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Summary
Summary
From Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn, whose unprecedented bestselling trilogy continued the saga of George Lucas's blockbuster films and became a landmark in the history of science fiction publishing, comes a dramatic new chapter in the greatest science fiction epic ever told. Now Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo must battle to safeguard the fledgling New Republic from a dead Imperial warlord--and from itself. Once the unquestioned master of countless solar systems, the Empire is tottering on the brink of total collapse. Once commanding an invincible armada of Star Destroyers, its fleet has been reduced to a skeleton force. Day by day, neutral systems are rushing to join the New Republic coalition. But with the end of the war in sight, the New Republic has fallen victim to its own success. An unwieldy alliance of races and traditions, the confederation now finds itself riven by age-old animosities. Princess Leia struggles against all odds to hold the New Republic together. But she has powerful enemies. An ambitious Moff Disra leads a conspiracy to divide the uneasy coalition with an ingenious plot to blame the Bothans for a heinous crime that could lead to genocide and civil war. At the same time, Luke Skywalker, along with Lando Calrissian and Talon Karrde, pursues a mysterious group of pirate ships whose crews consist of clones. And then comes the most startling news of all: Grand Admiral Thrawn--believed to be dead for ten years--is reported alive. The most cunning and ruthless warlord in Imperial history has seemingly returned to lead the Empire to triumph. As Han and Leia try to prevent the unraveling of the New Republic in the face of this fearful and inexplicable threat from the past, Luke sets out to track down the rogue pirate ships. To do so, he will team up with Mara Jade, with whom he will share his growing mastery of the Force and the ever-present threat of the dark side. All the while, lurking in the shadows is the enigmatic Major Tierce, a disciple of Emperor Palpatine, sharing his long-dead master's lust for power, schooled in the devious stratagems of Thrawn himself, and armed with his own dark plans for the New Republic and the Empire. Specter of the Pastmarks the triumphant return of Timothy Zahn to the celebratedStar Wars(r)universe in a novel that brings together all the trademark action, suspense, startling revelations, and brilliant spectacle worthy of the nameStar Wars. 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 novellaCascade Pointand is the author of sixteen science fiction novels, including the bestselling Star Wars trilogyHeir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising,andThe Last Command,the novelsConquerors' Pride, Conquerors' Heritage,andConquerors' Legacy,and three collections of short fiction. Timothy Zahn lives in Oregon. (r), TM & (c) 1997 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. Used under authorization.
Author Notes
Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 1, 1951. He received a B.S. degree in physics from Michigan State University in East Lansing in 1973 and a M.S. degree in physics from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1975. In 1975, Zahn began writing science fiction as a hobby. When his thesis advisor died in 1979, effectively wiping out three years of work, he decided to try making a living at writing. Since then, Zahn has published short stories, novelettes, novels, and short fiction collections. He is best known for writing the Star Wars the Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. The novella, Cascade Point (1984) won a Hugo Award. He also writes numerous series including Cobra, Blackcollar, Dragonback, and Conquerors' Trilogy.
Zahn co-authored with David Weber A Call To Duty, the first book in the Manticore Ascendant Series, which made the New York Times bestseller list in October 2014.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are long dead and the Empire, on its last legs, has shrunk to a mere handful of star systems. Admiral Pellaeon, supreme commander of the Empire's military forces, is ready to ask the New Republic for peace, but a small group of Imperial conspirators will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen. In a desperate bid to regain the Empire's lost glory, the conspirators kidnap Pellaeon's peace envoy, send secret agents to stir up strife within the New Republic and enlist a gifted actor to impersonate the last great Imperial hero, the long dead High Admiral Thrawn. In this first volume of a new Star Wars series, veteran military-SF author Zahn (Heir to the Empire; Conqueror's Pride) has crafted an unusually sophisticated addition to the continuing saga of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa. Although space opera fans will find an adequate number of battling starships and blazing blasters here, the emphasis is on espionage and complex political wheeling and dealing. The novel features a large cast of well-developed supporting characters, including such old favorites as the roguish Lando Calrissian, the fearless X-wing pilot Wedge Antilles and the Imperial agent turned Jedi, Mara Jade, who is looking more and more like a potential romantic interest for Luke Skywalker. Longtime fans should get considerable pleasure from this addition to the saga. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Zahn returns splendidly to the ranks of Star Wars authors with the first of a two-part yarn, The Hand of Thrawn, that begins 10 years after Admiral Thrawn's death at the end of Zahn's SW trilogy, Dark Force Rising. Now an unscrupulous Grand Moff and a ruthless and able former royal bodyguard have an actor playing Thrawn to take advantage of the new republic's various problems. Those include commercial rivalry between the Iphigini and the Diamala, the scandal of certain Bothans having been imperial agents in the destruction of the planet Caamas (which is a painful dilemma for Princess Leia, survivor of Alderaan), and a new party or parties unknown playing around with the Force in a way that attracts the notice of both Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker. The pacing is brisk, the universe is fleshed out still further, and fidelity to the original characters is maintained as more of how they confront ethical complexities is disclosed. Fiction in which the reader knows who is going to survive inevitably lacks the highest degree of emotional impact; however, in the hands of a writer of Zahn's calibre, the result is certainly absorbing reading. Label this one "Not just for Star Wars fans" --for sure! --Roland Green
Library Journal Review
More intergalactic capers from the author whose best-selling Heir to the Empire launched the current Star WarsR craze. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Slowly, silently, its lights a faint glitter of life amid the darkness, the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera glided through space. Empty space. Oppressively dark space. Long, lonely light-years from the nearest of the tiny islands that were the star systems of the galaxy, drifting at the edge of the boundary between the Outer Rim worlds and the vast regions of territory known as Unknown Space. At the very edge of the Empire. Or rather, at the edge of the pitiful scraps of what had once been the Empire. Standing beside one of the Chimaera 's side viewports, Admiral Pellaeon, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, gazed out at the emptiness, the weight of all too many years pressing heavily across his shoulders. Too many years, too many battles, too many defeats. Perhaps the Chimaera 's bridge crew was feeling the weight, too. Certainly the sounds of activity going on behind him seemed more muted than usual today. But perhaps it was merely the effect of being out here, so far from anywhere at all. No, of course that had to be it. The men of the Chimaera were the finest the Fleet had to offer. They were Imperial officers and crewers, and Imperials didn't give up. Ever. There was a tentative footstep at his side. "Admiral?" Captain Ardiff said quietly. "We're ready to begin, sir." For a moment Pellaeon's mind flashed back ten years, to another very similar moment. Then, it had been Pellaeon and Grand Admiral Thrawn who'd been here on the Chimaera 's bridge, watching the final test of the prototype cloaking shield Thrawn had recovered from among the Emperor's trophies inside Mount Tantiss. Pellaeon could remember the excitement he'd felt then, despite his misgivings about the insane Jedi clone Joruus C'baoth, as he watched Thrawn single-handedly breathing new life and vigor back into the Empire. But Mount Tantiss was gone, destroyed by agents of the New Republic and C'baoth's own madness and treason. And Grand Admiral Thrawn was dead. And the Empire was dying. With an effort, Pellaeon shook the shadows of the past away. He was an Imperial officer, and Imperials didn't give up. "Thank you," he said to Ardiff. "At your convenience, Captain." "Yes, sir." Ardiff half turned, gestured to the fighter coordinator in the portside crew pit. "Signal the attack," he ordered. The officer acknowledged and gestured in turn to one of his crewers. Pellaeon turned his attention back to the viewport-- Just in time to see eight SoroSuub Preybird -class starfighters in tight formation roar in from behind them. Cutting tight to the Chimaera 's command superstructure, they passed over the forward ridgeline, raking it with low-power blaster fire, then split smoothly out in eight different directions. Corkscrewing out and forward, they kept up their fire until they were out of the Star Destroyer's primary attack zone. Then, curving smoothly around, they swung around and regrouped. "Admiral?" Ardiff prompted. "Let's give them one more pass, Captain," Pellaeon said. "The more flight data the Predictor has to work with, the better it should function." He caught the eye of one of the crew pit officers. "Damage report?" "Minor damage to the forward ridgeline, sir," the officer reported. "One sensor array knocked out, leaving five turbolasers without ranging data." "Acknowledged." All theoretical damage, of course, calculated under the assumption that the Preybirds were using full-power capital-ship turbolasers. Pellaeon had always loved war games when he was younger; had relished the chance to play with technique and tactics without the risks of true combat. Somewhere in all those years, the excitement had faded away. "Helm, bring us around twenty degrees to starboard," he ordered. "Starboard turbolasers will lay down dispersion fire as they make their next pass." The Preybirds were back in tight formation now, once again approaching their target. The Chimaera 's turbolasers opened up as they came, their low-level fire splattering across the Preybirds' overlapping deflector shields. For a few seconds the opponents traded fire; then, the Preybirds broke formation again, splitting apart like the fingertips of an opening hand. Twisting over and under the Chimaera, they shot past, scrambling for the safety of distance. "Damage report?" Pellaeon called. "Three starboard turbolaser batteries knocked out," the officer called back. "We've also lost one tractor beam projector and two ion cannon." "Enemy damage?" "One attacker appears to have lost its deflector shields, and two others are reading diminished turbolaser capability." "Hardly counts as damage," Ardiff murmured. "Of course, the situation here isn't exactly fair. Ships that small and maneuverable would never have the kind of shields or firepower we're crediting them with." "If you want fairness, organize a shockball tournament," Pellaeon said acidly. "Don't look for it in warfare." Ardiff's cheek twitched. "I'm sorry, sir." Pellaeon sighed. The finest the Imperial Fleet had to offer..." Stand by the cloaking shield, Captain," he ordered, watching the faint drive glows as the Preybirds regrouped again in the distance. "Activate on my command." "Yes, Admiral." There was a sudden flare of drive glow, partially eclipsed by the Preybirds themselves, as the enemy kicked into high acceleration. "Here they come," Pellaeon said, watching as the single glowing dot rapidly resolved itself into eight close-formation ships. "Lock Predictor into fire control. Stand by cloaking shield." "Predictor and cloaking shield standing by," Ardiff confirmed. Pellaeon nodded, his full attention on the Preybirds. Nearly to the point where they'd broken formation last time... "Cloaking shield: now. " And with a brief flicker of bridge lighting, the stars and incoming Preybirds vanished as the cloaking shield plunged the Chimaera into total darkness. "Cloaking shield activated and stabilized," Ardiff said. "Helm, come around portside: thirty degrees by eight," Pellaeon ordered. "Ahead acceleration point one. Turbolasers: fire." "Acknowledged," an officer called. "Turbolasers are firing." Pellaeon took a step closer to the viewport and looked down along the Chimaera 's sides. The faint blasts of low-level fire were visible, lancing a short distance out from the Star Destroyer and then disappearing as they penetrated the spherical edge of the Star Destroyer's cloaking shield. Blinded by the very device that was now shielding it from its opponents' view, the Chimaera was firing wildly in an attempt to destroy those opponents. Or perhaps not quite so wildly. If the Predictor worked as well as its designers hoped, perhaps the Empire still had a chance in this war. It was a long time before the Chimaera 's turbolasers finally ceased fire. Far too long. "Is that it?" he asked Ardiff. "Yes, sir," the other said. "Five hundred shots, as preprogrammed." Pellaeon nodded. "Deactivate cloaking shield. Let's see how well we did." There was another flicker from the lights, and the stars were back. Mentally crossing his fingers, Pellaeon peered out the viewport. For a moment there was nothing. Then, from starboard, he spotted the approaching drive glows. Seven of them. "Signal from Adversary Commander, Admiral," the comm officer called. "Target Three reports receiving a disabling hit and has gone dormant; all other targets have sustained only minimal damage. Requesting orders." Pellaeon grimaced. One. Out of eight targets, the Chimaera had been able to hit exactly one. And that great feat had required five hundred shots to achieve. So that was that. The wonderful Computerized Combat Predictor, touted by its creators and sponsors as the best approach to practical use of the cloaking shield, had been put to the test. And to be fair, it had probably done better than simple random shooting. But it hadn't done enough better. Not nearly enough. "Inform Adversary Commander that the exercise is over," Pellaeon told the comm officer. "Target Three may reactivate its systems; all ships are to return to the Chimaera. I want their reports filed within the next two hours." "Yes, sir." "I'm sure they'll be able to improve it, Admiral," Ardiff said at Pellaeon's side. "This was just the first field test. Surely they'll be able to improve it." "How?" Pellaeon retorted. "Train the Predictor to be omniscient? Or simply teach it how to read our enemies' minds?" "You only gave it two passes to study the targets' flight patterns," Ardiff reminded him. "With more data, it could have better anticipated their movements." Pellaeon snorted gently. "It's a nice theory, Captain, and under certain controlled situations it might even work. But combat is hardly a controlled situation. There are far too many variables and unknowns, especially considering the hundreds of alien species and combat styles we have to contend with. I knew from the beginning that this Predictor idea was probably futile. But it had to be tried." "Well, then, we just have to go back to mark zero," Ardiff said. "Come up with something else. There have to be practical uses for this cloaking shield device." "Of course there are," Pellaeon agreed heavily. "Grand Admiral Thrawn devised three of them himself. But there's no one left in the Empire with his military genius." He sighed. "No, Captain. It's over. It's all over. And we've lost." For a long moment the low murmur of background conversation was the only sound on the bridge. "You can't mean that, Admiral," Ardiff said at last. "And if I may say so, sir, this is not the sort of thing the Supreme Commander of Imperial forces should be talking about." "Why not?" Pellaeon countered. "It's obvious to everyone else." "It most certainly is not, sir," Ardiff said stiffly. "We still hold eight sectors--over a thousand inhabited systems. We have the Fleet, nearly two hundred Star Destroyers strong. We're still very much a force to be reckoned with." Excerpted from Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.