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Thrawn (Star Wars: Thrawn, #1)

Timothy Zahn

Start date: April 30, 2017

Finish date: May 31, 2017

Discussion: Group Stuff

Why we're reading this: It's been a while but finally he is back. The dude in blue. I'm so happy to have Tim Zahn and his amazing…more
[close] It's been a while but finally he is back. The dude in blue. I'm so happy to have Tim Zahn and his amazing character Thrawn back in the universe.

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May 17, 2017 TheBookHunter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

The one canon Star Wars novel that is a must-read.

One of the first Star Wars books I first read cover to cover was the classic, masterful book "Heir to the Empire" written by Timothy Zahn, it was the book that drew me into the Expanded Universe, and I owe it to Mr.Zahn and the character and primary antagonist of that book, Grand Admiral Thrawn.

I was fascinated by such a character that was different from previous Star Wars villains such as Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Thrawn, a mysterious a The one canon Star Wars novel that is a must-read.

One of the first Star Wars books I first read cover to cover was the classic, masterful book "Heir to the Empire" written by Timothy Zahn, it was the book that drew me into the Expanded Universe, and I owe it to Mr.Zahn and the character and primary antagonist of that book, Grand Admiral Thrawn.

I was fascinated by such a character that was different from previous Star Wars villains such as Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Thrawn, a mysterious alien commander who comes onto the scene and utilizes his brilliance and tactical thinking to thwart his enemies before they ever knew what hit them is just awesome.

When I first found out the character was to return to the new canon in the Rebels TV show, I couldn't have been more excited, and doubly so when I heard a new book was being written that gives Thrawn's canon back story and how he ascended the Empire's ranks to come to hold the title of Grand Admiral.

"Thrawn" was everything I wanted to see that sheds light more on the canon version of the character, and a little more too. I can ramble on about the fun easter eggs and whatnot, but I really want to talk about how great it is to get a glimpse of what the Chiss is thinking during events of the book.

We get at almost every chapter beginning, excerpts from Thrawn's personal philosophies which usually pertain to situations he finds himself in but ultimately overcomes thanks to his precision strategic thinking and rather unorthodox methods as he comes into conflict with both enemies of the Empire and even those in the Empire itself thanks to said unorthodox methods.

Thrawn is just as brilliant and tactical, cold, and ruthless as here as he is in "Heir to the Empire", and it's nice to see him written as the protagonist, and his motivations for what he does are logic-filled and definitely convincing. Its nice to see a personal side of a character who is very mysterious, yet still remains mysterious!

The supporting characters are mostly well-written and you can get behind them but perhaps not as much as the book's namesake character, but some are great additions to canon, such as Thrawn's buddy Eli Vanto, a junior officer who unfortunately seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time in the book and he even thinks so on multiple occasions. But, Thrawn and Eli's friendship grows as Eli begins to see this mysterious alien who everyone thinks is a little standoffish is actually REALLY smart and knows what he's doing. Good instincts, Eli.

I look forward to Zahn writing more Star Wars books, hopefully he will!

...more

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Jan 22, 2021 Allyssa Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: good, star-wars

I loved this book!!! From the intro of Eli Vanto to the reintroduction of the Grand Admiral himself, this is the Star Wars book you are looking for. Ever since we first saw the Chiss Grand Admiral in 1991, we have wanted his backstory of how a Wild Space alien came to be an extremely high level Imperial officer. We finally have it!! Timothy Zahn is a great author and he didn’t disappoint my high hopes. The Nightswan plot and Governor Pyrce was a bit confusing though, but Thrawn with (view spoile ...more

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Apr 12, 2017 Iantony rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-hardcopies-owned, fiction, science-fiction, star-wars

Grand Admiral Thrawn first appeared in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy which took place just a few years after Battle of Endor. In the pre-Disney Expanded Universe AKA Legends Continuity, Thrawn's Trilogy is the first sequel to the Original Trilogy and is the cornerstone for more Legends Continuity publications. Long story short, the great tactician Grand Admiral Thrawn has became one of the greatest menace for the still war torn New republic.

This book is written to strengthen Grand Admiral Thrawn ...more

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Apr 28, 2025 Chrian Santos rated it it was amazing

I cannot simply mince my words- this book, is excellent. Excellent, because after so many years of following the lore of Grand Admiral Thrawn, from the very first book up until his recent outing, seeing him bought into the fold of Disney and still maintaining his enigmatic and cunning splendor in full display has bought my reader heart nothing but delight. And it is also, the BEST Disney Canon novel for Star Wars. I have a deep love for this sci-fi piece that I have the gall to say it’s one of T ...more

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Apr 19, 2017 Jeremy Campbell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: star-wars-cannon

Finally a solid Star Wars novel. After the Aftermath nonsense felt like this book got us back on track. Very similar in some respects to Lost Stars (another terrific book) in that it recounts events before Episode 4 and the obvious hints with what's to come. Highly recommend this book and I can only hope there's more to come from Timothy Zahn

This is the second time I have read this book and it is fantastic. Truly it is one of the best if not the best of the new cannon thus far. This was a re-rea ...more

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Jul 23, 2017 Les Reynolds rated it it was amazing

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. ...more

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May 11, 2020 Jesse Stringer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Easily the best novel I have read set in the new Star Wars canon period. Can't wait to continue Zahn's re-imagining of Thrawn in this new timeline! ...more

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