Rating: 
Summary: Specter of the Past
Review: "Specter of the past" is set fourteen years after the battle of Endor. Timothy Zahn, the famous author of the Thrawn trilogy- Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and the Last Command, has again brought up Gilad Pallaeon- now the supreme commander of the Imperial fleet. It potrays the memories we have about the trilogy. In this book, Pellaeon will urge the Moffs to surrender and end the long civil war between the New Republic(once the rebellion) and the Empire.
Pellaeon knows that the Empire is at the brink of total collapse and is trying to salvage the remaining fleet and star systems. However, Moff Disra- a loyalist has contacted a con artist- Flim and with the help of Captain Tierce tries to stop Pellaeon from acheving that purpose.
Flim, now "Thrawn", is a rallying point for the Imperials and Zahn manages to bring back the battle tactis and genuiness of the dead Thrawn.
He also allow an issue that may cause the New Republic to crumble under a bloodbath of genocide and civil war. He pieces together these two and also allows Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker to team up again.
It is really a reunion of old events and memories and the new ones manages to fit into the whole picture smoothly like a Jig-Saw puzzle. Once completed,it is an excellent piece of work.
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: An excellent effort, though not quite as good as the first 3
Review: I personally think that Tim Zahn is the best writer of Star Wars fiction there is, and the only author even coming close is Michael Stackpole. (And it's no coincidence that they are good friends) Zahn takes his time with his writing, coming up with compelling storylines and intriguing characters to drive the story, rather than flash-and-dash action without much plot. The idea of Bothan involvement in a past atrocity, the reactions to it and its aftermath, show a deep grasp of human nature. Because Zahn is extremely accurate in his portrayal of what such a revelation of old wounds will do. While it is true that some aspects of the story are borrowed from his prior trilogy, one kind of has to expect that. Also, I liked the way Zahn includes characters and references to other author's novels in the SW series, few others do that well, in my opinion.
The simple greatest proof that this is an excellent book is that, like Zahn's prior efforts, this book kept me awake and reading until the end, just to find out what was going to happen. I was not intending to do that when I started, but found the story and writing so interesting that I could not put the book down. Not many of the novels in the SW series have grabbed me that way, and for that, this book is deserving of a high mark. It only misses a ten by virtue of the high standard Zahn set with his first three books.
Now, if only the 2nd half was available...
Rating:
Summary: The Adventure Begins Anew. . .
Review: After reading Timothy Zahn's first Star Wars trilogy, and finding that it was good, I, being an avid SW fan, set my sights on the dozens of other books written afterward. They. . . weren't so good. In fact, some of them were downright bad, either using a tired device over and over again (superweapon anyone?) or destroying the characters. I began to lose faith in the franchise as literature-worthy.Then Zahn wrote Specter of the Past, the first of The Hand of Thrawn Duology, and I believed again. While his Thrawn Trilogy is usually considered best, this is perhaps his most daring work. With his first trilogy, he had no canon material he had to follow, allowing him an essentially clean slate with which to work. However, after five years and over a dozen novels, there was a lot of histroy that he just couldn't ignore. However, once again, Zahn proved to be more than equal to the task, using characters and events from the earlier and inferior novels to further his story or expand his characters. And, being Zahn, it worked. The story of Specter of the Past is one of galactic conflict on a familiar Star Wars scale, but it also weaves threads intrigue and shadow plots into the play, giving the novel a fresh feel from the usual "The Imperials have a new superweapon!" arc, and it works well. One of the two main threads focuses on the supposed return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who we saw die in The Last Command, in all his strategic genius and glory. The second thread involves the framing of the Bothans for the destruction of a pacifist planet. While Leia tries desperately to hold the New Rupiblic together in the face of a catastrophic backlash, Han and Lando struggle to acertain if Thrawn really has returned. Meanwhile, on a covert mission, Luke and Mara run into an Imperial style ship manned by clones, which vanishes into deep space. As Mara gives chase, she discovers a strange planet with a mysterious link to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Luke, recieving a disturbing premonition of her possible death, races to join her. Behind it all is a brilliant mind and a daring con, backed by a ruthless and greedy warlord bent on galactic domination. However, where others have failed, they may very well succeed. All the characters that Zahn introduced us to are back, and better than ever. Captain Pelleon holds a nominal authoritative position in the Imperial Remnant, struggling to find a way to end the decades-long conflict that has toppled an empire, while also wondering at the possible return of his mentor. Talon Kardde, smuggler and business man, journeys to the edge of the galaxy to meet a man he betrayed to uncover the truth about the Bothans. And Mara Jade is, of course, just as we remember her; smart, sassy, strong, and a perfect foil for Luke. Damn, but they make a great team. While there's plenty of swashbuckling and space battling in Specter of the Past, the stage is only being set for something much MUCH bigger. Zahn is creating something grand in this volume, something which has ties not only with the SW books by other authors, but also brings back seemingly unimportant details from the Thrawn Trilogy as all too important. It really makes you admire his genius in storytelling and planning, and wonder whether he had planned follow-ups to the Thrawn Trilogy from the very beginning. Any way you slice it, The Hand of Thrawn Duology is a wonderful addition to the Star Wars franchise, and is a wonderful set-up for a grand finale.
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: 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.
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: 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: Zahn's Triumphant Return to a Galaxy Far, Far Away!
Review: Specter of the Past is the first in the Hand of Thrawn duology, Timothy Zahn's spectacular return to the Star Wars Universe after his incredible Thrawn Trilogy began the renewed expanded universe. In Specter of the Past, the events of the Corellian Trilogy have forced Princess Leia to take a leave of absence from her post of Chief of State, while Han and Luke along with Chewie are off on a mission of their own. Mara Jade, Lando Calrissian, Talon Karrde and ADmiral Pellaeon feature prominatently as do X-Wing pilots Wedge Antilles and Corran Horn. After countless defeats, the Imperial Navy is ready to call its quits with the New Republic. They send out emissaries to negotatiate a peace with the Republic, but one Imperial Moff with his military attache and a mysterious red-eyed being are determined to gain back the empire. Filled with suspenseful dogfights as well as superb character development, Specter of the Past ensures Zahn's place as teh patriarch of the Star Wars universe.
Rating:
Summary: No other author can rival Zahn when it comes to Star Wars
Review: This book is the most original, creative and all around best in the Star Wars series since Zahn's first trilogy. As a Star Wars fan I really can't praise Zahn enough. While his fellow star wars authors continue to bore us with more reconstructions of the death star and the many uninspiring missions of rogue squadron, Zahn is the only one taking Star Wars to new levels. The nature of the conflict in this latest book is much more deep, involving and original than anything else so far. Believe me, it is much more than just the "return" of Grand Admiral Thrawn. It explores the conflicts and animosity within the Republic itself, political intrigue and conspiracy, and power struggles within the empire as well. The many subplots and different worlds described in this book help to make the star wars universe more immersive and remind the reader just how big that universe is. Zahn is also the only author who has introduced new characters into the star wars universe that are actually interesting and original(Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, the Noghri and especially Thrawn). But despite all this, Specter is not for all star wars fans. The plot can only be appreciated by the mature reader and there is very little action throughout the entire book. But then again, all the juvenile fans are more likely to be playing the video games and buying the toys than to be reading books. Anyway, Zahn is the greatest and he continues to set the standard for star wars stories. BUT I still have a few gripes(nothing's perfect). First of all, I think that there were too many unnecessary characters that sometimes served as a distraction. Secondly, although Zahn did a great job of portraying the old characters of star wars he failed to take them in any new direction this time around. Third, there could've been more action(at least one lightsaber duel next time PLEEZ!!). And finally, I was disappointed to see that Luke didn't do much of anything this time. Despite all these minor flaws, those who've already read Zahn's first trilogy won't be able to find better star wars reading anywhere else. Hats off to you Mr. Zahn and I hope you continue writing Star Wars.
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