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zaphod46's review against another edition
2.0
Too many interludes, not enough plot (for a book this size)
dorksona's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookish_benny's review against another edition
3.0
Star Wars: Aftermath (SWA) is the first Star Wars story I have read and I picked this up because I was going through a really bad, probably my worst, reading slump. I couldn't continue with The Books of Babel and I also tried Abercrombie's Best Served Cold but nothing would stick so I went to sci-fi and picked up a book that had been on my shelf for over two years!
Within the world of science fiction SWA is an average story. It's not a bad story but it's also not amazing. However, it's when you take it as being a part of the Disney Star Wars' universe that it becomes good. I've always liked Star Wars but I've never been a superfan. I feel like after reading this book that is slowly changing.
The story follows various characters in a third-person POV format in different parts of the universe, although this all primarily features around a planet in the outer rim called Akiva. The characters themselves are written well enough that you get a small idea of who they are across the book but I didn't have a favourite character that I was eager to get back to.
The characters range from a Rebel mother, a wayward son, an Imperial traitor, a Rebel special forces soldier, a bounty hunter and some others. The interactions between them are good and you're left unsure if the characters can be trusted since everyone has their own agenda on or around Akiva.
Since this story follows the aftermath of Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens, there are many people fighting for power and to get a foothold in a new universe. This exploration isn't limited to the main cast of characters but also to various interludes throughout the story which gives you an insight into other planets/areas within the universe with characters that may or may not have an impact on the main storyline.
The worldbuilding is fine. It gives you an idea of where you are but there isn't much in the way of descriptions compared to other stories. This really is a character driven story (but with lighter than normal character work) and it's really the fact its Star Wars is what drives it forwards.
I do want to point out that the covers of this series are really nicely designed with bright colours across iconic vehicles within the Star Wars universe.
This is the first book in a trilogy by Chuck Wendig and I'm aiming to read the other two books in the trilogy before 2024 so while my star rating is average, the fact that I want to continue the series (when I am very happy to DNF) should be seen as a good sign!
Within the world of science fiction SWA is an average story. It's not a bad story but it's also not amazing. However, it's when you take it as being a part of the Disney Star Wars' universe that it becomes good. I've always liked Star Wars but I've never been a superfan. I feel like after reading this book that is slowly changing.
The story follows various characters in a third-person POV format in different parts of the universe, although this all primarily features around a planet in the outer rim called Akiva. The characters themselves are written well enough that you get a small idea of who they are across the book but I didn't have a favourite character that I was eager to get back to.
The characters range from a Rebel mother, a wayward son, an Imperial traitor, a Rebel special forces soldier, a bounty hunter and some others. The interactions between them are good and you're left unsure if the characters can be trusted since everyone has their own agenda on or around Akiva.
Since this story follows the aftermath of Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens, there are many people fighting for power and to get a foothold in a new universe. This exploration isn't limited to the main cast of characters but also to various interludes throughout the story which gives you an insight into other planets/areas within the universe with characters that may or may not have an impact on the main storyline.
The worldbuilding is fine. It gives you an idea of where you are but there isn't much in the way of descriptions compared to other stories. This really is a character driven story (but with lighter than normal character work) and it's really the fact its Star Wars is what drives it forwards.
I do want to point out that the covers of this series are really nicely designed with bright colours across iconic vehicles within the Star Wars universe.
This is the first book in a trilogy by Chuck Wendig and I'm aiming to read the other two books in the trilogy before 2024 so while my star rating is average, the fact that I want to continue the series (when I am very happy to DNF) should be seen as a good sign!
ultimatumman's review against another edition
2.0
Well, it was fun to dive into the new Star Wars universe, but too bad we really didn't get to dive in so much as get our toes wet. From the standpoint of this book revealing new information about the Star Wars universe leading up to the Force Awakens, it was a disappointment. The book gives a general feel of where things are politically and where the Empire and the New Republic are at, but that's pretty much it.
There are a ton of new characters in this book so it was a little hard to keep them all straight and they weren't particularly that interesting. The book ends with a feeling that a new team has been assembled and will be featured in later books, which wasn't really what this book should have been about. So we focus on a group of characters (and one of them is obligatorily a bounty hunter) when we should have been focusing on greater events. The most interesting chapters for me were the interlude chapters which other reviewers found irrelevant, but to me the main story line of the book was the irrelevant part since it added no new information about the state of the Star Wars galaxy. Even spending time with the Imperials didn't add much even though they were meeting about how to proceed with the Empire. The book focuses a lot on this gathering of Imperials and its significance, but then not much happens with it.
The writing was interesting because the book was written in present tense. That's the first Star Wars book to do that and it was cool thing to explore. I don't think it was executed very well, but it was a good attempt. Near the middle of the book Wendig started throwing in random jokes which felt out of place since humor hadn't been used leading up to that point. The timeline was also confusing because some characters talked about Endor like it happened recently, but this book takes place years afterward.
Overall this book was okay. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. There were a few Deus Ex Machina accidents/coincidences that really ruined some potentially great moments. But the book isn't a long read and the interlude chapters are very interesting even though they are vague. If this book would have delivered more information about the "Journey to the Force Awakens" like it should have instead of introducing irrelevant new characters, this would have been a great read.
There are a ton of new characters in this book so it was a little hard to keep them all straight and they weren't particularly that interesting. The book ends with a feeling that a new team has been assembled and will be featured in later books, which wasn't really what this book should have been about. So we focus on a group of characters (and one of them is obligatorily a bounty hunter) when we should have been focusing on greater events. The most interesting chapters for me were the interlude chapters which other reviewers found irrelevant, but to me the main story line of the book was the irrelevant part since it added no new information about the state of the Star Wars galaxy. Even spending time with the Imperials didn't add much even though they were meeting about how to proceed with the Empire. The book focuses a lot on this gathering of Imperials and its significance, but then not much happens with it.
The writing was interesting because the book was written in present tense. That's the first Star Wars book to do that and it was cool thing to explore. I don't think it was executed very well, but it was a good attempt. Near the middle of the book Wendig started throwing in random jokes which felt out of place since humor hadn't been used leading up to that point. The timeline was also confusing because some characters talked about Endor like it happened recently, but this book takes place years afterward.
Overall this book was okay. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. There were a few Deus Ex Machina accidents/coincidences that really ruined some potentially great moments. But the book isn't a long read and the interlude chapters are very interesting even though they are vague. If this book would have delivered more information about the "Journey to the Force Awakens" like it should have instead of introducing irrelevant new characters, this would have been a great read.
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the general story line, but there were too many incredible escapes. Audiobook was with sound effects, which were a little distracting. Several partially told threads that are evidently waiting for the next book to resolve.
ahotpotofcoffee's review against another edition
3.0
While the overall story is good and kept me coming back, the writing often left something to be desired in terms of content. Overusing the same phrases referring to a punch for example was among the many things with the writing style I noticed. To multiple times kill a character in a way that should have killed them, then bring them back start of the next chapter was also very disappointing, felt like their was no consequences to the characters actions.
iddylu's review against another edition
4.0
So, I'm not a Star Wars fan. I don't dislike it, I just never really got into it, you know? But man, this book. I read it on a complete whim because a friend was posting excerpts on social media and I got drawn in, and I ended up enjoying it so much more than I thought it would. I'm sure there were references that went over my head, but for the most part it was surprisingly accessible for my I-saw-some-of-the-movies-fifteen-years-ago self. The main cast bounced off each other really well, and it was a lot of fun to read the progression from grudgingly working together to becoming a cohesive and loyal team. The interludes focusing the lives of everyday people around the galaxy were really interesting (and sometimes heartbreaking). I also really liked the references to the realistic, human moments of the bad guys: somebody remembering free drinks night in the Death Star mess hall, one of the generals sitting in brace position during the entire final battle because she wasn't used to actually being up in space during these things, the fact that the Imperial ship apparently has a game room, etc. Exploring how ordinary humans can become monstrous is so much more interesting to me than making all the villains either depthless mooks or cackling overlords, and this book does it so well.
Mic fuckin' drop.
"This isn’t some kind of inspirational story. Some scrappy, ragtag underdog tale, some pugilistic match where we’re the good-hearted gladiator who brings down the oppressive regime that put him in the arena. They get to have that narrative. We are the ones who enslaved whole worlds full of alien inhabitants. We are the ones who built something called a Death Star under the leadership of a decrepit old goblin who believed in the 'dark side' of some ancient, insane religion."
Mic fuckin' drop.
snichols's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
teachinsci's review against another edition
4.0
Not a bad intro to the new cannon post-Return of the Jedi. Most of the highly familiar faces aren't in this book, although some more minor characters get more treatment (Wedge Antilles, Admiral Ackbar)... Han Solo is in a teaser section.
The story is much more of a story of the people of the rebellion and the empire than the movies ever will be. The reasons which drove people to join a rebellion in the first place, what happens to those who are left behind, and how do you build a fair government once you win are all concepts which begin to be explored in this book. I, personally, believe these are handled well. The characters aren't one dimensional or of homogenous opinions. However, there are echoes of Earth's history (war orphans, brother vs. brother in war) which are handled in a bit of an archetypical way. One weird thing is that one of the characters (who is about to be interviewed) is referred to by another as 'alien' by another (reporter) being told that will work in her favor. Since being 'alien' is common in the Star Wars universe, this took me a bit out of the story.
The central adventure itself was filled with fighting, explosions, and improbable survival (this IS Star Wars after all) although no Jedi or Force manipulation. These were just the regular people that make up most of the Galaxy... although both Wedge Antilles and one of the main characters (Norra Wexley) were pilots who helped take down the second Death Star. I am glad they brought in these other characters as this was one of the more enjoyable parts of the old Expanded Universe (now Legends).
All in all, a worthwhile read and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.
The story is much more of a story of the people of the rebellion and the empire than the movies ever will be. The reasons which drove people to join a rebellion in the first place, what happens to those who are left behind, and how do you build a fair government once you win are all concepts which begin to be explored in this book. I, personally, believe these are handled well. The characters aren't one dimensional or of homogenous opinions. However, there are echoes of Earth's history (war orphans, brother vs. brother in war) which are handled in a bit of an archetypical way. One weird thing is that one of the characters (who is about to be interviewed) is referred to by another as 'alien' by another (reporter) being told that will work in her favor. Since being 'alien' is common in the Star Wars universe, this took me a bit out of the story.
The central adventure itself was filled with fighting, explosions, and improbable survival (this IS Star Wars after all) although no Jedi or Force manipulation. These were just the regular people that make up most of the Galaxy... although both Wedge Antilles and one of the main characters (Norra Wexley) were pilots who helped take down the second Death Star. I am glad they brought in these other characters as this was one of the more enjoyable parts of the old Expanded Universe (now Legends).
All in all, a worthwhile read and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.