Heir to the empire

So i was just looking through my older brotheres book shelf and i found a star wars book called "heir to the empire" written by timothy zahn. Now im still considering reading it but I dont wanna waste my time reading it if its not any good. Now could someone tell me how good it is? is it great? or what ever else you can tell me that can decide if i read it or not. Its volume 1 btw.

 

The quintessential space opera. Interstellar war against a backdrop of outlaw elements with a touch of political intrigue. Better special efects than Doctor Who, but it has Conquerors' Legacy's allround fun.

T. Fett will be along shortly. Plantary shields standing bay . . .

 

esquuuizze me! what are you talking about?

 

He means that it's a good, solid read, fitting in well with the original movies with elements similar (in a good way) to Zahn's other non-star wars books. You should read it. Also, he threw in a reference to a science fiction TV series he enjoys to make things confusing.

He also means that another poster on this board will be along shortly to complain bitterly about the book you're asking about, as it apparently killed her puppy or something.

Did I get that all right, Excellence?

 

Now im still considering reading it but I dont wanna waste my time reading it if its not any good.

Generally, no matter how some of us may feel, Heir to the Empire is felt to be among the best SW books. I used to feel that way before I actually started looking at it in the grand scheme of things and now I feel it's more of a decent book. However, you should never simply take any of our words as to the worthiness of a book as that means you don't even form your own opinion about the book in question, you simply go with someone elses. By reading the book for yourself you are able to decide if you actually wasted your time or if it was something that you would read again and again. You discover whether you agree with others as to a book being good or bad, or you discover that you feel totally different from them about the book in question. And that way you can actually give folks your own opinion about the book rather than say "Well, a bunch of people told me the book was junk so it must be and I never bothered to read it." If you read it and you found it to be junk, you can give your reasons for why you feel that way rather than simply saying folks told me it was junk so I never bothered to learn if it was or not.

 

He also means that another poster on this board will be along shortly to complain bitterly about the book you're asking about, as it apparently killed her puppy or something.

Did I get that all right, Excellence?

No. It was Dark Rendezvous raped Excellence's puppy.

I forget what the T_F and Zahn one was.

Nick, read it. It is one of the best SW books ever.

 

I'm always nice, Jello, 'cept when Dark Journey comes up in discussion, and I become cordial. I enjoy Tiershon's posts as much as our debates. The '70s Dr Who episodes are awesome, such acting! I'm half a dewback from plagiarising some of yesterday's one-liners.

 

Yes, Heir to the Empire is definitely worth reading, so is the rest of the Thrawn trilogy. The Thrawn Duology is also quite good, Zahn is an excellent author.

 

Feeling sick would probably be the best you could hope for.

 

it is in the opinion of most the best star wars literature gets......it is a great book for fans and non-fans alike...but it will lead to addiction, eu addiction.....BE WARNED!!

 

I could list 10 points why DJ is attrocious, you know; another 5 from helpful Litters when I once did. But not everyone has the fortitude of a knight, and jellowing someone else's thread isn't my idea of a good glitburger.

 

Since I seem to be the unofficial star of this thread..........



HTTE is ......... alright. It's really quite a dull read.

Some of it's been invalidated by the PT (or will be VERY soon). But it was written before Zahn, or us fans, knew better.

Just keep in mind that there's a lot better stuff out there. Bantam wasn't the best company to handle SW. Most of the Bantam line are not too SW-sy. That includes TTT, IMO, but to each his own. Too many Gary Stus and Mary Stus for my taste, but at LEAST Zahn writes Leia well.

 

HTTH is a great read. You'd do yourself a diservice not to read it.

 

Hey thanks guys for all the suport and comments, by the looks of it the majority of yous like it very much so im sure I will to. Ill start reading it later tonight- I cant wait

 

That was actually the first Star Wars book I read, and as Maralover said you will prob. get addicted. I read it about 6 to 7 years ago, can't remember exactly, and since then have continued to read the EU up-to-date.

So, yes it is a very good read.

 

Don't forget to read the rest of the trilogy. Dark Force Rising and The Last Command. You need the whole story. It's a fun read.

 

Heir to the Empire also introduces many, many elements that crop up in later (and earlier, timeline-wise) books, comics and other media. An essential read if you're looking to delve further in the Expanded Universe.

 

I would read it only because so much of the EU refers back to it. I'm personally not particularly fond of the novels, but most people seem to enjoy them.

For a balanced opinion...I think Zahn's story ideas are excellent, he has some interesting ideas for original characters, and the man certainly knows his technology well. However, some of his OCs are borderline Sueish, and I find his prose to be fairly dry, repetitive, and mediocre, at best. (At the worst points, I find it stifling and have to resist the urge to mail him a thesaurus.) So it's a mixed bag. Great ideas, decent execution. I don't think it really lives up to its hype, though. It's better than most of the EU out there, anyway.