STAR WARS - SPECTER OF THE PAST

A Bantam Spectra Book

Written by Timothy Zahn

Copyright 1997 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cover illustration by Drew Struzan,
copyright 1997 by Lucasfilm Ltd.




Star Wars - Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn, is the first of the The Hand of Thrawn Duology. With the Empire on the brink of collapse, the New Republic is also on the verge of a civil war as various factions want justice for the virtual extermination of the Caamasi race and their planet. However, this pales in comparison to the shocking news - the Empire's Grand Admiral Thrawn is back.

I liked how Thrawn was brought back into the series and how manipulative he and his co-conspirators are in the Empire as they make strategic plans for their agenda in creating their own power. I also liked how honorable Admiral Pellaeon tries to broker a peace between the Empire and the New Republic. Pellaeon was never really the Empire to me, but just a guy caught up in the political aspect of the galaxy. I was not crazy about the various political factions capitalizing on revenge for the Caamasi for their own agendas. Only the Caamasi should have the right to proclaim justice, and the Caamasi refuse to do so - but the other factions within the New Republic refuse to do what the Caamasi say, zealously enraging their own biases.

Luke teams up with Mara Jade to search for rogue pirate ships in deep space, which apparently contain clones, as well as sesarching for the appearance of a mysterious ship which appears to be related to Thrawn. You can see Luke and Mara's relationship growing as Luke teaches Mara more about the Force, and Mara teaches Luke more about himself as they search for the Hand of Thrawn.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - THE LAST COMMAND

Bantam Spectra

Written by Timothy Zahn

Copyright 1993 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

In The Last Command, Volume 3 of a Three-Book Cycle of Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Coruscant, the home capital world of the New Republic, is under bombardment by cloaked asteroids from space being delivered by Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet. Meanwhile, smuggler entrepreneaur Talon Karrde tries to build a partnership of smugglers to go up against the Empire. Luke and Mara go up against an insane Dark Jedi named C'boath in C'boath's secret fortified cloning facility who is determined to make Luke and Mara as his apprentices as well as shaping Leia's unborn Jedi twins into his own image.

After searching for, and locating, the lost Katana fleet of warships in the last book Dark Force Rising - the Katana fleet is hardly mentioned at all in The Last Command, which was a disappointment to me, when you consider how powerful the Katana fleet would have made the Republic if the Republic were the ones who had found the Katana fleet instead of the Empire. This is a shame as I was expecting that the fleet of warships would be utilized against the Republic in massive space battles, especially under the strategic command of Thrawn. While they may have been out of date, a fleet of warships is still pretty powerful and it was sad for me not to see them utilized. It is curious at how I was not sure which way Mara Jade would side with, as Mara used to be known as the Emperor's Hand. Insane Dark Jedi C'baoth was a very frustrating and formidable foe that I had looked forward to C'baoth being beaten.

Pancho
All people smile in the same langauge.

Star Wars - Survivor's Quest

A Del Rey Book

Written by Timothy Zahn

Copyright 2004 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.

Excerpt from Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil Copyright 2005 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.

In Survivor's Quest, the remains of Outbound Flight, a lost Jedi Expedition from fifty years ago, have been found. Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker join a diplomatic expedition with the Chiss and a new alien species and travel to the remains of Outbound Flight to search for Jedi history - and discover secrets and treachery.

It is great to see Luke and Mara Jade work together as both Jedi and married couple. Mara has matured from being a brash young woman from when she had first appeared in the Star Wars universe, into an experienced mature loving woman with incredible power in the Force. It was hard for me to relate to the new aliens that were depicted in the story, in which the book makes the aliens appear to be a new force in the universe.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Wars - Allegiance

Del Rey Books Mass Market Edition

Copyright 2007 by Lucuasfilm Ltd.

Written by Timothy Zahn



In Allegiance, by Timothy Zahn, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and Han Solo are sent to mediate between Rebel factions. Mara Jade, while serving her master - Emperor Palpatine - searches for treachery in the Empire. Meanwhile, a team of Imperial stormtroopers jump ship - and form an independent justice group.

While I find it is always interesting to follow the exploits of a young Mara Jade, the fugitive Imperial stormtroopers were much more interesting for me to be involved with as the stormtroopers wind up serving the spirit of their ideals - instead of following evil orders. After one of the troopers accidentally kills a brutal Imperial Security Bureau agent, the troopers must flee from their ship. As the troopers struggle for a solution as to where to find a place of where to hide, the troopers still get involved in helping people when those people get in trouble.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Terminator Salvation - From the Ashes

Titan Books


Written by Timothy Zahn


Copyright 2009 T Asset Acquisition Company, LLC.


In From the Ashes, Judgement Day has just happened and John Connor and his Resistance group help protect a group of human survivors in Los Angeles from the aggressive robotic Terminators.

Half the book deals with the Marine responsible for security for the survivors in Los Angeles as well as dealing with a teen aged Kyle Reese - but Kyle never meets the famed John Connor in this prequel to the movie Terminator Salvation. Just like with the movie, this is not really a book about John Connor leading the resistance. This book is more about the resistance butting heads with a human survival group that just wants to be left alone.

See movie review:
Terminator - Salvation

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.