Heir to the Empire: Star Wars Legends (The Thrawn Trilogy)

· Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy - Legends Book 1 · Sold by Random House Worlds
4.7
919 reviews
Ebook
416
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this essential Star Wars Legends novel—the first ever to take place after the events of the original trilogy—Grand Admiral Thrawn makes his debut on the galactic stage.

Five years ago, the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and drove the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights.

But thousands of light-years away, the last of the Emperor’s warlords, Grand Admiral Thrawn, has taken command of the shattered Imperial fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the New Republic. For this dark warrior has made a vital discovery that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build.

Ratings and reviews

4.7
919 reviews
Cameron Scott
May 14, 2019
I am seriously gutted that Disney did not make this into canon, in Episode VII, instead of the First Order! I mean, this story line is very well crafted and makes for excellent reading. It brings about an excellent character, Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the most competent commanders in the Imperial Navy, and pits him against the much loved characters from the original trilogy. This book, and the other books that form the trilogy (Dark Force Rising and The Last Command, also very highly recommended) should have formed the basis for Star Wars movies VII, VIII and IX, because they really are masterpieces. Easy to read, not too heavy on technical specific detail so you do not become bogged down, but heavy enough on story line detail that you understand where the novel is going, and the plot line with ease. All in all, a truly excellent novel from my favorite Star Wars Legends and sci-fi writer (check out his Cobra series also), Timothy Zahn, and I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Star Wars, or just wants a good read.
80 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Tim Zarathustra Hanes
February 18, 2022
I had literally no idea what I was getting into when I picked this up at a used store the first time I read it. I mean, my experience with Star Wars novels consisted of Shadows Of The Empire, The Truce At Bakura, Children Of The Jedi, Darksaber, Attack Of The Clones and The Phantom Menace. All great reads, but nowhere near the caliber of writing, excitement, suspense, and pure literary genius of this book, and the whole trilogy. This fits so seamlessly with the original trilogy of movies, and even the prequels, I will always consider the 'Legends' timeline to be the true canon. If you've never had the chance to read these classics, you owe it to yourself to dive in. ASAP.
Did you find this helpful?
Zander Woolley
June 24, 2014
For years, now, I have heard that Timothy Zahn is the best Star Wars author, and the Thrawn Trilogy is the best of Timothy Zahn. But it is in fact extremely cliché, lazily written, and at times feels like a compilation of "best quotes from the original trilogy." It is also disappointing to see a guy who supposedly has a physics degree perpetuate the same tired misconceptions and BS about space flight.
4 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Timothy Zahn is the author of more than sixty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novelettes, and four short-fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels (Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances, Thrawn: Treason, Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Choices of One, and Scoundrels), with more than eight million copies of his books in print. Other books include StarCraft: Evolution, the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a BS in physics from Michigan State University and an MS from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.