Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (Review)
All about that Imperial War
Thrawn by Timothy Zahn
My rating: 4/5
Pub Date: April 11, 2017
Legends/Canon: Canon
Timeline: sometime after Revenge of the Sith - 2 BBY
Thrawn was the first Star Wars book I ever read way back in December 2021. That doesn’t feel like a long time ago, but in the realm of me and books that’s ancient history. As such, the details of the book are, shall we say, fuzzy. So this review will be a bit short and not as extensive.
The Elevator Pitch:
Thrawn is what happens when an Empire that doesn’t like aliens, initiates a super strategic, super blue, alien into their ranks. Battles of galactic proportions ensue, politics abound, and when all is said and done, will Thrawn be able to out-strategize an entire Empire?
Characters:
Thrawn: A blue-skinned, red-eyed alien of the Chiss race. Exiled by his people for his ideals (I think), Thrawn ends up with the Empire. His advanced military strategy skills are quite useful to the Empire’s war effort. Cold, hard logic is Thrawn’s game, and that doesn’t earn him many friends, except, somehow Emperor Palpatine? Takes an evil genius to know one, I guess.
Eli Vanto: A grunt in the ranks of the Empire, but good at languages. Eli becomes Thrawn’s translator, and later as close to a friend as Thrawn really gets. A protege to Thrawn’s strategic ways, we see Eli grow in intelligence, but not in rank. Apparently you have to be an alien, or Anakin, to earn a spot on Emperor Palpatine’s favorites list.
Arihnda Pryce: An inclusion to this book that I didn’t see coming, Arihnda Pryce is a girl all about those politics. Hailing from the Outer Rim world of Lothal, but craving anything else, Arihnda goes on a political side quest through the many offices of Coruscant. She’s cunning, and not afraid to stab a back or two to get what she wants, political power.
The Plot and My Thoughts:
This book takes us from Thrawn’s exile from the Chiss Ascendancy all the way to his Grand Admiralness in the Empire. There’s plenty of battles to be fought, spice to be burned, and people to insult with a sly blue smile. All in all, this is a military book with a healthy side of politics. I think Arihnda says it best when she’s talking with Thrawn, “Your entire career has been one of military triumphs and political bumps.”
Since the plot is pretty much all military, my thoughts on it aren’t very extensive. All I can really say is that it was only after reading this book that the Spice trade that runs through all of Star Wars finally started to stick out to me. Since reading this book, I’ve picked up on so much of the Spice trade throughout the movies and other Star Wars content. I honestly feel like I’ve been living under a rock as far as that is concerned, and I must extend my heartfelt thanks to Thrawn and Timothy Zahn for removing said rock.
My Recommendation:
A must read for fans of Rebels and everyone else too.
If you want a little more Thrawn and some of my more spoilery thoughts click here to see my analysis post.