Rating: 
Summary: Best Star Wars bokk PERIOD!
Review: As I began to read this emence book(I'm not the heaviest reader) I wondered if I should even start. If I could go back, I'd have read it all in one night, but instad I read it in 2! I now have the 2nd and 3rd installments in the series on their way, I hope they're as good as this one. From now on, Episode I, II and III are out and VII, VIII and IX are in!
Rating:
Summary: first and best of the spin-offs
Review: This was the first Star Wars novel I read (actually, the first written, I think) and it's still the best. I tried reading others, but they all seemed like shallow imitations and rip-offs. Zahn's style is unique, and while he ain't Ray Bradbury (I bet I'm the only fan of Star Wars who knows who that is) he gets in some really good descriptions and creative language. From what I've read of the other spin-off books (Stackpole, some of the recent ones), Star Wars writers are into some very dry, plain writing that gets boring after a while.
I love the characters in this book. He captures the originals - Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, the droids and Chewie, even Wedge - brilliantly. You can tell they've matured over the last five years. Plus it's early enough after the movies that they're not seriously over the hill yet. The new characters are great too. Thrawn is the coolest villain outside of the films, and Mara Jade and Talon Karrde are fabulous.
My one complaint is how this trilogy set up the rest of the spin-offs. He establishes a new type of female character, the Femme Fatale type (the previous ones were Royalty in Distress and Mothers/Aunts). Mara Jade is cool, but now the only other women in Star Wars are just like her (Aurra Sing, Zam Wesell). They lack depth. Also, when I read this it seemed like it was the first big adventure since the movies, but then more books are written that devalue the sense of myth there used to be. Every few months these characters have some new supervillain to defeat. Doesn't it ever get boring?
If you just want to read one spin-off of Star Wars, read Zahn's trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Story, Mediocre Writing
Review: In this book and the two other books of Tim Zahn's trilogy, he fully displays his writing weaknesses and strengths. He is a skilled storyteller, and his continuation of the "Star Wars" story following "Return of the Jedi" is masterfully packed with suspense, action, exotic landscapes, and epic battles. Zahn is also adept at characterization. Many of our old favorites are here, but it's the new characters who truly shine, particularly Grand Admiral Thrawn. His patience, coolness, and staggering intellect make him the most frightening Imperial leader ever. Unfortunately, these books desperately needed to be glanced over by a good editor before they were published. Zahn has annoying writing habits that will get on your nerves if you are a critical reader. For example, he constantly and randomly switches the way he refers to characters. One minute we're reading about "Luke," our old Jedi pal, and the next minute we're reading about "Skywalker," which is a cold and impersonal way to refer to a character many readers grew up with. That may not seem like much, but Zahn does it so often, you begin to wonder if there's a reason. There isn't, other than bad editing. Zahn also latches on to tin-eared phrases and unusual constructions and uses them repeatedly, so that they stick out and make you wonder why he doesn't try a new way to say the same thing. If you're not critical, you'll love the stories in these books. But if you're like me, your enjoyment of the wonderful plots will be dampened by the clunky, unpolished writing. I'll say this...these books would surely make incredible movies. Maybe when George Lucas kicks the bucket....
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular....plain and simple
Review: I purchased this book a real long time ago (only because I liked the cover and was somewhat interested in what the huge craze over StarWars was all about). All I had heard about it was, "It has a spectatcular ending." As I read what thought was going to be a boring book, I found myself recognizing all the charcters, save the new ones, and actually hearing the music in my head as I read the book. Not only do the new characters fit right in to the original story, but Zahn's writing style makes it just as, if not more, entertaining than the movies! This book is the reason why I am such a huge StarWars fan today!
Rating:
Summary: Great read! Can't miss this one!
Review: Ahhhh, the book that popularized Star Wars books and opened the way for more excellent Star Wars adventures. A master strategist that picks tactics from what he can interpret from the psychologies of his enemies (which he determines from looking at their artwork). What could be better? This was the first Star Wars book since 1983 and this was the one that gave the opportunity for other authors to try their hand at Star Wars. In my opinion, the best Star Wars trilogy ever (except maybe Solo and Company).
Rating:
Summary: The absolute Art of Star Wars
Review: Anyone who has tasted a few of Dark Horse-Star Wars comics can easily see it in this book:...the Absolute Art! I'm thrilled with the work the french team achieved in this one...
I own it 4 years now and every time I open its pages I sit and read it till the end...
You can tell I really love it...it's different, it's realistic, it's original...
Go on SW fans...Buy it NOW!!!
Rating:
Summary: Kinda disappointed...
Review: I picked this book up because I'm a big Star Wars fan and because I'd heard so many good things about it. Well, after having read it, like the title says, I'm disappointed that it didn't live up to the hype surrounding it.The main problem I had lies in Zahn himself. The story line he crafted is really good, and he has the character interactions down quite well. But Zahn's writing style is really repetitious and gets dull toward the end. Zahn simply cannot go a page without referring to someone as "the other." Nor can he go without having a character "twist their lip" or "mentally cross their fingers." By the end of the book he's exhausted these and other similar phrases, and the book becomes monotonous. The rest of the book isn't bad. For what it did for Star Wars fiction, I suppose this book should be held in high regard. I'm reading the second book in the trilogy because of the cliffhanger at the end of this one. Hopefully Zahn works out the kinks in the second book.
Rating:
Summary: I didn't want to like it...
Review: A long time ago, in a book store far away, someone suggested Timothy Zahn to me. I skimmed the first few pages, and in my impatient youth, shoved the book back onto the shelf with a muttered "Nah..."
But that's not a BAD thing. That's a GOOD thing. Because I read it last week, and was totally blown away.
Characters... the portrayal of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and all the others we know so well was solid. Mara Jade is just tremendously entertaining, and Captain Pellaeon is a terrific window into the Imperial Activities.
Grand Admiral Thrawn... "Whoa". A tactical genius with an awesome talent for determining a species' military blind spots from their artwork, Thrawn is controlled, precise, coldly calculating and even entertaining. There were points where I was cheering for him, only to be turned right around when he went after my favorite folks in the New Republic.
Great bad-guys are a rare and valuable thing. Thrawn qualifies completely.
The story is compelling, and there is no deux es machina (god in a box) ending in this. It goes on until the tale is told. A great novel, and I am pleased to have finally read it. And four other Star Wars novels by the same author.:)
Warning: It ends on a cliff-hanger. Great book, and the sequel... well, read the reviews. Read MY review. But whichever, read the books.
If you liked Wedge's Gamble, Isard's Revenge, or Solo Command, you'll dig this.
Rating:
Summary: This trilogy sets the standard!
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: The New Empire
Review: From the other star wars books I thought that this one was great. It tells of the new empire and the continuation of Luke, leai, han, and chewie. I thought this book was great. I could not put it down. I highly suggest that you read this if you are any type of star wars fan. I will continue to read Dark Force Rising. The second book of the Thwran trilogy.
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