I just finished reading the Thrawn Trilogy. Overall, I thought it was really good. Each of the characters’ POVs was handled very well, and I loved most of the new characters that it introduced, especially Mara Jade. I also really liked the Leia POV chapters and how you get to see her developing her connection to the Force.

I actually wasn’t the biggest fan of Thrawn himself. I thought his genius sometimes bordered on being implausible, and his ability to analyze his opponents through a species’ art was a bit cheesy. (Though it was refreshing to have such a competent villain.)

But I liked the other main villain, Joruus C’baoth, and thought he was surprisingly interesting. He seemed to represent a dark reflection of what the Jedi Order could become if it held onto resentment and chose a more authoritarian path after the Purge. A Dark-Side character like that would’ve been great in the sequel trilogy.

The ending and resolution felt a little sudden, but I get why it ended that way. I just wish we’d gotten some more time with the characters after the climax, so we could see them reflecting on what they’d gone through. We got a bit of that, but not as much as I would have liked. But the way I see it, if my biggest complaint about the characters is that I didn’t get enough of them, the book must be doing something right.

I’d definitely recommend these books to any Star Wars fan.