I’m in the process of wrapping up writing my short story series, so when I’m in full-on writing mode, I don’t read a lot. I worry that what I’m reading could interfere with my own creativity. Might sound weird to some, but I feel like others would get what I mean. My books are in the horror-crime and supernatural genre’s, so I typically avoid anything relating to those things until I’m finished writing my books. That said, I love to read and need to get my fix. I drive for work, so I’m usually listening to audio books, podcasts, or a late night talk show that delves into aliens and such. I’ve currently started listening to an audio book I’ve listened to and have read at least a dozen times: Star Wars Heir to the Empire. It’s a story that came out in 1991, and at the time was considered the story that came after Return of the Jedi. It picks up a few years after that film, and takes beloved characters Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3P0 into a new adventure and fight. Author Timothy Zahn created a new and compelling story with a new villain named Grand Admiral Thrawn. The story also involves a character many fans of Star Wars love dearly- Mara Jade.
It’s action packed and delivers depth to both old characters and new. The audio version is voiced by Marc Thompson, and he voices all the characters so well that with music and sound effects included, it feels like you’re listening to a Star Wars movie. The book has everything you know and love about Star Wars (if you’re a fan ha ha), and the story, much like the movies, is a trilogy. I honestly wonder why Lucasfilm didn’t go in this direction for their sequel trilogy, or even maybe just borrow a lot of the story elements to tell their own story. It is what it is now, but I will probably always look at the “Thrawn Trilogy” as my version of the sequel trilogy. Either way, it’s a great book and I’m enjoying it. It’s a good escape, and it keeps me reading while I’m writing my book without distracting me from my creative focus.
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