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Timothy Zahn

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) (Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy) Paperback – 22 Jun. 2022

by Timothy Zahn (Author)

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Discover Thrawn's origins within the Chiss Ascendancy in the first book in an epic new Star Wars trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.

Beyond the edge of the galaxy lies the Unknown Regions: chaotic, uncharted, and near impassable, with hidden secrets and dangers in equal measure. And nestled within its swirling chaos is the Ascendancy, home to the enigmatic Chiss and the Nine Ruling Families that lead them.

The peace of the Ascendancy, a beacon of calm and stability, is shattered after a daring attack on the Chiss capital that leaves no trace of the enemy. Baffled, the Ascendancy dispatches one of its brightest young military officers to root out the unseen assailants. A recruit born of no title, but adopted into the powerful family of the Mitth and given the name Thrawn.

With the might of the Expansionary Fleet at his back, and the aid of his comrade Admiral Ar'alani, answers begin to fall into place. But as Thrawn's first command probes deeper into the vast stretch of space his people call the Chaos, he realizes that the mission he has been given is not what it seems.

And the threat to the Ascendancy is only just beginning.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publication date

22 Jun. 2022
Dimensions

13.79 x 2.13 x 20.93 cm
ISBN-10

0593157702
ISBN-13

978-0593157701
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Product description

From the Back Cover

Discover Thrawn's origins within the Chiss Ascendancy in the first book in an epic new Star Wars trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. Beyond the edge of the galaxy lies the Unknown Regions: chaotic, uncharted, and near impassable, with hidden secrets and dangers in equal measure. And nestled within its swirling chaos is the Ascendancy, home to the enigmatic Chiss and the Nine Ruling Families that lead them. The peace of the Ascendancy, a beacon of calm and stability, is shattered after a daring attack on the Chiss capital that leaves no trace of the enemy. Baffled, the Ascendancy dispatches one of its brightest young military officers to root out the unseen assailants. A recruit born of no title, but adopted into the powerful family of the Mitth and given the name Thrawn. With the might of the Expansionary Fleet at his back, and the aid of his comrade Admiral Ar'alani, answers begin to fall into place. But as Thrawn's first command probes deeper into the vast stretch of space his people call the Chaos, he realizes that the mission he has been given is not what it seems. And the threat to the Ascendancy is only just beginning.

About the Author

Timothy Zahn is the author of more than sixty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novelettes, and four short-fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels (Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances, Thrawn: Treason, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor's Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Choices of One, and Scoundrels), with more than eight million copies of his books in print. Other books include StarCraft: Evolution, the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a BS in physics from Michigan State University and an MS from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER ONE

There were times, Ba’kif thought distantly, when it was good for a man to stare out of the relative stability of the Chiss Ascendancy into the Chaos. It was a chance to appreciate all that the Ascendancy was, and all that it meant: order and steadfastness, security and power, light and culture and glory. It was an island of calm amid the twisted hyperspace lanes and the ever-changing pathways that slowed travel and stunted trade for all those who lived out there.

The Chaos hadn’t always been that way, or so the legends went. Once, at the dawn of space travel, it had been no more difficult to move between any of the stars than it was now to travel in the Ascendancy. But then, millennia ago, a series of chained supernova explosions throughout the region had sent huge masses tumbling at high speeds between the stars, some of them demolishing asteroids or whole worlds, others sparking more supernovas with their near-lightspeed impacts. The movement of all those masses, coupled with regions of heavy electromagnetic flux, resulted in the constantly changing hyperlanes that made any voyage longer than a couple of star systems difficult and dangerous.

But that instability was a two-bladed knife. The limitations that stifled travel and thus helped protect the Chiss from invasion also slowed recon and intelligence gathering. There were dangers out there in the darkness, hidden worlds and tyrants who sought conquest and destruction.

One of those tyrants had apparently now set his sights on the Ascendancy.

“Are you certain this is the way?” he asked the young woman at the helm of their shuttle.

“Yes, General, I am,” she said. A flicker of controlled pain crossed her face. “I was part of the team that found it.”

Ba’kif nodded. “Of course.” There was another short silence, another moment of gazing out at the distant stars—

“There,” the woman said suddenly. “Ten degrees to starboard.”

“I see it,” Ba’kif said. “Take us alongside.”

“Yes, sir.”

Their ship moved forward, steadily closing the distance. Ba’kif gazed out the viewport, his stomach tight. It was one thing to see holos and recordings of a destroyed refugee ship. It was something else entirely to look personally upon the stark reality of slaughter.

Beside him, Senior Captain Thrawn stirred. “This wasn’t pirates,” he said.

“Your reasoning?” Ba’kif asked.

“The damage pattern is designed to destroy, not immobilize.”

“Perhaps the majority of the destruction was inflicted after they plundered it.”

“Unlikely,” Thrawn said. “The angle of the majority of the shots indicates an attack from the rear.”

Ba’kif nodded. That was the same analysis and logic he’d followed, and it had taken him to the same conclusion.

That logic plus one more crucial, terrible fact.

“Let’s get the obvious question out of the way,” he said. “Is this ship at all related to the ones that attacked Csilla two days ago?”

“No,” Thrawn said promptly. “I can see no artistic or architectural connection between them at all.”

Ba’kif nodded again. That, too, had been his conclusion. “So it’s possible the two incidents are unrelated.”

“If so, it would be an interesting coincidence,” Thrawn said. “I consider it more likely that the attack on Csilla was a diversion to draw our attention inward and away from this event.”

“Indeed,” Ba’kif agreed. “And given the cost of the diversion, it further suggests someone really doesn’t want us taking a good look at this ship.”

“Indeed,” Thrawn said thoughtfully. “I wonder why they left the wreckage instead of destroying it completely.”

“I can tell you that, sir,” the pilot put in. “I was on the patrol ship that spotted the attack. We were too far away to intervene or to get any real sensor data, but the attacker apparently spotted our approach and decided not to risk a confrontation. By the time we arrived and began our investigation, it had escaped back into hyperspace.”

“So we already knew about the attack,” Ba’kif added. “The diversion was then presumably an attempt to push it out of our attention.”

“At least until more time had passed,” Thrawn said. “How much time, sir, do you estimate?”

Ba’kif shook his head. “Impossible to say for certain. But given the Syndicure’s outrage at the Csilla attack, I’m guessing they’ll keep up the pressure on the fleet to find the culprits for at least the next three or four months. Assuming, of course, that we don’t identify them before then.”

“We won’t,” Thrawn said. “From the recordings I saw of the attack, the ships looked old, even marginally obsolete. Whoever their master was, he chose ships that’ll most likely bear little resemblance to what he’s using now.”

Ba’kif smiled grimly. “But then, a little resemblance may be all we need.”

“Perhaps.” Thrawn gestured toward the wrecked ship. “I assume we’ll be going aboard?”

Ba’kif looked at the pilot. Her cheeks were tight, the skin around her eyes pinched. She’d been aboard once, and clearly had no desire to go back. “Yes,” he said. “Just the two of us. The shuttle crew will stay here on watch.”

“Understood,” Thrawn said. “With your permission, I’ll prepare the boarding suits.”

“Go ahead,” Ba’kif said. “I’ll join you in a moment.”

He waited until Thrawn had left. “I presume you left everything as you found it?” he asked the pilot.

“Yes, sir,” she said. “But . . .”

“But?” Ba’kif prompted.

“I don’t understand why you wanted it left intact instead of bringing it in for a more thorough investigation,” she said. “I can’t see how anything in there will do you any good.”

“You may be surprised,” Ba’kif said. “We may both be.”

He looked toward the hatch where Thrawn had gone. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”

Ba’kif had seen the holos the patrol had sent to the Syndicure on Csilla and the Expansionary Defense Fleet headquarters on Naporar.

Like the ship itself, the reality was far worse.

Wrecked consoles. Fried data storage banks and modules. Destroyed sensor clusters and analysis pods.

And bodies. Lots of bodies.

Or rather, the remains of bodies.

“This wasn’t a freighter.” Thrawn’s voice came softly through Ba’kif’s helmet speaker. “It was a refugee ship.”

Ba’kif nodded silently. Adults, midagers, children—the whole range of life experience had been represented.

All of them slaughtered with the same brutal efficiency.

“What did the fleet’s analysis give us?” Thrawn asked.

“Precious little,” Ba’kif admitted. “As you already noted, the ship’s design isn’t one we’ve seen before. The victims’ nucleic code isn’t in our data listings. The size of the ship suggests it didn’t travel overly far, but there are a lot of planetary systems and small nation clusters in the Chaos that we’ve never visited.”

“And their physical characteristics . . .” Thrawn waved a hand.

“Not easy to read,” Ba’kif said grimly, shivering in spite of himself. Explosive rounds had left very little for even the best reconstruction team to work with. “I was hoping there might be something you could glean from what they left behind.”

“There are a few things,” Thrawn said. “The basic ship design has certain characteristics that likely translate to other aspects of their culture. Their clothing, too, is distinctive.”

“In what way?” Ba’kif asked. “Material? Design? Patterning?”

“All that, and more,” Thrawn said. “There’s a certain air about such things, an overall feeling that forms in my mind.”

“Nothing you can codify for us?”

Thrawn turned to him, and through his faceplate Ba’kif saw the other’s wry smile. “Really, General,” he said. “If I could write all this down, I certainly would.”

“I know,” Ba’kif said. “It would be a lot easier for all of us if you could.”

“Agreed,” Thrawn said. “But rest assured I’ll be able to recognize these beings when I see them again. I presume your plan is to search for the ship’s point of origin?”

“Under normal circumstances, I would definitely do so,” Ba’kif said. “But with the Syndicure in its current state of uproar and outrage, it might be difficult to detach a task force from Ascendancy defense.”

“I’m prepared to go alone if necessary.”

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Worlds; 1st edition (22 Jun. 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593157702
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593157701
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.79 x 2.13 x 20.93 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,273,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 385 in Star Wars
- 5,395 in Galactic Empire
- 5,566 in Film & Television Tie-In

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5,922 ratings

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Timothy Zahn

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Timothy Zahn is the Hugo Award-winning author of more than forty original science fiction novels and the bestselling Star Wars trilogy Heir to the Empire, among other works. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

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Controlling the Chaos

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2020

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A great book. This is the most insight I have had on Thrawn after all these years. In the books Thrawn always seems to be playing his own long game. Even his own people the Chiss do not understand and him. Some see greatness in him others see great danger.

I actually like this version of Thrawn away from the Imperials. Yes he is a militery man through and through, but he shows more compassion in his attitude and tactics here. Also he does an incredible job of mentoring his subordinates. Though he claims not to understand the political games, he earns life long loyalty from those that are close to him.

I also like that older school touches. The pathfinders and the Chiss' own version of them who "find" new hyperspace routes to get to certain destinations quicker. Extended Universe will remember the brother and sister found their way in the Golden Age of the Sith.

This book follows a younger, slightly less experienced but brilliant Thrawn doing what he need to do the save the Ascendancy. There are also his older memories of him coming up the ranks. There are also Awesome side characters that I really hope are explored further. A couple of the have made a appearance in other Disney era Star Wars book and series already. Another brilliant touch was linking this book to Thrawn Alliances. It was a small touch but to a continuity lover like me it was awesome and hearing the conversation from Thrawn's was a nice touch. I am really looking forward to the next book in the trilogy, and I want to know the final fate of Thrawn post Rebels.

7 people found this helpful

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Ceri

PROOF READERS? HA HA BUDGET CUTS SACKED THEM

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2020

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This story is good, but as someone who has to read every word instead of skim reading there are so many things the proof reader and publisher missed, and it’s not just once or twice in the whole book every chapter has at least one error and some have up to five that really takes away from being able to be absorbed into the story as a reader

7 people found this helpful

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Targaid

Not for me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a good book. It's well-paced, imaginative and has good, well-rounded characters. Zahn does great world-building and Thrawn is one of the best characters in the extended universe.
The trouble with this is it's going too much into his background and his world. So far that it no longer feels like Star Wars.
I like Thrawn but the trouble with making him a central hero is that it's taking away from him being such a powerful villain. He's portrayed as a noble, compassionate, honourable man. Too much so to be the Imperial Mastermind we first see him as. Certainly too much so to side with the Empire.
This, for me, is the problem with delving too deeply into the background of characters like this. You can't depict the hero of the story as an out and out villain and when you make him the focus you undermine his power as a bad guy. Plus, how old is Thrawn? I know he's not human but the length of career he seems to have had in the Chiss Ascendancy prior to arriving in the Empire and starting over and working up through the ranks again just seems improbable.
Oh, and Timothy, please stop having non-humans talk about needing or giving humanitarian aid; it's very jarring. Even more so than the slightly rephrased homilies you love to use.

3 people found this helpful

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L Schultz

FANTASTIC Thrawn novel, shame about the lack of blue pages!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2020

Verified Purchase

I ordered this in the hope that it would be one of the First Edition prints with the blue bordered pages.
Sadly, the bordered pages are grey, which appears to be a UK publisher issue.
UK publishers really need to get on board with the US in terms of exclusive editions. As a consequence I’ve had to order a copy from Barnes & Noble in the US.

On the flip side of this, this book is phenomenal.
It’s the book all Thrawn fans have been dying for!! Who are the Chiss? What is their world like? Their government, politics?
This is an absolutely phenomenal read, probably my second favourite of Zahn’s Canon Thrawn novels (after Thrawn)
I LOVE Admiral Ar’alani- she was in Outbound Flight (Legends) was brought back for Thrawn Treason and now we get her back story and arc too. The Sky-walkers are fantastic- such a great concept, and there was a loose tie in chapter with Thrawn Alliances which was another great touch.
The pace was great- exciting enough to keep the pages turning, but not so jam packed with military tactical steps that you lost the storyline.
Really looking forward to Book 2!

3 people found this helpful

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Razor Shultz

Awesome backstory for Thrawn

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 December 2020

Verified Purchase

This book begins before the first Thrawn novel. It covers Thrawn's background and his early career in the Chiss Ascendancy, and the sorts of missions/conflicts he got involved in with the other races in the Chaos. Without saying too much, it explains a lot about the Chiss culture and society. Admiral Ar'alani features heavily in it too, which I think is great because she is really cool, as you would know from having read the first 3 Thrawn novels. If you like Thrawn as a character, definitely pick this up. It's the first book in a new Thrawn trilogy too!

That said, please DO read the first 3 Thrawn books before picking this one up.

3 people found this helpful

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Stuart Monk

Grabs me every time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 May 2021

Verified Purchase

I thought about reading this book for a long time - from the write-up there was nothing directly related to the Star Wars universe I've been reading about since Timothy Zahn's 'Heir To The Empire', so I wondered if I needed to read a trilogy of books about aliens who didn't have any connection to Star Wars (apart from Thrawn, obviously).
But I ordered it and just recently the second book was published so I thought I'd give part one a try...
Hook, line and Sinker!
Great story, looking forward to part 2.
And it turns out there is a certain level of crossover into the SW Universe, after all.

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kourgath

Thrawn: Early life(ish) and more about the Chiss

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 January 2022

Verified Purchase

I’m glad that Zahn has been able to add some depth to Thrawn and the Chiss. I enjoyed reading about him the first time around in what is now Legends.

The main characters have depth and while the complexity of the various races is interesting it is hard to put that into a readable book that isn’t lost in politics.

Looking forward to the next book in the series.

One person found this helpful

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From the Back Cover

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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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About the author

Timothy Zahn

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