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)