The authorized continuation of the legendary Star Wars saga. it has been five years since the Rebel Alliance defeated the Emperor's dark forces and relegated the shattered Imperial Fleet to the far reaches of the galaxy. In the command of the last of the Emperor's warlords, the fleet is being readied for war. The objective: the fragile heart of the New Republic. Nineteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list

It''s five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor''s warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

It''s five years after "Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor''s warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name "Star Wars.

Timothy Zahn, 1951 - Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1951. He attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, where he earned a B.S. degree in physics in 1973. He did his graduate work at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, earning a M.S. degree in physics in 1975. In 1975, Zahn began writing science fiction as a hobby. When his thesis advisor died in 1979, effectively wiping out three years of work, he decided to try making a living at writing. Since then, Zahn has published short stories, novelettes, novels, and short fiction collections. He is best known for the three Star Wars books written, "Heir to the Empire,""Dark Force Rising," and "The Last Command." The novella, "Cascade Point" (1984) won a Hugo Award.