Ricky Church reviews Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End…
It’s been a long time coming, but the saga between the Rebel Alliance/New Republic and the Galactic Empire ends at last in Chuck Wendig’s final Aftermath novel, Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End. Wendig crafts a tale full of suspense, political intrigue, character dynamics that payoff quite well and action spectacle worthy of Star Wars. Fans of the saga, and of the Aftermath series, should be pleased with the conclusion offered here.
Picking up a little while after Aftermath – Life Debt, Empire’s End sees Norra Wexley and her band of Republic agents seeking Grand Admiral Rae Sloane even while the former grand admiral hunts Gallius Rax, the true master of the Imperial remnants on Jakku. Both their journeys lead to a tense final standoff between the two forces that will decide the fate of the galaxy.
One of the most interesting aspects of Empire’s End is the juxtaposition of Norra and Sloane’s arcs. Both are on a mission of revenge, yet also recognize the personal difficulties they face in their missions. For Norra it is a battle of justice vs. revenge, for Sloane it is coming to terms with the fact the Empire she’s served all her life not only is no longer hers, but has been transformed into something barbaric and uncivilized.
There’s also an existential crisis both characters are going through as they face a loss of purpose: once Norra either captures or kills Sloane the New Republic will have finally won, getting rid of her need to be a soldier while Sloane has everything she’s believed in stripped away from her, facing an Empire she has no control over once she kills Rax. It is an interesting and unexpected dynamic these two enemies share, one that is a welcome addition to their rivalry.
Sinjur Rath Velus is, as with the previous books, one of the characters to shine in Empire’s End as his arc comes full circle. Sinjur’s turn from Imperial deserter to New Republic agent is examined in a great amount of depth here as he too contemplates what life will be like once the war is finally over, yet tries to bury thoughts of another life or job as much as he can. His interactions with original series characters like Princess Leia or Mon Mothma are quite enjoyable as well.
However, some of the other characters Wendig created, such as Jas Emari and Temmin Wexley, somewhat get pushed to the sidelines and don’t have much to do. Jas’ story kind of repeats the same beats a couple times as she deals with rival bounty hunters again and again while Temmin doesn’t get much to do until the third act once the Battle of Jakku begins. In the case of Jas’ story, it’s at least cool to see characters from The Clone Wars and the Original Trilogy pop up.
The overall story, however, is well written and, for the most part, well paced. There are a couple spots where the pace suffers, such as with Jas’ storyline or abruptly cutting from the Battle of Jakku, but those moments are few and far between. Wendig’s third-person present-tense prose serves the story well, really letting readers delve into the various battle moments and character feelings in an in depth manner. This writing style is really strong during the third act as the Battle of Jakku commences, finally allowing Star Wars fans to experience the full battle and the stakes involved aside from just a few pages in Lost Stars or the Battlefront video game. His descriptions of the unfolding chaos display how desperate both sides fought, particularly the Empire and their more vicious tactics.
Much of Empire’s End also deals with the political turmoil the New Republic faces in the wake of Life Debt’s events, particularly Mon Mothma’s crumbling support. The political intrigue was interesting with Wendig showing how the battles on the senate floor were just as vital as those on the battlefield, but a couple of aspects could have been better developed. Mothma’s rival, Tolwar Wartol, is underdeveloped despite an interesting backstory and probably would have benefitted from being introduced in Life Debt, but it also gave a bigger chance for Mothma to show off her political savvy.
The interludes continue to be a great addition to the Aftermath series, showcasing how the rest of the galaxy is dealing with the fallout of the Battle of Endor and the rise of the New Republic. Some of the interludes are only okay, but most of them are great mini-stories, such as Chewbacca’s continued resistance on Kashyyy, Rax’s memories of Palpatine or an interesting piece that could be the beginnings of the Knights of Ren. Much has already been made of Wendig’s surprising use of Jar Jar Binks in one of the interludes, going so far as to use his circumstances as a metaphor for his treatment in fandom, but many of the interludes widen the already huge Star Wars universe.
Small pacing and character issues aside, Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End is a well-written story with some stellar action scenes that has some visceral imagery involved. Wendig brings the story and characters full circle while leaving the door open for some intriguing possibilities in the Sequel Trilogy and other stories. It’s a satisfying conclusion to the Aftermath series and one that should make many fans happy.
Rating: 7/10
Ricky Church
Originally published February 21, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
