October 2024 – Page 3 – The Unseen Library

What are you currently reading:

I just started reading the awesome new Australian thriller High Wire by Candice Fox. Fox’s third book of 2024, High Wire is an exciting thriller with some real bang behind it. I’ve only read a little of High Wire so far, but I am enjoying its high-octane narrative, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Warhammer 40,000: Lazarus: Enmity’s Edge by Gary Kloster (Audiobook)

I’ve spent most of this week listening to the awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Lazarus: Enmity’s Edge by Gary Kloster. An impressive and epic read that follows a company of the Dark Angels to a mysterious planet, Enmity’s Edge has proven to be an exceptional read, loaded with intensity, conspiracy and compelling characters. I have deeply enjoyed this exceptional audiobook, and I am hoping to finish it off in the next day or so.

What did you recently finish reading?

I manage to finish off the latest Mitch Rapp novel, Capture or Kill. The first book in this long-running series written by new author Don Bentley, Capture or Kill was an intense and thrilling read that set the murderous protagonist on another dark journey.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I am really hoping to read the new Michael Connelly novel The Waiting this week. The latest book from Connelly to feature his awesome police protagonists, Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch, The Waiting will see them team up to investigate another series of intriguing cases, including an infamous cold case. Set to be one of the best crime fiction reads of 2024, I have been really excited for The Waiting and I cannot wait to see what twisty mysteries Connelly has written this time.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out one of the most promising upcoming Star Wars tie-in novels, with the first book in Alexander Freed’s Reign of the Empire trilogy, The Mask of Fear.

Amazon

I must admit that I have been a little lax recently in my reading of Star Wars fiction, especially as I have had some amazing experiences with the franchise over the years. However, there is one upcoming Star Wars trilogy that I won’t be avoiding, and that is the intriguing and epic sounding Reign of the Empire trilogy by acclaimed author Alexander Freed. Freed is an outstanding author who previously greatly impressed me with his incredible Alphabet Squadron trilogy of Star Wars novels. Made up of the fantastic novels Alphabet Squadron, Shadow Fall and Victory’s Price, the Alphabet Squadron novels were a dark and gritty war series set in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi, which provided a dark follow-up to the classic film. I became a big fan of Freed thanks to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy and I have been keen to see what he was going to write next in the Star Wars universe.

Well, it turns out that Freed’s next foray in Star Wars fiction is going to be another intriguing and awesome series with the Reign of the Empire books. Set after the events of the prequel trilogy, the Reign of the Empire books will provide readers with a fresh take on how the Empire rose and maintained power and how the initial seeds of rebellion were born. The first book in this series, The Mask of Fear, is currently set for release in February 2025, and it is one of my most anticipated books coming out in the first half of the new year thanks to its exceptional focus.

Plot Synopsis:

Before the Rebellion, the Empire reigns, in book one of a trilogy told through the eyes of Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera.

“In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society!”

With one speech, and thunderous applause, Chancellor Palpatine brought the era of the Republic crashing down. In its place rose the Galactic Empire. Across the galaxy, people rejoiced and celebrated the end to war—and the promises of tomorrow. But that tomorrow was a lie. Instead the galaxy became twisted by the cruelty and fear of the Emperor’s rule.

During that terrifying first year of tyranny, Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa face the encroaching darkness. One day, they will be three architects of the Rebel Alliance. But first, each must find purpose and direction in a changing galaxy, while harboring their own secrets, fears, and hopes for a future that may never come, unless they act.

I’m very excited for The Mask of Fear, particularly as Freed looks to expand on the events surrounding the early days of the Empire. Some previous television shows, such as Andor and The Bad Batch, as well as the Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic series, have done an outstanding job of exploring this part of the Star Wars history, and it is frankly one of my favourite periods of the franchise. I am really interested in seeing Freed’s take on it and based on the author’s previous powerful and intense depictions of the Star Wars universe, I am envisioning a dark and realistic take on the early days of power and the events that led the main characters into their rebellion. I am especially keen to see how Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and more, reach their state of rebellion in shows like Andor or Star Wars Rebels, and this should be an excellent, wide-reaching, character-driven Star Wars series.

Based on the author, the period of Star Wars history, and the excellent synopsis above, I am expecting a lot of great things from the Reign of the Empire trilogy. Alexander Freed is such an impressive author, and he is going to weave some real magic be exploring this fantastic part of the franchise. I have no doubt that The Mask of Fear is going to be a particularly strong introduction to this new trilogy, and this will probably be one of the top science fiction or tie-in novels I read in 2025. I cannot wait to check it out and I know I will love every second I spend with it.