Choices Of One, Timothy Zahn.
Mild spoilers, which I'll mark.
This takes place not too long after Allegiance, so it's basically the same cast of characters - our heroes, Mara Jade, and The Hand Of Judgment. It feels almost sequel-ish. That's fine with me where The Hand Of Judgment is concerned, as they've become one of my very favorite (if not the favorite) parts of the Zahn universe.
Great story where they are concerned. I can't say enough about how much I like the depth of their characters and story. As I've said many times before, they read like a film.
Our heroes are well-written, as usual, and are separated for much of the story. Again, very Empire-like in the multiple stories. It's Luke\Han\Leia|Hand Of Judgment\Mara focused, with Vader and Thrawn playing minor roles. I thought that helped the novel. They've had plenty of the spotlight over the years. Our heroes should be primary in this, as it's their formative years. 3PO and R2 are nearly non-existent, which I prefer. Wasn't a big fan in 1977, not a fan now.
Spoiler;
My one complaint (again) is the perfection of Mara Jade as a character. I had a hard time connecting with a character who can do no wrong and has every answer to every situation. With no sense of danger, tension, or weaknesses, she's not terribly interesting. I love her in the five Thrawn novels and feel she's one of the deepest and most interesting characters ever associated with Star Wars.
In those novels, she's fallible, realistic, and complex - and because of that - very interesting. These two more recent novels lack her groundedness and her weaknesses, both as-written and as a character.
She is somewhat more grounded in this story compared to Allegiance, but not much. That comes later in her life - as it should.
I again very much like that our heroes are in the vein of 1977. They were interesting in their naivete' and unfamiliarity with each other, and themselves, both in the original 1977 film, as well as these two novels.
For me, this book is a great Hand Of Judgment story, so it ranks high in my Star Wars universe. For the coming months, I'm first taking a break fron Zahn and going to my yearly March read of Splinter Of The Mind's Eye. It coincides with Spring Training every year, so it's time. It's huge in my world and feels like an old friend. In fact, I started it last night. It's Star Wars uncontaminated by Lucas, so it's a nice way to refocus.
If Zahn doesn't have his Solo's 11 novel completed for a while, I'll probably be taking a Star Wars break for the rest of the year. If I go back to any at all, it will probably be Heir To The Empire.
Summer is also Indiana Jones time, so I have a couple of those to read first.