Name: Dark force rising
ISBN: 9780553560718

Timothy Zahn

The dying Empire's most cunning and ruthless warlord--Grand Admiral Thrawn--has taken command of the remnants of the Imperial fleet and launched a massive campaign aimed at the New Republic's destruction. With the aid of unimaginable weapons long hidden away by the Emperor on a backwater planet, Thrawn plans to turn the tide of battle, overwhelm the New Republic, and impose his iron rule throughout the galaxy. Meanwhile, Han and Lando Calrissian race against time to find proof of treason inside the highest Republican Council--only to discover instead a ghostly fleet of warships that could bring doom to their friends and victory to their enemies. Yet most dangerous of all is a new Dark Jedi, risen from the ashes of a shrouded past, consumed by bitterness... and scheming to corrupt Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side.

Dark force rising

Theodor Zahn

Five years after they defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting children, and Luke is a Jedi knight, and all are unaware that the last of the Emperor's warlords plan to reclaim the empire. Reprint.

Heir to the Empire

Max Riley

The adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo continue where the movies left off as the last of the Emperor's warlords discovers secrets that could destroy the New Republic

This is my first foray into Star Wars content produced 

 the release of the prequels, and it's fascinating. The worldbuilding especially is such a treat--I loved seeing how Zahn reconciled many of the (at the time) strange and unexplained aspects of the original trilogy. It creates a sort of disconnect from post-prequel Star Wars that is so so so fun, especially considering how the story 

 even after the prequels came out. (Until the Disney EU wipe, of course.)

Zahn in general is so fun as an author. He seems to love action, and his writing thrives whenever he has to narrate, say, the minutiae of space battles. He's excellent really any time he can describe 3D movement, whether that be for X-Wings in dogfights or when Luke does a cool flip with his lightsaber.

It's also obvious that Zahn loves the characters he's writing. Luke, Han, Leia, and Lando all feel just so good to read, like he's simply transplanted them from the movies. Their voices are clear and their choices just feel right for them. 

Of course, the character Zahn loves the most is actually his original creation--Admiral Thrawn. Zahn adores this blue man and his glowing red eyes. So much.  He just thinks he's so smart and so cool and so scary and the best villain ever. Very genuinely, the sincere obsession this narrative has with showing off how very 

 Thrawn is really contributes a lot to all the charm and fun of this story.

Now, there are some times where the narrative or characters are a bit lacking in substance. This mostly comes down to a few too many major events feeling a might contrived. Some pivotal moments happen as they do purely by chance--just a little Deus Ex Machina to move the plot along. It's Star Wars, so of course you could argue that a little Deus is accurate to the lore--"the Force wills it" and all that. But even with this lingering in the back of my mind, I still occassionally felt drawn out of the narrative by the sheer serendipity of it all.

But, like I already said, it's Star Wars. None of this really diminished the joy I felt while reading this book, because, at the end of the day, I come to Star Wars not to experience high art, but to have fun. And I did have fun! :)

Acadia

This is my first foray into Star Wars content produced before the release of the prequels, and it's fascinating. The worldbuilding especially is such a treat--I loved seeing how Zahn reconciled many of the (at the time) strange and unexplained aspects of the original trilogy. It creates a sort of disconnect from post-prequel Star Wars that is so so so fun, especially considering how the story remained canon even after the prequels came out. (Until the Disney EU wipe, of course.)

Zahn in general is so fun as an author. He seems to love action, and his writing thrives whenever he has to narrate, say, the minutiae of space battles. He's excellent really any time he can describe 3D movement, whether that be for X-Wings in dogfights or when Luke does a cool flip with his lightsaber.

It's also obvious that Zahn loves the characters he's writing. Luke, Han, Leia, and Lando all feel just so good to read, like he's simply transplanted them from the movies. Their voices are clear and their choices just feel right for them. 

Of course, the character Zahn loves the most is actually his original creation--Admiral Thrawn. Zahn adores this blue man and his glowing red eyes. So much.  He just thinks he's so smart and so cool and so scary and the best villain ever. Very genuinely, the sincere obsession this narrative has with showing off how very cool Thrawn is really contributes a lot to all the charm and fun of this story.

Now, there are some times where the narrative or characters are a bit lacking in substance. This mostly comes down to a few too many major events feeling a might contrived. Some pivotal moments happen as they do purely by chance--just a little Deus Ex Machina to move the plot along. It's Star Wars, so of course you could argue that a little Deus is accurate to the lore--"the Force wills it" and all that. But even with this lingering in the back of my mind, I still occassionally felt drawn out of the narrative by the sheer serendipity of it all.

But, like I already said, it's Star Wars. None of this really diminished the joy I felt while reading this book, because, at the end of the day, I come to Star Wars not to experience high art, but to have fun. And I did have fun! :)

Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian work together on a potentially lucrative heist in the hopes of paying off Jabba the Hutt's bounty on Han's head.

Scoundrels

Star Wars

Luke Harkness

Wonderfully written for Star Wars fans

This book is brilliantly well written and offers up lots of Star Wars lore. There are a LOT of strategical moments and it is written for those that love to think whilst they read. Would recommend being ready to concentrate!

Victoria 

altlovesbooks

A fun book, rife with zingy lines I would expect to hear from my favorite characters. This was my first Star Wars book and it seems like a good place for someone curious about the novels to start. It contains enough familiar characters, places, events, etc. to not feel overwhelming and like I needed to study beforehand, but was different enough to really hold my interest.

Todd Luallen

Wow! I see now why all the Star Wars fans love Timothy Zahn. The new villains and characters are fantastic. It's a shame that these stories are no longer considered canon, but I guess something drastic was needed to further the Star Wars story in film. Thrawn is brilliant. 

I read this with my daughter and she says she'd give it 4 stars as well. All in all, a great story about Luke, Leia, and Han.

The combination of Timothy Zahn and Marc Thompson make for an incredible adventure. And I'm looking forward to more Thrawn in the future.

In the first half of a two-volume story, the New Republic's efforts to forge peace with the Empire is thwarted by a cabal of warlords led by the notorious, and reputedly dead, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Reprint.

Specter of the Past

Zahn is really good, but this wasn't one of his best. A few good action sequences, plenty of politics, and a little intrigue. And NOTHING is concluded at the end of the book - it definitely feels like you're halfway through the story when the book concludes.

Robin M Cabana

Star Wars: Scoundrels is one of my new favorite audiobooks. I've never read or listened to any Expanded Universe stories before, even though I'm a big Star Wars fan, so this was a new adventure for me. And I'm really glad I decided to check this out when I was looking for something light and fun to listen to.

The story is not even very original, but it's still pretty cool. It's a heist story starring Han Solo, Chewbacca and Lando. They've assembled a team to pull off a big con job. It's sort of like Ocean's 11 in a galaxy far, far away. It's set between Episodes IV & V, so there are references to Luke, Leia and some of the other characters. The story still has a lot of action and a few twists that really kept me intrigued.

I also really enjoyed Marc Thompson's performance and all the sound effects. It really brought me into the Star Wars universe.

Luke Skywalker is learning about the Force while Han Solo struggles with the decision to join the Rebel Alliance, Leia helps run the rebellion while dealing with her feelings for Han, and Mara Jade is doing the Emperor's dirty work.

Allegiance

After reading several other Star Wars books by Timothy Zahn, this one was just not as exciting. It was interesting how Zahn explores the theme of allegiance for three different groups, Han and the rebels, a group of awol Storm Troopers and Mara Jade. But there was something about the way the threads intersected that seemed a little forced to me. (Leia going off on her own? I've got a bad feeling abou that!) This story is set between A New Hope and Empire, so it was kind of cool to see Mara go up against Vader, but I also think the Hand was not as ruthless as she was painted in the Thrawn trilogy. 

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and it was another great performance by Mark Thompson!

I am really enjoying these Star Wars audiobooks. Marc Thompson is a great narrator and his range of voices for so many classica characters is just spot on. (Maybe not Leia!) After listening to Timothy Zahn's Scoundrels, I was temped into the Sarlaac pit to check out some more of his books, and this first book in the Thrawn Trilogy did not disappoint. It picks up 5 years after Return of the Jedi and reunites Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, Chewy and the droids. They're up against the mysterious Grand Admiral Thrawn, who is just super creepy and I really hope we find out what's his damage in the next books. This book has really made my hour-long commute a lot of fun.

Nat Welch

I found this book strange. The characters were likable, but they constantly felt shallow. It was well written, and it made me miss the old star wars books, but in general, I don't have any interest in continuing to read about Thrawn.

Scott Vandehey

A long time ago (the 90s), Timothy Zahn wrote a trilogy of books that were intended to be the closest we ever got to Star Wars episodes 7-9. They’ve since been relegated to non-canonical “Legends” status, but they introduced many new characters and concepts to the Star Wars universe, including the idea that Leia and Han had Force-sensitive children who attended a Jedi academy run by Luke.

Most notably, the books introduced a new villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was restored to canon status when he appeared in the animated series Rebels. I was thrilled when Zahn returned to write a novel explaining Thrawn’s backstory in the new Star Wars canon.

This book is everything I ever wanted. It explains how blue-skinned Thrawn came to power in the notably xenophobic Empire. It explains why he would want to do so, and the struggles he overcame by outwitting everyone who stood in his way.

Hanna

Nostalgin är total.
Det kan inte ha varit lätt att ta en så älskad bunt karaktärer och skriva något tillräckligt nytt men samtidigt tillräckligt likt Star Wars-filmerna, men Zahn gör det med bravur.
Första tjugo sidorna räcker för att jag ska känna mig helt övertygad om att det här verkligen är Luke, Leia, Han och Threepio, så som jag minns dem men några år äldre. Visst finns det problem här och var, men de överskuggas för mig av det rafflande äventyret och igenkänningen. Grand Admiral Thrawn är dessutom en helt igenom värdig efterträdare till Lord Vader. Det här vill jag ha mer av.

mara jade could slash me in the half with her lightsaber and i’d thank her

Celia Adams

Loved this book! Especially the introduction of Mara Jade. I really enjoyed the plot as far as Joruus C'Baoth as a new DarkJedi and the character of Thrawn, who I thought was perfect for a Star Wars villain.

Anna Pinto

** spoiler alert **
           Timothy Zahn is one of the only authors in this world that I would let get away with anything. That said, Star Wars + heist + Han Solo, a rolling ball and a whip in the same paragraph? Delightful!

Les Reynolds

Always enjoy Timothy Zahn, and Star Wars novels are a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately, I didn't find this quite as engrossing as his Thrawn series. Still a fun read though.

When Grand Admiral Thrawn takes command of what is left of the Imperial fleet and launches a massive campaign against the New Republic, Han and Lando Calrissian race to find proof of treason inside the highest Republic Council. Reprint.

Dark Force Rising

Michael Camilleri

I found this a lot more of a slog than Heir to the Empire. I don't know if that's more about me than the book. One thing I would say is that the story never seems to have much of a rhythm. Stuff just happens and keeps happening until it's the end and then you're supposed to move on to the conclusion of the trilogy where stuff will happen until it stops.