I have been wanting to review some books I have read and pass on some recommendations.
For me I mainly choose my books on recommendations from other people, especially if we have similar tastes. So maybe I can become a trusted internet recommender!
Recently I finished the Hand of Thrawn duology from Timothy Zahn. Its a fantastic duo and well worth read.
For those not familiar with Zahn's Star Wars books this is a sequel to the Thrawn Trilogy. And I will say this now, you must read that trilogy first to even begin to understand these.
Firstly a note on why I like Zahn's take on Star Wars. He is a true fan and his stories are much extensions on the original movie trilogy. We are joined by Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie. To be honest it just so much an extension of the movies. His writing puts you right back into the Star Wars universe. The characters are exactly the same, with Han's witty cracks and Luke's bold heroic quests. Zahn's books offer a haven from the new star wars and returns you to that magical universe where the force is strong and the adventure continues.
So that being said how is the sequel to a trilogy. The first trilogy is much more action based. This new adventure is much more based around political issues and the fight with the remaining struggling empire.
These books hinge on Zahn's great character creation of Thrawn, using that as a base. It feels very much an extension on that story. Scraping by on the depth of character in the previous series.
However that being said it was nice to be back in the universe of star wars. You get all your favorite characters even a brief appearance from Admiral Ackbar (It's a TRAP!!!!)
We also see a major return of Mara Jade. She is an important character in the previous trilogy but this story is very dependent on her. If you are not a fan of her this may not be for you. I personally find her story line great and a good development point for the star wars series.
So final assessment. If you love the star wars universe and feel like living there for a while this is a great story.
A few notes though. 1: Read the Thrawn Trilogy first, 2: Read these back to back, super important. There is no break or hardly any recap. 3: They can be quite political and but will be worth the effort.
RATING: 6/10 - It's a bit of a long journey but worth it for those fans out there.
Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology:
Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy (The must read prequel)
