Chuck Wendig
STAR WARS: Aftermath
Disney / Del Rey
Science FictionRarely do I let other reviews influence my reading of a book. However, and I am not sure why, Wendig's Aftermath has been getting hammered on Amazon. It is averaging just 2.5 Stars. And I, for one, don't get it. Not at all.
Aftermath takes place after the war on Endor. The Death Star has been destroyed by the rebels. The Empire is reeling from the loss. Hero-Pilot Wedge Antilles was on a mission. Witnessing the sudden arrival of Star Destroyers over the planet Akiva, he knows something is up. Attempts at getting word back to the Rebel Alliance are thwarted. Communications are being jammed. Caught in an attempt to escape the threat posed in the area, Antilles is captured by the enemy.
Rebel fighter, Norra Wexley is on the planet surface of Akiva. With the war against the empire coming to an end, she desires reestablishing a relationship with her son, Temmin. Her goal is to get him off the planet, and escape the Outer Rim (since it is till not safe. The Empire was beaten, but is not gone). She receives word of Antilles' capture and knows she must put together a rescue mission.
Temmin is in a tough place. Long ago his father was arrested by the Empire, and removed from the planet. His mother, Norra, took off in an attempt to save her husband, leaving their son in the care of her sisters. Feeling abandoned, and neglected, Temmin puts his emotions to good use and his street smarts excel into a lucrative business. When his mother shows up demanding he leave the planet with her, he defies her demands because he has different ideas about his own future.
Things change when platoons of stormtroopers attack Akiva. The Empire wants to re-establish dominance along the Outer Rim. They need to reacquire a foothold in the galaxy as they rebuild, and organize.
The Star Destroyers are holding a summit in space. Titles are up for the grabbing. Self-promotion is abundant, while chaos and disorder drive the Empire.
Loaded with action, a host of amazing, strong characters, Wendig has crafted a fantastic extension into the Star Wars book library. I loved this story. It is filled with bounty hunters, crooks, Admirals, and tie-ins to the Disney animated series, REBELS. Wendig tells the tale in first person, and does it well. His writing is crisp, taut. The dialogue is spot on. I felt like I was watching a Star Wars movie from the first page until I finished reading the last chapter.
I have ordered Book 2 in the trilogy, Life Debt. I am going to wait outside for the mailman ... he should be here already!
Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series
Wizard's Rise
Wizard's War
Queens of Osiris
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