"A Jedi can't get so caught up in matters of galactic importance that it interferes with his concern for individual people"It's had a permanent space on my top books of all time, and there is a reason. Considered by most Star Wars fans to be the best Star Wars Expanded Universe novel and the birth of Expanded Universe itself, Heir to the Empire takes off about 5 years after Return of the Jedi.Han and Leia are married and expecting twins. Luke is a Jedi Knight. And the New Republic is in its beginning stages. But the Empire hasn't laid down to die yet. A new threat arises, in a hidden Grand Admiral, Thrawn. He has enlisted a mad Jedi Master clone, Joruus C'baoth, in his quest to destroy the Rebellion once and for all.I Liked:Where to begin?The Thrawn Trilogy (of which this is the first book) has been my favorite since I first read it way back when. But as you grow up, your tastes often change. I used to adore "I, Jedi" but when I reread it, there were some parts that I just couldn't enjoy as much as I did as a teen. So I wanted to reread Heir, to see if I still felt the same way, if the book was as good as I remembered, if it still deserved its first place slot in favorite books.The answer to all three unspoken questions is the same. Yes, yes, yes!Timothy Zahn is such an enjoyable author! I love the way he writes; in my opinion, it is perfect for a Star Wars setting. He is obviously knowledgeable about Star Wars (at this time, the only places he had to draw on were the Original movies, Splinter of the Mind's Eye and the Han Solo and Lando Adventure books) and it shows throughout. Some say he dwells a little too often on movie events, but I think it is great. The movies were such high points for the characters; no wonder they keep thinking of them as they go throughout this novel, as they experience similar (but not the same) events.Zahn has also managed to absolutely nail Han, Luke, and Leia, what I like to teasingly call the Trinity of Star Wars Expanded Universe. Han remains the devilish scoundrel, but with more responsibility and maturity, like he was in Return of the Jedi. Luke was done perfectly, an excellent Jedi, yet not so omniscient (like too many authors have done in more recent novels) that he can't be caught by a simple trick. Leia is still stubborn, smart, and deeply in love with Han. All in all, Zahn didn't fail me one bit. As I read each one's point of view, it was easy to think I was in a Star Wars movie!Zahn's original characters also shine. The devoted, non-power hungry Imperials, Paelleon and Thrawn, are well written. They aren't stupid Imperials out for a land grab for the sake of a land grab. They don't giggle their plots to everyone and his mother. They don't plot evil wicked plans behind closed walls while drinking purple tea (ten points for the one who guesses which villain that represents). They don't throw Star Destroyers pell-mell at the Republic with no plan. They plot. They scheme. They move logically and methodically. Therefore, since I happen to adore the Empire for some strange reason, I find they are probably the most competent Imperials in Star Wars Expanded Universe.As for Zahn's neutral characters, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, I was equally impressed. Mara Jade doesn't come off as a Leia clone nor does she strike me as a damsel in distress. She obviously is cold and calculating, but is far from perfect. Yeah, the red hair/green eyes combo wins her Mary Sue points, as does her angsty past, but somehow, she isn't annoying. The whole world doesn't warp to her desires, so I can live with it. As for Talon Karrde, again, we have a scoundrel, a mercenary who rises above the stupid villain caricature.Goodness! All these words and I still haven't gotten to the meat of the book: the plot! Again, showing Zahn's grasp for the Star Wars world, Timothy Zahn has written a story that, I feel, could be made into a Star Wars movie with very little manipulation. It is that good. Heck, sometimes, I swear I can hear the music!! Our characters have motivations that make sense based on their characters (Leia being the diplomat and demanding to go to Bimmisari, Thrawn being thoughtful and calculating and ordering a three prong attack on Bpfassh to test C'baoth, Luke when dealing with being held captive by Mara Jade and Talon Karrde). People don't miraculously gain powers to suit the story's need. There are space battles, attempted kidnappings, switching ships, villains, antagonists, aliens, distant planets, seedy spaceports...all perfect elements of a Star Wars novel.I Didn't Like:This will get petty, I warn you.The concept of the ysalamiri is best described in this quote from Talon Karrde (page 223): "[The ysalamiri:] seem to have the unusual ability to push back the Force--to create bubbles, so to speak, where the Force simply doesn't exist."Well, based on the New Jedi Order (and the Yuuzhan Vong who didn't exist in the Force) and the Prequels (that say all living things have midichlorians, the building blocks of the Force), this seems rather odd. Not to mention...if the Force didn't exist around these guys, wouldn't Luke have been able to sense the void of the Force? However, I feel this "error" is more of an unclear view of the Force (Zahn wrote this in 1991 when Lucas probably had no clue what the heck the Force was) than a blatant disregard on the author's part.Zahn also has a tendency to write dialogue in the following manner: "'Not here,' Ghent shook his head nervously..." Shaking one's head, nodding, or sighing are NOT ways to express dialogue (I want to know how to nod out a word or to sigh out an entire sentence). If Zahn had switched that comma to a period, then I would be sated and have nothing to complain about. But I would be remiss if I didn't bring it up, as it was a little distracting to me.Lastly, I was not quite convinced with Zahn's characterization of Lando. Not to say he was bad, but just that I felt that it was a bit off from the way he was in the movies.Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:I can't recall a single foul word!Leia is pregnant? Does that count?Well, there are space battles, an enlisted gets killed for an error, Thrawn is trying to kidnap Leia and Luke, and C'baoth is just a twinge mad...Overall:It's been a while since I read Heir to the Empire, and, to be honest, I was afraid it wouldn't be as good as I remembered.Well, nothing to fear! Zahn truly captivated me all over again with this winning novel! If George Lucas could take advice from him, maybe the Star Wars prequels would have turned out better!The only unfortunate thing is that the highest rating I can give is 5. So 5 stars it is! Thank you, Timothy Zahn, for making Star Wars come alive again!
"History is on the move, Captain. Those who cannot keep up will be left behind, to watch from a distance. And those who stand in our way will not watch at all."Five years have passed since the destruction of the second Death Star and the fall of the Emperor. The New Republic is rising from the ashes of the Galactic Empire. The old Imperial Starfleet is in complete disarray, and the greatest of the Emperor's warlords, the Grand Admirals, are all gone. Except for one. And that lone one will give the leaders of the fledgling government more to fear than all the others combined...Timothy Zahn is an author long revered among fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Not merely for writing some of the best Star Wars novels out there, but for creating some of the most beloved characters in the franchise. One of those is Mitth'raw'nuruodo, better known throughout the galaxy as Grand Admiral Thrawn. He's a master strategist and a military genius, and one of his greatest strengths lies in simple observation of the enemy. Obsessed with art, he is also capable of understanding a whole species of people simply by studying their artistic legacy. And after the demise of Palpatine and the fall of his government, Thrawn, an alien Chiss who rose through the ranks of the emperor's military hierarchy against all odds, suddenly finds himself as the heir to the empire.But Thrawn is far from the only wonderfully intriguing character introduced by Zahn. Brick by brick, he's managed to build a whole new setting succeeding that of the original Star Wars movies, and while characters like Luke, Han and Leia remain as protagonists, much of the weight is being put upon a brand new bunch of people. From rogue smugglers to scheming senators to a mysterious survivor of the days of the old republic. And perhaps the most popular character of the Star Wars fanbase: Mara Jade, a woman who once served as the Emperor's Hand and has now sworn vengeance upon Luke Skywalker for the death of her master.It's not a perfect book, and it certainly has its flaws. The writing could have been a lot better, and Zahn never quite manages to recreate the epicness and scale of the movies. But believe me when I say that he makes a damn good attempt.Since Disney bought LucasFilm and created a story group responsible for deciding what was official Star Wars canon to be used in future instalments, all the great novels written about it, including this one, were swept under the carpet and turned into the so-called Star Wars: Legends. And despite that everything else surrounding that decision was total bullshit, the name kind of fits. This book is most definitely a legend of the Star Wars universe. And it is what the upcoming Episode VII should have been based on. It could have been so artistically done. But canon or no, the stories remain, and they're waiting for you to read them.If you enjoyed the Star Wars movies and want to explore what else this amazing universe has to offer, Heir to the Empire is the book to read. Don't allow yourself to be confused by the hundreds of books, games and comics existing out there. While not the first Star Wars novel ever written, this is the real sequel to the original movie trilogy. This, ladies and gentlemen, is where the Expanded Universe begins. And what a universe that is...
What do You think about Heir To The Empire (1992)?
Heir to the Empire - The last remaining Grand Admiral of the defeated Empire campaigning against the fragile New Republic? The premise is actually very intriguing, too bad Zahn was the first one to it.I have to give this book a one-star rating with an "I hate it" stamp. Here's why:The best of this book is in the plot which is complex (but not notably creative). The story winds through several characters, allowing for a fairly gripping read. There are some fun characters in the book that help to keep the reader interested. Beyond the mediocre plot and the characters you enjoy with a guilty literary concience, the book has some major issues.One of the major problems with the book is that because it was written in 1991, it is dated and doesn't mesh with Star Wars "cannon". Explanations of cloning processes contradict the prequel trilogy, and "Dark Jedi" are used instead of "Sith". That aside, the writing itself is in need of some serious editing.Star Wars novels aren't exactly famous for great character development or intelligent use of literary schema - but Heir to the Empire is especially embarrassing. Endless movie lines pepper the dialogue in what feels like a frantic attempt to convince the reader that this is, in fact, Star Wars. Zahn seems to think he's coined an especially profound and intelligent phrase in, "a handful heartbeats" and makes a point to use it as often as he can. Dialogue between characters is trite and arguments almost always end with one character surrendering to the other by saying, "Point." which I found incredibly annoying. Apparently, the author is only capable of giving his characters a very few ways to say something, namely "retorting", "countering", and "conceeding". For example:"Who's scruffy lookin'?" retorted Han. (movie line)"Your son and daughter probably will be. I'm pregnant with Jedi twins." retorted Leia."I'm scared to teach Jedi lessons." retorted Luke."Then we'll do it real quiet like." countered Han. (movie line)"The Grand Admiral will probably steal your twins." retorted Luke."Hey everyone! Let's all remember that this is bonafide Star Wars material..ok...ok?" countered the author."Point." conceeded Han.The plot is fun but the writing is just painful to read - even for a science fiction fan-boy novel.
—Thom
[7/10]Welcome back to the Star Wars francise - one of the most financially succesful business enterprises. The impulse to write the Thrawn series may have come from a need to cash in on the popularity of the original movie series, and the quality of the prose may be pedestrian, but to a hardcore fan like me (I was 13 when I first saw A New Hope ) these considerations matter less than the curiosity about events after the Battle of Endor.Starting the plot only a few years after said battle, Timothy Zahn had an easy job, working with fully developed characters and an already established setting in a Galaxy far, far away. He has thus the leisure to write action intensive chapters with little worldbuilding filler and background information. He is a competent writer, but I often felt he took to the job too seriously. A major part of the movie appeal lay in the tongue-in-cheek approach, in the laidback banter between heroes who are self aware of playing a role in a blockbuster. I was hoping for something closer to Galaxy Quest , and I got a rather dour and grown-up transcription, especially for Han and Leia.A few new characters are introduced, with good potential for a future development that is basically left for later books in the series (Grand Admiral Thrawn, Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, Joruus C'Baoth) . Heir to the Empire is not really a stand-alone, it's more like the opening moves in a game of chess or go, setting up a larger conflict that is only hinted at in here. A spectacular final battle between an X-Wing squadron, The Millenium Falcon against an Imperial expeditionary force closes an entertaining journey that promises an equallly jolly continuation in book two. four stars for the fans of the movies and of the Dark Horse comics; probably two stars for readers unfamiliar with the Star Wars universe, if there are any left out there in the wild.
—Algernon
Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, the first volume of a three-book cycle, was almost an instant phenomenon when it was published in hardcover. With its depiction of the continuing battle between what is left of the Galactic Empire and the fledgling New Republic, this novel cleverly mixes the characters from the Classic Trilogy with a cast of newly created heroes and villains, some of whom will make appearances in other authors' Star Wars works.As Heir to the Empire begins, the New Republic has been engaged in a long campaign to mop up the remnants of the once-mighty Empire. The once dreaded Imperial Fleet is in disarray, political and military control of the late Emperor Palpatine's New Order has changed hands several times, yet the former Rebels have reduced Imperial dominion to one quarter of its former size. Yet even as Mon Mothma and the New Republic government establish democratic rule from Coruscant (former capital of both the Old Republic and the Galactic Empire), a new dark force has arisen in the form of one of the Empire's most cunning warriors.His name is Thrawn, and his tactical and intellectual gifts are so great that the racist and sexist Palpatine had promoted him to be the only non-human to wear the white uniform of Grand Admiral. For several years after the Battle of Endor (where the Rebels destroyed the second Death Star and both the Emperor and Darth Vader died), Thrawn was pacifying the Unknown Regions until his return to Imperial territory. Now, with a small but powerful Imperial fleet at his command, the mysterious Grand Admiral believes he holds the key to the undoing of the New Republic and the restoration of the Empire.A professional reviewer, at the time of the book's first appearance in 1991, wrote that Heir to the Empire "captures the spirit of the movie trilogy so well, you can almost hear John Williams' soundtrack." Indeed, Zahn does a superb job rendering the personalities from George Lucas' films that one can almost hear Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels when reading their characters' dialogue. The pace of the book is brisk and the action sequences are so well done that one can swear they are cinematic. Although there are many Star Wars authors whose novels are spellbinding, Zahn stands head and shoulders above the crowd.
—Maik G.
