Star Wars - Volume 2: Dark Force Rising

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Bantam Books

Number of pages: 416
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Published)

RRP: £6.99
Editorial
Synopsis

This novel begins five years after the events of the "The Return of the Jedi". The new Republic is threatened by a traitor within the highest Republic Council and by Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Empire's most cunning and ruthless warlord, who has taken control of the remains of the Imperial Fleet.

Editorial
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...

Editorial
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.

Another unmissable chapter in the Star Wars saga.
Review date: 2004-11-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

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.

Reviews

All hail T. Zahn!
Review date: 1999-11-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

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!

The second in the series, but definetely not second best.
Review date: 1999-10-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

Dark Force Rising is the second instalment of Timothy Zahn's Heir To The Empire trilogy. The story follows on immediately from where the previous book finished - with the New Republic in serious trouble. Most of the action centres on Han and Lando's efforts to unmask a traitor inside the Republic Council. As if this wasn't difficult enough their investigation leads to the discovery of a ghostly fleet of ships that could spell the end of the New Republic. Meanwhile, Princess Leia attempts to negotiate a peace settlement with the Noghri, a race of dangerous creatures employed by the Empire as assassins. But perhaps the most difficult task belongs to Luke Skywalker. The young Jedi must repel the advances of the mad Jedi Master Joruus C'boath. His goal? Turn Luke to the Dark Side. Once again, Zahn's story moves at a frightening pace. Dark Force Rising is perhaps the best of the three books, just as in most people's opinion the Empire Strikes Back was the best of the original three films. However, as was the case with the Empire Strikes Back you are left with a sense of unfinished business. Still, this should not detract from your enjoyment, especially if you have the final instalment on hand. Well worth the money and required reading for any Star Wars fans.

A must for any Star Wars fan or 'wanting-to-be' fan.
Review date: 1999-09-03 Rating: 8 out of 10

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.

Product Details/Specifications

Authors:
Timothy Zahn

Recording label: Bantam Books
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
EAN: 9780553404425
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 0553404423
Number of pages: 416
Publication date: 1995-03-18
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Published)

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Star Wars - Volume 2: Dark Force Rising

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