NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this definitive novel, readers will follow Thrawn’s rise to power—uncovering the events that created one of the most iconic villains in Star Wars history. One of the most cunning and ruthless warriors in the history of the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn is also one of the most captivating characters in the Star Wars universe, from his introduction in … universe, from his introduction in bestselling author Timothy Zahn’s classic Heir to the Empire through his continuing adventures in Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and beyond. But Thrawn’s origins and the story of his rise in the Imperial ranks have remained mysterious. Now, in Star Wars: Thrawn, Timothy Zahn chronicles the fateful events that launched the blue-skinned, red-eyed master of military strategy and lethal warfare into the highest realms of power—and infamy.
Praise for Thrawn
“The origin story of one of the greatest Star Wars villains . . . a book that fans have wanted for decades.”—The Verge
“A satisfying tale of political intrigue . . . Thrawn’s observations and tactical thinking are utterly captivating.”—New York Daily News
“Quite the page-turner.”—Flickering Myth
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Just fantastic. The pacing, writing and storyline are what we hope for as Star Wars fans. Great character development and action. This story is better than all of the new SW movies. To bad Timothy Z has not been tapped for doing some of the screenplays.
Thrawn is the origin story of one of the most intriguing anti-heroes I’ve ever read. This character is my favorite “bad guy” in the Star Wars universe, largely because he is so honorable and likable. One wonders what would have happened if he had managed to get himself rescued by the New Republic instead of the Empire…
The book delves into where Thrawn came from and how he rose through the Empire’s ranks, giving the reader a glimpse into how he reconciles what is clearly a finely tuned sense of honor and justice with being a part of a corrupt and evil tyrannical government. Despite having some tremendous action sequences — both the epic space battle kind as well as the personal hand-to-hand kind — its main attraction is the mind-bending genius on display throughout all of it. I highly recommend this book for readers new to Thrawn’s character, as well as to those who already know and love him!
Moriarty in space. I loved seeing into Thrawn’s mind. The twists and turns of his logic. A intriguing mystery set in the Star Wars universe. How could I pass that up?
I have always loved Thrawn and I am so glad that Timothy Zahn has brought this character’s back story in to light.
I loved the original books Timothy Zahn wrote about Thrawn, so I grabbed this one when it popped up on sale. Thrawn is such an awesome character. He reminds me of Sherlock Holmes–sidekick and all, but designing battle strategies rather than solving mysteries. Now I have to re-read the original three again.
I much prefer Zahn’s view of that universe to Disney’s recycling of old plots. I’m sure Luke would too–much more fun to be kept busy by an unlikely soulmate than to become a guilt-crushed hermit. And Zahn’s villains are three dimensional interesting people with varied backstories.
This was my first (but certainly not the last) foray into Star Wars novels. I loved seeing the Empire from the other side of the coin. The book’s character’s largely don’t see a need for revolution, don’t frame their worldview around that. After so much media with a lens of breaking the status quo, this was a refreshing twist.
Thrawn and Vanto have a remarkable camaraderie and the characters really bring out the shine in each other. Thrawn’s tactical genius is graced with his love for art and appreciation of human life, which is something the Empire sorely lacks. Their escapades and military maneuverings always had me glued to the page.
I greatly enjoy this book, and have read it over again several times. Thrawn is an amazing character, and the author wrote him well. I would recommend this book for all fans of the tv series “Star Wars Rebels”. I would also recommend another of Timothy Zahn’s books, “Outbound Flight”, which introduces Thrawn into the Star Wars world.
was disappointed with this book as thrawn is more human than the mysterious alien should be, no clever plot twists or hidden gems its just seems to never really take off, and with a character like thrawn thats a utter waste.
Great insight into one of the most intriguing characters in the Star Wars Universe.
My first Star Wars novel, which would literally change my life, was Dark Force Rising in 1992. I was twelve-years-old and it changed my view of how Star Wars and writing were supposed to work. It was darker (but not too dark), more serious (but not too serious), and had a focus on politics as well as military tactics (but without ending up like the Prequels of Honorverse’s later books). I loved them so much I read every single one of Timothy Zahn’s other Star Wars books and plan to read his original works sometime this year.
I will admit, though, some of Timothy Zahn’s novels haven’t blown me away the same way the Thrawn Trilogy has. Choices of One was fun and I liked the Outbound Flight Project plus its companion novel in Survivor’s Quest but they were just good rather than great. I loved the Hand of Thrawn duology but that had the benefit of being the grand finale to the “Bantam” Star Wars Expanded Universe. So, where does Thrawn stand? Especially since it is the first “canon” novel to star Grand Admiral Thrawn? Around the Hand of Thrawn duology and better than most but not up there with the Thrawn Trilogy.
The premise is basically, “The Adventures of Lieutenant Thrawn, Officer of the Empire.” It’s kind of a weird Horatio Hornblower collection of adventures which chronicle his ascension from naive every Chiss to the 4th or 5th most powerful man in the galaxy. It also expands on, more or less gives, a backstory to Governor Pryce from Star Wars: Rebels. The book doesn’t deal with any great threats to the Empire. There’s no superweapons, alien races, or possible origins to Snoke and the book feels a bit subdued to what I think of as typical Star Wars fair.
I was a bit annoyed with the opening few chapters because they’re more or less a retelling of a short story (“Mist Encounter”, SWAJ 7#) which Timothy Zahn wrote for Star Wars: Adventure Journal back in the day. Given it was published in 1995 in a periodical no longer commonly available and was a pretty good story, I don’t hold this against Timothy but it was re-rereading events I’d already read. The subtle changes also threw me, like the introduction of a new character not in the original story but playing a vital role in Thrawn’s life.
The book proceeds to follow Thrawn as he goes to the Imperial Academy with Eli Vanto on the Emperor’s orders, deals with several pirate groups, and then becomes involved in a massacre mentioned in Star Wars: Rebels that gets him promoted to Grand Admiral. I enjoyed these sections a great deal but they confused the heck out of me because I find it difficult to believe the Emperor would just put Thrawn in the general Imperial Navy. I would have assumed he’d have given him a Captainship or Admiralship to begin with as he’s such a valuable resource on the Unknown Regions. Also, I don’t believe the Emperor wouldn’t get every bit of information on them from Thrawn, including the location of the Chiss. He’s not a very accommodating man.
The book also continues Zahn’s portrayal of Thrawn as “The Good Imperial.” This Thrawn is, with one exception where he returns Wookiee slaves to their captors, a thoroughly decent man who just so happens to be working for a tyranny. There’s also a potential retcon to his motivations that he may not even be loyal to the Empire at all but just using it for his own purposes. I can’t say I approve of this as while I like “decent people in awful service”, I have to say I prefer Thrawn having a bit more edge and ruthlessness. Indeed, the book retcons his role in the Rebels massacre to being the fault of another.
I was actually more interested in the story of Arihnda Pryce, the Colonel Spalko-esque villain of the Rebels cartoon. It’s an interesting take to have her be a small town girl in the Big City who ends up becoming a ruthless Space Nazi but Zahn doesn’t pull any punches in her corruption. Indeed, I felt she was a bit too fast in her corruption. Hypocritical as it may be, I wish she’d been a little more redeemable by the end. Really, Arihnda’s story shows why so many Imperials would want to join the Empire. It serves as an alternative to the massive petty local corruption and can reward lavishly those who side with it over their home worlds.
In conclusion, this was a decent book all round and had a lot of Easter Eggs for the fans of the Rebels cartoon. I felt Thrawn was a bit too nice in the story and would have preferred to see him more willing to spill blood but enjoyed Pryce’s humanization. It’s probably my favorite canon book release after Lost Stars, Bloodline, and the Aftermath Trilogy.
Yes, yes, and yes. As a fan of the Star Wars universe, I’m sadly behind in the franchise’s other formats. Thanks, Tim for introducing me to the books with this amazing cover I couldn’t pass it up. If you like a little romance with your sci-fi this isn’t that kind of story. Despite that, I found the story very engaging and I can’t wait to read book two in the series.
Good star wars book
Book was interesting, loved seeing a bit of Thrawn’s past and learning how he came to power. However, it was a letdown for me. The original book in which he makes his debut appearance, The Heir to the Empire, is fantastic. I guess I just wanted it to be fantastic too. Timothy Zahn is such an amazing writer and so good at building characters, but this one fell short for me. I had a hard time getting through it.
Great background on the character and tie in to Rebels.
My first Star Wars related novel. Didn’t I would like it but the imagination and characters won me over.
In 1992, Timothy Zahn introduced us to the galaxy’s most dangerous blue-skinned villain. Now, he reintroduces us to Thrawn, but now Thrawn’s the main character. Starting with his discovery by the Empire and ending with his promotion to Grand Admiral (not a spoiler since we’ve all heard about Grand Admiral Thrawn), this book is a must-read regardless of your thoughts on the Disney Star Wars universe.
This book does a great job retelling the origin story of Thrawn and bringing it into the new Star Wars Canon
I am a fan of the Star Wars universe, which means I tend to rate any Star Wars books against an even higher standard than usual. This book did not disappoint – I was pleasantly surprised to finally get the back story to Thrawn and how he came to be serving the Empire. His motivations are particularly interesting and his characters intelligence superbly demonstrated. Star Wars fans will not be disappointed, and fans picking up this book as a stand alone will enjoy the story and plot.
Well-written with fully developed story and characters. Was very interested in what became of each character. Thrawn is brilliant! Star Wars at its’ best!
Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I am a Star Wars fan and I appreciated getting a glimpse of Thrawn. This is the first I’ve read of this character I’m looking forward to checking out more novels with him in it. His features remind me of Nightcrawler from X-men without the tail and obvious different hands and feet. A lot of the military strategy and reasoning I saved many of the quotes they are good nuggets of wisdom!