Hoo Wants to Read About Star Wars Heir to the Empire?
Heir to the Empire is a continuation story of the Original Star Wars trilogy of A New Hope through Return of the Jedi. This book takes place 5 years after the trilogy and is the first story of the Thrawn Trilogy. Now that we've gotten that out of the way let's talk about the book itself.
In Heir to the Empire, we are transported to the New Republic created by the Resistance after the defeat of the Emperor and his Empire, and things aren't as great as Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca hoped for things to turn out. The New Republic is in political turmoil, and Leia Solo, because she married Han Solo, of course, is caught up in its web. Which wouldn't be too terrible for her if she weren't pregnant with twins! Not only does she have to worry about the twins growing in her belly, but she also struggles to master her new found Jedi powers. As Leia's power grows so does her connection with her brother Luke Skywalker, and she begins to realize the struggle he endured as he developed his power in order to bring their father back from the Dark side of the force. The more she thinks of Luke the more she worries about him as she knows that he is wondering through space alone.
While the Republic is busy feuding within itself a new threat arises to bring about more turmoil. The Empire has returned with a new Grand Admiral by the name of Thrawn. A merciless tactician who's ambitious is to return the Empire to its original power. On his quest for power he seeks out a rumored wielder of the force, and though he succeeds, he comes across a man very different from his expectations. The force wielder goes by the name of Master C'boath, and claims to be a member of the old Jedi Council. Thrawn deduces that the man is insane and completely unstable, and knows there is no way he could possibly be a master of the Jedi Council as he is also dark and cruel. The reason for such a confusion of identity is due to the fact that this Master C'boath is really Jorus C'boath a clone of the original Jedi Master. Thrawn finds the dark Jedi to be exactly the kind of power he needs for his dream of the Empire to be realized and forms an alliance with the man in the hopes of defeating his enemies. C'boath only has one requirement for the alliance, and that is to be able to train Leia's unborn children in the way of the force and Luke Skywalker as well.
As the story unfolds we come across a new character by the name of Mara Jade as she searches for Luke. Her search as we find out isn't about friendship or admiration, but one of revenge for her fallen master the Emperor. Mara finds Luke and takes him captive using the help of a force neutralizing lizard called a Ysalamir to even the playing field. Luke and Mara travel through a jungle as Mara plans to bring him off world, but along the way the Empire shows up to take Luke for themselves. Things start to look grim for Luke, but Lando Calrissian and his crew come to save the day. Luke is taken off world away from Mara and the Empire by Lando, and they rendezvous with the famous X-wing pilot Wedge Antilles before they end up in another battle.
I certainly enjoyed this story as it offered a great perspective on what happened after the fall of the Emperor and Darth Vader. It offers the reader a fun mix of politics, space battles, deception, humor, and of course the force. As you read the story you are brought back to the Star Wars world you love as you spend time with your favorite heroes and new villains. I quite liked the descriptions of Leia trying to master the force, and Luke trying to understand his place in the now changing universe run by the New Republic. Yet, I would have preferred if more of the force and Jedi Philosophy were mentioned. However, since there is less mention of the force, the story falls into more of a traditional Sci-Fi story in comparison to some modern Star Wars Writings that focus on the Sith and Jedi philosophical views rather than space and technology. The Story offers many twists and turns as it unveils events for the next two stories in the trilogy, but it does so in a way that could stand alone if it weren't a part of a series.
My Rating: 7/10 Stars
+ Great detail
+ Exciting Plot
- Less involved with the Jedi
Thank you for reading and please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, or if you would like to discuss what I've written and compare it to how you've read the book. Just send me a hoot!
