When I first started reading Star Wars books, the first series I read was The Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn. These books are set five years after the end of Return of the Jedi. In this trilogy, the fledgling New Republic fights against the remains of the Empire led by the brilliant Grand Admiral Thrawn. They are amazing books, and I highly recommend them.
When Disney bought the rights to Star Wars, they declared that the original Thrawn trilogy and the rest of the Expanded Universe were no longer considered “canon.” However, fans liked Thrawn’s character so much that Disney decided to allow Timothy Zahn to write more books about him that would be part of their timeline.
I’ve read…well, actually listened to… all three books in the newest Thrawn series, and I really enjoyed them. Timothy Zahn is a skilled writer who puts enough plot twists in his novels that I can never guess what will happen next. In my opinion, his ability to believably describe space battle tactics is unparalleled.
The main character, Thrawn, is a Chiss from the Unknown Regions. Though his body is humanoid, he has blue skin and glowing red eyes that set him apart. Thrawn is a master strategist who is able to understand his enemies’ tactics based on the artwork of their people. The first book, Thrawn, tells the story of how Thrawn joined the Imperial Navy and rose to the highest possible rank, Grand Admiral. It is an intriguing story, especially if you have already read the original Thrawn trilogy.
The second book, Thrawn: Alliances, jumps back and forth between two time periods. Some chapters focus on Thrawn meeting and aiding Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, while the other chapters tell of a mission undertaken by Thrawn and Darth Vader between Episodes III and IV. As a fan of Anakin Skywalker, I enjoyed getting to see another of his pre-Vader adventures, and the tension between Thrawn and Vader made the other story entertaining as well.
I just finished reading the last book, Thrawn: Treason. As the name suggests, it contains many unexpected twists. The main focus of the book is Thrawn’s attempt to solve a problem that is delaying the construction of the Death Star. The problem turns out to be a more serious threat than anyone imagined, and solving it takes all of Thrawn’s considerable intelligence.
I enjoyed all three of these books, though not as much as the original Thrawn trilogy. As a character-driven reader who likes to root for the “good guys,” I enjoyed having Luke, Leia, and Han to stand behind in the older novels. Having Thrawn as the protagonist in these newer books was interesting, but though Thrawn is by no means evil, he is an Imperial. That alone makes it difficult for me to be completely on his side.
Also, Timothy Zahn rarely shares Thrawn’s emotions with the reader. In the original trilogy, we never read his perspective at all. The parts including him are always told from someone else’s point of view, usually one of his junior officers. In the new series, we occasionally read parts from his perspective, but they focus on what he perceives from others, rather than his own feelings.
Zahn clearly wrote Thrawn’s character that way on purpose, probably to make him more enigmatic, but it made it difficult for me to really connect with him. A friend of mine who read the books was not bothered by this at all. I suspect that’s because he is at least partly a plot-driven reader, and the plot of these books is excellent. The proof of that is that I, an entirely character-driven reader, enjoyed them.
If you like Star Wars books, you might want to give the newest Thrawn series a chance, or if you don’t mind reading books that are no longer “canon,” I encourage you to read the original Thrawn trilogy.
Have you read the newest Thrawn books? Let me know what you thought about them in the comments. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my blog to receive weekly updates.
