Star Wars: Heir to Empire, Unabridged
Back in September, we wrote about the special 20th Anniversary Edition of Timothy Zhan’s Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. Often cited as the father of the extended Star Wars universe, Heir to the Empire is the first entry of a series many fans consider to be the closest we’ll ever come to a proper sequel trilogy for the Star Wars saga. It’s introduced so many memorable characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn, and enigmatic Mara Jade, who’ve appeared in subsequent works, and even influenced Lucas to include elements from the novels in his recent prequels. Although we’ll likely never see a film adaptation of what has now become known as “The Thrawn Trilogy,” a full unabridged audio performance has finally become available for the first time since the book was initially published in 1991.
Featuring an amazing performance by Marc Thompson, this brand new recording replaces the previously abridged version featuring Anthony Daniels. While Thompson might not have the ability to claim he voiced a protocol droid in the original films, his performance is truly immaculate, and even provides fantastic impressions of Han and Luke. Add to that the sound effects and bits of John William’s classic score, and it becomes easy to immerse yourself the experience. The audiobook should be available at your favorite bookstore, but you can also order it directly from Amazon.com, or Audible.com — a behind-the-scenes recording, with DVD style commentary by the author is also available.