Science Fiction
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Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book III: Lesser Evil) (Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy)
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The fate of the Chiss Ascendancy hangs in the balance in the epic finale of the Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy from Timothy Zahn.
For thousands of years the Chiss Ascendancy has been an island of calm, a center of power, and a beacon of integrity. It is led by the Nine Ruling Families, whose leadership stands as a bulwark of stability against the Chaos of the Unknown Regions.
But that stability has been eroded by a cunning foe who winnows away trust and loyalty in equal measure. Bonds of fidelity have given way to lines of division among the families. Despite the efforts of the Expansionary Defense Fleet, the Ascendancy slips closer and closer to civil war.
The Chiss are no strangers to war. Their mythic status in the Chaos was earned through conflict and terrible deeds, some long buried. Until now. To ensure the Ascendancy's future, Thrawn will delve deep into its past, uncovering the dark secrets surrounding the ascension of the First Ruling Family. But the truth of a family's legacy is only as strong as the legend that supports it. Even if that legend turns out to be a lie.
To secure the salvation of the Ascendancy, is Thrawn willing to sacrifice everything? Including the only home he has ever known?
For thousands of years the Chiss Ascendancy has been an island of calm, a center of power, and a beacon of integrity. It is led by the Nine Ruling Families, whose leadership stands as a bulwark of stability against the Chaos of the Unknown Regions.
But that stability has been eroded by a cunning foe who winnows away trust and loyalty in equal measure. Bonds of fidelity have given way to lines of division among the families. Despite the efforts of the Expansionary Defense Fleet, the Ascendancy slips closer and closer to civil war.
The Chiss are no strangers to war. Their mythic status in the Chaos was earned through conflict and terrible deeds, some long buried. Until now. To ensure the Ascendancy's future, Thrawn will delve deep into its past, uncovering the dark secrets surrounding the ascension of the First Ruling Family. But the truth of a family's legacy is only as strong as the legend that supports it. Even if that legend turns out to be a lie.
To secure the salvation of the Ascendancy, is Thrawn willing to sacrifice everything? Including the only home he has ever known?
Readers Top Reviews
Samuel Robert Meyers
This book has so many paths to follow its important to pay attention, but Zahn does a great job with his transitions so you can always stay in tune with what is happening. The buildup in this story feels like it's happening the entire book. Incredible space battles and Thrawn's intellect and ability to create masterful performances is amazing. I could visualize everything happening throughout the book like it was a movie. Throughout the book I found myself thinking the author had to be crazy smart to spin together this book. It leads beautifully right into the next Thrawn series as well which made me very happy. too often stories change over time and don't connect well. but after finishing this book you can roll right into the next trilogy without missing a beat. Well done Timothy Zahn!
Daniel PetersenIvan
This book explains so much about Thrawn. Why he is the person he is, how he ended up going to the Empire, and why that ended up being such a good fit for him. It’s too bad that Palpatine ended up being such a poor leader that didn’t deserve such a fine commander.
Kindle Daniel Peter
This book is awesome easy 5 star review in my opinion. I hope we get more soon. This just goes to show that there is a lot more for starwars to do in our imaginations
BrianaKindle Daniel
Timothy Zahn did a truly fantastic job with this book, and it is such a great wrap-up to the Ascendancy trilogy. This is a much stronger Thrawn book than Greater Good (which was still very enjoyable for me but it didn't captivate me like Zahn's other books); it is fast paced with amazing battle sequences, it has some very interesting world-building by delving into the history of the Chiss, and it really adds substance to the fracturing political scene in the Ascendancy. To me, the end of Greater Good felt a little to clean and tidy, so I'm glad Lesser Evil really goes into depth about the political ramifications from the previous book. This book is not always focused on Thrawn, and while I understand why others might dislike that, I found I was actually perfectly okay with it because the other characters have been so well-developed that I was truly interested in their stories. There is a pretty large cast of characters in this, but again, I actually found that very enjoyable. I love that Zahn delves into the history of Thrass, as it adds some more dimension to Thrawn's usually aloof character. However, I do agree what what many others have said about Thrawn being too "strong" in these books. Yes, he's a tactical genius, but the fact that he never loses takes away some of the tension. That said, I still found the battle sequences riveting, especially the last one in this book. Zahn also did a great job with the world-building of the Chiss Ascendancy and the Unknown Regions in this book. He gives so much detail on the politics and history of the Chiss, as well as a plethora of other alien species, and I really hope we get to see more in the future. This adds so much to the story and all of the characters. Even though we know that Thrawn will eventually end up in the empire, this book did a great job of tying in the story with Thrawn (2017). Throughout the Ascendancy trilogy, we get to see how Thrawn has made friends and inspired loyalty from those around him, and it made the ending of Lesser Evil more powerful and even a bit emotional. The one weak point this novel has would have to be the villain, Jixtus. He just was not intimidating at all. We have seen him lose time and time again, and there is simply nothing frightening about him. However, I didn't feel that a lack of a good villain took away from the story all too much, since Zahn has done such a great job with the protagonist characters, immense world-building, and the exciting battle sequences. Overall, this was such an exciting read, and I was truly hooked from beginning to end. I loved the characters, the action was exciting, and it opened up so many new possibilities for the Star Wars world. I really hope Timothy Zahn will return to write even more about Thrawn and the Ascendancy. If you enjoyed the previous Thrawn books, this one will absolutely not disap...
Short Excerpt Teaser
CHAPTER ONE
The Vigilant was three minutes from its destination, and Admiral Ar'alani was starting to wonder if her ship would be ready when they arrived when Senior Captain Kiwu'tro'owmis finally returned to the bridge. "Sorry about the delay, Admiral," Wutroow said as she crossed to Ar'alani's command chair. "Breacher One really didn't want to be fixed. But we persuaded it."
Ar'alani looked over at the weapons status board. The number one breacher missile launcher still showed red . . . flicked to green. "Excellent," she told Wutroow. "Be sure to log a commendation to the repair team. It's never a good idea to head into a situation with one hand stuck in your pocket."
"Yes, ma'am," Wutroow said. "Though if I may, I'm still not entirely clear as to what you're expecting the situation to be."
"Because I'm not entirely clear about it myself," Ar'alani confessed. "It's just something about that last Nikardun base that still bothers me."
"Which part?" Wutroow asked. "The lead time the attackers needed to set up that slow-approach asteroid attack? Or the fact that the base was too big to have been a listening post or anything else on Yiv's lists?"
"Both, plus something else I can't put my finger on," Ar'alani said. "I'm hoping I'll recognize it when I see it."
"Let's also hope the Council won't be annoyed with us for taking this little side trip," Wutroow warned. "We're already way beyond the time limit Ba'kif gave us for checking out Sunrise. Even Thrawn's already made it back from his pirate search, and you know how long he takes when he's on the hunt. And we still don't know why our friends with the Battle Dreadnought are so interested in this place."
"It has to have something to do with the mining operation Senior Warrior Yopring spotted," Ar'alani said. "The amount of activity down there already tells us something big is happening. Add in the fighters who chased him away, and I'd say we've got it pinpointed."
"Unless we've got two different groups in play," Wutroow pointed out. "The miners and the Battle Dreadnought could be fighting each other. But I suppose that's unlikely. My main concern is that even if we agree that the mines are the focal point, we don't know what's down there."
"Mines usually mean metal ore of some sort."
"Right, but digging doesn't always mean mining," Wutroow said. "It could also be something the inhabitants deliberately buried that someone else wants to dig up."
Ar'alani frowned. That possibility hadn't occurred to her. "You mean like some weapon or artifact?"
"That's what I was wondering," Wutroow said. "It's not like we haven't run into things like that before. Senior Captain Thrawn, for one, has almost made a second career of digging them up."
"Though not literally digging them up," Ar'alani pointed out. "Usually they've been sitting out in the open ready to be walked off with."
"Maybe we'll get to pick up this one," Wutroow said with a wry smile. "Maybe you can work a deal with Thrawn. He gets the stuff that's aboveground, you get the stuff you have to dig for."
"I'll be sure to bring that up next time I see him," Ar'alani promised, looking at the chrono. Almost there. "Prepare for breakout," she called, raising her voice so that the entire bridge could hear her. "And be ready." She gestured an invitation to Wutroow. "Senior Captain?"
"Yes, ma'am." Wutroow paused, watching the timer. "Breakout," she called. "Three, two, one."
The star-flares collapsed to stars; and as it had once before, the Vigilant found itself floating among the scattered debris of the demolished Nikardun base.
"Biclian?" Wutroow prompted.
"Yes, ma'am," Senior Commander Obbic'lia'nuf called from the sensor station. "Combat range clear. Mid-range clear. Far range . . . Admiral, we have movement: three ships close-in to the central base structure."
"Any identification?" Ar'alani asked, frowning at the tactical. Two of the ships were relatively small, while the third was much larger with the typical shape of a freighter.
"No beacons," Junior Captain Evroes'ky'mormi reported from the weapons station. "The large ship shows no weapons emplacements. Probably a freighter; possibly a mobile repair dock."
"I'd say the latter, Admiral," Biclian said. "There are some spots along the ventral plane that look like mounting nodes. The two smaller ships . . . definitely warships. Patrol ships at least; possibly destroyers."
Ar'alani scowled. Under normal circumstances, a Nightdragon man-of-war like the Vigilant could defeat a pair of patrol ships practically in its sleep.
Unfortunately, the situation here wasn't normal. The Vigilant and Senior Captain Lakinda'...
The Vigilant was three minutes from its destination, and Admiral Ar'alani was starting to wonder if her ship would be ready when they arrived when Senior Captain Kiwu'tro'owmis finally returned to the bridge. "Sorry about the delay, Admiral," Wutroow said as she crossed to Ar'alani's command chair. "Breacher One really didn't want to be fixed. But we persuaded it."
Ar'alani looked over at the weapons status board. The number one breacher missile launcher still showed red . . . flicked to green. "Excellent," she told Wutroow. "Be sure to log a commendation to the repair team. It's never a good idea to head into a situation with one hand stuck in your pocket."
"Yes, ma'am," Wutroow said. "Though if I may, I'm still not entirely clear as to what you're expecting the situation to be."
"Because I'm not entirely clear about it myself," Ar'alani confessed. "It's just something about that last Nikardun base that still bothers me."
"Which part?" Wutroow asked. "The lead time the attackers needed to set up that slow-approach asteroid attack? Or the fact that the base was too big to have been a listening post or anything else on Yiv's lists?"
"Both, plus something else I can't put my finger on," Ar'alani said. "I'm hoping I'll recognize it when I see it."
"Let's also hope the Council won't be annoyed with us for taking this little side trip," Wutroow warned. "We're already way beyond the time limit Ba'kif gave us for checking out Sunrise. Even Thrawn's already made it back from his pirate search, and you know how long he takes when he's on the hunt. And we still don't know why our friends with the Battle Dreadnought are so interested in this place."
"It has to have something to do with the mining operation Senior Warrior Yopring spotted," Ar'alani said. "The amount of activity down there already tells us something big is happening. Add in the fighters who chased him away, and I'd say we've got it pinpointed."
"Unless we've got two different groups in play," Wutroow pointed out. "The miners and the Battle Dreadnought could be fighting each other. But I suppose that's unlikely. My main concern is that even if we agree that the mines are the focal point, we don't know what's down there."
"Mines usually mean metal ore of some sort."
"Right, but digging doesn't always mean mining," Wutroow said. "It could also be something the inhabitants deliberately buried that someone else wants to dig up."
Ar'alani frowned. That possibility hadn't occurred to her. "You mean like some weapon or artifact?"
"That's what I was wondering," Wutroow said. "It's not like we haven't run into things like that before. Senior Captain Thrawn, for one, has almost made a second career of digging them up."
"Though not literally digging them up," Ar'alani pointed out. "Usually they've been sitting out in the open ready to be walked off with."
"Maybe we'll get to pick up this one," Wutroow said with a wry smile. "Maybe you can work a deal with Thrawn. He gets the stuff that's aboveground, you get the stuff you have to dig for."
"I'll be sure to bring that up next time I see him," Ar'alani promised, looking at the chrono. Almost there. "Prepare for breakout," she called, raising her voice so that the entire bridge could hear her. "And be ready." She gestured an invitation to Wutroow. "Senior Captain?"
"Yes, ma'am." Wutroow paused, watching the timer. "Breakout," she called. "Three, two, one."
The star-flares collapsed to stars; and as it had once before, the Vigilant found itself floating among the scattered debris of the demolished Nikardun base.
"Biclian?" Wutroow prompted.
"Yes, ma'am," Senior Commander Obbic'lia'nuf called from the sensor station. "Combat range clear. Mid-range clear. Far range . . . Admiral, we have movement: three ships close-in to the central base structure."
"Any identification?" Ar'alani asked, frowning at the tactical. Two of the ships were relatively small, while the third was much larger with the typical shape of a freighter.
"No beacons," Junior Captain Evroes'ky'mormi reported from the weapons station. "The large ship shows no weapons emplacements. Probably a freighter; possibly a mobile repair dock."
"I'd say the latter, Admiral," Biclian said. "There are some spots along the ventral plane that look like mounting nodes. The two smaller ships . . . definitely warships. Patrol ships at least; possibly destroyers."
Ar'alani scowled. Under normal circumstances, a Nightdragon man-of-war like the Vigilant could defeat a pair of patrol ships practically in its sleep.
Unfortunately, the situation here wasn't normal. The Vigilant and Senior Captain Lakinda'...
