Hello, Fellow Book Worms,
Star Wars: Aftermath is written by Chuck Wendig (the Heartland Trilogy), and is one of the many published pieces released that are part of Disney's "Journey to the Force Awakens" campaign. It is book one of a trilogy that takes place after the destruction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. It features some original trilogy characters, but mainly features the introduction of new characters and minor players.

In Aftermath we see the galaxy is welcoming the New Republic, as the Empire gathers at the outer rim planets to begin to strategize how they will deal with their Imperial Remnant. As of this book, the New Republic is fleshing out their forces, and removing Imperial installations from planets as they begin to free Imperial-held worlds. But it is a hard road toward galactic peace for the Rebels. Chancellor Mon Mothma plans to cut the military down drastically after the Imperial forces are taken care of (I personally shuddered at this idea, because that would leave the New Republic wide-open to attack should the Empire reform).
Original trilogy heroes, Wedge Antilles (who refers to Fulcrum at one point) and Grand Admiral Ackbar are using their resources (including a mysterious informant named the Operator) to investigate a reported Imperial presence over the planet of Akiva, in the outer rim. They discover a communications black-out and a impending blockade over Akiva.
As we begin this adventure, Wedge is sent to Akiva to see if the reports are true. But unfortunately he is captured by the Empire, losing his link to Akbar. But what the New Republic does not realize is that the Imperials are meeting on Akiva in a summit to discuss strengthening their grip on the galaxy. Among the Imperials meeting is fan-favorite Admiral Rea Sloane (Star Wars: Rebels, New Dawn) in her first post-Return of the Jedi appearance. She has come a long way over the years, and commands a vast fleet that her Imperial constituents wish to take from her.
We are introduced to New Republic pilot, Norra Wexley. She has left the Rebel forces to return to her home planet of Akiva to retrieve her teenage son, Temmin, whom she has not seen for several years. She has been looking for her husband that was taken by the Empire many years prior. With her search coming up empty, she travels to reunite with her son after her bravery in the Battle of Endor as a Rebel pilot.
Temmin has been raised in part by his aunt and her wife. But as he grew older he began to convert his family home into a shop where he sells parts and electronics. Temmin is smart, brave, and reckless at times, but always manages to think his way out of danger. Among his triumphant creations is "Mr. Bones", a Separatist modified-B1 Battle Droid from the Clone Wars that he has programmed to be his bodyguard. And yes, the droid says, "Roger, Roger" and "I have a bad feeling about this".
Meanwhile in a seedy bar on Akiva we are introduced to Sinjir Rath Velus, a former Imperial Loyalty Officer who apparently defected from the Imperials after the Battle of Endor. He is untrustworthy, a drunk, and is somewhat annoying on his own. But as he allies himself with other characters, he began to grow on me. I almost did not like this character, but he worked out as the book went along.
Then we have a Zabrakian bounty hunter by the name of Jas Imari. She is the niece of the bounty hunter, Sugi from the Clone Wars animated television series. She is very clever and a crack-shot. I really liked this character. She had an acid-tongue and took nothing from no one. Some of the stunts she pulls off in this book are quite amazing.
Jom Barrel, a New Republic special ops soldier, plays a big role in Admiral Ackbar's plans. He is fearless, fast, and as the book goes along, a huge thorn in the Empire's side. His appearances are brief, but he holds quite an impact on the storyline.
And lastly, there is Yupe Tashu. A creepy man with much love for the Sith who is also an Imperial torturer, and a member of Emperor Palpatine's inner circle. He is definitely one that floats under the radar in the narrative. But when he spoke, I received chills. He is not a nice man and believes that the Dark Side always prevails. He suggests that the remaining Imperial forces head to distant space to search for the outposts that Emperor Palpatine had begun constructing in his pursuit of furthering his knowledge of the Dark Side.
The aforementioned characters I just described were the only characters that stood out to me in this book. Each has movie potential, and could possibly be in the Force Awakens film. The remaining characters are vast and some were unmemorable. They congested the story with very little to offer.
There are Interludes that did attempt to give us the galaxy's response to the New Republic's victory, but they did not always hold my attention when they were constantly interrupting the main narrative. Out of all of them only four stood out to me:
1. The return of Dengar.
2.
The appearance of the Acolytes of the Beyond, who apparently are searching for Darth Vader's lightsaber (This is possibly the beginnings of the Knights of Ren from Episode Seven).
3.
We find out that the Wookie planet of Kashyyk is still under Imperial occupation.
4.
There is a curious story that takes place on Tatooine were Jawas have in their possession armor from a certain bounty hunter. And the remains of Jabba's sail barge litter their parts bins.
This novel is filled with action-packed sequences, daring escapes, and a grand space battle. Many readers have said that they were highly disappointed in the story. I would like to address their points versus my understanding of the story.
· "The book did not prominently feature the main characters of the original trilogy." -That is what the movies are for. This novel introduces many new characters that are laying the down the path-work of the New Republic and the First Order.
·
"The book is boring and not action-packed enough." -The narrative does slow down during the Imperial summit. But if you have patience and read on, you will be thrown into a lot of adventure and narrow escapes. There are speeder bike chases, space battles, monsters, and many exhilarating moments. Plus there is an appearance of a mysterious Admiral that is calling for a new power to rule the galaxy (this could be the one who starts the First Order that is featured in the Force Awakens).
·
"The story is disjointed and not cohesive." - I agree with this only because of the Interludes. They broke the narrative at times in the middle of key moments in the main story. And while they did offer tidbits of information on how the galaxy was accepting the New Republic, they only lasted about two to three pages at best.
·
"The author does nothing to bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and the Force Awakens. This was a big bate and switch!" - I totally disagree. This story introduces some excellent beginnings of not only the First Order, but also the Knights of Ren. There are clues given to the reader in almost every chapter.
"There is nothing at stake in this book to make us worry about the characters." - Again, I disagree. I guess the readers saying this did not catch that the Empire has another super-weapon at their disposal. Or that if Akiva was occupied by the Empire, their grip on the galaxy was increased by another planet.
I will not lie and say I did not have issues getting through this book. But I will say that after sticking to my reading and finishing this book I was very satisfied at the outcome. And I will be excited to see what becomes of these new characters as the new books are released.
It was revealed at New York Comic Con on Twitter by Chuck Wendig and Del Rey that the next two books in this trilogy will be Life Debt (2016) and Empire's End (2017).
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Give it a chance. Use the Force. Let it guide your patience.
Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
Website: http://www.xepherusstudios.com/
At Twitter at: https://twitter.com/XepherusStudios
At Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/XepherusStudios
At Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11975160-xepherus3
All written content (c) Copyright 2015 by Thomas Bahr II
Book Cover and Twitter photograph © 2015 by the publisher and author
Star Wars: Aftermath is written by Chuck Wendig (the Heartland Trilogy), and is one of the many published pieces released that are part of Disney's "Journey to the Force Awakens" campaign. It is book one of a trilogy that takes place after the destruction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. It features some original trilogy characters, but mainly features the introduction of new characters and minor players.

In Aftermath we see the galaxy is welcoming the New Republic, as the Empire gathers at the outer rim planets to begin to strategize how they will deal with their Imperial Remnant. As of this book, the New Republic is fleshing out their forces, and removing Imperial installations from planets as they begin to free Imperial-held worlds. But it is a hard road toward galactic peace for the Rebels. Chancellor Mon Mothma plans to cut the military down drastically after the Imperial forces are taken care of (I personally shuddered at this idea, because that would leave the New Republic wide-open to attack should the Empire reform).
Original trilogy heroes, Wedge Antilles (who refers to Fulcrum at one point) and Grand Admiral Ackbar are using their resources (including a mysterious informant named the Operator) to investigate a reported Imperial presence over the planet of Akiva, in the outer rim. They discover a communications black-out and a impending blockade over Akiva.
As we begin this adventure, Wedge is sent to Akiva to see if the reports are true. But unfortunately he is captured by the Empire, losing his link to Akbar. But what the New Republic does not realize is that the Imperials are meeting on Akiva in a summit to discuss strengthening their grip on the galaxy. Among the Imperials meeting is fan-favorite Admiral Rea Sloane (Star Wars: Rebels, New Dawn) in her first post-Return of the Jedi appearance. She has come a long way over the years, and commands a vast fleet that her Imperial constituents wish to take from her.
We are introduced to New Republic pilot, Norra Wexley. She has left the Rebel forces to return to her home planet of Akiva to retrieve her teenage son, Temmin, whom she has not seen for several years. She has been looking for her husband that was taken by the Empire many years prior. With her search coming up empty, she travels to reunite with her son after her bravery in the Battle of Endor as a Rebel pilot.
Temmin has been raised in part by his aunt and her wife. But as he grew older he began to convert his family home into a shop where he sells parts and electronics. Temmin is smart, brave, and reckless at times, but always manages to think his way out of danger. Among his triumphant creations is "Mr. Bones", a Separatist modified-B1 Battle Droid from the Clone Wars that he has programmed to be his bodyguard. And yes, the droid says, "Roger, Roger" and "I have a bad feeling about this".
Meanwhile in a seedy bar on Akiva we are introduced to Sinjir Rath Velus, a former Imperial Loyalty Officer who apparently defected from the Imperials after the Battle of Endor. He is untrustworthy, a drunk, and is somewhat annoying on his own. But as he allies himself with other characters, he began to grow on me. I almost did not like this character, but he worked out as the book went along.
Then we have a Zabrakian bounty hunter by the name of Jas Imari. She is the niece of the bounty hunter, Sugi from the Clone Wars animated television series. She is very clever and a crack-shot. I really liked this character. She had an acid-tongue and took nothing from no one. Some of the stunts she pulls off in this book are quite amazing.
Jom Barrel, a New Republic special ops soldier, plays a big role in Admiral Ackbar's plans. He is fearless, fast, and as the book goes along, a huge thorn in the Empire's side. His appearances are brief, but he holds quite an impact on the storyline.
And lastly, there is Yupe Tashu. A creepy man with much love for the Sith who is also an Imperial torturer, and a member of Emperor Palpatine's inner circle. He is definitely one that floats under the radar in the narrative. But when he spoke, I received chills. He is not a nice man and believes that the Dark Side always prevails. He suggests that the remaining Imperial forces head to distant space to search for the outposts that Emperor Palpatine had begun constructing in his pursuit of furthering his knowledge of the Dark Side.
The aforementioned characters I just described were the only characters that stood out to me in this book. Each has movie potential, and could possibly be in the Force Awakens film. The remaining characters are vast and some were unmemorable. They congested the story with very little to offer.
There are Interludes that did attempt to give us the galaxy's response to the New Republic's victory, but they did not always hold my attention when they were constantly interrupting the main narrative. Out of all of them only four stood out to me:
1. The return of Dengar.
2.
The appearance of the Acolytes of the Beyond, who apparently are searching for Darth Vader's lightsaber (This is possibly the beginnings of the Knights of Ren from Episode Seven).
3.
We find out that the Wookie planet of Kashyyk is still under Imperial occupation.
4.
There is a curious story that takes place on Tatooine were Jawas have in their possession armor from a certain bounty hunter. And the remains of Jabba's sail barge litter their parts bins.
This novel is filled with action-packed sequences, daring escapes, and a grand space battle. Many readers have said that they were highly disappointed in the story. I would like to address their points versus my understanding of the story.
· "The book did not prominently feature the main characters of the original trilogy." -That is what the movies are for. This novel introduces many new characters that are laying the down the path-work of the New Republic and the First Order.
·
"The book is boring and not action-packed enough." -The narrative does slow down during the Imperial summit. But if you have patience and read on, you will be thrown into a lot of adventure and narrow escapes. There are speeder bike chases, space battles, monsters, and many exhilarating moments. Plus there is an appearance of a mysterious Admiral that is calling for a new power to rule the galaxy (this could be the one who starts the First Order that is featured in the Force Awakens).
·
"The story is disjointed and not cohesive." - I agree with this only because of the Interludes. They broke the narrative at times in the middle of key moments in the main story. And while they did offer tidbits of information on how the galaxy was accepting the New Republic, they only lasted about two to three pages at best.
·
"The author does nothing to bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and the Force Awakens. This was a big bate and switch!" - I totally disagree. This story introduces some excellent beginnings of not only the First Order, but also the Knights of Ren. There are clues given to the reader in almost every chapter.
"There is nothing at stake in this book to make us worry about the characters." - Again, I disagree. I guess the readers saying this did not catch that the Empire has another super-weapon at their disposal. Or that if Akiva was occupied by the Empire, their grip on the galaxy was increased by another planet.
I will not lie and say I did not have issues getting through this book. But I will say that after sticking to my reading and finishing this book I was very satisfied at the outcome. And I will be excited to see what becomes of these new characters as the new books are released.
It was revealed at New York Comic Con on Twitter by Chuck Wendig and Del Rey that the next two books in this trilogy will be Life Debt (2016) and Empire's End (2017).
Photo from Chuck Wendig's Twitter page.
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Give it a chance. Use the Force. Let it guide your patience.
Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
Website: http://www.xepherusstudios.com/
At Twitter at: https://twitter.com/XepherusStudios
At Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/XepherusStudios
At Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11975160-xepherus3
All written content (c) Copyright 2015 by Thomas Bahr II
Book Cover and Twitter photograph © 2015 by the publisher and author
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