Vision of the Future: Star Wars (The Hand of Thrawn)

By: Timothy Zahn

Narrated by: Marc Thompson

Length: 26 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn brings his epic two-volume series The Hand of Thrawn to an explosive conclusion with a discovery that rocks the New Republic to its foundations - and threatens to resurrect the Empire.

The Empire's master plan is under way. The New Republic is on the verge of civil war and the rumor that the legendary Admiral Thrawn has returned from the dead is rallying the Imperial forces. Now Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and their allies face the challenge of their lives. They must infiltrate a hidden fortress filled with Imperial fanatics, rendezvous with a double-dealing Imperial commander, and journey into enemy territory to learn the identity of those responsible for an act of unthinkable genocide. But most important of all is the truth about Thrawn. In his hands - alive or dead - rests the fate of the New Republic.

©1998 Lucasfilm Ltd. (P)2013 Random House Audio

Beautiful and Masterfully Performed (As always)

This is nothing short of a Zahn masterpiece. Don't be daunted by the length of this novel, every minute is crammed with Star Wars magic and every minute is brought to life by the maestro of Star Wars narration that is Marc Thompson. Although this novel is beautifully woven with many subplots, the strongest moments of this novel come from the budding relationship between our favourite farm boy and Mara Jade. The story may seem a little wierd at the start but as it progresses it starts to completely make sense and by the end, you can't help but applaud the skill and effort shown by the grand-daddy of Star Wars novels. In conclusion, this novel must be read by any fan of Star Wars, although I STRONGLY recommend that you read the Thrawn Trilogy and the prequel to this book (Spectre of the Past) in order to fully appreciate the story.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Love The Unabridged Marc Thompson Narrations

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Please keep the unabridged versions coming! I recommend this to all who enjoy a great story.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

An excellent conclusion

As I said on the first book, "Wow", what s great story. Another example of why anything with Star wars and Marc Thompson is worth having. Get both books and listen back to back for the maximum benefit/enjoyment.

This is definitely worth the point. Get it.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!

A climactic conclusion to an epic Star Wars story. My only wish is that the new movies could even come close to matching the level of storytelling found in Zahn' novels.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

thrilling stories read by master narrator

The Star Wars series written by Timothy Zahn is very satisfying I recommend you listen to them all, starting with the Thrawn trilogy (5 years after the original series ended), then the Hand of Thrawn Book I and II (10 years after the trilogy). The narrator, Marc Thompson did a superb job of creating distinct voices for each of the major characters and maintaining continuity through all 5 books. I could easily tell one character from the other immediately. The sound affects added to the story without distracting or overpowering. The new characters were imaginative creatures and the battles were cunningly written. Very enjoyable listening to all these books! SusyQ

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This was great

loved it permanent fan of Zahn and Thompson, I wish it was longer even though it was the longest of all the books, also the hacker gent ended up not having a purpose at the end I wonder if there was more.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

so long

took me close to a month to finish was pretty good though even though I had to keep rewinding to figure out what I had missed

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

good stuff

Everything finally comes together here, it is definitely worth your time if you've liked the series so far, bring some closure to your life and get this book!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A great little end to the Zahn Thrawn stories

I have to admit it wasn't my favorite of the Time Zahn Star Wars books but it was a sweet end to the always awesome Thrawn series. As for what isn't so great about it is how it a little to fractured for my total liking and the end seemed rushed. I do think this could possibly have been split up a bit more to a third book if you are going to have some many moving parts to it. All I'm all though I'm happy. It's too bad this stories isn't canon anymore but I can see how bit a pieces can be mined for later main Saga movies. Oh and always the voice talent for this series is top notch. May the force be with you.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great Story, Outstanding Narration

Another great story from Timothy Zahn, with outstanding narration. Ending felt a little rushed but worth the time for the unabridged version.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

amazing<br />

awsome story
awsome characters
awsome voice acting - well done marc thompson - he is fantastic

shame it's not cannon

Simple story very well acted throughout. some loose ends and unexplored sections that were worthy of more. Nevitts part could have had a more significant payoff. But overall worth listening to both parts.

A good yarn for a Star Wars fanboy/girl

Great fun overall. And fun voices from Thompson, though the flying creatures can be a little hard to take.

It's a bit 'over written' in places, but good character development for real Star Wars fans.

Simply brilliant

What did you like most about Vision of the Future: Star Wars (The Hand of Thrawn)?

One word: Unabridged

What other book might you compare Vision of the Future: Star Wars (The Hand of Thrawn) to, and why?

Anything else by Timothy Zahn, in the sense that it has great characters, a believable story (albeit one set in space with lasers and Jedi) and a Star-warsy feel. This book, and Spectre of the Past before it really could be a film.

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

Top quality. Maximum effort put into the characters' voices with each one distinct and recognisable. I'm usually sceptical about attempts to imitate the film leads, but Thompson pulls it off with aplomb. They don't sound exactly like Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford or Billy Dee Williams obviously, but the essence of the characters is captured well. A great job by Thompson all round.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"The Empire strikes back... one last time!"

Any additional comments?

As I said, the best thing about this audiobook above all else is that it's unabridged. Abridgement is a relic of a time when audiobooks were an unappreciated artform designed to allow many books to be 'read' as quickly as possible. Now, with audiobooks so ubiquitous people deserve value for their money. With a book as long and complex as this, butchering it for the sake of time would have ruined it. There are many Star Wars novels I would love to just sit back and listen to but I won't waste money or credits on half a product. It's just not the same and the New Jedi Order in particular should have proper audiobooks made, read by Mr Thompson of course!

A fantastic story

This story is a classic Star Wars adventure, the characters,the story line had me gripped from the first book onwards, this is a must listen to any Star Wars fan

Why isn't this canon?

After the original Thrawn trilogy being so brilliant I was a little dubious about another story involving the blue genius. Well I couldn't be happier for diving in. Possibly the best in the series. So much going on, so many angles, so many new arcs not explored before. The only problem I have now, is where do I go from here. There are so many books I've not read or heard yet now I know roughly how it all ends for the old EU (now non canon).

Another great book from Timothy Zahn

A very good star wars book that's hints as a new direction the book series could of gone in.

One of the best audio books I've listened to.

As a fan of the original stories, with the sound effects and music, it really enhances the experience. Special mention must go to Marc Thompson for rendering the characters so well.

fantastic audio book one of the best

cracking audio book brilliantly delivered with characterisation.........a must especially for star wars fans.........only down side DON'T use star trek red alert sounds for the battle station alert......

Would recommend

Really good, except for the annoying bird people, they wouldn't shut up. Good book though.