Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?
Thrawn: Alliances is a two-time book. One was set in the times of the Empire (somewhere between the rebel seasons ), and the other during the Clone Wars, but before Order 66. Both parts are joined by the protagonists, i.e. Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader aka Anakin Skywalker, and the place of action – or at least one of places: planet Batuu. In the first, the Grand Admiral and the Sith Lord try to explain the disturbances in the Force sensed by the Emperor, which requires them to suspend mutual resentment and learn to cooperate. In the second, Anakin sets out alone to find his wife, and only pure coincidence connects his fate with the path of Admiral Chiss, which results in a somewhat bitter, but also effective cooperation.
In fact, both parts of the novel are basically the same. The fact that the context and purpose change does not change the overall shape and the flowing conclusions, as well as some rather distinctive cliches found in both parts.
This isn’t the book you’re looking for!
From the plot description, let’s move on to the analysis of the interior of the piece. Let’s start with the language.
Supposedly, from a novel set in an overly swollen universe with numerous side plots and the entire canon, one does not expect any mastery of the word, but at least something written with any flair should be required. We won’t get it anywhere. The language of the piece is simple, kitschy, and sometimes even tacky. Single sentences are seeded, which effectively prevent you from being immersed in the plot and destroy all seeds of the action. The narrative method is reminiscent of the children’s books from the series: We Teach Our Children.The same applies to descriptions – they are simple and uninteresting. No wealth whatsoever. Already despised by me, Trudi Canavan uses words better and even manages to describe something nicely. Zahn (or the translators) didn’t show off. For a loud, and even legendary surname, he showed that he did not live up to his fame. I did not enjoy reading, although I really wanted to. The characters of Anakin and Thrawn really deserve a good book, and this one is not. Zahn is also unable to portray characters and show their complexity. All the protagonists are as simple as the construction of a flail. Thrawn is silent, Vader explosive and self-centered. No depth whatsoever. As much as the translators could spoil the linguistic layer of the novel, I blame the author for the incompetent depiction of the characters. Zahn completely fell short of my expectations. The only pluses are that the book is short, and that Uroboros put a lot of effort into the release and we got a truly phenomenal cover with two of the most charismatic characters in the Star Wars universe. A great deal of appreciation is due for this. And only for that.
In summary, Thrawn: Alliances are a lot of crap. Everything is lame here. The plot is laughter in the room (repeated twice in exactly the same way in one book), the language went somewhere and did not come back, and the presentation of the characters is a joke. It is a pity that the images of Vader and Thrawn suffered, because they totally did not deserve such a parody of the novel. I do not recommend. Even for hardcore fans of the universe, I advise against this position with all my might.
