This series is a follow-up to the previous Thrawn trilogy. The events take place 10 years after the events of the last book. You can find a review of the previous trilogy here.

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TL;DR review: A fitting follow-up to an already amazing trlogy. Action packed, suspenseful, filled with espionage and multiple viewpoints that will have you dreading having to put the books down. Not to be missed for fans of Star Wars, and the Thrawn Trilogy.

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NOTE: Please note that the following review will comtain spoilers for the previous trilogy.

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This duology consists of two books: Spectre of the past, and Vision of the Future, though it reads like one large book that has been split up into two. This is the story of how the New Republic gains an upper hand against the Empire after the fall of Thrawn but internal strife, and the re-emergence of past incidents, have made life difficult for the senators of the New Republic. In the midst of all this, Admiral Pellaeon, Thrawn’s right hand man, sees the only way forward is to broker some form of peace / deal with the New Republic so that they may salvage some portion of their empire as opposed to utter defeat at the hands of the Rebellion and the New Republic. This does not sit well with the remaining Moffs as they prefer dying for what they consider a losing cause than actually consider the larger picture. One among them, Moff Disra, has decided to put forth a plan that will rock the Empire and the New Republic on their heels. The re-emergence of Grand Admiral Thrawn! A carefully prepared con artist takes the place of the fallen Grand Admiral and begins issuing orders to continue the war against the New Republic. On the other side, strange occurrences, and rumours of Thrawn’s survival have everyone in the New Republic fearing the worst.

These books are such a roller coaster ride. Written like they could be movies, there are so many points of view that at times it gets a little confusing. We have Leia trying to maintain peace in the senate, Han and Lando breaking into an impenetrable fortress to get some crucial information, Mara Jade has disappeared whilst exploring a distant planet, Luke is travelling around trying to figure out a certain uneasiness in his mind before he senses Mara Jade’s distress and goes to help. All this because of a strange transmission that was received which said “The Hand of Thrawn”. That is the question everyone wants answered. Is this one of Thrawn’s apprentices, like how Mara Jade was the emperor’s? Is this the reason Thrawn is apparently still alive? So many questions, so many answers in this absolutely brilliant follow-up to an already stunning trilogy. Definitely a must-read if you enjoyed the original trilogy. I would not recommend reading these two books before reading the original trilogy as a lot of details would not make sense, nor would the feelings of surprise, shock, grief, elation, or anything, be even remotely close to one who has experienced the first three books.

Rating: 4/5 for both books.

Links:

• Goodreads: Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology – Timothy Zahn
• Series Review: Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy – Timothy Zahn