Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances (Book 2)

The overarching plot was especially plain, with no unexpected turns or moments where it took a fresh direction. The interactions between Vader, Anakin, Thrawn and Padme did manage to capture their personalities but there was no drama or genuine tension despite their differences. It was all very "happy families" from start to end which didn't make you want to keep reading to see what happens next. Zhan also spends far too long describing environmental details on many occasions which caused scenes to drag on needlessly. Alliances is enough to satisfy someone's curiosity around the Thrawn/Vader relationship but is certainly not a must-read.

Good book but sometimes gets confusing with two seperate stories from different times being told at once. Especially as they both feature the same main characters (Thrawn and Anakin/Vader). Quite a few times at the beginning of a flash back i had to flip back to where it last left off to remember what was going on. Personally i think it would have been easier if the clone wars era story was all told first then the empire era one next.

Timothy Zahn keeps his epic, tense, suspense filled and action packed style of Star Wars storytelling in this book. The essence of Empirical rule in the Galaxy flows through this novel. Zahn gives the reader a deep insight into the complexity of the Empire's leadership highlighting the undertones of the arrogance that we know lead to Darth Sidious's downfall. The subtle but powerful conflict in Darth Vader is also brilliantly portrayed, as is the depth and importance of Thrawn's character and allegiance within Sidious's and Vader's Empire.