I read this book not expecting much in the way of a story that makes you think, but I was pleasantly surprised!! This book contains discussions between characters and situations, and twists and turns in the plot that keeps you guessing and makes you think. It provides multiple perspectives on the same story with incredibly detailed descriptions of situations, people, and the descriptions of the space battles are awesome!!! The plot lines are well thought out, and the elaboration on all things in the star wars universe that are un-force-related is fascinating. I am reading the subsequent novels in the series and so far, they are all equally exciting. This is the beginning of the story that stretches across 10 novels so its the best place to start.I highly reccomend this series.