The book, though it doesn’t deal with the characters I love most from Star Wars, still feels like a Star Wars novel. There’s also Admiral Rae Sloane, the leader of the fallen Empire, and a woman committed to seeing the Empire reborn as something more pure than Palpatine ever intended. The book introduces an Imperial defector named Sinjir Rath Valus, who is trying to reconcile what had previously been his whole purpose in life (the Empire) and the guilt he now feels over the crimes he committed as an Imperial officer. Just when she was hoping to reunite with her estranged son Temmin (“Snap” Wexley from TFA), Nora is caught up in a search for lost rebel pilot Wedge Antilles and an attempt to find out what the remnant of the Empire is planning. Instead, the story focuses on former Rebel fighter pilot Nora Wexley as she returns to her home world of Akiva, only to find that important members of the remnant of the Empire have gathered there. In fact, there’s barely any mention of any of those key figures of the Rebellion. It’s not a story about Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, or Han Solo. I was nervous to read Aftermath after reading early reviews. I didn’t read Aftermath until after TFA came out, but after seeing the galaxy the way it had become thirty years after ROTJ, I was eager to find out exactly what happened after Darth Vader killed his Sith Master in order to save his son. Setting The Force Awakens thirty years after Return of the Jedi created a significant time gap. My early childhood was spent watching and rewinding a VHS recorded copy of A New Hope until I wore the tape out. I’ve loved Star Wars for as long as I can remember. When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 and announced that there would be a sequel to Return of the Jedi, I was thrilled.

It’s a reminder that Return of the Jedi ended with the death of a man who wielded incredible power to manipulate an entire galaxy and that the story doesn’t really end there. It’s a chilling moment as readers are reminded of the saga of films that gave us Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Force. Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath begins on the planet Coruscant as people gather in Monument Plaza to tear down the statue of Emperor Palpatine, the man who had long ago enslaved the entire galaxy to his oppressive rule, who was recently killed in the destruction of the of the Empire’s second Death Star near the forest moon of Endor.

Star wars aftermath chuck wendig