Vision of the Future (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 2)

Timothy Zahn's Vision of the Future delivers on the excellent setup of Specter of the Past in every respect. The story is sprawling and doesn't drop the ball on the numerous plotlines introduced in the first book of the duology. Some may find these two books a bit slow relative to the typical Star Wars tale, but the extra time spent fully developing the story is quite appropriate to these books' role in wrapping up many loose ends from the earlier Bantam Spectra novels. The pacing lends gravitas to the proceedings in the finale, in particular the moment that finally comes in the first sentence of Chapter 43. This sentence, so wonderfully understated, represents an immensely satisfying moment for both the galaxy far, far away and for any readers who have been following the book storyline post-Return of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker's journey to confident Jedi Master continues here. Some authors have struggled with Luke's portrayal, erring on diluting his character for fear of making him too powerful. This watering down of Luke's capabilities may have made sense for some storylines, but I'm glad to see Zahn stabilize him here. Mara Jade's personal journey comes to a climax as well as she and Luke draw strength from each other's fears and hopes to forge a new future together. Mara, along with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Talon Karrde, are clearly Zahn's pet characters, but he does an excellent job of bringing them to well-rendered life without stealing any thunder from Luke, Han, Leia and friends. The civil war plot comes to a head with an epic battle over the capital city of Bothawui. The Caamas document continues to play a key role and the device of this simple document having such far-reaching implications continues to be a sound foundation for the story. The Bothans occupy an enjoyably gray area in the Star Wars universe, generally on the "good" side but with a side dish of virulent scheming, political ambitions, and a dash of selfishness thrown in. A standout new character from this plotline is Elegos A'kla, Trustant of the Caamasi Remnant and a true voice of reason in the middle of madness. His quiet strength in the face of such great suffering for his people underscores the alternatives to vengeance and hatred anyone can choose in the aftermath of a tragedy. Zahn's Hand of Thrawn duology represents a true turning point in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. The Empire has been dramatically reduced and changed. The New Republic has created a chaotic alliance of disparate systems but is managing to hold it together despite many challenges both internal and external. Luke has found love and a new vision for his role in the future of the Jedi Order. After this story, the universe takes a darker turn with the intergalactic invasion story of the New Jedi Order saga. For readers who loved the tone and stories of the Original Trilogy, this duology might be a jumping off point, before the beloved movie characters are thrown into the proverbial wringer once more. I highly recommend this book and the duology, although I will toss in a caveat: I believe these books will be most rewarding to readers familiar with the EU history leading up to this point.

Audiobook Duology Review April 2020: Listening to the narration of The Hand of Thrawn duology was absolutely brilliant! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Disney's new timeline but to me they will always be non-canon and the original SWEU is canon. Marc Thompson brings to life the characters I have loved for so long, nearly my whole life as I was only 4 when I first saw the original SW movie back in 1977 but he also brings a realistic flair to the new characters of the EU. Mara Jade, Captain Pellaeon, Thrawn, Talon Kaarde, and so many others. So if you are a SW fan and are intrigued to read(or hear) the original EU timeline, I highly recommend giving the Star Wars Legends books a go, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I know I look forward to enjoying these over and over again in both book and audio version for years to come. Original Duology Blog Review January 2015: It's been a few years since I read this duology but I absolutely loved it. Not only is it written by, quite possibly in my opinion the best author of the Star Wars Extended Universe, Timothy Zahn but it features my second favorite character of the SW EU: Mara Jade. I had been cheering and hoping for the romantic coupling of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade from the first time she was introduced in Zahn's Heir to the Empire, and I was finally awarded when they declared their love during the heat of battle, of course because anything less would not have been fitting for Skywalker and Jade. Throw in all the wonders that we come to love within the SW EU and you have perfect reading material.

One of my favorite Star Wars authors. While not as good as the original Thrawn trilogy, this book is a great closeout for the Hand of Thrawn duology and continues an exciting story that was started in the Specter of the Past book.

Luke and Mara's story is so much better than anything in the new Star Wars movies. These books make me happy.

Just finished this book and loved it! I'm 45, and while I've been a Star Wars fan since the original movie came out in 1974, I've never read any of the books...mostly because I didn't read much of anything there for years. Oh, I did read Splinter of the Mind's eye in Jr. High, I guess. Anyway, when I heard the next trilogy of movies was coming out, I decided I should read some of the "after the movies" stuff. I didn't know where to start, but many folks seemed to like Timothy Zahn, so I started with the Thrawn Trilogy and loved it, so the Hand of Thrawn was a logical next step. I have really enjoyed all these books. Zahn is a very good writer and I was very entertained by both of these series. They read quite easily and he has a nice balance between action and character development and includes a nice sense of descriptiveness without being too detailed. I just checked out Survivor's Quest from the library and plan to read the rest of Zahn's Star Wars novels, then we'll see where I go from there!

Every now and then I get on an urge to read numerous volumes of a particular series. Lately I have been reading several books on the Star Wars series. I just finished reading this action packed 694 page back book (Star Wars Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn) which I purchased on Amazon for a bargain price. In this space adventure The Empire has a master plan to again take over the entire universe. The New Republic seems to be near civil war which delights the Empire and may make it easier to return to power. In this tale Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Princess Leia and their allies are working together to try and keep the republic together. I never give away too much information when reviewing a novel, but if you are a Star Wars fan you may want to check out this book. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Seated Zen Karate for seniors and the physically challenged).

I love these books so much. Timothy Zahn is such a good author. His books actually feel like Star Wars. Unlike the accursed sequel trilogy that is just Star Wars in name only. Zahn clearly respects all the original characters because they never do anything that feels out of character, unlike some people(looking at you Rian Johnson). He also develops his own characters very well. A highlight for me is definitely Luke and Mara. Throughout the book, I looked forward to their scenes together. They are officially my favorite Star Wars couple and one of my ultimate OTPs.

This was a good add on to the Thrawn trilogy storyline. I enjoy Zahn's writing style, and his character development. He is a lot more realistic when it comes to the grand picture. Not a bunch of incompetent Empire characters that only get themselves killed in some very unrealistic manner, which would never have allowed them into a position of trust and power in the first place.