Set roughly fifteen years or so after the original Thrawn Trilogy, Timothy Zahn’s Hand of Thrawn Duology kicks off with Specter of the Past, and honestly, it feels like Zahn is saying “NO!” to the other authors and pointing out how Star Wars should be written.
One of the remaining Moffs comes up with a plan to rally the Imperial Remnant and retake the galaxy. This moff, Disra, along with a conman named Flim and Major Tierce conspire to convince the Empire that Grand Admiral Thrawn is once again alive. Flim bears an uncanny resemblance to Thrawn, and with a little make-up and hair dye becomes an exact replica.
The faux Thrawn begins to gain support among the Empire, and our heroes soon find out what is going on, but they are in the same boat with those who believe it to be the real Thrawn. Meanwhile, Admiral Pellaeon, Thrawn’s former second-in-command, has convinced some of the moffs that a treaty with the Republic would be the best thing for the Empire, as it would ensure their continued survival.
One of the over-arching storylines in this duology is the discovery of the Caamas Document, which links the Bothans to the destruction of the planetary shields on Caamas, which allowed the Empire to decimate the planet. As a result of this new-found knowledge, other petty differences begin to take hold and the galaxy stands on the brink of Civil War.
Timothy Zahn is back to form once more, writing a better Star Wars novel than almost anyone else. His only competition in that department has been Matthew Stover and Troy Denning. Interesting note, at least for me, my copy of this book is actually signed by the man himself.
Re-readability: 9.1
Final Grade: A-
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