I still think the Thrawn trilogy is much better than the PT. I really like some EU things, but most authors, the vast majority I feel, really make a mess. Zahn is one who really had the SW feel for his books. Even the way they flip from scene to scene is very Star Wars-ish. I liked a good deal of SOTE also, though I know a lot of people hate it. Thrawn was a really fascinating character, so it is no surprise to me if other writers included him in their stories.