Book 2, Dark Force Rising

Twenty years down the road, I am revisiting the Thrawn series for nostalgia's sake. I would have given this a five star rating the first time, but time has a way of eroding some things.

The highlight of the trilogy is the genius of Grand Admiral Thrawn. We continue to see the strategy play out in the power vacuum left by the deaths of the Emperor and Vader.

Once again, the main characters are already type cast and it is hard to develop those characters further. I would like to have seen a more mature or nuanced political intrigue, but then Star Wars is more about action than complex story.

Bottom line: This is my favorite Star Wars series I've read. The space battle at the end of the book was a fun way to lead to the finale. Still, the Star Wars universe in general seems to be rather predictable. That being said, I sometimes like being clear who is on which side. It's great in the Star Wars universe, but in the end does not inspire me to greater thoughts or perspective for real life.