Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52530 in Books
• Published on: 1993-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 440 pages

Synopsis
When Grand Admiral Thrawn takes command of what is left of the Imperial fleet and launches a massive campaign against the New Republic, Han and Lando Calrissian race to find proof of treason inside the highest Republic Council. Reprint.

From the Back Cover
Dark Force Rising moves with the speed of light, across a dazzling landscape of galactic proportions, from world to world, from adventure to adventure, as Good and Evil clash across the vastness of space 'a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...'

Five years after the Return of the Jedi, the fragile Republic that was born with the defeat of Darth Vader, the Emperor and the infamous Death Star stands threatened from within and without. The dying Empire's most cunning and ruthless warlord - Grand Admiral Thrawn - has taken command of the remnants of the Imperial fleet and launched a massive campaign aimed at the Republic's destruction. With the aid of unimaginable weapons Thrawn plans to overwhelm the New Republic, and impose his iron rule throughout the Galaxy.

Meanwhile, dissension and personal ambition threaten to tear the Republic apart. As Princess Leia - pregnant with Jedi twins - risks her life to bring a proud and lethal alien race into alliance with the Republic, Han and Lando Calrissian race against time to find proof of treason inside the highest Republic Council.

But most dangerous of all is a new Dark Jedi, risen from the ashes of a shrouded past, consumed by bitterness, and thoroughly, utterly insane...

About the Author
Timothy Zahn
Timothy Zahn is one of science fiction's most popular voices, known for his ability to tell very human stories against a well-researched background of future science and technology. He won the Hugo Award for his novella Cascade Point and is the author of sixteen science fiction novels, including the bestselling Star Wars trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command; the novels Conquerors' Pride, Conqueror's Heritage, and Conquerors' Legacy; three collections of short fiction; and the two novels in The Hand of Thrawn sequence, Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future. He lives in Oregon, USA.

Customer Reviews

Another unmissable chapter in the Star Wars saga.
THE STORY:
Five years after 'Return of the Jedi', Grand Admiral Thrawn continues his devastating war against the New Republic by seeking out the Dark Force, a fleet of Dreadnaughts that disappeared decades earlier. Mara Jade, hoping to rescue her employer Talon Karrde from Thrawn's clutches, seeks the help of Luke Skywalker, but first she must free him from the influence of the Dark Jedi Joruus C'baoth. Elsewhere, Leia and Chewbacca seek to turn the Noghri against the Empire and Han and Lando discover a potential ally from the early days of the Rebellion.

WHAT'S GOOD:
In a lot of ways this book is an improvement over it's excellent predecessor, having more character development, more dynamic action and more interesting plot twists. I enjoyed the idea that Luke is so desperate to further his Jedi training that he fails to resist C'baoth's mind control and that it is Mara, who is sworn to kill him, who saves him from this new dark side temptation. The pace of this novel is excellent too, with the disparate threads gathering momentum as all the elements of the story plunge towards the battle for the Katana Fleet. The character of Garm Bel-Iblis is a welcome addition to the story, being a founder of the Rebellion, who broke away to conduct a private war against the Empire, but who is now drawn back towards his old comrades. I'm sure you'll also enjoy the ending, in which Borsk Fey'lya gets exactly what he deserves! An interesting element of this book is Zahn's use of clone Stormtroopers; did Lucas give him hints of his plans for the prequels, or was Lucas himself influenced by this book (don't forget that Zahn was the man who named the galaxy's capital 'Coruscant' and Lucas used that...)

WHAT'S BAD:
I found the storyline involving Leia's trip to Honoghr to be tedious at the best of times and, despite it's importance to the eventual outcome of the trilogy, I could have happily done without it. Mara's seeking out of Luke seemed a little far fetched, considering the lengths Zahn has gone to to show how much she hates him.

All hail T. Zahn!
The best star wars novel yet! Zahn is trully the best star wars author next to George Lucas himself. The story has exactly the same atmosphere as the films, and never, at no point at all, becomes boring. Next to that, Zahn adds new characters worlds and creatures that fit in as if they were from the original movies. Okay Thrawn is no Lord Vader, but he will do just fine (very, very fine). Keep up the good work Tim!

A must for any Star Wars fan or 'wanting-to-be' fan.
Dark force takes the gauntlet from 'Heir to the Empire' with the usual slick action and excitement of any Zahn novel. Characters develop (Borsk Fey'la escpecially - you'll wnat to strangle him soon enough!), and the story unfolds further and deeper, with a spectacular (and superbly executed) ending (as per 'Heir'). If you've read 'Heir' you'll want it anyway. If not, you should start the whole trilogy, and be amazed at how well Zahn writes for the Star Wars universe.