Amazon.com Review

Timothy Zahn is the master of the Star Wars novel. His trilogy (_Heir to the Empire_, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command) did almost as much as the movie trilogy's re-release to create new interest in Luke, Leia, and Han Solo. Specter of the Past is the first of a new series, The Hand of Thrawn. Princess Leia is trying desperately to hold the loose coalition of interests known as the New Republic together long enough to see the evil Empire finally vanquished. But in a stunning setback, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker discover that the pirate ships raiding New Republic transports are staffed with clones under the command of someone who claims to be Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Empire's most powerful warlord, believed dead for 10 years. Thrawn's plan for destroying the fragile New Republic seems well on the way to completion--unless Han, Leia, and Luke can stop it.

From Library Journal

In the first of two new novels, Zahn (Heir to the Empire, Bantam, 1991) turns in his usual high-caliber performance in the ongoing Star Wars space-opera saga. A few remaining Imperial officials seek to negotiate a peace with the New Republic, but calls for vengeance against the Bothans for their compliance in destroying the Caamasi planet and pirate raids on supply ships threaten to tear apart the New Republic government, with Leia, Han, and Luke trying to maintain the peace. The second novel, Vision of the Future, will be published in 1998. For sf collections with the series.
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