BOOK REVIEW: Thrawn: Alliances (Star Wars: Thrawn #2) by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn: Alliances (Star Wars: Thrawn #2) by Timothy Zahn

My rating: 3.3 out of 5

Carrying on with this new canon series penned by sci-fi heavyweight Timothy Zahn, Thrawn: Alliances continues painting on the revised Star Wars canvas, feeling both familiar and completely new at the same time. There are a number of familiar characters [including the excellent and ever-present R2-D2] and places as well as many that we've not come across before. The storyline idea is familiar enough yet it is drifting gently and tangentially away from the traditional Expanded Universe ideas.

General Anakin Skywalker &
Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo

The story of Admiral Thrawn's rise to power under the close observation of Emperor Palpatine is well covered in Thrawn [see my review HERE], and this book begins to flesh out the larger story of Thrawn's involvement with the Empire and why Palpatine finds him so interesting and useful. It is actually two completely separate but firmly linked stories in a then-and-now style, the book switching back and forth between these two timelines the whole way through. The "now" part is set during the height of the Empire when Emperor Palpatine senses a disturbance in the Force from the Unkown Regions and sends Thrawn and Darth Vader [who have a history of opposing each other in Imperial politics] off together in Thrawn's flagship Star Destroyer to discover the source of the disturbance. The "then" is set just after the Clone Wars and tells of how Thrawn [then a Commander in the Chiss Ascendancy military] and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker meet for the first time on a remote planet. They are on the trail of Senator Padmé Amidala who has gone chasing a lead relating to a secret Separatist rebel operation. It is this event that Thrawn himself refers to in book one when being questioned by the Emperor after his capture, he relays that he had met and fought with Jedi Skywalker and learned of the existence of the Galactic Republic [the precursor to the Empire]. He was told that Skywalker is dead, but Thrawn soon deduces that this may not be entirely true. Thrawn is a very intelligent and observant person and he has a fair idea of what's going on, whether it's Anakin and Padme's secret relationship [in the "then" story] or the true past identity of Darth Vader [in the "now" story] but keeps his cards close to his chest as he works the situation to his advantage. His love of art and culture often enables him to look at a scenario and make judgements that are surprisingly accurate. He's fast becoming one of my top favourite Star Wars characters.

Senator Padmé Amidala

The writing style is good and flows well, typical of an author of Zahn's pedigree, but the flavor of it came across as a little young adult to me, as if it has been purposely aimed at a younger reader. It felt more like a teen novel and would be enjoyed greatly by this segment I'd say. Zahn does a very good job of portraying Anakin's rash impetuousness and it was interesting to compare this to the similar traits in Darth Vader in the later storyline. This is obviously one of the things which help Thrawn deduce the truth, although unconfirmed at this stage of the game. To go much further into a recap of the story from what the synopsis already reveals would introduce spoilers, so I'll stop by saying that the storylines themselves are interesting enough and are very action-packed.

Like with Thrawn, I reckon the world-building is a tad modest but, again, I believe that the assumption has been made that the reader will already be familiar with the appearance of such things as a TIE fighter or a Stormtrooper, for example. I did find myself drifting a little at times and losing concentration, especially during some rather lengthy action and battle scenes and it was only when a particularly interesting new piece of information came along that I was snapped back to attention. Thankfully there are enough of these bits to keep me on the hook for the duration. I don't know what it is, but long action sequences have always been a bit of a bore for me, and this book [unfortuantely] has a few too many of them for my liking, some of the action seems quite trivial within the grand scheme. This is the book's weakest point in my view but, if you like lots of action, then you'll probably love it and think I'm an idiot [you won't be the first...].

One of the most interesting parts is a fresh new approach to a traditional Expanded Universe [now Star Wars: Legends] idea of invaders from outside the galaxy [ie. the Yuuzhan Vong] and I'll wager that this is going play a large part in the story arc moving ahead. Quite exciting, this is. I'm still not fully settled on how I feel about the tangential shift and the new direction that Star Wars is taking, and this book [and the latest Disney-era movies] are clearly designed more for a new audience without a lot of prior experience with the traditional Star Wars plots. I think that as time progresses the new canon will become the norm and all will be in balance once more. In the meantime, there is obviously more to come with this story arc [word on the street is that Zahn has been contracted for a third novel in the series] which I am looking forward to, especially finding out more about these potential invaders from the Unknown Regions.

In summary, it's an okay book but I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as the first book of the series. It's clear that the planning people are using these new books to build the foundation for a much larger Star Wars story from which to branch out into other mediums [ie. movies and TV] and, for that reason, this book and series are necessary reads for those who wish to stay abreast of the new canon themes. A recommended read for the fan but not all that gripping in a general sense.

4/5 for concept

3/5 for delivery

3/5 for entertainment

= 3.3 out of 5

Buy the ebook HERE (Amazon US)

Buy the paper book HERE (Book Depository)

BOOK REVIEW: Outpost (Donovan Trilogy #1) by W. Michael Gear

Outpost (Donovan Trilogy #1) by W. Michael Gear
My rating: 4.7 out of 5

I've been seeing this title [the first of a planned trilogy] pop up on a few book blogs that I keep an eye on, the synopsis immediately catching my attention, sounding like an interesting far-flung space colony story set on a planet with weird and wonderful ecology which is resisting human attempts to plunder resources from their home. The colony is on the planet Donovan which is thirty light-years away and the colonization and mining operations are being overseen by a ruthless profit-driven corporation based back in our Solar System. The strange thing is that the last half-dozen Corporation ships that have attempted to make the journey to Donovan have all disappeared, leaving the colonists stranded and left to their own devices. That is until the ship Turalon, which carries a high-level member of The Corporation board, finally makes orbit. It's crew prepares to head planetside to find out what's been going on over the last few years.

Down on Donovan they discover a failed colony with the government overthrown, the few colonists who are left having gone rather feral. This is quite understandable because the planet has presented a number of challenges, mostly the strange and often deadly flora and fauna which is constantly trying to kill them. When The Corporation, along with a squad of Marines, attempts to re-establish their power they are in for a shock because the Donovan colonists have reorganized themselves into a dysfunctional yet effective group who are [only just] surviving despite what the planet throws at them. Toss into the mix a few characters who have agendas of their own and you get a really engaging and interesting plot. The story follows the political and physical tussle in superb detail, with stacks of action and great dialogue all wrapped up some very good world-building. The creatures on the planet are simply awesome, especially the huge almost dragon-like quetzals, nemesis of the colonists and who I expect are going to play a much larger role in the ongoing story. The cover is slightly misleading in that the structure of human bones pictured [while definitely present in the story] is not really a major plot element in an overall sense. But, maybe I'm wrong? Or have I missed a crucial clue somewhere along the way? I thought that the cover art was not the best choice as an indicator of the story content.

As I read through, I was often reminded of the movie Avatar which has a similar vibe, the planet and what it holds being more than initially meets the eye, and also the struggle against a huge corporate power. The world building in this book is just as good and I often found my mind's eye thinking on the same scale, reminded of the fantastic imagery of the movie. Think of this as a good thing, unless you thought that Avatar was rubbish, which will mean that you might find some aspects of this book tiresome. Not me though, I loved it and I'm really looking forward to book two of this Donovan Trilogy called Abandoned which is due for publication in November 2018. Overall this sci-fi adventure is great entertainment which ticked all of the boxes for me in what I look for in a novel these days.

4/5 for concept

5/5 for delivery

5/5 for entertainment

= 4.7 out of 5

Buy the ebook HERE (Amazon US)

Buy the paper book HERE (Book Depository)