Aftermath, A Star Wars Novel

WHOA NOW!

"Now hold your horses!" I hear you proclaim. "Santee has read a book?"

Yes, it is true. Now it should come as no surprise that it was a science fiction book, but it is rather strange that it is a Star Wars book because I don't generally enjoy reading novels associated with the univers of my favorite movies or TV shows. I have a mental block that makes the whole thing seem like fan service, and I am definitely not into that.

But this book is good and I'll tell you why. 

NOBODIES.

That is: the protagonists of the film are all new characters that no one has encountered or written about before. None of them have even seen any of the main characters from the films and this detachment from the main narrative intrigued me, and kept me reading. The three adult characters were all veterans/victims of the horror that was [SPOILER: LEE] the destruction of the Second Death Star. The book is fast-paced and has some great moments, some of which are pretty dark for what I was expecting.

SUMMARY

With the death of the heads of the Intergalactic Empire, a fascist entity, in the movie Return of the Jedi, a group of remaining Imperial Military leaders meet in secret to discuss who will take over next. Meanwhile, other characters are a mother returning home from the war, an ex-Imperial hiding out, a bounty hunter looking to capture one of these leaders and a plucky murder robot named Bones. All of these people crash together in an entertaining romp of chaos. 

ISSUES

According to Audible.com's reviews for this book everyone hated it. The lack of our known heroes makes this not a Star Wars story in their eyes, and I think that is shortsighted foolishness. The heroes in Star Wars are great, but they aren't what makes the universe cool. It's the space opera fast-and-loose fun that matters and that is present in this book. Aftermath reminded me of a comic book in it's pacing and use of side characters. 

My own issues would have to be the shortness of the character specific sections. Each chapter has a character that is the main narrative voice, and towards the end of the novel the pacing of the action requires jumping back and forth between all of these actors that I felt I missed some juicy details. Also, there was this whole SpecOps soldier side story that never really panned out. These problems feel like they are related to the imminent sequel. The Force Awakens film gave me the same impression: facts and story being left out in order to have things to show in the next installment. 

I understand, but it feels cheap as a fan and reader.

RECOMMEND

That being said, I do recommend reading this book as it is a fun, quick read that doesn't rely on pre-established relationships from the movies. I can't wait for the next one.