Treason (Star Wars: Thrawn, #3) by Timothy Zahn

Treason (Star Wars: Thrawn, #3) by Timothy Zahn-333 pages

Having read all previous Thrawn novels by Zahn, I really wanted to read this one. I was not disappointed. Zahn continues to build the legend of Thrawn in this new story. I liked how Zahn brought in familiar characters, such as Director Krennic, and wrote them true to character. I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to anyone who is familiar with Grand Admiral Thrawn and/or has read Timothy Zahn's previous novels about him.

Thrawn (Star Wars Disney Canon Novel) by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn (Star Wars Disney Canon Novel) by Timothy Zahn-427 pages

I read the Thrawn Trilogy by Zahn in 2015 in anticipation of The Force Awakens, so when I heard this was being written and released as an "official" Disney canon novel (the original Thrawn Trilogy is a "Legends" or not official Disney canon now) I immediately pre-ordered it. I really enjoyed reading this and Zahn does Thrawn well in his imagining of his rise to Grand Admiral. I especially liked that he included Thrawn's studying the adversary's cultural art as a means to glean patterns of expected behavior, just as Thrawn did in the original trilogy. Thrawn is depicted as a master tactician (although not great at politics) in this novel just as he was in the original trilogy. The fact that Zahn wrote both the original trilogy and this standalone novel helps with continuity and effectiveness. I enjoyed the secondary stories of Eli Vanto and Arihnda Pryce woven throughout this novel as companions to Thrawn's rise. Overall, this was as good, maybe better, than I expected and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Star Wars (especially anyone who read the original Thrawn trilogy). 

Lost Stars (Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens) by Claudia Gray

Lost Stars (Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens) by Claudia Gray-551 pages

I read Bloodline, also by Claudia Gray, and enjoyed it quite a bit and I had read many good reviews of this so I wanted to read it. It was very interesting to see the events of the original Star Wars trilogy through the eyes of those who were in the lower positions and worked their way up. I also enjoyed the plot of this novel and Gray's prose is high quality. I enjoyed Lost Stars much more than Aftermath by Chuck Wendig (although I am not as harsh on Aftermath as some) as the plot and prose are so much better and more professional. Overall, I enjoyed reading about a boy and a girl from the same planet who both initially join the Imperial Fleet happily, but eventually take two different paths only to be reunited in the end.