Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Book 2: Dark Force Rising

By: Timothy Zahn

Narrated by: Anthony Daniels

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 New Republic's destruction. With the aid of unimaginable weapons long hidden away by the Emperor on a backwater planet, Thrawn plans to turn the tide of battle, overwhelm the New Republic, and impose his iron rule throughout the galaxy.

Meanwhile, Han and Lando Calrissian race against time to find proof of treason inside the highest Republic Council, only to discover instead a ghostly fleet of warships that could bring doom to their friends and victory to their enemies.

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. The Dark Jedi schemes to use his awesome mastery of the Force to summon young Skywalker, allay his misgivings, cunningly enthrall him, and ultimately corrupt him to the Dark Side.

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Critic reviews

"Skillfully paced entertainment." (Publishers Weekly)
"Zahn's snappy prose and cinematic style capture the feel of the popular Star Wars films as he weaves together a lightweight but exciting tale of high adventure." (Library Journal)

Good, but why waste time creating abridged books?

The story is ok and well performed, but I just don't understand why publishers waste time creating abridged books. By not needing to use your eyes, your reading time is greatly expanded. Abridging is a travesty to begin with - even made worst by doing it on this format...and then not even offering the unabridged version. I don't see how any abridged book can get higher than a mediocre rating.

short

feels more like one chapter then a book.
feels like one chapter rether then a book
theirs your 15 words.

such a fun an amazing audiobook!!! loved it so muc

loved it so much! narroter was c3po and it was fun star was music and effects. the real sequal triolgy

Don't get this version

After the excellent book 1, this one was horrible. Should have used the same narration as book one.

Rushed!:(

Good story but it felt very rushed on the authors part, felt like I was being rushed through it, missing lots of details, information and unable to get into it and enjoy it like the book before it. As for the narrator, consequently I felt like it was rushed as well. Also, I don't feel like the voices and dramatization were well done enough to draw me into the story all throughout. I'm excited and in high hopes to see the 3rd and last book in this series!(:

Why oh why did they switch to Anthony Daniels?

Would you try another book from Timothy Zahn and/or Anthony Daniels?

I enjoy Timothy Zahn's writing and I feel her very much captures the flavor of the Star Wars universe. Anthony Daniels narration was in my opinion nothing short of terrible. The strange inflections and tones attributed to characters was laughable and painful in spots (the way he portrays Joruus C'Baoth was horrendous).

Would you be willing to try another book from Timothy Zahn? Why or why not?

Yes

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Anthony Daniels?

Marc Thompson. He did a fantastic job on Heir to the Empire.

Do you think Star Wars needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not currently. There are many which overlap at the present time.

Any additional comments?

The abridged version of this was a bit jumpy in spots.

Editing is choppy

The performance is great but there are pieces of the story that were summarized for time for this script. This made some vital points of the story rushed. Glad the final book is much longer. Still recommend it!

Love the book, dislike the abridged part

This trilogy by Zahn is what brought Star Wars back into our collective conscience. Why then are his audio books abridged? I love the story, and I love being able to listen to it on my iPod at the gym, but slightly disappointed in not being able to listen to the entire work as Zahn originally penned it. It's still a good listen, even though it leaves out half the book. It would be awesome though, if there were radio drama style, unabridged, versions of his books.

I love C3PO, but don't like his otter voices (IMO)

It is a good story. The Actor who plays C3PO is good, but I am just not a fan of his other voices.

missed the good performers from book 1

it is an awesome storyline but I missed the performers from the first book in the series