Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)

This is the first of the Star Wars Expanded Universe books I've read, and this one takes place after Return of the Jedi five years later. The book itself came out in the '90's and was the first book to continue the story from the movies- this was long before the prequels or the more recent reboot. And the Thrawn series, as these are generally referred to, seem to have a positive reputation in the Star Wars canon. I don't usually read a lot of movie tie- in fiction, so I had never read these, but after seeing the Force Awakens I was ready. 

I liked this a lot. It was better than I expected and it largely felt like an authentic Star Wars tale. The characterizations were solid, the dialogue felt right, and best of all the main players from the original trilogy were present. One of the things that irritated me the most about The Force Awakens was the absence of arguably the main character- Luke Skywalker- from the entire movie, appearing only at the very end. Now granted the new movies are set thirty years after the original trilogy, and Heir to the Empire is set a mere five years after, but regardless this felt like a much more realistic continuation of the saga. The Empire has largely been defeated but is still hanging on, the New Republic is struggling to maintain control over the galaxy, and our heroes are still involved very much in the continuing struggle. 

In addition to the usual characters this series is known for introducing two new ones- Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade. Thrawn is the mastermind behind the resurgent Imperial remnant, leading the Empire's remaining forces in raids and plotting a devious strategy to regain the initiative. Mara Jade meanwhile is a mystery at first- all we know is she is very capable and wants to kill Luke Skywalker. She was a covert asset for the Emperor before his demise, and blames Luke for her fall from grace. Jade goes on to play a significant role in the Expanded Universe books from what I gather, and she's a nice addition to the mythos from what I can see here. Thrawn on the other hand was a little too all- knowing and I never really cared much.

I like what the author did with the characters here. Luke in particular is portrayed as cool under pressure and competent, which makes sense seeing as how he's had five years to hone his abilities. Leia is done well and Han in particular was handled well. The droids play a pivotal role and even Lando shows up. It's a fine line between honoring the source and being slavishly devoted to it, and I think the author here did a fine job of threading that balance. He also shows us the heroes at the heart of the galactic commons- Coruscant- which is another thing I think was lacking in The Force Awakens.

In addition we get to revisit some old favorites- Dagobah for one- and there are lots of new planets, including the Wookiee homeworld Kashyykk. That was a nice element and serves to expand the feel of the Star Wars universe beyond the familiar planets. All in all this was a fun story, but mainly it was great to revisit these characters when they were still in their prime, still in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, and see them struggle with both a resurgent Empire and a struggling new Republic. 

9 comments:

  1. I have read some Universe ones, but can not remember which ones

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  2. I do watch the Star Wars movies, but have never actually read any of them. I would be afraid the action and suspense wouldn't translate the same way. It's great to see that you really enjoyed it. Hugs...RO

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  3. I got irritated about Luke showing up only at the very end too! UGH! I have never read a star wars book. I tried once and got discourage in the first 010 pages. I guess it did not have the stars wars "feeling". Glad to hear this one felt authentic and you enjoyed it.

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  4. I'm not a big fan of movie tie ins either but after watching Rogue One I've been considering reading these. There seems like there are so many other stories out there I'd like to read more of the universe.

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  5. Good review, Greg! I've heard really good things about these, too, and wondered if I should read them. It's too bad that DC has declared them non-canon, though...

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  6. Unpopular opinion time, I never really cared for the Thrawn trilogy, lol :D To be fair though, I read it long after it was first published so I might have been expecting too much. I'm glad you enjoyed it though, and great review! My feelings for the book aside, Thrawn is awesome, and this is a series I think every Star Wars fan should read at least once. Even if it it is Legends now, it's still such a classic.

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  7. This is my favorite of the old expanded universe books.Mara is one of my favorite characters and I'm bummed she doesn't exist in the new canon. I am glad that Thrawn was added into the canon now. Dude is diabolical!
    Deanna Reads Books

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  8. I've not read any of the Expanded Universe books either, but I think this review has me convinced to give them a try. The two new characters sound really great, and I like what you're saying about how the more familiar characters are written.

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  9. Thanks for sharing, I've not got around to reading my SW books, I quite liked the look of the Thrawn one.

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