Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn My rating: 4 of 5 stars Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn: Alliances is an absolute treat for fans of the expanded Star Wars universe, delivering a high-stakes imperial mystery that bridges classic lore with deep tactical intrigue. The novel forces Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader into an uneasy joint mission staged by Emperor Palpatine to investigate a sinister disturbance in the Force along the fringe of the Unknown Regions. What makes the story so compelling is the brilliant contrast Zahn constructs between his two leads. Where Vader relies on the brute, overwhelming power of the Dark Side, Thrawn operates purely through a Sherlock Holmes style of deduction. Watching Thrawn navigate complex threats without any reliance on the Force is a masterclass in strategic writing. He reads battlefield scenarios by analyzing local art, dissecting cultural nuances, and observing subtle physical movements. His formidable intellect and quiet psychological leverage are ...
Die Standing by John Jackson Miller My rating: 3 of 5 stars While the novel's premise sets up an escalating, high-stakes interstellar mystery, it ultimately struggles with the execution of its central figure. The narrative kicks into high gear when Emony Dax—a clever, unjoined Trill nod to Deep Space Nine lore—uncovers a wandering space cloud that decimates a Federation starship. The plot thickens when Philippa Georgiou recognizes the anomaly as a biological superweapon she failed to capture back in the Mirror Universe. Sent by a deeply distrustful Section 31 to investigate the isolationist Troika territory, Georgiou is saddled with a crew of "handlers" made up of deep-cut Star Trek lore characters. On paper, the book attempts to balance Georgiou’s ruthless, imperial nature with the grit needed to survive a lethal alien frontier—demonstrating exactly why Section 31 finds her valuable, yet impossible to control. The Critique: A Regression in Character Development The Ve...