Apparently, Star Wars: Aftermath now has a proper description:
As the Empire reels from its critical defeats at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance — now a fledgling New Republic — 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 — 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—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 — to consolidate their forces and rally for a counterstrike. But they haven’t reckoned on the Norra and her newfound allies — her technical genius son, a Zabrak bounty hunter, and a reprobate Imperial defector — who are prepared to do whatever they must to end the Empire’s oppressive reign once and for all.
Further, now it has an excerpt, too, which you can read right here.
Other News Nuggets
– ICYMI: The Harvest is totally out! Woo!
– Blackbirds remains $1.99 in Kindle for remainder of July.
– Apparently my belief that Pluto deserves to still be a planet made CBS?
– The Shield now launches 9/16, and here’s an interview with Adam Christopher and I about the comic. (Man, September is gonna be crazy. Zeroes will already be out. Aftermath lands. The resurrection of Blackbirds in print happens (and there’s apparently now a Kirkus review of the book?). The Shield… busy, busy, busy.
– Cool review of The Harvest by Michael Hicks, excerpt here:
Across three novels, Wendig has expertly plumbed the emotional depths of his cast of characters, thrusting them into uniquely dark situations that make their hard-scrabbles lives all the more difficult and turbulent.
– And this review of Zer0es at Bite the Book, excerpted here:
Wendig weaves together a fantastic hacker thriller that halfway through takes a massive and very clever twist.
– I’m off to Camp Necon this weekend so: see you Monday, NERDS.
Kristen says:
I almost just messaged my husband and was like, “Chuck Wendig got a tweet quoted with Captain Kirk and Niel deGrasse-Tyson!” But then I realized that he would have no clue who you are. To him, the bloggers I read daily are like my imaginary friends. Excited for you, though, and congrats on all your awesome news nuggets. 😉
July 16, 2015 — 8:43 AM
Luther M. Siler says:
So am I correct in believing that none of the Big Four have large roles in this book?
July 16, 2015 — 9:02 AM
terribleminds says:
The only correct thing is that if I say any more about the book, a lightsaber will appear and lop off my head.
July 16, 2015 — 9:10 AM
Luther M. Siler says:
What will happen to the lightsaber after your head is lopped off? Because, hey, free lightsaber.
July 16, 2015 — 9:16 AM
terribleminds says:
You can be sure someone will steal that shit and pop it on eBay.
July 16, 2015 — 9:20 AM
Mdl5077 says:
The lightsaber, or the head? :O
July 17, 2015 — 10:49 PM
Shawn Adams says:
I love where your head is at right now. Keep slinging those words. How much freedom did you have with the story line?
July 16, 2015 — 12:22 PM
innerouterawkward says:
Who are you calling a nerd? Dork.
July 16, 2015 — 4:37 PM
Don says:
Your “Appearances” page says you’ll be at Dragon*Con when “Aftermath” comes out. Any chance you’ll have copies for sale or do I need to get up at the asscrack of dawn and take two buses and a train to Wal-Mart to get a copy?
July 18, 2015 — 1:59 PM
tyrovogel says:
An image slowly fades into view on Darth Vogel’s communicator screen. The dark orange scan lines give way to a book cover. It is white. Blue hues. The subtitle: ‘THE WAR IS NOT OVER.’
Rage spreads like electricity through his reinforced nervous system. His fingertips sparkle, but he manages to subdue his feelings short before his connection to the Force manifests strongly enough to short-circuit his cyber implants. He’d learnt his lesson the hard way, back when he was ghost writing pulp fiction stories at $0.01 per word. Hate. Range. But … Control. He must have control.
Darth Vogel reads the by-line: Chuck Wendig.
The same Chuck Wending who wrote about Darth Black, the Death Trader. The same Chuck Wending who ran with the wolves on Tetnus IV on Masquerade Night. Oh, Darth Vogel remembers him. The chip in his head cursed him with perfect memory on his fifth birthday: Darth Vogel forgets nothing.
The memory flashes before him like an iron poker, aimed at his eye.
* * * * *
He’s 13. A Padawan. Even then, Chuck Wending’s exploits were the stuff of legend. Nor Jedi, nor Sith, Wendig was a gray Jedi. He did the right thing, generally, but he didn’t seem to mind making a profit while he was at it. He was the Padawan’s hero. Naturally, the new Jedi Academy restricted the reconstructed data on grey Jedi; it was said only Master Skywalker had access to it.
But he was smart. Smarter than most.
And he had a dream. A passion. One day, he would write an official Star Wars book.
He secretly despised Wendig for his success, and, deep in his heart, knew that the Masters were intentionally slowing his progress. Holding him back. They did not want him to become as powerful as they were; they were afraid of the Padawan’s passion.
It was night. The Padawan entered his Master’s chambers. Unheard, unseen, he removed the lightsaber from the weapon stand by his mentor’s head.
“Frak you,” the Padawan said, cursing in the old language of Teräs Käsi adepts, another discipline he had to pick up in secret. A concentrated ray of blue laser light shot out of the lightsaber’s handle.
* * * * *
A shock runs through Darth Vogel’s body. So much anger. But that’s Okay, he thinks. Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
The war is not over yet.
Fade to black.
Music: https://youtu.be/2oXtRKAu-Ds
July 19, 2015 — 11:39 AM
tyrovogel says:
Darth Vogel proof reads his communicator message.
He had made a typo in “Rage”. He had pressed submit on impulse. Now, his message is awaiting moderation. So much anger. So little control.
Rage … rage … there is only rage …
Darth Vogel shuts off the communicator.
The Force shall set him free.
July 19, 2015 — 11:43 AM