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Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » Vision of the Future (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 2) » User review

Great political intrigue, but a bit much

  • Sep 9, 2010
  • by
Rating:
+3
Of all the Star Wars Expanded Universe books, this one and its predecessor Specter of the Past (known as the Thrawn Duology) are second only to Timothy Zahn's original Heir to the Empire Trilogy. The political intrigue in this book is riveting, with a brilliant plot twist - the discovery of a document implicating Bothan spies in mass murder - that throws the New Republic into chaos.

My favorite parts of the book are those dealing the Imperials. I really appreciate that Zahn cares about his villains as much (if not more so) than the heroes. Gilad Pelleon in particular has some thoughtful dialogue as he tries to convince the Empire that peace is the only alternative. I also thought Zahn treated Mara Jade and Luke with great respect, subtly moving their relationship from awkwardness to romance. It's very nicely done and never anything abrupt. In terms of character development, Zahn is the master in the Star Wars universe.

As much as I liked the plot twist, I thought the book just spread itself a bit too thin and tried to cover too much. For example, it throws a lot of Expanded Universe names out there, like Corran Horn and Kueller. I've read the books involving those characters, but don't remember the details, and so lost some of the references Zahn made. At some points, Zahn seemed to want to cram some of his favorite characters into the plot, even when they don't advance the story much at all. Shada the Mistryl for example has some points to add to the story, but often just seems like an unrealistically omnipotent bodyguard (she can even take out Noghri!). Meanwhile, some characters are sent on side quests that just seem to be worth following all that much. I would have preferred if Zahn had consolidated the plot threats and focused more on the tensions within the New Republic. I don't think I'm alone in this because this second book is almost 700 pages long, or twice the length of the first one!

Overall, I definitely recommend reading this book and its predecessor if you like the original Heir to the Empire Trilogy. It wraps a lot of the plot threads up very well and sets the Star Wars universe up for the next chapter (the invasion of the Yuzhan Vong).

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More Vision of the Future (Star War... reviews
review by . September 15, 2010
posted in Forbidden Planet - Sci-Fi Books & Films!
Of all the Star Wars Expanded Universe books, this one and its predecessor Specter of the Past (known as the Thrawn Duology) are second only to Timothy Zahn's original Heir to the Empire Trilogy. The political intrigue in this book is riveting, with a brilliant plot twist - the discovery of a document implicating Bothan spies in mass murder - that throws the New Republic into chaos.      My favorite parts of the book are those dealing the Imperials. I really appreciate that …
see all Vision of the Future (Star War... reviews (2)
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Dominic J Nardi ()
Ranked #84
I am a recent law school grad with an interest in Southeast Asia legal issues. Unfortunately for my checkbook, ever since high school I have been addicted to good books. I have eclectic tastes, although … more
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About this book

Wiki

Timothy Zahn finishes the two-part Hand of Thrawn series withVision of the Future. In the first book,Specter of the Past, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo battled the minions of the evil Grand Admiral Thrawn, long presumed dead. In the sequel, our heroes must prevent civil war and ensure that Thrawn's plans for a triumphant Empire are thwarted. Intergalactic intrigue, space battles, and heart-pounding action will thrillStar Warsfans in this eagerly awaited novel. Zahn is one of the most popular interpreters of theStar Warsuniverse with good reason.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Details

ISBN-10: 0553578790
ISBN-13: 978-0553578799
Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Spectra
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"Great political intrigue, but a bit much"
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