Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: (Book 1: Chaos Rising)

Top positive review

Controlling the Chaos

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2020

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

Top critical review

All critical reviews›

Ceri

PROOF READERS? HA HA BUDGET CUTS SACKED THEM

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2020

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

6 people found this helpful

Sort by

Filter by

5,939 total ratings, 215 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From United Kingdom

Controlling the Chaos

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2020

Verified Purchase

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

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

Helpful

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

Helpful

Ceri

PROOF READERS? HA HA BUDGET CUTS SACKED THEM

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2020

Verified Purchase

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

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.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

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.

Helpful

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

Helpful

Milena Stardream

As brilliant as only Zahn can deliver

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 September 2020

Verified Purchase

Yet another brilliant book featuring Thrawn and his past in the Chiss Ascendancy. Completely worth it, even with shipping costing three times as much as the book.
As a fan of the old Thrawn trilogy and books, I am more than amazed that the new ones are as good, if not better. I definitely recommend all of them to anyone who is a fan of Thrawn, the Chiss or Zahn's wonderful writing style. I love how he managed to use a lot of the good bits and characters from the old books in the new ones. As a fan of Thrawn and the Chiss, I was more than ecstatic to learn there would be a trilogy dedicated to his past and the Ascendancy. I cannot wait to read the rest of this new series. The Thrawn books are the one good thing about the new Star Wars. The blue page borders were a really nice surprise.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Alfred

Definitely not Star Wars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 March 2022

Verified Purchase

Misleading title as the only involvement of the Star Wars saga is approximately 1 page and consists of a passing meeting with Anakin Skywalker. Otherwise a well paced storyline involving a large cast of interesting characters. The plot(s) are intriguing and very entertaining.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

matt

Another good Thrawn novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2020

Verified Purchase

This book offers further insight into Thrawn's history, character and development.
The novel operates on two time lines, Mr Zahn has dealt with this well, switching between the two time lines well and in a complimentary fashion.

I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Need customer service? Click here

‹ See all details for Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: (Book 1: Chaos Rising)

5 star		71%
4 star		21%
3 star		7%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	AbeBooks Books, art & collectables	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Download Audiobooks	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	DPReview Digital Photography	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations

Amazon Home Services Experienced pros Happiness Guarantee	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands

Amazon Warehouse Deep Discounts Open-Box Products	Amazon Business Service for business customers	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food

Select Your Cookie Preferences

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: (Book 1: Chaos Rising)

›

Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: (Book 1: Chaos Rising)

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From United Kingdom

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

Select Your Cookie Preferences

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: (Book 1: Chaos Rising) › Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: (Book 1: Chaos Rising)

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From United Kingdom

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: (Book 1: Chaos Rising)

›

Customer reviews