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

With a lot of sound effects!!!

The story is surprisingly good and envolving!! The sound effects and original soundtrack music makes it magical!!!

Wow, the Force is truly with Zahn and Thompson!

I got this book because I am a fan (not quite a fanatic) of the original trilogy of films and I am quietly tolerant of the second trilogy. But the number of books that are part of the Star Wars universe is overwhelming in number and uneven in quality. This though is the gold standard of spinoffs. At least until the newest film came out if you are a fan of all things Jedi, this is the book for you. The story itself by Timothy Zahn is a good, solid Star Wars story. What makes this one of my favorite Audible purchases (I have hundreds of Audible books), is the marriage of a fine tale with a perfect narrator. Marc Thompson's narration is flawless. Absolutely flawless. I rarely listen to a book, much less a trilogy, a second time. This is an exception. Thompson's reading of a wondrous tale transported me back to that feeling of wonder I had on seeing Lucas's original classic when I was a nerdy fourteen year old new to Southern California. Enjoy!

jenk

i loved it and can't wait to get the next books. There are suprises around every corner!

Great story

legendary story to the the star wars saga loved every bit . You guys will enjoy it at well if you are a star wars fan

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.