Max Nocerino 
Despite some uninspiring subplots, Alexander Freed’s Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: Mask of Fear shines as a remarkable achievement!
It’s time to return to the galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: Mask of Fear from Alexander Freed. But can Freed’s latest volume stick the landing? Or should this new novel be locked away in the Imperial vault?
Even though many claim politics was the worst part of the Prequel Trilogy, Alexander Freed has framed this novel quite nicely. He shows all the behind-the-scenes maneuvering politicians must do to ensure the government works for everyone.
MON MOTHMA
This book’s main character is Mon Mothma, the stalwart senator we were first introduced to in 1983 as the leader of the Rebel Alliance. We then went back a few decades, and in 2005, we saw a younger Mon Mothma acting as the senator for her homeworld of Chandrilia. In the deleted scenes of Revenge of the Sith, Mothma, along with Padme Amidala and Bail Organa, had created a petition called the Delegation of 2000, which sought to regulate and reel in the advancing extra powers of the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. We all know how that turned out.
No,w Mothma finds herself frustrated with continuing this mission and regulating the almost absolute dictatorship of the now-EMPEROR Palpatine. She is trying to get as many senators as possible to secretly back what she calls the Imperial Rebirth Act. However, she must be cautious as the new Empire has eyes and ears everywhere. The vibe is very much Orwellian 1984, and I love that the Empire is a surveillance state.
BAIL ORGANA
Bail Organa is also involved in his storyline. He plans to expose the Empire’s framing of the Jedi for treason. The Emperor doesn’t know that he knows the Jedi are innocent or that Palpatine is an evil Sith Lord. He sets off on a quest to uncover proof that the watermark seals on holograms were tampered with to make the Jedi seem like traitors. I admire Bail’s determination and drive for justice, especially since he repeatedly puts himself in risky situations to get to the truth.
While Mothma and Bail have their own A and B story, the third contender for the role of tritagonist is an alien humanoid (of a new species origin) named Soujen. Soujen is an emotionless killer, and while he has some vestiges of decency and mercy, he is a secret weapon for the Separatists, just in case the war went awry for them. Soujen is heavily augmented with neural and body cybernetics and put in stasis during the remainder of The Clone Wars, only to be reactivated if the time comes.
REPUBLIC NEGLECT?
Soujen’s people faced neglect from the Galactic Republic. Due to their numbers waning (due to genetic problems), Soujen agrees to be augmented by the Separatists. I was impressed by how detailed and creative Alexander Freed was when he described how the implants affected Soujen’s mind. He is a cyborg and exhibits abilities many neurosci-fi writers tend to gloss over. I am a big fan of Freed, and this is not his first foray into the Star Wars universe by a long shot.
Soujen awakens to Saw Gerrara and his band of renegade freedom fighters, and they strike a deal. Saw is trying to bring down the Empire, but since the Empire is just the Republic revamped, Soujen wants to take it down for the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
POLITICAL INTRIGUE
As I stated in the beginning, this book contained a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering. While that may not be some fans’ taste, I found it entertaining to follow. I felt a sense of “reader satisfaction” when all the hard work led to an exciting outcome. Mothma is a good person who wants to restore democracy, and while Organa can be stubborn and annoying, his goals are very similar. Throughout this novel, he becomes obsessed with proving the Jedi are innocent. I admire his guts when he goes into still-active war zones or deals with being abducted by dangerous individuals. He is a true hero, which is why Yoda and Obi-Wan trusted him to raise Leia.
My only real complaints with this novel were the secondary subplots. They are told from the point of view of one of Imperial Intelligence’s veteran spies, a Heptooinian woman named Haki, and her protegee of sorts, Chemish, as they try to navigate the Imperial landscape. I found these characters quite dull. While Chemish’s cousin Zhuna was Mothma’s aide, I felt her murder was overemphasized and too dynamic of a plot point. I also thought it was too cliche and convenient for what happens to Haki at the end. I know Freed is writing under Disney’s jurisdiction, but all endings can’t be rainbows and sunshine (or at least a facsimile of them).
VERDICT
Lastly, I want to marvel at the brilliance of Freed’s writing in crafting an Orwellian society. His flavor of the Empire isn’t so much about executing or torturing dissidents. His Empire is all about conditioning and exerting psychological torture on those who don’t comply with the government. Mothma was put in a small space with no bathroom after the Emperor ascended to the throne. This was a tactic used to break her spirit. They didn’t kill her. They didn’t physically torture her. Instead, they traumatized her and made her feel vulnerable.
They also clarified that they can do it again any time they wish, and that time does come later in the novel. Mothma had to use her wits to avoid an arrest, and her lie to the Imperial Security Bureau during questioning was quite brilliant. I also like how the Emperor did not fear dissidents in the early stages of his reign and planned to construct conditioning facilities similar to those in the junior novel Edge of the Empire.
EMPEROR PALPATINE
The Emperor wants rebellion to become extinct. To become as obsolete and archaic as the spear (for a weapon) became. The Emperor is also nowhere to be seen, physically or verbally. He pulls strings from the shadows and does everything through his crony, Mas Amedda. This technique is used in many fictional media and is a tried and true tactic. I was half-expecting to see him appear at the end, but I’m glad they kept him in the background.
I also think history could have turned out quite differently if Mothma had been more callous (like Saw Gerrera). But I will not elaborate on that; I will allow the readers to see for themselves.
Great work, as always, Alexander.
Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: Mask of Fear is available to buy now.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
