Author: Timothy Zahn
Published: 1992
Being the second part of a trilogy, this book did its job very well. It ramped up the action a bit and moved things along nicely, leaving a decent cliffhanger at the end.
Like the previous installment, Heir to the Empire, I remember seeing this book in the library as a kid. It really intrigued me, but I just couldn't find any motivation to read a Star Wars book when I had the movies at home. I could pop the original trilogy into the VCR and give my brain a rest. If I read these books, I'd have to let my imagination do all the work. That's just no fun for a 12-year-old. Well, it wasn't for me.
But now, I kind of wish I had actually picked up these books and read them cover to cover. There are a lot of stories set in this fictional universe that have been written since these books were published. If I'm at all interested in catching up with the Star Wars novels (and I kind of am), I've got a lot of reading to do. If I'd started back in the day, I'd probably know all the ins and outs of what happened after the fall of the Galactic Empire.
Then again, I probably wouldn't have appreciated these stories then as I do now. Being the person I am now, I love to read. I love to let my imagination get carried away. I love picturing these worlds and battles as if they're being played on the movie screen of my mind. Not sure my 12-year-old self would have been able to comprehend everything that was happening. And I certainly wouldn't have noticed the holes in the continuity.
But, to be fair, these books were written long before George Lucas decided to film his prequels. Some of the back story given by Zahn obviously needs to be adjusted thanks to the movies that came along a few years later. All in all a good read. I look forward to the final chapter in the trilogy, The Last Command.
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