Lit The Thrawn Trilogy - My Brutally Honest Review

In light of Zahn's character becoming canon in the "Rebels" tv show.....I decided to read (and listen to the audiobooks on my way to work....long drive.)

I've never got around to read to the books back then and just wondered what all the fuss was about ( Ya know...Thrawn and Mara Jade.) So I kept my mind open and thought I would see what the "Legends" era would take me in my search for a Star Wars fix.

I'm two books in....and let me tell you, I'm bored. Yes...hard to believe a fan (which I am...love Star Wars....I even write fan fics for it.), but Zahn's writing is very, very horrid. Why do I keep reading it then? Because...I'm curious to see how it will end and if the characters will get any better.

First - I do love Thrawn. Grand Admiral Thrawn is a fantastic character, he's super intelligent, a great military leader and a wonderful villian....but far too boring in personaity. I mean, god...give the man something to do or have a plan that makes sense. Not just have him sit there thinking and saying "No.." or "Interesting" or even "Very good". So damn dry. But....maybe that's just how he's meant to be I guess.

Second - Luke is made too weak of a character...for that matter so is Leia, Han, Chewie and....oh, hell...everyone else. If I see Luke say "I'll be alright" or "I'll be fine" one more time in that frickin' novel, I'm going to go to Mr. Zahn's house and scold him for over using catch lines. Even Han with his "Yeah" or "Trust me" is so badly overly done time and time again....it just ticks me off.

Third - The descriptive narritive is so childish and clumsy it makes me do a double take to make sure this was, in fact, an adult writing this book. A whole two paragraphs drone on and on about what the creature 'kinda' resembles or what it's thinking in the moment, makes the book down to a level that insults the intelligence of the reader.

Last but not least - I'm so disappointed in the overall plot (again, still going to read the last book to make sure)....it makes no sense. Sabo..whatever his made up name is....a cloned Dark Jedi?? No. No, no, no...why is this in here? That character has nothing to add or even have any reason for even being part of this story. So he's been there all that time and the Jedi don't know he exists.....PLEASE! That's almost as bad as those creatures blocking the force (Pure fodder to keep Luke's character from ending this whole thing quickly).

*Sigh*

I'm just so not impressed with this triolgy. And the fact that other people would think this would have been better then The Force Awakens are on pure crack. These books are drowning in boredom and lacking any tense or action-oriented Star Wars charm. Now, that being said....this book was written in a time where there was a big lack of SW goodness. So I guess this would have been something to fill the void at the time.

But I did not find these books to be anything close to the "movie" status of SW at all. I feel like a university grad wrote this (or was forced too) and forgot to remember that this was suppose to be STAR WARS not STAR TREK. (Oh I'm gonna pay for that one aren't it.....)


I'll be back for more....cause I have a lot about the characterizations, Mara Jade and well....anything else I didn't enjoy.

But I did enjoy somethings.....I will mention those too. Honest.

 

It really is just a matter of opinion and a lot of people likely would have really enjoyed it no matter what the situation. But you are right that the amount of attention and love it got likely had a lot to do with the fact that it was the first post Jedi Star Wars story that had been released in nearly a decade and the first Star Wars story of anykind released in years.

Similar to TFA and TPM back in the day as well in regards to Star Wars movies.

 

No part of Star Wars is absolutely perfect and yes it is annoying when things like TFA, Thrawn Trilogy, ESB get put on a pedestal while things like the prequels etc are largely overlooked/ panned. You just gotta respect to other people's opinons while voicing your own

 

What exactly is wrong with Luke in TTT? IMO HTTE shows nicely, what Luke is capable of even without the Force at his disposal.

As for C'Baoth and nobody noticing him. First we don't know, when the clone was created (after Order 66 there wouldn't be any Jedi left to notice) and second, the Jedi didn't notice for a thousand years, that there were Sith running around and the last of those was in the same room as the Masters of the Order on probably hundreds of occasions for almost two decades and the Jedi were none the wiser.

And what is so great about TFA? It is basically a badly done rehash of ANH, only that the toys of the villains are bigger, but still suck against the good guys. We also know there is a New Republic (of which we see nothing, which also means, that when it gets blown up nobody cares) some FirstOrder, which is supposed to be "mysterious", although it is clear from the beginning, that they are the villains and a Resistance fighting the FO (and which is even more pitiful than the Rebels in ANH). Silly ideas like a soldier supposed to be indoctrinated since childhood suddenly deserting or a planet-based superweapon draining the star it orbits for its energy or the need for a star map to find some lost Jedi ... . Those are just the tip of the iceberg of what is all wrong with TFA.

 

Yeah, I could say the exact same thing about TFA, because from my point of view TFA was the one "drowning in boredom and lacking any tense or action-oriented Star Wars charm."

 

Will you be reviewing the sequels the Hand of Thrawn Duology at all ?

 

To all comments about TFA being less then stellar....I would say it was a "good" attempt at trying to bring the franchise back to life. Just as much as these books where. But...they are dated that's for sure. The problem I have with C'Baoth or any clone of a Jedi (Or Sith for that matter) is that the Force would not be able to be present in these hosts. The issue for me is that the midichlorians (ugh...still hate Lucas for putting that in) cannot re-create the Force in a host that they themselves do not "will" into existance.

So I guess the real issue is....can someone clone the Force?

I know there are books later on that re-clone the emperor and so on....but really, I'm sure that's just a foil for the writer to get around bringing someone back as a cheat.

The problem I have with Luke in this book is that he's far too whimpy. He's defeated Vader and overcome the Emperor's influence....and now he's still unsure of himself? Ok, sure....it is a big responsiblity of bringing back the Jedi Order and being the Galaxy's only hope to keep the evil at bay. But Luke would never be so passive to all of these characters coming at him. He seems so relaxed in character I may have to check his pulse for a heartbeatl Again, maybe that's just a sign of the times the writer was in.

The book itself seems far too stretched out (Much like The Hobbit Movies) there was a lot of redundant chapters and odd character background stories that truly made me laugh out loud on why that's even needed in the book. Also, the bits he adds in to fill gaps of the story is just....well...I dunno, dumb. It's kind of like writhing about Luke energentically standing up at a dinner table staring everyone down and then announcing to everyone he has to go to the bathroom...then leave the room. You'd be like....huh? What was that in there for? That's how I feel some of the segments are.

 

Can you expand your reasoning? I am not certain I follow what you mean

 

If you just happen to dislike the Thrawn trilogy's grammar, characterization and plot, that's your opinion and that's fine. Its historic place in the old Star Wars EU certainly helped a lot, as did Grand Admiral Thrawn of course.

Not sure about a lot of your other complaints. Its not like Luke dropped off the face of the galaxy without a word to either Han or Leia about where he was going or why, Artoo isn't in a depression coma and isn't too lazy to tell everyone where Luke is, and we actually see the government the Rebel Alliance built managing the galaxy mostly fine.

And by the rules of the old EU, the C'baoth clone didn't stick out much. Heck, this trilogy established many of the rules the old EU followed (TFU 2 for instance had some similar ideas, though executed far worse) until it was all thrown out in favor of a new, darker, more angsty reboot with more deaths and stupidity.

 

C'baoth? Nothing to add? No reason for being part of the story?

I mean, he's a major part of Thrawn's plan, isn't he? (damn it's been a long time since I've read it)

 

He is, but DarthGaul hasn't read The Last Command yet, so it's not completely implausible that he wouldn't see the character's importance to both Thrawn's plot and Zahn's plot.

 

I think the books are their own universe....as GL had always stated. But like I said...they were written in a time before the prequel triliogy and had no idea at some of the back history or planets. Hence -Coruscant (Luke seeing mountains in the distance while on a balcony....which we now know, there's only mega-city scape.)

In a way....I"m glad this is not cannon. But I am glad to see Thrawn as cannon now. Dispite what I think of the book overall, I do like Grand Admiral Thrawn. And it's not the grammar I'm having issues with, it's the oddly placed discriptions and analogies. Things like - The creature replied like cold water from a tap. Uhhh....what?

Forget what I said about the whole force cloning bit...that's a heated debate that might just lead into hate...which leads to anger and then, well....you know.

Maybe I'll just state what I do like about the books (since i'm so focused on the negative aspects of it).

The stuff I do like:

- Grand Admiral Thrawn (Nice to see an intelligent officer in the Empire....dull and somewhat too relaxed he might be in his personality.)

- Turmoil after the New Republic takes over (Yeah, everyone want a piece of the action....again...boring stuff to read, but I guess necessary.)

- Lando still Lando (Not a General anymore, but still trying to make the big, big bucks. Way to go Lando!)

- The veil of the Darkside still hanging over Endor (Good...maybe now that will keep everyone away from those annoying Ewoks....no? Drat.)

Obviously, Timothy Zahn has made much money from this and my small complaint in the much larger novel money machine isn't going to fade loyal fans from enjoying these books. I wouldn't want that anyway. I'm just voicing my opinon of the trilogy and feel the way I feel about it after the fact. Do I feel it is not worth the read? No, never said that. Do I think this is the best novel trilogy ever? Nope....but then again, can't say I've ever read any other SW novel trilogy to compare it too.

Yes, I haven't read the last book yet....maybe I'll see how the cloned dark Jedi insanity freak fits into the whole plot.

Oh and compared to the SW Aftermath novel....yeah, this is a step better then that. Cause that book was.....well...that a whole other review.

 

The first time I read the Thrawn trilogy, when it was hot off the presses, I loved it. When I went back and tried to reread it a few years ago, my reaction was very close to the OP here. Suffice it to say that for me, the years have not been kind to Zahn's books.

 

I'm the opposite. I'm always scared to go back and reread early Zahn, and the books always end up surprising me with how good they are. I'm re-reading the trilogy now for a podcast and it's as great as ever.

 

DarthGaul you would NOT have felt that way in 1991 trust me. Everything ages after awhile. We find better ways to write and articulate the universe. Problem is everyone is adhd now, and can't absorb a good slow moving story. not saying that is you, but everything has to be action now.

 

I suppose it's just different taste. Me? I prefer sci-fi in my Star Wars. Yes, space opera is great and I'm not saying it should rid of as a factor, but I want Star Wars to advance as the EU advanced it. Beyond simple good and evil. If it's to be more than simple constant rehash of the past, you need to look to the future. Thrawn trilogy introduces a villain that isn't an evil monster but simply a man with his own ideas on how to run the Galaxy. It also showed, through C'Boath's clone, that the Jedi if allowed to run wild like he was can be just as bad if not worse than the Sith. As for complaints in regards to pacing, I agree with JediMatteus. Not your fault, just all recent forms of media has ACTION EVERYWHERE ACTION NOW. This is coming from someone whose issues from the Senate scenes in the Prequels weren't that they were politics, but that Lucas had no idea what he was doing with those politics and just threw contemporary Bush politics in there.

 

Re-read the Thrawn trilogy a couple years back and loved it.

It doesn't bother that some things for it were disproven/changed/whatever later.

It was made earlier, so I can put those errors into a bubble and still enjoy the trilogy.

Still feels the closest to the OT movies in feel imo.

 

I admire someone putting up an honest review of a piece of Star Wars EU that so many people give you a sideways glare if you have a negative opinion about it.

I just finished reading Heir to the Empire last night for the first time. I was also a bit underwhelmed but I don't know if the majority of that just comes from it being so hyped up that it couldn't possibly live up to it. I agree that Zahn's writing is quite bland and very repetitive, for example, he used a lot of phrases over and over that I kept noticing and it was very jarring to read sometimes, phrases like "the other said", "he felt his stomach tighten" and "his eyes glittered" (among others that I can't think of off the top of my head.

I was really expecting to like Mara Jade after hearing so much about her and knowing she's very much a fan favourite. Most of my dislike for her comes from her motivation for hating Luke so much that she wants to kill him. Before the reason was revealed, I thought she maybe

Spoiler

had a family member or lover or something on the first Death Star and blamed Luke for since he destroyed it but it turns out he basically just caused her to lose her job.

however, I did start to warm to her towards the end.

I don't agree with Luke being portrayed as weak, I thought Luke, Han, Chewie and Lando were handled very well and remained true to their characters in the films. The only one I thought was slightly weak was Leia, a little bit too much damsel in distress.

As for Thrawn himself, I loved him! his icy personality and the way he intimidated his staff, there just wasn't enough of him in the book, hope he's more heavily featured in the rest of the trilogy. Wasn't enough C'Boath either in my opinion but I'm still going to go into books 2 and 3 with an open mind.

That's my two cents contributed.

 

Well, it took balls for her to steal the Noghri's alliance from the Empire. Yeah she had to hide, but I did not see her as weak

 

Re: Mara, It's a lot more than her just losing her job. She lost her entire life.

 

I didn't say she was weak, I just found her a bit unlikable, that said, I do think this book was just introducing her and she'll come into her own in the other two.

Yeah but she wants to kill him, take his life! It just didn't seem justified to me but I'm just one person.

 

Of course it's not justified! But that's all part of the character arc.