Aftermath

Aftermath is a canon novel by Chuck Wendig and published by Del Rey, that is set between Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. The novel is the first in a trilogy, and is part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens publishing project. Aftermath sees the beginnings of a new government in the wake of the Empire's losses during the Battle of Endor, and features at least one fan favorite character from the Star Wars films. It was released on September 4, 2015. The audio edition is performed by Marc Thompson.

Back cover
Trapped on an isolated world, a disparate group of rebels is all that stands between the galaxy's freedom and the Empire's fury.

Internal flap
'''The second Death Star has been destroyed, the Emperor killed, and Darth Vader struck down-—devastating blows against the Empire, and major victories for the Rebel Alliance. But the battle for freedom is far from over. '''

''As the Empire reels from its critical defeats at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance&mdash;now a fledgling New Republic&mdash;presses its advantage by hunting down the enemy's scattered forces before they can regroup and retaliate. But above the remote planet Akiva, an ominous show of the enemy's strength is unfolding. Out on a lone reconnaissance mission, pilot Wedge Antilles watches Imperial Star Destroyers gather like birds of prey circling for a kill, but is taken captive before he can report back to the New Republic leaders.''

''Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, former Rebel fighter Norra Wexley has returned to her native world&mdash;war weary, ready to reunite with her estranged son, and eager to build a new life in some distant place. But when Norra intercepts Wedge Antilles's urgent distress call, she realizes her time as a freedom fighter is not yet over. What she doesn't know is just how close the enemy is&mdash;or how decisive and dangerous her new mission will be.''

''Determined to preserve the Empire's power, the surviving Imperial elite are converging on Akiva for a top-secret emergency summit&mdash;to consolidate their forces and rally for a counterstrike. But they haven't reckoned on Norra and her newfound allies&mdash;her technical genius son, a Zabrak bounty hunter, and a reprobate Imperial defector&mdash;who are prepared to do whatever they must to end the Empire's oppressive reign once and for all.''

Development
Aftermath was originally planned for release in November 2015, before being moved forward to September 4. On September 4, 2014, Wendig had posted a tweet expressing his strong desire to write a licensed Star Wars title. Several individuals involved with the Star Wars franchise, including Jason Fry and Gary Whitta, passed along the message, which eventually reached Shelly Shapiro, editor at large at Del Rey, who felt that Wendig would be a good fit for the project, based on having read his title Under the Empyrean Sky. Upon being approached to write the book, Wendig had a reaction of "girlish joy." He wrote the title in under 45 days.

Continuity
The novel's chapter headings made use of an early design for the New Republic, the successor government to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. On September 21, 2015, Del Rey released an official colorized version of the emblem via social media, which served as the first canon depiction of the government's insignia.

Reception
Reaction to Aftermath has been mixed. As of November 1, 2015, 1,415 reviews of the title had been posted on Amazon. 37% gave the title a rating of only 1 star, but 35% gave it either 4 or 5 stars. The most helpful critical review (according to the site's visitors) stated that while it "wasn't as abysmal as other reviewers made it out to be" and there were certain things he liked, such as a reference to "Fulcrum" and the well-rounded nature of the character Admiral Sloane, it wasn't his favorite Star Wars read and there were many things he didn't like: these included improper use of idioms when a Star Wars term could have been used, the excessive focus on introspection and interpersonal conflict, and the use of characters who felt "shoehorned in." The author with the most positive review stated that while the book was "not The Thrawn Trilogy," it "wasn't intended to be", and did well in focusing on smaller stories. He found himself interested in the "nuanced cast of characters" and also enjoyed the vignettes throughout the novel, rather than simply its main story.

Jared Petty of the popular entertainment site IGN reviewed the novel and rated it "mediocre," stating that it was "well-written but ultimately disappointing." He too praised the character of Sloane, but felt that the novel lacked substance and stated that he had met almost nobody he cared about by the time he reached the end of the novel.