Zahn is back with another Thrawn masterpiece. Mitth'raw'nuruodo is one of my top 3 favorite fictional characters of all time, and not only does this book fail to tarnish his legacy, it buffs it to a beautiful shine. Thrawn is extremely intelligent, perceptive, creative, and insightful both in his tactics and interactions with people, and this is portrayed beautifully in the novel.  If you are into audio, I highly recommend the audible version, as Marc Thompson does an absolutely phenomenal job at its narration.  So good, in fact, that I double checked that there wasn't more than one narrator.  He fluctuates from delicate voices, to phlegmy obtuse voices, to hillbillies and decidedly demonic ones beautifully. The story takes place from Thrawn being exiled and alone, and follows him through his ascendancy through the ranks, and also hints at yet another tale that has yet to be told. The mindset within Thrawn himself is high level.  Strategy and tactics, obviously