Chaos Rising

June 5, 2017
Nearly three decades after debuting the character of Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn in the first Star Wars inspired trilogy, Zahn crafts the origin story of his fan-favorite villain, tracing Thrawn’s rise through the imperial ranks as he proves to the Empire time and again the value of his military genius. Actor Thompson turns in a mixed performance for the audio edition. On the one hand, he develops great voices for the novel’s many characters and adds intensity to the story’s battle scenes. However, at other times, his performance can get overemotional. Regardless, the audiobook, which also includes a musical score and sound effects, provides a great experience for Star Wars fans. A Del Rey hardcover.

Timothy Zahn wrote the Thrawn trilogy, which triggered this current wave of Star Wars novels. Jonathan Davis performs the story in his easy, comfortable style. Sound effects and music enhance the action-packed story, whose main characters are Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and his wife, Mara Jade, also a Jedi. The setting is a planet called Nirauan, where the wreckage of Outbound Flight, a Jedi expedition, has been found. The abridgment is satisfying and captures the feel of the original films. S.D. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine