 |
DAYS OF
|
Review by Reuben Beattie
Specter of the Past
by Timothy Zahn
published by Bantam Spectra
At the conclusion of The Last Command, there was the feeling that things had just sort of been left hanging. The story, which had built up to the grand climactic moment, was cut out from underneath the reader, as though only half the story was told. The villains quietly packed up their gear and vanished back into the mists from whence they'd come, leaving the reader unsure of exactly what had just occurred. There was something more that needed to be told, but no one was very sure what it was.
Now, finally, the long anticipated end has come. With Specter of the Past, Timothy Zahn plunges back into the thick of things, reviving his narrative with what can be called the series sequel to his original trilogy. Specter, the first of a two-book set, brings back the edgy vision of the Star Wars galaxy that was Zahn's hallmark.
A "GRAND" STORY...
The story picks up around a decade after the events of Zahn's original trilogy, with a
relic thief picking through the artifacts of the devastated Mount Tantiss whose discovery
opens up a whole series of events that again threaten the delicate balance that the New
Republic hangs upon. All the while, reports are filtering in from the edges of what
remains of Imperial space that, somehow, Grand Admiral Thrawn has survived. Add in Luke's
reluctance to rely upon the Force due to disturbing visions he's had of late, and things
begin to turn grim. And these are only the "specters of the past" that the title
itself refers to. Even more is taking place in the meantime, of which I don't intend to go
into, so as to keep from spoiling the book for others.
|
Timothy Zahn, I have found, is one of the masters of story pacing and foreshadowing, building up the diverse elements of his stories into a great, anticipatory climax where everything finally makes sense. (Pity that this climactic moment comes in the second book, which is as yet unpublished.) And he only gets better with time. While I enjoyed the original series, not only for the story and the events but for the references that were tossed in for the diehards, I can only say that this book has gone the originals one better. While the other books under the Star Wars flag may seem to be unrelated on occasion, Zahn can somehow make it all seem as though it's just another part of an ongoing history. It doesn't hurt in the least that Zahn has been working with West End Games quite a bit between series. (For those of you that don't play the RPG, you might check out the DarkStryder campaign set. It's based on a short story by Zahn that's included, and it's among the best supplements that they've ever put out.)
Not, of course, that there aren't the occasional flaws. The worst element that I've found in Specter is the need for a whipping boy/scapegoat. In the original series, it was Admiral Ackbar. He got the heat for trumped up charges, giving the reader a sympathetic angle and offering the heroes a reason to get involved. (The fact that this trend got repeated in Anderson's trilogy with Ackbar again and in Dark Empire with the entire Mon Calamari world doesn't help.) In Specter, it's the Bothans that are the accused who must somehow redeem themseves in the eyes of the galaxy. True, it's a twist, as few people like Bothans to begin with, but it's getting to the point where one begins to wonder if these people will ever get along with each other, or how they managed before.
"PAST" JUDGMENT
However, the main flaw that I've found with the whole book is this: It's not long enough.
I know of a couple of people, myself included, that managed to finish the book in a few
short hours, largely because it was impossible to concentrate on much else, as you were
wondering how Luke would get out of this situation, or what Mara would find in the cave.
And then it was just over, without the next volume within reach so that you could see how
it all ended.
And well, with that as a flaw, you can imagine what the strengths of the book are like.
ECHO STATION Grade: A+
(Reuben Beattie, tried
his best to stretch this book into two days, but was happy it lasted more than two hours.)
 |
 |
 |