I didn’t want it to end.

I felt more and more dread as I came closer and closer to finishing Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising. Not because of the precarious condition of the Chiss Ascendancy. Not because of Senior Captain Thrawn’s status in the Expansionary Fleet. But because the book was SO GOOD that I dread the wait I would have to endure for the next novel to come out.

I have to admit to having a little bit of doubt about where master Star Wars author Timothy Zahn was going to take his most famous creation. I’ve been following Thrawn’s exploits since Heir to the Empire back in 1991. What more could possibly be said? Zahn already explored Thrawn’s career post-ROJ (albeit now relegated to “legend” status). Dave Filoni explored Thrawn’s career pre-ANH in Star Wars Rebels. And Zahn explored Thrawn’s introduction to the Star Wars galaxy in his trilogy Thrawn, Thrawn Alliances, and Thrawn Treason. Now Zahn was going to go back even farther into Thrawn’s career?

I’m so glad he did.

Not only did readers get a beautifully written journey even deeper into Thrawn’s background, but the whole of the Ascendancy itself. Very minor characters from books past are getting richly fleshed out and new characters are entering into the dialogue. The culture of the Ascendancy is also being given much more detail to not only enhance who Thrawn is but makes it so relevant to our own experiences today.

I’ve always been entranced with Thrawn’s brilliance. Although he is an enemy to the Rebellion and can be truly ruthless, it is hard not to like Thrawn completely. He is a complex character but one who demands to be admired if for no other reason than for his tactical genius. But it’s hard not to root for him too. He is misunderstood, even by his own people. It makes him an underdog and who doesn’t like an underdog?

Zahn wrote this book with alternating chapters between the current activities which revolve around a new threat to the Ascendancy led by a mysterious figure called General Yiv the Benevolent and chapters from Thrawn’s past from as far back as when he became a member of the Mitth family. Zahn does a masterful job of weaving the tales together, complimenting both stories to form one cohesive tale. Plus, you have to love the blue pages, an homage to the blue skinned Chiss.

If you’re a fan of audiobooks, you are in for a treat. Marc Thompson as always does a wonderful job blending together various characters with variations of his voice. He does an amazing Thrawn, keeping the cool, detached, analytical tone in his voice you would expect from the character. It’s also similar enough in tone to the portrayal by Lars Mikkelsen from Star Wars Rebels so it feels seamless to the continuity of the character. When portraying a younger Thrawn, he adds a bit of difference in tone which makes him sound younger. And I love his rendition of Samakro which sounded like a combination of Jack Nicholson and Christian Slater. Plus, Zahn introduces a number of new terms since we’re being introduced to a new culture and it helps to hear Thompson clarify the proper pronunciation.

What I love about Star Wars audiobooks are the added touches the production team uses to tell the story. Original Star Wars music and detailed sound effects enhance it so much. It adds depth to the voice acting by Thompson and fleshes out the characters and the entire tale. If you’re a fan of Thrawn, you can’t afford to miss out on this new addition to the Thrawn legacy.

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn is out today! The previous two Thrawn books weren’t my favorite, but I’ve had high hopes that a fresh start on a new trilogy would solve some of the issues I had with them. So, was I correct? Here are all my spoiler-free thoughts.

Of the four new, canon Thrawn books, I think this one was my second favorite. The first Thrawn is still one of my favorite canon books, and Chaos Rising doesn’t quite reach those heights, but yes. It does fix a lot of the problems I believe Thrawn: Alliances and Thrawn: Treason had. Both of those stories took place concurrently with Star Wars Rebels. As such, it felt like Timothy Zahn’s hands were tied. Treason, especially, takes place over the course of only a few episodes where Thrawn is absent from Star Wars Rebels season four. There’s only so much you can do with that. But one chapter of Chaos Rising spans more time than that entire book.

Additionally, I tend to feel that Thrawn works best when he isn’t constantly front and center. He is the antagonist of the original Thrawn trilogy, appearing enough to be compelling and threatening, but he’s not the main character. And he is almost always seen through the eyes of Captain Pellaeon. Alliances and Treason both focus on him far too much for my taste. Part of the appeal to the character for me is that I don’t know what he’s up to. Thrawn is obviously all over Chaos Rising, appearing in most chapters, but he is mostly seen through the eyes of those around him, and it helps keep some of that mystery alive.

And those new characters are all pretty great. I found myself to be especially fond of a young sky-walker, a Chiss girl who can use the Force to safely travel through the Unknown Regions in hyperspace, and her caregiver, who herself was a former sky-walker. Their relationship was probably my favorite in the book. But there is a whole host of fresh and familiar faces. Admiral Ar’alani is a major character, and she’s great, but we’re mostly introduced to new members of the Chiss military and government.

And Zahn does a really great job at fleshing out the Chiss Ascendancy. There is so much world building going on here, and it’s all so different. There were times that I kind of forgot I was reading a Star Wars book, and I mean that in a good way. Exploring the Unknown Regions gives you this sense that there is so much more to the Star Wars galaxy that we haven’t even seen. We tend to get stories following the same three characters throughout the same three conflicts in the same areas of the galaxy. I love it when Star Wars gets to stretch its legs a little more. We see new technology, planets, species, uses of the Force, there’s so much new stuff in this book. And it gives you the sense that it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The galaxy is so much bigger than we have experienced. I hope one day the movies and shows can follow Chaos Rising’s example a little more.

All of that means I’m instantly excited for book two in the Ascendancy series. But Chaos Rising does still have a couple of missteps. It’s a prequel story, so it’s hard to effectively raise the stakes. Thrawn and Ar’alani on multiple occasions talk about the potential political ramifications of their actions and...we know Ar’alani is still an admiral in Treason. We know Thrawn winds up fake-abandoned so that he can become part of the Empire. I was much more concerned with the two sky-walker characters I mentioned, but even then it’s hard to be overly scared for them when Thrawn never misses a beat. The book teases and builds up to a reveal about a big failure on his part in the past, and when we finally learn what it was I was pretty underwhelmed.

A big criticism of the Thrawn character is that he is just always perfect. He can only be beaten by something he doesn’t understand or can’t possibly predict. His supposed biggest weakness in Chaos Rising is that he doesn’t understand politics. In this day and age that feels a lot like saying your biggest weakness is that you are too dedicated to your work in a job interview. Thrawn cares more about the Ascendancy and his fellow people than he does about his political status, and I just don’t see that as a weakness so much as it is a code of honor.

Which brings me to my next point. It’s kind of hard to reconcile the Thrawn of the books with the Thrawn of Star Wars Rebels. The guy that was willing to bombard Lothal and kill innocent people to force Ezra’s surrender. I do think the book makes some attempts to show that Thrawn sees the beings around him as assets to be used more than he sees them as actual people. But he also seems to care about the various non-Chiss societies that he shares the Unknown Regions with. He just feels a little inconsistent when you compare him to how he acts in Star Wars Rebels.

But to swing it back to things I liked, I thought Zahn had a lot of good things to say about how politics and superiority complexes of any kind can get in the way of doing the right thing. If you know all your neighbors are in danger and you choose to do nothing, you are digging your own grave. You’d think that’s a lesson people don’t need to learn anymore, but there is a great line in the book that says the failures of our past can be a harsh but capable teacher, so long as those who observe it learn from it. When a group of people are persecuted, it’s not enough that only they stand up to fight. We all should.

I had some issues with the book, but overall I thought it was a very worthy inclusion to Thrawn’s story. In fact, Chaos Rising reminded me a lot more of an Outbound Flight or other Legends books than many of the new canon books have. I love that it was able to build out a new area of the galaxy rather than cover similar ground yet again. I hope we get to see more of that in the future with the next two books in this series, the High Republic, and beyond.

Admiral Thrawn Appears
Do you remember 1991? These were the dark days of Star Wars, with toy sales ebbing, no more movies in sight and Star Wars-obsessed kids turning into young adults. But it was also a time when kids who missed out on the original Star Wars films in theaters began discovering the saga on VHS. This was me.

May 1991 marked the debut of Heir to the Empire, the first of Timothy Zahn’s new Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy. The book debuted atop the New York Times Bestseller List and began a flurry of Expanded Universe novels which I devoured. In these pages I discovered a mesmerizing character, fully formed and slowly taking control of the remains of the Galactic Empire: Admiral Thrawn.

He remained a Legends character until Dave Filoni plucked him out of obscurity and plopped him into Star Wars: Rebels TV series, where he easily recouped his fan-favorite status. Now Timothy Zahn is giving us more Thrawn, this time an origin story, and it's glorious!

“The key to a satisfying life is to accept those things that cannot be changed, and make a positive difference with those that can.”

INTRO

Few characters in the Star Wars Expanded Universe have consistently demanded the attention of Grand Admiral Thrawn. From his monumental introduction in 1991’s Heir to the Empire, Thrawn has captivated Star Wars fans in every medium in which he has appeared.

After all, there’s a reason that he was one of the only characters that broke through the Legends barrier to establish himself in the new Canon.

Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars didn’t stop Thrawn from taking on the Ghost Crew in Star Wars: Rebels, starring in his own trilogy of books, showing up in the occasional comic, and even featuring in Star Wars mobile games. The allure of Thrawn has valiantly stood the test of time, and almost thirty years after his first adventure, the hype for Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising has Thrawn at possibly his highest level of popularity so far.

And after reading through the first book of Timothy Zahn’s Ascendancy trilogy, we can confirm that the hype is well beyond deserved. Chaos Rising introduces a new side of Thrawn, a phenomenal new cast of characters, and a world as rich and fascinating as anything the Star Wars Expanded Universe has produced thus far.

PLOT - 8

From the start, Chaos Rising’s plot is bifurcated into a present day storyline and a number of memory chapters that illustrate how the controversial pride of the Mitth family arrived at his current station.

Currently in the timeline, Thrawn and the rest of his people, the mighty Chiss Ascendancy, are facing an unknown force that threatens to unseat the Chiss from their position of power in the aptly titled Chaos. Within the memory portions of the novel, we witness Thrawn’s ascent to status through the eyes of a number of different characters including dear friends, political adversaries, and military rivals.

The intersection of these two types of storytelling could become confusing in the hands of a lesser writer, but Zahn’s three decades of writing Thrawn allow him to seamlessly combine the timelines to form a cohesive plot. Some of our team members have historically struggled with the overly technical plot of Thrawn’s adventures, myself included, but Chaos Rising avoids this by focusing simultaneously on the overarching conquest of the villainous Nikardun and the personal struggles and trials of its characters.

This variety in narrative tone avoids the overly complicated trap of previous Thrawn stories and instead allows the reader to invest personally in the stakes of the characters. When Thrawn is developing a highly complex military maneuver in his many battles scattered throughout the book, you find yourself caring just a bit more, because you’ve witnessed the steps that led him to this point.

Additionally, the overall plot in Chaos Rising is fundamentally one of discovery. The Chiss are discovering what unnamed threats are waiting in the dark, Thrawn is discovering how to fight both military and political adversaries at once, and characters like Thalias and Che’ri are discovering where exactly they fit in the grand game of the Ascendancy’s civilization.

Will our characters choose power? Friendship? Influence? Sacrifice? All of these questions are laid out, and because of Chaos Rising’s position as the first book of a new trilogy, you won’t get all the answers.

But dammit if you won’t be screaming for them by the time you close the cover.

CHARACTERS - 9

One of Thrawn’s signature literary flaws has always been his tendency to be rather indestructible. While this allowed him to be an undeniably formidable foe for Han, Luke, & Leia in his original trilogy, subsequent additions to the Thrawn canon have lost a bit of their edge due to the lack of stakes his brilliance often creates.

Chaos Rising takes that formula and pushes it to another stage of literary evolution.

The Thrawn of Chaos Rising is a character that possesses undeniable tactical genius, but he is also in that state of perpetual discovery that we mentioned earlier. This subtle shift allows Thrawn to be a fallible protagonist who is learning about his people, his galaxy, and himself throughout this book and what is sure to be the rest of the trilogy.

These revelations that Thrawn undergoes allow us to view the future Grand Admiral as a truly vulnerable character for perhaps the first time in his history. The conversations between Thrawn and Ar’alani in the memory sections and between Thrawn and Thalias in the present all highlight a side of the character that you can tell Zahn has been wanting to highlight for years.

While he is calculating and efficient, he is never cold or cruel. This is a man who is learning to play a game which he never knew existed, but he consistently halts his personal ascension due to his compassion and care for those who serve beside him.

Those allies also have a multitude of opportunities to shine throughout Chaos Rising as Zahn populates the novel with his most vibrant ensemble yet. Chief among these new additions is Mitth’ali’astov, or Thalias, the Mitth family merit adoptive who acts as a mentor and guide to Che’ri, a young sky-walker.

Now if that wasn’t the most Zahn sentence ever, I don’t know what is.

Thalias’s journey parallels Thrawn beautifully as she searches for a renewed sense of purpose after the dwindling of her own sky-walking abilities years before the story begins. While Thalias initially comes to Thrawn out of a sense of reverence and intrigue, the pair’s relationship evolves into one of symbiotic teaching, and Zahn clearly makes her just as key to Thrawn’s success as the Captain is to hers.

Thalias’s relationship to Che’ri also adds a new, refreshing element to Zahn’s usual style of storytelling: tenderness. Amidst all of the masterfully crafted militaristic sequences, we see just how intimidating the world can be to a child being asked to continuously do the impossible.

Sometimes you’re ready to chart the highways of the galaxy. And sometimes you just want some markers to draw. The precise challenges of adolescence can be extraordinarily difficult to capture authentically, but Zahn’s skill with Che’ri prove that he is more than up to the task.

But of course, a wondrously competent team demands an equally sly antagonist, and Zahn writes perhaps his most fearsome thus far with Yiv the Benevolent. Leader of the subtly brutal Nikardun, Yiv presents Thrawn with something the Chiss defender has yet to face: an intellectual equal. Watching the two men verbally assault each other while maintaining delicate decorum is delightfully delicious and unlike anything we’ve seen thus far in Star Wars.

“You think just because there were no loud voices or discharged weapons that we didn’t engage in combat?”

Then again, this book is full of things we’ve never seen in Star Wars...

ORIGINALITY - 10

Never before have I witnessed such a volume of mythology building in a single Star Wars book. Even before starting the book, the reader is presented with a glorious Dramatis Personae which not only features the main characters of the adventure, but also the family structure of the Chiss Ascendancy, the Nine Ruling Families, and the assorted political titles.

All of that before you hit the first page.

It is clear that Timothy Zahn had an absolute blast creating every facet of this new galaxy, and his enjoyment bleeds through every word, dripping right into the soul of the reader. We discover how Chiss families create their legacies through audition and selection. We are introduced to the minutiae of the military and the ways they combat the trials of the Chaos through the powers of their youth. We meet new species, new societies, new worlds, and new technology in practically every chapter, and you’re always left wanting more.

To be perfectly honest, I could read three entire books on the history of Chiss family dynamics...and I think we just might.

Zahn has combined the best familial and political dynamics of Game of Thrones with the technological creativity of The Expanse, and the result is a thoroughly filled playground of his own creation. He is clearly boundless in the creativity he has been allowed to employ in crafting the galaxy in which the Chiss reside, and that unshackled ability to design and build has lead to some of the most passionate writing of the legendary author’s career.

WRITING - 9

Timothy Zahn is a great writer.

I know. Controversial, isn’t it?

Zahn’s prowess as a fiction writer has never been in question since his entrance into the Expanded Universe almost three decades ago, and after reading Chaos Rising, he somehow seems to be peaking. Whereas some folks found his previous Canon Thrawn titles to fade slightly from the glory of his past work, Chaos Rising shows just what can happen when you unleash the literary beast within.

Without ties to previously established characters or even planets, Zahn wields his pen (or let’s be less poetic -- his keyboard) with the skill and ferocity of a fencing master. Because every element of the story can be new, Zahn can choose exactly what puzzle piece will fit next to the others he has already laid out.

The pure amount of creativity and precision this requires in a book that still remains within the genre of established intellectual property is staggering. But he executes brilliantly, and by the time the final chapter flew across my eyes, I found myself wanting to return back to this section of the universe.

I wanted to go back to the Chaos, and that is attributed in no small part to the fun Timothy Zahn clearly had writing this book. Sometimes you just gotta let the puppetmaster make his own puppets.

ENTERTAINMENT - 9

If there is anyone that had more fun than Timothy Zahn while writing this book, it may have been me while I was reading it.

While we have been blessed with a number of fantastic Young Adult novels lately that truly fly by like E.K. Johnston’s Queen’s Peril and Alex Segura’s Poe Dameron: Free Fall, many of our recent “Adult Novels” have been slower burns. Alexander Freed’s Shadow Fall, for instance, was an incredible journey, but I couldn’t exactly burn through ten chapters of emotional torment and discovery if you get my drift.

On the outside, Chaos Rising has all the makings of an in-depth novel that requires you to take your time and digest each new bit of story and lore, and while the storytelling and worldbuilding is certainly filled to the brim...I simply couldn’t stop reading. With each turn of the page, I wanted to know what new corner of the Chaos these characters were about to explore, and I wanted to be alongside them as they went there.

This increased entertainment value in comparison with some of Zahn’s more recent fare is largely in part to the dynamacy with which he writes the characters. When we’re away from Thrawn for a while, you don’t feel as though you’re away from the action.

Because there’s action everywhere.

Every character demands the attention of the reader throughout the pages on which they appear, and with each new set change comes a chance to reveal yet another side of the grand mystery of the Chaos.

AUDIO

Few audiobook narrators are as synonymous with a particular character as Marc Thompson is to Thrawn. A veteran of all of Thrawn’s previous adventures, Thompson once again returns to the microphone to tell us the story of Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, and he absolutely nails it.

Fans of Lars Mikkelsen’s performance as the Grand Admiral in Seasons 3 and 4 of Star Wars: Rebels will feel right at home with Thompson’s depiction of our lead character, but his ability to distinctly yet effortlessly shift between the rest of the characters may shine even brighter. Thrawn’s dulcet tones undoubtedly entrance us with every word Thompson utters, and yet, we couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his skill in representing the entirety of the Ascendancy as well as its various foes.

The vulnerability he brings to Che’ri is particularly notable. Younger characters can often be resigned to positions of weakness or uncertainty, but Thompson avoids the easy trap and presents the sky-walker with all of the layers of dimensionality with which she is written.

Thompson’s masterful performance is once again accentuated by the brilliant sound mixers at Penguin Random House Audio. Rather than the constant atmospheric ambience that worked so well in previous projects like Shadow Fall, Chaos Rising’s music is a bit more subtle -- allowing the listener to invest a bit more deeply in the dialogue and descriptors. For years, we have extolled the virtue of listening to Star Wars audiobooks due to their enrapturing soundscapes, and from the moment you begin the first track of Chaos Rising, there’s no doubt that you’ll be hanging on to every single word.

CONCLUSION

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising is assuredly the most fun I’ve ever had reading a Timothy Zahn novel, and it may seriously be his best work to date.

All of the new characters populate the pages with interest and various levels of political, militaristic, and mythological intrigue, and the worlds Zahn is building will only get more fascinating as the trilogy continues.

As of this review, we don’t have a certain date of when the next installment in the Ascendancy trilogy will arrive, but in the words of Speaker Thistrian...

“Whatever Thrawn does next, at least it’ll be entertaining to watch.”

For more info about Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, visit our Official Book Profile where you can find additional staff comments, user reviews, and affiliate links to order the book directly and help out Youtini in the process.

For more adventures featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn, be sure to visit his very own Reading Collection where you can find the best he has to offer in both Canon & Legends.

With Chaos Rising, Timothy Zahn does a great job of combining intensely personal perspectives with political intrigue and military philosophy and strategy, building a fascinating novel that will delight Thrawn fans, intrigue classic Star Wars viewers and might open a smooth segue into the franchise for lovers of other science fiction universes like Star Trek, Dune or even The Left Hand of Darkness. A must read.

This review for Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) by Timothy Zahn may contain minor spoilers.

The latest entry into Star Wars canon by Timothy Zahn begins:

A long time ago, beyond a galaxy far, far away….

And rightly so, as Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) takes us to the origins of one Mitth'raw'nuruodo, deep into the Chiss Ascendancy in the Unknown Regions.

The story opens with a derelict ship found on the outskirts of Chiss space, the entire crew deceased. This follows a seemingly unrelated attack on the Chiss captial on the homeworld of Csilla. General Ba'kif believes the two events are not purely coincidental, and that one may have been a distraction for the other. Enter Thrawn.

Thrawn discovers the Nikardun Dynasty, and it's leader Yiv the Benevolent, are likely behind both occurrences, but why? The Nikardun have been forming alliances with other worlds, so is it possible they're becoming a threat to the Ascendancy? If anyone can ferret out the truth, it's Senior Captain Thrawn using his tactical skills and knowledge of art to discover what makes their potential adversaries tick.

An interesting thing about Chaos Rising is how it presents Thrawn's backstory as periodic interludes, called memories, throughout the book. These take us back to Cadet Thrawn, and as he works his way up through the ranks. We see his interest in art early on as a way of understanding races and cultures, as well as his tactical prowess, but one thing I never really considered is Thrawn lacking in political savvy. It causes much consternation along the way, marking Thrawn as a liabilty to some.

In Chaos Rising, author Timothy Zahn also presents an excellent look at Chiss government and culture, from the governing body of the Syndicure to the Nine Ruling Families. It also illustrates one can move between the Nine Families, either for mutual or individual benefit. Being born into one family doesn't necessarily seal one's destiny when there exists the potential of being adopted into another for advantage.

There are also some great characters introduced in Chaos Rising. General Ba'kif (as mentioned earlier) and Admiral Ar’alani are two such examples, and prove themselves to be allies of Thrawn throughout his rise thus far. I really enjoyed meeting former sky-walker Thalias, as well. (Sky-walkers, Force-sensitive Chiss navigators, were introduced in Zahn's previous Thrawn trilogy and are explored further in this book.) Thalias is assigned to Thrawn's ship, Springhawk, as caregiver to a young sky-walker named Che'ri.

No spoilers, but Chaos Rising dovetails with the second book in Zahn's earlier trilogy, Thrawn: Alliances, in a highly satisfactory way.

My copy of Chaos Rising also came with the blue edges, borders, and accents on the outside and interior of the book. It really made for a stunning presentation! Coupled with the handsome cover art by Sarofsky (known for their end-titles for Captain America: The Winter Soldier), this edition is a welcome addition to my Star Wars library.

In addition to reading the book, I was pleased to be able to listen to the unabridged audiobook. It's probably my favorite so far. Marc Thompson does the narration, and he outdoes himself in Chaos Rising. He gives each character such a distinct voice I had to remind myself it's all being read by the same person. In particular, his Thrawn is amazing. Thompson perfectly captures the essence of Lars Mikkelsen's vocal portrayal from Rebels. This is the first time I've heard Marc Thompson read for Thrawn, so this characterization might not be news to anyone else. But I was blown away. Commanding, intelligent, compassionate, a little slippery (depending on who he's dealing with), and smooth as silk — I could listen to Thompson reading the phone book as Thrawn and be perfectly contented. He's that good.

Very effective use of musical themes and cues from the prequels. On occasion the use of music composed by John Williams for the films seems out of place in audiobooks, but I didn't notice any issues here. I felt the music punctuated what was happening nicely, rather than taking me out of the story.

And, thankfully, the audiobook provided me with the proper pronunciations of names I had trouble with here and there in the novel. Some of them are tricky, and it's always important for me to get names right.

Since his introduction into official canon, Thrawn has steadily risen to be one of the characters I most look forward to revisiting. Due in large part to Timothy Zahn's development of the character both on the page and on-screen in Star Wars Rebels. It's fascinating watching his mind work, and wondering what his ultimate goals are. Thrawn is well-written and well-rounded, and for those reasons I was enthusiastic about reading Thrawn Ascendancy (Book 1: Chaos Rising), and I was not let down in the slightest. This start to a new trilogy was outstanding on every level and I'm anxious to discover what happens next. And that's the mark of a great author right there!

My rating for the book and audiobook: 5/5

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Penguin Random House Audio for providing copies of the book and audiobook for review purposes.

Great start for this new trilogy ! Read full review here : https://www.starwars-universe.com/actu-17824-critiques-de-thrawn-ascendancy-tome-1-chaos-rising-de-timothy-zahn.html

If you're hoping to take your first steps into a larger Star Wars world, "Chaos Rising" is the perfect opportunity.

It doesn't take long to realize Chaos Rising is leaps and bounds above Zahn's predecessor trilogy. Without being bound to Thrawn's first person point of view, we're allowed to understand the Chiss Ascendancy, and Thrawn himself, through a variety of characters, many of whom are brand new with compelling backstories and motives. This leads to more effective world-building and more intimate moments, including those shared between Che'ri, a sky-walker navigator, and Thalias, her caregiver. Che'ri, my favorite addition, dreads the idea of failure before growing a fresh layer of maturity and confidence by the book's end. Thalias aids her in this journey through several heart-to-heart moments in Che'ri's quarters, which is when the humanity (Chiss-manity?) of this story shines brightest.

Failure becomes a key thruline in this novel and is later described as a "harsh but capable teacher," tying into one of Star Wars' most essential motifs. We see Thrawn constantly struggle with the fear of failure by inaction, and it's what drives his risky death-defying behavior throughout his many adventures. Choice is also a core component as characters learn they are not bound to any one destiny but rather can carve out the path they desire (best represented in Thalias).

Chaos Rising is not without its flaws. Several representations of women throughout the story err on the side of problematic, but never boil over the point where you'd put the book down for good. It's also easy to get lost in the many roundtrips between the Ascendancy and the Chaos, making it hard to track where we've been and where we're going. One's reading comprehension will be tested with the many lengthy Chiss names and the dense socio-political class structures, but, when you put in the necessary effort, it opens the doors to a rich civilization that Star Wars has long needed outside the confines of the stories we're familiar with.

Overall, I would recommend this read to anyone, especially those who need a second go-around after not enjoying or passing on the first Thrawn trilogy. Danger looms in the Unknown Regions, and I'm excited to see how Zahn will keep up the chaotic energy of this first installment.

For more on my thoughts, check out our latest podcast episode on Friends of the Force— available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

I'll be upfront and say that I have never been a Thrawn fan. As a fan of Star Wars and SW publishing, I did give the first two books in the first canon series a go, and ended up not loving them. I also DNF'd Thrawn: Treason and decided that it was highly unlikely that I was going to pick up a Thrawn book again.

Imagine my surprise when I heard some not only good buzz about this book from people I wouldn't expect to enjoy it, but great buzz! And so I decided to read this book for the Friends of the Force Podcast with Brad, ultimately really enjoying this book!

Chaos Rising serves as a complex introduction to a trilogy with a clear purpose and point of view. The biggest change from the other series in this book is that the we are in a 3rd person POV, and not within Thrawn's 1st person POV. Taking the POV away from Thrawn allows the scope of the narrative to widen considerably. This creates an environment where many of the characters, including Thrawn, become likeable, as we are not only seeing one character's thoughts, but the thoughts and experiences of many of them. How they viewed Thrawn in particular allowed me to get out of my own head and see him how others in universe and in fandom saw him.

For Star Wars fans like myself who haven’t cared for Thrawn in the past, this is a book worth trying out.

That all being said, it's not a perfect book. There's no denying that it's complicated. From the various characters with names that all begin with "Th" (a symbol of being in the Miith family), to the names with confusing pronunciations and the complicated political heirarchy, there's still work to be done on the reader's end to keep everything in order.

Additionally, work on the author's and editing team's end needs to be done with the portrayal of women. While it does feel like all the women have motivations that are their own and unique identities in this book, they were often referred to and used as more props than people. Thrawn uses the women as shield and as hostages, both times either created submissive or objects. There are a handful of instances where the women are referred to as "females." It's 2020, and this isn't okay.

This is a patriarchal society, yes, (literally there is a Patriarch at the top of the families), but we don't know of any women in this universe outside of the six or so that are named and appear throughout the book. It seems that men hold all political positions and nearly all military positions. Work most certainly needs to be done to expand the roles of women in these stories.

That all being said, this is still a book I recommend. I was fascinated by the world it created, and look forward to book 2.

The word Thrawn can mean many things to many Star Wars fans. For me I think of the dark times in the 90's when there was little new Star Wars, content until Zahn gave us Heir To The Empire novel. For younger fans Thrawn's first appearance came through the Rebels television show, and another trilogy closely tied to the prequel and original trilogies.

With Thrawn Ascendancy we begin a new journey into Thrawn's past. Ascendancy gives us a central meeting point for two Thrawn's : the one from the Expanded Universe and the newer trilogy. By a meeting point I mean the adding of building blocks to Thrawn's history. Intertwined with this new info on Thrawn we are given a glimpse into the political and social landscape of Thrawn's home world.

Thrawn gives us this knowledge in the form of an investigation into an attack on the Chiss home world. What I love most about this book is how smoothly Zahn moves the reader into this new phase of Thrawn knowledge. The vastness of the Chiss home world and it's political structures are told through a strong core of characters, three of them female.

Thrawn's interactions with them propel the story forward and reveal more insight into his tactical prowess.
Ar'alani especially comes very close to stealing every scene she is in. I really enjoyed that the pair are on a very solid and equal footing. Ar'alani looks at Thrawn's skills as something she potentially can learn for herself and Thrawn gently begins to see how his lack of political acumen. Their combined skill set leads them on the path to discover a growing threat to the Ascendancy.

I also really enjoyed the pace of this story. The chapters unfold with a nice balance of action and character development and the memories sections give lots of insight to how Thrawn formulates his observations.
Zahn's overall narrative skills also make you forget for awhile that you are reading a Star Wars novel. When the timestamp of when this story is set in regards to the Star Wars timeline it's a nice reveal (If you don't peek and find it in the books timeline).

I'm also fascinated by the female sky-walker navigators the Chiss Ascendancy has kept a secret to the outside world.

Overall this book is an enjoyable start to the series. There isn't a sense of urgency to the story but I was continually engaged. It was hard to put down and I'm super excited for the next two volumes!

This was a hard book to review in that I loved the concept and the chance to get a deeper look into Chiss society, but I felt the focus on such a pre-established character as Thrawn detracted from that. The story beats fell into a familiar pattern because we know Thrawn and we know how he operates within a restricted environment.

As I go into in my review linked below, I think the returning character of Admiral Ar'alani and the novel's two entirely new POV characters, the child navigator Che'ri and her caretaker Thalias, should have been the main characters of the story. Their backgrounds and motivations were more interesting to me, especially in light of what we learn about the Chiss culture and their emphasis on conformity with certain norms and customs.

I wrote my review as if Ar'alani, Che'ri, and Thalias were the main characters of the story because they really should have been. Thus -- the book, I think, had excellent potential if only it had reached out and taken it, instead of going back to the well-trod safe ground of genius Thrawn and his struggles to get people to listen to him. I am hoping that perhaps Thrawn was just used to get people into the door of this trilogy, and that the next two books in the series will focus on other characters.

Del Rey recently launched a new set of Star Wars books all about the infamous Thrawn. Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) comes from author Timothy Zahn and is really interesting to read. Del Rey was kind enough to send me a copy to review and I was excited. I’ve never read about Thrawn, and I haven’t watched Rebels yet (I know, I know), but I’ve heard that he’s an incredible force to be reckoned with. After reading this book, I understand why.

Chaos Rising takes place during the Clone Wars, with almost the entire book taking place in a whole other part of the universe that’s part of the Unknown Regions. We get to learn not only about Thrawn, but the Chiss. The book gives us a glimpse into the psyche of Thrawn, and that is very interesting. The crazy thing is, due to what I read in this book, I feel like it’d be hard for Thrawn to become part of the Galactic Empire. I’m sure the follow-up books will help show what happened, but for now, I don’t see how it happens.

One of the things that I genuinely love about Chaos Rising is the fact that there’s one human in the entire book, and they’re not in it very much. Everyone in this book is non-human, and I love it. The world of Star Wars has so many interesting species, I hate how the movies always focus on humans. That being said, I do wish that some kind of images were provided for some of the alien species. That is a very minor complaint though.

Zahn sure knows how to write a very intriguing book. For a good part of it, the book didn’t feel like anything special, but once you get to the last seven or so chapters, it really changes and grips you. Then you look back and realize that even though it starts out kind of slow, it is all pretty necessary to help build up the results.

One thing I appreciated was the fact that the edition I had had blue accented pages for the memory chapters that serve as flashbacks. This was incredibly nice to have to help me understand what was a flashback and what was present.

Finally, the characters are amazing. Of course there’s Thrawn that we get to meet, and I enjoy the fact that he’s smart but not an egomaniac and he recognizes his weaknesses. It’s pretty refreshing to see. Then, there’s his friend Ar’alani. I totally ship it. Not to mention Che’ri the sky-walker and her caregiver Thalias. I love all of these characters, and I love the relationships we see them build with each other. They’re all there for each other and respect each other. They also teach each other new things.

If you’re a fan of Star Wars, I would highly recommend reading Chaos Rising, even if you don’t know anything about Thrawn. This book is a great place to start. You can purchase Chaos Rising from your favorite retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Overall this book exceeded my expectations significantly. The Book provided an interesting view into the Chiss and a breath of free air from a story perspective. Thematically it was still on point for Star Wars but gave us a new understanding of the world beyond the galaxy.

What sold me the most was the feminine POV used in the book provided a much needed fem gaze lens to Thrawn. We were able to have three different women represented in the book all who had their own journeys as well. My sites review is available: https://whattheforce.ca/review-star-wars-thrawn-ascendancy-chaos-rising/

My podcast deep dive will be available later.

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) is a fascinating new book by Timothy Zahn that takes us on a journey between the “present” and flashbacks, looking at Thrawn’s early days starting with the Academy. It’s an examination of how these experiences slowly serve to build him up as the character we have come to know in the newer “Imperial Trilogy”, as seen in Thrawn 2017, Thrawn: Alliances, and Thrawn: Treason.

“The peace of the Ascendancy, a beacon of calm and stability, is shattered after a daring attack on the Chiss capital that leaves no trace of the enemy. Baffled, the Ascendancy dispatches one of its brightest young military officers to root out the unseen assailants. A recruit born of no title, but adopted into the powerful family of the Mitth and given the name Thrawn.

With the might of the Expansionary Fleet at his back, and the aid of his comrade Admiral Ar'alani, answers begin to fall into place. But as Thrawn’s first command probes deeper into the vast stretch of space his people call the Chaos, he realizes that the mission he has been given is not what it seems. And the threat to the Ascendancy is only just beginning.”

For me, this book has become a personal favorite on par with Thrawn (2017), and it does so by bringing an amazing cast of characters to life in the galaxy far, far away. Learning about them and how they interact with Thrawn and each other is the book’s greatest strength.

The way the Chiss culture is explored here feels fresh and gives the Ascendancy a life of its own. There is a tug of war going on between the military and the civilian side of their society, something I was looking for beyond the conflict of the Empire and the Rebels/Republic. This also means the Ascendancy has a “complicated” relationship with Thrawn that adds to what we already know is his weakness… politics.

For newcomers, this is a great starting point. You’ll get to the core of who Thrawn is and why he behaves the way he does during the “Imperial Trilogy”. There’s still a very marked difference between this Thrawn and the Rebels version, which makes me appreciate the books even more. You’ll root for these characters and wish things turn out well for them because we know that getting swept up in Thrawn’s plans can be a very dangerous proposition.

Thrawn’s genius still shines through during the battles and while we know he survives these encounters, there are consequences and repercussions for each of his victories and for the people around him. In any case, while you can obviously expect math and physics to play a big part during the battles, this might be the story with the most HEART of all the Thrawn books. There are moments of joy, sadness, fear, confusion, and a fair amount of HOPE, things we don’t always get from a Thrawn-centric story. It affected me deeply and I read it again as soon as I finished. Hopefully, you’ll feel the same way.

I’m so grateful to Zahn for writing this story and I can’t wait to see where it goes in books two and three. I highly recommend this book!

9/10
(The linked review has a spoiler section)

Not the book I was expecting, but it was the book I never knew I wanted. Most of the characters introduced were intriguing and I found myself becoming invested in other characters besides Thrawn: Ar’alani and Thalias to be exact. Shifting the perspective to theirs at alternating chapters instead of just telling the story from Thrawn’s point of view provided a compelling angle for these events as well as made the transition at a certain part where Thrawn explores a familiar world smoother. Furthermore, there’s a good amount of foreshadowing that ties in well to what we’ve seen of Thrawn thus far revolving around his appreciation for art. Zahn adds some dimension to that side of Thrawn in this book so we get a better understanding as to why the Empire embracing him studying art freely was so important. Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising is another eloquent installment in Thrawn’s story, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for our blue friend!

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising - Book Review

by Rowenna Badshah and Fabio Fiori

Ever since Thrawn’s reintroduction to the Star Wars canon over three years ago, readers have experienced the Chiss’ rise to power through Imperial ranks—from an exiled member of the Chiss Ascendancy to grand admiral of the Galactic Empire. Beginning with Thrawn, the first novel of the new canon trilogy, Timothy Zahn developed Thrawn’s origin story as a servant of the Empire. In Thrawn: Alliances, the author unveiled more of the Chiss’ backstory through memories that dated back to the pre-Empire days, portraying a younger Thrawn as an officer of the Chiss Expansionary Fleet on a secret mission on the planet Batuu. Finally, Thrawn: Treason opened yet another door to Thrawn’s past as the novel introduced more members of the Chiss Ascendancy, including master tactician Admiral Ar’alani and the crew of her ship, the Steadfast.
Although the trilogy exposed some of the Chiss’ lifestyle in a military setting—particularly delving into the role of a sky-walker—Zahn’s writing felt somewhat reserved. The huge success of the new novels allowed the New York Times Best Selling author to return with a new Thrawn trilogy set beyond a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and it’s all about the Chiss. Rowenna Badshah and Fabio Fiori teamed up to bring you an in depth analysis of the first installment of one of the most anticipated Star Wars stories of the year, which finally shines the light on the mysterious Chiss lore—from the political complexity of the Nine Ruling Families to the military might of the Expansionary Fleet—while focusing on Thrawn’s true origin story.

Thrawn’s True Origins
Although Zahn yet again depicts Thrawn's rise to power through military and Chiss family ranks, Chaos Rising is centered more on Thrawn's growth as an individual.
Through intermediate chapters labeled as “Memories”, Zahn slowly reveals the humble beginnings of a young boy whose premature intellect and unique way of thinking set him apart from his people, identifying him as a double-edged sword—his destiny balanced between savior and destroyer of the Chiss Ascendancy. The author finally explores Thrawn’s natural inclination to understanding people through their art, explaining how he is able to translate the subtleties of composition within each piece into military tactics that can ultimately be used to defeat the enemies of the Chiss. In contrast, the author delves into Thrawn’s inability to grasp political warfare, which is one of the character’s weaknesses and probably the only thing that stops him from becoming the most infallible, unbeatable man in the galaxy.
Luckily for Thrawn, there are people within the Ascendancy that protect him from the constant family feuds that often interfere with military affairs. In particular, his connection with Ar’alani is a fascinating one—although Thrawn is always her subordinate, their relationship slowly evolves into an unspoken love between the two Chiss.
During this timeline, Thrawn is a much more open person compared to the cold grand admiral of the Empire. His devotion to his people and the relationships he develops during the course of the book are very much comparable with Anakin Skywalker's. Both characters are viewed as the chosen one from their people—balancing on a tightrope between salvation and destruction. Both characters have mentors but are also mentors themselves.
Chaos Rising expands upon Thrawn's mentorship role—which the author first developed in the earlier novels between the Chiss and Eli Vanto. Thrawn takes Che'ri and Thalias under his wings—assuming a sort of paternal role with the young sky-walker and that of a confidant with her caregiver. Together, they embark on dangerous adventures while breaking countless military and political rules. These unique relationships expose Thrawn's vulnerable side—making the character all the more interesting.

Family Affairs
As George Lucas once said concerning Star Wars, “It's actually a soap opera, and it's all about family problems.” Zahn’s Chaos Rising brings new meaning to the term family as he explores the complex and often corrupt nature of family in the Chiss culture. One of the most intriguing aspects of Chiss family dynamics is the fluidity of family and consequently family names. Many readers will be familiar with the Chiss species and their complex naming system. However, the significance of names, particularly those of the Nine Ruling Families, is intricately linked to the social and political structure of the Chiss Ascendancy—a fascinating aspect of Thrawn’s heritage that has been previously unexplored.
Zahn simultaneously utilizes the Chiss naming system to present a complex social critique. Much like today’s society, individuals with power, prestige, and wealth are often associated with a particular name or family title. This concept of privilege holds true in the Ascendancy as well. Individuals who present desirable talents such as political aptness or in Thrawn’s case military and tactical genius will be adopted by a ruling house in order to bestow those talents upon the family.
The talents of the so called “Merit Adoptives” garner the Ruling Families’ political and social currency. Doors will magically open for individuals with the right name, whilst others are seen as inferior and unworthy of the attention of the elite. One cannot help but reflect on a similar commodification of skills and traits in our own society—the right name, degree, or even physical appearance are classified as more desirable, providing those individuals with opportunities which would be denied to others. It can be difficult to recognize the extent of struggles such as these within our own society as we do not want to recognize the plethora of biases, prejudice, and discrimination that exists around us. Zahn, in presenting similar concerns in an alien society, allows readers to gently reflect on social affairs without immediately leaning towards the defensive.

Political Intrigue
One of the most anticipated aspects of the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy was the opportunity to further explore and gain insights regarding the political nature of the mysterious Chiss Ascendancy. One of the central doctrines of the Ascendancy that readers are familiar with concerns the forbidden pre-emptive strike. Although this rule might suggest that the Chiss are opposed to violence, it certainly is not the case. Rather, it is a reflection of the self-absorption and overconfidence of the Ascendancy. Zahn makes several interesting parallels between the Chiss and other species dwelling in the Chaos with that of the Galactic Senate—highlighting the flaws and strengths present in any society and government.
The Chiss, rather than focusing on the struggles of the species around them, remain concerned on the appearance of their own power and success. Zahn highlights this in his exploration of the Chiss homeworld of Csilla, which over millennia has become a barren ice world. Unable to admit defeat to the ravages of nature, the Chiss continue to maintain settlements in an attempt to bolster morale and confidence in the Ruling Families. The emphasis of appearances is similarly discussed in the form of Chiss xenophobia—a central component of Chiss society and politics. Zahn exemplifies this through the distinctly different personas of Thrawn and Admiral Ar’alani—their stance regarding aliens demonstrating flaws within the Ascendancy and their views of outsiders. Zahn prompts readers to reflect on politics in their lives—how many of us have turned a blind eye in regard to the sufferings of others because it does not directly affect us or the people we care about? Readers will be left musing over many important moral and ethical dilemmas such as this in the first installment of the Ascendancy trilogy.

The Caregiver and The Sky-walker
Ever since the mention of Chiss sky-walkers in Thrawn: Alliances, the concept of Force sensitive Chiss has left readers hungering for further exploration. Readers will delight in the complex and emotionally taut portrayal of the caregiver and sky-walker dynamic in Zahn’s latest novel. Chaos Rising introduces two new female characters: Thalias, a former sky-walker turned caregiver and Che’ri, a current sky-walker. One of the most noteworthy aspects of Force sensitivity in Chiss is that it only occurs in pre-adolescent females. This strange phenomenon allows for an exploration of the feminine and the perception of women within the Ascendancy. As we have previously seen through characters such as Admiral Ar’alani, women are held in high regard within the Ascendancy—family status rather than gender appears to play a more prominent role in determining experiences and opportunities. However, the role and treatment of sky-walkers and their caregivers provides Zahn yet another chance to explore societal critiques, not just of the Chiss, but of humanity as well.
Sky-walkers are incredibly rare and thus held in high regard within the Ascendancy. While these young girls serve aboard ships as navigators their every need and desire is carried out on behalf of a caregiver. Yet, despite constant care and supervision, their lives are filled with loneliness and stress beyond their years—which can be a parallel between sky-walkers and child celebrities in our culture. Often, when viewing these children from an outside perspective we are filled with a sense of awe and even envy—at such a young age they have achieved fame and fortune beyond what most of us can imagine or experience. However, as with the sky-walkers, sometimes the truth is far more sinister, resulting in life-long scars due to trauma and abuse. As we see through the character of Thalias, these experiences shape children, altering the course of their lives, sometimes for the better but often for the worse. Zahn brilliantly portrays the vulnerability and innocence of childhood, even the unusual childhood of a sky-walker. He seamlessly transitions between the voice of an emotionally detached adult in Thrawn to that of a child—a feat that would be too hard to overcome for many authors. As always Zahn performs beyond expectations, bringing new emotional heights to all of his characters.

Women Beyond the Galaxy
The portrayal of women in large fandoms such as Star Wars has been a prominent discussion topic over the past few months. Timothy Zahn provides welcome relief to female fans who will enthusiastically embrace both new and familiar female characters within Chaos Rising. One of the largest issues with the representation of women and femininity in large franchises is the overarching notion that you cannot be a strong female character while also embracing hegemonic or traditional aspects of femininity. In other words, women can either be a hero or they can embrace their emotions and desires, but cannot do both. The exploration of Admiral Ar’alani’s character in particular brings with it the promise that women can exhibit a wide range of complex emotions and desires coupled with career ambitions. Similarly, Thalias presents a wide range of traits—from compassion and empathy to drive and independence that we don’t often see in female characters. Although there is always progress to be made concerning the representation of women and diversity in Star Wars, Zahn has made great strides in the right direction in Chaos Rising.
Discover the true origin story of Thrawn and the mystery behind the Chiss Ascendancy with Chaos Rising. The first book of the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy is an absolute must read for any Star Wars fans, and it’s the perfect entry point for new Thrawn fans. Chaos Rising is available now for pre-order, and if you are lucky enough you might just score a special copy of the first printing with blue edge pages, accents and interiors! The book is also available in audio format, narrated by the legendary Marc Thompson!

– Slight Spoiler Review –

Timothy Zahn is back telling Thrawn stories, this time taking us deep into Wild Space to explore Thrawn’s earlier days with the Chiss Ascendancy, opening up what we know about the elusive peoples and the part of the Chaos they’ve carved out for themselves. Chaos Rising is the first book of the Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy, and while it offers a small glimpse at a strange new world and part of the galaxy, it’s far too similar to the previous three books, from Thrawn’s perfection to the familiar pattern of naval battles, it’s hard to tell the difference between Chaos and the rest of the galaxy.

By taking us out into the unknown of Wild Space, or as the Chiss and the rest of the locals call it, the Chaos, Timothy Zahn has a real opportunity to explore unknowns and offer new and intriguing strangeness the galaxy may have yet to see. Things certainly look daunting and strange when starting Chaos Rising, as the included Dramatis Persona and explanation of the hierarchy of the Chiss society looks like a lot, but thankfully most characters are called by their “Core” names, like Thrawn or Ar’alani, and the many family names aren’t terribly hard to follow since the book only focuses on a few critical ones to the story. After a few chapters into the book, the Chiss don’t feel too alien either, with many characters sounding and acting much the Empire, from the family squabbles similar to Moffs fighting for rank, how the Chiss view others as “aliens” like human-centric Empire views everyone else, to how no one seems to be smarter or as smart as Thrawn. While this makes the book more accessible and less daunting, it also means what could’ve been something new, alien, and interesting blends in with everything that has come before, making it hard to remember were out in the Chaos instead of somewhere in the Empire; this might make the book more enjoyable for some, which is understandable, but I felt it was to its overall detriment and a miss on Zahn’s part. It’s not until the final fourth of the book we truly get to see some of the strange, weird, and awe-inspiring parts of the Chiss and their society, and none of the scenes include Thrawn himself, but if the other two books in the trilogy can focus more on that aspect, they’d offer a little more variety to this trilogy, as it often feels much like what we already read from the previous Thrawn trilogy; Thrawn identifies a problem no one else can, he slowly gets enough people to believe him, and he explains his crazy plan that works afterwards…a combination that happens multiple times within each book.

Speaking of Thrawn, considering this trilogy is to focus on his early days, one would imagine the Thrawn here would be a bit of a rookie, not quite the military genius yet, and still working his way up and having to prove himself from his shear intuitive abilities alone. Unfortunately, Zahn misses this opportunity, relegating any of his formative years in Memory chapters starring other characters, and offers us in the present set story with…Thrawn, exactly like we’ve seen him in books prior (that are set after this, mind you): Already a military genius, already higher up in the military, and while he’s proving himself due to his shear intuitive abilities, he has a benevolent benefactor looking out for him that allows him to fail upwards. Even when Thrawn fails here, it always has less to do with any direct action of his own but rather his one flaw, an inability to grasp politics. It turns out help he renders to one race in the Chaos is being used to eradicate another, and even Ar’alani, one of the very few even near Thrawn’s level with deductive abilities, didn’t see them playing the Chiss' help, making it feel even less his fault. We’ve known about his political shortcoming since the last trilogy, though within the Ascendancy he at least has allies helping with that aspect, unlike when he’s out with the Empire later, so keeping him with one single flaw is disappointing, especially now he has a team to help him deal with it. What hindered my enjoyment of the last two books in his first trilogy was how Thrawn rarely, if ever, failed, as seeing him learn from failure could lead to great new characterizations for the character, or even having him struggle could make me more empathic, but he’s only failed outright in Star Wars Rebels, and what comes next from that moment, and the repercussion for both the character and the greater Chiss Ascendancy, hold tons of potential. Nothing to that level quite happens in Chaos Rising. Instead, despite any stumbles within, Thrawn manages to fail upwards, like he has in nearly all the recent canon books to date, and it's all thanks to a system that prioritizes military might and sees young female navigators through a coddling, childish lens. His ability to fail upwards wouldn't be such a glaring and monotonous choice if the character wasn't put on a pedestal both in and out of universe, as the book basically adds Thrawn to the chosen one trope (more on that later), while factoring in this is written by a white male author (for a blue character) brings the constant upwards fails to an eye-rolling level. One of the few new tidbits regarding Thrawn is his adoption by the Mitth family, changing his name from Vurawn to Thrawn, and while this feels like it’s supposed to mean something, and maybe later in the trilogy it could, here it comes off as a Wookieepedia morsel more than anything else. Sure, there are also a few scenes where he's going to art galleries with friends or being 'normal' to some extent, which was different and interesting to some extent, but more compelling would be scenes showing us how Thrawn learned to find so many interesting and revealing patterns in art or what his life was like with his 'first' family, how they nurtured his instincts and sharp mind, then getting fully formed Thrawn again. The book also tries to present Thrawn as a good person, to some extent, because the Chiss have a strict rule against preemptive strikes, which he constantly circumvents to help those in need they would typically let fend for themselves; knowing he later joins the Empire, a fascist regime, and is happy for their potential help with the growing threat to the Ascendancy, thus he was the main villain to our beloved Space Family in Rebels, this attempt to make him a "good guy" doesn't feel authentic to the character nor sits well. If he has some alternative, secretive goal, as non-Chiss tradition actions seem to suggest, what it is and how it pans out might change my mind.

As mentioned earlier, the truly alien aspect of the Chiss and their society manifests in the stories of other characters. With Che’ri, a young sky-walker, the term Chiss have for the young women born with the Force who use it to navigate hyperspace instead of going jump-by-jump, we see how they coddle the kids and believe they are nothing but teenagers who just need a bath to ‘cool off,’ despite putting them into often intense situations and somehow run out their Force-ability by age 13-14 due to their work. I didn’t quite feel comfortable with how this aspect was portrayed at times, often for laughs, as their need to be calmed or to have a nice little snack felt like it had less to do with their age and more with them being girls, and felt odd coming from a rigid society that's supposed to respect and hold them up as their most valuable assets. Che’ri’s trajectory through the book thankfully differs and avoids this, as she is picked by Thrawn to help on missions and gains new abilities and skills, thus being seen more for who she is and wants and less than her sole ability. And then there’s Thalias, Che’ri’s caregiver and a former sky-walker, whose life becomes intertwined to Thrawn’s. Her journey was my favorite part of the book, though unlike Arihnda Pryce in 2018’s Thrawn, Thalias doesn’t quite have the other half of the book devoted to her, but her parts still thrill and surprise in truly unique ways. Adopted by the Mitth as well after asking to join them, the Chiss family rules allow any of their adoptees to become part of the bloodline by taking Trials and working their way up, and Thalias ends up taking the Mitth Trials towards the end of the book. Getting a glimpse behind the veil of the Chiss homeworld, Csilla, the awe of the Mitth’s home, and the very unique, difficult, and engaging Trials are what finally make Chaos Rising feel like it’s set somewhere outside the normal galaxy we know; I wish this happened far earlier than the final fourth of the book. I enjoyed both of these characters the most, but the only part that rankled me with their appearances here was how they only gain any confidence and self-worth because Thrawn believes in them, making the two more main female characters seemingly dependent on a male character rather than making their own way. Che’ri gains lots of self-confidence under Thrawn’s tutelage, eager to be something more than a little girl navigating big ships, and Thalias believes in herself to complete the Trials and does so mainly all on her own, but they still tie their feelings of confidence to Thrawn instead of how clearly skilled and capable they are on their own.

The plot of the novel involves the threat of an unknown enemy closing around the Chiss Ascendancy and Thrawn’s attempts to defeat this threat, even if the Ruling Families are too confident no one would ever consider attacking them. The enemy’s leader, General Yiv the Benevolent, is an intriguing, charismatic character, and he felt mostly like a good match for Thrawn, though the ending seems to hint there might be a Moriarty-like character waiting in the wings to match him instead. To me, it felt like Yiv had some similarities to the Yuuzhan Vong, with symbiotes living on him, and his tactics were definitely a smart way, to some extent, to come at the Chiss. Within the Ascendancy, forces conspire against and for Thrawn, as he’s basically seen as a Chosen One…chosen to either destroy them or save them, depending on whose side you’re on. Thrawn as a Chosen One highlighted something that hovered at the edge of my mind while reading Chaos Rising and has been set up from how Thrawn keeps sending back male characters who work for the Empire to help the Chiss: how come there isn’t a single other Chiss at his level? Considering the Chiss are supposed to be these boogeymen of the Chaos, with a near impenetrable homeworld (or heartworld, as they call it out here), patrolling and policing their borders, it seems silly their entire society hinges on Thrawn’s actions, but maybe that’s on them for putting so much importance on one person and this is supposed to be part of their potential downfall; regardless, the chosen one aspect wasn't a very compelling addition. Ar’alani continues to be the most competent of the non-Thrawn Chiss, and I really enjoyed her sections, especially those in the Memory chapters between her and Thrawn, as we get to see a different side to her that helps us emphasize and related to her more; she’s been one of my favorites throughout the previous Thrawn trilogy and that looks to continue her. Her journey towards her current position is also engaging, much like Thalias and Che’ri, allowing us to see what military commitment looks like in a family-orientated society.

By the end of Treason, I felt like we needed to dig into the Chiss and their way of life to care more about their plight with the enigmatic Grysk, and Chaos Rising only just scratches the surface. We see Chiss society through the lens of their ruling elite and members of the military, so it's mainly people out to improve their station, not the Chiss as a whole, bringing many comparisons to squabbling Moffs and Senators in the rest of the galaxy, hence why most of the book doesn't quite feel different despite its setting. As mentioned before, it's Thalias' journey which offers a brief glimpse into some of the unique ways the Chiss live, but a little more history about the Chiss, maybe how their people view the rest of the Chaos/galaxy at large, or even some non-military/political characters could help make me want to care about the plight of the Chiss, but for now it just feels like the framework to give Thrawn more story rather than build up a new society worth exploring. I'm really hoping the rest of the Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy can dig into the Chiss at large, and if you read the spoiler part below it seems these books very well could be heading in that direction.

WE HAVE SPOILERS INCOMING

CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW IF YOU DARE...

TO BE SPOILED!

[bg_collapse view="button-blue" color="#faf7f7" icon="zoom" expand_text="Show Spoilers" collapse_text="Hide Spoilers" ]

At the very end, a character named Jixtus appears, promising a subtle attack on the Chiss, having watched Yiv’s tactics and found them lacking and the Chiss’ defenses too powerful for all-out war. I have a suspicion he’s either a Grysk or one of their client race, a growing Hegemony that Thrawn: Alliances and Treason introduced as the primary villains of the Chaos, the ones the Ascendancy sends Thrawn to the Empire to gain their help, as their aggressive and persuasive skills bend many other races to their will. By the time of Treason, which is set just before the Star Wars Rebels series finale, the Ascendancy is on the brink of a civil war due to how the Grysk have infiltrated the Chiss, so we’ll likely see in the next two books how they worm their way into the society to destroy it from the inside out. I could be wrong, but I really hope this ends up being the case, as Zahn far too frequently told us about the Grysk’s deviousness instead of showing it, so they’ve largely lacked the feeling of a concrete threat, but getting to actually see their subtle maneuverings could potentially change that. Since this trilogy is set seemingly during the Clone Wars/prequel era, we likely won’t see the culmination of the Grysk’s full plans, meaning more books (because why give books to other characters?) are likely on the horizon...

…or TV shows. Thrawn and Ezra have yet to be found, and are heavily rumored to be in a live-action or animated show(s) on Disney+, and said show could very well lead to a resolution of the Grysk threat (which might free up books for other characters!). Thrawn warns the Emperor that the Grysk could come for the Empire next in Treason, and with him out of the equation, and the New Republic likely unaware of the potential threat, maybe the rumored show picking up with Thrawn and Ezra could see the Grysk threat come to the New Republic and they return to help lead the fight. Lots of speculation here, of course, but it definitely feels like the Grysk are meant to be part of something bigger…as long as this even turns out to be the Grysk. That’s speculation for you!

[/bg_collapse]

Here are a few other things:

If you’re curious when this book is set, the events in Thrawn: Alliances’ past, where Padme’s investigation on Batuu leads to a team-up between Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker, overlaps with Chaos Rising, as we get to see the initial meeting between Thrawn and Anakin from his POV this time, not Anakin’s. The way Che’ri laughs at Anakin’s inability to pronounce Thrawn’s Chiss name, and their shared surprise over his last name considering she’s a ‘sky-walker,’ were fun additions to this moment.
Quilori didn’t get a section above, but he might be my favorite character from the novel. Quilori is a Navigator from the GUILD, basically a group of Force-sensitives who do exactly what the Chiss sky-walkers do, use the Force to pilot through hyperspace; they just don’t lose their power at a young age like the Chiss do. It’s interesting to think there’s a bunch of Force-sensitives out there in the Chaos, directing ships, and no real connection or care about the struggles between the Jedi and the Sith. It’s also a good reminder balance in the Force doesn’t ever mean numbers of Force users, since there are so many out there who aren’t on either side of a timeless battle. Regardless, I liked Quilori since he hovered in a gray era to some extent, both helping Yiv, assisting Thrawn, and trying to safe his own skin no matter who ended up winning. I look forward to see how he navigates (get it?!) the upcoming books.
First edition hardcovers got some special treatment, with lots of blue to both signify the Memory chapters and of course the Chiss-heavy focus. I’d love to see this with more books going forward, especially The High Republic, with maybe gold on the pages since it’s supposed to be the golden age of the Jedi.
Tom, an editor at Del Rey, put together a Spotify playlist for editing the novel, which the description says: "Mostly just good jams to edit to with a few Easter Eggs along the way. Enjoy." For my musical tastes, there were only a few good jams and I don't know if I totally got all the Easter Eggs.

Chaos Rising kicks off the Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy to middling results, as it provides glimpses of something unique and grand, but for now it doesn't stand out from what's come before with Thrawn.

+ Che'ri and Thalias' stories

+ The Trials and a glimpse at Chiss society

- Thrawn barely stumbles, again

- Feels too familiar to the rest of the galaxy and previous books

- Chosen One status and the entire Chiss Ascendancy lives or dies because of Thrawn, really?


Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.


DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no charge in order to provide a review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.

A pretty good start to the this new trilogy from Thrawn expert Timothy Zahn, "Chaos Rising" offers a taste of the familiar with some fresh new softies for our Chiss military genius to outsmart, outmaneuver, and outfox.

The big difference here, compared to past novels, is this time Zahn dials back the clock to reveal some of Thrawn's early days with the Ascendancy. We get to see this prodigal son rise up the ranks in quick fashion making both friends and enemies along the way.

While a lot of the book will feel familiar, using many of the same beats and rhythms we've become accustomed to from Zahn, there's a soft approach this time around, especially when dealing with fellow precocious military minds such as Ara'lani, herself getting the backstory treatment.

The book leaves us with more questions than answers, which is appropriate for a first act, and should set the table for an exciting books two and three. .

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendency Chaos Rising, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Timothy Zahn.

This tale takes place after the events of Attack of the Clones, however there are memories sections in the story that that reach further back in time to significant moments in our characters lives.

SUMMARY: A ship is discovered on the outskirts of the Chiss Ascendency, its crew, dead. There was also an attack on the Chiss capital, but it was a quick attack that led to nothing but curiosity and confusion. An investigation of the discovered ship leads General Ba’kif, of the Chiss Ascendency to believe the attack on the Chiss world was a distraction from the root cause of the drifting, dead ship. Further investigation, leads to the discovery of the Nikardun. The Nikardun are ruled by Yiv the Benevolent, they travel from world to world in the Chaos, adding new allies to their Nikardun Destiny.

Thrawn is not too impressed by Yiv’s tactics, but is displeased by the conquers treatment and manipulation of other worlds. Thrawn takes it upon himself to expose Yiv for what he is, a coward and a a user. In this story, Yiv the Benevolent is trying to persuade the Vak, citiziens of the world Primea, to join his rule. What the Vak don't know, is that if they don't join the Nikardun Destiny, that death will reign down upon them. Thrawn believes the Chiss need to stop the Nikardun, but the Synidcure, or Chiss government, disagrees. Well, Thrawn is no politician, but will take whatever means necessary to fulfill his mission, whether the Chiss Ascendency is with him, or against him.

Will Thrawn defeat The Nikardun? Will he be cast out from the Ascendancy? You’ll need to pick the book and read it to find out!

CHARACTERS: The story gives us a great full cast of characters. Some are familiar to Star Wars readers, while most, are introduced for the first time.

Admiral Ar’alani: She’s a successful Admiral of the Chiss Ascendency. She’s loyal to her people and protective of Thrawn. She uses her rank to help shield some of Thrawn’s reckless yet brilliant tactics from the Syndicure’s (Chiss government’s) wraith. She will do what’s right for her people, even if it means a slap on the wrist.

Yiv the Benevolent: He's a pretty mean dude, he is wrathful of those who stand against him or deny him. He craves power and puts on a front of peace to lure new systems into his Nikardun Destiny. Once he has made his treaties, he bends the cultures and systems to his will.

Thrawn: He’s the man with the plan. He always remains calm and level headed. He doesn’t really care what others think of him. While he’s an expert in military warfare tactics, he’s not the best politician. He likes art, a trait we’ve seen remain consistent in other Thrawn stories, by studying a cultures art, he can learn that cultures defense tactics, not quite sure how that’s possible, but, whatever. Thrawn is highly intelligent and can’t seem to just be still, he’s got to be on some mission, authorized or not.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This novel, while treading on familiar ground with a character that was introduced first in the Star Wars Expanded Universe or Legends canon, then given a trilogy in the current canon, ended up being a breath of fresh air. The social agendas that many of us fans pick up on in many of the new novels is absent in this book, and it’s so refreshing. Finally, a book without some real world political stance. The real Star Wars EU vibe has been restored in this novel.

Zahn brings the Expanded Universe heart back to canon.

I’m going to be honest. When I first started reading I was pretty hyped. Then I was hit with a touch of boredom, I started thinking too much about Star Wars as a whole and how fandom is so divided, and wanted to put the book down. Then, the book hit the gas, and I had to buckle up for one heck of a ride.

The characters names can be a little too difficult to grasp, I don’t like how complicated they are. I can make up a way to say the names in my head, but can’t actually speak them. Yet, the characters were written very well. We get a good sense of what makes these characters tick. We understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Zahn delivers a great tale with rich characters and edge of your seat action!

The memories sections were important to the stories main timeline. However, it would have been cool if instead of having these "memories" chapters in the book, that a short novella had been printed, a short Thrawn prequel novel about his youth. It would have made some things less predictable, as many of the memories foreshadow many actions or events that take place in a following chapter for the current story timeline.

I enjoyed the book overall, the political and familial aspect of the Chiss culture is elaborate and unique, we haven’t fully explored an alien culture in Star Wars to this extent. I love it. Hopefully we dive even deeper into it in the next Thrawn novel.

As this is book one of a new trilogy, the ending leaves it open, as it should. I would have appreciated something a little more nail biting at the end, but I'm pleased with the ending we did get. It gets the mind going with theories, which is also a fun way to end a book.

Do I recommend you pick up Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendency Chaos Rising? Yes, I do. Like I said, there’s no social agenda that I picked up on this story, it’s a true Star Wars tale.

RATING: I give this novel an A.

I wasn’t entirely certain what to expect from this new Thrawn trilogy but was very pleasantly surprised by the dual timeline journey through his early career in the Ascendency. CHAOS RISING was also a fantastic look at a culture that’s existed in the STAR WARS universe for decades but at which fans haven’t previously gotten an intimate look.
The new, in depth portrait of Thrawn is even more compelling than those we’ve viewed in other novels and on REBELS; seeing him in contrast to other Chiss has me generating some theories I won’t share here for fear of spoiling the process of discovery for other readers but I’m excited to find out if I’m correct.
Definitely looking forward to more and seeing how it all connects to Thrawn’s time in the Empire.