The next Star Wars book on my reading list is Thrawn Ascendancy, Book 1: Chaos Rising. My only knowledge of Thrawn comes from the show Rebels and the comics. I know he’s a villain but I never really felt he was. Thrawn is very intellectual, tactical, and knowledgeable. He studies the ways and customs of other beings to understand them and applies it to the battlefield to gain the upper hand of the other side. I got that from Rebels. Chaos Rising introduces Thrawn in the early days of his career, becoming a member of the Mitth Family, and his rise to Senior Captain.

I wasn’t expecting the beginning to be political but learning about the Chiss Ascendancy and the nine ruling families is a key role of the story. Somewhat like royalty but military, every member in the family holds a rank. Thrawn was adopted by the Mitth family as a merit adoptive for his skills when he was at the academy. A promising cadet that will bring honor and power to the family but some think he will be the downfall.

After I finished the book, it still didn’t change my mind of Thrawn. I don’t think he’s evil. He shows compassion and care to those around him and he analyzes any situation to better understand. The Chiss don’t go around attacking innocent people unless there’s a reason to. They pride themselves on being the superior species in their system. Despite there being some animosity between families, they’ll protect the Ascendancy at all cost. Thrawn is a hero by the end of the book but there are those that think Thrawn’s victory can later on lead to the destruction of the Ascendancy.