A Review of Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig
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.
It’s a chilling moment as readers are reminded of the saga of films that gave us Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Force. 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.
When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 and announced that there would be a sequel to Return of the Jedi, I was thrilled. I’ve loved Star Wars for as long as I can remember. My early childhood was spent watching and rewinding a VHS recorded copy of A New Hope until I wore the tape out.
Setting The Force Awakens thirty years after Return of the Jedi created a significant time gap. 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.
I was nervous to read Aftermath after reading early reviews. It’s not a story about Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, or Han Solo. In fact, there’s barely any mention of any of those key figures of the Rebellion. 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. 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.
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. 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, though it doesn’t deal with the characters I love most from Star Wars, still feels like a Star Wars novel. As Nora, Sinjir, Temmin, and a Zabrak bounty hunter named Jas Emari come head-to-head with Rae Sloane and the remains of the Empire, it becomes clear that the destruction of the Death Star was only the beginning of the end. The Empire is limping along, and the newly formed New Republic must put an end to it.
As the first book in a trilogy, Aftermath was a fun read. It was the first book I’ve read by Chuck Wendig, and he did a great job of capturing the feel and world of a Star Wars story. I loved the little Interludes on different planetary systems that give us a glimpse of the effects and after effects of the Empire’s reign on the galaxy. The Interludes in this book and the other two in the trilogy give us hints of what is to come in the journey toward TFA.
I was nervous to read Aftermath at first, but after reading it, I knew I had to read the other two books in the series, which makes it a great introduction to the story of what happened in the galaxy after the Rebels destroyed the second Death Star and Palpatine and Darth Vader died.
Tom Farr is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who believes in crafting lies to tell the truth. When he’s not enjoying the good life with his beautiful wife Lindsey and their three much-adored children, he’s striving to create stories that thrill and inspire and preparing for the day Disney calls him to write a Star Wars movie. His work has also appeared on Panel & Frame, Wordhaus, Curiosity Never Killed the Writer, The Write Practice, and The Unsplash Book. Check out his fiction writing portfolio on Medium.
