Thrawn trilogy (1991-93) by Timothy Zahn

[Bomberboyokay]

I've heard of these books but never read them. They're set after the 1983 movie Return of the Jedi (you may be familiar with it).

Star Wars fans say they're good... but are they actually good? As an adult? Would someone who hasn't watched Star Wars 'get it'? Are they serious novels worth reading?

About 1,300 pages all up https://www.bookdepository.com/search/advanced?seriesId=85810

 

[DidakDelight]

I remember reading them about 25 years ago now and loved them.

At a time when there were no prequels and a good decade since return of the Jedi came out I found them to be amazing.

They should have just used these books instead of the force awakens and the other crap one.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

I remember reading them about 25 years ago now and loved them.

At a time when there were no prequels and a good decade since return of the Jedi came out I found them to be amazing.

They should have just used these books instead of the force awakens and the other crap one.

Would someone in their early 30s today like it?

 

[RolandF1]

I've heard of these books but never read them. They're set after the 1983 movie Return of the Jedi (you may be familiar with it).

Star Wars fans say they're good... but are they actually good? As an adult? Would someone who hasn't watched Star Wars 'get it'? Are they serious novels worth reading?

About 1,300 pages all up https://www.bookdepository.com/search/advanced?seriesId=85810

I'm not sure about reading them if someone hasn't watched the movies but yes, they are/were great reads if you have seen the original movies and were looking for sequel.

Zahn has a way of threading different parts of a story in separate ways then sucessfully bringing it all together. There are actual plots and not rehashes of the original trilogy, more of the western in space than Jedi vs Sith. More progression of the characters that sadly can be lacking in a lot of the other Star Wars books after.

Zahn treats the Star Wars universe with care and it feels like a natural progression of the original films.

There are some small contradictions due to being written before the prequels but on the other hand some of the elements even bring the prequels full circle with the original films with Coruscant and the empire's methods for returning to power.

 

[NSWCROW]

I remember reading the 1st one

 

[DidakDelight]

Would someone in their early 30s today like it?

I think so,
Heir to the Empire was a great read.

Give it a go

 

[BEaston]

I loved them as a teenager. I don't remember them being written for kids though, I think adults would enjoy but they'd probably have to be SW fans.

 

[Badesumofu]

I enjoyed them very much when I read them in my late teens. I think I reread the whole thing in my early or mid twenties and it held up pretty well. I have watched the Star Wars films (except the most recent one or two I think) but I wouldn't call myself a Star Wars fan. The better movies in the series are what I would call good ordinary movies, verging on really quite good at times.

If you're at least familiar with the original trilogy then that's going to help. If you haven't watched any Star Wars at all then I'm not sure. I've not heard of anyone reading any of the books who hasn't watched the movies. But Zahn is a solid writer who captures the voice of his characters well. He writes in limited third with each part having a clear point of view character although it's not made explicit like for example in ASOIAF. You get a variety of perspectives which are weaved together nicely to create a solid overall narrative.

I would definitely rate the series as good in its own right as opposed to good for a Star Wars series. But I still might suggest watching the original trilogy first, it's very much a sequel to that and the movies are also good enough to be worth watching in their own right.

 

[Thrawn]

Certainly are worth a read.

 

[RolandF1]

The latest Thrawn: Treason book is sadly a dud.

 

[King Elvis]

Definitely worth a read.

These books are exactly what the new Trilogy should've been - they're excellent.

 

[SM]

I've heard of these books but never read them. They're set after the 1983 movie Return of the Jedi (you may be familiar with it).

Star Wars fans say they're good... but are they actually good? As an adult? Would someone who hasn't watched Star Wars 'get it'? Are they serious novels worth reading?

About 1,300 pages all up https://www.bookdepository.com/search/advanced?seriesId=85810

Yep, they're great reads with great detailed plots. Some elements are a bit whacky, but whacky is part of SW at its core.

 

[Faz 2000]

Whether they’re great works or not, they are a vastly better, more interesting and coherent alternative continuation of the Star Wars story than the sequel trilogy. It’s criminal Disney didn’t just acknowledge that and deliver a version of Zahn’s books as the movies. Genuine threats to the goodies with interesting baddies, new locations and interesting exploration of the established universe - what else could you want?