Max Nocerino 
Star Wars: Reign of the Empire – Edge of the Abyss feels like a prequel in every sense of the word, adding further depth to the political tensions and personal struggles that would eventually help fuel the Rebellion.
It’s time to return to the galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: Reign of the Empire – Edge of the Abyss, the second installment in the Reign of the Empire trilogy and Rebecca Roanhorse’s second foray into the Star Wars universe. While I’ve always considered Roanhorse a very good writer, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the plot of Resistance Reborn, her previous flagship Star Wars novel, when I read it all those years ago. Thankfully, Edge of the Abyss struck a much deeper chord with me. In fact, I couldn’t help feeling that the novel captured the same distinctive atmosphere that made Andor such a compelling addition to the Star Wars universe.
In the past, I’ve often wished that Star Wars would lean more heavily into science fiction than science fantasy. However, after immersing myself in this latest corner of the galaxy, I’m beginning to appreciate the retrofuturistic identity that has always made Star Wars so unique. Set a year before the events of Andor, Edge of the Abyss feels like a prequel in every sense of the word, adding further depth to the political tensions and personal struggles that would eventually help fuel the Rebellion. Picking up roughly a decade after the events of the first Reign of the Empire novel, the story reveals just how much the Empire’s relentless oppression has taken its toll on Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera.
Saw remains as unpredictable and uncompromising as ever, determined to bring down the Empire by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Mon Mothma and Bail Organa have settled into the challenges of raising their pre-adolescent daughters while continuing to resist Imperial tyranny. For them, open rebellion isn’t always an option. They must tread carefully, concealing their defiance beneath the respectable public lives expected of them while doing everything they can to undermine the Empire from within. It’s a dangerous balancing act, and one that makes their stories all the more compelling.
A LACK OF FORCE?
As I was reading this book, I initially didn’t feel the story was very compelling, but towards the end, I understood the subtle but powerful chain of events that this story set into motion. I often crave suspense and an overwhelming amount of stimuli, but sometimes simple gets the job done best. The book ironically drew me in on the first page, though, by starting in a library, which serves as a “safehouse front” of sorts for people who are against the Empire. I am a librarian by trade, a children’s librarian, and it was so eerie how Rebecca captured all the day-to-day things I do as a librarian, perfectly, almost to an exact T. Did Rebecca ever live in Queens, New York, and visit our library system? Hmmm.
Mon Mothma, Bail, and Saw have been fleshed out in more stories than I can count, so I wasn’t really interested in more of that, but I salute Rebecca for not ruining their characters with her own unique spin. I think she captured them all honorably well, and I felt her touch to Saw losing his mind felt very organic and believable.
NEW CHARACTERS
The new characters she created, the galactic pop star Quanaliko and the wannabe activist Anto Kreegyr, weren’t very multifaceted, but they had a few interesting roles that made them almost essential to the story. Actually, they were essential, and I appreciate that.
I think where Roanhorse shines in this novel is her writing of the same-sex relationship between human male Ghorman student Fennro and his lover, “exchange student” Chemish, who is from the previous book and actually an ISB agent in disguise, who befriended Fennro on behalf of the Empire to try and infiltrate a student group that is speaking out against the Empire. Chemish initially regards Fennro as just a ‘mark’ but grows to fall in love with him during their “relationship.”
Everyone’s opinion on LGBTQ+ relationships is their own prerogative, and while I do find it to be a bit overkill to have a same-sex relationship in literally every modern Star Wars novel, it is inspiring and uplifting to see that these types of relationships are so standard and identical to any other type of love that nobody even differentiates them from opposite-sex pairings. I mean, who cares about a strict 2 gender system when there are aliens in this galaxy that can have up to thirteen genders. Speaking of gender, Chemish also doesn’t identify as male (he goes by they/them), and everyone in this galaxy accepts that without question. I don’t even think there is a separate word for ‘gay’ in this universe!
GALACTIC YOUTH
This novel was overall very interesting to read, as it really captures what the youth of the Star Wars galaxy are experiencing, with examples similar to real-life examples of college kids on prestigious campuses who want to speak out against the government and for equal rights for all. Fennro is actually a chemistry major, and unfortunately, while we don’t get any mention of some type of advanced Clarketech chemistry that Star Wars’ advanced world is working on, it is very clear that students on Ghorman are interested in political science and the humanities, as they are very much disgusted with the Empire and its draconian policies. To be honest, I probably would have been a poly sci major if I lived in Star Wars.
Lastly, I want to touch on something deep (and perhaps grim) that I ultimately took away from this novel. As a Star Wars fan, I tend to naturally align with how the Jedi view freedom and justice. The individual’s life is just as important as the whole. I’ve always felt that way and still do. However, this book has shown me that even though the Jedi’s intentions were noble, their inability to see the bigger picture is what cost them their Order and the Republic itself.
IDEAOLOGY
Sometimes you need firebrands like Saw Gerrara and Luthen, who get their hands dirty, to make real societal change. They were the architects of the Rebellion, and while they often spilled innocent blood, it is very possible that without their sacrifices and brutal tactics, the Empire would not have fallen, and the lives of millions more than the ones they took may have been snuffed out or subjugated. The greater good does not care about fairness.
VERDICT
I don’t know if I totally agree with this, but this book has made me question a lot about how there are heroes on both sides, and evil everywhere. And Chemish’s growth at the end of the novel really made it all worthwhile. I wouldn’t miss this book if I were you.
Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss is available to buy from all good bookshops 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!
