Star Wars
Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, by Timothy Zahn

"In May 1991, Star Wars caused a sensation in the publishing industry with the Bantam Spectra release of Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire. For the first time, Lucasfilm Ltd. had authorized new novels that continued the famous story told in George Lucas' three blockbuster motion pictures... Reader reaction was immediate and tumultuous..."

This sort of foreword can be found in any one of a million book jackets, craftily written to promote hype (and hopefully the purchase of said book.) This time, the hype just happens to be true. These books were the catalyst for Star Wars fever's reawakening, back when Episode 1 was not much more than a disbelieved rumor.

It wasn't just the fact that for the first time, Lucas had given somebody a creative license to write about the characters we'd grown to love in the movies -- it was the new characters brought to our attention (note that I don't say they were created; they fit in as if they'd always been there.) I personally found many of them to be more intriguing than the originals (and apparently I wasn't alone in this, as these characters passed the true test of time: other authors used them too.) But enough of appetizers and on to the main course of this review.

There is a reason why people refer to this as the quintessential Star Wars trilogy (I don't, but that's only 'cause I don't know the meaning of the word.) These books excel in every possible category and are the yardstick by which many measure each new book.

The characters are extremely well written, with depth and background that would stand up to any inspection (Imperial of otherwise), and the interactions between them are almost as interesting as the plotline itself. The original characters are portrayed in a manner true to the movies, and yet this does not shunt their development in any way shape or form.

The plot is gripping and unexpected at times. Not once did I find something that I felt was out of place or that should have been handled differently. In addition, being the kind of person who can't view anything without uttering comments such as "Why the hell did he leave the A-team locked in with a welding torch and 3 barrels of diesel fuel?!", I was pleasantly surprised not to find any such holes in the plot. (Tal: what is this fixation with The A-Team? It can't be healthy. -- Ed.)

And on to the writing itself: Timothy Zahn must have a crystal clear picture of every scene, because the descriptions used by him stand up to that criteria. In places where other authors might have settled for a general view, he transcribes the mood itself, and this enhances the reading to a point where you literally can't put the book down. And when you finally -- yet ever-too-quickly -- do finish it, you immediately crave the next. I distinctly remember the time in between the release of each of the books. I visited the local bookstores then more times than in the past ten years combined, constantly checking and rechecking the shelves and nagging the people at the counter. Were it not for a friend of mine sharing the first of them with me, I might have missed out on an entire universe... and thus are friends a good thing, kids. So remember to share.

Short plot summary (and you'll thank me for this later): five years after the defeat of the Empire at Endor, the Rebel Alliance (now known as the New Republic) is now busy mopping up the remnants of the Empire and struggling with internal politics. It is therefore not at all ready for the new danger to emerge -- an enemy that has the ability and the determination to outwit, outmaneuver and out-think the New Republic to its inevitable ruin.

Let me just conclude with this: Star Wars fans, if you pass up the opportunity to read these books, you will forever kick yourself (although I'm sure that once you confess this, you'll have no trouble whatsoever finding people to do that for you.) And if you're not yet a Star Wars fan, then these are the books to read... if I may so bold as to borrow an expression from another space bound reality: Resistance is futile -- you will be assimilated.

Re-Read Factor: Reading these books anew for the review turned into a strange experience for me. While I remembered all the major events, I was still intrigued by the nuance of many things long forgotten. Food, sleep, family -- these were all distractions that were ignored for as long as possible (and in some cases longer), but when I closed the last of the three... I felt once again that hunger for more that I'd felt the first time around. So re-read? Yup!

Sequel Factor: Considering the flood of books written after these (prequels, sequels, in-between-quels), that would be an even more resounding "Yup!"

Strong Chick Factor: It was Zahn, taking the example of Leia, that started the whole movement in the literary Star Wars universe. He introduced us to Mara Jade, the spokesperson for toughness (as well as the pipe dream of young male fans everywhere.) Other writers took his example and I can safely say that in every sequel (pre-... etc.) I've read, there has been at least one main character who fit the description of Strong Chick to a tee. Thanks Tim, and keep up the good work!

-- Tal Rosenzweig

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, published by Bantam Spectra Publishing, are currently available in paperback and on audio cassette.

We welcome your comments on The 11th Hour and this review. Please send letters to: letters@the11thhour.com