#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader team up against a threat to the Empire in this thrilling novel from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. “I have sensed a disturbance in the Force.” Ominous words under any circumstances, but all the more so when uttered by Emperor Palpatine. On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root—its … Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root—its existence little more than a glimmer, its consequences as yet unknowable. But it is troubling enough to the Imperial leader to warrant investigation by his most powerful agents: ruthless enforcer Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fierce rivals for the emperor’s favor, and outspoken adversaries on Imperial affairs—including the Death Star project—the formidable pair seem unlikely partners for such a crucial mission. But the Emperor knows it’s not the first time Vader and Thrawn have joined forces. And there’s more behind his royal command than either man suspects.
In what seems like a lifetime ago, General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic, and Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo, officer of the Chiss Ascendancy, crossed paths for the first time. One on a desperate personal quest, the other with motives unknown . . . and undisclosed. But facing a gauntlet of dangers on a far-flung world, they forged an uneasy alliance—neither remotely aware of what their futures held in store.
Now, thrust together once more, they find themselves bound again for the planet where they once fought side by side. There they will be doubly challenged—by a test of their allegiance to the Empire . . . and an enemy that threatens even their combined might.
Praise for Thrawn: Alliances
“It’s a science fiction beach read in the best way, brisk and amusing, with some cool additions to the Star Wars galaxy.”—Den of Geek
“Like all of Zahn’s novels set in a galaxy far, far away, it’s an essential read for anyone looking for an artistically done adventure.”—CNET
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The second book in Zahn’s new Thrawn series sees Grand Admiral Thrawn working together with Darth Vader at the behest of the Emperor. Sent out to the edge of the Empire to investigate a disturbance in the Force, Thrawn and Vader must overcome their own distrust as they uncover a new threat to the Empire. While this thread is played out, Zahn interweaves a Clone War era story featuring Anakin Skywalker as he meets Thrawn for the first time as Anakin must help Padme uncover a Separatist plot in the same part of space that the Grand Admiral and Vader now investigate.
As usual, Zahn weaves a great story with one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe. Thrawn, in both timelines, is his usual calculating and inscrutable self. Anakin/Vader are also portrayed well, being close to the Anakin from the Clone Wars animated series, and the Vader of Rogue One and later movies. The story is also well done, with elements of the past and present coming together into a seamless history by the end of the book. We get a peak at Anakin and Thrawn during the Clone Wars, and how those events continue to shape the current events. We also learn some more secrets about the Grand Admiral and the enigmatic Chiss.
I did feel that Padme was not as strong a character as she could have been. There were flashes of her from the Clone Wars animated series – bold, determined, and strong, but at other times she felt like the damsel in distress, and that just didn’t seem to fit with how I picture Padme. Zahn also steps into Anakin/Vader’s head during the battles, showing us a bit of how the Force works – at least from Anakin’s perspective, and I found these scenes to be…lacking. I didn’t like the terminology that Zahn used for Anakin’s Force sense in battle.
I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Marc Thompson. Marc does a decent job of narration, and does a good job of giving life to Thrawn. But I didn’t like his voice characterizations of the stormtroopers. I don’t know why he chose the ones he did, but there were a couple of voices that he used that just threw me out of the narrative. Otherwise, there were no problems with the audio production.
I recommend for any Star Wars fan, and certainly for any fan of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Zahn continues to develop and expand this wonderful character, filling in bits and pieces about him, but continuing to tease us with more questions. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Excellent!!!!!!
The audio for this book was a well-rounded listening experience.
I enjoyed this book, but it drags in the sections with Anakin and Padme, or maybe I’m just having bad flashbacks of the prequel movies. either way I enjoyed the sections where the focus was on Thrawn and Vader and found their contrasting styles of leadership to be fascinating to observe. It’s a good book, but could be better. Regardless you’ll still likely want to read it if you enjoyed the other Thrawn books.
So this one is good. Thrawn + Vader is a winning equation.
I liked the first and third in this series better. Which tells you how excellent THRAWN and THRAWN: TREASON are.
Great relationship between Thrawn and Vader. The backstory of Padme and Anakin added depth.
Any time I see “Star Wars” and Timothy Zahn on the cover, it is a must-read. The first author in the expanded Star Wars Universe (now defunct) returns with a tale, two tales actually, from one of Star Wars’ biggest icons in Darth Vader and his creation in Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thankfully the powers-that-be at Lucasfilm resurrected the most intriguing character from the now-defunct Expanded Universe in Thrawn.
The novel weaves two storylines: one from the Clone Wars era, and the other post-Revenge of the Sith. Anakin Skywalker comes across a younger Thrawn in a search for the missing Padme. Emperor Palpatine pairs his new right-hand man, Vader, with Thrawn to investigate a disturbance in the Force he sensed out in the Unknown Regions–where Thrawn is from.
Zahn moves the narrative back and forth between the mysteries quite well. I won’t go into much detail about either (the book jacket can tell you that), but Zahn again proves his ability to spin an intriguing story full of depth. I felt that the back-and-forth between Thrawn and Vader/Anakin was true to each strengths and weaknesses. While it’s obvious that Thrawn is the more intelligent of the two, Zahn made it apparent in the dynamic that he still needed to rely on Thrawn/Anakin’s gifts to succeed.
While a little light on action, Zahn brings a new depth to the main characters that will hopefully be built upon in future Star Wars novels.