The Last Command

An exciting finish to the tale. I am not as strong in the force as I once was. Twenty-some years ago this would have been a five star rating, but today I find the Star Wars universe does captivate me as much as it once did. That being said, this is a fun sci-fi adventure and a fun read.

What I liked:
- Grand Admiral Thrawn. He is the genius of this trilogy. I don't think it would have had nearly the impact with Cloned Jedi C'Baoth as the main antagonist. Like Moriarty in space, Thrawn is a brilliant and fascinating character.
- The contrast between technology and nature, sophistication and simplicity. Zahn paints a thought provoking picture of the contrast of these seeming adversaries throughout the series. The Last Command brings it all together nicely. I like that the Noghri, while not as “evolved” as many in the universe, are not some cute, ignorant society.
- Where Dark Force Rising felt like it suffered from some filler material that slowed the story down for me, The Last Command has just the right pacing for my taste throughout. Zahn doesn't try to over explain and that which isn't explained seems logical. The finale, for instance, could have been drawn out for several more pages, but I thought Zahn hit the bull's eye in painting the ending scenes.
- Whether intended or not, I found the way Zahn addressed power and control to be a good reflection of real life. I struggle at times to be in control of my universe and destiny. I also struggle with being under the control of things I feel powerless to defeat. This book gets me thinking about the illusion of being in control or power as well as the illusion of powerlessness brought by that which would keep us within its control or power.

What I didn't like:
- Recycled catch phrases from the films. I suppose this was a necessary evil for a Star Wars novel to succeed, especially in the early 90s, but I would like to have seen Zahn add more depth to some of the main characters rather than recycling a number of the catch phrases from the films. Again, this is probably a reflection of a growing perspective. When I first read this, I think these phrases made it easier for me to read a book of this length and to see the characters in my head. This is clearly a matter of taste.

Overall, this book gets four stars for being a fun sci-fi adventure from a universe that I have enjoyed a long time. Thrawn is a brilliant bad guy, the likes of which is rarely seen. I recommend this book to Star Wars fans, specifically. Even those fans who don't usually read the Star Wars universe novels. I would also recommend this to those who just like a fun space adventure.