Star Wars: Choices of One (Star Wars - Legends)

Fun to read and adds several enjoyable elements to the back story of several characters between the events of the movies. Took a few turns in unexpected directions, but if you enjoyed Allegiance at all then this is a must.

I've read many books by zahn and have been impressed with
all of them. Great story, full of action, filled with rich star wars moments for both rebellion and imperial loyalists alike! GET THIS BOOK

I always enjoy a good Star Wars novel written by Zahn and while this is not one of his best works, it reminds me how annoyed I am at Star Wars Inc. for killing off one of my favorite Star Wars characters in Jade. Hopefully, she will be involved in the upcoming movie.

Well written, had a hidden twist to it that I did not expect. The author did a good job setting up the characters, and having their choices affect each other in ways that they did not and would not realize. My only beef against the book is that I felt that it ended to abruptly. Good book for Star Wars fans, and the casual si-fi reader.

After his last HOJ  novel, I was extremely excited for this one. Several times it was a little hard to follow but overall a hit. I also experienced a moment of enjoyment when he slipped in Ensign Mithel from the Thrawn Trilogy. A must read for all Star Wars fans!!

If you've ever read and enjoyed Timothy Zahn's other Star Wars books, then you will be neither surprised nor disappointed to find that Zahn is still Zahn. A well told story with the characters Zahn has written about so many times before. Interesting to see Zahn's take on the early Rebellion period.

As a previous reviewer stated, the word "grimaced" is very much overused in this story, which I found incredibly distracting, at least after having read that review. I felt compelled to count the occurrences, but managed to avoid it. I eliminated a whole star for the scope of the infraction.

The story itself is fairly standard for the extended universe, but does provide some time with Luke before he even knows much about The Force.

Again Mr. Zhan has done a good job of writing. Had he not made some minor time lapse but over all a five star book. worth my money that I paid. Definitely a book that will lead to more stories in the outer rim.

When compared with the Thrawn trilogy there's a few inconsistencies concerning Mara, which is weird considering they're all written by Zahn, but I love the story and the character interaction.
Thumbs up.

I really enjoyed this book, I'm a star wars fan from my childhood days. Great characters as always, love the twists that are unexpected. The first few chapters are a bit slow but once started hard to put down.

This is very much like watching a chess match. The entire novel is spent in will they?/ won't they?
Will Luke and Mara actually meet?
Will the Alliance succed in getting a permenent base ( probably not since this is pre Hoth) ?
Will Han and Leia start getting along?
This novel relies on the fact that you know who the main (and supporting) characters are and how they relate to each other and the timeline of events between ep4 and ep6 of the movies but enjoyable if you don't

I didn't feel it... Zahn is an amazing author, seriously. But I found the book padded and not up to his usual quality.

His writing is sublime, but I don't know what it was about this particular book, it just didn't grab me like the other's did - sorry Timothy!

CDA

Yes, I like ALL Star Wars books. Probably can't afford to get into another long series of continuing saga, so the occassional out-of-the-time-line book satisfies my needs. Wished Luke had been a little more involved, but the story did include all the main characters.

Yes, I like ALL Star Wars books. Probably can't afford to get into another long series of continuing saga, so the occassional out-of-the-time-line book satisfies my needs. Wished Luke had been a little more involved, but the story did include all the main characters.

I AM A STAR WARS NUT! THERE ARE FEW WRITERS THOUGHT THAT DO THE ORIGINAL STORY LINE JUSTICE. THAT BEING SAID TIMOTHY ZAHN IS THE BEST WRITER OF THEM ALL. THE ONLY THING IS THIS READ MORE LIKE PART ONE RATHER THAN A STAND ALONE NOVEL....STILL ENJOYED IT BUT IT FELT LIKE AT THE END THERE WAS MORE TO COME

It is tricky to write "inbetweenquels" to existing material, but Timothy Zahn pulls it off. His stories are always well thought out and exciting, and his characters well-developed. Choices of One was no exception.

This book was very enjoyable. Timothy Zahn always does a great job of weaving together a great plot, continuous action, and good character development. All of the greats like Han, Luke, and Leia are there, as well Zahn's own best, Mara Jade, Thrawn, and Paellion. This is one of my favorite of his books, especially regarding the main characters. It is easy to know where they are at emotionally and mentally, as it is set shortly before ESB. Recommend for even the casual fan of the EU.

As far as a summer novel that you don't need to think much about, this is a fine novel.

Don't over analyze about how the story fits into the overall Star Wars movies between New Hope and Empire Strikes back or you will be disappointed. Just read and don't think.

Took me about 4 hours to read through.

I don't want to write a long review (so I can get back to reading this) but I just want to say that Timothy Zahn is BACK and I didn't realize how much I missed his work. With out a doubt he's one of hte finest writers for Star Wars and it shows.

I haven't had this much fun in the Star Wars EU for far too long!

A new villain at the edges of Unknown Space is rising: Nuso Esva. He is gathering alien races together with the intent of toppling Thrawn and the Empire. Meanwhile, Han, Luke, and Leia have a mission: the world of Candoras, on the edge of Known Space, ruled by Governor Ferrouz, is extending an offer to join the Rebel Alliance. But can they seal the deal before the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade, and the Hand of Judgement get to him first?

Timothy Zahn is my absolute favorite author, and this book just showcases all the reasons why I will buy pretty much anything he produces in hardcover.

In Zahn's hands, the characters flourish. This time around, I felt Mara Jade was better (not so "super-powered" as I found in "Allegiance"). Sure, she is still really powerful and highly competent, but she makes mistakes and is duped like anyone else. Thrawn also appears and is great. I only have two complaints about him: 1) he was not in the book enough and 2) it was slightly confusing WHERE he was (though that might have been done on purpose, and if that is the case, then it was well done). Luke Skywalker is so well-done in this book! He is just a dorky, naive kid! Zahn perfectly captures his awkward "not yet a Jedi" stage, his innocence, his idealism--basically, all the attributes we saw in "A New Hope". Han is back with a flourish and I loved how he chaffed at not being informed of all of Rieekan's plans. Leia is likewise great, nice and snappy, but never treading into b!tchy territory. And the sparks these two have...WOWSER! The stormtrooper deserters of Hand of Judgement are superb and are really beginning to become their own. I felt like Zahn is doing for the stormtroopers what Traviss did for the clonetroopers, and I am loving it. Each character is really blossoming--I adored how Brightwater had a lucky gold coin, how trigger happy Grave was, etc.

As for newcomers, Axlon and Ferrouz COMPLETELY stunned me. Both of these men refuse to be put into Star Wars EU stereotypes. I can't really say a whole lot more than that as it would completely blow the surprise and spoil the hell out of the novel, but when I got to the big revelation, I wanted to cry tears of joy. Just when I thought that new ideas, that unstereotypical characters were never going to appear in EU, Zahn comes in.

I happen to be a huge Empire Junkie, and I really loved how Zahn refused to make the Empire the Bad GuysTM. Sure, they oppose our heroes, but never once does Zahn make his Imperials goofy villains, chuckling about how powerful they are only to fail when faced against overpowered Luke, having Imperials undermine each other at every cost only for the power, and having the Imperials have little regard for human life. It's something I've said time and again: While I can 100% buy that SOME Imperials are trigger-happy, power-hungry mongrels, you can't have an Empire last for any length of time when all of its citizens are biting at each other to get on top. If there is NOTHING good about the Empire, how come it wasn't overthrown Day Two after "Revenge of the Sith"?

The plot this time was much more cohesive and interesting. I loved how Zahn pulled in all the characters on something seemingly unrelated, only to have it tie together in the end. Now, I will admit there were tons of times where I was wondering what was happening, and even at the end, I asked myself, "So...why did X happen?" Fortunately, Zahn had a little "Summary of What the Enemy Did", which normally I didn't like, but this time I appreciated.

One minor quibble I had was on the words, or should I say, the overusage of words. Zahn very much relies on "Point", "winced", "grimaced", and more in his writing, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bug me or at least jump out at me. All these diverse characters, and they all "wince" and "grimace" when something bad happens? Another somewhat closely related complaint I have is how pretty much everyone makes the "right", "intelligent" choice that leads to a perfect outcome in the end. For example, if Mara makes a plan, she hopes that Bad Guy A will move left, so she can do X, which will do Y. And whaddya know? Bad Guy A moves left. After a while, it was a bit crazy.

I came down a bit hard on "Allegiance" (maybe it didn't seem that way, but I am a Zahn fan girl, and I didn't give it a glowing review, as I have with his other works), and I wasn't sure if I would really want to read more of Mara Jade, the Hand of Judgement, and our Big Three (Han, Luke, Leia). But Zahn has restored my faith in him; this book is a joy to read, reminiscent of "A New Hope" and all the things I adore about Star Wars. Definitely recommended!

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

Never not finished a Zahn book...but my gosh this was awful. I felt like it kept droning on and I can barely turn the pages. Finally finished it and felt like I just wasted time reading it. And yes, I only read it when I was on the toilette and it was still that boring.

Well, I really wanted to like this book and for the first 1/3 of it I truly did. Although the more I read, the more I discovered that I had no real connection or bond with the characters. Perhaps this was a result of Zahn's multiple plot threads and constant jumping from one scene (or group) to another with haste. A couple of the plot threads seemed interesting and necessary, while some others seemed somewhat tedious with little importance to the overall story. Never the less, since I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, I read on in hopes that things would weave together and create elevated interest. Unfortunately, that never happened. Now don't get me wrong, I do not feel Zahn is a poor writer here. He appears to have a solid command of story telling and is just descriptive enough, without being overly wordy. I just had a difficult time holding full interest in what was going on in a good portion of this book.

I couldn't help but feel that much of the writing for Luke, Han, Leia and Chewy were more about offering fan service, than in telling the actual story. Their plot lines just didn't hold interest and some of them, namely Luke, actually came across as a bit annoying. One of the main characters of the book Mara Jade, came across like less of a bad-ass that was the Emperor's Hand and more like an overly forgiving Jedi dropout or political idealist. On the other hand, the plot line I most enjoyed featured the Imperial Fleet ship the Chimaera, the ships crew and the mysterious "Lord Obo" that was aboard. For me, that story thread was the only one that drew my interest and kept me reading. But even that couldn't compel me to finish the book 100%, as I had to call it quits nearly 3/4 of the way in to save myself the drudging through.

Overall, the book did feature some interesting twists and turns, but the characters that were supposed to seem the most interesting, namely Mara Jade, garnered the least interest for me. It is rare that I do not finish a book, but given my lack of interest in what was going on, about 3/4 in is when I had to throw in the towel. Ultimately, I visited Starwars.wikia to see what I missed in the last quarter. Sure enough, aside from one major plot twist, the ending didn't sound much more interesting than what I'd read up to that point.

While this review may make the book seem poor, please understand that is not my intent here. In fact, I think some avid Star Fans may really enjoy this story! Especially if they like tales of the continuing escapades of Han, Leia, Luke and Chewy and don't mind a little Star Wars fan service. I just found it difficult to maintain interest in most of the plot threads, and determined this book was not for me. It wasn't altogether bad, but imo it is exactly what a 2 star rating on here says - "It was O.K."

Having not read anything outside of the Clone Wars era, I picked this up on a whim as a try to expand my SW library. I wasn't disappointed. The standout for me was, of course, Mara Jade. I was familiar with her beforehand but had never read anything with her. I just always assumed she was little more than a lap dog for Sidious who somehow switched allegiances later on. This book proved me dead wrong. She's not just a tool (at least in the grand view of things), she's a person. She has feelings and thoughts of her own that may be clouded behind her sense of loyalty to Sidious (for whatever reason), but are still very much present. She asks questions, not just going in killing people mindlessly. I greatly enjoyed reading her parts the most.

The scenes with the disgraced troopers were also well done. I really felt the camaraderie between them without feeling like it was being shoved in my face. And Luke. Oh, Luke. His inexperience with both politics and combat shine in this book, but not in a bad way. After all, it's only been a few months after Yavin, so he's not supposed to suddenly be this wise and powerful soldier or Jedi. He's still just a kid. Kudos to Zahn for keeping that in mind. And also for writing the banter between Han and Leia as wonderfully as he did. I wanted to shake them both and just tell them to kiss already!

I'm very happy to have made this my first read outside the Republic Era. It got me much more interested in both Mara and Thrawn (honestly, I thought it was going to be revealed that he was Odo before the truth came out). I'm looking forward to picking up the Thrawn trilogy next to expand on this one.

Three stars is a bit generous for this book. I'd prefer to have given it 2.5 stars.

I should start by saying that, while I'm not new to sci-fi, I am new to Star Wars books. This is only the second one I've read. I am, of course, familiar with the movies.

This book just didn't strike me as Star Wars. It lacked many of the things you would expect in Star Wars, such as the detailed world building, varied star ships and interesting aliens you find in every movie. The tech seemed less prevalent than one would expect from Star Wars. It was more about the characters. Normally I would say that was a good thing, but there wasn't a lot of actual character development happening. The characters just seemed to be there, nothing more. This is especially true of our heroes.

I found some of the descriptions of the environment so lacking I had a real hard time filling in the blanks.

!!!! Caution, mild spoilers follow !!!!

A very powerful character is featured, the hand of the Emperor himself and amongst a group of villains so evil they kill each other as a form of advancement this one takes the time to make sure a traitor really committed treason willingly. What? She also used a rope to haul a body over a booby trap to set it off. Couldn't she just use the force to set off the booby trap?

Most of the story is about the bad guys and while it's really cool to know that stormtroopers actually think they are the defenders of the universe instead of the spoilers of it, it's a little difficult to consider them as highly trained, disciplined combat experts, when they were falling by the wayside like flies in most of the movies.

There were no droids in this book. I may have missed one, but they certainly weren't prominent if I can't even remember them. Certainly C3PO and R2D2 weren't in it. Wait I just remembered there were some droids that were made to dance around.

!!!! End spoilers !!!!

The plot was weak. It might be because the book takes place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes back. To keep to Star Wars canon, I guess not a lot of earth shattering stuff can happen.

I hate to be so harsh, but it just wasn't that compelling of a book. It was more like reading a manual or something. There wasn't much color in it.

EDIT: For some reason I couldn't get this story out of my mind. Every time I gave a three star review to a story I kept thinking, well at least it wasn't as bad as Choices of One. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had given the three stars out of sympathy to Zahn's good name. Ultimately I think this story was just not that good. I would stick with the 2.5 stars, but after some more thought on the subject, I prefer to round it down, instead of up.

I've ready everything that Zahn's ever written for the Stars universe and he never wrote something for Star Wars that wasn't amazing, and he didn't disappoint with this book!

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***

The characters of Mara Jade, Pallaeon, Thrawn, and the Hand of Justice are his and no one can write them as good as he does!

So we follow the Hand of Justice and find out they have stayed true to their oaths to the Empire. They are going around the galaxy and righting the wrongs and fighting the injustices that the Empire is too busy to deal with. Like small warlords that are stealing from and killing small farmers, ousting corrupt officials sometimes violently if need be and many other small things.

Mara Jade is sent on a mission by the Emperor to kill an official that is offering his home planet on the fringes of the Empire as a military base for the Rebellion. She needs some back up but will only take Storm Troopers that she trusts, so she gets ahold of the Hand of Justice and they head off to complete their mission.

Now something that Zahn does that I WISH other authors and even Lucas himself would do. He gives much credit and respect to the Storm Troopers. He recognizes that these aren't just Red Shirts, they are highly skilled and well trained and very intelligent and resourceful commandos that each have their own personality and don't always just do as their told. Zahn re-establishes to the readers that even though these men are technically deserters, they still take the oath they made to defend and protect the citizens of the Empire very seriously.

The Rebels are at the planet checking the place out to see if they want to have the base there and if the guy's offer is legit and to make sure this isn't an elaborate trap. Of course our main rebels are there, Han, Leia, Chewie, Luke, and my personal favorite, Wedge Antilles!

During the course of the book we find out that this is where the rebels found their snow speeders that they use on Hoth and this is also when the Emperor decided to use Endor as the staging grounds to build the second Death Star. But the crazy thing is that never once is Endor, or the shield generator mentioned. Zahn does such an amazing job of storytelling that he doesn't have to mention them, just the way that the characters are talking, you know that is what they are discussing.

So it turns out an imperial agent has committed horrible crimes and has really kidnapped the traitor's family and if he doesn't make this deal to the Rebels, they will be killed. Mara Jade figures this out, rescues the hostages, and delivers justice to the TRUE traitor in the way that only she can!

Also during this whole book the Hand of Justice finds themselves fighting side by side the rebels because they both want the same thing. To save the family of this poor manipulated man, bring the criminals behind it to justice and stop this mysterious warlord from the Unknown Regions who is pulling the strings of everything that wants to enslave entire races of aliens.

The ending, oh my god the ending!?! Let's just say that not only does the true military might of the Empire come to bear on this alien warlord, Thrawn does it with such style and ease that he makes it look easy and you realize that he had a strategy for this the entire time and it's delivered to the reader on a silver platter in the way that only Zahn can write it!

***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS***

So in closing, this book was amazing and had me hooked from the first chapter! If you're a fan of Star Wars or Zhan, you HAVE to check this out!

This was an interesting Star Wars novel. Mainly because I spent about 80% of it convinced it was really a story about Thrawn (and the other 20% wondering if I was being played by Thrawn and Zahn and that it really was still all about Thrawn), despite most of the point of views being from Mara, the Hand of Judgement, Han, Luke, and Leia.

In fact, I'm still not 100% sold that the almost trite conclusion is actually true, and there are still lingering suspicions I have that Thrawn is almost breaking the 4th wall to have a little fun with us, the reader, and it's the rare Star Wars novel that attempts more than some popcorn reading entertainment. If so, fantastic job by Zahn. Triply so, if only because scouring the internet did not bring up many (or any) easily found instances of others writing about this potential layer to the story. Everyone seems to have taken things at face value, which is never traditionally smart in the face of Thrawn, though at the same time, this could be a case of me having such high expectations for Thrawn's multi-layered tactical mind that I'm jumping at shadows. Though if true, it puts the small novella Crisis of Faith in entirely different light (yes, I have committed the cardinal sin of reading these in reverse chronological order).

Any more ruminations on this subject would drift into spoiler territory, so let me finish this by saying it was nice to see a lot of tie-ins to the era of Heir to the Empire, and there were so many that I'm wondering if this is a sign that this is it for the "prequel" novels involving our Stormtrooper "deserters", Mara Jade, etc. Granted, Mara is a little (ok, a lot) too competent, and makes Jack Bauer seem like he belongs in preschool, but it'd still be potentially interesting to see more of her "genesis" years so to speak, without the distraction of Luke, Han, and Leia (surely not every mission she had was in the same sector as those three).

I enjoyed this book, as is the case with most of Timothy Zahn's offerings. What really caught my attention is that there appears to be a deliberate attempt to present a more noble side of the Empire, instead of following the dark, evil imagery that has been consistently presented throughout the Star Wars saga. This is exemplified in the characterization of Thrawn, who is shown as an empathetic, moral, upright individual -- an extension of his introduction to the EU in Outbound Flight.

The other main characters were mostly spot on. Han and Leia continue their prickly relationship, in which their deep mutual attraction is extremely obvious. Luke is shown just as he should be at that juncture in his life -- as naive, 'farmboyish', and uncertain about his connection with the force, yet full of courage and the spirit of self-sacrifice. The reader is also treated to a fleshing out of the character of Gilad Pallaeon, before he assumes command of the Chimaera.

Completely missing, though, is the endearing presence of both C3PO and R2D2. I didn't realize how much of a void their absence created until finishing the book.

My biggest reservation centered around the portrayal of Mara Jade as some sort of super-heroine amalgam of Elektra and Wonder Woman. Her abilities with the lightsaber, I thought, were greatly exaggerated, given what has been told about her in Zahn's other tales. Just like the rest of the figures loyal to the Empire, she comes off as much less evil and dark than one might expect.

This is indeed a worthy addition to the Star Wars EU, and is highly recommended.

It's been quite a while since I read a Star Wars book. More than six years, actually. After reading Matthew Stover's lackluster adaptation of the lackluster Revenge of the Sith, I was in no hurry to give another Star Wars book a shot.

But when the ARC for Timothy Zahn's Star Wars: Choices of One showed up in my mailbox, something about it piqued my curiosity. Zahn brought me back to Star Wars during my senior year of high school when Heir to the Empire was first released. And though I haven't read Zahn's Star Wars novels since Vision of the Future came out, I've always had a sweet spot in my heart for the author's work set in the Star Wars universe.

And since the story occurs between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, I knew I could read and enjoy this one without having read the countless Star Wars offering that have flooded the market over the years.

Here's the blurb:

The fate of the Rebellion rests on Luke Skywalker's next move.

But have the rebels entered a safe harbor or a death trap?

Eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion is in desperate need of a new base. So when Governor Ferrouz of Candoras Sector proposes an alliance, offering the Rebels sanctuary in return for protection against the alien warlord Nuso Esva, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie are sent to evaluate the deal.

Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, is also heading for Candoras, along with the five renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgment. Their mission: to punish Ferrouz's treason and smash the Rebels for good.

But in this treacherous game of betrayals within betrayals, a wild card is waiting to be played.

I've read a lot of Star Wars books over the years, yet I feel that no other author has ever been able to truly capture George Lucas' vision the way Timothy Zahn managed to do. A couple of pages into Choices of One, and I was immediately drawn back to my youth and enjoying every minute of it.

Though readers familiar with the Star Wars universe may get more out of this novel, fans of the movies will nonetheless be in for a pleasant reading experience. Sure, you might be unaware of the existence of Mara Jade and the renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Justice, but the story features enough familiarity to satisfy anyone. And it might even entice some to go back and read a few other Zahn Star Wars titles. I know that's the case with me. . .

Set a few months following the Battle of Yavin, although the action takes place in a number of unknown systems, readers both old and new to the Star Wars universe will feel comfortable with the various environments featured in Choices of One. The worldbuilding doesn't intrude on the tale and remains in the background. Zahn provides what information one needs to follow the story's progress, but little else is needed.

The characterization was my favorite aspect of the novel. Understandably, Zahn has it a bit easy, what with his working with beloved protagonists from both the films and the multitude of books set in Lucas' universe. An innocent and do-gooder Luke who remains a kind-hearted dumbass; Han and Leia, bent on antagonizing one another because they cannot come to terms with the fact that they are attracted to each other; Chewie, whose succint growls carry a lot of meaning; a younger Thrawn, rising star among Imperial officers; Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand; LaRone and his stormtrooper crew. Put all these ingredients together and the recipe can't be anything but good. Yet add to that an array of secondary characters comprising a pleasantly surprising supporting cast, and you have yourself a nice Star Wars romp!

As fun and entertaining as Choices of One turned out to be at the beginning, it seemed to suffer from a decidedly linear plot which would be a bit predictable. But with a won-over crowd, who would care, right? Wrong. Timothy Zahn switches gears in the middle, unveiling a more convulated and hence more satisfying story arc which added another dimension to this book. Moreover, the ending sets the stage for The Empire Strikes Back.

Choices of One will not blow your mind. But if you are looking for a fun read featuring familiar faces you have grown to love; if you are looking to recapture the essence of what made you fall in love with the first movie trilogy in the first place; then Choice of One just might be the perfect summer read you've been craving!

**possible spoilers, but only for anyone who hasn't read ANY of the Expanded Universe books**

Ah, who am I kidding? Timothy Zahn's latest effort is "comfortable" and "adequate" and a tad on the short side. It won't really be "...shaping too much." Nothing Galaxy-shaking about this one, it's just good page-turning fiction, tried and true. Nothing epic and far-reaching, it's just a few short hours of good Star Wars-y fun. It was very refreshing reading about some well-established characters at a much earlier point in their careers and development. There's just something highly entertaining in reading about characters "way back in their own histories" to see how they would act; one thing that a lot of authors seem to struggle with. Not Zahn though.

Here we have another novella in a string of works by a great Star Wars author, with a firm grasp on what makes Star Wars "feel like Star Wars". This latest story is like a resumé continuation of the always competent Mara Jade and TZ's 'favorite five', the renegade stormtroopers, The Hand of Judgment, that got their first appearance in his novella "Allegiance". We get an early look at a point early-on in Mara Jade's career when she is relatively experienced and an adept Jedi, but although she is quite skilled, she comes off as a little "reserved", in my opinion. Maybe it was just to balance out her expertise with Luke's current state of ineptitude in this story, but I don't know. She was supposedly somewhere near her peak at this point in the chronology of Star Wars while the Emperor was still alive and in power. With that being said, it is still always a joy to read Zahn's rendition of her.

Although there is some repetitious use of a few choice words (growl, grimace, and murmur come to mind) I didn't really notice it until someone pointed it out to me. I didn't find it to be a problem, but I can see where it would bother quite a few readers. There was quite a bit of "word-recyclage". And maybe it will bother me on subsequent read-throughs...we'll see.

Most of the focus of the book is on Leia, Chewbacca and Han, and Luke and Mara, with equal or more time given to the five stormtroopers of The Hand of Judgment. Thrawn and Pellaeon have supporting roles, while Vader has a brief cameo-type appearance. The story is good, although not particularly outstanding, and it flows like a Star Wars movie should, with spot-on dialog that makes you chuckle amusedly at some of their interactions. I found myself thinking, "Yep, that's exactly how I would think they would act in this situation." And that's something that a lot of authors get completely wrong. Why aren't these being made into movies? (I can only think that George Lucas just doesn't want his delicate little toesies stepped on is all.)

I just wish the novella had been longer, and more focus had been on the core characters (Han, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca) plus Mara Jade. I like reading about The Hand of Judgment bunch, but wanted more of the other. And more Thrawn and Pellaeon, more Vader, and so forth. Too short! Now I'll just have to wait (not so patiently) for the next installment from Zahn. Nobody else makes me feel like I'm reading true Star Wars fiction than he does. Thank you, Tim!!

Star Wars: Choices of One takes place 3 months after Allegiance (Star Wars). LaRone and company are back, having defected from the empire but not their sworn duty to uphold justice and protect the innocent. They formed the Hand of Judgement and effectively became space vigilantes. The problem, however, is that their supplies dwindled and their ability to continue their crusade was looking pretty bad.

Enter the next crisis for the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade. She's been told by the Emperor that the governor of the Candoras is planning on defecting to the Rebel Alliance. Her job is to dispense justice. The problem is, things aren't as they seem. She needs to investigate and she needs some help. Time to recruit those ex-Stormtroopers she had let go 3 months prior.

In the mean time, the Rebels have been contacted by the governor of the Candoras Sector (yes, the one Mara Jade is being sent to smack around). Only they discover that there are more interested parties than needed. To top it all off, Thrawn is drawn into the drama by an old enemy.

Who is Nuso Esva? Did the Governor really betray the Empire? What did he have to gain by contacting the Rebel Alliance? Whose side is Mara Jade on? And will anyone be alive at the end of the whole thing?

This book is nonstop twists and turns and nothing is as it seems. Filled with action and some of our original favorites (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie) as well as extended universe characters (Mara Jade), Timothy Zahn has put together yet another page turner Star Wars novel. Highly recommended.

Normally, I really like Timothy Zahn. However, I feel like he missed with Choices of One, the pseudo-sequel to Allegiance. Both of these books take place between Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, an era which has been inundated with fiction. Like most of the books that take place here, our heroes go on an adventure that is wholly confined to the character development which occurs within the movies. The addition in this book is the addition of some stormtroopers and Mara Jade. Personally, I spent the whole book wondering how Mara and Luke would go through the events of the pages without crossing paths, since they first meet in the Expanded Universe years later, in Heir to the Empire. I like Zahn, and this book certainly had some of his usual creativity, but for me it's not up to his normal level.

I loved Zahn's original Star Wars trilogy with Thrawn and was very excited to see him write some more, especially with Mara Jade as well. With the two of those people being the best non-movie characters in my opinion, I thought this would be great, but it just didn't get me addicted like the first trilogy. I enjoyed the book, but didn't always feel like I had to see what would happen next. I also realized I should have read Allegiance first. All in all, it is worth reading if you enjoy the books, but nothing to write home about.

I forgot how much I loved the young Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie and the rest of the rebellion. This book went right back to were they all started. it was so fun to read the morally innocent Luke struggle to kill and fight with others. How Han not yet commited to the rebels kick the trash(Luck) out of anyone that gets in his way. well really some of my favoite lines in the book was when Han and Leia where doing their little fights and when the other wasnt looking or around showed their affection.

This is probably one of the best SW books thats come out for the past few years. I felt like every chapter the plot was moving fast and it was hard to put down. Even with the different POVs going on all the stories work togeather so well to a end that only Thrawn could of known of.

I've struggled with the more recent SW books because they dont act like this any more they are old and dont have that energy like they used to. Choices of One really brought out their youth and as with any Zhan book with Thrawn its a must read!

can't wait for his next

I am a Timothy Zahn fanboy. Ever since picking up the Thrawn Trilogy and Hand of Thrawn Duology to prepare myself for the upcoming sequel trilogy, I couldn't get enough him. So when I picked up this book after finishing Thrawn I went in expecting epic space battles, strong character development, and well written villains. What I got was, well....

Story:
The story takes place between episodes 4 and 5 shortly after the first Death Star is destroyed. Desperate to find a new staging point for their campaign against the Empire, the rebels end up negotiating a deal with imperial governor Ferrouz to use part of his sector in exchange for protection against the alien warlord Nuso Esva. Little do they know, however, Emperor Palpatine has already gotten wind of their plans and sends his agent Mara Jade to punish the governor for his treason. What follows is a series of betrayals and alliances between imperials and rebels alike to stop the true mastermind manipulating it all.

Overall the story was mostly well written. Between all the uneasy alliances and backstabbing betrayals, the plot keeps you on your toes and wondering what is really going on behind the scenes. This is especially shown through Zahn's style of writing from multiple points of view; sometimes we find ourselves gazing through imperial eyes and others times it's the rebels' eyes. It's easy to tell that he has a good understanding of his characters because there's always a definite change in tone whenever the main point of view changes. Though sometimes the plot goes in some directions that just make you scratch you're head and wonder what he was thinking. Without spoiling anything, I thought some of the characters' actions didn't make sense in the grand scheme of the galactic conflict. In particular I found myself thinking that this or that alliance made no sense, but it never came to the point that I would stop reading. Really awesome stormtrooper battle scenes really helped me turn pages too.

Characters:
As previously stated, the book switches frequently between the points of view of imperials and rebels alike giving us a variety of characters to choose from. Fan favorite Mara Jade I particularly enjoyed since we got to see more of her life as the Emperor's Hand. Unlike the portrayals of imperials in the movies, you genuinely get the feeling that Mara has clear morals and truly believes what the Empire's doing is right. I also liked Han's portrayal as the 'outsider' in the Rebel Alliance. In the beginning, the rebel leaders don't completely trust Han having joined up so recently and throughout the book Han has to prove himself. Unfortunately those two were the only characters that really grabbed my attention as the rest didn't really develop through the course of the story. Luke was just the naive new recruit, and despite making a few appearances, soon-to-be Grand Admiral Thrawn gets barely any time in the book at all. Even the main villain felt like the generic evil guy the good guys have to stop.

FINAL VERDICT (If you only read one part of this review read this):
In some ways this book can be called disappointing, but that really depends on one's point of view. The story and characters were nowhere near the same level as in the Thrawn books, but considering that story went over five books, can one really expect the same from one standalone novel? Despite having less character development than I would have liked and a story that often left me wondering why certain decisions were made, I still found it highly enjoyable, if anything just to see Mara Jade in action and to see where the plot was going. I've also purposely neglected to mention much about the appearance of the stormtroopers that make up the Hand of Judgment from Zahn's Allegiance, and despite them too failing victim to lack of strong development, were just AWESOME during the fights in the novel. Their skirmishes were by far my favorite part of the book, but you'll have to read the book to learn more.

All in all, don't go in expecting the next entry to the Thrawn series because you're not going to get it. Instead, think of this book as the additional backstory behind Thrawn allowing us to examine the galaxy through the eyes of one of the deadliest characters in the Empire: the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade.

ALTERNATE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: Survivor's Quest and Outbound Flight also by Timothy Zahn. Both contain Zahn's signature sci-fi storytelling and like with this book have plenty of action plus alliances and betrayals. The former particularly continues development of Mara Jade and her relationship with Luke so if you're a fan of the characters it's a must read.

This latest entry by Timothy Zahn surpassed all expectations that I initially had for it. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in Star Wars or Science Fiction.
After reading the preview for this novel, I was not sure what to expect. Things start off immediately after the destruction of the first Death Star. The Rebel Alliance is chasing down potential leads for another rebel base. The Imperials are in hot pursuit, but there is a wildcard who is an alien warlord who has other plans for the rebels and imperials. It seemed like another generic Star Wars story arch. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but let me say that there are more twists and turns that are hard to see coming. Timothy Zahn does a great job of getting introducing multiple characters into the arena and having them and their stories all being tied together in the end. I blew through this book in a few days. The atmosphere of the original movies carried over well from start to finish.
There are so many Star Wars novels and books out there. This is one that I would highly recommend. Even if you have not gotten into the Star Wars novel series, you could easily pick this one up and have a blast reading through it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was one of those books I didn't want to put down, yet didn't want it to end. I have loved all of Zahn's SW novels, and I love how he furthers develops and/or fills in the back story on the characters he has created in past novels. I liked the Hand of Judgment in Allegiance because they showed that some Imperial Stormtroopers believe in justice and view their mission as one of service to people. I was glad to see them again in this novel, and hope to see them again in other novels.

With due respect to other SW authors, Zahn is still the gold standard. Now that Episodes 1-6 are out in Blue Ray, Lucasfilms needs to do something to keep SW in the public eye. I suggest releasing the original Thrawn Trilogy as Episodes 7, 8, and 9. That will introduce the non-EU reading public to Thrawn, Pellaeon, Mara, Talon Kardde, etc. It will also set the stage for releasing other novels as films. It has been six years since a live action SW movie has been released. It is time to keep the Force going.

First the good. For the most part these newer books by Zahn are good. I really enjoy the stormtrooper group and I wish we'd get more focus on them free of core characters like Luke Skywalker & Han Solo. I will say that the troopers, while overly honorable, aren't too wise. They are sort of like the A-Team of Star Wars and can't turn away from helping someone out, even when they know they, for a fact, KNOW BETTER (they are low on resources and having trouble remaining hidden for example). These guys are straight out of a RPG group. They can't walk by anyone without witnessing a dispute and having to decide if they will get involved, and they ALWAYS DO.

I think the author does an amazing job of recreating Luke, Han, & Leia as their characters should be during this pre-Empire Strikes Back era. Luke has the perfect naive feel and its so refreshing after years worth of books where he is an old wise Jedi Master that can do no wrong.

The Han & Leia relationship is great. Its just like it becomes in "Empire Strikes Back" with them working well as a duo. They like working with each other and have attraction for each other, but aren't quite so hot for each other like they are in Empire when their tension has them snapping at each other so often because they can't express themselves freely.

Its interesting seeing Thrawn's continuing evolution in the role of the Empire.

My only real problem is Mara Jade. Jeez, I'd just get on a roll with the book and then a scene would shift to her and it was DULL city just like the last time she showed up. For the first time I am using this term, Mara Jade is Timothy Zahn's Mary Sue. Google that if you've never heard it before. She can do NO wrong. She knows everything about anything, executes all plans without problems (if there is a problem she has a solution ready ASAP), she kills as a job (that is actually her role and she knows it, she is a killer) but has a conscience. I understand that she is supposed to be misguided, but for being so smart & sharp she is awfully dumb on the big things (like figuring out the Emperor and Vader are evil).

Any time Mara shows up, I have to read through paragraphs of her performing some James Bond/Batman like skills with perfect knowledge and performance. Yeah yeah, she has those things going for her. I knew it already, I don't need to be reminded of her and rehearing it doesn't excite me. There is a scene where she checks a hidden safe house TWICE, just to make sure she didn't miss anything, jeez ok already. . . she doesn't mess around I get it already! Besides, all the other stuff about her already indicates that it isn't like she misses something EVER, so a second check isn't needed! How about she triple checks things so I am supposed to be even more impressed?

I understand that some love the character, but I think Mara Jade is a bit over the top in these books. It's esp. frustrating because she is clearly the main character in this book. Its strange disliking the main character.

Mr. Zahn creates a well-written adventure that balances several characters and parallel plot advancements quite deftly as the pieces slowly come together almost like a mystery or spy thriller. The characters are well-written and the text itself is fast and fun. Occasionaly it does rely a bit on knowledge of Star Wars and its items and settings more than description but that doesn't detract from the writing per se. The book also references an earlier adventure with the same characters that doesn't need to have been read to enjoy this book. There are some small problems - I didn't especially like the characterization of young Luke Skywalker, though it makes some sense it doesn't feel like it develops enough and he feels reduced in stature - still nothing that diminishes the enjoyment of the novel.

Could be subtitled 'Mara Jade - the missing years'. Zahn is once again amazing as he draws together two distinct story lines and builds on Mara's backstory and integrates the rouge Stormtroopers from Allegance. It's even more fantastic that Han, Chewy, Luke, and others are brought in... and you hold your breath waiting for Mara and Luke to actually meet each other! Zahn's foray into the psyche of Mara is amazing... although serving as the Emperor's Hand, she still has her own will and her own heart - although sometimes very cold. I can't wait for this series to continue. Kudos to Mr. Zahn!

The action takes place between the Episode IV and V movies so all the familiar movie characters are here as well as a few new ones. If you read Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy you know how brilliant he is at immersing you in the Star Wars galaxy. To me this book was even a little better. The complicated plots and politics were toned down and not as exhausting, and there was more action and technology. The characterizations of Han, Luke and Leia were exactly what I'd hoped for, and the Darth Vader scenes gave me the chills. Throw in some macho storm-trooper deserters and the stealth and competence of Mara Jade and you've got a Star Wars page-turner.

If you like any of Zahn's other Star Wars books, this one won't let you down. It is a stand-alone book that covers an adventure involving Mara Jade. It also has several characters from the original movie trilogy. It is set after Star Wars: A New Hope. It is both creative and full of action!
Isn't the cover art awesome?!!! I want my own Mara Jade!

Loved this book. I had rented it through my local library and I will now purchase this book. Its a title I will be sure to read again and again.

Didn't see the ending of the book and was happily surprised with how this book ended. And who doesn't love Mara Jade!

I read this after a long time since reading a star wars novel. For the most part I did enjoy it, but for me I did find it a bit difficult to follow 'who was doing over who' in the latter stages of the book. For 3/4 I was really into it, and then got a bit over it. This is the point where most books pull you along harder, but not for me here.

Still a solid read, and enough for me to buy another star wars aligned book.

The mysterious alien warlord Nuso Esva is causing trouble for both the Empire and the Rebels. The Imperial governor Bidor Ferrouz reaches out to the Rebels for help. Mara Jade also becomes involved. But there is way more to this story. Can the Jedi and Mara work together to unravel the real reasons behind Nuso Esva's treachery?

It is sometimes difficult to go back in time and read about characters after you already know their fates. Timothy Zahn pulls it off though. And the end result? Thrawn is smooth. Han Solo is awesome. Oh, and the Empire isn't quite such a bad group after all. Well...when they aren't blowing your planet up.

So this book takes place a few months after the exciting battle of Yavin and the rebels are in desparate need of a new base. But mara jade is out to stop them from reaching a settlement with someone who is willing to give the rebels safe refuge. This is an amazing book!

I read the previous "prequel" to this book, "Allegiance," also by Timothy Zahn...and the same issues I had with that book seem to plague this one as well. However, since there are more characters and more situations, the issues are a bit bigger than that previous book.

After about a third of the book, I found myself not really getting a sense of the character' whereabouts at times since places are described (not in the sense that you get a visual in your head) and in the next "scene" the character is usually in another area, or so many situations have occurred before you return (with so many other areas) that I felt lost. Too, the fact that there were a lot of characters (even minor characters who weren't really described, but just given names) added to the confusion; I felt myself trying to keep up with each new character that turned up, but just gave up since I wanted to finish the book.

The five Stormtroopers return from the previous book, and I still couldn't really tell them apart aside from their names, and the fact that "Brightwater" is the Scout trooper who rides a speeder bike, and LaRone is the leader, but they could have all been the clone troopers from the prequel films, even though it was said in the previous book they were human recruiters.

The final battle sequences seemed to drag, as I just wanted the book to end.

Pass.

Addendum: A bit more confusion:

On page 231 of the hardcover, LaRone brings up a character named Stelig. I wondered if that was a misprint, since there is a similarly named character named Stelikag in the novel as well, as "Stelig" never turns up again after being mentioned.

one of the main reasons why i am trying to finish my own book is because of Timothy Zahn. He is a inspiration and someone i actually admire. i love his work and if his name is on the title of any literary work i will usually purchase it.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It's an interesting take from Timothy Zahn, to place this movie in between episodes 4 and 5. I don't want to say too much, as I'm afraid it may spoil the book, but for any fan of the original trilogy this is a must read.

"Choices of One" exists in the "Star Wars" timeline between "Star Wars, Episode IV - A New Hope" and "Star Wars, Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back". Many of the characters introduced from the author's earlier works are showcased, such as LaRone along with his fellow stormtroopers, Mara Jade, and Thrawn. I was entertained but not fully captured in the story containing minimal political maneuvering, respectable enough descriptions, and numerous plot elements.

While the great novel has classic action, the tension between the famous Princess and smuggler, and a fledgling farm boy Jedi, I found it also to be a little contrived. "The Thrawn Trilogy" has got to be the best "Star Wars" saga with the most masterful villain in Thrawn, consequently revisiting many characters in a prequel setting does not seem genuine. I know who lives, I know who eventually dies, and therefore the dangers are not seriously perceived.

I recommend the novel to any fan of the Star Wars universe.

Thank you.

First of all, I would have to say that all Timothy Zahn Star Wars books are head and shoulders above the others. That being said, this one is my least favorite of his so far. It is an enjoyable book but put up next to his others it is a little slow. If someone else had written this book I would say that it is great but given the other star wars novels he has written, he is held to a higher standard.

Zahn continues to be the best author of the long standing Star Wars series. His ability to weave a story that leaves you wanting more and feeling perspective from both sides is unmatched in the Star Wars universe.

Months have passed since Luke Skywalker blew up the death Star (see A New Hope), but he diligently practices to become stronger in the force. The war between the Empire and the Alliance continues with the former seeking to strike back at the rebels who desperately need allies, equipment and supplies. Empire Officer Thrawn warns Emperor Palatine that they are threatened by more than just the rebels. Nusoesva, a powerful warlord in the Unknown Region is conquering worlds in Wild Space and looks like he will soon make incursion into the Imperial sector. Palatine ignores the concern because the warlord is just an alien.

The rebels are offered a base on Poln Minor in the Outer Rim. Since the Empire won't help them fight Nusoesva, the leaders of the planet turn to the Alliance asking for protection. The Emperor learns of two possible treasonous acts and deploys his Hand Mara Jade to determine the truth; if affirmed she is to kill the Governor of the Candoras sector, Bider Ferrouz and his accomplices. Han, Leia, and Luke head to Poln Major to find out if the governor's offer is authentic or a trap. Also on the planet are the disgruntled Hand of Judgment storm troopers who work to root out evil in the Empire. All will converge with betrayal and death the common denominators

It is amazing to see caring good people like Mara and the storm troopers Hand of Judgment believe that the Emperor is a kind person who cares for his subjects. That soul searching element enhances an action-paced space opera. Readers will praise Timothy Zahn as he captures the original essence of the Lucas pantheon; not an easy mission to achieve since this would make a fine movie number 4.5 (in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back).

Harriet Klausner

I was looking forward to reading this book, but now that I have, I wonder what it was I was looking forward to. My favorite characters are in the book: Han, Luke, Thrawn..., but there was something missing which can usually be found in Zahn's writing, An Interesting Story!

Everything about this story seemed derivative and predictable. The book is not bad, but I expect so much more from Zahn than the other Star Wars writers. Oh well, I'll go find something else to read, and hope Zahn's brain starts working more like Thrawns (deceptive, quick, and intriguing) and less like C3PO (logical, but bland).

Zahn continues to be the best author of the long standing Star Wars series. His ability to weave a story that leaves you wanting more and feeling perspective from both sides is unmatched in the Star Wars universe.

Months have passed since Luke Skywalker blew up the death Star (see A New Hope), but he diligently practices to become stronger in the force. The war between the Empire and the Alliance continues with the former seeking to strike back at the rebels who desperately need allies, equipment and supplies. Empire Officer Thrawn warns Emperor Palatine that they are threatened by more than just the rebels. Nusoesva, a powerful warlord in the Unknown Region is conquering worlds in Wild Space and looks like he will soon make incursion into the Imperial sector. Palatine ignores the concern because the warlord is just an alien.

The rebels are offered a base on Poln Minor in the Outer Rim. Since the Empire won't help them fight Nusoesva, the leaders of the planet turn to the Alliance asking for protection. The Emperor learns of two possible treasonous acts and deploys his Hand Mara Jade to determine the truth; if affirmed she is to kill the Governor of the Candoras sector, Bider Ferrouz and his accomplices. Han, Leia, and Luke head to Poln Major to find out if the governor's offer is authentic or a trap. Also on the planet are the disgruntled Hand of Judgment storm troopers who work to root out evil in the Empire. All will converge with betrayal and death the common denominators

It is amazing to see caring good people like Mara and the storm troopers Hand of Judgment believe that the Emperor is a kind person who cares for his subjects. That soul searching element enhances an action-paced space opera. Readers will praise Timothy Zahn as he captures the original essence of the Lucas pantheon; not an easy mission to achieve since this would make a fine movie number 4.5 (in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back).

Harriet Klausner

I was looking forward to reading this book, but now that I have, I wonder what it was I was looking forward to. My favorite characters are in the book: Han, Luke, Thrawn..., but there was something missing which can usually be found in Zahn's writing, An Interesting Story!

Everything about this story seemed derivative and predictable. The book is not bad, but I expect so much more from Zahn than the other Star Wars writers. Oh well, I'll go find something else to read, and hope Zahn's brain starts working more like Thrawns (deceptive, quick, and intriguing) and less like C3PO (logical, but bland).

this book is amazing i cant wait to own timothy zahns next star wars novel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this book is just as good as the orginial star wars movies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The terrible sequel to the equally terrible Allegiance.

How Luke and Darth Vader are written defies belief and have no real relation to how they are in the films. For instance in Empire Luke is Veteran fighter who still carries a blaster. In this I guess he forgot it, while coming across as a complete dunce in his actions getting into fights with a weopan he does not know how to use, while blindly following others around. Only except to stop and gasp with amazement at how brilliant Mara is, even though it contradicts Zahn's earlier books of one he first saw her. As for Vader, he is pretty much written as a black clad Homer Simpson who is led by the nose by Thrawn.

As for the plot, it features some Warlord whose not very bright who sets up this convulted trap for Thrawn, who has set up this set up, so to help out a friend who is feeling down!! At the same time he warns the Emperor about the Ewoks and tells Vader the Rebel's are on Hoth, which again makes no sense with ESB.

As for Mara despite the character being a loyal agent of the Empire, she decides for no reason to not inform Vader about Luke even though from her perspective Luke should be her version of Bin Laden.

It doesn't really matter though because Zahn expects the reader to accept the ridiculous premise of this 18 year old girl with uber Jedi Master powers who is ment to be an assassin, somehow only going after pirates and criminals, never rebels, though they should be her version Al Queda and always seeming to help them out too.

Zahn cannot have it both ways. She cannot be a loyal Agent of the Empire but still help the good guys and be a good guy. Zahn is hurting his own character by doing this.

I suppose I should talk about Zahn stormtroopers but they are so generic there is really nothing much to talk about. There not exactly Rex and Cody from the Clone wars that's for sure.

First of all, I have to always give MAJOR props to TZ. Without his "Heir to the Empire", I never would have re-discovered my childhood love for all things Star Wars. He is truly to be credited for bringing the franchise back to the world.

That said, I now have to say how disappointed I am (so far) with Choices of One. And not for the plot, which is solid and fits seamlessly into Star Wars canon. It's the limited adjective use that dooms this book, much the same way it did "Allegiance", which I couldn't even bring myself to finish.

I have never seen the over use of words like "murmur", "growl" and "grimace" in all my life. Followed closely by characters "wincing" or "warbling a question" constantly. Surely an author of Zahn's caliber can expand the descriptive word uses just a tad. It's almost become a joke or game to tally how many time in a chapter (or a page for that matter!) these words constantly appear.

I surely hope the 20th Anniversary addition of Heir to the Empire is enough to remind of us of Zahn's superb writing abilities, because folks....this ain't it.