Star Wars: Aftermath

[Grimace]

I've read Aftermath, and Aftermath: Life Debt. I'm currently about 1/3 of the way through Aftermath: Empire's End.

I am enjoying it.
The writing is nothing stellar, but it is, by FAR, not the worst writing I have seen in Star Wars books. It's not as bad as others describe.

It's certainly not a book you can half-@$$ your way through. There's enough "jump cuts", so to speak, that if you are not focusing on what you are reading, you'll quickly lose track of what is going on and think there's no sense to the book.

But so far there are a number of things that have really illuminated WHY certain things happened in The Force Awakens, and even links in with things from other movies (like Solo: A Star Wars Story). But, that being said, you really need to understand what you are reading and have an open mind in terms of how that inter-links with the new movies.

If you are "anti-Disney Star Wars movies", you won't get anything from these books. This story isn't for you.

If you have at least enjoyed the movies when you watched them, but maybe wondered why certain things happened, but were okay with them happening, then this series of books will probably be worthwhile for you.

The author's style isn't in the Timothy Zahn style, but it IS readable. The interludes, while sometimes seeming rather disjointed or unimportant, eventually work into the story some way. But like I mentioned, you need to pay attention while reading these three books. If you let your mind wander, divert to other books, or only quasi-read the books while moderately distracted by other things, you'll likely not get the benefit that these books provide.

[Whill]

Thanks, Grimace. Please follow-up here when you finish the third book!
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[Grimace]

Okay, I finished reading the last book in the 3 book series, Aftermath: Empire's End.

It closed up the three book series fairly decently, though at times the writing seemed a little rushed. I think the author probably could have devoted another 50-75 pages to finishing up the story without making it feel rushed. He was probably pressured by the publisher to "get it done" under a certain page count or by a certain time.

Either way, the book does a decent job explaining some of the things that are left "unanswered" in The Force Awakens.

One of the most vocal complaints I've read about TFA is that people wanted to know how the First Order could gain in such power, unchecked by the New Republic. Well, this book fairly explains that.

There is the battle of Jakku in the book, so you get to read how the devastation occurs that is seen in TFA.

What isn't explained is why Han and Chewie lost the Falcon. I'm sure that is for another story (if it has not already been covered).

But honestly, the entire 3 book trilogy was pretty good. It wasn't the best Star Wars reading I've ever had, but it was plenty serviceable and conveyed a not-insignificant amount of information leading up to the events in The Force Awakens.

My wife, who has read a LOT more Star Wars books that me (she read the Yuzzhan Vong stories, I certainly couldn't) has just started reading the Aftermath books now that I'm done with them. I will give a quick overview of what she thinks when she finishes them.

Overall, I would rate this series of books as "Fair to Good". Decent characters, good Star Wars action, bits of iconic characters, and ties that link it all together with the movies.

If people have questions, I will do my best to answer them about the series.
If you don't mind picking up the books, I'd suggest you read them. If such a task doesn't interest you, I could answer some questions people might have on the series.

[Grimace]

Now my wife has read and finished the first book in Aftermath.

She said that, admittedly, the first quarter of the book was a little challenging to get through, but after that, it flowed much smoother and it ended up being "rather enjoyable" to read.

She said, overall, the book was good and, after the first quarter, rather easy to read. She said the "Interludes" were a bit confusing to her at times, and she hoped they didn't carry information that ported over into other books in the series (which they do not).

She is interested in reading the second book now. Not sure when she will get to it, as she's back on her kindle now, but I'll keep people posted as she reads them.

edit: I will also note that she has read a LOT more Star Wars books than I have. She pretty much read the books religiously as they came out...all the way through the Vong event.

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What Star Wars novels have you read? Liked?