Outbound Flight

Gut Feeling: Finishing up the biggest plotline in the EU.

Elaboration:
Really great book. Timothy Zahn always delivers. Synopsis, we follow the characters of the doomed Outbound Flight project, a project with many goals, to find Vergere, kill off a bunch of Jedi Masters, establish a colony outside of the Galaxy, etc. This is the real time story of the events which were hinted at in Survivor's Quest. We discover how Thrawn first encountered the GFFA and we learn just how much was known about the Yuuzahn Vong by Palpatine and the Chiss. We also finally clear up some mysteries about events in Survivor's Quest (I'm one of the few who hold that book in high esteem as well). Outbound Flight ties together so many books, Rogue Planet, The original Thrawn Trilogy, the Hand of Thrawn duology, Survivor's Quest, Vector Prime, Force Heretic trilogy, The Final Prophecy, The Unifying Force...
We already know the ultimate ending, because of Survivor's Quest; I really liked how the book reached its inevitable ending, whether hurtling towards it with tragic predictability, or slowly, step-by-step, shining light on the final doomed outcome. Zahn's ability to control tempo is shown in its finest light. This is not a perfect book, but it comes pretty darn close. Anakin and Obi-Wan's presence in the story was not necessary, and it felt like Zahn was forced to add them in, but he handled it really well, hinting at Palpatine's identity and interest in the Chosen One and a couple other ploys that he uses work quite well. In the end however, this book is about Thrawn and a story, it's not exactly a character book, it's about the story itself, shining light into any forgotten corners in the Thrawn story line.

Final thoughts:
I had to pull out Survivor's Quest and read them side by side, and it really made both books a lot better, the connections are teased to us perfectly and revealed to us perfectly. Congratulations Timothy Zahn, the old champ's still got it!

Coming up: Most of the Star Wars novels are very good. But only a few are perfect. The next couple of entries will be on those few perfect novels.