Reviews

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn

vyria's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

As a bit of contrarian in my youth, I always rankled at the idea this series was the apex of the EU. Revisiting it decades later, I still think it's overrated, but am more amenable to the charms it does have. I especially love the way Zahn captures the character voice of the film cast, particularly Han. I still find the plot kind of stupid and Mara Jade exhausting. Overall I'm looking forward to revisiting the rest of the trilogy.

simmaberg's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

braydeck's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.0

cwpipes9's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.25

gloopous's review against another edition

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4.0

Disney’s biggest mistake with it’s execution of the newer Star Wars content was completely disregarding this incredible book. I am aware that I am not the first to say it, but it pains me to imagine the wasted potential that these novels provided. I’ve never been a huge hater of the sequel trilogy, but after reading this I can definitely understand why it frustrated so many people. This is a top 5 piece of Star Wars media for me.

amye's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

brevinirvin's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

fandom4ever's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Heir to the Empire, where the Expanded Universe all began. When I first learned years ago that Star Wars had a whole universe of books that take place all around the movies, I immediately had to get my hands on the Thrawn trilogy. I had to know what Luke, Leia, and Han had been up to after the Battle of Endor. After having just finished a read of Outbound Flight, I decided to revisit this series and boy does it still not disappoint. 

Heir to the Empire has an amazing introduction to a host of new characters: Mara Jade, Thrawn, Pellaeon, Talon Karrde, the Noghri, C’baoth, plus so much more that will have lasting repercussions for the EU going forth. There are new ships (Interdictor Star Destroyer being one of my favorites) and planets. I loved the creation of a weakness for the Force and Jedi, Zahn’s belief being that not even Jedi should be all-powerful. He is a master at creating space battles that are not too over-the-top and are also easy to follow and understand. The best part of this novel is that Zahn shows the Imperials as competent. I love the question that Pellaeon considers, ‘what would the Battle of Endor have been like if Thrawn had been the one to lead the battle?’. 

Heir to the Empire is the beginning of a trilogy but also a full story in its own right. I still fully believe this is the place to start if you want to begin your journey into the expanded universe. Great story, great characters, great author. 

stuartt96's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kingmantis's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0