Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising Book Review

[@ValueNetwork]

He may feel different compared to rebels, but I thought that was the point. This trilogy will turn thrawn into a cold and calculating villain. Whereas here amongst his own people he has humanity.

[@hawkevick9184]

You mean Chissanity.

[@rickypoon6406]

Thrawn says in this book: "I see the Chiss as people. Non-Chiss are assets."

[@diabologe]

As for the bombardement of Lothal, in my headcanon it was an dircet order from Palpatine when they talked for the last time at the end of _Treason,_ so that Thrawn would convince Palps of his loyality.

[@darthtrooper9897]

WHy? THrawn was evil He was less evil but he negatively expressed the fact the jedi did what was morally correct rather than stragtegically correct. But ur point does make sense but THrawn would've been willing to do that on his own

[@andrewxu3602]

No, he was doing that as a last resort.

[@darthtrooper9897]

@@andrewxu3602 He was doing it to convince Ezra to surrender but he didnt feel bad an as I stated he insulted the jedis being morally correct instead strategically correct(which was a problem sometimes but this was way too far) If he showed remorse it would be different. Not saying he did it to spread fear(as Tarkin would) but it was very wrong.

[@andrewxu3602]

@@darthtrooper9897 I was responding to The Bleaker's comment. I actually agree with your point: it was definitely wrong, but it was also in-character.

[@darthtrooper9897]

@@andrewxu3602 oh ok. Also SOrry if I came out harsh btw was not intented

[@mattmobily1975]

I cannot recommend the audiobook enough. Marc Thompson is incredibly talented.

[@wadewilson8924]

The only character voice that was annoying simacro. They have these accents for the Chiss that are great and then randomly they throw jack nicholson in there. I know you can say there’s different families but I couldn’t help but think he just felt like doing that voice and it didn’t make me picture an actual chiss giving those lines. It doesn’t help either that he’s used that voice for other Star Wars characters which is probably inevitable but it bothered me none the less. Besides that great book and audiobook.

[@mcm4rr]

I dont like listening to audio books unless I have the actual book. Some parts are hard to understand. I got the audiobook for free with audible free trial and I just bought the actual book so I'm gonna read and listen

[@CardCaptorDeadpool]

I really like how he channels Lars' take. Especially considering he used to play Thrawn with a crisp, posh, English accent. And that was a good take too but I like the effort he put in.

[@TheDarthChief]

I'm not crazy about how Thrawn was portrayed in Rebels. They made him too "evil" so to speak. I very much prefer him in the books. Even when you know on the grand scheme of things that what he's doing is bad you don't really feel like he's a bad guy. Rebels made him a bit too mustache twerlly at times. I get it's technically a kids show and easier to have that kind of villain I just don't think it matched his character.

[@subtilizer5657]

I agree

[@benkeim7294]

Yes he was very cold and just plain cruel at times. I feel they also treated thrawn in rebels almost felt like a throw away character too. I feel the show should have ended with thrawn killing them (ghost crew and friends). He just turned into another villain. They never suffered a real loss to thrawn. It feels like a waste, to get rid of a character like that in a kids show. I hate plot armour sometimes. I honestly feel like they got Vader in that show wrong too. After the twilight of the apprentice Vader just disappears. I feel like Vader wouldn’t have chasing them. And the first time he encountered Ezra and Kanan they should have both died. The treated both thrawn and Vader like throw aways. They did the same thing to grievous in early clone wars.

[@dadian803]

@@benkeim7294 Yeah. I mean I get it it's still a kids teen show so you gotta nerf Grand Admiral Thrawn but they should've kept the Rebels desperate. Like so desperate that you don't know who will survive. Example is what audiences felt during Infinity War. Like your aways on the edge of your seat. The threat of death and failure is always there. I'm fine with the happy ending but would love to see Thrawn win. Like dude it's Thrawn.

[@realizewave1513]

It all makes sense when you realize that Thrawn was under and extreme amount of stress during Alliances and Treason. He's basically dealing with an extremely troublesome rebellion cell, realizing his deal with the Empire is getting worse all the time, and that the condition of his people is worsening.

[@queenghidorah1777]

Agreed. I also fell for Pryce throughout the Thrawn Trilogy and the Marvel comics. Hated how they portrayed her in Rebels. Really hoping she somehow survived.

[@andrew1498]

In my head canon, the difference between Thrawn ordering an orbital bombardment of Lothal and how he appears in this book, is a non-issue. Thrawn knew, he knew, that Ezra, upon seeing innocent civilians being targeted, would be compelled by his Jedi training to surrender himself. It was an absolute, Ezra had no choice but to surrender. So it wasn’t so much Thrawn having to obliterate an entire city so much as it was acceptable losses. He sacrifices a few hundred civilians and in turn, puts an end to a rebellion that threatened the stability of the entire galaxy. “The ends justify the means, and the killing will stop once we’ve one.”

[@neofulcrum5013]

His gamble did not pay off

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

I don’t think that bombardment lasted long enough to kill a few hundred people. In fact, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even do it he just threatens to do it. But idk it’s been a while since I’ve seen it

[@Compucles]

Although, he still had to be willing to go through with it, otherwise Ezra might've called his bluff.

[@andrew1498]

NCR Master Race it’s been a while since I’ve seen it as well, but I think he does commence firing, but not for very long. Once Ezra saw his capital city being destroyed he surrendered. So I guess your right, he didn’t even really kill a few hundred people. Perhaps around 50, if even that. Which just further shows his insight, he knew the people he would actually have to kill would be small.

[@Ricky-ql6ib]

In my head cannon he was just firing for effect instead of for casualties. He is very up tight about unnecessary casualties.

[@alfonsecalato2952]

I always interpreted Thrawn's bombardment of the Lothal people as an act of desperation/frustration. Thrawn had failed to capture Phoenix Squad so many times, I could see all those failures leading Thrawn to be willing to hurt civilians just once to achieve a hard goal.

[@patrickramseyart]

Yes, I agree. Thrawn isn't used to failure. And given the recent loss of his TIE Defender project, it must seem like everything he's worked for is falling apart, out of his control. Desperation makes perfect sense.

[@alfonsecalato2952]

@@patrickramseyart exactly! And because Thrawn is always so composed, desperation is something that you'd never expect from him, that way it helps maintain the character's mystery but still grounding him a bit!

[@jamesbrewer6970]

@Kato Ho Ten Soeng defitnelyy!

[@darthtrooper9897]

@@alfonsecalato2952 WHat do you mean he failed he won at Atollon and Phoenix squadron ceased to exist the remants joined the Yavin rebels. He had been letting them get away to make them think themselves strong and get them to gather so he could demolish them. Due to that the rebes coundnt send many forces to lothal. He also won at Lothal and captured Hera. Also incase ur questioniing his genuis in the books he was beating the Grysks. @Patrick Ramsey The loss of the Defender is a loss but it was Pryce's fualt not his. THrawn couldve restarted the project if he won on lothal he just would've had funding issues until the Death Star was complete although it was then destroyed and rescources were put into the new one and the SSDs(SUper star destroyers) but he didnt know that and he coulve won the Emperor's favor due to him not liking the idea of the Death Star and being right that it was a bad idea. But yes Kato HO Ten Soeng u are right that he needed to prove his loyalty.

[@alfonsecalato2952]

@@darthtrooper9897 I know he kept letting the rebels get away on purpose but at Atollon Thrawn was trying to capture/kill the rebels and he failed. I'm not questioning his genius, he's incredible! He failed because of details that Thrawn couldn't know about.

[@ugoeze7360]

The downside of literary or movie prequels: although you get a better insight into why a character is who they are, it is hard to feel hyped when you already know what’s to happen to them.

[@bickle8931]

Its not the destination that matters its the journey

[@swordmonkey6635]

The Godfather II would like to have a word with you.

[@CascadianRanger]

That's always been star wars to me. Everything is out of order. We pick up bits and pieces of this worlds history as we go

[@pthornburgh1]

Normally I enjoy the journey but Dark Disciple it was hard because they were trying to kill Dooku

[@CascadianRanger]

@@pthornburgh1 it can have downsides, but that had the advantage of us not knowing what happened to Ventress or Vos. Plus their entire story really delves into the force and perspectives of it, and shows that the Jedi really had lost their way. The story is still strong in it's own. And TCWs as a whole really takes great advantage of us knowing what will happen to everyone. It leans on that and the genuine tragedy of it all

[@patrickramseyart]

Well, there's a decade or two in between this book and Rebels Thrawn, right? Plenty of time for a descent. Perhaps the loss of his TIE Defender project could cause that loss of honor? Just speculating.

[@michaelramon2411]

I have seen the argument that Canon Thrawn is an example of the Empire's ability to corrupt everything it touches. He joined the Empire believing that he could balance it and the Chiss interests and his personal codes, but that is impossible - if you are a good person in the Empire for long enough, one of those two things will have to change.

[@meganofsherwood3665]

@@michaelramon2411 oooh, that's a good point!

[@darthtrooper9897]

I personally loved THrawn Alliances and liked Thrawn Treason

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Same! But then, I enjoy insight into what makes characters tick, so the loss of mysteriousness wasn't a problem for me

[@malachiphoniex8501]

Me too.

[@TheEdenProject_]

Eh Alliances was OK. Treason was better though!

[@darthtrooper9897]

@@TheEdenProject_ I just loved the Trawn and VAder together

[@alexandersison2030]

Alliances was awesome because of how Vader was both an ally and practically the main antagonist in the book. Treason was a real letdown because it didn't challenge Thrawn mentally in any real way and every chapter has it depicting things being the ball in Thrawn's court with the Chiss forces and Eli Vanto never far away enough to give the illusion that Thrawn might actually be threatened. The Grysks were also a meh villain that Thrawn keeps building up but we never really get to see that supposed threat they pose ever materialize. Eager to read Chaos Rising though to see how different things play out now that Zahn knows he has a trilogy to build up things. Maybe the Grysks will finally feel like a real threat.

[@ruprup-p1h]

Oh my God I'm so happy!!!! I totally forgot the release date and just screamed with excitement and instantly ordered on Amazon. I love Thrawn so much

[@luckysix1015]

I figured Thrawn’s extra aggression at the end of rebels came from hanging out with Vader for too long.

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Lol!

[@jess8189]

I thought by the time the Rebels series finale rolled around, Thrawn was in trouble with the emperor, his people desperately needed him to come back, the Defenders were gone, and he DID NOT have time to deal with Ezra and Co. Thrawn being more ruthless here does surprise me with that kind of pressure

[@swimfly2free]

I’m looking forward to exploring the unknown regions with Thrawn. I like that Alex saying he forgot it was a Star Wars book. That’s a good sign. I’m excited to finish listening to Ender’s Game Audio Drama on audible and then listening to this! Thanks for the review, I’m excited to continue to explore areas outside of the Skywalker saga!

[@ImperialsExplained]

Just received the book today and currently reading it. I like that there is some new material in the unknown regions and looking forward to reading it.

[@COMMANDERPINT]

*I'm listening to it right now while at work*

[@GriffinWing93]

Same

[@dylan10011998]

Do I have to read alliance and treason first or can I skip those and jump into chaos rising?

[@sebas.4697]

Dylan Sanfilippo this is a prequel so you can read th is one firts

[@Omar-uj9xw]

I have a question (though you probably answered it in the video already), which Thrawn trilogy should I read first? Thrawn or Thrawn Ascendency?

[@sebastianrios2145]

If you want to go timeline order then Thrawn Ascendency but if you want to know his time in the Empire do the normal Thrawn.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

I had forgotten that I preordered the audiobook months ago before covid. I am so excited, I have been needing a new audio book really bad.

[@swimfly2free]

I remembered the same thing when I saw this and looked at my audible account! Yeah audible!!!

[@wadewilson8924]

Google tokybook you’ll be set for months.

[@puggoman902]

Is it worth reading? Haven’t read it yet but I need another person’s opinion.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@@puggoman902 Oh yeah. If you are someone who like new angles on the Star Wars universe that this is a must read. One of the few examples of a sci fi book having zero human main characters. Not to mention every single character is compelling.

[@puggoman902]

@@mitwhitgaming7722 thanks, ima buy the book now

[@adambosman9611]

I still think his behavior in Rebels makes sense. It’s not the same Thrawn. By that point, the Phoenix Cell has undermined him multiple times, as well has having the Bendu’s prophecy still rattling around in his head. He’s becoming frustrated. And, in all honesty, bombardment of the city was indeed the perfect move to manipulate a Jedi into surrendering, as horrible of an act that it is.

[@meganofsherwood3665]

And given that _Treason_ implies not only his own fate, but that of his people is on the line... I think it's still conceivably in character

[@thealexexperiment1677]

Regarding your praise for the unknown regions aspect. That’s why I’m so excited about high republic.

[@BrianMerkey]

Chaos Rising is my favorite Thrawn novel out of the 11 (including Spectre of the Past and Vision of the Future) I'm actually VERY surprised that you (of all people) don't properly appreciate this book. I have EVERY Canon book and all Legends books except for a few books in the X-Wing, NJO, LotF, and FotJ series.

[@emperorholocron8278]

The way I see it is that Thrawn will sacrifice only if he is left with no other alternatives. He’ll avoid unnecessary bloodshed but should there be no other alternative he would not hesitate.

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Yes. Thrawn tends to go for the greatest good (usually survival/continuation if people or assets) for the greatest number. When he eliminates rebel groups for the Empire, he is dojng it becaus ein his eyes, the cost of not shutting them down as quickly & efficiently as possible is too high - rhe first DC Thrawn novel suggests that if he can't get the Core stabilized, EVERYBODY is going to suffer. Likewise, if forcing a workman to ride the speeder bike he sabotaged [I'll admit, my memory of that episode is a bit shaky] will deal with both the saboteur AND serve as a powerful deterrant, both the remaining workers & future soldiers will survive with minimal suffering on everyone's part (ie, he won't have to crack down as much on the group). It's not so much that he is without honor as it is that he has a different (far colder, and later on, nearly cruel) understanding of what is right. At least, that's always been my take on it

[@guilhermelobato698]

I think that after EP 9, we should see Rey training the New Jedi Order (with the help of Luke and other Force ghosts) and the Republic being rebuilt. But the second galatic civil war left many civilians homeless, with their homes, ecosystems, and even their entire planets being fully destroyed. So it would be up to the Jedi to help those people find a new home in the unknown regions, where we would see Warlords (remants of the First Order/Final Order and criminal syndicates), dangerous wild life, new cultures and species, new misteries of the Force, etc. This would be a mix of New republic era and High republic era.

[@itzelgc4637]

I always go for the audiobook because of the narrator. I love it when he says: Perhaps. (Squeee)

[@hanskaalidavidsen6743]

A fellow man of culture I see

[@lgmmrm]

I think part of the difference between Ascendancy Thrawn and Rebels Thrawn is that Governor Pryce’s actions at the end of Star Wars: Thrawn has given him a particular reputation that he begrudgingly has to live up to, so by the end of rebels he has no choice but to leverage that reputation to bluff Ezra into surrendering.

[@janekrauss8272]

I just finished reading the books (I'm reading them all chronologically) and I completely agree with the vast difference in this book and how is portrayed in Rebels.

[@justinjeffries1554]

If we don't see Cheri in the futre as an adult somewhere in the new EU I will actually be sad. As far as "Rebels Thrawn" vs Book Thrawn goes, we're seeing a much younger Thrawn here, (i haven't finished the book yet but I assume) and if we're supposed to be getting a trilogy and he's all in the Chiss Ascendency for these three books I think we'll see him shift slowly throughout the trilogy to that colder more Imperial version.

[@beneven-kesef5121]

man I feel like I'm the only one who LOVES thrawn alliances. I liked the self contained story and to me that book was all about the realtionship between him and anakin/vader and I found that fascinating to read

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Same!!!

[@hannahb6411]

You're not the only one. It's my favorite new canon Star Wars book!

[@beneven-kesef5121]

@@hannahb6411 Honestly its nice to see others share that sentiment!

[@sethmeyer2443]

thrawn alliances and treason were my 2 favorite thrawn books of the 7 I've read.

[@ejn8982]

Glad to see that unlike den of geek someone is actually reviewing the book based on quality rather than tearing it apart just because it refers to certain characters as “female”.

[@hamletgomes6818]

My opinion is completely different from yours then. I find him more interning in the books. While I love Rebels. I am not too fond of how they portrayed him. I have been halfway though this book and so far it’s absolutely gold.

[@matteomoro3861]

How did you get through the book so quickly? It literally came out today and I assume the audio book is 10 or so hours. Also I can’t seem to find the audiobook or the physical book in stores or on my apps yet.

[@luans.40]

He gets the books before they’re released

[@k-dawgwestmore4643]

Could I read this without reading the other canon Thrawn novels???

[@jameswg13]

Yes its more or less completely separate except for one moment which links to one of the other books but only a small amount

[@wadewilson8924]

james ward-gwilliam there’s some really rewarding scenes though if you read the one before this.

[@jameswg13]

@@wadewilson8924 i Know that i have read them

[@wadewilson8924]

james ward-gwilliam I didn’t read your full comment like a simpleton.

[@mikeT1100]

Absolutely, the book of the new canon Thrawn novels it connects to is Thrawn Alliances. But even though Thrawn Alliances is the sequel to 'Thrawn', you can even read Alliances without reading Thrawn if you wanted to.

[@TheRavenHomicide]

Mine is out for delivery right now from Amazon.

[@Trilaan]

I had forgotten about this coming out and just finished it during the night. I love Thrawn. I want as much Thrawn as I can get. I loved this book. This is currently my favorite Thrawn.

[@mercurialswift7698]

Just got the book this morning and have only read the first couple of chapters. Don’t know why I clicked on this video cause I don’t want any spoilers🤣😂 I’m a leave now

[@jonathanmurray834]

The time gap between this and rebels makes that alright to me

[@ChampionGold]

you should start making seperate, longer videos where you review the book *with* spoilers

[@tealelston]

I listen to quite a few Star wars podcasts/youtube channels and very few have loved much of the new Thrawn books, but Zahn must be doing something right because I was thinking about it the other day and so far as I know no other non-skywalker character has had 4 new canon books covering them, with at least 2 more on the way. I know he's kinda handcuffed by the end of rebels and so far can't tell stories beyond it (which I'm hoping is being saved for a live action disney + show with him and Ezra returning) but I think he's done a great job, and I'd totally be down for an Eli Vanto centered Chiss Ascendency sequel down the line. Vanto was one of the biggest highlights in the 2 novels he's appeared in so far, and now that he's delved into the Chiss history and did even more development of Ar'alani, I'd more up for it now than ever.

[@McShmoodle]

I agree with everything you said, especially the part about Thrawn "being bad at politics." Take a drink every time the characters mention that, the repetition is almost comical, yet the payoff is almost non-existent. I feel like I really missed something, maybe there's some dots I'm not connecting here, but *SPOILERS* the foreshadowing of Thrawn's failure and makes it out to be a horrific genocide or something but it amounted to a slightly awkward situation that was resolved with the Chiss still walking away from unscathed, and yet Thrawn was demoted because of it, because "he's bad at politics." As much as I love Thrawn, Timothy Zahn seems so enamored with Thrawn being a perfect superhuman that he isn't able to do more than give lip service to any supposed faults that he has. Show don't tell!

[@Arcky-ykcrA]

finished it this night and i gotta say this is my new number 1 star wars novel. i am super exited about the next 2 novels

[@theodorewolf4351]

I noticed something I think could be a"High Republic" Easter Egg but is not a simple detail to overlook...the "High Republic" novels would be out or coming out about now in the 1st few chapters of Choas they mention the "Skywalkers" and an event where an entire world vanished but hyperspace ways were blocked & that it was this event that forced the use of "Skywalkers".... this may connect because it takes place well before this trilogy and again well before the pre & original trilogies

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Quick, somebody tell me: is this a novel I can binge in a day? Is it shorter or longer than the first Disney Canon Thrawn novel?

[@mazzucac]

The audiobook is a little over 15hrs

[@meganofsherwood3665]

@@mazzucac thank you!

[@RickeGnool]

While I agree that Thrawn Alliances wasn't the best I personally really enjoed Thrawn Treason.

[@alexandersison2030]

I'm the opposite. I felt Thrawn Alliances was a blast except for the Padme bits which slowed down things. It was great and interesting to see the Thrawn-Anakin and Thrawn-Vader dynamic especially with how Vader pretty much has a gun to Thrawn's head if he does the wrong thing. Treason I thought was a real letdown because Thrawn was never truly challenged in that book, the Grysk threat still felt hollow and the ball is pretty much in Thrawn's court in every chapter. It never gives you the impression that he might lose out on anything. Krennic's lackey was just plain annoying. The prose being easy to read was the only real highlight of that book, imo.

[@DANSDEAD]

Currently reading through alliances and I'm enjoying it a lot. I don't usually read books (more manga and comics etc) but the Thrawn novels have really captivated me. I just enjoy thrawn as a character and following his story. Looking forward to treason and then ascendancy 😄

[@MattyPan118]

Star Wars Treason was great in my mind.

[@jameswg13]

Read this book didn't really sleep. Great story loved it

[@brycelahm1283]

I personally enjoyed all 4 canon Thrawn books, but this one is definitely one of my favorite Star Wars books overall. I mostly just read the books for lore that they give to the Star Wars universe, which is mostly why i liked the Aftermath books, and this book was phenomenal at giving us more lore. 9/10, would recommend

[@noname-bk7bc]

He's going to take a face turn. I've been saying this for the last three books. And let's be clear, the invincible hero is a compelling vehicle of story telling ala Sherlock Holmes and superman. We expect thrawn to be that awesome do I don't see that as a problem anymore than it's a problem that superman only is weak to a rare green rock.

[@bajaliva9922]

You have a good point ! Even if I don’t see Thrawn as super-hero (so his Sherlock part bothers me 😃).

[@noname-bk7bc]

I am a total fan boy here so this flavors my opinion. Since Heir to the empire, Thrawn has been one of my favorite starwars characters period. It seems like I am not alone in this opinion. This poses a problem for Disney since while they love to cash in on the Thrawn love by the fandom, he's a villian and it is hard to keep show casing a villian without people starting to identify with their cause. I think the business solution to this is to turn Thrawn into a hero and all of these problems go away. I for one don't mind him doing a face turn since he is my favorite character. Benedict Cumberbatch for the live action! Then BC could be Sherlock and Space Sherlock!

[@foodini666]

Nice review, do you plan to do an updated ranking of all cannon novels anytime soon?

[@kineuhansen8629]

would love to know more about the grysk

[@Deamon93IT]

Personally I liked the book, although of course there's the issue of it being a prequel so we know the ending. At least here Zahn has enough wiggle room since, at least for the moment, there isn't anyone else creating content regarding the Unknown Region. That alone is a breathe of fresh air, being so different from what we are used to (somewhat Warhammer 40k like with Navigators and the like, although much milder of course)

[@joshlawrence4707]

Anyone else notice they misspelled ascendancy on that slide at the end

[@Pringles147]

i got a copy with the blue pages in it from amazon has anyone else gotten that copy if so is it like rare

[@matthewwalkemar8726]

When in the timeline is this book set?

[@fidel3031]

During the Clone Wars, but there are flashbacks that take place during Thrawn's student/cadet days, so possibly before TPM!

[@Zleno78]

I don’t have an issue with the thrawn in rebels v book thrawn. Rebels Thrawn had the Darth Vader and the emperor breathing down his neck for his failure at Atilon, and thrawn tells us the empire maybe necessary for the greater good despite a few missteps here and there. So bombarding the rebels on lothal is just another necessary misstep to ensure the he can remain part of the empire to protect his people.

[@ChrisfromLeedsinUK]

I gave up half way through the audiobook of Alliances and never got around to Treason but this sounds interesting.

[@rhodridavies9426]

What's happened with the sound recently? It seems really inconsistent and even distorts at the end quite badly... I don't remember your earlier videos having these issues until somewhat recently...

[@isaiahtorres5898]

Would you recommend for someone who’s never read anything thrawn related except watch rebels read this first or the other canon thrawn series first?

[@FearLessWander]

Completely forgot about this book, a nice surprise indeed!

[@cadelleynon2624]

Thanks for the great review. I totally agree re comparison to Rebels Thrawn - they feel like mostly different characters with some similarities. The existing canon trilogy complicates the morality of the Galaxy via suggesting allegiance to the Empire might have been morally justified to fight the (potentially) more evil Grysk, but the morality of Rebels feels less complicated, so Thrawn is a bad guy in it. I suppose these discrepancies may just be something to shrug our shoulders at given Star Wars inherently relies on same characters in different media forms with different writers/purposes of the content!

[@dylan10011998]

Do I have to read alliance and treason first or can I skip those and jump into chaos rising?

[@McShmoodle]

There is a part of the book that runs parallel to Alliance, retelling the events from a different perspective, so it might feel like you're missing a bit of context to a part that is skimmed over towards the end. Other than that, there's nothing absolutely necessary to understanding the characters or overall narrative, it's fairly self contained.

[@deyantodorov6775]

What was thrawn's big mistake that they talked about cuz I can't remember

[@ianmoore4832]

Thank you - I’ll definitely check this out!

[@danieljenkins1758]

Really on the fence about this one. Loved the first book, quite liked Alliances but found Treason really boring. Seen as this trilogy seems to borrow most from Treason I dunno if I'll give it a shot. Might wait and see how the trilogy unfolds more

[@kittycat0876]

I read all 3 Acendacy books it was awesome

[@fumochabalala6284]

Hello there

[@pauljennings6741]

General Kenobi!

[@georgekuttysebastian1412]

You are a bold one.

[@vEcTeRbl00d]

Just finished the audiobook I give it 6/10 Ive read all the other Thrawn books, so this was ok, not a bad book. But as said in the video, there's no stakes at all really, and it has terrible paving issues honestly I got confused where we were at each jump from memory to future.

[@SSBBMN64]

What did you meant when you said "former Skywalker "?

[@marshamoseley5878]

In the Chiss Ascendancy, "sky walkers" are Force-sensitive Chiss children (usually female) used as navigators. They almost always lose their Force abilities in their teen years, after which they can no longer be sky walkers.

[@SSBBMN64]

@@marshamoseley5878 is there a connection to the Skywalker's or is it just a coincidence?

[@marshamoseley5878]

@@SSBBMN64 Coincidence

[@Jungoguy]

What do you mean by former skywalker? Explain?

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Former sky-walker, ie, Chiss Navigator (I presume)

[@Azungu]

I am listening to the audio book. But what is a Skywalker or former Skywalker? Anything to do with Luke?

[@marcusisgood9]

The name is just Zahn messing with fans, a skywalker is a young chiss girl who can use the force to guide a ship through difficult hyperspace passes in the unknown regions. Just like the pathfinder Qilori of Uandualon they can also track others through hyperspace. These skywalkers are the greatest secret and asset of the ascendancy, so Thrawn got Thalias (a former skywalker and now carer) and Che’ri captured by Yiv so he could go after them with the ascendancy’s full backing and resources. In Thrawn: Treason, we see Van’hya (another skywalker) who has mastered third sight (the hyperspace ability and second sight (force telekinesis) to the age of 22. Normally the abilities die at about 13/14, so that’s why Eli vanto was sent to Ar’alani, to try and analyse what was different about her.

[@Azungu]

Thank for the thorough explanation! I guest those Skywalker's and their ability are not canon, even though Thawn might appear in the next Mandalorian chapter... Would be a nice addition!

[@marcusisgood9]

@@Azungu they are canon, as the new Thrawn books are all canon. Np for the explanation

[@Azungu]

@@marcusisgood9 my bad! It might juste be confusing with for the Skywalker name, especially with Rey taking it as well...

[@marcusisgood9]

@@Azungu it is quite confusing, thanks for the continuity Disney.... 😂

[@fidel3031]

What did everyone think of the ending? 🤔

[@unownintendo]

Should I listen to this book first and then the first thrown trilogy in the time of the empire? Or should I listen to the original canon trilogy first and wait to listen to this one until all 3 books are out?

[@fidel3031]

This one if you want something different, cause like SWE said, this is really different from the Star Wars we've seen, which is really cool. Also, you don't have to read the other three first (however, there is a chapter that ties into Alliances). The other three if you at want something familiar (Empire/Clone Wars)

[@Milkman12345]

This was my favorite book of all time

[@burlyjer]

RE: Reconciling Thrawn in Rebels vs the one we know in the books. I think what we see is his inability to cope when he is confounded. The rebels, especially Ezra, a child, consistently foiling his attempts to subdue them. It’s kind of a classic narcissist trait to act unreasonably when this happens. So the more they fall through his fingers the more he escalates. Because I don’t think he is familiar enough with how The Force works with/through jedi (which I assume is in part why a group of ragtag underdogs keep besting a mastermind) so he doesn’t understand why he can’t defeat them. That’s that “will only be defeated by something he doesn’t understand” angle. Maybe they will broach that if the sequel series happens!

[@laverniustucker8198]

So what is this trilogy called? And the last one?

[@michaelramon2411]

I think this one is the Ascendancy trilogy, and the other one is "The Thawn Trilogy (Not That One)".

[@Mayakran]

I actually didn’t like Thrawn in Rebels because one of the appeals to the character, imo, is that why he’s a villain, unlike Vader or Palpatine he’s not just pure evil. He’s a bad guy (to the rebels), sure, and he does some pretty terrible things, but in the grand scheme of things he’s almost an antihero. I like moral ambiguity (something which is SORELY lacking in Star Wars) and Rebels basically turned him into a Bond villain with spooky Dracula music.

[@sleepofgiants410]

i haven't read a star war since that first padme book. just kinda fell off after my local book store closed and i had to lose my novels in a move..

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Oof

[@TheGamingTrain55]

When does it take place

[@bradneece2409]

I hope the new movies are in the Unknown Regions!

[@michaelmanders6034]

COME ON U.P.S. I NEED MY BOOK!

[@DaleESkywalker]

Speaking of being a former Skywalker makes me wonder if we'll get more stories about the former Palpatine.

[@luans.40]

😂

[@martar.2085]

??? skywalkers are just navigators, who are completely unrelated to Skywalkers, as far as I know. It's simple.

[@DaleESkywalker]

Your father was a navigator on a Spice Freighter.

[@GlowSquibs]

new Thrawn Book yay

[@maryuma7]

Great spoiler free review. Im on ch.11 as of now :/

[@madebymelz7702]

This book was incredible

[@matthewhowland855]

I like Thrawn better in the Canon books, than in Rebels

[@mercuriology45]

I love Thrawn but he can be so aloof

[@aajam5311]

well , when you said you were fond of the skywalker i was disappointed

[@davidjacobs8558]

I wonder if Disney is paying royalties to Timothy Zahn for his books.

[@danieljenkins1758]

To the good and sensible people reading this - you're awesome, you're loved, you can do this, have a great day. PSA: Not a bot or like hunting, just trying to spread some positivity, hope you don’t mind Alex and Mollie! Please keep the replies and comments nice and positive too! :)

[@nfalls75]

I don't understand what you mean by a former Skywalker.

[@bajaliva9922]

Read Alliances (or just this one) and you ‘ll know...

[@zacharygant5048]

We do never see his point of view because he is to smart for us to understand

[@chapmanjosh]

Keep up the good work team

[@EspressoInSpace]

So why do we complain so much about Rey being so perfect yet look at Thrawn like hes a great character?

[@goodmind4940]

because Rey breaks rules of the Force where you have to train to be powerful and Thrawn is more like a superman-type character who's super smart, but has politics as kryptonite or villain, Zahn's writing is also just better

[@EspressoInSpace]

@@goodmind4940 I agree that rey is super op for someone who started out being a scavenger and in a matter of weeks is fighting a Skywalker. Zahn's writing is great and I'm a big fan of the books but I feel like things come a little too easy for thrawn (especially in chaos rising). Politics is his weakness (got it) easy to see, but it would significantly add to his character if we saw some flaws in his tactics early on because even the most gifted person will make some mistakes early in life and those add to the lessons hes learned to build his super human brain we see when he joins the empire. All I'm saying is that his character could benefit from making mistakes on occasions when he's young

[@mikewj94]

somehow, when I first glanced at the title, I read Decendency instead of Ascendency. Thought there was a new book coming out for a minute there

[@UraiFen44444444]

Nice Video :)

[@realambientasmr]

I loved Thrawn, tolerated Alliances, hated Treason and also can’t stand this new novel. I love the old Thrawn books but these new ones just bore me to death. I don’t find any of the characters interesting and am convinced I’m reading a different book than everyone else.

[@Jairbendami]

Skywalker ?

[@rice-a-ronin]

Yeah what? Is there a title called Skywalker....?

[@ethanbrown4167]

@@rice-a-ronin this was revealed at the end of thrawn alliances. navagaters are called skywalkers

[@rice-a-ronin]

@@ethanbrown4167 yeesh

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

Really? Another one of these? Thrawn feels completly wasted in canon. Only way to save him is to have him come back after rotj and lead the imperial remnant after jakku (the ones that didn’t join admiral slone)

[@WTSD850]

i'm pretty sure this is just part 1

[@geeklore8528]

That qoute is so relevant