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 Hand
of Thrawn Duology
by Timothy Zahn
NOTE: The
Hand of Thrawn Duology is made up of two books: Specter of the Past, and Vision
of the Future.
Review:
The discovery of an ancient document concerning an ancient massacre has shaken
the New Republic. On the brink of civil war, things only get worse when an
Imperial mastermind they though was dead turns up in the middle of it.
First of all, let me say that Timothy Zahn is one of the
very best Star Wars novelists. Interestingly enough, every Star Wars book he's
written (including one forthcoming prequel-era novel) is in a way part of one
big septology. That, in turn, is broken down into one trilogy, one duology, and
two standalone books. Reading each part individually will be still be plenty
satisfying, but reading all his work gives you a much bigger picture.
Now, on to this particular part. As usual, it is written
flawlessly. There's action, mystery, and even some romance between Luke and
Mara. There's never a dull moment, and Zahn always keeps you guessing. He also
masterfully works in tiny plot details from previous books and really ties the
whole thing together in ways you never see coming.
The only possible drawback is all the loose ends Zahn has
to tie up at the end. He does a great job -- far better than I would have
expected -- but not 100% of it was totally satisfying the way it ended. Of
course, there's one more book -- Survivor's Quest -- that takes place
after this, and I'm guessing that will give the reader some more closure. Don't
misunderstand, though -- that's the only possible issue I could think of, and
it's a pretty small one. I loved this series.
All in all, this duology -- and specifically Vision of
the Future -- is some of the very best Star Wars I've ever read. It
definitely deserves a full five stars out of five.
Summary :
Way back when the Empire was young, the peaceful planet Caamas was bombarded
into oblivion by the Emperor's forces. The destruction was largely the fault of
someone sabotaging the planet's shields. At the time, no one knew who was
responsible. The required information was hidden in the Emperor's private files.
Over twenty years later, the Empire is in shambles, and some are beginning to
consider a peace treaty the only course of action left. Meanwhile, while picking
through the ruins of the Emperor's stronghold on Wayland, the New Republic makes
a startling discovery: an incomplete version of the Caamas Document. The
complete version of the document held the names of those responsible for the
sabotage. What they found was only the species: it had been Bothans who had
sabotaged the shield.
The discovery prompts an outrage, with the Republic split right down the middle.
Half the planets of the Republic want to punish all the Bothans for the
massacre. The other half believes that, until a complete copy can by found, they
should take no action. Hundreds of warships gather around the planet Bothawui,
ready to erupt into civil war at any moment.
Into this mess comes a blast from the past: Grand Admiral Thrawn, who everyone
had thought to be dead. With the Imperial Remnant's remaining forces rallying
around him, the New Republic could be on the verge of collapse. However, all is
not as it seems. Will the New Republic be able to find a complete version of the
Caamas Document and unravel the mystery of Thrawn's return before it's too late?
Who knows!? Go read it!
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