Star Wars Thrawn Ascendancy 1-3 Books Collection Set By Timothy Zahn (Chaos Rising, Greater Good, Lesser Evil)

Book 1.The book officially takes place in Disney's alternate universe rather than in the EU, but there are clear illusions to the events of Outbound Flight (p.22).There's some internal inconsistency in the novel. For example, what is Thrawn's rank? He was a commander in Outbound Flight, but captain at the start of Ascendancy; on page 23, Thrawn is called both a captain and a commander. Most of the book calls him a captain, so apparently he's been promoted despite his failure to follow military protocols.I would like an expanded informational section on the Chiss. 1) We have the political hierarchy, but we need the military hierarchy. [Someone apparently agrees because it has been added to book 2]. Also, we know from previous books that officers of flag rank lose their family ties, but that could be explained here for readers who only know Disney's universe. 2) Chiss naming conventions. The name Kivi'ra'nuru becomes Mitth'ra'nuru (and the core name Vurawn becomes Thrawn) when he becomes a merit adoptive of the Mitth family. The prefix is clearly the family name, and the core name comes from the middle syllable and the letters to each side. (But Thrawn adds a w). The final suffix 'nuru has become 'nuruodo (like in the previous EU books) by chapter 1. What do suffixes indicate in the Chiss culture? [We learn this in book 3]. 3) What are sky walkers? We know that they use the Third Sight to travel through space, something Jedi can also do, but a Jedi doesn't lose their powers at 13, and Thrawn had no concept of Jedi or Sith at the start of Outbound Flight.The story is interesting, although Thrawn is subtly different from the previous books. Previously, he was the embodiment of reason and honor. Now, he has negative emotions that can be detected by others: sadness, doubt. I preferred the other Thrawn.The story is interesting and well written. Oddly, Thrawn interacts briefly with Anakin Skywalker for no apparent reason. But in book 2, Thrawn had knowledge of the force (which he actually acquired in Outbound Flight), and this off screen interaction gives him a source for the knowledge in Disney's alternate universe.-------Book 2. Zahn' excellent writing continues in this addition to the star wars universe. In most novels, I can usually uncover revelations long before the characters see what's happening. But not this time. No spoilers. We knew that Haplif's mission was to lead the Chiss to destruction. We also knew that he had previously invited civil war among another species. There were enough scenes from his point of view to assume we knew what he was planning. And we thought the Chiss, or at least enough of them, had seen through Haplif's deception. But that kept the reader from looking for other deceptions, so I didn't see the surprise twist or the convergence of plat lines until Thrawn uncovered them at the start of chapter 23.-------Book 3. As a staunch defender of the EU, in contrast to Disney's new Star Wars universe, I can still recommend this novel. We finally learn how Thrawn earned the last portion of his name. Thrawn gains the suffix -odo for his full name Mitth'raw'nuruodo, in Memories 10, and Thass' final scene from Outbound Flight appears in Memories 12.Possibly SpoilersI had assumed the Ascendancy trilogy would explain Thrawn's rise (ascension) into the ranks of the Empire, which we know from other books he did only to protect the Chiss, and I therefore assumed Jixtus would eventually be revealed as a Sith. (His cloaked and hooded appearance is certainly an intentional red herring which points in that direction). But instead the identity of the Grysks is never revealed, except for their name. But the title still has a double meaning. The majority of the trilogy tells of Thrawn's rise in the Chiss Ascendency, but it ends with his exile. (We did already know that Thrawn was exiled after the events of Outbound Flight).Nevertheless, there are allusions to what will come next. Thrawn's exile is really a ploy to allow him to contact the Galactic Empire, and in their final conversation Ba'kif mourns Thrawn's lack of future promotion saying, "I'd always looked forward just seeing how you looked in admiral white."We need more books about Thrawn in the Rise of Empire era to complete this story. Heir to the Empire takes place after the Battle of Yavin, and I worry the the other new Thrawn trilogy is too constrained by the events of Disney's children's TV series Rebels to show Thrawn's true character and genius. (Although some reviews suggest Zahn has rescued Thrawn from his cartoon portrayal). Unfortunately, near the end of the novel one of the characters states, "Thrawn's story is at an end."

Love how Zahn is fleshing out the character of Thrawn in Star Wars galaxy.