Empire's End

Empire's End by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to say I was expecting a lot more from this book. For what it was it was ok. The book was very slow in places, infact I think I fell asleep reading it a couple of points. Then the last 130 pages (the book is divided into 5 parts, it really came alive from half way through part 4 for me) was all out action and I did not want to put the book down from then. However this was less then a third of the book, it was a little too late. Another thing that disappointed me was the lack of star power in this book. I can understand the choice (but I don't like it) about keeping Luke Skywalker quite till the Last Jedi comes out, but this is at least 30 years before The Force Awakens, and many years before he started his quest TFA said he started this quest after Ben's turn to Kylo Ren. Leia, Han and Wedge are made after thought, well we did our bits time to move on. Leia ok she is heavily pregnant, and Wedge is in the dog house for his actions of the last book, but Han and Luke missing the last battle with Empire? I do not think that is really going to happen. Having said that it did give other characters a chance to shine and there some huge heroic sacrifices in the final battle. Though these could have still been done with the Rebel heroes there. Like all ways not everyone gets out alive.

The Rebel Alliance is not more it have become the New Republic government, and has inherited all the bureaucracy, and dirty political maneuvering that goes along with it. After the Order 66 style attack from the Empire, Mon Mothma's position has been weakened politically mean while she is recovering physically from the attack. Norra Wexley and her team are angry and intend to capture Grand Admiral Rae Sloane who they blame as the personification of the Empire and the architect of the diabolical attack. Careful what you wish for as chasing Sloane they find the real threat from the true leader of the Empire Gallius Rax. Now for me the Rax was the biggest letdown of the book. Through out the book we are told what a dangerous man he is, but to me he comes across as a pale immation of Admiral Thrawn, I do not see what the Emperor saw in him or how he usurped Sloane's authority. Even though they were many good points of this book and there were the seeds to what would become the First Order, the early pace of the book, and lack of new development in the Star Wars Universe I could not help but be a little disappointed in this book.

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