A new look for Timothy Zahn’s 2017 novel, Thrawn. With the metallic sheens and chimaera motifs, this book is a work of art that even Thrawn would use as a display piece!
The article contains no spoilers from this book’s story. The book releases on October 27, 2026. We received an early copy for review. This review is a collaboration between VULKK Writers Siow and Nenko.
A Brief History and Summary
In 2016, Star Wars was already two years into its new Canon timeline. Although elements of the Expanded Universe (now Legends) had already popped up here and there in numerous stories, nothing could have prepared the fans for the sensational return of a certain beloved blue-skinned character!
On July 16, 2016, during the Star Wars Rebels panel at Celebration Europe in London, the Star Wars Rebels Season 3 trailer premiered. And it dropped a bomb! A certain blue-skinned, red-eyed bomb!
Grand Admiral Thrawn was about to be back and on-screen for the first time! Imagine how ecstatic fans were at that moment! And as if that wasn’t enough to make just about every fan flip, Thrawn’s creator himself, bestselling sci-fi author Timothy Zahn, appeared via a pre-recorded video message during the panel to reveal an upcoming Thrawn novel!
September 24, 2016 Star Wars Rebels returned on Disney XD for its third season with a one-hour special episode titled Steps into Shadow.
As the Rebels storyline developed, the Grand Admiral’s presence proved to be pivotal for the future events of the series. The season finale was aired on March 25, 2017, and a few days later, on April 11, Zahn’s novel hit bookstore shelves.
The 2017 Thrawn novel shows us the humble beginnings of Thrawn – his first run-in with the Galactic Empire and his first meeting with Emperor Palpatine.
His ingenuity and unconventional tactics are there from the first pages, it is the Thrawn we have grown to love and admire ever since his first appearance in 1991’s Heir to the Empire.
The difference is that here he starts off as a lonely outcast, who needs to fight off prejudice, discrimination, incompetence and imperial arrogance in order to rise in the ranks and achieve his personal goals, while aligning them with the interests of the Empire he now serves.
Plot twists are plentiful. The reader gets a thrill out of observing Thrawn’s mind at work, and every advance he makes feels well deserved and truly gratifying.
Similar to Anakin’s fall and the unavoidable fact that he will turn into Vader, here we all know how the novel will end – Thrawn will ultimately become a Grand Admiral. What matters to the plot is not the destination, but the journey. And it is a spectacular one.
Zahn manages to keep loose compatibility with his Legends material, not just the Thrawn trilogy, but also subsequent titles, such as the Hand of Thrawn duology and Outbound Flight.
In the meantime, he ties in to Star Wars Rebels brilliantly, making Lothal’s Governor Arihnda Pryce a major character in the book and fleshing out her backstory.
What’s more, fan-favourite Imperial leaders Colonel Wullf Yularen and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin make numerous appearances throughout the chapters and prove to be important influences on Thrawn’s career.
The novel does not lack action scenes. Military combat and hand to hand battles are plenty, but even more exciting is how Thrawn as an outsider navigates a world of political intrigue, xenophobia, and institutionalized racism.
The Chiss needs to be better than better – he needs to be the absolute best, remain cold-blooded in the face of danger and mistreatment, and constantly watch his back if he wants to achieve any status.
And he does so for all the right reasons. Not because of personal aspirations or hunger for control and power, but in order to defend his people and his culture.
2026 Deluxe Edition Review
While the novel’s contents remain the same, it has a beautiful new appearance that would make a fine addition to any Star Wars fan’s collection. At a glance, it comes contained within shrink wrap (and unfortunately, my copy got a dent while being shipped).
The outer sleeve adds some nice depth with the shape of a Star Destroyer, allowing Thrawn’s face to really pop out. The use of metallic gold foil for trims, the Star Wars logo, and book spine are wonderful additions.
Removing the shrink wrap allows you to remove the paper slip with the book’s information. This reveals a Star Destroyer shape with the Chimaera symbol on it.
This alludes to the bottom of Thrawn’s personal Star Destroyer, the Chimaera, which bears the same symbol on its bottom.
Pulling the book out of the sleeve, the book cover gets rather flashy with the metallic gold background with semi-glossy blue chimaera designs. Thrawn’s full portrait can be seen on the front of the book cover.
The book has fore-edge art on the pages, but it’s in a more subdued matte finish to balance out the book’s design. An overabundance of metallic finishes can be excessive, but it’d be nice if the fore-edge art colors were a bit more saturated and richer.
The art has the Imperial Crest and artistic depictions of Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters. No matter what angle you look at it from, this book is a work of art.
Within the book at the very front and back, you’ll have a blueprint of a Star Destroyer. The image is the same on both sides of the book, which is a bit of a shame. It’d be nice if we got the side profiles on the front, and a top and bottom view on the back.
As mentioned earlier, the actual novel’s content remains the same. You have the large Star Wars logo on a couple pages that Star Wars novels often have, a blue ribbon bookmark built into the book, and a page about Timothy Zahn.
Review Card
This is a great purchase if you’re a hardcore Star Wars fan. With the holidays coming up, this would make an excellent gift for a loved one (or yourself).
Star Wars: Thrawn Deluxe Edition (2026)
Format
Hardcover Book
Genre:
Science Fiction
ERA:
Publisher:
Random House Worlds
RELEASEs:
October 27, 2026
LENGTH:
448 (424 numbered)
WRITER:
Timothy Zahn
design:
Elizabeth A. D. Eno
For:
Fans of Thrawn
Similar:
Thrawn’s Trilogy
Strengths
The added development of both older and newer characters is well done
The Deluxe Edition is a gorgeous work of art with great depth
Deluxe Edition works great as a book and a display piece simultaneously
Weaknesses
It could have used a second graphic instead of the same Star Destroyer blueprint being reused twice
Packaging could have used more cushion to prevent corner dents
Ratings
Final Verdict
4.7
Average of the Categories
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