Rating: 
Summary: Do, or do not. There is no try.
Review: As Yoda once famously said in The Empire Strikes back: "Do, or do not. There is no try." And that is exactly what I would tell Timothy Zahn. He tried but he did not suceed. Heir to the Empire, I thought, was a very boring and thoughtless book. The ysalamiri were by far the stupidest things I have ever heard of, and C'boath was a pretty weak character. First, if these ysalamiri truly do have the power to repel the Force and temporarily strip Jedi of their powers, why have we not heard of them before? I think Thrawn is a good character, as is Mara Jade, but I find it awkward that Thrawn is so much more intelligent than the Emperor or Darth Vader ever was. He seems almost too smart to me. And even though I kind of pieced together why Mara Jade hates Luke so much before she revealed it, I thought it was a pretty half-hearted confession. I actually never quite understood why, in fact, she did hate him so much. I think this book had the right idea but it was poorly written. I realized I was forcing myself to read it, just trying to reach the end quickly instead of throroughly enjoying the book. There are much better Star Wars books out there. I suggest you read one of them, such as The Courtship of Princess Leia (read my review). Save yourself some time. You'll be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: Unimpressive, most unimpressive
Review: The four things that ruin this book for me are: Zahn's writing style, the ysalamiri, C'Boath and Thrawn. Zahn's writing style is terrible. I read 'Heir to the Empire' but had to listen to the second two parts of this trilogy on audio cassette because I wanted to know what happened but I didn't want the pain of actually having to read the second two parts. The ysalamiri are ridiculous - a sort of kryptonite for the Jedi - as is C'Boath the dark Jedi Master. How come we hadn't heard of these before? They would have been pretty difficult to keep secret. And the way Thrawn can anticipate any bluff or double bluff and never be wrong makes him unbelievable as well. Mara Jade is a good character though. I suggest people read the X-Wing series first which is much better or even 'The Truce at Bakura' which is well written. Don't read this - listen to it on cassette if you want to know what happens - at least it's less painful that way. Read other books in the Star Wars saga first.
Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: I had been a fan of the movies for some years when I first picked up this book. I must admit that I was skeptical at first. I wondered weather the novels would measure up to the movies. The answer was evident from the first chapter. Timothy Zahn has not only matched the quality of the films, he has improved on them. I immediatly took a liking to the new Imperial commander, Grand Admiral Thrawn, whom I consider to be Star Was' most interesting character. Rather than creating a character of pure evil, Zahn writes a man who simply has his own belifes on how the galaxy should be governed. As a character, Thrawn has much more deapth than Palpatine or Vader. Moreover, unlike Palpatine and Vader, Thrawn relies on tactics and cunning rather than the force, and manages to succeed in many ares the former failed. Zahn also does a nice job in presenting a universe in which the force is not an almighty power, instead portraying the cunning of his characters as being a greater asset. This is a welcome change from stories where the Jedi are an utterly dominate power, and I have nothing but praise for Zahn for creating a character who's mind is more than a match for the force. Getting down to the most important element (how enjoyable is it to read).This story very nearly reads itself. The plot line is fast paced, relying on a combination of action, adventure, political intrigue and character to bring the universe of Star Wars to life. The challenges the Republic faces are well thought out and entertaining. The individual characters are all enjoyable and Zahn's originals are well intergrated. Overall this is a book which will leave it's readed immensely satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: best star wars book
Review: This is a great star wars book,it has a good story line, the charachters actually develop more in this book, and he adds great new allies and foes of the alliance, grand andmiral thrawn is a genius he is one of the best bad guys in all the star wars book because he just doesnt try to attack the alliance when he knows he cant win, and he knows when to retreat to live and fight another day. and tallon karrde and mara jade r just like han solo in star wars IV, this is a great book i suggest u buy it
Rating: 
Summary: Zahn should be the only Starwars writer
Review: nough said
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!!
Review: This was the first adult Star Wars book I ever read, though I have read most of the kid ones (Junior Jedi Knights Young Jedi Knights etc.), and I absolutly LOVED it! The original characters acted exactly as they should, and the new characters were awesome too without taking away from the older ones. Thrawn was cool, and so was Pallaeon, but the coolest new character of all was Mara Jade, who is officially my new favorite character. The best part of the whole book is the whole sequence when she and Luke are stuck in the forest and they have to depend on each other to survive. One thing that bothered me though, is that I simply can't picture kind, caring, sensitive Luke simply walking out on Leia like that, though I do simpathize with his feelings of self doubt. The reading level of this book is fairly high, but I had no trouble tackling it. Content wise, I'd say that just about anyone could probably read it, since nothing that bad happens in it.
Rating:
Summary: Are The Yuuzhan Vong Getting You Down?
Review: Perhaps you miss Chewbacca, or the earlier years when Star Wars seemed a bit simpler, and no one felt the need to start pruning central and favorite characters, in order to make "Science Fiction" more realistic. Or maybe you need to brush up on which Grand Admiral was causing trouble for planets after studying with his glowing red eyes their art, as a prelude to their destruction. And do you recall which sessile tree-dwelling creatures made their debut or the Planet that was their home, or perhaps the smuggler who also resided there. I just wanted to go back to where the Star wars experience continued, to the summer of 1991, and the first trilogy written by Timothy Zahn. I wanted to see how well this volume held up after almost a decade, and dozens upon dozens of books, and one prequel later. The effect is rather jarring, and it is only not due to Chewbacca's presence, or the amount of action that takes place on his home planet of Kashyyyk. The Star Wars Universe described some 9 years ago for readers, that documented events only 5 years after Episode VI, really is a very different place. The cast of players is dramatically fewer, and I gained even more appreciation for just how complex the latest novels have become. I also suggest that for those who became fans of the written adventures later on in their development, that they would gain a much better grounding by reading these first books that take place after the middle cinematic trilogy. Many of the players in this first book continue on to the most recent "Balance Point" by Kathy Tyers. And others, who also remain, have evolved so far as to be unrecognizable, if you knowledge of them is limited to the more recent books. I know there are fans out there that have never forgotten a single detail of any adventure. I wish I could claim such an accurate memory. This book sat on a shelf for 9 years, and while the read was very different, it was still very enjoyable. The only element that has diminished is that when this book first arrived, it was the first fresh experience for all who had been with the series since 1977, and for those who had never seen the films. Diminished may be too strong a word, for Mr. Zahn is one of the masters of the Star Wars history, and excellent writing rarely degrades with time. So get it, or read again what you may have owned for a decade. Travel back to Mount Tantiss, and the figure that calls it home, and your subsequent reads will be improved.
Rating:
Summary: NOBODY does it better than Zahn---except for Lucas himself
Review: Being a hard-core Star Wars fan since '77, I was thrilled but cautious when 'Heir To The Empire' first came out. I had read 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye', the FIRST Star Wars novel outside of the original trilogy books (which ALL stink, by the way) and although it was entertaining, it just seemed like a story with characters who had the same names as Leia & Luke & Darth etc. There was no real substance that tied the 'spirit' of the movies to the book. But even so, I gave Timothy Zahn a shot, and all I can say is WOW! He has captured the very 'essence' of Star Wars PERFECTLY. IF George Lucas ever decided to make Episode 7, 8 & 9 he would start with 'Heir' for sure. I don't think even HE could improve upon his own stories any better than Zahn has. Everything from Grand Admiral Thrawn (a fantastic character, and MUCH more depth than Darth or the Emperor) to the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade, to the ingenious introduction of creatures that actually REPEL the Force, this book and it's incredible sequels are NOT to be missed. If you have EVER wondered if there were novels about the Star Wars Universe that were every bit as good as the movies, than Zahn is your author and the next series you read should start with 'Heir To The Empire'. I have read and re-read this series 3 times now, and each time I find something new to remember, and another reason to be impressed with Zahn's writing style and ability. I have also read almost all of the 'other' Star Wars novels out there (since a rash of them have been published since the completion of 'The Last Command') and there are but a small few that are even worthy of the Star Wars name, and none of THEM even rival THIS series by Zahn. I'm telling ya, THIS is IT! Ever wonder where Lucas came up with the name for the Imperial world, 'Coroscant'? He BORROWED it from Zahn (no joke). I figure if you don't read this series, you just CAN'T be a serious fan of Star Wars...but if you ARE, don't put off grabbing this entire series ASAP. It's just fantastic Space Opera. Go ahead, give it a shot. Read book 1, enjoy. Go to book 2, repeat. Etc.
Rating:
Summary: Zahn nails the Star Wars universe.
Review: It is difficult to take existing characters and create new stories -- you always piss someone off (like the X-Files novels did for me). Mr. Zahn has an uncanny grasp of the Star Wars characters that took my breath away. This novel picks up 5 years after Return of the Jedi leaves off. Leia and Han are pregnant, Luke is teaching Leia about the force, and the New Republic is finding its legs after the defeat of the Emperor and Darth Vader. A cunning new Grand Admiral has taken over the reigns of the shattered Empire and is plotting against the New Republic. A military genius, he has a few tricks up his sleeve that might tip the balance in the continuing power struggle for the galaxy. Do not pass up this novel, and be sure to continue on to Dark Force Rising, the next novel in this trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Start for the Expanded Universe
Review: This review is for the graphic novel adaptation: Nice story, if you love Star Wars but you're not familiarized with the expanded universe and you'd like to meet the new characters this is the best story to start with: critical characters are introduced: Mara Jade, Gillad Pelleaon, Talon Karrde, Councilor Fel'ya, Grand Almiral Thrawn, Jacen and Jaina Solo, Jorus C'Baoth, the Noghri ...etc. It was pretty cool to find Thrawn on this story, since i first met him in the TIE fighter videogame! However i think i missed a lot of things by reading the graphic novel rather than the novel, I think i'll be reading the novel later. I liked the way the story manages its storylines, I wonder if some of those stories are going to be referenced on the new Star Wars films?
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