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David McK (3633 KP) rated Star Wars: Outbound Flight in Books

Jan 30, 2019

If I was asked which author is most associuated with kick-starting the whole Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU), I would have to choose Timothy Zahn, with his 'Heir to the Empire' trilogy. From that trilogy, two of his main protaganists would have to be the Jedi Master Joruus C'Baoth (a clone of the dead Jedi Jorus C'Baoth), and Grand Admiral Thrawn.

In this particular novel in that universe - set between the events of Episode I and Episode II - Zahn returns to those two particular characters, as well as to the fate of the eponymous 'Outbound Flight'. Slightly misleadingly, I felt, the main story does not detail how Thrawn joined the Empire (although there is a short story in the back of my edition that does just that), but instead fleshes out a previously hinted at backstory from his <i>Heir to the Empire</i> series. Set in an earlier peirod, I found it also interesting that it also foreshadows some of the event of the later <i>New Jedi Order</i> series of books - a series that, if I'm honest, I never really took to, preferring instead to primarily remain in or around the Rebellion era.

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Deborah (162 KP) rated Ashenden in Books

Dec 21, 2018

I really thought this sounded like the kind of book that would be right up my street, but unfortunately I found it didn't meet my expectation and was, in all in all, a bit of a disappointment.

It's the story of a country house, built in the Palladian style, and the people who live in it. To be honest, I found it rather dreary and depressing and the house never really seems properly loved and seen in all its glory. Each chapter is a separate short story or vignette, often trying to link characters from one to the other to try and keep a sense of continuity, but not always working. So many of the character were just plain unpleasant and if there was someone you did want to know something more about, well you are bound to be disappointed. Life isn't all roses, but this just seemed to have too much unhappiness and misfortune in it. also, some of the architecture of the house is described in great detail, but I never felt it strong enough to be a 'character' in the book as I expected.