• 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 (26,104 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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In the 45 years since George Lucas's interstellar fantasy epic Star Wars first hit theaters, the saga has grown to include 12 canonical feature-length films (and counting), a growing number of shows (both animated and live-action), and hundreds of novels and comics inspired by that galaxy far, far away. But there's nothing quite like the magic of a Star Wars audiobook. The stories featured in this collection are as vast and varied as the universe in which they're set.

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What listeners say about Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

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loved it!

Great story. All of the different accents used for the different characters were very good

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    5 out of 5 stars
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awesome expanded universe story

I can't wait to read the last of the series. all new characters are great, all the old characters are better.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great read! Love Thrawn!

Great story, awesome new characters! Complex, interesting, and deep, everyone has their own motivations and flaws. Mara Jade, Talon Card, Thrawn and the rest of the cast make this a story worth telling!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great SW book from Timothy Zahn

What made the experience of listening to Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (20th Anniversary Edition) the most enjoyable?

I think the sound effects hands down set listening to Star Wars Audiobooks apart from other audiobooks.

What did you like best about this story?

I think this trilogy is the sequel to the original Star Wars saga. I think it picks up 5 yrs after Return of the Jedi. I think listeners will enjoy the story and the joy of listening to a Star Wars audiobook.

What about Marc Thompson’s performance did you like?

Once again solid sound effects

Any additional comments?

I am hoping that maybe the Thrawn Trilogy will be the next set of movies to come out.

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Amazing

loved this book the mix of politics and so much action that just pulls you into the battles and paints the most vivid battle field. I wouldn't recommend passing this book up it is a classic and still one of the best.

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    4 out of 5 stars

incredible story a must read for any star wars fan

this book was great. it had a great narrator, beautiful music and thrilling sound effects. the story flowed, was fast paced, yet very detailed. The main vilain was a brilliant genius that all villains should aspire to be. this is a must read for any star wars fan be he/she a hardcore fan or a simple fan who likes the movies.

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  • J.
  • 01-24-13

One of the best

This was the first Star Wars book I had ever read. I remember seeing it in book stores when I was young. As a teen when I became interested in Star Wars and read the book I was blown away. From this trilogy I became a huge fan of the universe of Star Wars... Timothy Zahn is very gifted. Should have been made into a movie.

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for real

seriously great book and the voice acting is top notch in my opinion at least

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Spectacular

A performance that this story deserves! This series has been a favorite of mine for decades and now had the audiobook version that lets me enjoy every detail of the story.

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can't wait to see the movie!

Oh wait I forgot, nevermind it's still a great book, and a shame it's no longer canon

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