AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'THRAWN - ALLIANCES'

Evil attracts. Thrawn and Vader - together at last, in Thrawn: Alliances. Out now in UK hardback from Century.

Time for Thrawn to face his future. Time for Vader to face his past.

NOTE: This review contains mild SPOILERS!

The two greatest villains from across the realms of the Galactic Empire join forces against a unique threat, whose consequences of engagement will surely change the future of the mysterious outer regions forever. Acclaimed science fiction author and STAR WARS Expanded Universe literary giant Timothy Zhan continues his trilogy tapestry for the unique alien leader Thrawn with book two in his trilogy: Thrawn: Alliances, out now in the UK from Century, and no doubt breaking book sales figures worldwide as you read this...

Still Zahn's greatest character triumph from across all his long-term SW entries, Thrawn's against-the-odds rise to power (though he himself never doubted his abilities) from book one of this new trilogy has seen him overcome those human xenophobes jealous and despising of him within the heart of the Empire. Thrawn now has the command, power and responsibilities he seeks, but as Alliances starts he has almost lost the favour of the Emperor after his failures on Atollon against Rebel cell leader Kanan Jarrus, in a present timeline set after the events of STAR WARS Rebels Season Three finale. The ominous, brooding and truly deadly rival to him for the Emperor's favour, Darth Vader, despite his impressive skill sets for evil and destruction, is also at a crossroads of sorts, as he joins Thrawn at the Emperor's command in his vast chambers on Coruscant.

Their master having detected an unusual disturbance in the force, the omnipotent figures are dispatched to the remote Outer Regions edged world of Batuu for investigation and to take whatever steps are required to acquire or neutralize the potential danger. But Batuu, despite its remoteness, is ultimately no strange environment for the duo. In fact, it is a familiar one in the past from a previous visitation that proved just as dangerous and influential in their lives. But that was another time, another place, from a history when they were both different men with different allegiances.

Thrawn's tactical abilities are put to further effective use in Alliances.

Indeed, Batuu is a returned nexus point for the past and future of the once famed Jedi Knight and Republic war hero General Anakin Skywalker, and his discovery of the efficient alien warrior Thrawn before he became a part of the Empire, when the alien outsider was formerly one of the top commanders of the Chiss Ascendancy, out to discover more about the nearby Republic and their waging civil war whilst on his own furtive secret mission....

In and out of major Clone Wars conflict and haunted by the recent departure of his former Padawan Ahsoka Tano, our restless young human hero has his own purpose in travelling to that remoteness of Batuu- the disappearance of his beloved secret wife Padme Amidala, off there to liaise with one of her most loyal former bodyguards, Duja, on some important information. With his trust having to be earned, Anakin is at first wary of the newly arrived Thrawn, from a race ever before encountered by this Jedi Knight, also investigating a mystery linked to his species. His instincts never better, Anakin recognises Thrawn's abilities and underlying mystery as they join forces, becoming highly curious abut the Chiss race and their technologies in the process as their missions gel, alongside a resultant locking of strong will, intellects and ideologies- Thrawn's talent at observation, information gathering and resultant action, and in not making mistakes or taking rash revenge against his enemies, clashing with the young Jedi's often impulsive and arrogant behaviour- headstrong ways that he refuses to let go of. Traits that will ultimately propel him towards his Sith destiny...

Deep in her own mystery, Padme Amidala is a welcome addition to the adventure.

Soon enough in their specialized efforts they will encounter smugglers, a band of dangerous nomads that will prove a threat to the Republic and Chiss, and witness the manipulation of vital hyper space lanes heading out into the unknown- power too dangerous to ignore in the wrong hands. Even in the outer regions, it seems that the threat of the Separatists is never too far away either, at a time when Count Dooku, through his intermediaries, prepares to unleash one of his most diabolical plans yet on the heart of the Republic, and the danger builds to the life of the far away Padme Amidala. For Thrawn, meanwhile, the stakes are even larger, involving legacy secrets from his race's past that must never be allowed to be exploited by others.

As they work together in the future, and those old memories resurface, Thrawn solidifies his private suspicions and instincts as to just who the former man behind the mask alongside him could be. Yet Vader's true identity - he calls his former person the simply titled 'The Jedi' -  is one secret that must forever be kept at all costs, alongside his persistent and growing doubts about Thrawn's loyalty to the Emperor, of which he keeps his itchy trigger finger near his crimson bladed lightsaber. As the new threats emerge, scenarios echo - Vader, as ever, all in favour of the hard-edged approach in using the power of the Force and the might of the Empire to its fullest, Thrawn preferring the more subtle ways of garnering information on possible enemies- ever the shrewd tactician, though as clever and brutal a warrior in the galaxy when needed to be.

In service to the Empire!

It's fair to say that these aspects of the book are far and away some of Zahn's finest moments within the new Expanded Universe, of which the past and future team-ups of Thrawn and Anakin/Vader in the STAR WARS universe mostly live up to the pre-release hype, both of the complicated personas whom we shouldn't really like but always want to root for! Their compelling natures, instincts and abilities make for a fine read alongside some skilled character building by Zahn. Full marks too for his rendering of Padme Amidala's related sections of the story- her intelligence and spirited heroism are nicely rendered-I'd like to see Zahn do another prequel book with more of his own special take on the prequel heroine.

Zahn never fails to deliver fine supporting characters in his tales, and Alliances is no exception. Amongst the pawns under the command of the Empire's finest are an efficient Stormtrooper squad commander whose legion stands ready to Vader, whilst Thrawn has the notable female commander Faro, as well as the ever dutiful and highly lethal Noghri bodyguard Rukh as his aggressive sentinel- the small but lethal creature's eyes always watching, with an invisibility screen ever primed and ready for surveillance and attack, especially in the book's close-quarters combat finale!

Uneasy partnership! Anakin and Thrawn in alternate key art for the book release.

On top of the strong tensions behind such prime movers, Zahn gives us lots of memorable treats capable of being genuine crowd pleasing moments were they cinematic - the duo on speeder bikes, the idea of Vader being incognito and unrecognised on a world outside the Empire's grip, unique killer insects potentially cable of immobilising even a Dark Lord, as well as a slightly morbid use of the Force by Anakin to manipulate a corpse as part of a plan to expose pirates. Plus Thrawn uses a lightsaber (albeit briefly) whilst Vader uses his Force sensitive skills as part of an all new encompassing ability. And who doesn't like Vader going in to space combat, eh? This time in one of Thrawn's unique new TIE defenders no less!

Soon to become an important part of the Disney Star Wars theme park universe flagship being built in the US, the Wild West/out-on-the-frontier styled Black Spire township, of which prior reference to the site and its reputation for being difficult to locate cropped up during Solo: A Star Wars Story, Zahn effectively delivers us to Batuu and its diverse hubbub of aliens throughout the book, an environment where you can always rely on a local Cantina being on hand to serve drinks and remove any post-conflict bodies post-haste!

Overall, as the books reaches its ramifications filled finale, I had perhaps been hoping that Alliances would be a grander and more ambitious story alongside the notable character interactions, but Zahn's grand plan for the trilogy will surely see the fireworks coming to the fore with the book three wrap up in a year or so's time, alongside a notably absent supporting character from the first book of the trilogy. Importantly, Zahn's grasp of the STAR WARS universe and its characters never fails to be impeccable, with Alliances yet another classy read. Having been underutilized for the most part in Rebels, Thrawn's reemergence in the revised Expanded Universe has been most welcome, truly at his best here in the printed dimension- calculated, subtly menacing and, above all else, distinctly alien.

And so the legacy of Thrawn and the Chiss Ascendancy continues, whilst the Empire prepares to makes its next bold moves against emergent threats unlike anything encountered before...

Roll on 2019!

AFICIONADO RATING: Within a satisfying plotting mix of timelines, incidents and action, Zahn gives us a worthy union between figurehead icons of darkness, both of whom are well utilized and showcased. With such attractions, Thrawn: Alliances is well worth the purchase for Prequel and Classic Trilogy fans alike. 4 out of 5

Get Thrawn: Alliances here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrawn-Alliances-Star-Timothy-Zahn/dp/1780898665/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534084036&sr=8-1&keywords=thrawn+alliances

Post release author interview:
https://www.starwars.com/news/timothy-zahn-thrawn-alliances-interview