The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #3)

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The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy #3)

by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 17,196 ratings · 294 reviews

The embattled Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has marshaled the remnants of the Imperial forces and driven the Rebels back with an abominable technology recovered from the Emperor's secret fortress: clone soldiers. As Thrawn mounts his final siege, Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a coalition of smugglers for a last-ditch attack against the e...more

Hardcover, 407 pages

Published April 1st 1993 by Bantam (first published January 1st 1993)

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Sep 01, 2007 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone looking for post-"Jedi" closure

Shelves: science-fiction

Same review for all three: I grew up on Lucas' film trilogy; it took on a certain mythological quality. Say what you will about Lucas: I won't apologize for this enjoyment. When the first horn blasts of that John Williams score strike, I wear that nerdy shame with all of its lightsaber-wielding pride.

And Zahn pulls off a follow-up trilogy just well enough to pass. We get some closure on the whole Han/Leia thing, we see how well the fledgling Republic fares, watch Luke struggle through his on-goi...more

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May 27, 2008 Rob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

If you're thinking about picking up a Star Wars book, forget all those new ones on the shelf, and pick up this classic masterpiece.

The Thrawn Trilogy of books (of which this is the first) are far and away the best Star Wars novels; perhaps because it was penned by a science fiction author with experience writing about galactic warfare.

Zahn bravely pushes the saga in interesting new directions that sets the bar for all the novels that have followed. He introduces some of the most memorable and en...more

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Dec 01, 2008 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, star-wars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 10, 2013 Allen Reeves rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review applies to all 3 books in the series.

There are some stories that are best told as books, some that are best told as movies. When I think of a story best told as a book I think of Dune since despite two large scale attempts neither one (for me at least) captured the magic of the book. Star Wars is a story best told in a visual medium and that is the biggest limitation of these books. They cry out for a different presentation.

I don't want to read about X-Wing fighters, force lightening...more

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Apr 08, 2013 John Gatti III rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Last Command, by Timothy Zahn, is an engaging and thrilling conclusion to the “Thrawn trilogy,” Timothy Zahn’s most famous novels. It picks up where the last two novels left off: Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last great Imperial Admiral, has amassed a large fleet, known simply as Dark Force, on the far away planet of Wayland, where he holds a large cloning facility, in which he manufactures his new soldiers. Meanwhile, the leaders of the New Republic struggle to keep the peace in their newfound...more The Last Command, by Timothy Zahn, is an engaging and thrilling conclusion to the “Thrawn trilogy,” Timothy Zahn’s most famous novels. It picks up where the last two novels left off: Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last great Imperial Admiral, has amassed a large fleet, known simply as Dark Force, on the far away planet of Wayland, where he holds a large cloning facility, in which he manufactures his new soldiers. Meanwhile, the leaders of the New Republic struggle to keep the peace in their newfound democracy, and must reassure their citizens during this time of peril. As a full-out war approaches on the horizon, Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade lead a small task force into the heart of Wayland, but are unaware that the Dark Jedi C’Baoth is waiting for them, planning to convert them into his own personal slaves to wreak havoc upon the galaxy.
As Captain Pell begins to fade into a background character, my former least favorite character steps up as whom I consider the main character, Mara Jade. Her constant internal battle of whether or not she will kill Luke Skywalker is intriguing, and as more and more about her is revealed, her motives and actions become clearer, and also more relatable in a sense. Throughout the novel, Mara recalls the last order her Emperor gave to her, “YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER(page 446; also appears throughout),” remembering that she has a destiny to fulfill. Her role in the novel is limited during the first half of the novel, as she is put under some sort of a house arrest, but she soon forms relationships with Leia and Luke Skywalker, becoming somewhat friendly towards them both, while also maintaining a steady rivalry with Luke. Towards the end of the novel, Luke begins to doubt his ability to teach the future Jedi Order to use the force, prompting her to say, “What’s to do? You teach them [future Jedi] how to hear minds and move objects and use lightsabers. You did that with your sister, didn’t you(Page 315)?” This simple reassuring statement shows that she trusts and cares for Luke more than he knows, even if she claims that she will kill him at the opportune moment. In the climax of the novel, her character goes through an arc, fulfilling her “destiny” through a clever twist that wraps up her character well and allows her to move along into the character who (in another Star Wars novel) will eventually marry Luke Skywalker.
Overall, The Last Command is a more than adequate conclusion to an excellent trilogy, wrapping up a well set up intergalactic war and several interesting character arcs. Sometimes, such as during the New Republic politicians’ discussions, the book seems to drag on, but it does make up for it during the rest of the eloquently written novel. I recommend it to all fans of Star Wars and Sci-Fi, although you certainly have to read its predecessors, which are also both more than worth it. If anyone were to not like this book, it would be people who despise Star Wars, because Zahn does an exemplary job of making you feel as if you are actually watching one of the original Star Wars films. I certainly plan to read it again, along with its predecessors, and I personally hope we do get to see them on the big screen as the inspiration for Star Wars Episode VII, and I feel that many Star Wars fans would agree with me.
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Feb 10, 2013 Maythavee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Jan 03, 2013 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It’s always interesting to read a novel (or in this case, a series) for the second time. I was but a wee lad when it first came out — a middle schooler who had recently ventured into the world of adult novels, reading the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Star Wars, with a much greater sense of innocence, was still appealing with its heroism and magic of the force.

After reviewing the first novel, I was almost disappointed that I decided to reread the series. My review of the second novel wa...more It’s always interesting to read a novel (or in this case, a series) for the second time. I was but a wee lad when it first came out — a middle schooler who had recently ventured into the world of adult novels, reading the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Star Wars, with a much greater sense of innocence, was still appealing with its heroism and magic of the force.

After reviewing the first novel, I was almost disappointed that I decided to reread the series. My review of the second novel was better, with Dark Force Rising displaying better character development and action. So here I am, reviewing the third and final novel in the series, The Last Command.

I’d love to write a glowing review. I’d love to say that it brought back the nostalgic fascination I once had with the series as it expanded the original Star Wars trilogy into the future. But the truth is that the trilogy’s impact on me seems to have lost some luster. In the third novel, Grand Admiral Thrawn is planning a large attack on the rebels. He has amassed a collection of ships and has a secret cloning lab where he plans to gain the manpower to rule the galaxy.

Leia gives birth to her twins and finds that they are even more difficult to protect outside of her womb. She has to trust her help in keeping them safe, but she learns that there is a leak from within the ranks of the rebel alliance.

Mara Jade still remains bipolar, desiring to assist the rebels against the overly-oppressive Empire; however, the remnant command of the Emperor still speaks to her: “Kill Luke Skywalker.”

Joruus C’Boath becomes crazier than ever, with grandiose visions of ruling the Empire with Luke, Leia, Mara, and the twins serving him. Thrawn puts up with him, claiming to need him for one purpose or another, but really C’Boath is mostly a nuisance.

Luke, Han, and Lando make frequent appearances, but by the third novel, they are ancillary characters, experiencing very little change or actions to drive the plot forward.

So all of this brings me to my review and I am trying to resist from saying such cliches as some stones are better left unturned. With the improvements of the second novel over the first, I had hopes that the third novel would continue the pace. But where the second novel improved, the third novel digressed. Luke’s internal conflicts with the dark side are now gone and he sees C’Boath for who he really is — an evil, psychopathic dark Jedi (which should have been obvious in the first place). Mara Jade’s character, who seemed so complex in my early memories, actually comes across as equally naive. Her actions and thoughts are all sympathetic to the rebels, yet she clings to this vestige command to kill Luke and is haphazard as she mentions it in conversation.

And then there’s Thrawn. A supposedly mastermind supervillain who continues to put up with C’Boath and the incompetence of his underlings with patience and fortitude. There were moments in the first and second novels where he lived up to his hype, but once again, this was lost in the third novel. I guess I was hoping for a more courageous and evil antagonist — one who would deal severe consequences for incompetence and would aggressively dole out his strength against the rebels.

As I paced my way through the novel, there were moments that I thought were clever. I really liked the manner in which Mara Jade overcame her duality of emotions toward Luke at the end. Also, the smugglers banding together against the Empire, while remaining somewhat neutral, seemed realistic to me.

Overall, the series was a decent read, but it’s magic resides back in my youth, before the expanded universe had reached its breadth. The pacing is quick and the ending, unfortunately is abrupt and anticlimactic. For Star Wars fans, this series is of course a must read. On it’s own, it just doesn’t hold up to today’s standards.(less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Mark Oppenlander rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, star-wars

The Thrawn trilogy is complete. This book continues with the style and pace of the first two installments, and brings the story to a relatively satisfying conclusion (with one caveat, which I'll touch on in a moment.) Zahn comes up with several very interesting last-minute plot twists too - twists that don't feel cheap, but which you realize had been foreshadowed nicely in the earlier books.

It occurs to me that some of you who follow my reviews might find it hard to fathom how I could give four...more The Thrawn trilogy is complete. This book continues with the style and pace of the first two installments, and brings the story to a relatively satisfying conclusion (with one caveat, which I'll touch on in a moment.) Zahn comes up with several very interesting last-minute plot twists too - twists that don't feel cheap, but which you realize had been foreshadowed nicely in the earlier books.

It occurs to me that some of you who follow my reviews might find it hard to fathom how I could give four stars to something like this, a book that might seem to be a relatively lightweight piece of populist fiction. After all, four stars is the same rating I gave to the excellent businsess book "Small Giants" or the awward-winning "The Grapes of Wrath." To that, I would answer that although I give these books the same ratings, I am not necessarily saying that the books are comparable.

Any book must be taken in context of what is is trying to accomplish. The Thrawn series was asked to continue the narrative of the original Star Wars movie trilogy, to create a rousing space adventure on par with something that has become iconic in pop culture. In short, Zahn was asked to write some high quality pulp fiction and satisfy millions of fans worldwide. So this series and this book are entertainment and adventure, not philosophy or high art. And as such, the series succeeds quite admirably. I am frankly impressed with what Zahn was able to accomplish given the high expectations that must have been on him.

My one quibble with this particular book was that the climax feels a bit rushed and there is very little denouement. Given a three-book series that spans nearly 1400 pages, the final confrontations and revelations could have been lingered on a bit longer. It felt a little as if an editor had asked Zahn to keep the book under a certain word limit, which is too bad. Zahn had earned his curtain call; I wish he'd been allowed to take it.

Still, I recommend this book not just to Star Wars fans, but to anyone who enjoys a good sci-fi actioner . . . just for the fun of it.(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Ben Dutton rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’d been reading children’s stories I should have read when I was eleven: Sherlock Holmes, Jules Verne’s adventures – when I came across, in storage, the books I was reading when I was eleven. In fact, Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, appeared the year I turned eleven, and at that age I thought it excellent – so much so I kept buying Star Wars novel right through until 1996, hoping each time that they would be as good as Zahn’s original trilogy. They never were. They say you should never go back:...more I’d been reading children’s stories I should have read when I was eleven: Sherlock Holmes, Jules Verne’s adventures – when I came across, in storage, the books I was reading when I was eleven. In fact, Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, appeared the year I turned eleven, and at that age I thought it excellent – so much so I kept buying Star Wars novel right through until 1996, hoping each time that they would be as good as Zahn’s original trilogy. They never were. They say you should never go back: and it is true. Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy is fun, and this, the first volume gets things off to a cracking start: it reintroduces us to the classic figures, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo et al, and some minor characters, and gives us a menacing new villain, yet the writing is never as strong as I recall, and all the nods to the classic films becomes a little tiring.

I did, however, plough through all three novels with such speed, and enjoyed them immensely while reading them, that I can see what eleven year old me enjoyed in them, and why fans of the Star Wars world still read them today. Interestingly it is not the main characters that shine in this series, but the new ones: smuggler Talon Karrde, and his secretive companion, Mara Jade, who has one subconscious command: Kill Luke Skywalker. The Grand Admiral Thrawn is an enigmatic and genius villain – he learns a species flaws by studying their art. Then there is the insane Dark Jedi, Joruus C’Boath, whose megalomania threatens to engulf the universe as a new Emperor. I kept wondering: would these adventures be better without the need to conform to George Lucas’s original vision? Perhaps Luke et al should have just been background.

Nevertheless, Timothy Zahn is a great writer for these sorts of things, and he sows seeds that he surprises us with later – the true nature of Delta Source, the secret behind Mara Jade’s desire, and he makes parents of Han Solo and Princess Leia – and that is the right ending for the love story that begun way back in 1977 with Star Wars.(less)

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Dec 04, 2011 Sebastien rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fan de Star Wars

Shelves: star-wars

Nous étions l'été, j'allais magasiner à Victoriaville (je venais de Plessisville une ville/village ou y'avait rien à faire) et comble de la surprise, je vois L'Ultime Commandement dans le rack à Livre d'une Pharmacie. Je travaillais pas encore dans ce temps là et le pris du livre (30$ à l'époque, je crois que sa pas trop changé depuis)consistait de toute ma fortune amasser à livre des journaux (le reste passait sur des location de jeux vidéo et de rares achats). J'avais été déçu par le premier l...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera

The Last Command completes Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, the first major Extended Universe work and the one that established several iconic new characters (who were later abused by other authors) and a back story on the Clone Wars that is much better than what Lucas eventually gave us. In this book, Mara Jade finally fulfills the Emperor's last command to her, and Thrawn commands the Chimaera for the last time.

As with the previous two, the strength of the book is the characters. The plot is a tiny bit...more

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Aug 29, 2011 ᛋᚳᚩᛏᛏ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, true-epic, space-opera-of-the-highest-form

I am being lazy and am writing this review for all three books in the trilogy. It is also a very short review.

In my obviously biased opinion:

1. Zahn has created the most compelling Star Wars 'villain' since the original Darth Vader in Grand Admiral Thrawn. This includes every other Vader clone, Mary Sue-type troperific Big Bad, and most of all Boba Fett and any evil character from the unfortunate lesser six films.

The man studies a culture's artwork and through this insight figures out how to bea...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: star-wars, science-fiction, i-was-young-and-dumb-okay

I was going to borrow this book from my 5th grade best friend when he was done with it, as I had done for the first two in the trilogy, but he wasn't reading it fast enough for me so I made my mom take me to the book store so I could buy it and read it myself.

As with the others in this trilogy, I doubt I've read it since I was 13. But I feel pretty safe saying that the concept of the clones as presented in this book is a hell of a lot cooler than what was ultimately shown in the prequel Star War...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Jacob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was really amped up to finish this trilogy. The second installment was just amazing and so I was more than ready to see how everything wrapped up. While I think the book was an admirable effort, it just wasn’t as good as the second book. Still better than the first, I think. But I may be alone in that line of thought. I can’t be sure. I’m avoiding reviews on any of these books while I write my own so as not to be influenced by outside thought. All of this bullshit is entirely of my own design....more

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Jun 23, 2010 Adam Kranz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Star Wars readers

Shelves: star-wars, science-fiction

The Thrawn Trilogy (which I'll review as one unit) is, I can now agree, one of the few indispensable, and actually really worth reading productions of the EU. Zahn gets it all right, and does everything I personally want to see in the EU.

First of all, he pulls off all the important plot and characterization goals he tries to achieve: all of his characters have extremely bad-ass abilities and strengths, but they are not defined by their powers. Thrawn and C'baoth in particular come to mind. Thra...more The Thrawn Trilogy (which I'll review as one unit) is, I can now agree, one of the few indispensable, and actually really worth reading productions of the EU. Zahn gets it all right, and does everything I personally want to see in the EU.

First of all, he pulls off all the important plot and characterization goals he tries to achieve: all of his characters have extremely bad-ass abilities and strengths, but they are not defined by their powers. Thrawn and C'baoth in particular come to mind. Thrawn is almost infallible tactically, his will is indomitable, he is a great leader, etc, and yet this is only part of what we remember about him. He has his own very interesting personality. C'baoth demonstrates force strength beyond most anything that had appeared in the EU before the trilogy. However, he is defined not by this excessive and cool strength but by his insanity, which makes him another fascinating character.

The plot was very impressively woven as well. There's a lot of stuff going on, and it all manages to tie together in a convincing and satisfying way. All the characters are constantly trying to outsmart each other and figure out what each has in mind, and the way each character is able to do this is also very convincing.

Aside from these major, crucial points, Zahn also fulfills a lot of the lack I personally see in other EU material. He understands, first of all, that Stormtroopers are shock troops, as opposed to the standard Army grunts, that they are legitimately very good, and that they are extremely loyal. He also includes a very satisfying amount of random continuity, especially including a lot of stuff from the Imperial Sourcebook (near to my heart as the only West End Games sourcebook I had as a child), like the Chariot LAV, Ubiqtorate, Star Galleons, spacetroopers, etc.

Perhaps most importantly, Zahn created a vast new set of interesting canon material himself. Since he was writing the first major EU production, he had a lot of freedom to do this without stepping on the toes of anything previously created, but he could still have created some pretty atrocious shit (as so many other authors did after him). Instead, everything he imagined makes sense, is effective in its context, and much of it has even been put to good use since then (though much of it has also been severely abused).

With the Thrawn Trilogy, Zahn set the real EU novels off to an auspicious start. Unfortunately, only a few other novelists have managed to reach the bar he set here. Read them: you will love them. (less)

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Jun 06, 2013 Algernon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

Usually it is the other way around : I like the first book of a series better than the last one, probably because it is all new and full of promise, worlds and people waiting to be discovered. With the Thrawn trilogy I already knew what I was dealing with before I even started, and it took me until the third and final book to get caught up in the adventure. I've grumbled in the first two reviews about the poor writing, the lack of originality and the often contrived logic of the conflict, but I...more Usually it is the other way around : I like the first book of a series better than the last one, probably because it is all new and full of promise, worlds and people waiting to be discovered. With the Thrawn trilogy I already knew what I was dealing with before I even started, and it took me until the third and final book to get caught up in the adventure. I've grumbled in the first two reviews about the poor writing, the lack of originality and the often contrived logic of the conflict, but I confess I read this last one in only a couple of days, feverishly turning the pages to follow up on the action. I guess a part of me will remain a teenager thirsting for over the top lightsaber duels and miles long battleships drifting majestically over starry landscapes, no matter how much I advance in years. The familiarity with the characters and the hardware helps the story along, with some set pieces readily identifiable as they are recycled material (the throne room confrontation, the garbage chute escape or messing around with the electronics in a circular pit).

I must admit that the different threads of the plot have come together rather well in this final book, despite the forceful bringing together of several independently operating teams in the same location for the big finale. Master Jedi C'Baoth somehow steals the rug from under Grand Admiral Thrawn as the big threat to the Galaxy. As the series parallels in general the original movies, the Empire holds the upper hand until almost to the final page, but I would say the outcome was never in doubt, as the good guys always get out of jail in the nick of time and live to fight another day. The closure of the Thrawn plotline in particular was a disappointment, not only predictable, but also cutting down on a big action scene right when things were starting to get interesting. But ... it is sort of open ended and leaves the reader still wondering : What comes next? I'm curious in particular about the twin kids of Leia and Han Solo and how they will learn the Jedi trade. Such is the power of attraction this Star Wars universe exercises on our imagination, not unlike the popular Harry Potter, Pirates of the Carribean or Twilight francises. It's probably not only the fight between good and evil (I've read some comic books from Dark Horse where the line of demarcation is more blurred and the characters more nuanced than the ones Zahn worked with), as the pure adrenalin rush of a fast paced adventure. I know the food analogy has been overused in characterizing books, but if the Thrawn books are popcorn instead of chateaubriand, sometimes popcorn is exactly what I feel like eating.

I am interested in continuing with the Star Wars fanfiction, but I think I prefer the comic book format as better suited to the intense visual elements of the stories.
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Sep 17, 2012 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After a strong start with Heir to the Empire and a promising setup with Dark Force Rising, I was looking forward to everything colliding in this finale. Sadly, while it has its moments, I was left feeling a little let down by the whole thing. There just isn't enough scope or follow-through on making this feel as important as many fans think it is.

My problems with this final chapter largely have to do with making the vaunted katana fleet feel insignificant, Thrawn and Pellaeon looking comedic, an...more

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Jul 11, 2010 Crystal Starr Light rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: simply-the-best, star-wars, so-good-it-s-awesome

"Your destiny is in your heands...in the end you're the one who makes the decisions"
The final entry in the esteemed Thrawn Trilogy!
The Katana fleet is Thrawn's and he has been using it quite liberally--along with a new breed of clones--to slow take back all the ground lost to the New Republic. The New Republic is scrambling desperately, but to no hope. The Republic's only chance of warding off the Empire is to destroy the unending supply of Imperial clones. And it will take the collaboration of...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's no secret that there's a lot of drivel out there that is only mildly successful because it has the name "Star Wars" on it. But if you're looking for a return to the Original Trilogy style (or perhaps you need a reminder that Star Wars can still be awesome because the Prequel trilogy and "The Clone Wars" has you thinking otherwise), this set of three books (The Last Command is the last one) is precisely what you need. Here we have a cold, calculating, immensely intelligent and charismatic vi...more

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Aug 31, 2007 Hal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I've read this book several times. I love the character of Admiral Thrawn. One of my ex-girlfriend's dads gave me this book to read, a full bird colonel, said Thrawn was a very well written character based on some of the strongest military leaders in history. Good trilogy (except, as always, Luke Skywalker is an idiot dolt who whines too much). Zahn does an superb job of capturing Lucas’ universe and making it his own.

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Jan 18, 2013 Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What an amazing ending for an absolutely terrific trilogy.

I wasn't quite sure how Zahn was going to squeeze in everything that happens in the last few chapters, INTO THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS!!! but he did.
And i must say it left you craving more. More about Luke, Leia and the mysterious Mara Jade. More Thrawn knowing just how to kick the Rebellions ass, more everything!

I will admit I skimmed the sections that had to do with Wedge, Han and Lando. Their parts were not compelling enough for me.
I thin...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE LAST COMMAND brings Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy to a (mostly) satisfying conclusion. While the previous entry, DARK FORCE RISING, managed to put a damper on Zahn's penchant for lengthy technical descriptions, THE LAST COMMAND embraces this wholeheartedly. The book is absolutely teeming with complicated military strategies and weaponry, which at times overwhelms the smaller, more character-based moments. Additionally, there's one huge plot thread that's just left hanging. While the climax i...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Seth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great conclusion to the best Star Wars trilogy yet...

The embattled Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has marshaled the remnants of the Imperial forces and driven the Rebels back with an abominable technology recovered from the Emperor's secret fortress: clone soldiers. As Thrawn mounts his final siege, Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a coalition of smugglers for a last-ditch attack against the empire, while Leia holds the Alliance together and prepares for the birth...more

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Jun 19, 2009 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 06, 2012 Voss Foster rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For once, the final book of a trilogy is better than the first two. As a series, The Thrawn Trilogy is decent, but the final book is truly the binder. It almost feels like Zahn finally worked things out in this book, but not quite, because all the foundation work for this book was laid out in the first two. It's to the extent that you can't read this book first and make sense of anything, which could turn some people off (though heaven knows how you can read a series out of order).

As for this bo...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Thom rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Last Command -

This book follows the pattern of the first two in the series (See my review for Heir to the Empire). It pulls the reader into an "above-average" plot that is just plain torture to read. The writing itself makes you hope beyond hope that English wasn't Zahn's first language.

That said, here are a few points of major irritation for me:

1) A large cast of props rather than actual characters. (It's almost as if Mara Jade is carrying a cardboard cutout of Luke through the forest on W...more

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Apr 23, 2013 William Redd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here it is, the final installment of the Thrawn trilogy. Questions are answered, alliances are settled, battles are won. This is what I want out of a Star Wars book and a series. We finally see what Thrawn's grand plan is, and see his first successes. We also see C'baoth's ultimate scheme to win over control of Luke, Leia, AND Mara Jade and turn them into his willing servants. This is powerful storytelling that almost surpasses the original trilogy (again, ALMOST), and absolutely surpasses the p...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Soragon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't seem to enjoy this book as much as the first, but it was still a great read. I found myself rooting for the more interesting characters, rather than the protagonists (i.e. Karrde and Thrawn). The ending I didn't very much like. It was expected, especially what occurred aboard the Chimaera. Thrawn gave too much time to C'baoth and not enough time for Thrawn, even though he established that Thrawn is the main antagonist. I just want more of Thrawn, even if he was 'overpowered' he was stil...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Ricky Ganci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I was disappointed that Luke’s and Mara’s relationship didn’t blossom in this volume, the lack of romance between the two promises great things in Anderson’s Jedi Academy Trilogy (since we know that they’ll end up married). This had some downtime, the the overarching story was good. The death of Thrawn at the hands of the Noghri Rukh really was a nice touch, especially the way it was done. I loved that there weren’t long, drawn-out space battle sequences—those are best left for the X-Wing...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I gave this trilogy a shot when I heard they are planning to make the next three Star Wars movies - episodes 7-9. People said the General Thrawn trilogy were the best Star Wars books period and that since they took place several years after episode 6 they could be the basis for the next movies. It turns out this isn't true and Lucas already has his stories written but I thought I'd give them a shot anyways.

Book 1 was mediocre - a good introduction to General Thrawn. The second book was pretty...more

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About Timothy Zahn

Timothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he bec...more

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Books by Timothy Zahn

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

Dark Force Rising (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #2)

Specter of the Past (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, #1)

Vision of the Future (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, #2)

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The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy #3)

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