FORMAT: HARDBACK / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Like many of the Empire’s best-laid plans, this first book of a trilogy telling the origin story of Grand Admiral Thrawn is a slow burner, but in the hands of Timothy Zahn, perhaps the definitive chronicler of the military career of the former Mitth’raw’nuruodo, we do at least get a glimpse of the sort of politics he’ll come to see as second nature once he joins the Imperial ranks in the no less complicated set-up of the Chiss Ascendancy – in which he serves as a younger officer dispatched to find out the truth behind an attack on their capital city.

Inevitably, it isn’t really that simple. However, where we could have imagined a sort of pre-Tarkin bureaucrat, instead there’s a clearly skilled officer who proves open to such anti-Imperial thinking as accepting suggestions from his crew and valuing creativity as well as being something of a great strategist- which will serve him well when it comes to future victories over the New Republic. And it’s this difference in approach set against the more one-dimensional likes of Darth Vader, say, that makes this story, and indeed, his character so refreshing.

Even if they just can’t help marking him out as different, adopted into a ruling family of the Chiss government and rapidly accepted into their armies before making a first mark as commander – not even a delay in the necessary paperwork being filed a sure sign that somebody somewhere is keeping an eye on his career with great interest for some higher purpose.

Loyalty to which very nearly blinds him to the true intent of this first mission, a tantalising first act of this early years set. If you’ve yet to dip a toe, here’s the ideal jumping-on point. Equally, if you’ve devoured everything from Heir to the Empire onwards, consider this a belated first course in alternative Imperialism.