Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire's End By Chuck WendigPublisher: Del Ray BooksRelease Date: February 21st, 2017Format: Audiobook Narrated by Marc ThompsonSource: AudibleSummary Via GoodReads
My Rating: ★★★
Following Star Wars: Aftermath and Star Wars: Life Debt, Chuck Wendig delivers the exhilarating conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy set in the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
EVERY END IS A NEW BEGINNING.
As the final showdown between the New Republic and the Empire draws near, all eyes turn to a once-isolated planet: Jakku.
The Battle of Endor shattered the Empire, scattering its remaining forces across the galaxy. But the months following the Rebellion’s victory have not been easy. The fledgling New Republic has suffered a devastating attack from the Imperial remnant, forcing the new democracy to escalate its hunt for the hidden enemy.
For her role in the deadly ambush, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane is the most wanted Imperial war criminal—and one-time rebel pilot Norra Wexley, back in service at Leia’s urgent request, is leading the hunt. But more than just loyalty to the New Republic drives Norra forward: Her husband was turned into a murderous pawn in Sloane’s assassination plot, and now she wants vengeance as much as justice.
Sloane, too, is on a furious quest: pursuing the treacherous Gallius Rax to the barren planet Jakku. As the true mastermind behind the Empire’s devastating attack, Rax has led the Empire to its defining moment. The cunning strategist has gathered the powerful remnants of the Empire’s war machine, preparing to execute the late Emperor Palpatine’s final plan. As the Imperial fleet orbits Jakku, an armada of Republic fighters closes in to finish what began at Endor. Norra and her crew soar into the heart of an apocalyptic clash that will leave land and sky alike scorched. And the future of the galaxy will finally be decided.
I have to say that the Aftermath Trilogy is not my favorite of the new Star Wars expanded universe stories. I think I would have actually given this book a lower rating if I read it instead of listening to the audiobook. Marc Thompson is an amazing author and I love to listen to Star Wars books because there is a good chance he is the narrator. I think he does an amazing job with all the different voices that he produces in this book. There are quite a few of them and I think he pulls it off really well. There are a few that sound a little too similar, but I was able to forgive it because he's just so good! Thompson's narration is probably why I actually decided to finish this series in the first place, instead of just DNFing the rest of the series after the first one.
This book was okay, but again like the other two books in this story, we get stuck with these useless "interludes". WHY??????? Granted some of these are important to the story because we get Rax's background with The Emperor and I did like the Lando one, but the rest don't really matter to the overall story. The Lando interlude just left me with more questions and I wanted to know what he was doing this whole time. I like the "main" storyline in this book, and I would have liked this one better if these interludes just weren't included at all. They annoyed me so much!
The story is interesting, and I liked that we get to see Mon Mothma just be a straight up cunning politician. I also feel conflicted because it feels like she does some shady stuff in this book. I thought the new republic were supposed to be better, but it just feel like the same stuff different name type of thing.
I do love Noora and her crew. I loved that they all kind of became a family together. My heart wrenched for her in this book. That woman has gone through hell and back, and somehow makes it out alive. Poor Wedge! I felt so bad for him in this book. I like this ragtag of rebels so much, that I think it's why I hung in there to finish this series out.
This book isn't my favorite and at the end of the book I felt like I had more questions that answers. You get The Battle of Jakku in this novel, so you understand why it's the way it is when we see it in The Force Awakens, but there are still a lot of things I need to know. Like, who exactly was Rax? And how does Snoke play into all of this? Also, where the hell is Luke? We know Ben (AKA Kylo Ren) hasn't been born yet, so where does Luke fit into the mythology of what happens between Return of The Jedi and The Force Awakens. I think we are slowly getting trickled down books to explain things, but this trilogy was not enough.
I also want to talk about Rae Sloane. I am very conflicted by her, because I don't really like her, but I also don't really hate her. I don't like The Empire, but I think a lot of that stems from knowing that Palpatine was straight up evil. Sloane believes in the stability of The Empire and believes it is something "good." She is one of the Imperials that really wants to promote peace, but she believes that the way The Empire does it is the right way. There's a part in the novel where The Empire does something really backhanded and she is used as a distraction, and this horrifies her. Sloane wants to do everything by the books, but she also thinks the rebels are terrorists. I have to admire her for wanting to fight for what she believes in. I also don't know if either The Empire or The Rebellion are "right", I think it's a little more complicated than that.
I'm not thrilled with this Trilogy, but I think if you want to know what happens directly after Return of The Jedi they are a good place to start. Also if you want to read about The Battle of Jakku.
Have you read the Aftermath trilogy? What did you think?
Happy Reads Everyone!
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