What happens after the second Death Star is destroyed? It is a question that has been answered in previous Star Wars stories (most notably Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy which began with Heir to the Empire), but never before has it been canonically detailed. The Thrawn Trilogy is what essentially launched the Star Wars Expanded Universe and those stories are very dear to many people. When Disney bought Star Wars from George Lucas, they wanted a clean start and ramp to The Force Awakens so all of the Expanded Universe is now considered Star Wars Legends and no longer considered any kind of canon. Such a universe reboot shouldn’t be a surprise nor is it something new, especially in a genre where the concept of a multiverse is so popular. DC Comics has rebooted their universe a couple of times, Marvel Comics (also owned by Disney) is in the process of doing it. James Bond did many soft reboots with each new actor and when Daniel Craig took over the role of 007, it started completely anew. Enough about the story surrounding the story…

So, what happens after the second Death Star is destroyed and the two most iconic and visible figures (Darth Vader and the Emperor, natch) in the Empire are killed? The Empire starts crumbling, but is far from destroyed and silenced. Palpatine, through the Empire, built a great deal of infrastructure over many years that allowed the Empire to function, much of this infrastructure is still in place. This is what the fragmented populace of the galaxy is learning, Stormtroopers still patrol the planet Akiva and attempt to enforce the Empire’s will. Some people are unaware, or don’t believe, Emperor Palpatine is dead. In short, a great victory for the Rebels and their fledgling New Republic, but much still needs to be done as we learn from Admiral Ackbar, who is weary from the war. Wedge Antillies, probably the most popular secondary character in the franchise, is still trying to ferret out the remaining vestiges of the Empire, including his encounter with Imperial Star Destroyers. These familiar character form our bridge into the novel, which introduces many new characters including those central to Aftermath: Norra Wexley, rebel pilot and widow; her son Temmin Wexley, who managed to run an odds and ends shop with his hacked battle droid Mr. Bones; Sinjir Rath Velus, a one time Imperial who saw the writing on the wall; and the bounty hunter Jas Emari.

Essentially, these characters come together to defend of planet Akiva from the remnants of the Empire looking to reestablish its stronghold in the galaxy. Throughout the fast-paced novel (I finished it from cover-to-cover in just 2 days), Wendig covers a lot of ground with the characters and builds a foundation to the “journey to Force Awakens” that the banner atop the book’s cover purports. The smartest and most logical element is that, yes, the Death Star is destroyed, but the Empire still exists even if it is fractured. In other words, there’s still quite a bit of cleaning up to be done.

I appreciated that Chuck decided to go for the non-default setting (i.e. white dude) for the primary characters in the novel. Norra is a mother and arguably the main protagonist and she is terrifically real; she’s a great pilot, she’s an active protagonist, yet she’s flawed in that she’s far from an attentive, perfect mother and is dealing with PTSD. She realizes her strengths and weaknesses and continues to try to improve her situation. I want more of her and more like her. One of the main antagonists, Rae Sloane, a high-ranking Imperial Officer who sits at the helm of the Star Destroyer Ravager and helps to ignite much of the plot’s action. The bounty hunter, Jas, is also female.

Another reveal is that Sinjir is gay, or rather how it was revealed was smart. While some less open-minded people will take a negative view of this reveal (and it isn’t a spoiler at this point because just google the book), it is a matter-of fact reveal that doesn’t come across as an Agenda, other than adding a layer to the character. You could even say the reveal was practically a throw-away line. Hell, Chuck seems to revel in throwing in important details in throw-away one-liners in this book, including hints of a fan favorite character’s relevancy to the Star Wars canon. Two fairly prominent characters from the pre-Disney Expanded Universe do appear or are at least mentioned, so it seems that the EU is not entirely forgotten (of course, the name Coruscant did come from Timothy Zahn, so truly like the Empire at this point in the Star Wars universe, the EU is not completely gone). I hope for the Star Wars fans who have a greater investment than I do in the Expanded Universe/Legends and the writers hoping to use some EU characters, that more remnants of the Expanded Universe will factor significantly into Disney’s new Star Wars canon.

By the end of this first installment of what is the Aftermath trilogy, I want to know more of what happens to Norra and her crew. Modern awareness and modern sensibilities, through Chuck’s experienced pen, have been brought to the Star Wars universe: a realistic, diverse cast and acknowledgment of the effects of war. A hint at the very end of the novel of the puppet master in the shadows has me very intrigued at how, and if, Sloane’s actions leads to the birth of The First Order, the antagonistic group who seem to be the villains of The Force Awakens.

I’ll admit that I was likely pre-disposed to enjoying Aftermath, more because I enjoy Chuck Wendig’s writing (be it fiction or his blog and tweets) than to any attachments to the Star Wars Expanded Universe. While I’ve read (and reviewed) a decent handful of Star Wars novels and comic books, I’m as not entrenched in the Expanded Universe as many readers are or have been. So admittedly, I came at this with a cautiously optimistic open mind. Aftermath gave me exactly what I hoped it would – an entertaining story that introduced new characters into a great mythos and increased my already high levels of anticipation for where the Star Wars universe is going.

Hardcover, 400 Pages | 9780345511621

Published by Del Rey/Lucas Books, September 2015

Review copy courtesy of the publisher

Excerpt: http://www.starwars.com/news/chaos-throttles-the-capital-in-star-wars-aftermath-special-excerpt

Chuck Wendig’s Web site: http://terribleminds.com

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