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  • Star Wars: Specter of the Past: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 1

  • By: Timothy Zahn
  • Narrated by: Marc Thompson
  • Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (454 ratings)
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Star Wars: Specter of the Past: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 1 cover art

Star Wars: Specter of the Past: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 1

By: Timothy Zahn
Narrated by: Marc Thompson
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Editor reviews

"Longtime fans should get considerable pleasure from this addition to the saga." ( Publishers Weekly)

Summary

Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn makes his triumphant return to the Star Wars(r) universe in this first of an epic new two-volume series in which the New Republic must face its most dangerous enemy yet--a dead Imperial warlord.

The Empire stands at the brink of total collapse. But they have saved their most heinous plan for last. First a plot is hatched that could destroy the New Republic in a bloodbath of genocide and civil war. Then comes the shocking news that Grand Admiral Thrawn--the most cunning and ruthless warlord in history--has apparently returned from the dead to lead the Empire to a long-prophesied victory. Facing incredible odds, Han and Leia begin a desperate race against time to prevent the New Republic from unraveling in the face of two inexplicable threats--one from within and one from without. Meanwhile, Luke teams up with Mara Jade, using the Force to track down a mysterious pirate ship with a crew of clones. Yet, perhaps most dangerous of all, are those who lurk in the shadows, orchestrating a dark plan that will turn the New Republic and the Empire into their playthings.

©2011 Timothy Zahn (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Zahn turns in his usual high-caliber performance." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about Star Wars: Specter of the Past: The Hand of Thrawn, Book 1

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Too bad it's not canon. :(

I have read this book several times when it came out and it was so good to have high quality expanded universe content.

Too bad it's not canon, because this would've been an epic 2 part movie, maybe even a series.

Marc is brilkiant as always and it's getting harder for me to listen to other narragors since Marc throws in so many different characters with his amazing voice acting that his books are more of a radio drama then just a narrator reading a book.

Off to Visions of the Future now.

Everything Zahn writes is highly recommended because he's truly amazing writer. And having Marc Thompson on board is just adding to the whole awesomeness of it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good quality, just misses greatness.

Good, but not quite the equal of the original Thrawn trilogy. (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising & The Last Command)

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great story, plot was excellent , really enjoyed

the narrator was excellent and story was fantastic, listened to on way to work

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

One of the better star wars audio books

One of the better star wars audio book
Great story and classic characters. Recommend .

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Poorly encoded, micro gaps everywhere.

Whoever encoded this book really didn't know what they were doing or just couldn't be bothered to do it properly. Everywhere there would have been an index point on the original CD, there is now a micro-gap of silence. These are very short, just 2 tenths of a second long, but because of the music and sound effects, they are frequently painfully obvious and are detrimental to the listening experience. I paid for this so why does it sound like something from a dodgy torrent site?

It's been available here since 2013 & I can't be the only person who has drawn their attention to all the glitches. They've had seven years to fix this, but they haven't. It's so poorly put together it makes me wonder if they care at all about quality.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

great wow done well you will find it entertaining

great wow done well you will find it entertaining you will enjoy it the best in star wars

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Not the best, marginal

Maybe it’s me, but the storyline is not focused, and there is little action. This is not the best book I’ve read from the SW franchise, and it was a challenging listen. I will skip the next book and save until I run out of options.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The sequels we deserved

Much better than the tripe Disney are currently churning out. Nicely paced and well acted, although the narrators Han Solo sounds more like Joe Swanson

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Always great stuff from this author

Again an other thrawn book that really hits it out the park. Brilliantly written and narrated

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hand of Thrawn book 1

loved the story,
give me more.
liked how it changed to keep everyone interested in the story
would recommend.

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