I first discovered this book in college when “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” show was all the rage but like so many others it languished on my TBR pile for quite a while. I don’t know what prompted me to pick up this book recently but I’m so glad I did. Heir to the Empire is the first part of what is essentially called the Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn. Before we go any further though there are a few details to clear up as the whole Star Wars universe is quite extensive and tends to get a bit confusing.

There are over hundreds of Star Wars books that have been released (and this isn’t including the comics), and while they all paint one part of an intricately detailed painting of a galaxy far far away, the novels have been broadly classified into two categories. We have the Star Wars Canon books and the Star Wars Legends books. To not go into too much detail, Star Wars canon books are those that have been published after the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney in 2012, while all books published prior to this have been classified as Star Wars Legends. Its safe to say that there are some key differences surrounding characters and their progression between the old books and the new; the latter having to match the characters’ on-screen version.

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire was published in 1991 and is considered a part of Star Wars Legends (so what you read about characters and events here is going to be different from what you’ve seen thus far in the new movies). The events in the book take place around 5 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker is the last surviving Jedi after the Jedi were purged during the events of Order 66. Leia has begun to awaken her ability to sense and harness the force but is bogged down with her role as a senator in strengthening the new Republic in the fight against the Empire. Oh, and she’s also carrying twins. Yes. Han Solo and Leia Organa are having twins in this book unlike in the latest movies, and subsequently the canon books, where they have one son, Ben Solo. This is an important point because while this could be the beginning of a new Jedi order there are several elements in this trilogy that would use this knowledge for their own benefit. While our protagonists work to get the new Republic on a sure footing while keeping Leia out of harm’s way, they encounter a force to be reckoned with in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn. 

I went into this book looking forward to reading more about this character that is considered one of the most significant characters in the Star Wars (legends) universe. He does not disappoint. Thrawn was amazing. He’s analytical, astute in his observations, and with a calm frightening aura that bleeds through the pages. I just wanted to read more of his story, so much so that the rest of the plot became secondary to what possible schemes and offensive campaigns this grand admiral would come up with next. That being said though the rest of the book is entertaining and introduces us to a myriad of characters, both familiar and new, none of whom failed to captivate me. One, in particular, sets the stage for what really separates Star wars legends novels from canon novels. The plot as a whole was relatively fast-paced and very interesting. It had the feel of a thriller at times. Very excited to pick up the next two books in this series. Definitely recommended to any sci-fi/star wars fan.

Rating: 4/5

Links:

1. Goodreads: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire
2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
3. The Thrawn Trilogy
4. The Difference between Star Wars Canon and Legends
5. Star Wars Legends Timeline
6. Return of the Jedi