Below is my review of the novel Outbound Flight. I've tried to avoid spoilers, but there may be material that contains minor spoilers. You've been warned.

Introduction to the Plot:

Outbound Flight, by Timothy Zahn, focuses on events that transpired between Episodes I and II. The novel tells the story of the Outbound Flight, a project created by the Old Republic to travel through the unknown regions of the galaxy and then beyond the boundaries of the known galaxy to the next galaxy. In command of Out Bound Flight is Jorus C'Boath. C'Boath is a master jedi. His views on the role of the jedi differ from those of the Council.

Commander Thrawn, of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, is also featured. Readers will likely remember Thrawn from Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy, which is really responsible for the growth of the Expanded Universe. Thrawn is a genius at deductive reasoning. He uses these skills to thwart numerous enemies. As a result, he has become a mater tactician.

Jorj Car'das is a human merchant trader. The ship he is on is ambushed after a late delivery. He and his companions find themselves in Chiss space after fleeing from their pursuers. They end up in a confrontation with Thrawn's forces. The introduction of Car'das and his companions to the Thrawn is the first meeting, recorded meeting anyway, between the Chiss and the Republic. Intrigued, Thrawn takes on Car'das and his companions as guests.

There are other forces at work in the novel. The Vaagari arrive and pose a threat to the Chiss. They are a nomadic species that enslaves entires civilizations. Obi-wan and Anakin tag along on Outbound Flight for part of their mission. Other troubles surface as the non-force sensitive crew members of Outbound Flight begin to disagree with their jedi companions.

Discussion:

Zahn is a very popular author in the Star War universe. Many readers consider him to be the best. Make no mistake, I really enjoy his work, but there are other authors (Stackpole, Allston, and Luceno) that I prefer. Zahn's work in the Heir to the Empire Trilogy was incredible. However, some of his other stories were not as interesting in my opinion. For instance, the duology composed of Spectre of the Past and Vision of the Future (I think I got the names right), while interesting, didn't seem like a Star Wars adventure to me.

Zahn had penned a companion novel to Outbound Flight called Survivor's Quest. I had previously read Survivor's Quest, and I wasn't particularly impressed. That story takes place about a dozen years or so after Return of the Jedi. it featured Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker not long after they were married as they adventured into Chiss space. I won't explain why they were going there as it would spoil events in Outbound Flight. I was disappointed with that novel. I never felt that Zahn took proper advantage of Luke and Mara's abilities as Jedi. Instead, most of what he had them do seemed like one gimic after another.

So, I was reluctant to pick up Outbound Flight. I ended up picking up the novel after I had moved, and all my other books were packed away. In addition, there wasn't any other new Star Wars novels to read at the time.

If I had to summarize my reaction to this novel in two words, it'd be: incredible story. I loved it. This is a far better story than Survivor's Quest. It has a better organized plot, better action, and better characters overall. The story makes much more sense.

One of the more outstanding qualities of the novel is that it tied together so many eras of the Star Wars universe. There are references to Rogue Planet. There are references to events that shape the New Jedi Order series. The novel is firmly grounded during the prequel era, and events that are tied to Episode I and II are either referenced or set up. Zahn did a great job of placing this novel in the timeline.

It was good to see more of Thrawn as well. He hasn't seen much attention since the Heir to the Empire Trilogy (with good reason). Getting his back story and how he came into contact with the Republic and eventually the Empire filled out many of the details that were alluded to in prior novels. I'm glad Zahn chose to wait to write Outbound Flight when he did. Events in the prequel movies contradicted many aspects of the Heir to the Empire Series. This novel gave Zahn a chance to establish some continuity.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this novel. I wouldn't worry about being familiar with Thrawn's appearances or story from earlier novels. This story, despite its references to other novels and eras, is pretty well self contained.