Dark Force Rising (Star Wars - The Thrawn Trilogy - Vol. 2)

The second entry in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, Dark Force Rising, opens up shortly after the events of the first novel and the battle of Sluice Van. Zahn takes this opportunity to splinter the characters, so that we follow a handful of different narrative threads: the criminals with a code of honor, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, go on the run from Admiral Thrawn, Luke chases down the batty Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth, Han and Lando encounter a general from the Old Republic turned independent freedom fighter, and Leia negotiates with longtime Imperial mercenaries, the Noghri, to prevent them from coming after her and her unborn children.

Tying most of these disparate plot threads together is the Katana fleet, a lost fleet of starships that, if recovered, have the potential of shifting the balance between the New Republic and Admiral Thrawn’s imperial forces. The Katana Fleet consists of two hundred Dreadnaughts, precursors to the Imperial Star Destroyer, and years prior to even the Clone Wars, its crew was infected by a virus that caused insanity, leading the crew to fling the compliment of starships out into the void of the galaxy. (Along with unstable Jorus C’baoth, the madness of the crew of the Katana fleet makes insanity something of a recurring theme in the series). As a MacGuffin, the Katan fleet bends each plot thread together by the end of the novel, although, because this is the second novel in a trilogy, plenty goes unresolved.

Dark Force Rising improves on its predecessor in most ways. The multiple plots make sure that the narrative moves swiftly as we bounce around the galaxy catching up with what our characters are getting themselves into. The sequel also provides Leia with a more satisfying role than Heir to the Empire. In what is arguably the most interesting plot of the novel, Leia takes a Noghri captive to his homeworld where she uses her role as ambassador to try and convince the Noghri to abandon the Empire and join the Republic. Leia must navigate the unique culture of the Noghri while also avoiding detection by Imperial forces.

Too often Leia gets scant attention, but she’s actually the highlight of the novel. While tense negotiations with an alien race might not be the most visually interesting story in a film, it’s well tailored for the medium of a novel. In fact, the role that the Republic has in keeping the peace is granted renewed attention. In another wonderful moment in the novel, Luke must mediate between two seedy businessmen, and during the negotiation, he muses to himself that this must have been one of the central roles of the Jedi Knight. With an exception of the opening of Episode I, we never really see the Jedi Knight as keepers of the peace, and it’s smart of Zahn to acknowledge this purpose. (It’s also interesting to see how the prequels change Zahn’s timeline. At one point it’s suggested that the Clone Wars occurred fifty or more years ago, but according to Episodes I-III, it’s probably more like twenty-five or thirty).

Zahn’s great strength as a storyteller is his ability to plot out ways in which dueling characters continually think they have the upper hand until they don’t. In fact, the strategizing reaches its wonderfully absurd peak with the character of Thrawn who studies a culture’s art in order to learn how they think and in turn how to defeat them. At its most exciting, Zahn’s novels are like the sword fighting scene in The Princess Bride in which Bonetti is counteracted by Capo Ferro which is cancelled out by Thibault and then undermined by Agrippa. These moves and countermoves are what makes the Thrawn Trilogy exciting, and by the end of Dark Force Rising, it’s easy to become eager to know who, in this interplay of strategems, gets the upperhand next.

Zahn continues to leave me wracked with despair about the movies that could have been in Dark Force Rising, the second book in his excellent Thrawn Trilogy. Where was all this tight plotting and fine characterization back when Lucas was inflicting all those prequels on us?

It's difficult to pull just one thread on Zahn's plot without unraveling a spoolful of spoilers, but suffice to say we pick up directly after the end of Heir to the Empire and spend most of the novel with Luke seeking a lost Jedi, Leia seeking the secret of the Empire's Noghri commandos, and more or less everyone else seeking a lost fleet of starships. Meanwhile, Thrawn busily wipes the galactic floor with them. Frankly, the only way this novel could have been improved is if when the lost Katana fleet was finally discovered it turned out that it was full of zombies. (And I'm fairly certain Zahn considered that, but was forced to cut it in the interest of keeping everything moving along.)

I'm clearly wildly biased about this series, but it remains the most fun I've ever had with Star Wars outside the original trilogy, and Thrawn ranks as one of the best villains I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Drop your copies of Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith and grab these instead.

I enjoyed this one, and not much to pick apart, except the overuse of Sardonic - I like the word, but seeing it in print too many times, it sticks out.

The thing that I enjoy the most I believe from this series so far is that Karrde is the rogue character that Han Solo was BEFORE *A New Hope* - Lando and Han become more of ex-rogues, which is not as much fun - legitimate thieves and all - Karrde is still a thief, and he plays both sides well to his advantage - and I enjoy that.

I wish that I did not know who Mara Jade was before reading this - that coming surprise is ruined, but the actions and dialog between her and Luke are still enjoyable, and this is a series that I can finally be happy to have started, and now I am on my way to finishing.

This would be a great arena for the new Star Wars films, but I know that everything in print now is non-canon; so we will have to wait and see what the future holds. But for now, I am enjoying the series.

So here we are, up to the "The Empire Strikes Back" parallel novel in Zahn's trilogy. It picks up basically where Heir to the Empire left off, with the New Republic celebrating and the Empire regrouping after a defeat.

The MacGuffin in this book is the Katana Fleet: two hundred warships ripe for the taking, and only one guy knows where they are. Okay, two guys. The race is on, and if you've seen Episode 5, you can guess at how this one's going to finish.

This is a fine, serviceable novel which advances the plot without straying too far from the Lucas-inspired source material. My complaints regarding overused catchphrases and "point" from my Heir to the Empire review still apply.

4.5 Stars

After being like, one of seven Star Wars fans to not like Heir to the Empire all that much, I have to commend Zahn for actually making an effort with the second book in the trilogy.

With Dark Force Rising, the writing feels more effortless and engaging. Gone is all the obligatory and formless set-up, and the characters and action propel the plot forward instead of the plot putting them where they need to be. Well, the plot still puts them where they need to be, but it feels much more organic here and the story and character settle into themselves. Zahn feels like he's having fun this time and not just getting all of the requirements for the set-up out of the way like he did with Heir.

Timothy Zahn continues the incredible story of the New Republic's efforts to repel the attacks of the formidable Grand Admiral Thrawn in Dark Force Rising, the second volume of a trilogy. Set five years after Return of the Jedi, this book is an excellent continuation of one of the most interesting storylines in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Since the trilogy was written in the early 1990's, some details have been contradicted by the prequel films and the immense growth of the saga, but the overall impact of the story is undiminished and things fit together remarkably well.

The book opens with Thrawn's assault upon smuggler Talon Karrde's base of operations on the planet Myrkr. Karrde is struggling to maintain his profitable neutrality in this conflict, but the open attack by the Empire starts him down a path that ultimately will have major ramifications in determining the victor between the Imperial remnant and the fledgling New Republic. Zahn avoids painting Karrde as a carbon-copy of Han Solo, another smuggler whose heart is opened to his inner goodness via external events, by keeping Karrde as an outside force willing to collaborate with the New Republic but not willing to flat-out join.

The primary focus of this second volume's plot is centered around the Katana fleet, a legendary group of Clone Wars-era automated dreadnoughts lost in the uncharted depths of space. This fleet, also known as the "Dark Force," is fantastically desirable to both the New Republic and Grand Admiral Thrawn. The galaxy largely believes the massive fleet to be a myth, but events here prove otherwise and we are swept to a tense conclusion in which both sides make their play to acquire this source of power.

The former Emperor's Hand and Imperial assassin Mara Jade plays a key role in this story. Her impetus to kill Luke Skywalker remains from the first book, but essentially there's never a good time to actually do it. Indeed, despite blaming him for the collapse of her life and despite the Emperor's implanted suggestions, she ends up teaming with Luke to save Karrde and his crew from the Empire. Zahn does a great job weaving her story into Luke's and she brings a very interesting perspective as an ex-Imperial servant. Also enjoyable is a sequence in which she meets Grand Admiral Thrawn and starts to realize that her role as Emperor's Hand wasn't quite what she thought it was.

Luke learns more about the Force and the Jedi through his meeting with the mad Jedi clone Joruus C'baoth on the planet Jomark. Luke is portrayed as very unsure of himself, a decision I don't entirely agree with, but considering that Luke is single-handedly attempting to chart the future of the Jedi, I can see why Zahn developed this particular characterization. If Luke had been a little more self-confident of his own feelings about right and wrong, I don't believe he would have spent very long with C'baoth, but I do like how this time depicts Luke as extremely anxious to weigh all possible paths and opinions as he forges his own vision of a new Jedi Order. Also valuable to this portrayal is a short but engaging scene where Luke arbitrates a small dispute between two aliens in a bar and realizes the high esteem that much of the galaxy still places in Jedi.

Dark Force Rising has a spectacular storyline involving Leia's efforts to understand and ally with the Noghri people, the same species who assiduously attempted to kidnap her and her unborn twins throughout Heir to the Empire. Leia journeys with Chewbacca and C-3PO to Honoghr, the devastated Noghri home world. The Noghri are a brilliant addition to the Star Wars universe, a truly alien species that Leia struggles to relate to and eventually is able to reach. The sequence in which Leia discerns the truth concerning what the Empire did to the Noghri and Honoghr is absolutely compelling.

The Thrawn Trilogy is some of the best reading in the Expanded Universe, and as such Dark Force Rising is highly recommended. Zahn offers a potent mix of action, politics, character development, and intriguing plotlines to make a fresh and highly readable tale.

As is apparently common knowledge, the second book of a trilogy tends to have the most issues. But I think this is where Zahn really took off. He builds on the relationship between Han and Leia, he generates a suitable counterpart for Luke, an ex-assassin whose last mission from the emperor had been to kill Luke. Old characters come in and out of the book, developing from their static personalities in the movies. New characters are introduced; characters interesting enough to be found playing important roles in later non-Zahn novels. The coup de 'tat, though, is Thrawn. Intelligent, cultured, focused - a character much more frightening in his own way than the Emperor could ever manage because he has no temper. It is a tribute to Thrawn that he is such a well-remembered character and yet no other writer has tried to put him in their novel. To do so would be to either write on the same level or fail miserably.

The best thing about this book is it doesn't catch you up with what just happened, it starts off assuming you read Heir to the Empire the first book. You could probably figure out what happened as you read it but it doesn't make it obvious, which I greatly appreciated, and felt rewarded for reading the first book.

The story is great once it gets going and has a great ending where all the characters meet up, at the end. Leia gets a better story line this time, where the first book she only had a couple of chapters used to set up the story that unfolded in this one. I love the Luke and Mara relationship works out it's very interesting how Mara wants to kill luke but keeps having situations where she needs him.

The problems I had with this book is it did take a couple chapters to really get going, and I found Han and Lando's mission very confusing, they started out with trying to find out who framed Aukbar, then they get distracted with Katana fleet, it just got a little confusing and new people kept getting introduced in their storyline.

All in a it's a great story add to the star wars universe, and now i'm going to read the next book in the trilogy.

A simply amazing follow up to a masterpiece.
Who says sequels always suck. We got empire strikes back and the dark night as some great examples of a sequel being better then the original.
Dark Force rising is one of those sequels that does not disappoint.
pros and cons
1: Thrawn is winning! Grand admiral Thrawn is winning just about every battle in the struggle for control of the galaxy. This really makes you root for the empire.
2: Leia! The Leia arc in this was pretty cool. It really developed her character allot more
3: Smuggler scum! We get allot more involved in the fringes of society.
4: The Katana Fleet! A mass of warships created pre clone wars but lost in space for decades. Now the New Republic and the Empire race to see who can bolster their forces by adding the Katana fleet to their armada.
5: Noghri! The Noghri really start to think about their service to the empire in this story and we begin seeing how manipulative the Emperor truly was.
6: C'baoth! The insane clone Jedi Master really amps up the crazy and starts seducing luke to the dark side, planting the seeds we will see culminate in the Dark Empire comic series.

Cons:
1: Dengar? I was a bit bummed this was not the real Dengar from Empire Strikes back. But then i guess if it was well it might be even more disappointing.
2: Mara Jade. Her arc seemed a bit toned down, or maybe i just wanted more of her, lol.

Overall this is a really great read and a great addition to the star wars universe!

Timothy Zahn's incredible 'Heir To The Empire' remains one of the 3 greatest Star Wars novels written (the other 2 would be the immediate sequels, of course) and 'Dark Force Rising' picks up shortly after, with a slightly misleading title. When you are dealing with anything that has the Star Wars name on the front, when you read 'Dark Force' what comes to YOUR mind? Well my opinion had something to do with the Dark Jedi that was introduced in 'Heir' but you may as well drop that idea right up front. The fabled Dark Force is a fleet of Dreadnaught ships with a Dark Coloring that were all networked together (or in this case, Slave Rigged) to one ship called the Katana, and one day (as the story goes) the Katana's crew goes nuts and trips them all into Hyperspace and instantly an entire fleet of ships disappear, never to be seen from again. As events from 'DFR' pick up, smuggler Talon Karrde apparently believes that he knows exactly where the Katana Fleet is located, and since the Alliance AND the Empire are in desperate need of new ships, finding the Dark Force suddenly becomes Priority #1. Who will get to the ships first, and also, does either the Empire OR the Alliance have enough men to crew the fleet if and when the ships are found in the first place?
We delve deeper into the corrupted mind of the cloned dark Jedi, Joruus and what plans Grand Admiral Thrawn has for him and we see a little more of what his grand scheme is for defeating the Rebels. The depth of character development in 'Dark Force Rising' is more apparent and we get into the mind of Thrawn even more. Zahn's evil creation marks him as an even greater 3-dimensional character than either Vader or the Emperor ever was on the big screen. More depth. More ambition, and most of all, more brains. Where Vader & the Emperor ruled by fear, Thrawn rules by simply making the best decisions based on solid research and the brilliant deductions from the mind of the only alien Palpatine ever allowed to rise in major rank within the confines of the Empire. Zahn never gives us too much info too quickly, always leaving some detail out of the picture until just the right moment when he opens the curtain of your mind and reveals a little more of what we have in store for the last book, 'The Last Command'. Just as the bombshell was dropped at the end of 'The Empire Strikes Back' with the revelation from Vader that he is Luke's Father, Zahn leaves us hanging at the end of 'Dark Force Rising' with quite a nailbiter of an ending, too.
Once again, I can find nothing wrong with this 2nd installment in this trilogy. I have yet to read ANY Star Wars novels that are as well drawn out and all-out entertaining as this series was and is--with the possible exception of the 'Hand of Thrawn' duo that Zahn wrote several years later (although still excellent, they were not as good as his original trilogy). 'The Last Command' is simply put a grand ending to this incredibly well told series of books. Many have wondered how well these 3 books would've turned out had they been put up on the big screen...well, if they could've done it, my personal opinion is if they would have closely followed the novels, they would most certainly have been MUCH better than Episode's I & II have turned out to be. Run out and buy this series if you haven't yet. Absolutely the best of the best in the Star Wars Universe in print, and they simply should NOT be missed. Bravo, Mr. Zahn.

In Dark Force Rising, Timothy Zahn continues the spectacular story he began in Heir to the Empire, while upping both the intrigue and action of the incredible story arc.
The stakes are higher than ever. Grand Admiral Thrawn's first puch against the New Republic was unsuccessful, but the victory wasn't nearly one-sided. Treachery and political infighting threatens to tear the government apart. As Han and Lando fight to clear Admiral Ackbar's name of treason, Leia races to an alien planet to try to bring a dangerous and proud alien race into the fight against the Empire. Luke, feeling the call of Joruus C'baoth, the mad Jedi master, must team up with Mara Jade once again, to free her employer and comrade from Thrawn's own ship.
The threads of the plot, while becoming more numerous and complex, never get tangled. Zahn juggles the huge cast of characters with talent that few have ever shown in the series. The action is larger, the characters are more complex, creating tension on both sides of the war. The clashing between Joruus C'baoth and his uneasy ally, Thrawn, becomes more apparent, and threatens to disrupt the Empire's plans, and C'baoth himself makse a move to corrupt Luke, Leia, and her unborn children for his own twisted desires.
This is one of the rare sequels that doesn't suffer from sequelitis. True, you really have to have read the first book to understand what's going on, but the book has a definite beginning and end, and more than enough excitement and interesting characters to fill the 400 plus pages. But, aside from the quality, which is exceptional, this is just a plain fun read. Like the first novel in the Thrawn Trilogy, this captures the essence of the Star Wars mythos, while building on its wonderful history and story.
If you're looking for a fantastic literary saga in the Star Wars universe, you can't do better than the Trawn Trilogy, and the second book proves that Zahn's writing and grasp of the SW universe just keeps getting better and better.

While this book isn't as exciting as Heir to the Empire, and not as immensly well written as The Last Command, it's still an excellent book that is essential to understanding the whole trilogy. Since I consider this trilogy to be the cornerstone of Star Wars fiction, I would therefor recommend it to anyone, even the casual fan who would just kind of like to know what happened next. I would defenitely also recommend reading Heir to the Empire first, since otherwise this book will make no sense what so ever. For those of you just getting into Star Wars fiction, this is a very good place to start. In fact, I would even recommend reading this series before the ones set before it, since that way it will give a better general perspective of the overall story. Several important things happen in this series that have a profound effect on everything that comes after it, Han and Leia have their first children, Jacen and Jaina, the New Republic meets it's match (once again) and for that matter so does Luke. Anyway, the story of this book in particular basically revolved around a bunch of space battles in which everyone is fighting over the Katana Fleet, or the Dark Force, which is a fleet of dreadknots (or however that's spelled) that was lost some time ago. The smuggler Talon Karrde and his second in command Mara Jade know where it is, and promise to give it to the New Republic, something that makes Mara Jade (a former imperial assasin/spy with an intense hatred of Luke, and also happens to be highly force sensitive) very displeased. Meanwhile, a pregnant Leia is on Honoghor trying to consolidate the Noghri into joining the New Republic. Though, while this book is full to the brim with vivid battles of all kinds, there is plenty of character stuff to satisfy also. Original and new characters alike are portrayed magnificently, both in their personalities and in their interactions with the other characters. Another excellent thing about this series is that it is the official introduction of Mara Jade, who is possibly the coolest and most interesting character in Star Wars. Her interactions with Luke especially were superb, very fun and interesting. When I read this book for the first time I found it hard to believe those two were going to end up together, even if it does happen ten years later, but now the second time around I can see the subtle attraction developing between them. I think this will be a relationship I will enjoy for once, much better than Luke's other relationships (Gaeriel, Callista(gagging noises)) Anyway, this is an excellent book that I would definitely recommend to any Star Wars fan, child or adult.

"Dark Force Rising" is the second volume of the Thrawn Trilogy written by Timothy Zahn. Han Solo and Lando Calrissian are working to discover the identity of the intelligence leak within the New Republic High Council. As they work on this they learn of the leak they learn of the existence of the legendary Katana fleet which disappeared decades before. Leia Organa Solo is seeking to convince the Noghiri race to stop hunting her and to abandon their servitude to the Empire. Luke Skywalker, on the other hand, feels a call of a long lost Jedi Master named Joruus C'Boath. Joruus is quite insane and also happens to be a clone of the real Jedi Jorus C'Boath who was lost during the Clone Wars. The Grand Admiral Thrawn seeks to claim the Katana Fleet for his own and to crush the Rebellion, as he still sees it.

There is a lot of plot in this book, and while there is a slow start and I felt for at least half of this book that "Heir to the Empire" was far better, "Dark Force Rising" picks up midway through the book and by the end I was just as impressed as I had hoped to be. It is very easy to see why Timothy Zahn's trilogy provided the spark which led to so many more Star Wars novels. These are well told tales featuring our favorite characters from the movies and they are brand new adventures. In the midst of the hundred or so Star Wars novels it is easy to forget that these books here really set the stage and while there were Star Wars novels written before "Heir to the Empire", nothing really compares to this series and this is really the standard for all future Star Wars novels.

Not a perfect book, by any means. "Dark Force Rising" is definitely a middle novel with all the flaws therein, but in the realm of Star Wars this remains one of the better novels even a decade later.

-Joe Sherry

I really enjoyed Dark Force Rising, the second book in the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, and it made me excited to read the rest of the books in the Thrawn series.

Dark Force Rising starts immediately where Heir to the Empire leaves off. Admiral Ackbar is in prison, accused of treason, and Fey'la is still trying to take over leadership of the New Republic. Han Solo and Lando Calrissian journey to investigate the claims against Ackbar. Leia rendezvous with Khabarakh, and she must try to convince his fellow Noghri the Empire is exploiting them while she and Chewbacca try to remain hidden from Grand Admiral Thrawn's presence on the Noghri planet, Honoghr. Luke, still questioning his abilities as a Jedi, sets off to find Jedi Master Joruus C'Boath on the small planet of Jomark. Mara Jade inadvertently leads Grand Admiral Thrawn to Talon Karrde and his capture, and she must reluctantly seek out Luke Skywalker to help in Karrde's escape. Looming in the background of the novel is the search for the mythical Dark Force, a large fleet of Dreadnaughts, which could prove invaluable to whomever is able to find them first.

Timothy Zahn's Dark Force Rising is an action packed adventure with one perilous situation after another. Zahn writes the characters and action so well, I found myself completely consumed by the story, eager to find out what happened next. I would recommend this book to Star Wars fans who read and enjoyed Zahn's first book in this trilogy, Heir to the Empire.

If you are a Star Wars purist who loved all 6 movies you are going to find some inconsistencies in this book and the movies. Here are a couple - Mara tells Luke that the Emperor cut off Vader's right hand after the Battle of Yavin for his failure in stopping the Death Star's destruction and Coruscant is portrayed as having some rustic areas and mountains.

Having said that - I wouldn't let that stop you from reading this series. The inconsistencies are few and far in between and the story is actually quite well written. This book picks up right from where "Heir To The Empire" left off and has our beloved characters continuing in their struggle to establish the New Republic amidst internal political strife and the rise of the remnants of the empire being led by Grand Admiral Thrawn. I found it quite enjoyable to read. It was like a breath of fresh air consider the atrocity that the Expanded Universe has become in recent years with the Legacy and Fate series...

Book 2 of the Thrawn trilogy
Will Thrawn get a hold of the Katana fleet (a fleet of 200 Dreadnaughts, similar in size to Star Destroyers) and become the biggest threat for the New Republic? A threat capable of destroying the alliance of planets trying to recover from years under the Empire.
Mara Jade has been discovered as an Imperial agent, the feared agent known as the Emperor's Hand, an agent that is also Force sensitive trained directly by Palpatine. It has also been discovered that Palpatine commanded Mara with killing Luke.
Pregnant Leia escaping several kidnapping attempts but some Noghri have been able to identify her as the daughter of Lord Vader, and some pledging to assist and protect her with their lives.
Luke has fallen under the spell of Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth, a Jedi Clone that is falling insane, and begins training with him.
To me this was a fast paced book, and appreciated Zahn's writing, it made me remember Empire Strikes Back, in the way that it was much better than the first book and let me wondering how soon I was going to be able to get the next book and complete this story saga.

!!!!Spoilers!!!!

Dark Force Rising is one of those rare sequels that I enjoyed much more than the original.

Heir to the Empire was a great book that I enjoyed but I always felt like it was lacking a strong plot and had too much buildup. Dark Force Rising corrects that issue by having a well established plot quite early in the novel.

Thrawn was also better written in this novel than in "Heir". In the first book his intelligence was almost "godlike" to the point where I was reading and was like "Come on, there is no possible way he could know that." In this story he is more mortal and although still extremely intelligent, he makes a few errors in his judgement and doesn't know things that he cannot possible know.

I liked also how we got a more in depth look at C'baoth and his interaction with Luke. I would have liked to see more Mara and Luke interaction but I imagine that there will be a lot of that in THE LAST COMMAND.

Another aspect of Dark Force Rising I really enjoyed was how well written it was. There were only a couple times in the novel where I really had trouble picturing what Zahn was trying to describe. This happened much more in "Heir" and countless other books I have read.

Overall, I loved Dark Force Rising, on a 10 point scale I would give it a 9, which easily translates into a 5 out of 5 star recommendation on the store.

"Dark Force Rising," the sequel to "Heir to the Empire," was actually, in my opinion, a tad more enjoyable than the latter. Both made excellent science fiction and even though neither were flawless they read like Dostoyevsky or Shakespeare next to Kevin J. Anderson and Steve Perry.

In "Dark Force Rising" Skywalker finally meets C'baoth after a number of clashes with the Imperials, although the time spent with him is short and only covers less than two chapters throughout the book. C'baoth is pretty much what is expected, attempting to lure Skywalker over to the darkside of the Force. Leia makes what I considered a very foolish trip to the Noghri planet in an attempt to gain their allegiance in the New Republic, while Han and Lando are involved in adventures of their own in the dank underground of smugglers and renegade politicians in an effort to absolve the illustrious Admiral Ackbar from the accusations of treason leveled against him by Fey'lya. Grand Admiral Thrawn and Pellaeon? Well, they don't do much more than what they did in the first book. Thrawn continues to be absorbed in studying other culture's art as if he was Reich Marshal Goering while continually being thwarted by our favorite heroes and Pellaeon continues to question Thrawn's seemingly rash decisions and then acting surprised at Thrawn's unmatched brilliance when Thrawn's hunches or inductions prove to be correct. Thrawn and Pellaeon, I admit, have easily become two of my favorite Imperial characters, however, although the book abounds with allusions to Grand Admiral Thrawn's tactical brilliancy and cleverness, I have yet to actually experience it. Time after time Luke, Leia, Han and Lando continually escape his carefully planned attacks, even once while Luke and Jade happened to sneak inside of his vessel to emancipate an imprisoned Karrde. Also, all actual direct attacks launched by him on the New Republic seem to be more hit and run than actual battles meant to create actual mass destruction. His putative "tactical brillancy" resembles more that of a small dog annoyingly yapping at the heels of a large man.

In any case, I hope to see Thrawn in all of his power in the last book of the trilogy.

All in all, the "Thrawn" trilogy certainly deserves 4 stars, however, even with Zahn's excellent ability to give the characters in depth personalities that are identical to how they were presented in the movies it is still far outdone by the movies and I feel that that has more to do with the plot and some of the (what I thought were) farfetched events therein.

Continuing the "further adventures" of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, Chewbacca the Wookiee and the rest of the Star Wars heroes, Timothy Zahn followed up his best-selling 1991 Heir to the Empire with this second volume in the Thrawn Trilogy.
It is a time of crisis for the New Republic. Even though Darth Vader and the Emperor are dead and the galaxy-spanning Empire reduced to a quarter of its original size, a new Imperial warlord has returned from the Unknown Territories and rallied the cream of the Imperial fleet to mount a savage attack on the still-struggling New Republic.
Aided by the insane clone of a long-dead Jedi Master, the tactical genius Grand Admiral Thrawn has discovered the means to clone Imperial troopers, crewers, and pilots to replenish the once-depleted forces of the Empire. Now he searches for the Dark Force, the near-mythical Katana Fleet of ancient but still powerful dreadnaughts lost in a bizarre incident in the days before the Empire. Once in Imperial hands, this massive fleet will help Thrawn and his forces to regain control of the galaxy.
But all hope is not lost to the former Rebel Alliance. Luke, Leia (who is pregnant with Jedi twins), Han, Chewie, and the droids are now being aided by the mysterious smuggler chief Talon Karrde and his protege Mara Jade. Facing the twin threats from Thrawn's stunning offensive and political discord from Bothan politician Borsk Fey'lya, the Heroes of the Rebellion are still the galaxy's brightest hope in the struggle between good and evil....

"Dark Force Rising" is the second book in the 'Thrawn Trilogy' that officially relaunched the Star Wars saga in novel form in the early 90s. There are some great moments in here, and important continuing development of both the central characters - including a number of figures who were introduced for the first time in "Heir To The Empire": Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Jorus C'baoth, Talon Karrde, and the entire Noghri race, for starters - and of the evolving state of the Star Wars galaxy in a post-Palpatine era. Despite its importance in the Star Wars scheme of things though, I can't help but feel that this doesn't quite live up to either "Heir" or the trilogy's concluding chapter, "The Last Command".

Basically, a great book is hampered somewhat - not crippled certainly, but hampered - by some troubles with time pacing (certain things zip by too fast, both for the story's sake and believability, while others avoid becoming 'dragged-out' only by the narrowest of margins) and an overreliance on coincidence. That may seem a strange comment for a Star Wars tale, but in the movies things that perhaps Should have come off seeming too coincidental somehow didn't, they just Felt right. Chalk it up to fate, or the Force, or the movies's general abilities to avoid potential pitfalls as deftly but as surely as the Millennium Falcon skimming between two collision-bound asteroids, but it pulled it off almost all the time, and the very best novels and comics have done so too, maintaining a feeling of credibility even in the wildest and most outlandish situations. Something went wrong here though (in my opinion), things just didn't 'click' at the right moments, and the result was the aforementioned problems. The most unfortunate aspect is that these problems rear up most heartily during some of the book's most important and dramatic passages, particularly toward the end, where they can damage the impression of the overall tale more than if they came primarily in, say, the first couple of chapters.

None of this is sufficient to stop "Dark Force Rising" from being a great piece of Star Wars lore; it's not the alltime great it could have been (and that the other two episodes of the Thrawn trilogy were) but it's certainly not a bad or a 'merely average' book either. It's exciting, it has great, awe-striking cinematic imagery, and great use of character (one of the more intriguing developments that I can touch upon without giving anything away is the position Luke Skywalker now finds himself in as a galactically famous Jedi, where various argumentative parties are looking upon him to serve as mediator in their disputes. It's a great step in the role of the Jedi in the new galactic order that's taking shape.) As Thrawn's longrange plans to reinvigorate the Empire - shrunken and crumbling at the start of "Heir", with the Rebels (now the New Republic) in control of four fifths of the galaxy, proceeds with the Republic in the now-unfamiliar position of often being back on the defensive, while the "Dark Force Rising" title refers not only to the Empire's resurgence but to the quest for a legendary, believed-mythical, long-lost fleet of powerful ships that could be a huge advantage to whichever side harnesses them.

Despite any shortcomings this is still a very good book in its own right. But it's the continuing development of characters and concepts that are so essential not only to the Thrawn trilogy but to the whole Star Wars Universe (both in books and comics that would come later, and in adding even more flavor to the movies, like "Empire Strikes Back" made parts of "Star Wars" even better once you'd seen both, and "Return Of The Jedi"'s insights enhanced both "Empire" and "Star Wars", and so on) that makes "Dark Force Rising" a book that I have to really, really recommend to Star Wars fans, and that gets the novel up to a good four stars. A lot takes shape in this episode.

Dark Force Rising, is an interesting novel with many plots.In one scence the rebellion finds out that Karde(smuggler) knows the location of the Dark force, 200 Dreadnaughts, (old but heavily armored, and verpowerful weapons-wise).However one of Kardes associates was with Karde when he didcovered the Dark Force has fled to sell the information on where the Dark Force is. Now it becomes a race between the Empire and the Rebellion to recover the 200 Draednaughts. In another scene C'baoth the dark Jedi Master (he's a clone) attempts to turn Loke Skywalker to the dark side. He plans to make a small army of Dark Jedi's tat consist of Mara-Jade, Luke,Leia, and her twins.Luke is almost turned to the Dark Side by Mater Jorus C'baoth (he uses a mind control trick).However C'baoth fails to do so after Mara-Jade interveins.This and more is some of the thigs thet happens inthis great book. Iwould of give this book 5 Stars but the Last Command is the best of the trilogy, Because is has a great ending for Admiral Thrawn and turn of eventts btween Master C'baoth and his victems. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the most ingenious enemies in the Star Wars universe. If you thought the Rebellion had an easy path or a mopping up job after defaeting the emperor you thought wrong.

While I must admit that I was not a great fan of the first book in the Thrawn Trilogy "Heir to the Empire", the second book really got my attention. I will venture to say that most people reading the Star Wars books are reading to see the characters they loved from the movies develop. In the second book, Han Solo, Luke, Lando Calrissian, and Leia Organa Solo take center stage as they chase an once defunct fleet of abandon ships while a conspiracy against the New Republic unravels. It makes for a fast paced read that is hard to Star Wars fans to dislike.

There were a number of aspects of this book that I really enjoyed. Star Wars certainly has some political wrinkles in the plot. "Dark Force Rising" sees the New Republic's government developing into dangerous factions. The power grabs of this era are not limited to the Sith. Seeing the insanity of Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth spiral as he meets Luke Skywalker affords the opportunity to develop Luke's character as he continues to learn the ways of the force. As I await the third book in the trilogy, I am most looking forward to seeing the direction which the author takes the Mara Jade character. While the author seems to have ended this aspect of the story, I find it hard to believe that the author would end it so abruptly.

After reading the first book in this series, I was certain that I would be disappointed by chronology. After reading the second book, I can not wait to read the third book. With the plot leaving questions in my mind, the author did more than enough to keep the series interesting through three books.

Those who think that good SF is simply huge ships duking it out with the help of CGI will of course be disappointed. For me, the character of Thrawn was a relief, for the same reason all of the other characters Zahn creates were a relief: The bad guys have some good characteristics (Pelleaon is intriguing because of his pragmatism and dedication and, along with Thrawn, the first, and I do mean first, SW baddies who were not merely comic-opera rejects from the Nazi school of winning friends and influencing people, amusing in their self-important incompetence -- read "Darksaber," if you can stand it, to see what I mean) and the good guys have their flaws (Karrde is intriguing as an amoral smuggler king whose pragmatism and pride trick him into doing the right thing). Zahn artfully fleshes out the archetypes created by Lucas in his Campbellian epic to create a story that, rare among spinoff fiction (e.g. much of the Star Trek follow-on with the exceptions of Diane Duane and John Ford), did not leave me feeling like I wasted my time.

Having left our heroes in the wake of imminent danger, Dark Force rising starts off with a real sense of foreboding. This installment of the Thrawn Trilogy delves into Leia's character and interestingly examines Darth Vader's influence during his reign with the Empire. The Noghri character whom befriend's Leia is told of Vader's "generosity" as well as the Empire's during the time of the Galactic Civil War.

Another fun aspect of this book was following Lando and Han in their discovery of the Dark Force fleet. It was a nice venture into different territory and interesting to see how these two characters interacted when pressed into dangerous situations.

Luke's training with C'boath is also well written and readers get a real sense of Luke's lack of confidence in his skills since defeating Darth Vader. His rushed training on Dagobah is echoed nicely in his story arch for this novel and it fleshes out his character very well.

For those who loved Heir to the Empire, you just need to keep reading the trilogy!

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. The assassin aliens, the Noghri, are the coolest new aliens in the Expanded Universe, and possibly all of Star Wars. Like the other characters in the book, they have interesting, well-developed personalities and cultures. Overall, this trilogy is required reading for any Star Wars fan (the other books - not so much).

Upon rereading this book some few years after I read it the first time, I found that the excitement had diminished not a whit. Dark Force Rising is my personal favorite from this trilogy.
Some great characterization as regards Lando, Han, Luke, Leia, Wedge, Borsk, Thrawn, CBaoth, Karrde, Aves and Mara. Zahn also introduces some new characters: Bel Iblis, Sena and such. Delta Source is still a mystery.
Good to see Wedge and the Rogues again, by the way. I enjoyed Han and Lando's adventures. The last four chapters are stupendous. The battle for the Katana fleet is terrific. The twist at the end is great and I really enjoyed the confrontation between Leia and Fey'lya during the battle.
All in all, Zahn is part of a very select group of the really great SW authors out there. He ranks with Stackpole, Allston, Perry and Tyers as the very best of the best. Anderson, Wolverton, Salvatore, Rusch, Smith and a few others get an honorable mention.

DFR is an ultimately recommendable book... for people who haven't read the other two, and those who like strategic science fiction, not action science fiction. Although it is commendable, I did not find it an easy read, and many times I put off my reading sessions only because I wanted to find more excitement than C'Baoth Insanity. I myself, finishing the other two books in 5 days apiece (school, you know), ended this story 2 weeks after I started. It doesn't have the fit and action of the other two, and the principles of the films. All in all, it's a good book, but good is not on the positive side. I'd say marginal. It's good by itself, but is hard to read without finishing HEIR to really understand. Compared to HEIR's perfect quality and TLC's almost-perfect reputation, this is a real setback for the best STAR WARS book trilogy of all. A necessary read to get into the wildest part of the trilogy: The Last Command.

The pace and storytelling style of Dark Force Rising makes Heir to the Empire feel more like a really long prologue that is needed for all of the exposition preceding this book. Each new character that was introduced from the first novel is further developed here and the overall plot moves forward a bit more. I found myself caring much more about the smaller side-stories than I did for the imminent threat of Thrawn and his fleet, which spend a lot of time simply flying through space and having conversations. Han and Leia both have very interesting stories that could definitely exist as standalone stories and sometimes feel disconnected from the larger scope. The crazy cloned jedi story arc also continues, with very little happening that is relevant to the plot at all until the very end.

This piece is a magnificent sequel of the Heir to the Emire. It just can't be better. At least I didn't find anything that I'd like to change. Here are all well known characters Chewbacca, Leia, Luke, Han, Calrissian, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Karrde, Mara Jade, C'Baoth. Well the last four of them are from Heir to the Empire and if you hasn't read it yet (what are you doing here? - get Heir to the Empire first), do that now. I also agree with someone who said that there should be a movie. I hope that will happen someday, because I'd really like to see Mara and all new characters live, in movies. I've been wondering for a time now, why I always give 5 stars to all books I review. Maybe I'm just lucky and I buy all the best books.
I think everyone will agree with me, that Timothy Zahn really knows how to write a good book.

"Dark Force Rising" is the second novel in "The Thrawn Trilogy" approximately five years following "Return of the Jedi". The originality and creativity in the series is deep, filled with strange creatures and compelling heroes and villains.

Grand Admiral Thrawn is an ingenious, calculating and efficient villain, someone the New Republic should fear. The patient approach Grand Admiral Thrawn employs by building a formidable force with the Empire to challenge the New Republic is clever. While Star Wars hasn't been overly political, politics play a part in the developments and brings more depth to an otherwise action oriented plot. The author wisely invested sufficient time developing character and cultural histories to tie nicely with the existing history thereby enriching an already compelling genre.

I highly recommend this series above all others to any fan of the Star Wars universe.

Thank you.

Again, I have a tendency to buy on impulse. As well, when impressed, I usually snag everything by an author that I can get my hands on. Zahn impressed me with Heir to the Empire, and so I raided a local bookstore and bought all of the related books the day I finished the first one.
Didn't regret it a bit. Dark Force Rising continues the tale begun in Heir, and runs with it. From narrow escapes to fighting to tactical genius (Thrawn is just amazing...), this book stays right in line with the first one. A cliffhanger ending also leaves you ready for the third book (I was prepared, thank the gods), and I was intensely pleased with the results.
If you liked Heir to the Empire, The Krytos Plague or Iron Fist, you'll probably love Dark Force Rising.

In my opinion, Zahn is the only SW author who can tell a story like Lucas. He was so true to the characters (all of them, even Chewie) that you could hear the actors say his lines. Also, Zahn's writing is a tight combination of fast paced and vivid. Unlike many of the other SW athors, Zahn plays by Lucas's rules. Even the characters he created seemed like they fit into Lucas's movies-- especially Mara Jade and Grand Admiral Thrawn. So far, Zahn's trilogy is the only one that gave me the impression he had actually watched the movies. Many of the other books have a weak Leia, a wimpy Luke and a non-existant Han. Zahn's deep, acctuate characterization, vivid writing, chilling villians and sprawling, moral story do the movies justice

Star Wars: Dark Force Rising continues as the exciting sequel in the Thrawn Trilogy with well-established characters that readers will both love and love to hate. Despite the inconsistent behavior of given characters in the latter part of the storyline, Dark Force Rising is full of energy and intrigue and is sure to keep readers glued to their seats, ready for the final installment of the series.

This is the second book in the trilogy. I actually liked it better than the first. I won't complain about the ysalimari in this review since I did it in my review of the first book.
The main story is the same here as it was for the first book, Grand Admiral Thrawn tries to gain strength for the empire and rule the galaxy. But to do that he needs people and ships. In this book we find out how he is working to obtain both. When a fleet of lost ships is discovered, the New Republic needs to get their hands on them before the Empire does. The story unfolds as the characters we love are looking for the people who can help them get to the ships.
There are other story lines developed as well. This is just great story telling.

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.

Dark Force Rising is the second book in Tim Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy. OUr heroes, on the run from assasins after Leia's unborn twins, as well as Luke and Leia themselves, run through the book at a frantic pace. Leia decides that the best place to hide is amongst the enemy, so along with Chewbacca she embarks on a quest to the world of Honogar, the homeworld of the Empire's best assasins. Luke after spending time with the insane Dark Jedi C'Boath is off on a mission to rescue smuggler chief Talon Karrde from Grand Admiral Thrawn's personal Star Destroyer with the help of Mara Jade, who wants to kill him once the rescue is complete. Han Solo finds himself swept off to a secret meeting with a soldier who may or may not help the fragile New Republic against the victorious Empire and Thrawn. Added to this is a frantic race to discover the location of the Katana Fleet or Dark Force. A mysterious fleet of warships designed after the Clone Wars that could tip the victory in the laps of those who find it first. Add in political intrigue, an Alliance commander accused of treason and clones and you have one heck of a good novel.

Do you hate George Lucas for ruining his own creation like I do? I mean, Star Wars, the defining mythology of at least two generations, the story of heroes and redemption has become the joke of our times. How could it not? Did you see that idiot, Anakin, scratching his way up the hill, beaten and burned, destined to become the shell for James Earl Jones's ominous basso voice? Did it make you groan? Did it make you want to set fire to the Skywalker Ranch? Am I alone?

Now, I'm not a Star Wars Geek. I don't play the roleplaying game. Never have. I don't have the library of tie-in novels and I do poorly at the trivia compared to a lot of people. But I snuck into the theater when I was 11 years old to watch Luke Skywalker discover The Force. I know great stories and despite the slightly cheesy effects and the ham-handed acting, Star Wars was a great story.

Why am I going on and on about what was? Because Timothy Zahn does Star Wars better than George Lucas does Star Wars. If Lucas had just filmed these three books - Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command - he'd have a masterpiece to crown his early achievements.

In Dark Force Rising, Leia conducts a mission to influence an alien race heretofore loyal to one of the Emperor's warlords, Luke finds himself battling an insane Jedi Master, Joruus C'Baoth, and Han Solo races the forces of the warlord, General Thrawn, to get to a lost fleet of Dreadnaught cruisers. The tension is high throughout this second book in the series and the characters conduct themselves admirably, keeping to the heroic expectations and rebellious attitudes we expect.

Reading this series, and especially this book, will remind you why we loved Star Wars and why we now hate George Lucas.

- CV Rick

"Dark Force Rising" Volume 2 of the Thrawn Trilogy. Grand Admiral Thrawn continues his attempt to finish off the struggling New Republic. Talon Karrde, the smuggler who took Jabba's place is slowly being pulled over to the New Republic's side even though his right hand Mara Jade (The Emperors' Hand before he died) wants nothing to do with the new republic and who's only goal has been to kill Luke Skywalker. The two opposing sides race for a lost fleet of about 200 ships. The winner will have the upper hand in the continuing battle. Meanwhile the newly surfaced Jedi master plots to capture Leia, her twins and Luke.

The Good: The whole book (along with the other 2 were all very good). It's good to read the old favorites including Han, Leia, Luke, Chewy and Lando. The plot stays strong throughout and this kept the book enjoyable.

The Bad: Nothing memorable

Overall: The book and series are both very good and I recommend them highly

"We who remain must stand together against those who would destroy everything"
Book two in the thrilling Thrawn Trilogy! (Who woulda thought that a C'baoth clone would get the title of this review!!)
The Empire may have been foiled, but only just barely. And now things get worse as Admiral Ackbar, member of the Inner Council, is accused of treason. Han and Lando go to attempt to sniff out the source; Luke discovers that a Jedi named C'baoth may have escaped the Jedi Purge, and Leia goes to meet the Noghri and work on some sort of resolution.

I Liked:
Golly, I almost wish I could copy and paste my review from Heir to the Empire! But, to be original, I'll try to come up with different things I like.
Timothy Zahn continues to show his Star Wars writing prowess in book two. Many other authors flounder at this point. Not Zahn. He continues the Star Wars feel with this entry, from the characters, to the actions, to the theme.
To his character repertoire, Zahn adds Garm Bel Iblis, a former Senator from Corellia--and rival to Mon Mothma. Through him, we learn more of the beginnings of the Rebellion...and how Mon Mothma, that red-haired lady from Return of the Jedi, can be a little pig-headed and temperamental. A fight between him and her forced him to leave the Rebellion, and he, being too proud and Corellian to boot, is unwilling to rejoin. Garm Bel Iblis does wonders for adding to the Corellian culture (we even learn he met Han Solo when Han was a kiddo!) and giving a new dimension to the Rebellion and Mon Mothma.
The action continues to be high, with his characters spread in five different dimensions. You would think it would be overwhelming, but Zahn handles it nicely, reminding the reader where Leia is, what Han is doing, what happened to Luke and so on so you don't ever go, "Wait a minute, it's been forever since we heard from Mara...where is she?" I've read other authors who drop viewpoints randomly and make me wonder that exact thing.
Lastly, I love how Zahn, in between his characters and plot, manages to tweak on our views of the Jedi. As this was pre-prequels, we get to see his (now obsolete) views on the Clone Wars, how C'baoth became a Jedi (he went to the University before training as a Jedi!), and C'baoth's subtle twisting of Luke to embrace the power of the Jedi. Also, here is hinted the first time in EU that the Senate took part in the destruction of the Jedi (which, honestly, is what they did...they certainly didn't mind the Emperor's movement to destroy them).

I Didn't Like:
I guess I have a few more complaints about this one than the last. They aren't huge, but I should bring them up.
Zahn creates the Calamari (no, not the Earth food!) as a peaceful race forced into war when they were enslaved. My problem? That theme is repeated ad nauseum in EU. Yeah, I know, Zahn technically wrote this before the Camaasi, before the Mandalorians (according to the Clone Wars TV series), before the billions of other "peaceful races forced into war". But it is still freaking annoying.
Also, Zahn is guilty of speciesism, specifically of Borsk Fey'lya and the Bothans. Borsk isn't the problem, he's cool. But then Zahn goes and sets up the entire race full of back-biting, knife-plunging power seekers. Not cool. I prefer a little more grey to my aliens, a little more depth besides the one word stereotype. Too many books make this mistake. Rodians are idiots and lawless. Hutts are always involved in crime. Wookiees are always good; Trandoshans always bad. Twi'Lek females are always sex slaves, and Jawas are scavengers that apparently can be found off their homeworld of Tatooine (weird, eh?). I could go on and on and on, but I think you get my point.
Lastly, the book does have that middle part of a trilogy feel. You know, no beginning, no end, makes you wonder, "What am I doing here?" We all know, by book three, we'll be like, "Oh, yeah, that's why that was important," but still, while we're reading it, we wonder.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Foul language? Can't recall anything off hand!
Sexuality is minimum to none.
Lando is injured at one point and can't receive medical attention because of triage. Really have to stretch to find ANYTHING to put here!

Overall:
Zahn doesn't fail to please with entry number two! There were a few things that perturbed me, but there were some moments that nearly brought tears to my eyes. When Leia unveils the Empire's poisoning of Honogr (even if I adore the Empire and hate how it is always shown in such a bad light), when the smugglers come to Han and Luke's aid at the end battle. Not many books can do this to me. This is Star Wars. Five stars.

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

I found this book a little more drawn out then the first. In keeping with the first book I found myself putting it down shortly after picking it up. It was interesting in parts. The last third of the book picked up for me so I give it three stars.

Frankly I have enjoyed this trilogy quite a bit. Timothy Zahn is definitely a decent writer but so far does not write a story capable of getting better then a 4 star review. This book was good but a little less interesting then the first. Still it is an interesting series and he does have a good character in Grand Admiral Thrawn which he depicts very well.

This book is just as good as Heir to the Empire. The characters are just as you would imagine them after Return of the Jedi. I wish these books were made into movies. The ending includes a dramatic and unexpected twist. The descriptions, plot, everything is amazing!

minus the capturing of Han Solo. The book starts off with Thrawn attacking a smuggler's base using AT-AT (not a snow planet like in Empire Strikes Back). The guy gets away of course, stuff happens and Luke finds his way to the Jedi Masters new home world to learn more about the ways of the Jedi. Sounds like Yoda right? Except this Jedi is really an evil Dark Jedi clone of a long dead good Jedi. The ending was pretty interesting too with them unmasking the Stormtroopers to find a surprise.

Admiral Ackbar is facing embezzlement charges. Who has the connections to do that? Luke finds a mad Jedi Master--Joruus C'Boath--and tries to rehabilitate him. Leia uncovers the Empire keeping an honorable world hostage. All these issues--and more--must be dealt with if the New Republic is to survive against the Empire's best ---Grand Admiral Thrawn

This is an absolutely WONDERFUL read!!! Zahn is a MASTER of military strategy.

In the first book of this series, Heir to the Empire, Zahn sets up all the chess pieces. You're not really sure what he's doing pretty much all through the book. Then you head into Dark Force Rising...

Concepts and strategies begin to make sense. Grand Admiral Thrawn hasn't changed much as far as personality goes...but his character becomes MUCH more villanous becuase you begin to realize what he's doing.

Not only does Zahn pack the novel with detailed descriptions of space battles that have meaningful effects on the characters and the story, but he also continues to develop well known and loved characters as shown in Leia's visit to the Noghri. All the characters are SO dynamic.

This is a really awesome book that leaves you reeling after you're through. I had a little trouble getting into it early on...but it grips you a couple of chapters into the book and it's a jump into hyperspace from there.

You can't wait to find out what happens on the next page.

Four stars ONLY because there's this one minor thing in the book that drives me crazy. Zahn has a couple of really cool phrases in the book like, "a pair of heartbeats". That was a phrase I'd never heard before and it's SO descriptive and suspensful...however, he drops it on every other page throughout the book. I found myself self filling in the blank before I had finished the sentence a couple of times...like, "Let me guess...such and such happens between 'a pair of heartbeats'...".

So there's that and the fact that he's not very inventive with the way he states that the character has just said something. It's always, "Han retorted" or "Luke countered"...and that's pretty much it. It's kind of annoying. Like:

"What are you doing?" Luke said.
"I'm reading Dark Force Rising" C'baoth retorted.
"It is really a wonderful book" the Grand Admiral countered.
"I'll rip your throat out" the Noghri countered.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" Chewie retorted.
"Well just rip his out first then." Han retorted
"In anycase, Dark Force Rising really IS an awesome read." Leia countered.
"I could read it in a pair of heartbeats" Threepio retorted.

It's not really that bad...but it DOES get annoying.

After I finished Hiere to the Empire I was just edging to get this book. I loved it!! The idea of the trilogy itself was awsome. It was the classic good VS eviel that I loved about this book. Finally Grand Admeral Thrawn was amazing!! The way Zahn created him and the way he showed you how ruthless and eviel Thrawn could be. The idea of a fleet of Drednauts known as the Dark Force was brillant! This book and the entire trilogy are truly worthy of the name Starwars!

In this second novel of the Heir to the Empire trilogy Timothy Zahn splendidly continues the plots he began in the first book. Everything fits and is so exciuting that you can't put down the book. When Leia goes on a mission to the Noghri, the aliens that under the command of the empire tried to kill her, she finds herselfs in a snakes pit. Luke Skywalker is going on a search for the Jedi Master C'baoth and Han Solo tries to find a fleet of great battleships that vanished years before. To oppose the heroes Zahn once more lets Grand Admiral Thrawn give a great taste of his vicious genius. And between the fronts, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde have their own troubles. In the end 'Zahn lets the subplots flow together to a great and surprising final which will make you want to read the final book.

Timothy Zhan doesn't let Star Wars fans down with this sequel to Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. This book will have you craving for more. This should be your second EU (Expanded Universe) book you read. Once again all the old characters reunite and Thrawn shows how ruthless the Empire is under his rule. The audio book is also great.

41/2 really,The second book of this excellent trilogy is once again full of great characters, exotic locations, and white knuckle sequences. The book gives us more about the "Lady Vader," and the mystery of the Dark Force fleet. While I do find Thrawn's "artistic analysis" of races to be a bit annoying, I like the villain as a whole. All in all this is a wonderful series worthy of the Star Wars name.

I recently read the book Star Wars: Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn for my english class. I am a big fan of Star Wars and I was happy to read this book. I read the book that led up to this book as well. I liked them both. But in this second book, I liked it because it brought continued the story were the last book left off. It also continued the Star Wars tradition by continuing on where the preceding book or movie is over. I liked this book as because it got my imagination going again after I finished the other book, and part of that reason is that Timothy Zahn is one of the best Science Fiction writers I have ever read in my life. I should know I have really read some Science Fiction books in my life. I liked the book when everyone was doing there little adventures, because Leia got the Norogi on the New Republics side, and Luke relized with Mara Jade's help that C'boath was totally insane. While Han and Lando try to find some ships and some diggers for Lando's Mine Digging job. While they all try to stop Grand Admeral Thrwan from getting the Empire back to major power in the galaxy. In conclusion I liked this book from cover to cover, and I can't wait to read the third installment of these books. These books are exelent, especially this one, and I give it a total of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

When I read this book, I have to say that it reminded me of the first book in this trilogy. Like the first book, it was one of the best books I have ever read. The author held the true personalities of the characters while adding new characters, ships, and aliens that almost every other Star Wars author used at least one thing that Timothy Zahn added{Does not include original trilogy or Splintor of the Mind's eye.} The authors don't relate to other Star Wars books except Barbara Hambly and Kevin J. Anderson. And Timothey Zahn and Michael Stackpole. Most of the people who did not like this book had to say something about how small the Imperial Fleet was. Any leader knows that the main bulk of your force should be to defending your territory. Zahn does not need to paint a picture for us about that. It is obvious that those 5 Destroyers are Thrawn's personal fleet for the most important missions. Like the Executer, the Super Star Destroyer was to Darth Vader. And by now, the Empire is broken up in fractions, with most of the Imperial fleet with individual warlords. I kind of remember that after Thrawn lost a Destroyer in Dark Force Rising, that he still had 5 destroyer in the Last Command. A great read for Star Wars fans and non-Star Wars fans!

Star Wars Dark Force Rising is the sequel to Star Wars Heir to the Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn is trying to find Karrde and the Katana Fleet. While Leia and Kabarahk go to Honoghr to get the other Noghri to get them to join the New Republic. Luke also goes to Jomark to find Jedi master Joruus C' Baoth.
Dark Force Rising is an excellent book. I recomend it for every Star Wars fan. It's great!

At first i was sceptical to the thought of anyone reachiing the same euphoria that Goerge lucas has accomplished Mr zahn can be quite pleased with his efforts.Following on from the return of the jedi is an unenviable task but tim- thy zahn does very well and opens up the door for future possible star wars films he also introduces some some new characters that are very interesting and can hold their own with the original cast An imaginative effort in which the author can be proud of.

This book truly "continues" the saga. In the minds of the readers, Zahn creates anew the breathtaking imagery and great dialogue of the Star Wars movies. Definitely two thumbs up. Just two suggestions: (to the author) Next time, the Empire must triumph!
(to the readers) Buy it! Buy the whole trilogy! Tell your friends, tell everyone to buy it

timothy zahn is a great writer his feel for luke leia and the rest is sublime this series of books is by far the best in the novels been published about starwars great jump on for any starwars fan got me involved in collecting the other books in the ongoing saga would recommend to anyone even my dog if he could read english and who says he cant

This is an absolutely WONDERFUL read!!! Zahn is a MASTER of military strategy.

In the first book of this series, Heir to the Empire, Zahn sets up all the chess pieces. You're not really sure what he's doing pretty much all through the book. Then you head into Dark Force Rising...

Concepts and strategies begin to make sense. Grand Admiral Thrawn hasn't changed much as far as personality goes...but his character becomes MUCH more villanous becuase you begin to realize what he's doing.

Not only does Zahn pack the novel with detailed descriptions of space battles that have meaningful effects on the characters and the story, but he also continues to develop well known and loved characters as shown in Leia's visit to the Noghri. All the characters are SO dynamic.

This is a really awesome book that leaves you reeling after you're through. I had a little trouble getting into it early on...but it grips you a couple of chapters into the book and it's a jump into hyperspace from there.

You can't wait to find out what happens on the next page.

Four stars ONLY because there's this one minor thing in the book that drives me crazy. Zahn has a couple of really cool phrases in the book like, "a pair of heartbeats". That was a phrase I'd never heard before and it's SO descriptive and suspensful...however, he drops it on every other page throughout the book. I found myself self filling in the blank before I had finished the sentence a couple of times...like, "Let me guess...such and such happens between 'a pair of heartbeats'...".

So there's that and the fact that he's not very inventive with the way he states that the character has just said something. It's always, "Han retorted" or "Luke countered"...and that's pretty much it. It's kind of annoying. Like:

"What are you doing?" Luke said.
"I'm reading Dark Force Rising" C'baoth retorted.
"It is really a wonderful book" the Grand Admiral countered.
"I'll rip your throat out" the Noghri countered.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" Chewie retorted.
"Well just rip his out first then." Han retorted
"In anycase, Dark Force Rising really IS an awesome read." Leia countered.
"I could read it in a pair of heartbeats" Threepio retorted.

It's not really that bad...but it DOES get annoying.

After I finished Hiere to the Empire I was just edging to get this book. I loved it!! The idea of the trilogy itself was awsome. It was the classic good VS eviel that I loved about this book. Finally Grand Admeral Thrawn was amazing!! The way Zahn created him and the way he showed you how ruthless and eviel Thrawn could be. The idea of a fleet of Drednauts known as the Dark Force was brillant! This book and the entire trilogy are truly worthy of the name Starwars!

In this second novel of the Heir to the Empire trilogy Timothy Zahn splendidly continues the plots he began in the first book. Everything fits and is so exciuting that you can't put down the book. When Leia goes on a mission to the Noghri, the aliens that under the command of the empire tried to kill her, she finds herselfs in a snakes pit. Luke Skywalker is going on a search for the Jedi Master C'baoth and Han Solo tries to find a fleet of great battleships that vanished years before. To oppose the heroes Zahn once more lets Grand Admiral Thrawn give a great taste of his vicious genius. And between the fronts, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde have their own troubles. In the end 'Zahn lets the subplots flow together to a great and surprising final which will make you want to read the final book.

Timothy Zhan doesn't let Star Wars fans down with this sequel to Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. This book will have you craving for more. This should be your second EU (Expanded Universe) book you read. Once again all the old characters reunite and Thrawn shows how ruthless the Empire is under his rule. The audio book is also great.

41/2 really,The second book of this excellent trilogy is once again full of great characters, exotic locations, and white knuckle sequences. The book gives us more about the "Lady Vader," and the mystery of the Dark Force fleet. While I do find Thrawn's "artistic analysis" of races to be a bit annoying, I like the villain as a whole. All in all this is a wonderful series worthy of the Star Wars name.

I recently read the book Star Wars: Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn for my english class. I am a big fan of Star Wars and I was happy to read this book. I read the book that led up to this book as well. I liked them both. But in this second book, I liked it because it brought continued the story were the last book left off. It also continued the Star Wars tradition by continuing on where the preceding book or movie is over. I liked this book as because it got my imagination going again after I finished the other book, and part of that reason is that Timothy Zahn is one of the best Science Fiction writers I have ever read in my life. I should know I have really read some Science Fiction books in my life. I liked the book when everyone was doing there little adventures, because Leia got the Norogi on the New Republics side, and Luke relized with Mara Jade's help that C'boath was totally insane. While Han and Lando try to find some ships and some diggers for Lando's Mine Digging job. While they all try to stop Grand Admeral Thrwan from getting the Empire back to major power in the galaxy. In conclusion I liked this book from cover to cover, and I can't wait to read the third installment of these books. These books are exelent, especially this one, and I give it a total of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

When I read this book, I have to say that it reminded me of the first book in this trilogy. Like the first book, it was one of the best books I have ever read. The author held the true personalities of the characters while adding new characters, ships, and aliens that almost every other Star Wars author used at least one thing that Timothy Zahn added{Does not include original trilogy or Splintor of the Mind's eye.} The authors don't relate to other Star Wars books except Barbara Hambly and Kevin J. Anderson. And Timothey Zahn and Michael Stackpole. Most of the people who did not like this book had to say something about how small the Imperial Fleet was. Any leader knows that the main bulk of your force should be to defending your territory. Zahn does not need to paint a picture for us about that. It is obvious that those 5 Destroyers are Thrawn's personal fleet for the most important missions. Like the Executer, the Super Star Destroyer was to Darth Vader. And by now, the Empire is broken up in fractions, with most of the Imperial fleet with individual warlords. I kind of remember that after Thrawn lost a Destroyer in Dark Force Rising, that he still had 5 destroyer in the Last Command. A great read for Star Wars fans and non-Star Wars fans!

Star Wars Dark Force Rising is the sequel to Star Wars Heir to the Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn is trying to find Karrde and the Katana Fleet. While Leia and Kabarahk go to Honoghr to get the other Noghri to get them to join the New Republic. Luke also goes to Jomark to find Jedi master Joruus C' Baoth.
Dark Force Rising is an excellent book. I recomend it for every Star Wars fan. It's great!

At first i was sceptical to the thought of anyone reachiing the same euphoria that Goerge lucas has accomplished Mr zahn can be quite pleased with his efforts.Following on from the return of the jedi is an unenviable task but tim- thy zahn does very well and opens up the door for future possible star wars films he also introduces some some new characters that are very interesting and can hold their own with the original cast An imaginative effort in which the author can be proud of.

This book truly "continues" the saga. In the minds of the readers, Zahn creates anew the breathtaking imagery and great dialogue of the Star Wars movies. Definitely two thumbs up. Just two suggestions: (to the author) Next time, the Empire must triumph!
(to the readers) Buy it! Buy the whole trilogy! Tell your friends, tell everyone to buy it

timothy zahn is a great writer his feel for luke leia and the rest is sublime this series of books is by far the best in the novels been published about starwars great jump on for any starwars fan got me involved in collecting the other books in the ongoing saga would recommend to anyone even my dog if he could read english and who says he cant

this book seriously is amazing from the very begining to the very end timothy zahns star wars books are my favorite this author has talent and hes one great author/storyteller this book is just as amazing as heir to the empire the first book in the thrawn trilogy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's amazing how much of the prequel trilogy draws from Zahn's phenomenal Thrawn trilogy. Although the writing is often hackneyed (Han growled, Luke grinned...over and over like that), the book elaborates on themes introduced in the movies. Dark Force Rising is better written than Heir to the Empire, and it details elements alluded to in that first novel. The political wrangling between Ackbar, Mothma and Feylya is reminiscent of (foreshadows???) the similar play between Palpatine, the Jedi and the senate (from the prequels). Zahn goes into the mind of Leia as she negotiates with the Noghri and balances her beliefs with her duty to the New Republic (like mom). By the end of ROTJ, I had no idea who the clones were and whether they were bad or good (not sure if even Lucas had fleshed this out yet). At the end of Dark Force Rising, Zahn hints at the origin of the stormtroopers and in hindsight, gives a nod to their clone ancestors. Well done.

The Thrawn Trilogy is an iconic piece of the Star War expanded universe, and Dark Force rising has some of the most exciting parts of the story. The book is great for any Star Wars fan, old or new.

The one negative part is that the Kindle edition has a surprising number of typos and minor editing errors. Not enough to ruin the story, but enough to give pause while reading.

This second book, continuing the story of Grand Admiral Thrawn, this book is a must for every Star Wars fan. For everybody who enjoyed Heir to the Empire, you will love this second book in the series, everybody should read this.

This book was o.k. but i have read better Star Wars books. Zahn really out did himself in the first book. But he kind of tailed off in this one. I have yet to read the Last command but it sounds good. Overall you should read it if you are reading the series or are a big Star Wars fan, otherwise read a diffrint Star Wars book.

Heir to the Empire, Dark force Rising, The Last Command
The Good:
The idea of a grand admiral in control of the emperor's legacy is brilliant.
An insane dark jedi, clone soldiers, a coalition of smugglers, jedi twins and on and on goes Mr Zahn. Adventure, ha, Excitement, ha, a reader cares about these things!!
The Bad:
Absolutely noting.
Conclusion:
This trilogy sets the standard for all other writers. It is that good! Thank you Mr. Zahn

This book was my least favorite of the trilogy, but also VERY good. Between Leia on the Noghri home world of Honagar and The Katanah Fleet, how could it not be? Lukes meeting with Jorous Sabouth just makes you dislike him even more, and the more you read, the more you start to understand the characters.

I read this book as fast as my eyes and fingers would allow me! Zahn delivers an exciting and fast-paced story with the characters we've all grown to know and love and adds some new ones. The beginning may be a little slow to some, but stick with it and I can guarantee you'll not be disappointed!

In my opinion, this was a lot better than Heir to the Empire. The book was jam-packed with action and suspense. I love reading about Wedge and Rogue Squadron, and in this book you hear a lot more about them than in the first book. They really only in the battle in the middle of nowhere with the Star Destroyer's Judicator and Prempetory, but that was one of the best parts.

This is the second of the three book series. It is a great book that continues to tell about Grand Admiral Thrawn and his campaign to stop the New Rebublic. It has an interesting group of characters from the Noghri to Thrawn himself. The best Star Wars author has done it again!

I liked this second book more than the first, especially the Mara Jade character. By the end I was hooked (for the third book) to see what becomes of Mara Jade. Zahn seems to take his time telling stories, and if it were shorter (and just a tad bit better) it'd be 5 stars.

Grand Admiral Thrawn attacks the New Republic on many fronts. He forces
our intrepid band of heroes to flee assassins, and Leia takes off with
Chewie, and Han goes looking for help by himself.

The dodgy Mara Jade is also floating around, as is a not so nice Jedi Master.

Whoever controls the 'Dark Force' of ancient ships in the end will have a massive advantage in the battle for the galaxy.

The charaters are so real you could feel there emotions explode over the pages as you turn them.
Zahn has prouduced the finest Quality of Star Wars in this continuing saga...
The Force is definitly with Zahn, all the way...!

When started to read I hoped that it would be as the films. I didn't get disaponted! It could be like one in the trilogy, and it would be a very good movie. I really recomend you to buy it, if you like Star Wars, you'll like it.

This is a must read for any Star Wars fan. It continues the adventure of Luke, Leia, Solo and company following ROTJ. The author did a wonderful job of capturing the personalities of characters from the movies.

This book is a wonderful continuation of the Star Wars we've all grown to love. This book continues Zahn's three book cycle, and in no way is it one of those stories that discredits the talent Star Wars has for bringing a smile to your face, and a tear to your eye. A great puzzle of emotions, characters, and challenges that in the end comes together in a picture that even George Lucas himself would be honored to add to the mural that he has so finely painted.

This trilogy is the only thing that kept me sane after Children of the Jedi. I must admit, the only thing in all SW better is the X-Wings. Mara, Thrawn and C'baoth are all really cool. The end battle is really something.

Good times in the Star Wars saga. I do enjoy Mr. Zahn's writing style. His fights are brief and explosive. The visuals are clear and the story flows along nicely. Some stuff is a little too shallow, but then it's Star Wars. Drama, drama, drama.

Second in the Thrawn Trilogy book series, in this story the Republic is battered by the ressurgent Empire and its new leader. In this book the plot thickens as the Thrawn are after Luke and Princess Leah's two children. Great book with so many twists and turns that will leave you spinning!

I found these wonderful and well written books back in 2009 and all I can say is WOW! Well done to Tim Zahn. All hail the King of the Expanded Universe. Take it from a long time SW fan: Read these books.

This book was what got me hooked on the Star Wars novels. I could bareley put it down. Because of this book Jade is my most favorite charecter. Overall I think this will make for some really good reading.

Short and sweet: The second book in the Thrawn Trilogy doesn't slow down but picks up and is action packed. I couldn't put this one down and it is my favorite of the three.

I recommend getting all three books in the Thrawn Trilogy at once. All the books are great and you'll want to keep reading until the end!

If you're a die hard Star Wars fan, you gotta read this Trilogy.
All 3 books are excellent, and I recommend listening to some John Williams in the background (Imperial March) because you see the rise of the Empire again.

This book was as exciting as the first one, but once again had the same problem! No kissing, only one hug, practically nothing. It was very good, but it really does need at least a few kisses. I mean, come on, they're married!

I think this is a good STAR WARS book, but has slow patches in the story which sometimes make reading it unbearable. I love STAR WARS, but this one will never be as good as The Courtship of Princess Leia.

I really disliked the first in this trilogy. But Zahn really picked up the pace and the writing quality in this book. Oh, sure, he still over-uses dumb phrases and is still stuck on getting people's lip twisted. But the plot is very well thought out, not at all predictable like the first one was, and the ending actually surprised me, whcih I was happy for. It's certainly made me pick up the third novel to find out how it all turns out.

The characters actually seem believable in this book. It's like Zahn woke up after the stupor he was in writing Heir to the Empire.

If you haven't read the first book please don't read my review. Anyway for those of you who have, you know that Admiral Ackbar has been accused of treason. Now Luke and his group are trying to get Ackbar off the hook, While at the same time are hearing rumors of an old fleet of ships called the Dark Force and that Admiral Thrawn is looking for them. If Admiral Thrawn finds this fleet it could turn the tides on the war. Can Luke and the crew beat him to it?

This book is the sequel to Heir to the Empire, a literary classic (I think) in its own right. This lives up to the same quality as its predecessor and is slightly longer. The Dark Force, referring to the Katana Fleet, mentioned in several other Star Wars Novels, is the center of this book. In addition, new leaders, like General Bel Iblis and and others. Lando is found in this book, too. It is very exciting and extremely well articulated by Mr. Zahn. I recommend reading this book also.

Well, I have 1 word to say....awesome! This Force is definetly with this book. It has just as much action as the first and is just as great. I finished this book in 3 days and was extremely happy with it. I strongly suggest that anyone who has ever liked Star Wars to go get this 3-book series and enjoy!

This book is nothing less than awesome. It flows very well (better than Heir to the Empire which had a few slow points). The last 150 pages or so flew by as I was unable to put the book down and keep my mind off of it. I finished it one night, and as I was going to bed, my dad walked in ready to go to work. I had stayed up until 6:40 to finish the book. That alone should proove its awesomeness.

Zahn has really captured the Star Wars galaxy and made it fun. He suceeds in pace and excitement where Barbara Hambly failed. His villain, Thrawn was the most interesting adversary to our heroes since Vader died. Jade, Karde and C'Boath added more memorable characters to the Star Wars Galaxy.

Zahn is a master at how he weaves wonderful new experiences into the lives of the characters that we know and love. The trilogy that this book is part of is a sci-fi masterpiece and serves as a great example of how Star Wars novels should be written! Bravo!

Well, if Tolkien couldn't do a great job with his middle book in "Lord of the Rings," why should anyone else? Entertaining and fun, but padded just a bit too much (whihc might be why his news books are a pair and not a trio). Still, if I could I would give this 3 1/2 stars. And I do so like Zahn's original characters, especially the amazing Thrawn.

This is one of the greatest books written. Zahn continues the Thrawn series masterfully with this book. If you have read Heir to the Empire you must read this book. I would write more but I don't want to give anything away.

Just like Empire Strikes Back, Dark Force Rising is the pinnacle of what the middle portion of a saga is all about. There is tons of action and the book is so well written that you won't want to put it down.

Highly recommend this one and I can't wait to finish the triology with The Last Command.

Zahn is the man!

The drama builds in the second book of the Thrawn trilogy. Zahn does a great job of developing the beloved characters like Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, and Lando, while also setting up the origins and motivations of new favorites like Mara Jade and Talon Kardde.

Great read for any Star Wars fan and certainly those who read Heir to the Empire.