Rating: 
Summary: Decent follow up to the classic movies.
Review: Frankly, Mr. Zahn did not have an enviable task ahead of him when he was to write the followup trilogy to Star Wars. I opened this book tentatively, fearing the worst. After all, with Luke as the New Jedi, Leia and Han itemized together, Chewbacca still as hairy as ever, and the Emperor and Darth dusty particles in space, what could any writer possibly do to continue the line?Happily, though, I found Heir to the Empire nowhere near the disaster that normal logic would foretell. The characters of old SW films were believably drawn, although curiously timeless (I mean, come on...it's five years after Endor, and the only change is that Leia's pregnancy!), and Zahn's new people were either suitably grey in the background, or very colorfully developed indeed. The plot seems very much Lucasian fare; shootouts, rescue missions, daring raids, and harrowing escapes. However, I became increasingly aware of an inexplicable flaw in the otherwise strong storytelling; that concerned the big baddie, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn is touted as a genius who can divine enemies' innermost psyches with nothing but examples of their artwork. That's okay; Zahn makes this seem convincing enough so that our disbelief is suspended. Thrawn is presented as an enigmatic leader who is feared but more importantly respected by his people. This too is okay; Zahn shows enough strategy and tactics to convince us that his character really deserves this. Many seemingly-impossible victories are pulled out of thin air, and Thrawn continues to win and win and win a little more. Fine. We can accept that...how could we otherwise, with such skill expended in making him believable? By the time the book is over, Zahn even implies Thrawn's superiority over great villains like Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine (wonderful name, don't you agree?) - and we can readily believe this, because Zahn has given us the goods and not been found wanting. So, the big question and flaw of the story: why does Thrawn lose? Zahn falls prey to the same trap that ensnares many writers of all genres; he has presented a full-bodied, fleshed-out character, made the reader love to hate him, shown this man to be utterly brilliant and utterly amazing and God-like...then kills him off. No replay, no reset. Game over. Dead. The 'God' syndrome, I think it's called, where the enemy is really powerful, but for an unsatisfactory reason is defeated. Without a doubt, Zahn is one of the best space-fantasy writers I have read, and his style is engrossing and engaging, but I could not help but feel that at the end of the tale, I was somehow cheated by the unconvincing and accelerated death of his Thrawn character. The only reason I can think of for writing such an unappetising ending to an otherwise excellent trilogy, is that Zahn was pressured into it for reasons of PR. Certainly, the way is paved for a "Return of Thrawn" episode, as Thrawn dropped many hints of cloning facilities, etc. (qv Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future) but I thought it would have been better to just keep the guy and conclude the trilogy otherwise. Also slightly problematic is the question of repetition: Thrawn is a purely tactical guy, so he needs a force-user to help him. Working together, Thrawn and the crazed Jedi Master named Joruus can just about equal Vader's total effectiveness (tactics + force). One cannot help but feel that Zahn is fighting a losing battle here regarding his villains; Lucas just made his ones too darn good. Apart from those two (not immediately obvious) points, the books are all a great ride through Lucas' galaxy once again. If you liked the movies at all and don't mind reading good sci-fi, then these are the books for you. Certainly they are better than any later Star Wars efforts I have read (ah - K J Anderson - hem!).
Rating: 
Summary: Zahn's Original Masterpiece
Review: Reading had always been an activity I enjoyed in my free time, and although I occasionally read a Star Wars book, I was never left with the feeling that the films had given me. Most that I read would have entertaining stories, but despite the plot I would find myself struggling to read them to the end; they simply couldn't hold my attention. That all changed when I read Heir to the Empire, the first book in a three part series written by Timothy Zahn. Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and the two follow-ups that Zahn later wrote, stand apart from all other Star Wars books and most other books in general. Zahn's work is absolutely stunning; with Heir to the Empire he took Star Wars to an entirely new level. The story and characters are superb; the writing itself is magnificent. Timothy Zahn truly captured the epic scope and feeling of the Star Wars universe and then expanded it far beyond. Unlike the film trilogy, Zahn put an emphasis on the strategy and politics of war rather than simply showing the battles as a series of flashy, but entertaining, random explosions. The tactics and stratagems he devised for use in the series are explained well enough to seem perfectly believable, while at the same time being just fantastic and crazy enough to fit excellently into the unique universe that George Lucas created. The characters that Zahn devised for his stories are memorable and unique; they compliment the standard Star Wars cast wonderfully. Many of the more interesting characters are members of the Empire, still fighting a battle against the Rebel Alliance, now known as the New Republic, even though they are currently losing badly. The many Imperial characters that Zahn made, and the focus he put on the Empire, was something that hadn't been done before in Star Wars. During the films you only had glimpses of how the Empire worked, with only Vader and Palpatine as actual characters. For his books Zahn made many Imperial officers main characters to give the reader insight on how the enemies of the Rebellion viewed the universe, and the war they'd been in for so long. The most notable of these villains is, of course, Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has assumed leadership over the remnants of the Empire. As the primary antagonist, Thrawn is a welcome change from the cryptic, detached villains from the films. There is rarely a single event in Heir to the Empire that was not carefully planned by Thrawn himself. Even the cast of heroes eventually take note that nothing they see can be accepted as truth with some one of Thrawn's manipulative and tactical genius plotting against them. Everything they witnessed could be part of his plan, causing them to question anything that happened; only then wandering if that's exactly what Thrawn wanted them to question while he did something completely different. Attempting to unravel the dozens of layers to Thrawn's plans along with the heroes was one of the many things that kept me reading no matter how many other things I needed to do at the time. Then there were equally impressive new protagonists, my favorite being Mara Jade, who has since appeared in dozens of additional Star Wars novels. Similar to Han Solo, Jade is initially a hero by circumstance and not by choice. As a former servant of the Emperor, Jade is engaged in an internal battle. She doesn't want to work for the Empire, realizing that it is no longer what Emperor Palpatine had envisioned. On the other hand, she doesn't want to aide the New Republic as they are the cause of the Empires fall. In fact, she adamantly hates Luke Skywalker, the hero of the New Republic, and desires nothing more than to see him dead. Zahn constantly puts Mara Jade into positions where she must choose to side with Thrawn, or side with Luke Skywalker, which to her is like choosing between two evils. The constant tension, unexpected turns, incredible new characters and classic faces that are now more mature, bring Heir to the Empire to life. Not once did I feel disappointed, and not once did I find anything that I disliked; the book was absolutely perfect. Timothy Zahn is truly an outstanding writer for being able to create books every bit as enchanting and spectacular as the film trilogy itself. Every Star Wars fan owes it to themselves to read Zahn's five books. Make sure to take time off from work first, though; it may be difficult to put the books down.
Rating: 
Summary: Great fun
Review: A very entertaining, action-packed first volume in a trilogy that retains the values of the films.
The Rebel Alliance has since become the New Republic and is struggling to form a galactic government with the planet Coruscant as its center. However, the honeymoon period is about to be cut short, when a vicious tactical genius aided by a powerful Jedi Master take over the remants of the Empire and set out to destroy the fledgling New Republic.
The characters that we know and love have grown in stature but have not lost their capacity to be in the center of things. Luke's continuing his development as a fully-fledged Jedi Knight, Han has continued his shift to respectability by marrying Princess Leia and the two of them even have twins on the way who promise to be tremendously strong in the Force. The famous droid duo of C3PO and R2-D2, and the Wookie Chewbacca all return as well. Periphery characters such as Wedge and Lando Calrissian are fleshed out as well.
New characters are also introduced. The charming smuggler Talon Karrde makes an appearance, spearheading the remants of Jabba the Hutt's criminal organisation, and so does his fiesty red-haired partner-in-crime Mara Jade, a dangerous woman with a mysterious past and a sharp tongue. A new race of gray-skinned aliens called the Noghri, who serve the Empire as lethal commandos, are also along for the ride. The best of these characters though is the red-eyed, blue-skinned, white-uniformed Grand Admiral Thrawn; a deliciously brilliant tactical genius, dangerous and decisive, and with such a degree of class, charm and intelligence that its impossible not to warm to the guy. He is also refreshingly grey in a universe that was depicted in the films as black and white (until that revelation at the end of the middle film). He has a thirst for power, and does not suffer fools, but neither does he have the evil capriciousness that led Darth Vader to summarily execute those men who failed him. He is a realistic military commander, who gets the best out of his available resources but does not waste them foolishly.
The evil Jedi Master Joruus C'Baoth though is a relentlessly irritating concoction however, as petulant and moody as a teenager. The fact that Zahn meant to have him this way does not soften the blow either. I felt compelled to read on if only for the intensely satisfying moment when this guy would meet his doom.
The writing itself is limited, but Zahn has an eye for an action set-piece and these don't fail to disappoint. I did get annoyed at the overuse of the words 'sardonically', 'sarcastically' and 'countered', and the extensive tight smiles, lip twisting and sentence ellipsis. Its still true to the films though, with space battles, fire fights and a healthy dose of stormtroopers, and the story itself is so full of twists and turns that it is a guaranteed page-turner. Its no literary masterpiece, but if you love the films and a juicily convoluted plot that never fails to excite, then you won't go far wrong with this.
Rating:
Summary: A Star Wars Classic
Review: Timothy Zahn writes a tight and compelling plot peopled with strong characters, and his book radiates with the feeling of the Star Wars movies without rehashing them (a trap into which too many franchise books fall). This is a worthy continuation of the story of Luke, Han, Leia, et. al. If you read any Star Wars novels, start here--especially because so many of the later books, when they aren't pirating lines from the movies (as though the only sentences that exist in our galaxy far, far away are "I have a bad feeling about this," "Do or do not, there is no try," and "Never quote me the odds") are pirating and misusing plot ideas from Zahn's brilliant trilogy. Also, by starting with Heir to the Empire, you'll properly introduce yourself to a new cast of favorite characters--Mara Jade, Talon Kaarde, etc--who Zahn so strongly characterizes that even the worst Star Wars authors can write them. And most importantly, you won't risk growing tired of the old steadies like Luke. Characters like him sometimes stagnate in other Star Wars books (particularly in the utterly foul Jedi Academy Trilogy, only worth reading because you meet Kyp Durron who, though horribly botched in these books, becomes rather important later on) when their authors can't impart to them the sort of dynamism and personality evident in the movies. But in Heir to the Empire, Luke is not a cardboard recreation of his cinematic self; rather, he is full and human. With brilliant writing and brilliant protagonists and antagonists (I mean literally, there are some smart, quick thinking characters in this book who really make for an awesome plot), this book is a Star Wars classic.
Rating:
Summary: villians!
Review: Vader, Jabba, and now, Thrawn. The Grand Admiral is a perfect villian: brilliant, brash yet cautious at the same time. He is more dangerous than palpatine ever was. Zahn did an amazing job creating this villian. If for no other reason, buy this book to read about Grand Admiral Thrawn. The only downfall of the book is the arrogant dark jedi master Joruus C`baoth. The dark jedi's pompous attitude of "I am the Empire" was extremely irritating and frankly, obnoxious. The confrontations between Thrawn and C`baoth kept me wishing that Thrawn's pet Noghri would slice the foolish child-like jedi in two. Not to spoil the ending, but Thrawn is not defeated by Skywalker. This is sad indeed, for Thrawn deserved a far better defeat than his simple minded snot of a counterpart.If you watched the Star Wars movies and found yourself rooting for Vader or Darth Maul, read this book, for Thrawn is perfect in his role as leader of the empire. Daala would have been the icing on the cake if she worked alongside Pallaeon and under Thrawn. It would have been a welcome change if the imperials actually won for a change.
Rating:
Summary: Heir to the Empire - A Star Wars Fan's Must!
Review: If you were ever a Star Wars fan and wondered what happened after Return of the Jedi, this book is a must read. Taking place 5 years after the Battle of Endor, the Empire is weakened, disorganized and without and Emperor. With Emperor Palpatine having been killed in ROTJ, the Empire's remaining forces are without purpose. A new leader is needed, and met. Timothy Zahn's writing in this first of three books in the series is superb. You will be kept wondering what happens by the end, and still get that fix every Star Wars fan needs when reading Zahn's work. Four stars for Zahn.
Rating:
Summary: Darn Good Adventure Book!
Review: I would have given the book 5/5 stars, but the author used the word "sardonically" so many times it drove me batty. I hope nobody ever says that word to me again because I might go nutz on the spot and embarrass myself. Oh and the other thing Timothy Zahn did that made me pull my hair out was that he was constantly measuring time in "heartbeats" of certain characters in the book. Timothy, if you are out there listening... please take heed: I dig your novel as a whole, but don't ever scar your readers lives again by using the aforementioned adverb and metaphor. That being said... Heir to the Empire was a very deliciously enjoyable escape from reality. I am now going to read the 2nd book in the trilogy (when it arrives) and I can't wait to begin. Grand Admiral Thrawn was a great character and a worthy villain. He was a viable threat which made him believable as a villain. Jade Mara was a good as a tortured soul, however, I wish her reason for hating Luke would have been a little stronger. Like maybe he killed her favorite pet bantha or something a little more sentimental and emotional. A woman just doesn't get scorned by losing her job when it was her own darn fault. I know, 'cause I have scorned a few women in my day. So, that premise was a little weak. On the inside back cover there is a picture of Timothy and he looks like kind of a nerd, which is fine. But, I'm guessing he doesn't have much experience with women, in particular, scorning them. So, I can certainly understand why he might mess-up that plot premise. However, everything else was absolutely gorgeously great. Oh... and one more thing: That HACK R.A. Salvatore isn't worthy to loose the latchet on your shoes. Keep going Tim. you've got a fan in me. You should write a new novel in which Usama Bin Laden is the leader of the Islamic Sith. That would be a real corker. JugHead
Rating:
Summary: A Great Start to a Great Trilogy
Review: Writer Timothy Zahn brings his considerable talents to the Star Wars universe with this book and the two that follow it. I have read other non-Star Wars Zahn novels, including The Icarus Hunt and Cascade Point, and I believe he is at the top of his game in this exciting, character-driven story. In Heir to the Empire, Zahn has brought us one of the greatest villains in the Star Wars saga and, in my opinion, all of science fiction, and that is Grand Admiral Thrawn. This brilliant, cool, calculating, and unbelievably cruel fleet commander is second only to Darth Vader in my book of Star Wars baddies, and the series is worth reading for his presence alone. The plot is thick and very involving, and the author succeeds at keeping the reader on his toes at all times. The old Star Wars characters are back and as good as ever, and plenty of new characters make the galaxy that much more interesting. It's a shame this book and the other two aren't made into movies, for they could rival the original trilogy in story quality and entertainment. For anyone who is as big a Star Wars fan as I, this trilogy is definite must-buy.
Rating:
Summary: A great start to a new trilogy
Review: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire was written by Hugo award winning author Timothy Zahn. Heir to the Empire is one of the many (maybe 100 novels and countless comic books) officially licensed books of the Star Wars universe. As I understand it, the way these books are made is by an author pitching an idea to Lucasfilm Ltd, then if it gets approved the author writes the story, and then the story must be approved by George Lucas himself. If all that happens the book will be printed, (and often times become number one national bestsellers).
Heir to the Empire is the continuation of the story line after Return of the Jedi. As I understand it one might consider this episode VII.
The story picks up five years after Return of the Jedi, with Darth Vader and the Emperor dead along with the second Death Star destroyed. After the Rebel Alliance defeated the heart of the Empire they became the New Republic. However there are still remnants of the Imperial fleet scattered throughout the galaxy, and one new villain to lead them. His name is Grand Admiral Thrawn. He is one of the few alien species allowed into the ranks of the Empire (the Empire is notoriously racist against non-humans) and the only alien to have any rank of authority, let alone Grand Admiral which is the highest rank in the Imperial military. He is basically human looking except for his pale blue skin and glowing red eyes, which probably symbolize his cold, calculating genius along with his burning evil lust for conquest. He unites the remnants of the Imperial fleet and organizes them in his evil and genius plans to cripple and destroy the vulnerable New Republic while it's still in its infancy.
Standing in his way (oh yes, there's always somebody standing in the villain's way) are Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, R2D2, C3PO, Wedge Antilles, Admiral Ackbar and the rest of the characters of the original Star Wars trilogy you (should) already know and love.
And that, I believe, is largely what this book is counting on: its readers already being Star Wars fans with a decent working knowledge of Star Wars characters, technology, and even culture. In my mind that is probably a pretty safe assumption but there is always the possibility of someone picking up and reading (or trying to read) this book without already having seen the Star Wars movies. My recommendation of this book would admittedly be negatively and noticeably impacted if I was talking to someone who had never seen the movies. Not a whole lot of wordage is used when describing things that Star Wars fans should already know, such as the physical appearance of Han Solo (one can just picture Harrison Ford and leave it at that) etc. However new characters and environments are described in great detail. That being said, most Americans have seen at least one Star Wars movie and at least know what a "lightsaber" or "blaster" (laser gun) looks like.
Zahn's militaristic style of writing is evident through the pages of Heir to the Empire, as you can see by these reviews: "Zahn (is) near the top on any list of military-science fiction or action-science fiction writers. So it was a good idea to turn him loose on the universe and characters of 'Star Wars'... good fun." ----- Chicago Sun-Times "(Zahn's) descriptions of weapons and ships make him the Tom Clancy of a galaxy far, far away." ------- Manhattan (Kansas) Mercury I think this style works very well for most of the book, and where it needs a bit more adventurous or magical spirit, Zahn is happy to oblige. He gives the book a very suspenseful and exciting feel.
Sometimes in the book there are some parts that seem oddly coincidental, such as Han Solo happening to unknowingly visit the planet and even the very encampment where Luke Skywalker was being held prisoner. However the beauty (or idiocy, depending on the reader) of the Star Wars universe is that pretty much everything can be explained by means of the Force. You may have heard the phrase "the Lord works in mysterious ways." Well here it's the same concept but instead it's the Force works in mysterious ways. The Force is an all-encompassing energy field that is produced by life itself. It can use people and be used by people. It can manifest itself in many forms, such as telekinesis, lighting, visions of the past and possible future, increased speed of movement, telepathy, and other such premonitions. Therefore there is pretty much nothing that can happen in the Star Wars universe that cannot be explained by the Force. To me the Force is a very ingenious idea for a fantasy story such as these.
The end of this book leaves the reader very hungry for more (it ends in a small-scale space-naval skirmish), but when the author has written a whole new trilogy, that is pretty much the point. All in all I think this is a worthy edition to the main Star Wars storyline, with a great combination of old and new characters.
Rating:
Summary: Grand Adventure in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Review: For years, I kept myself away from the Star Wars novels in general, and particularly from those continuing the series. I thought that there could never be any author who could capture teh essence of the characters, the scope, and the conflict of the original after the events of Return of the Jedi. However, after some pleasent surprises in books like Shadows of the Empire, I decided to give Timothy Zahn's books a try. Sci-fi has never been the same for me since. Heir to the Empire marks a first in many ways. It was the first book that Lucas authorized to continue the Star Wars saga, and it is the first in what still reigns supreme as the best book trilogy the series has ever seen. Set five years after the death of Darth Vader and the Emperor, the newly formed New Republic finds itself threatened again by the Galactic Empire, this time, under new management. The new warlord that they face is a Grand Admiral from the days of old, Thrawn, a man unlike any in the Imperial Navy. Cunning, ruthless, and a strategical mastermind, Thrawn presents the greatest threat our heroes have seen since the Second Death Star. All the major players are here. Luke, now a full-fledged Jedi. Han and Leia, now married and expecting twins. Lando, Chewie, and the droids. All are in the story, and all are portrayed exactly as we remembered them, only better. And all play an integral part in thwarting the newest threat to the galaxy. However, Zahn does not just stop with high adventure and out favorite characters. Here, we meet new faces, including Thrawn, the insane Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth, and last but not least, Mara Jade. The best addition to the franchise since Lando Calrissian, Mara is a hardened rogue, used to life on the fringe, and desperate enemy of Luke. Of course, that means they'll have to work together sometime during the book. And what a team they make. All of Zahn's original characters feel right at home in the Star Wars universe, and they all have a part to play in the story. And what a story. Full of the space and saber combat expected in anything bearing the name, the tale takes readers from Coruscaunt to the Jedi power-negating world of Myrkr to the bridge of the Star Destroyer Chimera. The story twists and turns, and even as you see the conflict develop, you can see that this is only the beginning of something far more grand. I simply can't recommend this book enough. If there was an option for a sixth star, I'd happily give it to Zahn's masterpiece. It is no easy feat to recreate such a beloved universe and beloved characters, craft a satisfyingly epic story, keep the writing both exciting and intelligent, and still retain a "PG" rating. However, Zahn pulls it off with style to spare. This is space opera at its finest.
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