Timothy Zahn

In this definitive novel, readers will follow Thrawnâe(tm)s rise to powerâe"uncovering the events that created one of the most iconic villains in Star Wars history.

Thrawn

Christine

anya

And if Thalias really was expecting her to go ...

"Okay, she said. "Can you—? Never mind."

"I just wondered if you could get me some more colored graph markers, that's all, Che’ri said, feeling her face warming with em-barrassment. Of all the stupid things to ask for-

"As a matter of fact," Thrawn said, "there are two new boxes already aboard. And four binders of art sheets to draw on."

"Unidentified ship, this is General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic." the pilot said over the scout ship's speaker, the Meese Caulf words a little mangled but mostly correct. "You are intruding on Republic equipment and interfering with a Republic mission. I order you to pull back and identify yourself."

"Excellent," Thrawn said. "Perhaps you will begin by telling me the true story of your quest."

"I thought you already knew. You know about Padme’s ship?”

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover Thrawn’s origins within the Chiss Ascendancy in the first book in an epic new Star Wars trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. Beyond the edge of the galaxy lies the Unknown Regions: chaotic, uncharted, and near impassable, with hidden secrets and dangers in equal measure. And nestled within its swirling chaos is the Ascendancy, home to the enigmatic Chiss and the Nine Ruling Families that lead them. The peace of the Ascendancy, a beacon of calm and stability, is shattered after a daring attack on the Chiss capital that leaves no trace of the enemy. Baffled, the Ascendancy dispatches one of its brightest young military officers to root out the unseen assailants. A recruit born of no title, but adopted into the powerful family of the Mitth and given the name Thrawn. With the might of the Expansionary Fleet at his back, and the aid of his comrade Admiral Ar’alani, answers begin to fall into place. But as Thrawn’s first command probes deeper into the vast stretch of space his people call the Chaos, he realizes that the mission he has been given is not what it seems. And the threat to the Ascendancy is only just beginning.

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising)

I read the first half of this book as a visual format and in the latter half, I read it as an audiobook. I thought that the audiobook production and narration was really well-done, and I was really immersed by the story even more. I enjoyed this book. 

Mirror

Zahn simply made second great book series about Thrawn. It's simple joyful and a bit tragic in the end.

third secret thing

Ashley

Thrawn is easily becoming one of my favorite Star Wars characters. I love exploring his thought process and seeing him take an apprentice in Eli. I can’t wait to read more!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I’m honestly surprised how much I enjoyed it. It’s my favorite Thrawn book yet. I finished it in a 2 day binge. 

•••

I love seeing how Thrawn develops relationships with others. Knowing him initially as an antagonist from the Rebels show made me feel like it was difficult for him to form close bonds with others. I read his original canon trilogy prior to this, and got to see him open up a bit more with people like Eli and Ar’alani. But this book really showed how kind and caring Thrawn can be. It’s very interesting to read a story with him centered as the protagonist and not an antagonist. 

Another aspect I truly enjoyed was seeing the politics of the Chiss play out. The lying, deceit, and backstabbing seems like it will be endless throughout this trilogy. I found myself VERY much on Thrawn’s side of all the scheming happening behind his back. 

It was great to form attachments to other Chiss too! I already liked Ar’alani from the previous books, but this brought her into a whole new light. I absolutely love her and the depth and loyalty of her character. Thalais and Che’ri are also adorable characters that I became quickly attached too. 

We are left with quite the cliffhanger and I cannot wait to dive into the next book!! 

This is a must read and I most definitely own 3 copies of this book because I can’t get enough. 🙈

Ryan LaFerney

Thrawn (#1) 2 1/2 (rounded up to three here - it was ok and yes, I like elements of it) stars

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire, all-though now considered non-canon (Legends), for many fans, is a stone cold classic. It introduced perhaps one of the most interesting villains in all of the Star Wars universe: Thrawn. And while, Zahn’s original trilogy might not have aged well, it holds a dear place in my heart as it was one of the first EU books I read. Now, branded as Legends, it has been reduced to what I consider an entertaining “what-if” scenario. 

Hands-down Thrawn is one of the best villains to come out of the Star Wars universe. He’s a military Sherlock. A mastermind of military and combat prowess who excels at defeating his enemies without the use of the Force. He gives Tarkin a run for his money. A few years back Disney wisely reintroduced Thrawn in Rebels and Timothy Zahn was hired to reprise his role as author to a new novel about him. Thrawn #1 is the result. 

The novel starts off strong. Like many origin tales, Thrawn begins with our Chiss protagonist alone and exiled on a planet at the edge of known space.. A good chunk of the novel is also told through the eyes of Eli Vanto, a lowly Imperial cadet who is taken along on an investigation of this jungle world because of his knowledge of these backwater systems. When the crew encounters Thrawn, they are immediately impressed by his survival skills and knowledge of military strategy, traits that are said to be valued by the Chiss Ascendancy. Obviously, these skills are also highly sought-after in the Empire, leading the Imperials to bring Thrawn to Coruscant so that Emperor Palpatine can decide his fate. Despite being an alien, Thrawn manages to impress the Emperor with his eloquence and persuasiveness, and immediately gets assigned to a military academy to hone his skills and knowledge of the Imperial Navy. Eli Vanto is sent along with him, in order to be translator and guide to all things related to the Empire’s culture and society.

Meanwhile, on a mining planet called Lothal, we get another origin story for another Rebels character: Arihnda Pryce, a young company heiress,who is planning to take revenge on the Empire by infiltrating the very system she despises. It’s an alright storyline but honestly, I could care less about Pryce. She distracts from the engaging aspects of the novel which not surprisingly centers on Thrawn( as this a very character-focused novel). When Pryce is introduced, and our attention is off of Thrawn, the novel loses its momentum and becomes a bit pedestrian. If your a fan of Rebels, you’ll like it. If not, you’ll be a bit bored.

What I enjoyed about this novel is how it detailed just how Thrawn became so successful even in the face of the Empire’s xenophobia. And I enjoyed how Zahn managed to put us into Thrawn’s head. For the most part, this book is fairly dry - Zahn is a rather stark and to the point writer. But he excels when he gives us glimpses into Thrawn’s masterful mind and military action. When we are with Vanto and Pryce, the story falters a bit, simply because Zahn isn’t the most engaging writer and because Thrawn is such an incredible character in comparison to everyone else.
Thrawn isn’t among the best novels I’ve read from the new canon, that would go to anything published by Claudia Gray. However, Thrawn is such a fascinating character that I’m willing to dismiss some of the narrative and technical flaws of this book.

Audiobook Comments: Marc Thompson, the narrator, is great at male voices, and his voice for Thrawn and Palpatine was AMAZING but I really did not care for how he handled some of the female voices. Men attempting female voices just really doesn’t work.
 
Verdict: Worth reading if you’re a fan of Star Wars Rebels or the EU (Legends) stories or military sci-fi. This wasn't a bad entry in the Star Wars canon but it wasn't mind blowing either. It was just ok. It was entertaining enough but also a bit of a slog in places.

Elizabeth Jones

Todd Luallen

I'm a huge fan of Thrawn and I'm glad that he's still included in the SW canon. And the audio book read by Marc Thompson is tremendously well done...with one exception -- one of the alien character voice treatments is so annoying (distortion and high pitched) that it is almost unbearable to listen to. Fortunately it's only one interaction in the book and is probably less that 2 minutes of total talk time. But Kevin Thompson (producer) should have known better imo.

It was a bit disorienting going back and forth between things that happened in the past and things that were happening in the present, but this is my fault for not listening carefully to the titles of the chapters (which read "memories" for things in the past, and read "chapter X" for present). There are a decent number of alien names to remember, which means you have to work a bit more to follow the story. And a bit too much political narrative for my taste. For these reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. I always enjoy Timothy Zahn, and I love stories about Thrawn. His tactics are always a thrill to read. And Marc Thompson is an incredible reader - he always makes the Star Wars characters come alive.

Eva Bailey

This was excellent, so well written and Thrawn is one of the best characters in the star wars universe.

Myranda Barker

That was the most brutal thing that I have ever read. It was on a DNF list for the longest time. Then I decided that I wanted to simply plow through it just to saw that I finished. Truthfully, I have no idea what it was even about. I could list of a few of the characters, but that's about all. I do think the world-building was part of the issue. I feel as though 80% of the book was world-building. I had high hopes for it too. As a huge Star Wars fan, I had hoped that it would give a lot of helpful context about Thrawn, but I think I'm more confused now than before.

Overall, I'm glad that I read it, but I won't be continuing the series.

B. K.

2.5 stars. The original Thrawn trilogy books were childhood favorites of mine, so this is disappointing, but I was honestly pretty bored. Every Arihnda chapter felt like a chore. Thrawn is still a great character but the writing and story were underwhelming.

THE SUNDAY 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 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. After Thrawn is rescued from exile by Imperial soldiers, his deadly ingenuity and keen tactical abilities swiftly capture the attention of Emperor Palpatine. And just as quickly, Thrawn proves to be as indispensable to the Empire as he is ambitious; as devoted as its most loyal servant, Anakin Skywalker; and a brilliant warrior never to be underestimated. On missions to rout smugglers, snare spies, and defeat pirates, he triumphs time and again—even as his renegade methods infuriate superiors while inspiring ever greater admiration from the Empire. As one promotion follows another in his rapid ascension to greater power, he schools his trusted aide, ensign Eli Vanto, in the arts of combat, leadership, and the secrets of claiming victory. But even though Thrawn dominates the battlefield, he has much to learn in the arena of politics where ruthless administrator Arihnda Pryce holds the power to be a potent ally or a brutal enemy. All these lessons will be put to the ultimate test when Thrawn rises to admiral—and must pit all the knowledge, instincts, and battle forces at his command against an insurgent uprising that threatens not only innocent lives but also the Empire’s grip on the galaxy—and his own carefully laid plans for future ascendency.

Star Wars: Thrawn

Riley

I've been meaning to revisit this one; I thoroughly enjoy Thrawn, but particularly as balanced by Eli, so I can't find the motivation to read Ascendancy, Alliances, or Treason.

Sans

More a 4.5, but close enough that I'll give it that last full star. 

Oh man. Man oh man oh man. This was seriously good. Zahn is one of the best Star Wars writers out there and, while I'll be forever salty over Disney relegating 170+ Star Wars novels written before the merger to AU fanfic, I'm thrilled they brought Zahn on board and let us keep Thrawn in current canon. In fact, I think I might love Thrawn more than Obi-Wan at this point and anyone who knows how much I love my ginger sass master knows that's huge.

Still, this wasn't perfect: there were parts that weren't terribly clear to me, parts that dragged a bit, parts that I feel could and should have been explored further, some loose ends that could have been tied up better, others that maybe should have been left untied for now. Characters that I despise so much that they're on par with Palpatine in the Very Evil, Please Get Rid Of Them Now category. 

But honestly? None of that brought my enjoyment down. And, for once, the audiobook was pretty damn awesome. Cheers to Marc Thompson and his seemingly endless grab bag of voices. It would have been nice if his female characters didn't all sound like impatient and frigid harpies or Gen X valley girls, but we can't have everything, right?

Sadly, book 2 will have to wait a bit because my library hold for Catalyst just came through.

EDIT: ok, yes, I have technically read this three (now four) times but that is because I've been listening to the audiobook during commutes and on planes. But also because I just really love it.

Less about Thrawn himself and more about the Chiss in general and the Unknown Regions/Chaos, but still a really good read.

Thrawn and his allies race to save the Chiss Ascendancy from an unseen enemy in the second book in the epic Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. Thrawn’s latest triumph still rests newly on his shoulders. He has led the Chiss to victory and brought glory to the House of Mitth, but the true threat to the Ascendancy has not yet been extinguished. Their foes do not send threats or ultimatums, do not mass ships on the edge of the Chaos. Their weapons come cloaked in smiles and generosity: Gifts offered freely. Services granted unconditionally. Across the Ascendancy, seemingly inconsequential events could herald the doom of the Chiss. As Thrawn and the Expansionary Defense Fleet rally to uncover the plot, they discover a chilling truth: Rather than invade Chiss capitals or pillage resources, their enemy strikes at the very foundation of the Ascendancy, seeking to widen the rifts between the Nine Ruling Families and the Forty Great Houses below. As rivalry and suspicion sow discord among allies, each warrior must decide what matters most to them: the security of their family or the survival of the Ascendancy itself.

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book II: Greater Good)

Jane Krauss

After reading all the other canon Thrawn novels, I feel like I can finally understand this book. After reading Chaos Rising, which I didn't enjoy, I was worried I wouldn't get into this one either. I was wrong and happy to be wrong about it. This was so much better than the first book!

I liked to see the discourse about the nature of the Force. In all other novels, it is written off as an archaic religion or simply a prominent part of the galaxy. However, to the Chiss, it is a vital resource. They don't understand the mysteriousness of it, and due to the culture, they may never see it that way. 

I loved the secondary story, so gripping. I wanted to know what was happening with them, and it pulled me into the account is a great way.

The first book in a new trilogy set before Thrawn traveled to the Empire and became a Grand Admiral. Journey to the Unknown Regions and learn more about Thrawn's origins and his home: The Chiss Ascendancy.

I haven't read any of the other Thrawn books, so this was the best introduction of the character for me. It was great to learn of life in The Chaos/ Unknown Regions. The different political factions are written well, as is the conflict between them. As I am currently studying art history, I loved the inclusion of art analysis into character development and plot. 
As my first introduction of Thrawn was in Rebels, I found this characterisation of him to be very different. In fact, in this book, he seems completely different, being kind, fatherly instead of ruthless. Yet again he was still very much a maverick. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I felt like I learnt a lot more about the galaxy far far away.

I was worried I wouldn't like this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting to learn much about Arihnda Pryce, so I was again pleasantly surprised to get her back story and understand her character development that Star Wars Rebels' views don't get. I felt that Pryce's development could have been fleshing out a little more; perhaps a short story of her own would be good. But I'm glad we got to see her entrance into Imperial Admin. 
I found it really interesting to have Thrawn putting special attention to his thoughts on what makes a warrior. In many ways, it reads like Sun Tzu's The Art of War, but also sounds like he's in an Imperial lecture theatre pacing back and forth on stage giving a TED talk.

Anna Pinto

If this were a book about any other character, I might've been bothered with the Mary Sueness of the main character... but this is Thrawn, and he can be as awesome as he wants. An enjoyable read, made even more enjoyable by the fact that I watched Rebels Season 3 at the same time.

Les Reynolds

I love Timothy Zahn's earlier Star Wars books, and this didn't disappoint either. Thrawn is a great character, very creative, innovative, and intelligent. Also, the addition of his aide was interesting, evoking the Sherlock/Watson dynamic. Great book for fans of Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy.

I’m a sucker for Thrawn (the Sherlock Holmes of the Star Wars universe), but this underwhelmed.