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

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

A nice start to a trilogy. Believe the hype!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

As a story its great. Its does a great job in keeping old characters developing while introducing new ones that compliment the world well without being overshadowed. It crafts a complete story but leaving enough loose ends to keep me interested in part 2. I give it 4 stars as there was a slight drag in the middle where a couple of chapters have a big scheme planned and executed by the main characters only to have it completely unraveled by the main antagonist within a page. It was too easy and made all the development go to waste and provided zero payoff. The performance is great.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'll omit the old characters as its like picking your favorite child. Talon and Mara Jade are interesting but the infamous Grand Admiral Thrawn takes the spotlight for a good reason. I'll spare and details as why to avoid spoilers. Ultimately, he breaks the mold of many traditional sci-fi villains in the best ways.

Which scene was your favorite?

N/A

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At over 13 hours? No.

Awesome follow on of the star wars epoch

It was one of those stories you can't stop, you are drawn in and have to continue to listen to all the way to the end.

Enthralling!

Where does Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (20th Anniversary Edition) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very entertaining!

What did you like best about this story?

The story felt like you were watching the original episodes 4-5-6 again for the first time. With Hollywood moving to make "every" series a Bourne series (Why did James Bond loose his humor and just focus on being a BA) The Thrawn Anthology is a refreshing step back in time (yeh, a bad pun) when stories were a little more entertaining because of the story and not just the death count.

What about Marc Thompson’s performance did you like?

The different voices kept the 18 hour book interesting. Although, some of the voices did sound like a cliche.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Great book for a long road trip.

Great performance. Decent story

I had heard that if you're going to read any of the Star Wars books, this is the trilogy to read. So I gave it a shot. I have to say that the production of the audiobook was amazing. There was music and sound effects. The narrator did an excellent job of mimicking the voices of the original movie actors. So I have no complaints there.

As for the story itself, I think it just felt like if I had read it when I was 12, I would have loved it. As it was, it didn't really do anything for me. I've always liked Star Wars, and I thought I would really like this, but I didn't.

Great Star Wars novel

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

For me the most enjoyable part is the setting. Star Wars is just a wonderful fictional universe and the writing captures and expands on it. This is an excellent book and it comes across beautifully in the audio format, I highly recommend it for all Star Wars fans.

Which character – as performed by Marc Thompson – was your favorite?

Lando's voice was done exceptionally well I thought. Each time I hear it it makes me smile. All that smooth yet greasy grace of the original character is captured perfectly by Marc Thompson.

Any additional comments?

The one thing that bothered me about this book was Leia. She seemed to have lost all the fire that made her such a great character. Her and Han together have no spark or sizzle to them just all gushing sap. Real married couples wouldn't be like that, let alone to fire hot heads like Han and Leia.

Fantastic!

Would you listen to Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (20th Anniversary Edition) again? Why?

I would most certainly listen to this again. It is simply a well done piece of writing and performance.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Skywalker, why? It's Luke Skywalker

Have you listened to any of Marc Thompson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I hope to hear more

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I'd say the moment of the first kidnapping attempt. It was just perfectly done and executed.

Any additional comments?

Get this and listen, it is simply a fun read/audio experience.

Awesome!!!

Loved the new presentation. Great voice actor. The unabridged version is like a whole new book!! Bring in the next book!!!

Surprise! This holds up 20 years later.

Twenty years ago, I eagerly devoured these books. At the time, Star Wars was over and there were no toys, comics, or movies on the horizon. This was a neat throwback to my childhood favorite, but I soon discarded it because of the things that bothered me at the time: the omniscient chess master of a villain, the mysterious femme fatale, and way too many callbacks like "I have a bad feeling about this." I donated my old hardcovers to the local library.

Earlier this year, I tried the audiobook of "Scoundrels," also by Timothy Zahn, and the entertaining reading opened my eyes to he older books in the series. Marc Thompson performs a one-man theatrical reading of the book, bringing fun, unique voices to each character. My favorite is his Distinguished Southern Gentleman impression of Billy Dee Williams (Lando). He also gives a Ricardo Montalban "Rich Corinthian Leather" reading to Talon Karrde, a new character. It's silly, but it works.

Thompson also nails Harrison Ford's Midwestern bray (Han Solo) as well as the Californian meditative Jedi as portrayed by Mark Hamill (as Luke Skywalker). Various posh accents (Thrawn, Winter, Mon Mothma) and the "harrumph harrumph" of Pellaeon are delightful as well.

So how's the book today? Perhaps the prequels have lowered my standards, but Grand Admiral Thrawn, Mara Jade, and Talon Karrde are more memorable than Count Dooku, Jar Jar, or the other doofuses in Episodes I and II. I still think Mara Jade's backstory is badly presented, and we are frequently told but not shown how smart Thrawn can be (clearly, he's been reading ahead). It would not make a good Star Wars film, but would be passable as a Game of Thrones-style miniseries. As a one-man radio play, it's a winner. I recommend checking out these books in audible format.

Great story between the movies

Would you listen to Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (20th Anniversary Edition), The Thrawn Trilogy, Book 1 again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this book again. The way this book is written and read will pull you in no matter if you are deep into the Extended Universe or not. The characters you know are there and characters you don't are well described.

What did you like best about this story?

This story begins to fill in the blanks between the end of Jedi and the beginning of Force. We learn of our favorites and pick up some new characters that are well needed to define what happened.

Have you listened to any of Marc Thompson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have only read his Star Wars series

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have listened to this book in one sitting if I could have. I put it on in my car to and from work and sometimes while I am at work.

GREAT Book!

Loved it! Great narration! Had no problem following the story line. Looking forward to reading the whole series.