Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances. In the highly anticipated sequel to last year’s Thrawn, we get a Thrawn/Vader team up and a Clone Wars era adventure but how did we actually like the book? To mission control for the verdict!
Bria: I didn’t dislike Thrawn but Thrawn: Alliances was a hell of a lot more fun for me. The smaller scale story absolutely works to its benefit and also PADMÉ! There was lots of Padmé in this book! (I know what I’m about.) Also… it’s basically a Vader and Thrawn road trip which is everything I ever wanted but didn’t know until now. (Also I am now inclined to defend Karyn Faro with my life. Can she go hang out with SLOANE?) Zahn does an excellent job of telling both the Clone Wars era and the current timeline story, weaving them together and slowly showing us how they’re connected. This feels like one of those books that will appeal to a broad range of Star Wars fans and for different reasons. It may not be my favorite Star Wars book ever but it was definitely hard as hell to put down. Thrawn: Alliances gets a GO from me.
Nanci: Like Bria, I enjoyed Thrawn but Thrawn: Alliances hit way more buttons for me. I’ll say this right off the bat – it is my favorite Del Rey book of the new canon. That’s high praise from me, especially for a book that partly takes place during the prequel era (not my jam), but Zahn proves once again why he’s the master of writing Star Wars books. The two plot lines (Thrawn, Anakin, and Padmé in the Clone Wars era, and Thrawn and Vader in the Rebels era) weave together expertly, with revelations from one pushing the other forward and adding to the tension. Zahn’s characterization is superb, especially his take on Padmé, a character I’ve had a hard time relating to in the past. The other crew members on the Chimaera add a lot of flavor to the story; my personal favorite is Commodore Faro, and I would love to see more from her in the future. (Can I add that I love how Canon Rukh continues to annoy people as much as his Legends counterpart did?)
The real stars of this book, though, are Thrawn and Anakin/Vader. I love how Anakin and Vader are written so differently (as they should be) while Thrawn remains consistent through both timelines. The scenes with Thrawn and Vader on the Chimaera are where Zahn really shines. The tension between the two men is palpable, as well as the grudging respect. These are two extremely competent men and it is so satisfying to see them forced to work together (although sadly in the service of a fascist dictatorship). Two common Legends criticisms regarding Zahn’s writing had to do with his treatment of Vader and writing Thrawn as too omnipotent or “whitewashed.” While I didn’t share these views, I can safely say that Zahn’s portrayals of both characters are superb and it would be hard pressed for anyone to make the same criticisms here.
Thrawn: Alliances gets the highest of GOs from me. I can’t wait to read Zahn’s next contribution to the Star Wars saga.
Chris: Just to be a broken record, I, too, liked Thrawn but didn’t love it. Alliances, on the other hand, might just be my new favorite Star Wars book. Readers (or listeners to the Book Wars Pod) know that Anakin/Vader is my all-time favorite Star Wars character, so the deck was stacked for me going in, but the parallel plots – between “present” and past – worked together seamlessly, and I could just feel the similarities and differences between the Chosen One’s personas in a way I’ve always wanted to see in the canon. Thrawn, on the other hand, shows us an entirely new side of himself: he’s vulnerable – dare I say, almost human. Watching two titans of the Empire work together and sharpen each other’s skills in the process was a joy to read, as was Zahn’s portrayal of Padmé, who is portrayed not simply as Anakin’s damsel in distress but as a star in her own right, as she should be. Go, go, GO to read Thrawn: Alliances immediately – and start petitioning LFL for more Zahn books.
Flight Director’s Ruling: Thrawn: Alliances is a GO for launch!
