The fact that this book does more in the way of tension, character development, action, and general storytelling than any of the 4 “Disney Owned” movies speaks volumes about how good Writer Timothy Zahn is and how excellently written the character of Thrawn is. Talking about this book would be difficult without mentioning spoilers so I’ll do a non-spoiler section where I discuss the general plot, characters, and the book’s connections to the wider Star Wars universe. Then I’ll dive into a spoilers section with fair warning to talk about some of the finer details. So with all that said let’s get into this review of Thrawn Alliances.
Plot
This book has two plots really but I’ll talk more about the second in my spoiler section. The general idea is that the Emperor has felt a strange disturbance in the force out in the Unknown Regions and so has sent Thrawn along with Vader to determine what it is. These 2 are perfect to put together. Both are extremely intelligent and ruthless in their own way but they are almost opposites of each other in the way they deal with their situations. This is best represented on the cover art with the bright white uniform of Thrawn opposing the black armor of Vader. The plot was interesting similarly to the first Thrawn book; Another Sherlock style mystery for Thrawn to pick away at all whilst trying to keep Vader as happy as possible. The dynamic between these 2 is so unique and interesting and it is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in Star Wars before. At least not in the Disney age of Star Wars. That’s about as much as I want to say in the non-spoilers section but there’s still plenty to talk about.
Characters
This book has a whole host of characters, some very minor and some with large levels of impact of the story. Lets first talk about the 2 stars; Vader and Thrawn. Despite these 2 being allies, there is a constant mental battle going on between them and it is so entertaining to watch unfold. They each are trying to pick each other apart with intrigue from Thrawn and various levels of Stress and at times worry from Vader. They each have their own ideas and their own motives and so seeing them work with each other was very cool. This book also has some incredible character development both for Thrawn and Vader. They both end up in places you wouldn’t expect by the end of the book and Vader certainly makes some decisions you don’t see coming, but as the story goes on it becomes more and more obvious why Vader is acting the way he is around Thrawn.
I’m happy to report that other than Thrawn and Vader, this book has plenty of supporting characters that are equally enjoyable to read about. These characters serve to be more relatable to the reader as they are both bewildered by Thrawn’s brilliance and terrified by Vader. There’s too many to go over here in detail but I’ll say as a fan of the Imperials Faro, Kimmund and his squad, and Ruhk were the standouts for me.
The Wider Star Wars Universe
This book has plenty of hidden details and easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to watch out for. From certain name drops to links to Solo, Rebels, and the Clone Wars there’s plenty to keep an eye out for and these little references are great. They help to build up links and make this feel like part of a bigger connected universe. There weren’t so many of them that it was distracting but they weren’t so small that they were missable. In true Thrawn fashion, they were the right balance.
SPOILERS
So this is the section where if you haven’t read Thrawn: Alliance’s you should stop reading. Seriously go pick this one up, give it a read then come back here. If you want to know my thoughts before I get into spoilers; Its really, really, really good and you need to go buy it right now.
Okay, so having Thrawn team up with Anikan Skywalker in the Clone Wars to then have him team up with Vader years later in the Empire was simply Genius. This added a whole new layer of depth to the characters. Although he never outright calls him out on it it’s obvious that Thrawn knows who Vader is and that was really satisfying to me. That mental battle between Vader and Thrawn gets turned up to an 11 when you realize how stressed Vader is about protecting his secret and how close Thrawn is getting to figuring it out. Let’s talk about the Clone Wars aspect of the book for a second. I never expected to say that a Thrawn novel would be the best bit of Clone Wars content that Star Wars has produced for quite some time but here I am saying exactly that. I’ll be honested the first few chapters of this did drag a little but is soon picks up the pace and when Anikan and Thrawn get going they don’t stop. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Padme in this book. The character was obviously expanded on massively in the Clone Wars TV show and here she kicks even more ass. It very quickly becomes a 3-way dynamic between Skywalker, Thrawn and Padme and Thrawn clearly has the other two worked out. I have a feeling that Thrawn’s hand in saving Padme all those years ago is the main reason why Vader gives him more time than he really should but I would go as far as to say Vader cared for the Admiral as a friend. Also, both lots tie in together at the end beautifully and gave a very satisfying ending to the book as a whole.
The Clone Wars plot was also excellent and equally as entertaining as the “Current day” plot. Having Lightsaber resistant droids as well as Lightsaber resistant clone armor for Oder 66 was something I never saw coming and it genuinely shocked me. Seeing Thrawn state the armor was meant for “Another Use” was both satisfying, because again the Chiss had figured it out, but also heartbreaking because we know what that other use was. This book really does play with the feels…
Overall i loved Thrawn Alliances. It is my favorite piece of Star Wars content since the last Thrawn novel. It’s that good. If you’re this far in you’ve probably already read the book so tell me what you thought of it over on Twitter or down in the comments below. Guys, huge thanks for reading this review of Thrawn Alliances, I hoped you enjoyed and I’ll catch you next time.
