times when he just jumped to some wild conclusions that didn't really seem to hold with me. But I was able to overlook these limitations since the rest of the story was so enjoyable and so well written.

Heir to the Empire is a guns balzing, riproaring adventure that is worthy of the Star Wars name. Zahn's plot makes perfect sense and fits wonderfully into the Star Wars universe. The Rebels (now the New Republic) are still mopping up after Endor, and the political climate is difficult as well. The plot moves wonderfully and leaves the reader craving more. I love the intirgue and the new characters in this book. Honestly, what captured me the most was Zahn's perfect protrayal of the core classic characters. He is right on the money. One can almost hear them speaking. It is truly too bad that these books can not be made into films. The actors are now to aged to do so, and it would not really work. However, an animated series would be outstanding...especially if Lucas could get the actors to return to protray they own voices. The book is tremendous, and it is just what Star Wars fans will love. Great battles, inner sturggles, politics, and of course a new super cool villian to strive against. "The force is with this one!"

Set five years after Return of the Jedi, this tale tells about the struggles of a new government (The New Republic) led by Mon Mothma. Grand Admiral Thrawn is the leader of the fleeting Empire, and proves that he, indeed is worthy of that title. He is cunning, and impressively intelligent, not wasteful of personell, quite opposite of the way Darth Vader would handle things. Talon Karrde, the successor to Jabba The Hutt's group is mentioned, and so is Mara Jade, as Karrde's sidekick. This is a great book, and mentions a Dark Jedi, Joruus C'baoth, a clone. It brings up several interesting ideas as tohow some things work.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE, EVERYONE, AND OTHER PEOPLE TOO
So go read it, NOW!.

Heir to the empire is an awesome continuation of the Star Wars series. Set 5 years after Return of the Jedi, Leia is pregnant with twins and their is a new threat out to harm her. It takes Luke, Han, and Chewie to protect our princess. Along the way they find old friends that help, and new enemies that make it a lot harder to protect everything Luke and Leia have accomplished over the years. The author did a good job telling this story, however he seems to use the phrase "the other" way too often. Other than that I do recommend this book to all Star Wars fans.

This book was awesome. It was the first Star Wars book I read outside of the original trilogy and I was blown away. I read the entire thing in one day. Zahn does an amazing job working within the SW universe. He adds some new characters, but never did I feel like he was going outside the boundaries set by Lucas. There weren't any far fetched storlines like I've heard about some other authors. You'll genuinely believe this is what happens after Jedi, and it will play itself out the way a SW fan always thought it would with non-stop action and suspense. It won't disappoint. The second and third installments by Zahn are just as just as amazing. You have to read them all to really understand how magnificent and complex the story Zahn has woven really is. And for a treat, check out the graphic novel adaptations by Dark Horse comics. All the fun of the novel with incredible art to guide you.

Perhaps you miss Chewbacca, or the earlier years when Star Wars seemed a bit simpler, and no one felt the need to start pruning central and favorite characters, in order to make "Science Fiction" more realistic. Or maybe you need to brush up on which Grand Admiral was causing trouble for planets after studying with his glowing red eyes their art, as a prelude to their destruction. And do you recall which sessile tree-dwelling creatures made their debut or the Planet that was their home, or perhaps the smuggler who also resided there.
I just wanted to go back to where the Star wars experience continued, to the summer of 1991, and the first trilogy written by Timothy Zahn. I wanted to see how well this volume held up after almost a decade, and dozens upon dozens of books, and one prequel later.
The effect is rather jarring, and it is only not due to Chewbacca's presence, or the amount of action that takes place on his home planet of Kashyyyk. The Star Wars Universe described some 9 years ago for readers, that documented events only 5 years after Episode VI, really is a very different place. The cast of players is dramatically fewer, and I gained even more appreciation for just how complex the latest novels have become.
I also suggest that for those who became fans of the written adventures later on in their development, that they would gain a much better grounding by reading these first books that take place after the middle cinematic trilogy. Many of the players in this first book continue on to the most recent "Balance Point" by Kathy Tyers. And others, who also remain, have evolved so far as to be unrecognizable, if you knowledge of them is limited to the more recent books.
I know there are fans out there that have never forgotten a single detail of any adventure. I wish I could claim such an accurate memory. This book sat on a shelf for 9 years, and while the read was very different, it was still very enjoyable. The only element that has diminished is that when this book first arrived, it was the first fresh experience for all who had been with the series since 1977, and for those who had never seen the films.
Diminished may be too strong a word, for Mr. Zahn is one of the masters of the Star Wars history, and excellent writing rarely degrades with time.
So get it, or read again what you may have owned for a decade. Travel back to Mount Tantiss, and the figure that calls it home, and your subsequent reads will be improved.

Do you want ot read a great series book that was so good that it was made into a movie? Then pick up the book Starwars 2: Attack of the Clones. Every chapter there is something going on, even in the first chapter. It has loads of mysteries and fighting. The Jedis have to find an assassin. Even if you have seen the movie it is still an exciting book to read. if you want a few more details than the movie had, you better definitely read this book. It is not hard to read and is fun to read also. The book is Sci-fi and is very creative. It takes you away to a far away land, in a different galaxy. There are wars, guns, and robots. If you like all of these things, be sure to pick up this book!

Timothy Zhan's Heir to the Empire is nothing short of a masterpiece! Grand Admiral Thrawn's presence becomes almost tangible for the enthusiastic reader. The novel is superbly crafted, so as to always keep the reader involved in the story. There are no boring filler sections, but instead a constantly evolving plot that one enjoys keeping up with. Zahn's clear presentation of the Star Wars characters makes it feel like one is totally esconched in a movie! Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, and also Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future, all stand at the top of the pyramid of Star Wars books. Definitely read these books for an awesome trip to a galaxy far, far away!

This comic is one of the best examples of the kind of work Darkhorse is now doing. I think that Jan Duursema is the A team penciler - artist they have. I like the fact that Jan draws in a near photo graphic way. It is very annoying to be reading a comic and you know what the characters look like, but you can't recognize them because of some creative license the artist took. I starting buying star wars comics because I could sit and read them with my small children. With one exception, star wars comics are always family friendly books. The artwork reinforcing the visual part of the story and I add creative license to help them enjoy the story. For that purpose, this comic works beautifully.

If anyone was worried about the Star Wars franchise, relax. Because if this graphic novel translates well into film (or digital videotape as the case is with this installment) than we are in for something more intense than the previous four films have been.
This graphic novel outlines the story quite well and tells us nicely how the Republic makes its subtle change from a democracy to a dictatorship. Obi-Wan Kenobi continues his training of Anakin Skywalker and unwittingly walks into galactic civil war as the mechanisations of the Sith engulf the galaxy.
To say more would be telling. But I will say the art in this graphic novel is very well done. The ships, the characters, the aliens, and especially Jango Fett are rendered very well. My only complaint is that I remember the "Empire Strikes Back" version done by Marvel Comics, and I miss that style. But...I guess I'm getting old.
Nonetheless, this is a worthy catch, even if it lacks the old comic book feel that I remember when I was seven years old.

Zahn's story review interest in Star Wars and created the expanded universe. Heir to the Empire introduces us to one of the best villain the star wars universe,Grand Admiral Thrawn. An unique character and with addition stories by Zahn flushing out his character he is more of an anti-hero than villain. Reuniting all main characters of Star Wars in the conflict against the remains of the empire, while trying to create a new government and society. Also introduces Mara Jade, one of the most conflicted characters in the expanded universe and one of the best female characters. Mara Jade adds a nice counter balance to Luke and the two have many great interactions with one another. Overall this is the book to read to get into the expanded universe if for no other reason than Thrawn and Mara.

I recently read Heir to the Empire to get me in a Star Wars mood for The Old Republic (the Star Wars MMO). I liked the book. It was a fun, galaxy-spanning space opera (which there seem to be all too few of these days). I don't, however, think I will be picking up the next books in the series. The problem? The films. For one thing, the goofier aspects of the films (ewoks, etc.) cannot be ignored. More significantly, it means that characters from the films are sacrosanct, and cannot really grow or be challenged (much less killed). Luke, Leia, Han, etc. are all altruistic saints; there can be no grey areas with them. As a result, there's no suspense as to the eventual outcome; however brilliant Thrawn may be, he will be overcome through charity and good works. As a kid, this was fine. As an adult, it means I identify much more with the bad guys, who, as mere flawed mortals, must use the mundane traits of intelligence, courage, and dedication to do battle with our magical ubermensch heroes. When you start to empathize more with the faceless stormtroopers than with the Jedi Knight who slaughters them, I think it's safe to say you've moved beyond the Star Wars universe. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

It's rare for me these days to find a book that doesn't pull me out of the narrative in some way due to stilted, clunky sentences, flat characterizations or nonsensical plot devices. Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" (the first book in the Thrawn Trilogy) was a pure pleasure to read, keeping me immersed and enthralled throughout.

Zahn's great strength in writing for the Star Wars Expanded Universe is his characterization. It's certainly tricky to take another person's creation and keep it faithful to the original without courting stagnation, but when it comes to the Lucas canon characters (such as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo), he nails it every time - I can actually hear the actors reciting his lines. Zahn's original characters are equally vibrant and complex: Grand Admiral Thrawn is every inch the masterful, iconic villain that Darth Vader was, with more polished nuance and none of the "He's a good guy, then a bad guy, then a good guy" sort of simplistic all-or-nothing categorizing that plagues other material in the canon.

The narrative flows very well; writing is crisp and tight where it needs to be while leaving plenty of room for detailed exposition. I did find that pacing wasn't always even, since both riveting action sequences and slower but plot-crucial diplomatic scenes are peppered throughout all three books. The storyline has enough twists and turns to keep the reader invested while avoiding overuse of the idiot ball - surprises still keep the plot moving in a plausible direction rather than requiring huge leaps of faith or logic.

A couple of caveats: First, those not familiar with the Star Wars universe or sci-fi/space opera in general may get a little bogged down by the technical vocabulary in a couple of places.

And lastly, if you're an Expanded Universe fan, reading Zahn's works will have you forever searching for another EU author who comes even close to fulfilling the vast potential of the Star Wars setting with the same panache.

Heir to the Empire, and the rest of the books in this series, are phenomenal. Timothy Zahn gets the magic of the Star Wars universe down pat. The characters from the movie are true to character, and the new characters that he creates fit in so well with the Star Wars universe that if I didn't know better, I'd think George Lucas himself might have come up with them. A few other Star Wars authors could definitely learn from him. It's also the kind of book that you can read over and over again, and still not lose interest in it. Not only that, but I liked the fact that I couldn't guess where the plot was going while I was reading; Zahn had me in suspense the whole time. The Force was definitely with Zahn when he wrote these books.

This book was very entertaining with some new characters that I like very much, like Mara Jade and Talon Karde. The main villain in the story is the Grand Admiral Thrawn. I thought the Grand Admiral was a great villain for this story. He was very smart and very dangerous. His goal, of course, is to bring the galaxy under the control of the Empire.
This book has new characters, new worlds, and new aliens. All of which are fun to read about. There were a couple of things that I thought were kind of unbelievable, even in the context of a Star Wars story. I thought the ysalimari were kind of dumb and as clever as the Grand Admiral was, there were times when he just jumped to some wild conclusions that didn't really seem to hold with me. But I was able to overlook these limitations since the rest of the story was so enjoyable and so well written.

Heir to the Empire is a guns balzing, riproaring adventure that is worthy of the Star Wars name. Zahn's plot makes perfect sense and fits wonderfully into the Star Wars universe. The Rebels (now the New Republic) are still mopping up after Endor, and the political climate is difficult as well. The plot moves wonderfully and leaves the reader craving more. I love the intirgue and the new characters in this book. Honestly, what captured me the most was Zahn's perfect protrayal of the core classic characters. He is right on the money. One can almost hear them speaking. It is truly too bad that these books can not be made into films. The actors are now to aged to do so, and it would not really work. However, an animated series would be outstanding...especially if Lucas could get the actors to return to protray they own voices. The book is tremendous, and it is just what Star Wars fans will love. Great battles, inner sturggles, politics, and of course a new super cool villian to strive against. "The force is with this one!"

Set five years after Return of the Jedi, this tale tells about the struggles of a new government (The New Republic) led by Mon Mothma. Grand Admiral Thrawn is the leader of the fleeting Empire, and proves that he, indeed is worthy of that title. He is cunning, and impressively intelligent, not wasteful of personell, quite opposite of the way Darth Vader would handle things. Talon Karrde, the successor to Jabba The Hutt's group is mentioned, and so is Mara Jade, as Karrde's sidekick. This is a great book, and mentions a Dark Jedi, Joruus C'baoth, a clone. It brings up several interesting ideas as tohow some things work.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE, EVERYONE, AND OTHER PEOPLE TOO
So go read it, NOW!.

Heir to the empire is an awesome continuation of the Star Wars series. Set 5 years after Return of the Jedi, Leia is pregnant with twins and their is a new threat out to harm her. It takes Luke, Han, and Chewie to protect our princess. Along the way they find old friends that help, and new enemies that make it a lot harder to protect everything Luke and Leia have accomplished over the years. The author did a good job telling this story, however he seems to use the phrase "the other" way too often. Other than that I do recommend this book to all Star Wars fans.

This book was awesome. It was the first Star Wars book I read outside of the original trilogy and I was blown away. I read the entire thing in one day. Zahn does an amazing job working within the SW universe. He adds some new characters, but never did I feel like he was going outside the boundaries set by Lucas. There weren't any far fetched storlines like I've heard about some other authors. You'll genuinely believe this is what happens after Jedi, and it will play itself out the way a SW fan always thought it would with non-stop action and suspense. It won't disappoint. The second and third installments by Zahn are just as just as amazing. You have to read them all to really understand how magnificent and complex the story Zahn has woven really is. And for a treat, check out the graphic novel adaptations by Dark Horse comics. All the fun of the novel with incredible art to guide you.

Perhaps you miss Chewbacca, or the earlier years when Star Wars seemed a bit simpler, and no one felt the need to start pruning central and favorite characters, in order to make "Science Fiction" more realistic. Or maybe you need to brush up on which Grand Admiral was causing trouble for planets after studying with his glowing red eyes their art, as a prelude to their destruction. And do you recall which sessile tree-dwelling creatures made their debut or the Planet that was their home, or perhaps the smuggler who also resided there.
I just wanted to go back to where the Star wars experience continued, to the summer of 1991, and the first trilogy written by Timothy Zahn. I wanted to see how well this volume held up after almost a decade, and dozens upon dozens of books, and one prequel later.
The effect is rather jarring, and it is only not due to Chewbacca's presence, or the amount of action that takes place on his home planet of Kashyyyk. The Star Wars Universe described some 9 years ago for readers, that documented events only 5 years after Episode VI, really is a very different place. The cast of players is dramatically fewer, and I gained even more appreciation for just how complex the latest novels have become.
I also suggest that for those who became fans of the written adventures later on in their development, that they would gain a much better grounding by reading these first books that take place after the middle cinematic trilogy. Many of the players in this first book continue on to the most recent "Balance Point" by Kathy Tyers. And others, who also remain, have evolved so far as to be unrecognizable, if you knowledge of them is limited to the more recent books.
I know there are fans out there that have never forgotten a single detail of any adventure. I wish I could claim such an accurate memory. This book sat on a shelf for 9 years, and while the read was very different, it was still very enjoyable. The only element that has diminished is that when this book first arrived, it was the first fresh experience for all who had been with the series since 1977, and for those who had never seen the films.
Diminished may be too strong a word, for Mr. Zahn is one of the masters of the Star Wars history, and excellent writing rarely degrades with time.
So get it, or read again what you may have owned for a decade. Travel back to Mount Tantiss, and the figure that calls it home, and your subsequent reads will be improved.

Do you want ot read a great series book that was so good that it was made into a movie? Then pick up the book Starwars 2: Attack of the Clones. Every chapter there is something going on, even in the first chapter. It has loads of mysteries and fighting. The Jedis have to find an assassin. Even if you have seen the movie it is still an exciting book to read. if you want a few more details than the movie had, you better definitely read this book. It is not hard to read and is fun to read also. The book is Sci-fi and is very creative. It takes you away to a far away land, in a different galaxy. There are wars, guns, and robots. If you like all of these things, be sure to pick up this book!

Timothy Zhan's Heir to the Empire is nothing short of a masterpiece! Grand Admiral Thrawn's presence becomes almost tangible for the enthusiastic reader. The novel is superbly crafted, so as to always keep the reader involved in the story. There are no boring filler sections, but instead a constantly evolving plot that one enjoys keeping up with. Zahn's clear presentation of the Star Wars characters makes it feel like one is totally esconched in a movie! Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, and also Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future, all stand at the top of the pyramid of Star Wars books. Definitely read these books for an awesome trip to a galaxy far, far away!

This comic is one of the best examples of the kind of work Darkhorse is now doing. I think that Jan Duursema is the A team penciler - artist they have. I like the fact that Jan draws in a near photo graphic way. It is very annoying to be reading a comic and you know what the characters look like, but you can't recognize them because of some creative license the artist took. I starting buying star wars comics because I could sit and read them with my small children. With one exception, star wars comics are always family friendly books. The artwork reinforcing the visual part of the story and I add creative license to help them enjoy the story. For that purpose, this comic works beautifully.

If anyone was worried about the Star Wars franchise, relax. Because if this graphic novel translates well into film (or digital videotape as the case is with this installment) than we are in for something more intense than the previous four films have been.
This graphic novel outlines the story quite well and tells us nicely how the Republic makes its subtle change from a democracy to a dictatorship. Obi-Wan Kenobi continues his training of Anakin Skywalker and unwittingly walks into galactic civil war as the mechanisations of the Sith engulf the galaxy.
To say more would be telling. But I will say the art in this graphic novel is very well done. The ships, the characters, the aliens, and especially Jango Fett are rendered very well. My only complaint is that I remember the "Empire Strikes Back" version done by Marvel Comics, and I miss that style. But...I guess I'm getting old.
Nonetheless, this is a worthy catch, even if it lacks the old comic book feel that I remember when I was seven years old.

Zahn's story review interest in Star Wars and created the expanded universe. Heir to the Empire introduces us to one of the best villain the star wars universe,Grand Admiral Thrawn. An unique character and with addition stories by Zahn flushing out his character he is more of an anti-hero than villain. Reuniting all main characters of Star Wars in the conflict against the remains of the empire, while trying to create a new government and society. Also introduces Mara Jade, one of the most conflicted characters in the expanded universe and one of the best female characters. Mara Jade adds a nice counter balance to Luke and the two have many great interactions with one another. Overall this is the book to read to get into the expanded universe if for no other reason than Thrawn and Mara.

I recently read Heir to the Empire to get me in a Star Wars mood for The Old Republic (the Star Wars MMO). I liked the book. It was a fun, galaxy-spanning space opera (which there seem to be all too few of these days). I don't, however, think I will be picking up the next books in the series. The problem? The films. For one thing, the goofier aspects of the films (ewoks, etc.) cannot be ignored. More significantly, it means that characters from the films are sacrosanct, and cannot really grow or be challenged (much less killed). Luke, Leia, Han, etc. are all altruistic saints; there can be no grey areas with them. As a result, there's no suspense as to the eventual outcome; however brilliant Thrawn may be, he will be overcome through charity and good works. As a kid, this was fine. As an adult, it means I identify much more with the bad guys, who, as mere flawed mortals, must use the mundane traits of intelligence, courage, and dedication to do battle with our magical ubermensch heroes. When you start to empathize more with the faceless stormtroopers than with the Jedi Knight who slaughters them, I think it's safe to say you've moved beyond the Star Wars universe. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

It's rare for me these days to find a book that doesn't pull me out of the narrative in some way due to stilted, clunky sentences, flat characterizations or nonsensical plot devices. Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" (the first book in the Thrawn Trilogy) was a pure pleasure to read, keeping me immersed and enthralled throughout.

Zahn's great strength in writing for the Star Wars Expanded Universe is his characterization. It's certainly tricky to take another person's creation and keep it faithful to the original without courting stagnation, but when it comes to the Lucas canon characters (such as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo), he nails it every time - I can actually hear the actors reciting his lines. Zahn's original characters are equally vibrant and complex: Grand Admiral Thrawn is every inch the masterful, iconic villain that Darth Vader was, with more polished nuance and none of the "He's a good guy, then a bad guy, then a good guy" sort of simplistic all-or-nothing categorizing that plagues other material in the canon.

The narrative flows very well; writing is crisp and tight where it needs to be while leaving plenty of room for detailed exposition. I did find that pacing wasn't always even, since both riveting action sequences and slower but plot-crucial diplomatic scenes are peppered throughout all three books. The storyline has enough twists and turns to keep the reader invested while avoiding overuse of the idiot ball - surprises still keep the plot moving in a plausible direction rather than requiring huge leaps of faith or logic.

A couple of caveats: First, those not familiar with the Star Wars universe or sci-fi/space opera in general may get a little bogged down by the technical vocabulary in a couple of places.

And lastly, if you're an Expanded Universe fan, reading Zahn's works will have you forever searching for another EU author who comes even close to fulfilling the vast potential of the Star Wars setting with the same panache.

Zahn was one of the first authors to come up with his own Star Wars plot, back in 1991. He's so great that many Star Wars authors will give him a nod in their "Acknowledgements" section. He deserves it.

This trilogy is thrilling. If you don't know anything about Star Wars, this is a great place to get started - just watch the original 3 movies and you'll be all right. If you're a well-read Star Wars fan, you must read this book - Zahn created the characters of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Mara Jade, and Talon Karrde - possibly three of the most interesting characters in the Star Wars cast.

The plot is fascinating. Though it's been 5 years since the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of Darth Vader and the Emperor, the New Republic is suddenly put on the defensive when Thrawn gathers what's left of the Empire's resources to subtlety bring down the New Republic. While you have to root for the "good guys", you are forced to respect Thrawn because he is such a tactical genius.

Zahn also does wonderfully in preserving the essence of all the movie characters - Threepio is still a priss, Han is still an incurably sardonic rogue, Lando is still a diehard businessman with a soft spot, and Luke and Leia are still... Luke and Leia. The writing is very good for this genre, and the books are perfectly paced.

Zahn takes you all around the galaxy of Star Wars, showing you just how big it really is. You get to see Chewie's home world of Kashyyyk, meet a new alien race - the Noghri, and discover a lost fleet of two hundred Dreadnaughts. This trilogy reads quickly, is authentic, and has crazy twists. You won't know who to side with - the New Republic or the remnants of the Empire and its Dark Side weapon.

Heir To The Empire is a very cool book a must read for new and old fans. It begins years after Return Of The Jedi Han and Leia are married with two kids on the way and Luke now a jedi master must now come face to face with the imperal forces once agian only to be lead by Thrawn and more great threat. It is here Luke meats with empires hand and future wife Mara Jade will they get along can they stop this new threat. Whats worse is that they have a dark jedi on Thrawns side who may cause trouble for our heros

Let me begin by saying that most fans, perhaps not the loudest fans, but most fans of good Star Wars and good Sci-Fi will love this book. This being said, let me also say that in reading this book you should not expect any logic, for recognize that it is in fact Star Wars, and thus the physics make no sense. (Yes, I realize that this is not a good explanation, but it is true.) This book, more so than any Star Wars book save maybe the X-Wing books, continues in the style of the movies, with a diversity of characters from smugglers to Imperial captains, and epic battles against the Empire. Thrawn truly captures the spirit of Star Wars better than any other.

This book was referred to me by 2 people who are avid Star Wars fans. I have never read any of the books before and was told this one was a good "starter" book. They were NOT wrong at all! This book was definetly captivating, making you want more. I had visions of my head of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in my head anytime one of them had a scene. I wish they would have touched more on the Princess Leia story line but I have a feeling that the next books are big for that. Most definetly can't wait to read the next two in this trilogy!

This is a wonderful addition to the legendary Star Wars trilogy. Mara Jade is without a doubt one of the best characters I've ever seen, and the whole thing with her, Luke, and the Emperor is great. I think one of the best things that could ever happen to them is for Luke and Mara to fall in love during a different trilogy. Karrde and Thrawn are completely alike, both calm and calculating, even during defeat. C'boath definately reminds me of Emperor Palpatine, and the fact that he's an insane clone just adds to the creepiness factor. If all the Star Wars books were written like this one, we wouldn't have paper and words anymore. We'd have a new religion. (P.S. - JEDI ROCK!!!!!

It is difficult to take existing characters and create new stories -- you always piss someone off (like the X-Files novels did for me). Mr. Zahn has an uncanny grasp of the Star Wars characters that took my breath away.
This novel picks up 5 years after Return of the Jedi leaves off. Leia and Han are pregnant, Luke is teaching Leia about the force, and the New Republic is finding its legs after the defeat of the Emperor and Darth Vader. A cunning new Grand Admiral has taken over the reigns of the shattered Empire and is plotting against the New Republic. A military genius, he has a few tricks up his sleeve that might tip the balance in the continuing power struggle for the galaxy. Do not pass up this novel, and be sure to continue on to Dark Force Rising, the next novel in this trilogy.

Being born in the late 80s I didn't get in on the original hype of Star Wars but my mother was and therefore I grew up watching and loving the movies. I had seen various Star Wars books around but never picked one up until I saw Heir on a library shelf and made the choice to read it. OMG! Tim Zahn knocked it out of the park and I have never looked back. I now collect the SW books but this holds true as the best. Awesome book that I reread frequently to join Luke, Han and Leia once again. Great piece of writing and I highly advise reading this. George Lucas wishes he'd thought of it first!

I received this book when I was nine years old. At that time I had no interest in reading it even though I was a Star Wars fan. So there it sat for almost five years, until I picked it up and started reading. Now three years later, I own the entire Trilogy, in search of the Hand of Thrawn books and the New Jedi Order books.
Timothy Zahn stays so true to the theme and mood that you get of the Star Wars movies, that you feel that this is really what would happen to those characters.
The gang is back, and now up against a formidable foe, Grand Admiral Thrawn, the most worthy and feared adversary since ol' Darth Vader. The book starts out like very movie, in space and with the Empire. Han and Leia are married and twins are on the way. Luke is a Jedi Knight and with out the comfort of Ben Kenobi. The droids are back and lovable Chewbacca. Lando is still looking for a get rich quick scheme. New and likable characters are introduced. The mysterious Mara jade and charismatic Talon Karrde. Also the insane Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth.
The plotline is easy to follow and gives you a real Star Wars sense. If you like this book, don't stop, read Dark Force Rising and The Last Command.

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire was written by Hugo award winning author Timothy Zahn. Heir to the Empire is one of the many (maybe 100 novels and countless comic books) officially licensed books of the Star Wars universe. As I understand it, the way these books are made is by an author pitching an idea to Lucasfilm Ltd, then if it gets approved the author writes the story, and then the story must be approved by George Lucas himself. If all that happens the book will be printed, (and often times become number one national bestsellers).
Heir to the Empire is the continuation of the story line after Return of the Jedi. As I understand it one might consider this episode VII.
The story picks up five years after Return of the Jedi, with Darth Vader and the Emperor dead along with the second Death Star destroyed. After the Rebel Alliance defeated the heart of the Empire they became the New Republic. However there are still remnants of the Imperial fleet scattered throughout the galaxy, and one new villain to lead them. His name is Grand Admiral Thrawn. He is one of the few alien species allowed into the ranks of the Empire (the Empire is notoriously racist against non-humans) and the only alien to have any rank of authority, let alone Grand Admiral which is the highest rank in the Imperial military. He is basically human looking except for his pale blue skin and glowing red eyes, which probably symbolize his cold, calculating genius along with his burning evil lust for conquest. He unites the remnants of the Imperial fleet and organizes them in his evil and genius plans to cripple and destroy the vulnerable New Republic while it's still in its infancy.
Standing in his way (oh yes, there's always somebody standing in the villain's way) are Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, R2D2, C3PO, Wedge Antilles, Admiral Ackbar and the rest of the characters of the original Star Wars trilogy you (should) already know and love.
And that, I believe, is largely what this book is counting on: its readers already being Star Wars fans with a decent working knowledge of Star Wars characters, technology, and even culture. In my mind that is probably a pretty safe assumption but there is always the possibility of someone picking up and reading (or trying to read) this book without already having seen the Star Wars movies. My recommendation of this book would admittedly be negatively and noticeably impacted if I was talking to someone who had never seen the movies. Not a whole lot of wordage is used when describing things that Star Wars fans should already know, such as the physical appearance of Han Solo (one can just picture Harrison Ford and leave it at that) etc. However new characters and environments are described in great detail. That being said, most Americans have seen at least one Star Wars movie and at least know what a "lightsaber" or "blaster" (laser gun) looks like.
Zahn's militaristic style of writing is evident through the pages of Heir to the Empire, as you can see by these reviews:
"Zahn (is) near the top on any list of military-science fiction or action-science fiction writers. So it was a good idea to turn him loose on the universe and characters of `Star Wars'... good fun." ----- Chicago Sun-Times
"(Zahn's) descriptions of weapons and ships make him the Tom Clancy of a galaxy far, far away." ------- Manhattan (Kansas) Mercury
I think this style works very well for most of the book, and where it needs a bit more adventurous or magical spirit, Zahn is happy to oblige. He gives the book a very suspenseful and exciting feel.
Sometimes in the book there are some parts that seem oddly coincidental, such as Han Solo happening to unknowingly visit the planet and even the very encampment where Luke Skywalker was being held prisoner. However the beauty (or idiocy, depending on the reader) of the Star Wars universe is that pretty much everything can be explained by means of the Force. You may have heard the phrase "the Lord works in mysterious ways." Well here it's the same concept but instead it's the Force works in mysterious ways. The Force is an all-encompassing energy field that is produced by life itself. It can use people and be used by people. It can manifest itself in many forms, such as telekinesis, lighting, visions of the past and possible future, increased speed of movement, telepathy, and other such premonitions. Therefore there is pretty much nothing that can happen in the Star Wars universe that cannot be explained by the Force. To me the Force is a very ingenious idea for a fantasy story such as these.
The end of this book leaves the reader very hungry for more (it ends in a small-scale space-naval skirmish), but when the author has written a whole new trilogy, that is pretty much the point. All in all I think this is a worthy edition to the main Star Wars storyline, with a great combination of old and new characters.

I know George Lucas said a few weeks back he does not want to make Star Wars Episode VII-IX, but with the Hand of Thrawn Trilogy, he doesn't need to. These are the definitive sequels to the series. The rest of the books are just the same plots recyclyed over and over, again and again, but these books are the ones that started the entire Star Wars book movement. Grand Admiral Thrawn is an awesome villan and the characters are very like how they were in the films. Much closue and conclusions are drawn here too, since Return of the Jedi ended a little quickly in the minds of some. All out, this is an awesome book.

When I read this book, it felt just like the movies! Iloved how the author captured the the personality of all the characters. You could tell that while they are the same that they have also matured since return of the Jedi. The plot was great, and I love how the action was just like the Star Wars movies. Besides making a action filled book that goes into depth of the characters feelings and personality, the author added new ships,aliens, and characters while still retaining the Star Wars spirit. A great read for any reader, Star Wars or no Star Wars you will like this book. May the Force be with you.

This book is great!It is by far the best I have read and Im expecting its sequels to Better!the plot is this; Grand Admiral Thrawn is the main bad guy here and finds a dark jedi called C`baoth.c`baoth decides to join the empire and in return get Leias Jedi children to weild as he wishes.But first Leia must be captured. Meanwhile Someone called Talon Kardde is taking over Jabba the hutt after his death, so Han and lando go to check him out. Also,luke has had a jedi message sent to him by an unknown character (at least to luke!) To put it honestly I think Tim zahn is the best star wars book Author so far.

This was, if I recall, the first book (not including the God awful Dark Empire) in like 8 years written on Star Wars. Very well written, it takes place 5 years after Return of the Jedi and an alien Grand Admiral has taken over the Empire. The book is very well written and has a strong feel of the movies without a sense of stealing from the movies. The only thing I found to be somewhat pitiful was this new Dark Jedi clone who was hiding on one of the Emperor's private planets guarding some huge secret. While this sets up for the huge climatic duel in the final book, I felt to be somewhat of poor authorship.

I believe this was the first Star Wars book I ever bought. I can only say, Wow! Amazing! Stupendous! This book is just as good as movies 4-6. The characters are very believable and are the same as in the movies. The villains are in-depth and very ingenious. A must read for Star Wars fans! Timothy Zahn is the J.R.R Tolkien of the science fiction realm.

Heir to the Empire isa fast-paced Star Wars book by Timothy Zahn. It starts out with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Captain Pelleaon going to Mount Tantiss to uncover the Emperor's storehouse, a place rumored to have a cloaking device and some Spaarti cylinders. A cloaking device is a device that masks a ship from sensors, and, in the hands of the Imperial Remnant, it would prove devastating to the New Republic. But, the Grand Admiral and Pelleaon come across Joruus C'Baoth, the clone of Jorus C'Baoth, and a tale of action, adventure, sacrifice, a little blood spilt, and loyalty unfolds.

I hadn't bothered to read this series before, but since I've vowed not to give Lucas anymore of my viewing dollars, I decided to get a little Star Wars fix by reading these.

They were quite good. Much better than I'd expected, actually. I'm not a person who normally enjoys franchise books - AD&D, Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. But this was a real treat - it felt like a worthy successor to the original Star Wars trilogy.

I wouldn't say run out, buy them, and camp out for a weekend. But, if you have room in your reading schedule, feel free - you won't feel cheated.

I thought this Star Wars book was awesome. There was so much action and great plot twists that kept me guessing and I really enjoyed the scenes bewteen Luke and Mara Jade. This relationship seems to be a very interesting one that I hope to see evolve in the second book of this trilogy. Plus, I'd like to learn more about this Talon Karrde guy as well.

Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1) by Timothy Zahn

Everything that George Lucus set up in the orginal Satr Wars series is also in here and written even better I think than the orginal. The depth that is required and the antisipation is all there.

The story ends all to quickly as you finish up the book and have 2 more books in the Thrawn Trilogy to look forward to reading and since they are already printed and reprinted many times over it is a great way to get back into Star Wars - minus dorky heros like Jar Jar Binks and read real villians like Thrawn that can be rooted for and despised at the same time and see if Luke has met his match.

You will not be disapointed.

This is one great Star Wars book that continues the saga of the first 3 movies and extends it further. This book also introduces a new character, Grand Admiral Thrawnn, an alien who's assumed control of what's left of the empire and has a plan to overthrow the New Republic. If you like Star Wars movies, you'll love this book and you'll see all the familiar SW characters and more new characters! Timothy Zahn has a great narrative style, rich in color and style, that draws you into his books and the Star Wars universe.

This book was TERRIFIC! It was the first Star Wars book I read and I immediately loved it. After reading some of the other Star Wars books out there, that opinion increased even more. To "a reader from USA"'s comment about sofisticated language: These are imperial commanders and people extrodinaraly high up in whatever command structure they are concerned with. What did you expect someone like Grand Admiral Thrawn to say? Dude, I'm like totally with you and yeah, definately?! Anyway, this was a wonderful book and anyone that hasn't read it yet really REALLY should.

To disspell some myths about this book: 1) If the sophisticated language is to much for you, well then that says something about you...
2) Every Imperial officer did not die at Endor, Thrawn and Pellaeon to name a few.
3) Thrawn did almost beat the Rebellion, thats why he was a Grand Admiral
4) They can "account" for the other 12 Grand Admirals by simply checking the Coruscant central computer
5) Cocking an eyebrow is giving someone a dirty look, or looking like you are in intense thought.
6) Zahn is the best author of any of the Star Wars novels.

"Heir to the Emprie," as most people already know, takes place five years after Episode VI. It continues the adventures of the four central characters of the original trilogy (or six, if you count the R2 and C3PO ... but they're relegated to little more than scenery in this novel). It also introduces the ever-popular antagonist Admiral Thrawn and Luke's dark Jedi counterpart Mara Jade.

So far, so good right?

Well, there's a problem, this novel never really seems to kick off. It's kind of hard to pinpoint exactly why that is, but it could do with Zahn spending his time thinking up hard-to-pronounce and hard-to-remember names for every other character in the book. You see, Zahn really loves apostrophes, especially if they fall in the middle of a word. He likes them so much that sometimes there's two or more in a single name.

He apparently also liked the Clone Arc from the Spider-Man comics, because we have a very Marvel-esque villain in Jorus C'Boath (or is that Jorrus C'Boath, I can't eff'n remember). C'Boath is a clone of an ancient Jedi master and has all sorts of super powers, all of which are rendered useless when in the presence of a furry lizard. If that's not enough, he apparently clones Luke in one of the other novels of this series and there's a big fight or something. C'Boath really wants Luke for some reason ... or maybe his sister. I guess he wants them to be his apprentices and turn them to the Dark Side. But it's never really fully explained why it has to be them, considering the Force was to be in everything I thought.

Anyway, there's a couple of laser fights, some planet jumping and characters being held prisoner ... not really stuff we haven't seen before in a Star Wars story. That's not exactly a crime, but you're not really given any new revelations about the characters or the Star Wars Universe. It also seems a much of it is there just to fill up a couple of hundred pages to ensure this book is part of a trilogy. That probably means that we'll have more of the same in the second book.

This padding of the book leaves me feeling as if we're waiting for the actual story to start, and you're left with that feeling when you get to the end of the book. As a reader, that's kind of leaves me feeling like I spent a lot of time with a free sample and now have to buy the actual product.

Now, it's possible that I might read the sequel novels ... but I really have no desire to. They're available at any time at my local library, but the desire just hasn't been there. This is more than a year after reading "Heir to the Empire," which doesn't bode well for the book as far as I'm concerned.

This talky and not very dynamic SW novel is very much to SW what "The Next Generation" was to the Trek franchise. It hits all the core ideas of the franchise, but doesn't really expand on them, making sure it goes exactly where we've gone before.

"Heir" picks up the SW saga 5 years after the Rebellion's triumph at Endor. By "now" the dread imperial star fleet has been reduced to shreds commanded by a loose array of brooding admirals and imperial generals who, for the reverence they exact from their troops, are little more than potentates of discord. The rebellion, now a new republic, contends not only with the remnants of the empire but the anarchy left by its collapse. (Remember, the Empire didn't rely on unity to enhance its rule - preferring to split the galaxy into military districts and using firepower to subdue everybody else.) While the new republic tries to create order, Luke leaves on a search for a lost jedi knight. Han and Leia are separated as Leia finds herself pursued by mysterious bounty hunters. Lando Calrissian finds the maneuverings of the imperial fleet getting in the way of one his latest schemes. Meanwhile, Admiral Thrawn, late of the Imperial fleet, maneuvers his ragtag collection of worn-out star destroyers in harassing raids against the fringes of the republic. Though he's fighting a losing battle, he has other plans, all centered around a lost jedi. Is this the beginning of a new saga?

As if.

In every way, this over-sized potboiler saps the saga everything that made it fun. While the original scripts relied on techno-babble as a necessary evil - Zahn uses it as main dialog. Worse, unlike each of the films, which were necessarily connected but also complete by themselves, "Heir" is obviously the incomplete episode of a larger series. That Zahn couldn't write a singular plot (whether to be connected to sequels or not) says less about the complexity of the story than Zahn's derivative, meandering plot. Thrawn (who appears in the PC game "Tie Fighter" of 1994) plans some moves, but keeps strategy to himself; Luke searches for some last Jedi, but the implications are pretty vague; A mysterious and sinister Jedi may be a clone of another mysterious and dark jedi; Lando has his business pursuits; and so on. Instead of bringing these threads together, Zahn adds more, and never seems to know where he's going. Instead of climaxes that tie the disparate threads together (as in the movies) we have orbiting story arcs that merge together. It's almost as if the points of the plot had nothing better to do than prolong the book and ensure sequels. Narrative aside, Zahn's plot doesn't quite stand the test of time, and its unoriginal plot ideas (clones, dark jedis, interplanetary gangsters who play both sides and the ever-present threat that the empire will resurrect itself) wasn't quite the epic when it first appeared. Nothing here communicates the drama, irony or velocity of the movies, and some ideas like plants that feed on force power, seem more like contrived ideas created for a video game than substantive plot elements (Lucas took a big hit for suggesting "Midi Chloridians", yet the idea of "force-sucking" ferns seems about as palatable). Without the kinetic style of the movies, "Heir" is like "Phantom Menace" without the special effects.

ACK!! I meant to give it 5 Stars. and now I can't change it.

Vader is dead, The Emperor is dead, who else is there to cause disruption in the galaxy?? Admiral Thrawn.

Yes, this book is great. It's the characters we love, the spaceships we thought were cool, and the jedi action we demand. But there is something else about this book that makes it stand out so much. The bad guys are, well, pretty darn awesome. The Empire has had a facelift. No longer are they petty fumbling stormtroopers, but rather competant warriors and leaders fighting to regain a foothold in the galaxy, and they are led by Thrawn, who is a military genius.

This first book is of course just the set up for the other two books, but it is a great read. All the new characters are worthy additions to the Star Wars universe and the EU probably wouldn't exist without this capable first part of the three book cycle.

If it wasnt for Timothy Zahn there wouldnt have been the 100+ books (nearly all of them inferior to this and the two other books in the series) that currently clutter the book shelfs. I was eleven when this came out and besides Splinter of the Mind Eye and 3 books each on Han Solo and Lando Calrissian there was very little else to suggest Star Wars would become a franchise to challenge and eventually over take Star Trek as the dominant science fiction franchise. This changed all that and made way for the expanded universe and YES probably made the prequels possible. I find myself wishing Lucas had filmed these instead of the stories that he did while I guess some enjoyed the Prequels I only found the last one to be enertainment that I wanted to rewatch. This book has the best two expanded universe characters Thrawn (still have his action figure on a bookshelf) and Mara Jade. A tactical genius that runs the new republic in circles Thrawn is just said to be a brilliant tactician Zahn explains each move and why he does it most of the time against Pellaeons objections till he calmly explains his reasoning also Thrawn doesnt need a super duper world destroying weapon to win battles. Mara is a tough troubled but determined lieutenant in a the reigning crime king pins organization who was once the emperors henchwoman and will become become much more in the future but this was her start. Being a military sci fic fan into my adult years I continue to pick up every Zahn novel as it comes out. He continues to serve up a superior Star Wars read every few years and fans of these should check out his other projects most notably the Icaurus Hunt and the Cobra series. I have read this trilogy several times over the years and was overjoyed to see something like this announced. I love commentaries and behind the scenes documentary on movies so seeing this on my favorite Star Wars trilogy was a real pleasure. I would definitley buy Dark Force rising and the Last Command in Anniversary editions if they were done up with the notations by the author and others and the short story added at the end. However I have not heard any good news on this Star Wars fans need to dish out for this trust me if you are a fan of the original trilogy you will not be dissapointed heres hoping Del Rey will put out the rest of the Thrawn trilogy in special editions.

Timothy Zahn has done it again.He makes the star wars that you have a loved since it came out come alive in a new 404 page book, Heir To The Empire. On the last day of school I decided to read all the other star wars book (as in not by George Lucas). This was the first one I picked up even though there are more before this exiting edition to the trilogy. To be exact there are 6 (six)! Every page gets you hooked and at the end of every chapter a cliff hanger that will pull you in and never let you out with that solid star wars energy. I guarantee you will LUV this book!

I believe what I liked the most about this book is
the way Timothy Zahn makes all the characters interesting !

Its like you know every character in person, plus the new
characters that Timothy added are totaly new, yet the same.

His best "Star Wars" quality is that is able to write a
different story but keep the same Star Wars universe
as in the beguining !

If you like Star Wars -> Its a MUST read.
If you like sci-fi -> You wont regret reading it !
If you NEVER saw the movie Star Wars -> Well...

Timothy Zahn's continuation of the Star Wars trilogy will delight you with a wonderfully elaborate storyline, new, engaging characters, and much deeper insights into the existing ones. Seeing Luke use the force in the movies was one thing, but being inside his head while he does it, quite another. This novel adds whole layers of complexity to the characters we know and love, making their movie versions look more like cartoon heroes than people. When you are done with this book, your only feeling of disappointment will be that Lucas had to make those prequels instead of making this into a movie.

As one critic once said "Zahn has perfectly captured the pace and flavor of the SW films. This is space opera at it's best." HE'S RIGHT INDEED 100,000%!!! Zahn's Thrawn trilogy is even better than the original SW films themselves in terms of it's action scenes and it's character development and it introduces new worlds like Coruscant,Nkllon,Wayland and we see Chewie's home world of Kashyyyk
up close and personal,we see new ships like the Skipray Blastboat and the Inderdictor Cruiser and new intriguing characters like the blue-skinned Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn,the mad Jedi clone Joruus C'Boath,the smuggler Talon Karrde and the beautiful former Emporer's Hand Mara Jade(I have a thing for Mara). There is a beautiful scene where Luke says farewell to spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi forever and confirms to Luke that he is not the last of the old Jedi but the first of the new.
We have a very cool space battle in Heir to the Empire at the Sluis Van Shipyards,a space battle for the mysterious Katana Fleet of Dreadnaughts in Dark Force Rising and a final space battle at the Bilbringi shipyards in The Last Command and we have a final lightsaber duel between our hero Luke Skywalker and his clone Luuke Skywalker who has his original lightsaber that belonged to his father Anakin but lost it and his hand in a duel with his father Darth Vader a.k.a. Anakin Skywalker. Luke and Mara battle the insane Jedi Joruus C'Boath in a final duel at Emporer's storehouse in Mount Tantiss on Wayland. And of course we have our favorite starship the MILLENNIUM FALCON flying all over the galaxy and jumping to hyperspace in the trilogy.
Zahn gives perfect descriptions of ships jumping to hyperspace(the stars flared into starlines and became the mottled sky of hyperspace)deep space,alien worlds and space battles. ZAHN IS THE ELVIS PRESLEY OF THE STAR WARS NOVELISTS!!
I was waiting with anticpation for Zahn's next SW novel The Hand of Thrawn which became 2 SW books Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future and was not disapointed for it revealed Thrawn's species the Chiss and his background and opened up a vast new area of the galaxy:THE UNKNOWN REGIONS and had the last remnants of the Empire make peace with the New Republic.
And good news for us Zahn fans:He is writing two more SW novels one called SURVIVOR'S QUEST due out February 3,2004 and will deal with Luke Skywalker and his new bride Mara Jade-Skywalker venturing into the Unknown Regions examining the wreckage of the long lost Outbound Flight Project ship while his second book will be a prequel-era novel dealing with the Outbound Flight Project itself and it's destruction by a young Thrawn out in Chiss Space(Unknown Regions) and is currently due November 1,2005(after the release of Episode III). The Outbound Flight Project was an event that was mentioned in Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy and it had the orginal Jedi Master Jorus C'Boath and five other Jedi Masters heading out to another galaxy to find new life and find other force sensetive species but failed due to it's destruction by Thrawn. Fans have been waiting for years to see this story told and will be expanded upon in Zahn's upcoming books.

This book is great! A wonderful place to start the Expanded Universe readings, although, some people might find it helpful to read the series' leading up to this one(the X-Wing series and the Courtship of Princess Leia) to fill in the gaps such as Leia being pregnant, etc. The one problem I had with this book was the ysalamiri. A creature able to push back the Force, just so Luke can be put in an impossible situation without his powers. Other than that it was great. I was on the edge of my seat, and couldn't put it down. A must-read for any Star Wars fan.

This book starts the best Star Wars book trilogy out there. The book takes place after Return of the Jedi. It brings all of the old crew together. This should be your first EU (Expanded Universe) book you should read. Timothy Zhan sets the bar extremely high with this novel. I have personally read this book and listened to the audio book. If you love Star Wars, this was written for you. If you love Sci-fi, this was written for you. Cannot praise this book enough.

I first read this book in third grade and even thought alot of it dodnt sink in i was enticed by the overall story. Five years later i began reading it again this time able to soak it all up and my god i could not put it down.

Timothy zahn is a great author going into such detail that it just sucks you right in after finishing the trilogy i began catching myself finding areas where it could be filmed at and so on.

This book is the greatest of all the trillogies, it truley captures the world of star wars and is written unbelivebly well. i have yet to even find a contender with this trillogy.

The reading level is teen and up and is completly adicting i highly recomend it.

Reading had always been an activity I enjoyed in my free time, and although I occasionally read a Star Wars book, I was never left with the feeling that the films had given me. Most that I read would have entertaining stories, but despite the plot I would find myself struggling to read them to the end; they simply couldn't hold my attention. That all changed when I read Heir to the Empire, the first book in a three part series written by Timothy Zahn. Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and the two follow-ups that Zahn later wrote, stand apart from all other Star Wars books and most other books in general. Zahn's work is absolutely stunning; with Heir to the Empire he took Star Wars to an entirely new level. The story and characters are superb; the writing itself is magnificent. Timothy Zahn truly captured the epic scope and feeling of the Star Wars universe and then expanded it far beyond.
Unlike the film trilogy, Zahn put an emphasis on the strategy and politics of war rather than simply showing the battles as a series of flashy, but entertaining, random explosions. The tactics and stratagems he devised for use in the series are explained well enough to seem perfectly believable, while at the same time being just fantastic and crazy enough to fit excellently into the unique universe that George Lucas created.
The characters that Zahn devised for his stories are memorable and unique; they compliment the standard Star Wars cast wonderfully. Many of the more interesting characters are members of the Empire, still fighting a battle against the Rebel Alliance, now known as the New Republic, even though they are currently losing badly. The many Imperial characters that Zahn made, and the focus he put on the Empire, was something that hadn't been done before in Star Wars. During the films you only had glimpses of how the Empire worked, with only Vader and Palpatine as actual characters. For his books Zahn made many Imperial officers main characters to give the reader insight on how the enemies of the Rebellion viewed the universe, and the war they'd been in for so long.
The most notable of these villains is, of course, Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has assumed leadership over the remnants of the Empire. As the primary antagonist, Thrawn is a welcome change from the cryptic, detached villains from the films. There is rarely a single event in Heir to the Empire that was not carefully planned by Thrawn himself. Even the cast of heroes eventually take note that nothing they see can be accepted as truth with some one of Thrawn's manipulative and tactical genius plotting against them. Everything they witnessed could be part of his plan, causing them to question anything that happened; only then wandering if that's exactly what Thrawn wanted them to question while he did something completely different. Attempting to unravel the dozens of layers to Thrawn's plans along with the heroes was one of the many things that kept me reading no matter how many other things I needed to do at the time.
Then there were equally impressive new protagonists, my favorite being Mara Jade, who has since appeared in dozens of additional Star Wars novels. Similar to Han Solo, Jade is initially a hero by circumstance and not by choice. As a former servant of the Emperor, Jade is engaged in an internal battle. She doesn't want to work for the Empire, realizing that it is no longer what Emperor Palpatine had envisioned. On the other hand, she doesn't want to aide the New Republic as they are the cause of the Empires fall. In fact, she adamantly hates Luke Skywalker, the hero of the New Republic, and desires nothing more than to see him dead. Zahn constantly puts Mara Jade into positions where she must choose to side with Thrawn, or side with Luke Skywalker, which to her is like choosing between two evils.
The constant tension, unexpected turns, incredible new characters and classic faces that are now more mature, bring Heir to the Empire to life. Not once did I feel disappointed, and not once did I find anything that I disliked; the book was absolutely perfect. Timothy Zahn is truly an outstanding writer for being able to create books every bit as enchanting and spectacular as the film trilogy itself. Every Star Wars fan owes it to themselves to read Zahn's five books. Make sure to take time off from work first, though; it may be difficult to put the books down.

All the characters from the original movies, foreshadowing of a future marriage, and a brilliant and unique antagonist all beautifully interwoven into a fabulous plot. When I first started reading the Star Wars books this was one of the first I came across. I had hoped that there would be something in them I could learn from. I have yet to run across a better constructed group of books.

5 stars, easy! This novel, and it's two sequels, where the first of the new Star Wars novels and it looks a lot like they publishced the best first.
The novel has exactly the same feeling and atmosphere as the original trilogy, and expands briliantly on it. The classic Star Wars characters are portraited as they were in the movies, and the new ones look and feel like they were created by George Lucas himself. The story was superb and filled with plots and subplots but never got confusing or overcomplicated.
The only critism I have was the fact that a certain character named Joruus C'baot was included in the story. He was a very irritating character and kept me constantly hoping that Thrawn would have him being fed to his pet Noghri. Fortunatly, Joruus wasn't irritating enough by far to destroy the novel. The great characters of Grand Admiral Thrawn (best Star Wars villain ever! ) and Mara Jade (good-bye Callista) made more than up for him.
Last critism: Thrawn's schemes and vile plotting usally only failed becouse the heroes where simply lucky enough to notice them in the nick of time.
In short: one of the best SW series ever, even better than the X-wing series bij Arron and Stackpole.

This book was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I have ever had. I had never read Heir to the Empire before and so when I saw this book I had to pick it up and read it since I had heard how good it is. Not only is the story excellent, the annotations and introduction are great because is reveals the author's thoughts and motivations behind the different parts of the story. It's like watching a movie with commentary, except it's better because you can "pause" the book (stop reading the story), read the behind-the-scenes look, then go back to where you left off. I saw another review by a first timer that didn't like this, but I loved it. I think it added to the experience. Also, the novella included is also a pretty good story. I would love more Star Wars books to do this, and it seems perfect for such a pivotal novel in the history of the EU. Every Star Wars fan should read this book!

This is without a doubt the best Star Wars book ever written. All other Zahn books are a close second of course, but this is the Mona Lisa. If you haven't read this book, go buy it now! If you are still reading this review, that means you are not on your way to the bookstore, and that is actually a good thing. Because now I can remind you to purchase two copies of this book because you will wear the first one out! When the characters speak you can actually hear their voices as if you were watching a movie. Zahn is the only author capable of doing that for me. When Han talks, I hear Harrison Ford's voice, and I LOVE that. Actually, Stackpole can pull it off sometimes, but not always. I do not want to tell anyone what this book is about, you need to find that out for yourself. But trust me, this book is a perfect ten! Go buy it NOW!

What enticed me to read Heir to the Empire were Usenet posters' comments that its antagonist, Grand Admiral Thrawn, is an example of a competent Evil Overlord. In this respect, Zahn delivers. Thrawn is at least as menacing as Vader, replacing Jedi powers with sheer cunning. As such, the largest problem I had with this novel is the amount of good fortune the good guys needed to escape Thrawn's clutches again and again.
Mara Jade, another original character, also has much promise. I only hope Zahn develops Mara and Thrawn more in the second two books.

This book is utterly flawless. While I'm always reading something I'm never in that much of a hurry to finish it, took me an actual 6 months to finish Storm of Swords by GRRM. My point is that I'm usually pretty good at stopping myself and going and doing things that need to be done (like have an actual life) but with this book that went all out the window. It is amazing and I can't sing its praises enough. One of the funniest things is I always told myself there was no need reading all the novels, the films started and finished the story and that was that. But I was drawn to this by the 5 star rating. What book that has been along for about 10 years on the store still have a nearly uninterrupted 5 star rating? I'll tell you, it's this one and with good reason. You need to read this book if you were ever, EVER curious about what happened after Return of the Jedi. You wont be dissapointed.

In 1991, Bantam Books and Lucasfilm Ltd. reinvigorated interest in the Star Wars universe (well, galaxy) by gathering a diverse group of noted science fiction writers and starting a regular series of novels set in the time period which follows Return of the Jedi.
Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, the first volume of a three-book cycle, was almost an instant phenomenon when it was published in hardcover. With its depiction of the continuing battle between what is left of the Galactic Empire and the fledgling New Republic, this novel cleverly mixes the characters from the Classic Trilogy with a cast of newly created heroes and villains, some of whom will make appearances in other authors' Star Wars works.
As Heir to the Empire begins, the New Republic has been engaged in a long campaign to mop up the remnants of the once-mighty Empire. The once dreaded Imperial Fleet is in disarray, political and military control of the late Emperor Palpatine's New Order has changed hands several times, yet the former Rebels have reduced Imperial dominion to one quarter of its former size. Yet even as Mon Mothma and the New Republic government establish democratic rule from Coruscant (former capital of both the Old Republic and the Galactic Empire), a new dark force has arisen in the form of one of the Empire's most cunning warriors.
His name is Thrawn, and his tactical and intellectual gifts are so great that the racist and sexist Palpatine had promoted him to be the only non-human to wear the white uniform of Grand Admiral. For several years after the Battle of Endor (where the Rebels destroyed the second Death Star and both the Emperor and Darth Vader died), Thrawn was pacifying the Unknown Regions until his return to Imperial territory. Now, with a small but powerful Imperial fleet at his command, the mysterious Grand Admiral believes he holds the key to the undoing of the New Republic and the restoration of the Empire.
Zahn not only introduced a set of new characters that would become essential to what fans know as the Expanded Universe series (the charming smuggler-chief Talon Karrde, the beautiful but mysterious Mara Jade, the devoted Imperial fleet captain Pelleaon, and the mad clone Joruus C'baoth), but he brought fans of the movie heroes up to date on the lives of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and the droids.
A professional reviewer, at the time of the book's first appearance in 1991, wrote that Heir to the Empire "captures the spirit of the movie trilogy so well, you can almost hear John Williams' soundtrack." Indeed, Zahn does a superb job rendering the personalities from George Lucas' films that one can almost hear Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels when reading their characters' dialogue. The pace of the book is brisk and the action sequences are so well done that one can swear they are cinematic. Although there are many Star Wars authors whose novels are spellbinding, Zahn stands head and shoulders above the crowd.

A long time Star Wars fan, I had never read any of the books for fear of them being tacky and not true to the feel of the movies. I have never been a fan of books written from movies, either, so I had doubt. But, after reading this first Star Wars book, I am sold... at least on Tim Zahn's ability to recreate that galaxy far, far away! I'm sure I will now enjoy many more of the books. This 20th anniversary edition is especially cool as it includes notes from Tim and others about the writing of this book and surrounding action that really add to the excitement of it all and give a depth to the reader that allows you to really feel a part of the history of Star Wars.

My curiosity finally got the better of me, so I decided I would read the official continuation of the Star Wars story post Return of the Jedi. It starts out familiarizing the reader with a glossing over of the post Death Star V2 Emperor defeat happenings and jumps right into the activities of the new self appointed head of the Imperial forces, Admiral Thrawn who has been successfully raiding New Republic bases and supply lines. He has a plan to reinsert the Empire into their previous spot as bully overlord of the galaxy and Heir to the Empire is the jumping off point for this story, which takes three books to wrap up.

First off, it's an easy read. The story flows at a pretty good pace and seems to match the films in this respect. There are plenty of new characters that are realized relatively well and only seem out of place sometimes by name more than anything else. Some of the names of the characters just don't seem appropriate for Star Wars and it can be a little distracting, but not terribly so. What is more distracting however, and what makes these books less successful for me, is the lazy writing of the author. He can only describe moods with lip characterizations and most of the time, it's of the "so and so's lip twisted" variety, like...

Han is mad: His lip twists

Luke is worried: His lip twists

Leia is frightened: Her lip twists

Luke is determined: His lip twists

C3PO is acting dandy: His... Just kidding (Zahn probably had to hold himself back none the less)

He also comes up with new ideas of how to describe things and just starts using them all of a sudden but doesn't go back to insert them into earlier parts of the book. It's just weird when a character starts using a phrase all of a sudden, frequently, and they never used it for the first half of the book. How hard would it be to go back and place it in earlier parts of the book to make the character's use of language consistent?

And don't get me started on the Mynocks! "The thingy took off like a Mynock with a scorched tail." "It fell to the ground like a clipped Mynock." "He chortled like a bemused Mynock." "She ate like an anorexic Mynock."... and on and on.

Additionally,these characters, and maybe this was unavoidable but I don't think so, live completely in the past that is the 3 prequels. They are not given much of a life before them, in memory, so all of their recall harks back to the films (like we need to be reminded what happened) and that gets old real quick. Everything is "this is just like it happened on the Death Star" or "don't you remember what he did at Mos Eisley?" or "Luke thought back to the cave on Daigobah." Where's that extra mystery of the stuff we didn't see? It's like sitting around a bunch of people who only reminisce about a small period in their lives... Enough!

Well, I guess I'm trying to say that Heir to the Empire is not very well written, but the story is relatively interesting, easy to read, and, well, it tells us what happens to Luke and all of the rest after Return of the Jedi. I imagine a lot of people don't expect to find something literate in a book like this, but, maybe just once, I would like to be surprised.

This has got to be one of the best books ever. It has an excellent start which grips the reader like n other book, The ending whilst not so cliff-hanging to be annoying makes you want to read the next book in the series. Timothy Zahn has got to be the most inciteful, intelligent S.W. author there is, I definitely recomend this book and every othere book he has written, i think i've read them all. How he can make the Grand Admirall appear so clever is beyond me. All of his leaps can be justified as well.

Zahn's treatment of the main characters doesn't agree 100% with the movies, except that when extrapolated from the time of the Battle of Endor, the characterizations make sense. Luke seems more cerebral, as a last-of-his-kind Jedi would likely be. Han and Leia are similarly extrapolated, although I'm not as fond of Han. The story is kind of slow at times and Thrawn's ability to determine strategies based on race seems far-fetched. However, looking past that, this is a very good start to the afterlife for the SW universe.

(This is really a review of the trilogy. But since we need to begin any trilogy with the first book, here I go ...)

So--Ahab, Nemo, Wolf Larsen, and now Thrawn. Who is the better death-admiral?

Thrawn, like Nemo, has the benefit of civilization, something that Wolf Larsen lacks. Nemo and Larsen are inventive geniuses (with Wolf being an autodidact to boot), whereas Trawn is a tactical genius.

For me, Thrawn has the best of both Nemo and Wolf Larsen, without Ahab's monomania and atavistic Satanism ("Ego non baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli!").

In reality Thrawn reminds us of Rommel: apolitical, non-doctrinaire, a super-competent general, and not a Sith Lord. And this may be Zahn's voice of warning. Thrawn has admirable qualities--leadership, talent, great post-disaster debriefings (which nurture leadership), and organizational skills. True. But these good qualities do not cancel out the fact that he sided with the Empire, and endorses their approach. As Peter Kreeft observes, "Even a murderer's bullet must be a good shot" (A Summa of the Summa 415), and yet despite his excellent marksmanship, a murderer is still a murderer.

Well, what does this have to do with the series? Simple: Zahn manages to create this villain who is both "larger than life" and "lifelike" to boot. He is a formidable foe to the now Skywalker clan. He not only keeps the tradition alive, he expands upon the mythos in an incredible way.

I came into Heir to the Empire expecting a piece of speculative fiction on par with other stars of the genre like Dune, The Lord of the Rings, and the Dresden Files.

That is not why I got at all.

Instead, what I got was a plot which moves at a snail's pace between dull events, descriptions which consistently feel lifeless, characterization that is a poor imitation of that which the movies provide, characters and details in numbers that bog down the story, and technique and style which are sorely lacking. The only aspect of this story keeping it from a one-star review is Grand Admiral Thrawn, the main antagonist, with his fascinating approach to warfare, planning, and investigation.

In the end, I'm puzzled as to why this book is considered a classic. It's something I would not recommend to anyone, fan of Star Wars or otherwise.

As I said, Timothy Zahn does a pretty good job writing for starwars. I think Mara Jade's an idiot, however Luke Skywalker's evenworse (they make such a cute couple). Captain Pellian was pretty irresponsible for a star destroyer captain. All he did was hover around Thrawn and act stupid when there were battles. Thrawn was allways talking about some elaborate scheme and Pellian was allways standing around saying "huh?" That's another thing, I don't think you can tell everything about a civilization's war tactics by studying its art. Other than that, it was pretty good.

Zhan, unlike a good number of the newer writers for the Star Wars series, knows what he's doing. In comparing this book and Zhan's rendering of the characters, to the over forty other Star Wars novels I've read, I have to say Heir to the Empire to by far one of THE best books in a glorious series of books, worthy of a sixth star. It is well written, well thought out, and the characters are true to themselves, a quality of writing many authors lack, including many of the other Star Wars authors.

I read this book quite awhile ago, but have only got around now to reviewing it. Looking at what other people have said, I don't understand what some people have a problem with. Besides being the first attempt at a Star Wars book, it had to try and live up to the movie legacy, and I think Mr. Zahn did an extremely good job at that. This was a very good book, I thought. Grand Admiral Thrawn is the tactical genius now commanding the Empire. We're kept guessing about Thrawn's background and such, but this is suspenseful in it's nature. Anyway, he has the ability to pull a military victory out of thin air in almost any situation. It seems to me that he has the right resources and talent to do this. And you can learn much from examining things made by other cultures. IE, the Ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, etc. Many famous battles have been won by anylizing the past history of the people you are fighting. And this book obviously lived up to Lucas' expectations, he hasn't complained about it or anything. Besides, this is the Star Wars universe. Made up, anything can happen. Without going through the books, we wouldn't know what happened after Endor. For all we know, the rest of the Imperial Fleet could have counterattacked the Rebel Alliance at Endor and killed them (West End Games' Star Wars RPG Manuals, which were LucasArts approved, state there are some 25,000 Star Destroyers in service, this is quite possible). I think Mr. Zahn did an excellent job.

Known as the novel that launched the EU as we know it today, HEIR is a great follow up to the films. We're reintroduced not only to Luke, Han, & Leia, but also Chewbacca, Wedge, Lando, and others. From the struggle between the fledgling New Republic and the still powerful remnants of the Empire to the mysterious return of a Jedi Master long thought dead to a woman with a vendetta against the last of the Jedi, HEIR delivers a solid story. Still a great book after 20 years, despite the timeline issues with the Clone Wars.

Even though I read this book long ago, I have since bought the audicassetes and listen to routinely, along with my collection of other Star Wars tapes. This series have everything. I really liked the Star Wars movies when I first saw them, but you can't truly cal yourself a Star Wars fan if you haven't read them.
This is part of the continuing Star Wars story that is made possible through the books. The story of a Grand Admiral coming to take over the Empire, Leia going to Kashyke etc. is thrilling.

I was very cynical when I came to this book, I mean nothing could recapture Star Wars, could it? But Zahn has done a very good job, the characters remain faithfull to the original, but reveals perfectly how they react under new strains placed upon them. Like Luke doubting his teaching og Leigh, or Han finding it hard to adjust to not being a rogue anymore. In the light of Episode 1 some things don't ring true, like "always two there are, no more, no less" seems dodgy when there's a Dark Jedi. But hey this is just nit-picking, if you're a doubter than try this, you will be impressed.

I appreciated the book because of the familiar characters, but that was not enough to cover up for all the other shortcomings. The characters seemed to have lost their aura. Even Han Solo seemed to be uptight & not as funny as he used to be. The author tried to cover so many territories that a lot of loopholes were left open. For instace, he either forgot or deliberately did not include what happened to C'Baoth after being brought to Jomark. He dwelt about the cloned Jedi master but dwindled afterwards. What about the Noghris? Will they side finally with Leia? What about Mara? Has the narrow escape made her change her mind against her plot against Luke? I think, he should have covered all this & saw it to the end, isntead of making the story long but hanging.

My book collection started with Kevin Anderson's Jedi Academy, but this trilogy is way better. I've read the whole trilogy four or five times, and never get bored of it. My collection has topped 40 books and this is still some of the best reading I have. Tim Zahn's portrayal of the characters here are superb. Grand Admiral Thrawn is an excellent example.
I commend you, Mr. Zahn, and most of all, George Lucas who started it all. May the Force be with every one of you.

Compared to some of the other Star Wars books out there (Children of the Jedi, The Courtship of Princess Leia,) Heir to the Empire (and the other two books of this series) are pretty good. However, I find this book to be rather overrated by most people.
For one, the characters that Zahn introduces are not all that interesting. The story's main villian (Grand Admirial Thrawn) is a cool-headed genius who plots and schemes and rarely makes a mistake, however we are given no real insight into who Thrawn is. The smuggler boss, Talon Karrde, is similar to Thrawn in that he is also cool-headed and smart, and basically emotionless.
The worst thing about this book is undoubtably the dialog. As has been noted by other reviewers, Zahn REPEATEDLY uses the same expressions and phrases for all his characters, under almost all circumstances. It makes all the dialog sound the same and sound very uninteresting. Everybody always doing "wry grins" and saying things wryly and "squeezing their thumb and forefinger together" (whatever that is,) and saying "Point," "Agreed," talking in cool, carefully modulated voices. It's stupid and it got on my nerves.
While the overall plot was okay, the weak characters and dialog really spoil the series. At times, it's like you want to know what happens next, getting to the next part is sometimes painful because of the poor dialog, and somewhat lacking descriptions.
And it really doesn't feel like Star Wars too me. There is more wallowing in grey areas than good vs. evil stuff, there is little drama and no color, and no cool special effects.
A lot of people recommend this as the first Star Wars book you should read, but I personally don't. I think the X-Wing Series is probably the best series out right now. Although it doesn't star any of the main characters of the movies, that is part of what's so great about it... all the characters are new and fresh and are developed from scratch.

The book that restarted my passion for Star Wars, and the introduction to the Expanded Universe.
After wondering what happened to Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, R2, 3PO and other once Return of The Jedi ended, Timothy Zahn comes along and starts answering my questions. And what a formidable foe Grand Admiral Thrawn is, a cunning tactician and leader. Even years after this novel was published lots of fans are eager to see this character on film.
Leia expecting twins fathered by Han, twins that represent the next generation of Jedi.
We are also introduced to Mara Jade as another important character for the Expanded Universe.
I will not go into plot details for those that haven't read this book, but it is definitely essential reading in the Saga. Too bad, it is not being used for film canon but will continue as part of Star Wars Legends.

Like I said, pretty good, not great, what's the big deal. I think Luke is growing up, and is treating life much more cautiously, but I wish they would can that stuff. Where did the Luke we know from the movies go? This is Luke in some ways, he's the same person when he's not in battle, but when the battles come up, it's like whoosh, where'd the real Luke go? Do yourself a favor, and don't read these, read The Truce at Bakura, the Star Wars book right after the movies.

I am proud to have read such a wonderful book. Zahn's words captured the life of all the star wars characters. I really enjoyed the much sought after background of Chewbacca.
As for the audio-book, I was disappointed for the limited number of voices. I believe that a woman should be doing a woman's character and a man should be doing a man's character.
Thank you for using your gift of writting in star wars. You are an inspiration for all star wars fans.

I am proud to have read such a wonderful book. Zahn's words captured the life of all the star wars characters. I really enjoyed the much sought after background of Chewbacca.
As for the audio-book, I was disappointed for the limited number of voices. I believe that a woman should be doing a woman's character and a man should be doing a man's character.
Thank you for using your gift of writting in star wars. You are an inspiration for all star wars fans.

If you were ever a Star Wars fan and wondered what happened after Return of the Jedi, this book is a must read. Taking place 5 years after the Battle of Endor, the Empire is weakened, disorganized and without and Emperor. With Emperor Palpatine having been killed in ROTJ, the Empire's remaining forces are without purpose. A new leader is needed, and met. Timothy Zahn's writing in this first of three books in the series is superb. You will be kept wondering what happens by the end, and still get that fix every Star Wars fan needs when reading Zahn's work. Four stars for Zahn.

Writer Timothy Zahn brings his considerable talents to the Star Wars universe with this book and the two that follow it. I have read other non-Star Wars Zahn novels, including The Icarus Hunt and Cascade Point, and I believe he is at the top of his game in this exciting, character-driven story. In Heir to the Empire, Zahn has brought us one of the greatest villains in the Star Wars saga and, in my opinion, all of science fiction, and that is Grand Admiral Thrawn. This brilliant, cool, calculating, and unbelievably cruel fleet commander is second only to Darth Vader in my book of Star Wars baddies, and the series is worth reading for his presence alone. The plot is thick and very involving, and the author succeeds at keeping the reader on his toes at all times. The old Star Wars characters are back and as good as ever, and plenty of new characters make the galaxy that much more interesting. It's a shame this book and the other two aren't made into movies, for they could rival the original trilogy in story quality and entertainment. For anyone who is as big a Star Wars fan as I, this trilogy is definite must-buy.

I would have given the book 5/5 stars, but the author used the word "sardonically" so many times it drove me batty. I hope nobody ever says that word to me again because I might go nutz on the spot and embarrass myself. Oh and the other thing Timothy Zahn did that made me pull my hair out was that he was constantly measuring time in "heartbeats" of certain characters in the book. Timothy, if you are out there listening... please take heed: I dig your novel as a whole, but don't ever scar your readers lives again by using the aforementioned adverb and metaphor. That being said... Heir to the Empire was a very deliciously enjoyable escape from reality. I am now going to read the 2nd book in the trilogy (when it arrives) and I can't wait to begin. Grand Admiral Thrawn was a great character and a worthy villain. He was a viable threat which made him believable as a villain. Jade Mara was a good as a tortured soul, however, I wish her reason for hating Luke would have been a little stronger. Like maybe he killed her favorite pet bantha or something a little more sentimental and emotional. A woman just doesn't get scorned by losing her job when it was her own darn fault. I know, 'cause I have scorned a few women in my day. So, that premise was a little weak. On the inside back cover there is a picture of Timothy and he looks like kind of a nerd, which is fine. But, I'm guessing he doesn't have much experience with women, in particular, scorning them. So, I can certainly understand why he might mess-up that plot premise. However, everything else was absolutely gorgeously great. Oh... and one more thing: That HACK R.A. Salvatore isn't worthy to loose the latchet on your shoes. Keep going Tim. you've got a fan in me. You should write a new novel in which Usama Bin Laden is the leader of the Islamic Sith. That would be a real corker.
JugHead

Timothy Zahn has done the one thing I thought was impossible ... a Star Wars novel that is as exciting, intellegent and memorable as the movies themselves. First class all the way, with Grand Admiral Thrawn the most manacing (statagists and inteletuals - and Thrawn is both - always make better villians than "kill them all" destructonuts,)and all the other characters are written with equal perfection. If you enjoy exellent storytelling, look no further.

I realize that comic adapters have a lot of handicaps when doing comic books based on a movie that is not quite finished yet. And of course, the artists and writers do their best to catch the spirit, if not the letter, of a movie. This is hard to accomplish, yet Henry Gilroy and his crew manage to catch Episode II's spirit very well, if imperfectly. I subtracted one star for minor gripes here and there.....but otherwise, worth having in one's Star Wars library.

Someone has actually been able to follow in the footsteps of Mr Lucas himself, and not fall flat on his or her face! Timothy Zahn makes an excellent portrayal of all the favorites from the movies, as well as adding some wonderous new ones to love and hate all over again. I was impressed to see that it could be done, and if you are a true Star Wars fanatic, then this is the series for you. Also recommended that you read the next two after, of course. Enjoy!

I personally thought this book was fabulous, and it lived up to all my expectations of what a Star Wars Saga should entail. Zahn did a great job with the implementation of new characters and plot twists. Everyone who complains about people in the book not sticking to the "jedi way" should get a life - hello, it's only a novel! My only complaint is that some of the words were kinda hard to figure out pronunciation-wise. Otherwise, a great read!

Despite the pages dedicated to hot chocolate, "Heir to the Empire" will always be an absolute classic. Zahn's writing lacks the condescending tone that sets kids off of books, and has enough "meat" to appeal to older readers.

I don't mean not very good, I mean not as good as people say it is. I really don't understand why people think Zahn is so brilliant.

Zahn is an excellent storyteller, but honestly, he isn't a very good writer. The trilogy is plagued by gratuitous references back to events in the movies. "Luke reaches for his lightsaber, and recalls when he was hung upside down in a wampa cave on Hoth and had to use the Force to get his lightsaber from the snow." It's not necessary, and I groaned every time Zahn did it. James Luceno knows how to make appropriate and timely references. Zahn fails.

I personally liked the specific technical jargon, but I'm surprised that most other people did, too.

The story, though, what can I say? It's a good story. Grand Admiral Thrawn is the most awesome person I know. It was genuinely hard to be happy seeing the empire defeated this time around. I hated C'Boath, but then again, you'te supposed to. The noghri are a fascinating creation and their story is followed all the way through.

Everyone we know from the movies are there with a role, and act appropriately, although you never get the feeling that you've learned anything more about any existing character. New characters, like Mara Jade and Talon Kaarde, are superb additions to the saga. Creating characters really is Zahn's strongest point, I feel.

The books fall victim of being written before the prequels, and being early EU novels in general but that is no one's fault, and the "errors" are reconciled easily enough.

As a trilogy, it is consistent and drives towards a consistent goal throughout.

One other thing about the story, and I think this is why so many people adore these books more than I think they deserve, is that it is epic. I have yet to read another Star Wars book or series that approaches the expanse and import of this trilogy. It really concerns a huge part of the Star Wars timeline, and as a story matches the significance of the movies themselves, unlike any other books. That doesn't make these books the best books, most interesting, or best written, but I think it is that epic feeling that makes this series so popular, despite being unspectacular in several ways.

Any Star Wars fan who has not read this novel is doing themselves harm. This novel not only carrys on the adventure of Star Wars it makes you feel as if your watching the next movie. Zahn does a superb job in portraying the Star Wars galaxy and is without question the King of all Star Wars authors. New characters are introduced and the reader gets to see a developing Jedi use the force to escape a ruthless and cunning warlord bent on galaxy domination. Han Solo returns along with his trusted sidekick Chewbacca, and as one reads on they can almost see Han's trademark smirk as he dodges death yet again. It is an excellent starting point, and pathway, for any reader who desires to read more about the Star Wars universe but doesn't know where to start. It answers many questions and reveals many things thousands have been dying to know. Get this book along with the rest of the trilogy, and the force will be with you.

Ahhhh, the book that popularized Star Wars books and opened the way for more excellent Star Wars adventures. A master strategist that picks tactics from what he can interpret from the psychologies of his enemies (which he determines from looking at their artwork). What could be better? This was the first Star Wars book since 1983 and this was the one that gave the opportunity for other authors to try their hand at Star Wars. In my opinion, the best Star Wars trilogy ever (except maybe Solo and Company).

This book is so cool! When the ferce & evil Grand Admiral Thrawn (who is an alien) takes command over the empire, he proves he is a genius. His first move is to gather the tree dwelling ysalamari from Markry and it turns out these creatures can block any kind of force power around them. This proves useful when he goes to the cloning station on Wayland and the dark Jedi Juurus C'Baoth, but Juurus joins him immeadently on a deal that he will capture Leia & her unborn twins. So he sends out his speciel commando of Nogri to capture her. Then after a kidnap attempt Leia goes to Kashykk with Chewwie. And Luke has many adventures that eventually lead to being captured by smuggelers (one named Mara Jade who especcially wants him dead for unkown reasons). Also Han & Lando have adventures. Of course everything ties together. This is a great book and I advise you to read it.

Heir To The Empire was a wonderfully written book with amazing plot development and some of the best characters in sci-fi since the original Star Wars. The detail that this book gives makes you visualize every action, and what is amazing is that it so easy to see every movement and even the expressions of the intriguing characters. If George Lucas ever wrote Episode 7,8,& 9, I don't think that he could have done any better than these stories. Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command are beautifully written books. If you enjoy these, then you will also want to read the other amazing books by Zahn. Especially the Hand of Thrawn two book set which sends you into the world of the characters of this trillogy, but is set about a decade after the Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command trillogy ends. Definitly good reading for Star Wars fans and even those who are not. Definitly don't miss these books and Specter of the Past & Visions of the Future (Hand of Thrawn set). Believe me, this is some good reading, and it is packed with action, politics, and cultural knowledge, even if the cultures are not real... Zahn's details make it seem as though these people actually could be real, and in some ways those details help to make the New Republic and the Empire tangible. I certainly recommend this book.

I read Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. I liked this book because since I saw Star Wars 6, I'v wanted to know what happens after the 2nd death star is destroyed. I also liked how the remnants of the Imperial Fleet are still commanded by a very high ranking imperial officer. I would recommend this book to any Star Wars fan. I would also recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what happened after Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi. This book is the first in a trilogy. The other 2 books are just as good, if not better, than this one.

There are a lot of Star Wars books out there now, but this was one of the first and still the best.

Zahn knows the characters intimately and they are all believable--even the new ones. And his writing style will pull you in and keep you reading to the end.

I tend to be a Star Wars purist--meaning I consider the movies to be the only real Star Wars authorities--but the Thrawn Trilogy and Zahn's other Star Wars duology are my exceptions. He does an excellent excellent job.

Timothy Zahn is an exceptional author. He masterfully captures Star Wars in a way that George Lucas should and is proud of.

Heir to the Empire is an outstanding beginning to a three part cycle that will bring you to the edge of your seat. Zahn demonstrates his writing qualities by having done plenty of research to show his knowledge of the Star Wars universe. I can only imagine reading this when it first came out and there wasn't too much to read about the post Episode VI era. This book will bring you into a world in which you will crave more Star Wars and more Timothy Zahn.

The plot is awesome and I am really intrigued with the developments of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Tons of action, great stories and hidden plots that refer to Jabba and other parts of Jedi and Empire (episodes VI and V!). This adds tons of depth to Luke Skywalker and the up and coming Leia Organa Solo.

Go Wedge!

Highly recommend!

Star Wars: Heir to the empire is a book that follows the star wars plot line movie series. A grand admiral, called Thrawn, has risen to the empire's throne followed by his captain Pelleon. Thrawn finds a Jedi clone hidden on a nearly desolate planet and promises to give him Luke and a Leia who is pregnant with twins.

Trying to escape the empire, Luke damages his X-wing badly. Stranded, a smuggler (who took Jabba the Hut's place) named Karred and his newly appointed trainee, Marra Jade, find Skywalker and decide to hide him from the Empire. Soon, Skywalker, Jade and R2 find themselves in the middle of the woods, hiding from the Empire, who awaits their appearance in a near by city.

I recommend this book because it closely relates to the movies. It stays with the plot and you find out more about the characters as you read along. This book is the first in the series and progressively gets better as you read on. If you loved the movies, then you'll love the book. There's no telling what will happen next!

Submitted by Lauryn's mom, age 13, MOD 2 Book review

Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn Trilogy" is, in my opinion, the best Star Wars fiction available beyond the movies. Zahn is one of the best writers I have come across in some time. His style is excellent. The plots of the books in this trilogy are captivating and interesting, yet not difficult to follow or unreasonable in light of the original trilogy. His characterization of the familiar characters as well as some wonderful new ones is superb: Luke, Leia and Han develop just as we might expect them to be developing five years after "Return of the Jedi"; the characters talk like we're used to hearing them talk (unlike in some of the other Star Wars novels, where they don't sound at all like themselves); and the new characters fit right into the Star Wars universe as if Lucas had intended to put them in the movies all along. Zahn's themes are interesting and well-developed, fitting well in the context of the themes developed in the movies. In all, I would definitely recommend this book to any Star Wars fan who is looking to expand his or her experience of Star Wars beyond the movies. It is a great trilogy.

Many Star Wars readers will agree that Timothy Zahn is distinctively one of the best Star Wars EU writers. Heir to the Empire is part one of a three book trilogy (The Thrawn Trilogy)that was the first authorized SW novel to expand the SW continuity right after Return of The Jedi. In this book, Mr. Zahn introduces us to new characters such as Grand Admiral Thrawn and Jorus C'baoth (not to be mistaken for Joruus C'baoth) and takes us back to "the cave on Dagobah" in one or two chapters. The plot itself starts out relatively slow and doesn't start picking up the pace until the latter parts of the book. Character development in the story was so-so. Overall, I enjoyed the book as well as the other two novels in the trilogy. I dont recommend reading it more than once. There is also a graphic novel adaptation of the same name from Dark Horse Comics but I don't recommend it. Mr. Zahn mentioned a little hint about an Old Republic Jedi project called the Outbound Flight in the novel. Look for Mr. Zahn's expansion of this event later in 2005 in a novel called The Outbound Flight.

Thrawn is an evil genuis who wishes to restore the empire in his image.His captain,Palleon is an equally ruthless man and a very good destroyer captain. Thrawn, who is one of the 11 Imperial grand admirals can predict to the letter what his opponents will do. It is important to note that Thrawn is an alien and to anyone who know of the Empire's anti-alien policy, you must assume that he is outstanding in order to assume his position as an Imperial Grand Admiral. He does this by studying their species artwork. His overall strategy is to destroy the rebel shipping and capture rebel ships to use in the small Imperial navy. Another standard imperial tool is terror. He seeks the help of a mad jedi master to help communicate between ships and increase coordination during shielded attacks. My favorite character in this book is Mara Jade, a rougish woman similar to Han. If you are to buy this book, I recommend that you buy the other books in the triology because otherwise you will not be able to survive the suspense.

"Heir to the Empire" is my favorite Star Wars novel. If you loved the movies, you have to read this book. It's very well written. I liked the way that Zahn took minor characters from the films and focused on them more. Now Admiral Ackbar is one of my favorite Rebels! The new characters of Mara Jade and Grand Admiral Thrawn are great, and soon you'll be able to buy them as action figures from Kenner!

Timothy Zahn is perhaps the best Star Wars writer ever. Not only does he perfectly re-create the main characters we all know and love, he somehow manages to develop very unique enemies that have you sometimes cheering them on. I love the bad guys in this book. Thrawn is even better than the Emperor in my opinion. And new good characters like Mara Jade are just great. You have got to read this book!

Allright, I just got done reading some of the reviews that gave this book, no this trilogy, ONE or TWO STARS? I was in such disbelief at some of the people's reviews that i had to write my own.
First off, these guys/girls were reviewing this book like it was a piece of literature they had to write about in a college english course. THIS IS NOT A PIECE OF LITERATURE, IT IS A FUN BOOK THAT CAPTURES THE FEELING OF THE MOVIES. Which is what Zhan set out to do. I you decide to skip this book I have pity on you. The words STAR WARS on the cover at least warent reading the first book. And I found absoutly nothing wrong with this one. In fact, I have read the whole trilogy again after THE HAND OF THRAWN came out and enjoyed it just as much if not more the second time. By the way THE HAND OF THRAWN books were also very good.
I DON'T SEE HOW YOU COULD NOT LIKE THESE BOOKS. As long as you read them for enjoyment. Afterall, ITS STAR WARS.

Probably the most fun I had reading a SW book since I read the Bane trilogy. Just to live adventures again with the original SW characters. This is the beginning to another amazing trilogy by a phenomenal writer. Everything I have read by Zahn has been fascinating and well written. Take my advice and enjoy these stories too.

For those people who only read "Heir to the Empire" and decided they didn't like it, continue reading the rest of the trilogy. Only reading the first book of a trilogy is like only reading 1/3 of a story. One can't base an opinion of a story only having read a fraction of it. Besides of those people who reviewed the entire trilogy 93% gave five stars. Those are good odds.
I gave the trilogy four stars. Unfortunatly Mr.Zahn was unable, or unwilling, to add new 'catch phrases', for lack of a better term. Example, Han solo would only refer to threepio as "Golden rod" The first time was O.k. but I got tired of it. I'm sure Solo would have called him "Threepio" at least once. I guess Mr.Zahn thought it was very amussing but it got anoying.
Basically If you like star wars read it. It is a good trilogy, and very entertaining. The plot is plausible, and The characters are great.
Anyway if you want to continue the Star Wars saga read the trilogy, The entire trilogy. Give Mr.Zahn the courtisy to read his complete work.
The End.

Introduced is a servant of the Empire who rivals the might Darth Vader in terms of command and cunning. As the Empire begins its new campaign the fragile Republic begins to fall apart... again. My one problem with the story is that in EVERY SW novel, the New Republic is on the verge of falling apart. Otherwise, this is an GREAT story when combined with Dark Force Rising and the Last Command.

Timothy Zahn has proven that he can write like (George) Lucas by unleashing HEIR TO THE EMPIRE to the world. An ultimately excellent book, HEIR has captivated me by the opening scene, and by the time I finished, I was waiting for more. Letting loose Grand Admiral Thrawn, Talon Karrde, Mara Jade and all the others have been a really bright idea, and the emotional conflict between Luke and Mara has set me to read some more (even after finishing at least 10 chapters in a read). The idea of the Myrkr forest was fantastic, and Luke's irritating experience has set new heights here. The empire has really done its homework, having the best leader around, Thrawn, but the wimpy Pellaeon looks as if he were just a hyper-accelerated trainee who was just in nursery school. There is ONE problem, though, and that is C'Baoth. This maniac is an insane rip-off of Darth Vader, and his dialogues are amateuristic. All in all, it makes the best book in Bantam Spectra history, and, with the flavor and fit of the films, this is a must-read for all fans and readers alike.

I first read Heir of the Empire in 1993, and although I was a Star Wars fan by then, it made me even a bigger fan. Since then I've again read it a couple of times and everytime I am excited by the way Zahn continues the movies. The characters and especially the ones he introduces are just awesome. Grand Admiral Thrawn, who takes over the falling Empire, is the best villain of all the books, Mara Jade is a great character to play opposite Luke Skywalker. The intriguing subplots that join smoothly together to one great story are packed with all the good stuff that you loved about the movies. and sometimes I really heard the soundtrack in my ears. This Heir to the Empire trilogy is the best that was ever written for the Star wars universe and it is a must-read not only for the fans.

This book did all that the movies couldn't from the very start. Taking the imagination on a old favorite rollercoaster. All the original cast is in the book from our favorite wookie to r2d2. Yet their is also new favorites from a cunning admiral to the most mysterious woman in the galaxy. Zahn is a master at deveoping people, great plots and interesting situations. It is so good I had trouble putting it down more than one late night. His style has a never ending great description of new worlds and cultures. With in depth writing on their past and present standing. It's an incredible universe he throws out to us and it will take you on the next thrillig chapter(literally) in the star wars adventures. (I never give novels that are just for fun any higher rating than a four! So it was very well done.)

Timothy Zahn captures the spirit and the feel that we all love from Episodes IV, V and VI.

His original Trilogy was an excellent continuation of the lives of the characters of those movies. It shows the struggles of the Rebellion transforming into the New Republic and introduces a villain that you will enjoy so much you sometimes find yourself rooting for the bad guys.

In my opinion the Zahn Trilogy are the best of the myriad of Star Wars novel out there. If you love the original trilogy of movies, you will love these books.

I had the chance to meet the man and have him sign the books for me. I could tell that he truly loved the Star Wars universe and had a great appreciation for his readers.

I just watched Star Wars this summer and was really into it and I heard great reviews about the Thrawn Trilogy. I just finished the trilogy today and I thought it was alright. I had a mixture of emotions through out the trilogy. Heir to the Empire started off slow but it then started picking up the pace and action as Jade is revealed and the issues over the Empire and the Imperials. I really had thought that after Vader and Darth Sidious died the galaxy was going to live in harmony and a couple of encounters here and there but instead it became chaos and Master C'boath was even thought to be more powerful than Darth Sidious. Dark Force Rising was by far my favorite out of the trilogy, the plot started unveiling and I was starting to become hooked. I really enjoyed the beginning of the Last Command but towards the end I didn't understand how Grand Admiral Thrawn foresaw the Xwing fighter's tactics. He usually studied there art and deciphered their strategies but some of the ways that he extracted the information to apply it to their strategies didnt make sense. The death of Thrawn was not as I expected, He knew the Noghri were up to something but he never came back to that and they ended up killing him. I expected this huge deception but it was nothing like I expected him to die. However, the ending wasn't too bad. It was alright but I expected more because I was actually starting to become hooked.

A very entertaining, action-packed first volume in a trilogy that retains the values of the films.
The Rebel Alliance has since become the New Republic and is struggling to form a galactic government with the planet Coruscant as its center. However, the honeymoon period is about to be cut short, when a vicious tactical genius aided by a powerful Jedi Master take over the remants of the Empire and set out to destroy the fledgling New Republic.
The characters that we know and love have grown in stature but have not lost their capacity to be in the center of things. Luke's continuing his development as a fully-fledged Jedi Knight, Han has continued his shift to respectability by marrying Princess Leia and the two of them even have twins on the way who promise to be tremendously strong in the Force. The famous droid duo of C3PO and R2-D2, and the Wookie Chewbacca all return as well. Periphery characters such as Wedge and Lando Calrissian are fleshed out as well.
New characters are also introduced. The charming smuggler Talon Karrde makes an appearance, spearheading the remants of Jabba the Hutt's criminal organisation, and so does his fiesty red-haired partner-in-crime Mara Jade, a dangerous woman with a mysterious past and a sharp tongue. A new race of gray-skinned aliens called the Noghri, who serve the Empire as lethal commandos, are also along for the ride. The best of these characters though is the red-eyed, blue-skinned, white-uniformed Grand Admiral Thrawn; a deliciously brilliant tactical genius, dangerous and decisive, and with such a degree of class, charm and intelligence that its impossible not to warm to the guy. He is also refreshingly grey in a universe that was depicted in the films as black and white (until that revelation at the end of the middle film). He has a thirst for power, and does not suffer fools, but neither does he have the evil capriciousness that led Darth Vader to summarily execute those men who failed him. He is a realistic military commander, who gets the best out of his available resources but does not waste them foolishly.
The evil Jedi Master Joruus C'Baoth though is a relentlessly irritating concoction however, as petulant and moody as a teenager. The fact that Zahn meant to have him this way does not soften the blow either. I felt compelled to read on if only for the intensely satisfying moment when this guy would meet his doom.
The writing itself is limited, but Zahn has an eye for an action set-piece and these don't fail to disappoint. I did get annoyed at the overuse of the words 'sardonically', 'sarcastically' and 'countered', and the extensive tight smiles, lip twisting and sentence ellipsis. Its still true to the films though, with space battles, fire fights and a healthy dose of stormtroopers, and the story itself is so full of twists and turns that it is a guaranteed page-turner. Its no literary masterpiece, but if you love the films and a juicily convoluted plot that never fails to excite, then you won't go far wrong with this.

Hi.
I would like to start out by saying that the book was very good but some things made me dissapointed (Maybe I had to high expectations to start with). I have a few comments I'd like to share. First of all it seems odd to me that Luke, as the big hero he is, only because he's out of Force he can't disarm Mara Jade when she holds him prisoner on the ysalamari planet. I mean, come on, he has the lightsaber in his hand, she points a blaster at him and he surrenders. Even without the force he should be a quite adept warrior shouldn't he?
Why doesn't he do anything when she puts her blaster away on the ground?
I get the overall sense of Luke as being quite naiv and going around the galaxy not really knowing whats he's doing.
Then there's a time in the beginning of the book when Thrawn uses C'Baot to sense Luke presence and he talks to him a little. Then later in the book, Tnrawn and Pelleon is wondering if Luke is with the reps at a certain time and they wait to see. Why don't they just use the old Jedi to find out?
There's a phrase in the book that goes something like: a Jedi can't be too caught up in events regarding galactic safety that he forgets about individuals. Isn't the motto supposed to be the other way around?
Well, well. These small things made the book a little less entertaining than i'd hoped, but overall it's a good read.
(Ps: Anyone know of a good place to discuss star wars litterature?)

Heir to the Empire is one of the first books ever published about the Star Wars universe. Its characters and events overlap into many other books, so I suggest you read this book first if you don't want to be confused. Heir to the Empire is the first in a trilogy by Timothy Zahn. It takes place five years after A New Hope, and has many of the characters from the movies. Although the New Republic is growing bigger every day, an Imperial mastermind named Grand Admiral Thrawn has taken control of the Imperial troops, and is concocting a plan to defeat the New Republic. Han and Leia Solo,and Luke Skywalker must find out who is behind the many skillful attacks on the Republic, and how to stop them. There is also a dark Jedi with the Imperials, who wants both Luke, Leia, and Leia and Han's unborn twins to train. There are many new characters, and Timothy Zahn is an excellent author, with subplots and main plot woven together. Even if you don't read Star Wars, I suggest you read this book. It is one of science fiction's best.

This was one awesome book! It was a great transition from the movies to beyond, and I loved the new characters. Zahn has created one awesome character in Mara Jade, and I can't wait to see more of her (see Vison of The Future, also by the King of The Star Wars galaxy, Zahn himself). We still got to see all the charactors from the movie, with the baddest guy of them all. He's the person we love to hate, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Pellaeon is an OK kinda guy, but I didn't like Joruus C'boath very much.
I liked Karrde, and liked how he was introduced as a bad guy, but later turns out good. The ysalamiri were kinda confusing (come on, a Force-blocking bubble?), and I loved being able to see more of Chewie's home planet. I thought that part when Threepio imitated Princess Leia was kinda funny, but I can't forget that wonderful moment when my favorite little droid came back into action. Artoo, I've missed you and you've been gone way too long.

It was way cool ! The way Thrawn was potrayed was really interesting. He also had a certain likeness to Darth Maul. Pallenon was classic, and Luke was really interesting. C'Baoth was really twisted but he turned out okay. And the Noghri were really interesting along with Mara Jade and Talon Karrade. I was really fascinated by Thrawn's intuition, and stabibility. Timithoy Zahns Trilogy fits perfectly with the Star Wars Galaxy.

I purchased this book a real long time ago (only because I liked the cover and was somewhat interested in what the huge craze over StarWars was all about). All I had heard about it was, "It has a spectatcular ending." As I read what thought was going to be a boring book, I found myself recognizing all the charcters, save the new ones, and actually hearing the music in my head as I read the book. Not only do the new characters fit right in to the original story, but Zahn's writing style makes it just as, if not more, entertaining than the movies! This book is the reason why I am such a huge StarWars fan today!

This is one of the better works of science-fiction that I have read in years. New characters are well developed and interesting. Familiar characters like Luke, Leia and Han are continued in a beliveable manner that does not depart from the feel of the originals. An excellent job in that department. Feels like your back with old freinds. The plot is highly plausable given the events of 'Star Wars', 'Empire' and 'Jedi'. However, this book is not complete without the rest of the trilogy.

The Empire calls on Grand Admiral Thrawn to attack and destroy the New Republic. Using a mad Jedi Master, and a creature that can negate the Force powers of the Jedi, can Admiral Thrawn lure out and trap the Jedi?

This could have been so much better! It takes more than unpronouncable planet names and beloved characters from the movie to make a Star Wars story. This might have been a good space battle novel were it not grafted onto the franchise. I'm intrigued be the smuggler, Tallon Karrde and his associate, Mara Jade, but not enough to have a stirring desire to continue the series.

Heir to the Empire is an amazing book by timothy zahn continuing the classic story that is STAR WARS. Zahn's writing captures the imagination of the reader and fills the mind with pulsating action and incredible dialoque that only a master sci fi writer can do. If you haven't begun to read the books that continue the STAR WARS saga, you need to begin now. This for me is the pinnacle series written for the sci fi nut!

Zahn truly brings out the spirit of Star Wars in this book. The Heroes of the orginal trilogy are hard put as Grand Admiral Thrawn's ingenius tactics and stategic insight forces the New Republic to abandon more and more systems to the Imperial War Machine.
All in all, I think that Timothy Zahn has written books truly worthy of the name: Star Wars.

This is a very good book, as it goes. As this is my first Expanded Universe book, and first book by Timothy Zhan, I thought this book was very good. It has a great storyline, and has a lot of intresting animals, such as the ysalamari, (which created bubbles where the Force doesn't exist,) and the Vonskr, (which I think is attracted to the force

Your initial reaction to this book will be based on your feelings toward the film of the same name. The Star Wars saga tends to inspire fierce devotion and intense loathing. It's one of those things. Either your world is rocked or it isn't. I tend to err on the side of the rock (although I'm not a freak or anything about it, I wouldn't join any queues in Seattle if you know what I'm saying). I think Star Wars is alright. Okay Phantom Menace was a little limp, but Attack of the Clones is a marked improvement (in a lot of ways it's better than, say, Return of the Jedi).
This book, however, leaves me cold.
When I heard there was a graphic novel of Attack of the Clones, I couldn't help but wonder just how it was produced. Did all of the artists involved get a sneaky peek at the movie way in advance? Are the artists involved the same artists that worked on the movie? The back cover copy states that Attack of the Clones was "adapted here in graphic novel format by writer Henry Gilroy FROM THE FILM'S ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales." That's good, I thought. That means that - okay, the artists are privvy to the action and the dialogue but, crucially, they can reimagine the context in which the action and the dialogue take place. It's a graphic novel after all. There have to sparks of invention otherwise - what is the point? I mean, who would want to read a shot-for-shot version of the film in graphic novel form? Really? I'd love to know.
Because that is what you get. Somebody has drawn the film. This is a memento of that. Which means, don't you know, that this is just one more example (and forgive me for being so naïve that it's taken me this long to say) of Lucas' need to spin as much money as possible from his fat Star Wars spider. This is redundant art. This is art as commerce, pure and simple.

You will have to get through the first few chapters...they can go slow as the author sets up the new character Grand Admiral Thrawn. From there it takes off. Excellent writing and story. I liked the cover of the original book better than this one.

Not much to say other then this is The Best Star Wars books series that I have read. A must read for anyone reading or interested in Star Wars.

Continued by Dark Force Rising (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 2)
then The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 3)

I read this series several years ago and on occasion I read them again, and again, and again. I just adore the way Zahn carried on the legacy, the right way. I loved the introduction of Mara Jade.

Besides Truce at Bakura (another author) these is the BEST BEST BEST Star Wars books ever if you are a fan of the original movies.

Zahn expands on the Star Wars universe in a marvelous way. Heir to the Empire contains new worlds and a multitude of new characters worthy of the original trilogy. This book has more information than could possibly be put in a two hour movie. A master storyteller, Timothy Zahn uses so much detail you can almost see and hear the story.

1) Zahn implied that most of the Empire's competent officers died at endor , which is unrealistc.
2)the language is,nt sophisticated , it's unrealistic. (i.e charecterization is bad)
3)winning a few planets and blockading a few others should'nt really hurt a GALACTIC republic *that* much.
4) the Imperial fleet , as portrayed by Zahn , is pathetic. all I've seen was Thrawn's five Imperial Star Destroyer.
5)by accounting , zahn means that the republic elimanated the other Grand Admirals. It would be nic if there was some clarification as to HOW.
6)yes , everyone knows what cocking an eybrow means , but does that mean you can repeat it five times a page?
7)no , Im afraid that Zahn isnt the best star wars author. as proof read (at your own precaution) Specter to the past.

This was by far the best book written in the Star Wars universe. Along with it's sequels, Heir to the Empire recaptured the fire of the Trilogy perfectly. Grand Admiral Thrawn was one of the best additions to the SW storyline, and Zahn threw more innovative and spectacular ideas at the reader than any other SW novel on the market. The characters were perfectly portrayed, and the tension is real-- the problems, the fights, and the interpersonal relationships. Zahn is a master, and his contribution to the Star Wars universe is tremendous.

This novel was simply fabulous! One must enjoy and marvel at Zahn's creation. I had looked forward to finding a copy of this book for weeks, probably, before I succeeded.And I've got to hand it to you, Timothy, I can't say I was disappointed.I mean, how can you be disappointed with all the excitement,suspense,and cool(really cool)characters to boot?Honestly,I do not know.So please,read Heir To The Empire.And have lots more fun than blowing up a Death Star.

Overall a good read that`ll take up two of your summer reading days with all the characters never speaking more than two lines. Luke/Leia and Han getting out of every sticky situation they encounter and winning every battle. Grand Admiral Thrawn continue`s to lose every bit of the way. Kardde and everyone else seem to "get over" on this guy and it`s somewhat annoying that he can surmise exactly what`s going on in the minds of the enemy which doesn`t seem to amount to anything. Zahn to me is like Jack Higgens where you don`t question you just read and turn the pages. Mara Jade is constantly whinning about how Luke destroyed her life and while Leia is pregnant with twins she gets blasted around at many an encounter also. The Dark Jedi (C`Baoth)never mentions the name of the guy he defeated and the character is already rendered toothless and staid by the fact that he`s a clone (.....0r is that "clown"?).

Heir to the Empire, along with the two books that follow it, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command,are, in my opinion, the best in the Star Wars series. If George Lucas was going to make a movie to continue the Saga, these are the books he should base it on. The plot was riveting and the characters were spectacular, especially the Imperial warlord in this series, Grand Admiral Thrawn. A brillian tactician, he had the Rebels playing into his hands throughout the whole series, making me wonder how they would ever win against him. He was definitely worthy of filling the villain's role that the death of Darth Vader and the Emperor had left vacant. It was also a good book because it added a bit of Star Wars folklore and continued the story of Han, Leia, and Luke. I would recommend it to anyone, not just Star Wars fans.

I am a fervant Star Wars fan, and have read every star wars book that has come out to date (up to R.A. Salvatore's new jedi order). I read heir to the empire and the entire trilogy it was in when it was realeased. And I still must say, this trilogy is the BEST! the creation and twists in the plot were brilliant. Character development, what can I saw, you basically felt as though you knew the character's personally. And Zahn's technical descriptions of everything never left you wondering whether things didn't fitinto place. There were no dead ends, and all levels of the book were just fantastic. I think this book and trilogy should go down as an all time great (with the orginal movies of course) :). Zahn your the man, and I htink your follow-up duology, also rocked the house!

I've always enjoyed Star Wars and this was no exception. Everything about the story made me feel like I was watching a Lucas film in my head. I really liked the 20th Anniversary Edition with the notes from Timothy Zahn in the back. All the history was really interesting and gave me a new appreciation for the story and the Star Wars franchise.

While the Zahn trilogy opened the way for all the star wars craze , I was shocked as to how highly people praised this book. My cheif complaint is one that has been noted , quite effectively , on this site. Zahn is a very illogical person. The fact that he treats a whole planet as a small town is ridicoulous. Han immediatly spotting one of Fey'lia's aids on the first planet he visits is unrealistic to say the least. Another complaint is that the best military commanders of all time always draw on facts , data , and analyze a situation using that material , but Zahn , unfortunately has Thrawn making wild guesses and states he is a genius , but a better term would be lucky. this is understandable , since Zahn is only a writer , not a general or strategist , but he should still be critisized. In my opinion one of the worst Star Wars series of books. Dave Wolverton , and his more realistic aproach in storytelling in The Courtship of Princess Liea , is much more suited to that galaxy far , far away...

Zahn out did himself here. I thought this was the best Star Wars book I've read. I like the way the charactors have evolved since Return of the Jedi, and I love the new people. My favorite is Mara Jade. I thought her hatred towards Luke was also a a great way of keeping them alive in the woods. Overall, this book rocks!

I've been absolutely thrilled with Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy. He starts it off with this book, Heir to the Empire, continues the saga with Dark Force Rising, and brings it all to a spectacular conclusion in The Last Command! Buy all three! Then buy Specter of the Past - the latest in Zahn's Star Wars novels.END

Having already read the hand of thrawn, this explained a lot of those two books to me. This book contains the greatest warlord ever, GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN. He's my favorite character from the books nest to Rogue 9, Corran Horn. This book is perfect for anyone, even if you didn't particularly enjoy the movies. This book and the rest of the SW books Zahn has written will make you want to keep on reading.

Grand Admiral Thrawn, a millitary genius and the only non-human Admiral in the Empire, emerges to be the greatest threat to The New Republic Ever. When he enlists the help of a Dark Jedi, he sends missions to capture Leia and her unborn twins as payment. I give this 10 of 5 Stars and four thumbs up.

Although I am new to Star Wars books I can say this trilogy is essential. As soon as you have read this review don't hesitate to purchase! The unofficial Episode 7 - 9 maybe? Although it differs from Lucas poetic rythm, it goes to prove Zahn can create Star Wars stories as well as its creator. The reason I only gave it four out of five is because Zahn needs a thesaurus badly. If he removed all the times he says "pursed lip, lip twitched, said conversationally, said thoughtfully, raised his blue black eyebrow, to realise he wasn't breathing...!" the books would be half the length! And did Thrawn go to the Batman school of conclusion making? Anywho minor gripes aside its very good. Yes this review was helpful... now buy and enjoy!!

This book is the only way to start reading Star Wars novels. Zahn is an excellent author, and his plot and characterization is wonderful. I love Thrawn...all of his original characters are awesome. The only things I had a problem with were the 'hot chocolate' Luke parts. Read this book.

This book is a thrilling return to Star Wars since the making of the last film, Return of the Jedi. It puts the characters in some great situations and only enhances the readers understanding of them. It will have you avidly looking for the next book in the trilogy, Dark Force Rising.

Usually I do not do many book reviews, but this book urged me to do so. And I don't like to depreciate any work from authors. But the book is lame. The plot is poor as hell and it seems that the universe has a size of 10 cubic feet, due to the number of encounters that occur by pure chance in planets in horrendously far galaxies. Other point is about the characters. Luke looks like a high school jedi teenager who can't stand a minimal conversation with other characters or deal with enemies and reveal all the secrets to them.

Just remembering, the timeline of the book is 5 years after the Rebelion's win! If Luke had entered Jabba's ship with the same attitude described in the book, he would be crushed by Salacious B. Crumb (that creature that keeps laughing on Jabbas shoulder). The villains, by the way, look like being much more jedi masters than Luke itself.

At least I did not buy the other 2 books of the trilogy. Seriously, I tried VERY HARD to finish this one and it looked like badass jedi training.

Timothy Zahn is the best Star Wars Novelist.

This trilogy if you're going to buy any trilogy is the one you want... The one you *NEED*

It is epic, Timothy Zahn completely draws you into the book and it's a thrilling experience!

This is probably, one of the best star wars novels ever! I Loved this, Zahn captures the excitment and the action of star wars. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the best villians out there! This epic has action, mystery, and specticle. I recommend other Zahn Books, DARK FORCE RISING, THE LAST COMMAND, SPECTER OF THE PAST, and VISION OF THE FUTURE!

I did not expect that the star wars series could continue so interesting after The Return of the Jedi. The new characters that I saw for the first time in this movie are just as interesting as Han Solo and the others I was already familiar with. If you like Star Wars you'll have a lot of fun!

Some years after the events in the Star Wars movie, the New Republic is
beginning to encounter political problems, and having to deal with
governing and routing out rebels.

Along comes something nastier. A grand admiral of the Empire, with
a very potent battle fleet at his command, and a very impressive
ability to utilise it.

The beginning of the publishing of 100 billion books of what I suppose you could call '21st century pulp'.

This series is pretty decent, however.

Excellent book continuing the star wars story. The first few chapters are spent getting you back up to speed with previous and new characters, but once through them, it's hard to put the book down. If you enjoyed the battle with Sidious and Vader, Thrawn is a character that will appeal to your liking. A book to read after this before volume two in the series, would be Outbound Flight to further get an idea out Thrawn and who he truly is. An excellent book and a must read!