• Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

  • (20th Anniversary Edition), The Thrawn Trilogy, Book 1
  • By: Timothy Zahn
  • Narrated by: Marc Thompson
  • Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (26,138 ratings)

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Star Wars: Heir to the Empire  By  cover art

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

By: Timothy Zahn
Narrated by: Marc Thompson
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Publisher's summary

Here is a special edition 20th anniversary release of the number-one New York Times best-selling novel that reignited the entire Star Wars publishing phenomenon - unabridged for the first time. The biggest event in the history of Star Wars books, Heir to the Empire follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia after they led the Rebel Alliance to victory in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

Five years after the Death Star was destroyed and Darth Vader and the Emperor were defeated, the galaxy is struggling to heal the wounds of war, Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins, and Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of new Jedi Knights.

But thousands of light-years away, the last of the Emperor’s warlords - the brilliant and deadly Grand Admiral Thrawn - has taken command of the shattered Imperial fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the New Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to create.

The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale - in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

More in the Thrawn Trilogy we have. And listen to all of our Star Wars titles you can!
©1991 Timothy Zahn (P)2011 Random House Audio

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What listeners say about Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

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The True Sequels

I read these in high school. These are the real Episodes 7,8,9 - not that hot garbage Disney came up with.

It’s superb! Great story. It feels just like ROTJ just finished and I popped in the next VHS tape. Excellent voice acting, music, sound effects. Excellently produced.

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Great story

Wish Marc Thompson used the new thrawn voice. Really good story and as always Timothy Zahn is a genius

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Fantastic

Great book. I highly recommend it. It is good to revisit a time when Star Wars wasn’t awful.

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Excellent.

The original Thrawn Trilogy is excellent as always. yhe nee Trilogies are better, though.

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A real page-turner! (metaphorically speaking)

Fantastic story and the music, sound effects and voice acting really sells it! One of the best Star Wars novels I've listened to on here!

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An actual Star Wars story most fans can jump right into.

Zahn did a great job of picking up where return of the Jedi ends. The journeys, characters and world building are great. The narrator was great too!

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So glad I finally listened to it!!

It took me forever to finally listen to this audiobook, but man I finally have!! I’m a big Star Wars fan and Timothy Zahn does all of the characters justice!
The characters are amazing because they’re just like in the original trilogy and they are INTELLIGENT! They think their ways out of problems and I just love what feels like a continuation of everyone’s story.
Can’t wait to finish the trilogy!

(P.S. Marc Thompson’s Han Solo impression is so good I thought they brought in someone else just to do his voice)

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A classic story done exceptionally well

The story itself is amazing, the audio production done amazingly, and the voice acting superb! I read this book when it came out many years ago and enjoyed the audiobook. Maybe a little more! Don’t be afraid to pick this one up it’s worth it.

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This should be a movie!!

I really enjoyed this program. I could almost see it as a movie in my mind.

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Fantastic.

Fantastic book. A bit slow in places but it introduces some of the best characters in all of Star Wars. Worth every penny.

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