Nearly three decades after debuting the character of Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn in the first Star Wars inspired trilogy, Zahn crafts the origin story of his fan-favorite villain, tracing Thrawn's rise through the imperial ranks as he proves to the Empire time and again the value of his military genius. Actor Thompson turns in a mixed performance for the audio edition. On the one hand, he develops great voices for the novel's many characters and adds intensity to the story's battle scenes. However, at other times, his performance can get overemotional. Regardless, the audiobook, which also includes a musical score and sound effects, provides a great experience for Star Wars fans. A Del Rey hardcover. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Star Wars fans were introduced to Grand Admiral Thrawn in 1991 in Zahn's Heir to the Empire. This new origin story provides the narrative of how the Empire finds Thrawn and follows his rise to power in the Imperial Navy. This tale takes place after Episode III but before the Rogue One film and brings the reader to the start of the 2017 television season of Star Wars Rebels. After Thrawn is captured by Imperials, cadet Eli Vanto is ordered to act as his translator. Thrawn meets the emperor and makes a powerful ally. Thrawn, after going through a learning curve in a military academy, demonstrates his strategic and tactical genius and rises quickly up the ranks of the Navy. Arihnda Price is provided in a parallel story line as a character study in evil. Each chapter begins with a philosophical look at warriors and leadership from Thrawn's point of view. Narrator Marc Thompson performs marvelously as all personae. His dialog and the sound effects bring listeners right into the Star Wars universe. VERDICT Star Wars fans, especially those of the previous Zahn books of Thrawn, will be pleased and will find this gem worth the wait.-Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.