Book Review: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil brings the story to a twisted, action-packed close
by Arezou Amin
Getting a whole trilogy of books in 14 months is no easy feat. Having that trilogy be as dense, plot-heavy, and sprawling as Thrawn Ascendancy is even more difficult to fathom. Yet here we are, with Timothy Zahn bringing the second of his new canon trilogies to a close with Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil.
Picking up almost immediately where Greater Good left off, Lesser Evil sees all the moving parts converging, as the Chiss Ascendency is forced to face the outsiders who would threaten everything about their way of life.
Lesser Evil had a daunting task ahead of it. By the time Eli Vanto finds Thrawn and brings him into the Empire, he needs to have done something bad enough to warrant his exile from the Ascendancy. It not only had to build into the events of the second chronological trilogy, but also wrap up all the events of the first.
As with the first two books, by far the most interesting parts of Lesser Evil were everything to do with the politics and inner workings of the Ascendancy itself. The power plays and machinations of the ruling Chiss families remain unlike anything we currently have in Star Wars, and it proves to be especially refreshing for a book set during a well-trod time period.
But because the story as a whole relies so heavily on Thrawn’ strategic and military prowess, a lot of time is spent on the “battle math” - the precise ins and outs of space battles that are likely very interesting to readers who are into those types of scenes, but which feel long to everyone else.
Fortunately, there are plenty of quieter, character-focused moments in between the battles that give the reader a chance to breathe, Though once again Thrawn is not a point of view character, most of the key players in his early life are given points of view of their own. The “Memories” also make a return in a wonderfully intimate fashion, and are among the book’s highlights.
By this point, enough time is spent with them that by the end many of the newer players have become so fully realized, you are rooting for their personal achievements and triumphs. Thrawn might be the reason readers came to these books in the first place, but the core ensemble is the reason they stay.
What it comes down to, is when the emotional and character-driven beats are there at the forefront, they are extremely effective. The story does occasionally get bogged down in the nitty-gritty of space combat, and there are so many new names and interpersonal relationships that it can be easy for casual fans to lose track. But for the characters we have spent three books following - and for Thrawn himself, of course - the character beats and arcs land well and ring true.
Although the story is bittersweet, and a little chaotic, it is ultimately a satisfying conclusion to the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, which both wraps up its own story, and very nicely bridges the gap into the earlier Thrawn books.
Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil is out November 16, 2021.
Special thank you to Del Rey for the advance copy for review purposes.
