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

by Timothy Zahn

a deep, gravelly, catlike voice mewed into his ear.

steel-wire muscles

When you understand a species’ art, you understand that species.”

Truth!

Governments and entire planets are important, Threepio. But when you sift everything down, they’re all just made up of people.”

Mourning the loss of a friend and teacher was both fitting and honorable, but to dwell unnecessarily on that loss was to give the past too much power over the present.

despite the absence of true consciousness, Luke’s time sense still somehow managed to function.

How is that possible?

Not a friendly or even a polite smile, but one that seemed to be made up of equal parts bitterness and malicious amusement.

Because the things have a better than fifty-fifty chance of sparking a miscarriage, that’s why.”

How do you know that?

“Ask me if I care.”

Dayyyummm, gurl!

that shimmering red-gold hair was all he needed to see to know that his earlier guess had been correct. It was indeed Mara Jade who’d been chasing him.

Get him, girl!

Taking a deep breath, Luke screamed.

This is why starting sentences with improper gerundic phrases can mess stuff up. It's not possible to breathe while screaming. "Luke took in a deep breath THEN released a scream" or just... anything else would work better.

I was a dancer at Jabba the Hutt’s palace the day you came for Solo.”

searing pain lanced through