text: I genuinely wanted to enjoy this book - but in the end I have ...
  
  I genuinely wanted to enjoy this book - but in the end I have to say I finished it because I started it not because I enjoyed it. Like another critic, I read the original Thrawn novels and loved them. I bought Zahn's previous Thrawn novel (kindle and audio CD) - I absolutely loved the story and loved the characters. I've reread the book and re-listened to he CD several times. I don't know whether anticipation for this book coupled with a high expectation, given the successes of the previous novels had an effect, but this one just seemed lacking. The sad part is the reading experience reminded me of how I feel when early into watching a film you realize the movie is poor. As I settled into reading the book, I felt similarly. Read it if you're a die-hard fan but don't expect much.