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Summary: My Two Cents
Review: Great book. Half of the book deals with the conflicts Luke faces with his feelings for Mara and the history of his past relationships. The other half, you need to know a little about politics and deplomacy. But, before you read this book, read Specter Of The Past so you will understand this book.
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Summary: A wonderful, fast read!
Review: Vision of the future is a great conclusion to the Hand of Thrawn series. Finally, the empire can retire from the scene and make way for new enemies to come. For Luke and Mara fans, this is a must read - their courtship (all be it very brief) is handled masterfully. You get the impression Zahn had this union in mind when he created the Mara character. I hope the relationship is explored further.
Rating: 
Summary: A great edition for Luke fans, but still a bit iffy...
Review: Like I said, if you've been waiting for Luke Skywalker to finally settle down, the time has finally come. And settling him down with Mara Jade made it all the worth while. The Luke&Mara action is great, but the other five hundred pages are kindof slow, unless you like politics. Luke readers, read on... and if you know when the next ones coming out, email me.
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Summary: my review
Review: i thought that this book was an excellent conclusion to the story created by the best writer in the science fiction world timothy zahn. mara jade is the best character in any star wars book that i have read, and i have read quite a few, when she and luke team up in the book, they are unstoppable! great book!Zman
Rating: 
Summary: Nowhere near Zahn's original trilogy
Review: The two "Hand of Thrawn" books total nearly 1,000 pages, almost equal to the total of the 3 original Zahn books. However, the plot and action of these nearly 1,000 pages do not equal one of Zahn's original Thrawn books. Both "Spectre of the Past" and "Vision of the Future" read like the more recent, weaker Star Wars books (Kevin Anderson, et. al.) than like Zahn's first three books or even "Truce at Bakura" or "Courtship of Princess Leia." If haven't read one of those 5 books yet, do so first. They embody the fast-paced entertainment of the Star Wars movies.
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Summary: Jade and Skywalker dazzle and deliver
Review: Right people, there is only one real issue here worth discussing; we'll regard everything else as plot fillers. I am of course referring the Luke and Mara thang. High curumba! After 10 years of volcanic chemistry, the pair finally get their act together. Its just a shame that certain irritating factors (namely Gaeriel, Callista and Lando) had to get in the way. No wait, Lando's cool; I have nothing against the guy - I just wish Hambly and Anderson didn't make him out to be the bad guy by pairing him with Jade. But that's the past, and this is the present, or should I say the "Future"! "Mara Jade Skywaker" - yes, has a nice ring to it doesn't it? And its great to see funky-bunch happily married at last after his years of emotional turmoil with everyone from Vader right down to Callista. After all, he's now in his late 30s, and should seriously consider settling down; there is more to life than the Force. As for the rest of the book, what can I say except that it has great plots and sub-plots, masterfully executed by a genius author. Despite him being an Englishman, I agree with the comments made by the John chappie below regarding the Yoda thing. In ESB, Yoda's retort of "Wars do not make one great" to Funky-Bunch's search for "a Great Warrior" sums up perfectly why we shouldn't see the great Jedi fight (despite being a master Knight). BTW, what does "apotheosis" mean? Nevermind, I'll look it up in a dictionary!
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Summary: The best Star Wars Book so far!
Review: Mr. Zahn has outdone himself. The conclusion of the exciting "hand of Thrawn" series is just about perfect. It reads quickly, has plenty of action, great dialogue, and even good romance. An additional bonus is just about every character related to Star Wars is in this book. From Corran Horn, Karrde, Mara, Wedge, Lando, the droids, Luke, Leia, Han, the Noghri, Pellaeon, etc... The only exception is that Chewbacca is away throughout the entire series, but you really don't miss him because there is too much going on. Everything from an emminent civil war, secret Imperial raids, secret fortresses, undercover espionage, and the usual space battle keeps you glued to the book until the last page is finished. Luckily, there aren't even any really slow or boring parts that unfortunately creep into most of the recent Star Wars novels. Welcome back, Timothy Zahn!
Rating:
Summary: The Force is Strong with this One
Review: Some of these reviews are great; they really are. Almost as good as reading the book itself. Its good to see that so many readers get so emotionally attached to the characters; emphasised particularly well with the war of words between Mara and Callista fans. And to think that the two women didn't even feature in the movies. People seem to either love or hate the outcome, and that is always a sign of a great novel. Personally, I loved the outcome! As with any good SW novel, there is plenty of sci-fi action and plot enhancement here, but it does however take a back seat to character development. Yes, this is very much a character-driven novel; in particular with Jade and Skywalker (still can't get over how cool this name is!). OK, so the issue of the dynamic duo getting married is perhaps the worst kept secret on the Internet, but what makes this such compelling reading is down to the way in which Zahn executes this theme. There were so many barriers existing between the two, not to mention the emotional turmoil and personal demons which needed to be overcome before they could establish a relationship. I also loved the way Zahn resolved the Lando/Mara issue without making Lando come across as the bad guy. For all his faults, Lando is a key figure in the SW universe and deserves positive attention, and it was nice to see him lead the Republic forces at the end against those nasty Imperial Star Destroyers. It was also interesting to note that one or two readers felt too much of the novel was taken up by Luke and Mara. I wonder why they thought this; I for one would not have minded in the slightest had the entire book only consisted of these two characters. And lets face it people, we would have even willingly seen the Empire win if it meant Luke and Mara getting together in the process. There is not much I can say to fault this novel, but there is one little aspect which affected me on a purely personal level and one which I felt we could have done without. I am referring to the smuggler's tale of the titanic battle between a dark Jedi and Yoda. I have always believed that Lucas depicted Yoda as the apotheosis of all that is Jedi with the exception of using the force to do battle. We did not see the little master fight in any movie and I firmly believe we will not do so in episodes 2 and 3, because to do so would degrade the single most unique character of the Star Wars universe. Therefore I felt Zahn could have easily omitted this part without detriment to the quality of the story. However this is just one minor flaw on a purely personal level. On another personal level, as a huge Mara fan (who can never again watch "Return of the Jedi" in the same manner!), I thoroughly enjoyed the new insights we got to see in Mara. For example, other peoples' opinion of her matters greatly to her (such as Han's impression when seeing her wearing Lando's shirt). Moreover, the fact that (and why) she has never been in a relationship before was shrewdly fabricated and written. Its amazing how much a person can change in ten years. And she "highly respected and cared" for Luke during all those years (a fact which is also emphasised in Stackpole's "I, Jedi"). Needless to say, Zahn executed this character development flawlessly (I still think she is his best creation; better even than Thrawn - and that's saying something!). While on the subject, I'm very troubled by the comments referring to Mara's death in the future. It is blatantly obvious (from the word "forever" among other things) that Zahn intends both Mara and Luke to have a long, happy and prosperous future together and I hope other authors will respect his wishes when writing subsequent novels. Incidentally, there have been very few comments made about the picture of Mara on the cover art of this novel. There are so many disparate images of her around these days; however this is the one I like best and if this is how Zahn invisaged his enchantress turned Jedi Knight, then its good enough for me. Apologies for using the term "Mara" 9 times (now 10!) in this review. What can I say? I'm just a humble fan!
Rating:
Summary: One LOOOONG Star Wars book!
Review: It's really a bunch of novels all crammed into 520 pages. I wasn't too fond of all the side stories, but it was great to see them all get sewn together at the end. (the last 100 or so pages read itself, much like the first Zahn trilogy)
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Summary: Blasts Kevin J Anderson's books out of the sky
Review: Well, it's taken them many years, countless lightsaber duels, space battles, cranky Imperials,and a nasty brush with the dark side or two, but Luke finally got the girl. About time, too. Since when does saving the Universe As We Know it from certain destruction mean you can't have a love life? But seriously, Mr Zahn has done a fantastic job with all our favorite characters along with adding some surprisingly good new ones, and the ones from his other set of novels, particularly fleshing out Admiral Pellaeon, who seems to have turned slightly manic-deprssive now that the Empire has had it. The trio of villains were also great -- Moff Disra, Major Tierce, and Flim. I would also like to thank him for giving Luke some kind of emotional reactions other than melancholy and dreariness. But I have never seen so many people from pevious plot lines packed into one book before. Between clones, Bothans, Booster Terrik's and his private Stardestroyer, Rogue Squadron, Corran Horn,and the usual Imperial dirty tricks, it gets pretty crazy until the end, where, as I said before, Luke finally gets a babe. Hopefully, they won't kill her of too soon. I'm rather fond of Mara Jade.
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