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pinkmalady's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
adam_z's review against another edition
3.0
Ah... Aftermath... The most cussed and discussed book in the new Star Wars cannon. What can I say about it? This is the first SW book Chuck Wendig has written, so it's a "new" voice, and he does write using a style that stands out as different from other SW writers. It took a little while to get used to his frequent [constant?] use of the present-tense, but I eventually stopped noticing it as I became immersed in the story. In short, this isn't earth-shatteringly great, but neither is it the abysmal waste of time that many reviewers have made it out to be. I give it 3 stars because I do like the book.
Between Aftermath and Claudia Gray's [b:Lost Stars|25067046|Lost Stars (Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens)|Claudia Gray|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462731623s/25067046.jpg|44751860] we've got two early books in the "new" cannon that both largely focus on original characters never seen before in the SW universe. After all the "Legends" books focused so much on the main characters of the films, it's interesting to see The Powers That Be greenlight not just one, but two early books in the new cannon that are such bold departures from the previous norm. I think that the timing of this book's release (just 3 months before The Force Awakens hit theatres) combined with how it was launching the new cannon, created expectations from many readers that were not fulfilled. People picked this up hoping to learn more of what Luke, Leia, Han, Chewy & co. were up to following the events of Return of the Jedi, and we actually get very little of that. Han and Chewy appear only briefly during one of the "Interlude" chapters of the book, and this is mainly a setup for the next book, where I've been led to believe that there will be more of Han & Chewy. There's a little bit of Wedge, and a little bit of Ackbar, but both are no more than secondary (if not tertiary) characters here.
Aftermath succeeds in giving the reader a sense of the pulse of the galaxy following the destruction of the second Death Star & the pending collapse of the Empire. Through the eyes of the main characters, along with some vignettes into other people in various places in the galaxy, Wendig does an excellent job of giving the readers a good sense of the way that different people in different places in the galaxy feel about recent events. For some there is excitement in the sense of victory and the establishment of new governance, while others feel a sense of dread. Some are ambivalent, and others view the war and the shift of power with great skepticism, or even trepidation.
Complaints I've seen regarding short, choppy sentence structure are overstated IMO. Yes, if I want to cherry pick particular passages I can find examples of this, but it's nowhere near as prevalent as some reviewers make it out to be.
Something I've seen the book praised and criticised for in different circles is the inclusion of gay & lesbian characters - which is a first for Star Wars, I believe. It doesn't bother me to think that there are people with same sex attraction in the Star Wars universe (why wouldn't there be such a thing?), but the inclusion of such characters seemed somewhat heavy-handed to me in the way it was done. One of the main characters is made known to be gay, then there is a lesbian couple that appears as secondary characters in the book, AND there is a minor character who makes a reference to having grown up with two dads. That just seem like a lot for one book in contrast to the rest of the collective stories of the Star War universe. Going from no LGBT inclusion in Star Wars to "Here's not just one, but FOUR examples of homosexuality in Star Wars" made it seem like there was a diversity agenda rather than simply having LGBT characters included.
Overall, I think Wendig succeeded in what he set out to do with Aftermath. I think the most negative reviews from people who say they're fans of Star Wars (and SW books) are rooted in the reader expecting something more or something different from what Aftermath delivers. If you go into the book looking for lots of info about main film characters, or if you're looking for hints on the origins of Snoke, or the parentage or Rey, etc. then you will be very disappointed with Aftermath. Reading it without preconceived expectations and taking the story at face value, it makes for a fun read, and I DO plan to begin reading the follow-up [b:Aftermath: Life Debt|26895161|Aftermath Life Debt (Star Wars Aftermath, #2)|Chuck Wendig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449268300s/26895161.jpg|47250982] soon.
Between Aftermath and Claudia Gray's [b:Lost Stars|25067046|Lost Stars (Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens)|Claudia Gray|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462731623s/25067046.jpg|44751860] we've got two early books in the "new" cannon that both largely focus on original characters never seen before in the SW universe. After all the "Legends" books focused so much on the main characters of the films, it's interesting to see The Powers That Be greenlight not just one, but two early books in the new cannon that are such bold departures from the previous norm. I think that the timing of this book's release (just 3 months before The Force Awakens hit theatres) combined with how it was launching the new cannon, created expectations from many readers that were not fulfilled. People picked this up hoping to learn more of what Luke, Leia, Han, Chewy & co. were up to following the events of Return of the Jedi, and we actually get very little of that. Han and Chewy appear only briefly during one of the "Interlude" chapters of the book, and this is mainly a setup for the next book, where I've been led to believe that there will be more of Han & Chewy. There's a little bit of Wedge, and a little bit of Ackbar, but both are no more than secondary (if not tertiary) characters here.
Aftermath succeeds in giving the reader a sense of the pulse of the galaxy following the destruction of the second Death Star & the pending collapse of the Empire. Through the eyes of the main characters, along with some vignettes into other people in various places in the galaxy, Wendig does an excellent job of giving the readers a good sense of the way that different people in different places in the galaxy feel about recent events. For some there is excitement in the sense of victory and the establishment of new governance, while others feel a sense of dread. Some are ambivalent, and others view the war and the shift of power with great skepticism, or even trepidation.
Complaints I've seen regarding short, choppy sentence structure are overstated IMO. Yes, if I want to cherry pick particular passages I can find examples of this, but it's nowhere near as prevalent as some reviewers make it out to be.
Something I've seen the book praised and criticised for in different circles is the inclusion of gay & lesbian characters - which is a first for Star Wars, I believe. It doesn't bother me to think that there are people with same sex attraction in the Star Wars universe (why wouldn't there be such a thing?), but the inclusion of such characters seemed somewhat heavy-handed to me in the way it was done. One of the main characters is made known to be gay, then there is a lesbian couple that appears as secondary characters in the book, AND there is a minor character who makes a reference to having grown up with two dads. That just seem like a lot for one book in contrast to the rest of the collective stories of the Star War universe. Going from no LGBT inclusion in Star Wars to "Here's not just one, but FOUR examples of homosexuality in Star Wars" made it seem like there was a diversity agenda rather than simply having LGBT characters included.
Overall, I think Wendig succeeded in what he set out to do with Aftermath. I think the most negative reviews from people who say they're fans of Star Wars (and SW books) are rooted in the reader expecting something more or something different from what Aftermath delivers. If you go into the book looking for lots of info about main film characters, or if you're looking for hints on the origins of Snoke, or the parentage or Rey, etc. then you will be very disappointed with Aftermath. Reading it without preconceived expectations and taking the story at face value, it makes for a fun read, and I DO plan to begin reading the follow-up [b:Aftermath: Life Debt|26895161|Aftermath Life Debt (Star Wars Aftermath, #2)|Chuck Wendig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449268300s/26895161.jpg|47250982] soon.
natashairene's review against another edition
4.0
First off, do the audiobook it makes the story a 1000x's better. It reminds of the 40s style radio dramas, sound effects and all.
Besides that the story is ok. There are characters and stories that just don't make any sense and as of yet don't make sense in the story. The writing isn't great but it gets the job done.
Besides that the story is ok. There are characters and stories that just don't make any sense and as of yet don't make sense in the story. The writing isn't great but it gets the job done.
stefan_wenc's review against another edition
2.0
Having this be my first Star Wars novel of the year after having exclusively read Zahn was… rough.
The prose underwhelmed me, and the story itself wasn’t exciting enough to make up for it. I found the “interludes” very frustrating, like an attempt to better place the novel in the Star Wars timeline without delivering any value to the novel’s story itself. I’m also surprised how little a grasp I have on the broader details of the setting, for a book set 90% in a single city I think I should know a lot more about that city than I do.
I’ll probably continue on to the next novel in the series, because I do think there’s interest to be found in this part of the timeline, and maybe more familiarity with the characters will bring more enjoyment. Also a pretty quick and easy read.
The prose underwhelmed me, and the story itself wasn’t exciting enough to make up for it. I found the “interludes” very frustrating, like an attempt to better place the novel in the Star Wars timeline without delivering any value to the novel’s story itself. I’m also surprised how little a grasp I have on the broader details of the setting, for a book set 90% in a single city I think I should know a lot more about that city than I do.
I’ll probably continue on to the next novel in the series, because I do think there’s interest to be found in this part of the timeline, and maybe more familiarity with the characters will bring more enjoyment. Also a pretty quick and easy read.
smiilefry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
mitz68's review
3.0
All in all the story line was good. The author filled some of the gaps after the destruction of the Deathstar during the battle on Endor. Some familiar faces are a part of the story, and he introduces some new and (very) likable characters. I enjoyed all of those traits. That being said there are a few things that slightly (and sometimes not-so-slightly) bothered me. The present-tense method of writing is not my favorite. At various points in the book the writing style actually got in the way of the story. I found myself going back and re-reading portions. This is not to say Chuck Wendig is a poor writer, it's just that I did not so much like the style. I don't think this is a bad book, I am sure it is tough to write anything in the Star Wars universe. I finished it, was not disappointed, nor was I extremely impressed. I do think I will read any additional books that Wendig authors, if nothing else to see if his writing style/story telling is the same or if he moves in a different direction. This book falls in the middle of the road for me.
ckeithjohnson's review
2.0
The guy reading this one is splendid! the book itself is meh. I'm sure there are some small insights about the films in there somewhere, but I couldn't shake my apathy for the style or choices made in this story. I tried it again after Christmas, and it was still quite dull and overworked. I thought maybe it would get better if I listened to the sequel and the characters were already established in my mind, but it went from dull to downright annoying.
larissadistler's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this book. Really I did! I give it a three star rating because the writing is juvenile and the story only scratches the surface.
I loved reading about characters other than the main antagonists of the films. I want to explore worlds I haven't been to, meet people I haven't, get to know those that are only one screen for a few minutes. BUT I want to delve so much deeper than this book went.
I think I found a new favorite droid, however. Mister Bones, you are my hero.
I loved reading about characters other than the main antagonists of the films. I want to explore worlds I haven't been to, meet people I haven't, get to know those that are only one screen for a few minutes. BUT I want to delve so much deeper than this book went.
I think I found a new favorite droid, however. Mister Bones, you are my hero.
e2187's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25