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Summary: Specter of the Past
Review: "Specter of the past" is set fourteen years after the battle of Endor. Timothy Zahn, the famous author of the Thrawn trilogy- Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and the Last Command, has again brought up Gilad Pallaeon- now the supreme commander of the Imperial fleet. It potrays the memories we have about the trilogy. In this book, Pellaeon will urge the Moffs to surrender and end the long civil war between the New Republic(once the rebellion) and the Empire.
Pellaeon knows that the Empire is at the brink of total collapse and is trying to salvage the remaining fleet and star systems. However, Moff Disra- a loyalist has contacted a con artist- Flim and with the help of Captain Tierce tries to stop Pellaeon from acheving that purpose.
Flim, now "Thrawn", is a rallying point for the Imperials and Zahn manages to bring back the battle tactis and genuiness of the dead Thrawn.
He also allow an issue that may cause the New Republic to crumble under a bloodbath of genocide and civil war. He pieces together these two and also allows Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker to team up again.
It is really a reunion of old events and memories and the new ones manages to fit into the whole picture smoothly like a Jig-Saw puzzle. Once completed,it is an excellent piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: For the Amateur Reader
Review: "Specter of the Past" is the first novel in The Hand of Thrawn series approximately ten years following The Thrawn Trilogy. It continues the tradition of creativity and intrigue from the prior novels.Timothy Zahn resumes with a struggling New Republic in the aftermath of the battle against Grand Admiral Thrawn. However, strong political developments dominate the storyline, detracting from the strengths of amazing battles that were the groundwork in the first series. While not as rich in cultural developments, character favorites continue to risk their lives in the conflicts of New Republic versus Empire. In addition, a select few in the Empire pull a fascinating con on the galaxy regarding the fate of Grand Admiral Thrawn. I recommend this series to any fan of the Star Wars universe. Thank you
Rating:
Summary: An excellent effort, though not quite as good as the first 3
Review: I personally think that Tim Zahn is the best writer of Star Wars fiction there is, and the only author even coming close is Michael Stackpole. (And it's no coincidence that they are good friends) Zahn takes his time with his writing, coming up with compelling storylines and intriguing characters to drive the story, rather than flash-and-dash action without much plot. The idea of Bothan involvement in a past atrocity, the reactions to it and its aftermath, show a deep grasp of human nature. Because Zahn is extremely accurate in his portrayal of what such a revelation of old wounds will do. While it is true that some aspects of the story are borrowed from his prior trilogy, one kind of has to expect that. Also, I liked the way Zahn includes characters and references to other author's novels in the SW series, few others do that well, in my opinion.
The simple greatest proof that this is an excellent book is that, like Zahn's prior efforts, this book kept me awake and reading until the end, just to find out what was going to happen. I was not intending to do that when I started, but found the story and writing so interesting that I could not put the book down. Not many of the novels in the SW series have grabbed me that way, and for that, this book is deserving of a high mark. It only misses a ten by virtue of the high standard Zahn set with his first three books.
Now, if only the 2nd half was available...
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Summary: Timothy Zahn Strikes Back
Review: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (1991, actally) one Timothy Zahn rejuivenated the Star Wars universe with 'Heir to the Empire'. Upon finishing his epic Thrawn Trilogy, he got to sit back and watch the other writers have their shot at it. Some hit their targets, others had their shots go wide. And in some cases, very, very wide. In any case, Zahn returns to finish what he started (in more ways than one) in his Hand of Thrawn duology. And he has done well.Its quite different from the Thrawn Trilogy, but that's okay. It just shows off Zahn's talents more. Now the Imps are but a remnant, still clinging onto the old ways. At the same time, the Republic is now somewhat of a squawbling bunch. It appear's Sate Pestage's prediction in 'Mandatory Retirement' rings true:
"Your republic will become and Empire soon enough. It's all about power and how it changes people. Your leaders will see to that and fall prey to it."
In this case, though, I've found its done better than in, say, the New Jedi Order books. Like most of the NJO series, in my opinion, they try to hard there to make the Republic's leaders a bunch of rambling idiots. Here Zahn makes it a lot more realistic. Gavrisom is not a 'good' character, nor is he an 'evil' or 'bad' character. He's a mix, and that's better and far more realistic than either perfectly good or perfectly bad. Still, the wrath of politics burns strong here, showing just how fragile the Republic can be. It's also far ore realistic that something that could destroy such a powerful government would begin with a whimper, not a bang. The overall storyline is good, and I must say it really does say something about Grand Admiral Thrawn when he can still effect the course of glactic history after he's been dead for 10 years. His mythical status, though, just shows how perspectives change in time. It also opens the door for scams like Disra's. The Imps are overall done quite well, I think, and Pellaeon's is excellent. The Hand of Thrawn duology has helped make him become one of the best all-time Imperial characters, in my opinion. And, of course, you get classic characters like Leia, Luke, Han, Mara, and Karrde. It's nice to see them going along, growing, changing, as so forth. Obviously 'Specter of the Past' is meant to be taken as one with 'Vison of the Future', so I've reviewed it as such. Highly reccomended.
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Summary: The Adventure Begins Anew. . .
Review: After reading Timothy Zahn's first Star Wars trilogy, and finding that it was good, I, being an avid SW fan, set my sights on the dozens of other books written afterward. They. . . weren't so good. In fact, some of them were downright bad, either using a tired device over and over again (superweapon anyone?) or destroying the characters. I began to lose faith in the franchise as literature-worthy. Then Zahn wrote Specter of the Past, the first of The Hand of Thrawn Duology, and I believed again. While his Thrawn Trilogy is usually considered best, this is perhaps his most daring work. With his first trilogy, he had no canon material he had to follow, allowing him an essentially clean slate with which to work. However, after five years and over a dozen novels, there was a lot of histroy that he just couldn't ignore. However, once again, Zahn proved to be more than equal to the task, using characters and events from the earlier and inferior novels to further his story or expand his characters. And, being Zahn, it worked. The story of Specter of the Past is one of galactic conflict on a familiar Star Wars scale, but it also weaves threads intrigue and shadow plots into the play, giving the novel a fresh feel from the usual "The Imperials have a new superweapon!" arc, and it works well. One of the two main threads focuses on the supposed return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who we saw die in The Last Command, in all his strategic genius and glory. The second thread involves the framing of the Bothans for the destruction of a pacifist planet. While Leia tries desperately to hold the New Rupiblic together in the face of a catastrophic backlash, Han and Lando struggle to acertain if Thrawn really has returned. Meanwhile, on a covert mission, Luke and Mara run into an Imperial style ship manned by clones, which vanishes into deep space. As Mara gives chase, she discovers a strange planet with a mysterious link to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Luke, recieving a disturbing premonition of her possible death, races to join her. Behind it all is a brilliant mind and a daring con, backed by a ruthless and greedy warlord bent on galactic domination. However, where others have failed, they may very well succeed. All the characters that Zahn introduced us to are back, and better than ever. Captain Pelleon holds a nominal authoritative position in the Imperial Remnant, struggling to find a way to end the decades-long conflict that has toppled an empire, while also wondering at the possible return of his mentor. Talon Kardde, smuggler and business man, journeys to the edge of the galaxy to meet a man he betrayed to uncover the truth about the Bothans. And Mara Jade is, of course, just as we remember her; smart, sassy, strong, and a perfect foil for Luke. Damn, but they make a great team. While there's plenty of swashbuckling and space battling in Specter of the Past, the stage is only being set for something much MUCH bigger. Zahn is creating something grand in this volume, something which has ties not only with the SW books by other authors, but also brings back seemingly unimportant details from the Thrawn Trilogy as all too important. It really makes you admire his genius in storytelling and planning, and wonder whether he had planned follow-ups to the Thrawn Trilogy from the very beginning. Any way you slice it, The Hand of Thrawn Duology is a wonderful addition to the Star Wars franchise, and is a wonderful set-up for a grand finale.
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Summary: The most excellent Star Wars book to come around in a while!
Review: All I can say is, even if you have hated every single Star Wars book written before this one, I gaurentee you won't be able to put this one down! None of the other writers quite measure up to Zahn, and he has obviosly developed as a writer since the original Thrawn trilogy. Anyway, this book takes place about 15 years after Return of the Jedi, and ten years after Thrawn's campaign. New reports and rumers are surfacing that it was a group of bothans who were working for the Emperor who destroyed the planet of Camaas nearly half a century earlier, and the Camaasi (and about a thousand other peoples using Camaas as an excuse to revive and act on their own grudges) are out for blood, and the entire New Republic is ready to explode into civil war. The reports also mention that Thrawn could be back, which altogether spells disaster. Luke meanwhile, has a strange and disturbing vision of his long time friend Mara Jade in trouble on a certain mission, and he rushes off to rescue her, much to Mara's annoyance. Anyway, this is a really great book, and I guarentee you'll be screaming for the sequel once you finish it (I was lucky enough to be have bought Vision of the Future at the same time, hee hee). With all the millions of subplots it does get pretty confusing at some points, and to understand Leia's section of the plot you have to have a basic understanding of politics, but as long as you have a decent number of braincells I doubt anyone would have any problems with it. The Luke/Mara plot is fascinating as well; I can't wait to find out what the fortress is and what goes on there, and I also wonder what is going to happen between them in general, since this seems to be the first book since The Last Command that has added on to the theme of them possibly becoming "more" than friends. I have always felt that they belong together, and I can't wait to see what happens in Vision of the Future.
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Summary: Timothy Zahn proves he is a Jedi Master of s-f
Review: Brilliant! I give A++ to all of the Star Wars books by written by Timothy Zahn. He is a true Jedi Master of science-fiction writing, a giant clearly standing out among lesser authors. Quite often Star Wars novels are plagued by idiotic plots and even more idiotic details, like "freezing stars", etc. First of all, Zahn books are very intelligently written with believable plots and realistic characters. Even super-genius Thrawn makes mistakes, and super-hero Skywalker has his weaknesses. Second, the author did his homework in terms of details. Clearly, there is much more Science in Zahn's science-fiction when compared to other authors. Causes and effects are made-believable to a demanding reader. (There is only one small flaw: lack of air is not the only problem is space vacuum. First, a human being suddenly exposed to vacuum would instantly "explode" because of uncompensated pressure of gases dissolved in blood and tissues. Second, the exploding blood would almost instantly freeze because of two factors: zero external pressure and near absolute zero temperature of space. Not a pretty picture, unless Skywalker can use Force to keep an air bubble around himself :) Not bad, however, considering that even Kubrick and Clarke made the same mistake in "2001: A Space Odyssey". Mr. Zahn, we crave for more books from you! What is going to happen after Vision of the Future? May I offer my free services as a scientific consultant to the next novel?
Rating:
Summary: Bre's
Review: Firstly, I must say that Zahn is the best Wars writer out there. He's not flawless, of course, but he certainly displays greater skill in this difficult genre than anyone else. The fact that he is the author is a good recommendation for the Hand of Thrawn dualogy. Once again we have the high quality writing, the well-handled plot lines, and good characterisations. It's great to see Mara once again under the pen of her creator. No one else - except maybe Stackpole - can get her quite right. Even better was the handling of Luke's bad habit of using the Force too much, though this has been seen as a virtue by some writers eg Mr Anderson. All in all, a great book.
Rating:
Summary: For the Amateur Reader
Review: For someone who doesn't read all that often and couldn't tell you the importance of the great literary works, this was just a book to read and enjoy. And that is exactly what this book did for me, it entertained me a lot and left me excited to read the next one. A great read, goes quickly, you won't want to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: Superbly written is an understatement
Review: From the moment I started this book I couldn't put it down. Zahn once again shows he can write the Star Wars Universe like no one else. He handles the multiple story lines so poetically. When I finished this book I was so antsy to get the sequel I could barely contain myself. Zahn manages to take the characters he has created in his books (as well as those of other authors) and helps them grow. So many twists ans turn, classic Zahn. I didn't think anyone could write anything better then the Zahn trilogy for the Star Wars Universe, but Zahn has outdone himself.
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