My readings as a kid were driven by, in large part, my love of Star Wars. I read a fair bit of everything, but as I grew as a reader, it was always Star Wars books that led the way. I have a very distinct memory of Outbound Flight: it was the first adult novel I ever got, while shopping at a bookstore with my father. I think I decided on it, over all others, because of the mention of a bonus short story on the back. But I never finished it, the slow pacing too painful for child me.
Now having finished it, I think it's a pretty good read. It suffers heavily from too many points of view and groups of characters; the smuggler crew, the Chiss, the colonists and Obi-Wan all vying for the spotlight. But it's still intriguing to see such a common sci-fi concept brought into a universe that mostly avoided it. A shame that it is hardly the focus of the book: young Thrawn steals the show, and while it isn't a bad thing, it makes me yearn for a story dedicated to the titular ship.