Rating: 
Summary: Specter of the Past Should Be Left in the Grave...
Review: Spectre of the Past is a mixed-bag of succulent treats gone horribly stale. How can you tell, upon reading this story, that it's not as good as it could be? Throughout the entirety of this book, you'll encounter a number of instances when the characters themselves, acknowledge that they are imitating a situation which they recall having transpired during Zahn's first (and possibly the best) trilogy of Star Wars fiction. In other words, the same tactics are employed in this book which originally appeared in the Heir to the Empire Trilogy, but are executed by different characters
Swiping from your own stories Mr. Zahn?
Tsk. Tsk.
Why did I give this a 5 instead of a 3?
I simply adore the fact that one of the new villains is a shifty feller who was once a member of the Emperor's Royal Guard. Somebody ought to write a series of books focusing on these elite members of the Imperial Forces. Also, I AM utterly grateful that Zahn never pulls out the old schtick of debuting yet another Imperial Superweapon (*yaaawn*) Plus, it's great to have Luke pursue Mara Jade around the galaxy instead of that boring Callista.
Try it and see for yourself Star Wars fans!
Rating: 
Summary: New depth to main characters.
Review: Zahn gives readers a new insight into the struggles of Luke Skywalker and his increasing powers along with the new depth that is shown in Mara Jade. This is probable the first book in which any Star Wars fan wishes the success of an officer of the empire. Zahn continues his great tradition of never allowing the reader to understand and guess for themselves every aspect of what will happen next in the novel or in the sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent follow up to his first Star Wars success
Review: This fisrt book in Zahn's new trilogy is a wonderful and exciting work of art. He brings back the old favorites of the Star Wars saga, at the same time bringing intriguing new characters that have just as much details as the old ones. He also throwns in new challenges for our cherished characters to handle. A good point of this is that he doesn't put his characters in a situation that you can guess how they suceed (i.e. Blow up a Death Star, Kill so and so, etc.) I do disagree with the Reader from Haiwaii. The whole book is there, it's supposed to feel like it is only a third completed, that is why it's called a trilogy. If you'll look carefully, the books are the same size as before.
Rating: 
Summary: Too little for too much
Review: I got the distinct feeling that this was half or even a third of a book, having much less content then a single book from Zahn's Star Wars trilogy. Theme after theme was introduced and then dropped, with none of the richness of his previous work. It felt tremendously unfinished and unsatisfying. I can't think of any reason to publish a book this way other then pure greed. Even when the second book is published, if it continues in this mold, I doubt if the two books together will equal one of the original Zahn Star Wars books.
Rating:
Summary: A good Star Wars story but less than half a book
Review: Could be a good book. But nothing is resolved. Everything is left hanging. The 2 book series will probably make one good book. It is a rip-off to have to buy 2 books to read one story. I don't remember this to be Zahn's style.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, not Zahn's best.
Review: I thought this book was great, though not quite up to Zahn's usual. Though not exactly action-filled, it was a relieving change from those cheap-plotted "galaxy-destroying superweapons" novels that seem to be infecting the Star Wars Universe lately. This also reinstilled my hope in the potential Luke/Mara relationship(despite the name I'm using in this review), there were a lot of hints dropped there to just be nothing. "You getting off me Skywalker, or are you just getting comfortable?" Mmmm, hmm....too interesting to be nothing. After reading Jedi Academy and the other novels and seeing how Mara's character was portrayed, this was a relief! The book was very well written, but not that exciting, the storyline was still good and the characters were great, though it didn't seem right having them remember things that happened ten years ago as if they had just happened a few hours ago. I also don't think I would like the idea that Thrawn could still be! alive, too many things contradict it and to bring him back would leave a lot of inconsistencies and seem very cheesy. I believe this is a great lead-in for the last book in this timeline, one of the best books written since the Thrawn trilogy! Though I probably wouldn't pay the price in hardback for it(paperback maybe), I would still recommend it to any good Star Wars fan.
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: Zahn is still the king!!!
Review: If you think the Thrawn Trilogy was the best thing ever written in the expanded Star Wars Universe and if you think Andersen's Jedi Academy is the worst then you'll greatly appreciate the addition of the Hand Of Thrawn series. Zahn truelly makes the universe worth expanding again.
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: Tim does it again!
Review: I admit right up front I am a firm believer that Timothy Zahn is THE Best Star Wars author out there -- bar none. Simply put, he has NO equal -- PERIOD. At least not that I have read. Anyway, after reading Zahn's original trilogy (which are the standard by which ALL Star Wars novels ought to be judged, by the way), I rekindled my interest and love in that Galaxy Far, Far Away and anxiously started to read as many other novels that came after as I could find -- only to be disappointed each and every time (with 2 or 3 possible exceptions...). Suddenly I see 'Specter of the Past' with Zahn's name on it, and my interest goes back UP again. The challenge facing him this time around wasn't so much to write a story of his choosing, but now he must incorporate into his novels events that have happened following his Trilogy by authors who have all but ruined the Star Wars name. In this effort, Zahn proves he us up to the task yet again. Many feel deprived that he chose not to explore several avenues established by other authors (such as what is going on at the Jedi Academy) but I for one am glad that he ignored these and instead developed an original story that built upon his original 3 novels and continued to expand his characterization of some of the greatest Star Wars creations to date, namely Mara Jade, Talon Karrde and Captain Pellaeon. I was one of the many who was genuinely upset when Thrawn bit the dust in Zahn's 'The Last Command'. He was in every way a better bad guy than the Emperor or Vader combined. Sure, they were more evil, but Thrawn was a far superior military strategist. Where Vader & the Emperor ruled through fear, Thrawn ruled through brilliance and gained the respect and allegiance of his army by treating them fair and providing them with results, sometimes against impossible odds. So, when Zahn hints of Thrawns return in 'Specter' I was absolutely thrilled. But is it in fact the REAL Thrawn, or a clever impersonator? In many of the previous and following SW novels, the conflicts have been larger than life and having the tiny remnants of the Empire developing Super Weapon after Super Weapon is lame and totally boring. With Zahn's careful writing, Star Wars begins to delve into what I feel to be a much more realistic setting for this series: internal conflict within the New Republic, and continuing threats from those within the Empire who wish to derail the upcoming possible treaty with the New Republic. I think that because the plot is more character driven it becomes instantly more interesting and overall more entertaining. While not as overall satisfying as his original Thrawn Trilogy, I give VERY high marks to Zahn for being able to thread together this story, and meshing it with the plot-lines established by other authors in this series. If you count yourself a fan of the Star Wars Universe, it ought to be required reading to pick up anything written by Timothy Zahn, but you should decide for yourself. In my personal opinion, he is the best author in the Star Wars Universe.
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