[.ca] Vision of the Future (ISBN 0553100351)

From Amazon.com:
Timothy Zahn finishes the two-part Hand of Thrawn series with Vision of the Future. In the first book, Specter of the Past, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo battled the minions of the evil Grand Admiral Thrawn, long presumed dead. In the sequel, our heroes must prevent civil war and ensure that Thrawn's plans for a triumphant Empire are thwarted. Intergalactic intrigue, space battles, and heart-pounding action will thrill Star Wars fans in this eagerly awaited novel. Zahn is one of the most popular interpreters of the Star Wars universe with good reason.

Departing on a High Note:
It's tough to classify Timothy Zahn's Hand of Thrawn Duology. Sure, it's got all the space battling, swashbuckling, hero derring-do that you'd expect from the franchise, but it's also something inherently individual. In Specter of the Past, Zahn took the road less-traveled, creating a story apart from the usual "New Superweapon" cliche, adding lots of political intrigue and shadow games to the mix. What readers got was a sort of Tom Clancy Star Wars novel, if you will. The characters and situations felt incredibably real, despite the fantastic setting, and the plot threads and character arcs were more than believable. There was a feeling in the book that, because this was so different, the outcome could also be different, forever changing the Star Wars universe. And it is, and it does. In Vision of the Future, the opus of Zahn's Hand of Thrawn Duology, there is easily enough material for two books, or more. Encompassing nearly 700 pages, Vision manages to both drive the narrative along at a perfect pace, but also deepens the mythos of the universe, the characters, and the history of what went before the rise of the Galactic Empire. The book starts, as does all of Zahn's Thrawn-related material, aboard the Star Destroyer Chimera, as seen through the eyes of Admiral Pelleon. From here, we are swept through the galaxy, from Coruscaunt to the Bothan's home planet, from the Imperial strondhold of Bastion to the planet Nirauan, a mysterious and dangerous fortress with links to Thrawn's past. Han and Lando continue their search for the truth about the supposed return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the greatest threat the New Republic has ever faced, and also seek the truth about the Bothan involvement in the massacre of an entire planet. Leia struggles to hold the New Republic together as factions split over the scandal and the galaxy is once again pushed to the brink of civil war. Luke and Mara, on the other side of the cosmos, fight their own battles. Making their way through the mysterious fortress known as The Hand of Thrawn, they must avoid hostile aliens, entrenched Imperials, uncover the secrets of Thrawn's past and future, and come to terms with their feelings toward one another. Here, Zahn brings the galactic conflict as we know it to a brilliant close, while setting the stage for the darker New Jedi Order series. Even as he weaves a tale of power and peace, he also deals with important issues with the main characters; namely the relationship between Luke and Mara. I for one was glad to see this resolved, as NONE of the previous books even tried to add anything to these characters who Zahn had set up in his original trilogy with an almost painful amount of foreshadowing. It was infinitely satisfying to read the beginning of the next stage of their wandering relationship. Bravo. All in all, I couldn't ask for a better way to see the old guard of Star Wars books depart, of think of a better high note to hit while doing so. With some of the most reading, best humor, frenetic action, and pleasently subtle series references, Vision of the Future is just that, as well as being a wonderful memory of the past. Thank you Timothy Zahn. The Force will be with you. Always.

great enhancement to the universe \ono spoilers\c:
"Vision of the Future" is the final second novel in The Hand of Thrawn series approximately ten years following The Thrawn Trilogy. It concludes the story in the tradition of creativity and intrigue from the prior novels. Although the preceding novel has more political developments dominating the storyline, this book returns to creative battles and stunning revelations. The Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker duo along with Major Tierce and Admiral Pellaeon sections of the storyline are interesting. In addition, the use of High Councilor Leia Organa Solo's Jedi skill is exciting. I was aggravated when I calculated New Republic characters heading in four different directions searching for the same thing without consulting each other. Considering the closeness of the group such behavior is peculiar. A couple loose ends are available for future stories whereas one piece of information regarding Grand Admiral Thrawn could have been left alone to leave a greater mystery. I recommend this series to any fan of the Star Wars universe. Thank you.

Yet ANOTHER 5 Star effort from Star Wars' Best author:
'Vision of the Future' is a stunning conclusion to this 2-book cycle which ended all too soon, and hinted of things to come -- hopefully sooner rather than later (rumor has it Zahn will return to the Star Wars Universe in early '04). Internal conflict within the New Republic...the possible resurrection of Grand Admiral Thrawn...and the relationship between Mara Jade & Luke finally (FINALLY!!!!) comes full circle. Who is framing the Bothans for an unspeakable act which happened many years before? ARE they in fact innocent, or did they conspire to destroy a planet? As much as we love to hate Borsk and his fellow Bothans, if they are innocent, whoever is responsible ought to be brought up on charges. I absolutely loved the more detail behind these characters originally fleshed out in Zahn's original Trilogy. Everyone from Talon Karrde to Captain Pellaeon receive extra attention here, and thankfully Mara & Luke's relationship is given a chance to go where us fans have been hoping it would go since the end of 'The Last Command'. Nobody, and I do mean NOBODY can spin a Star Wars yarn like Timothy Zahn. One reviewer even stated that you can almost hear John Williams soundtrack playing in the background as you read his books, and I SWEAR that I could hear it several times as I read along. Everything that makes Star Wars one of (if not the) most popular science fiction series of all-time is all here. Zahn doesn't write about just a bunch of characters named Luke, Leia & Han, but he captures the very essence of what made the original 3 movies so darned entertaining: their humor...their quirky personal attributes and a keen eye for recreating exactly what that character really would be saying if it had been written by George Lucas himself. While Zahn wasn't totally able to re-create the magic his original trilogy managed to pull off (that is in part due to the fact that he had to write 2 novels incorporating information that came out in books following his original 3, and those novels that followed just plain reeked, for the most part) he DID manage to thoroughly entertain me during the 4 days it took me to finish up this book. HIGH marks indeed for helping to bring me back to a time when I actually enjoyed reading Star Wars. Mr. Zahn, please give us more.

Wonderful Reading:
This was a fantastic book that kept me wanting more. I couldn't put it down. In fact, I'm in the middle of reading it through again for the second time. If you are a big Star Wars fan and Mara Jade fan, this is definately a good book to read!

Excellent Conclusion to the Thrawn Saga!:
Vision of the Future is the second of the Hand of Thrawn Duology. Tim Zahn writes one of his best Star Wars novels to date. Filled with passion, adventure, intrigue and just plain fun, Vision of the Future concludes the excellent story begun by Spector of the Past. All our favorite characters return, with Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker off on a mysterious errand, while Han Solo and Lando Calrissian try to confirm the reports of a Reborn ADmiral Thrawn. Among the best parts of the story are those dealing with Admiral Pellaen as he strives to bring peace to the conflict torn galaxy. OVerall, a stand out effort by Zahn and clearly one of the best Star Wars books ever written.