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 week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight the next big major Star Wars novel I’m excited for with Edge of the Abyss by the very talented Rebecca Roanhorse.
Last year I had the great pleasure of reading the excellent Star Wars novel, The Mask of Fear by Alex Freed. The compelling first entry in the new Reign of the Empire trilogy, The Mask of Fear showed an interesting vision of the early Empire in the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith. Following several key characters from the expanded franchise, The Mask of Fear was a great combination of politics, cultural examinations and a spy thriller narrative, that was highly relevant in the modern climate. I had an excellent time with The Mask of Fear, and I was curious to see how they were going to continue this series going forward.
It turns out that they are going to shake things up in the second Reign of the Empire book, as not only are inserting a significant time skip, but they are bringing in a whole new author with Rebecca Roanhorse. Roanhorse, who is best known for her The Sixth World and Between Earth and Sky series, has dabbled with Star Wars fiction previously, having written Resistance Reborn in 2019. Edge of the Abyss will be her second foray into the Star Wars universe, and I’m curious to see how she has developed since writing Resistance Reborn.
Set for release in September 2026, Edge of the Abyss looks set to further showcase the overwhelming tyranny of the Empire, as well as the rise of the Rebel Alliance, as three of the main characters from The Mask of Fear continue their fight for freedom, alongside other compelling figures from the expanded universe.
Plot Synopsis:
In this thrilling sequel to The Mask of Fear, set one year before season one of Andor, truth becomes a weapon of the Empire.
Over a decade into the Empire’s reign, life under imperial rule has become routine. The days of the Republic have long passed into memory – if they are remembered at all.
Within the Senate, Mon Mothma and Bail Organa face dwindling influence, for there is no difference between the will of the Emperor and the direction of his Empire. Bail increasingly shifts his focus to support clandestine resistance efforts, knowing a successful fight against the Empire will come from beyond the halls of power. Meanwhile, Mon Mothma sees once chance to take a stand when she makes a horrifying discover about the lengths the regime will go to weaponize truth and loyalty. The Empire’s newest target: the next generation raised under the Emperor’s deepening shadow, including Mon and Bail’s daughters.
Across the galaxy, disparate rebel factions are rendered outcasts, branded criminals, and pitted against each other. On Ghorman, an idealistic student group seeks to make meaningful change, unaware of the ISB agent who seeks to sabotage them from the inside. Leaders like Saw Gerrera and Anto Kreegyr squabble and bargain to survive one more day against the crush of Imperial might. Trust is rare and betrayal quick. A distracted, disorganised resistance is one that is easy to snuff out.
There are few heroes…and no alliances.
When one of Gerrera’s partisans is captured by the Empire, time is running out for senators, outcastes, spies, and all those that desire a better tomorrow. What the prisoner knows could held the Empire eradicate any whisper of resistance, end any rebellion before it can truly begin – and ensure that the Empire’s truth is all the galaxy will ever know.
Now this a very interesting sounding novel, with the author looking set to further dive into politics, espionage and rebellion, as a continuation of the wider narrative of the Reign of the Empire series. It also looks like there are going to be some compelling lore expansions in Edge of the Abyss which will no doubt really appeal to major fans of the Star Wars universe and it’s expanded lore. It seems that Roanhorse is going to really dive into the very early days of the Rebellion, while providing her own take on some of the key characters from The Mask of Fear. Roanhorse is also intending to further explore the divergence in tactics between Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, and I have no doubt the clash between the honourable realism of Bail and the the fading political idealism of Mon is going to be a major source of drama for much of the plot.
One of the more appealing aspects of Edge of the Abyss to me is the jump forward 10 years from the early days of the Empire to the heights of its power a year before the start of the Andor television series. Showcasing the conflicted and disorganised rebels with different goals, like Saw Gerrera and the briefly mentioned Anto Kreegyr, has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing their differing agendas. I’m hoping that the appearance of those two characters also means that Luthen Rael from Andor is also going to show up, and I’m wondering if we’ll see his first interactions with Mon Mothma here. Throw in some mentions of Ghorman, which was such a tragic setting in the second season of Andor, and Edge of the Abyss looks set to contain a lot of juicy hints references for established Star Wars fans.
Overall, I really like the sound of this awesome upcoming Star Wars novel. Rebecca Roanhorse will be an excellent new addition to the larger Reign of the Empire series, and I’m very curious to see where she takes the story in Edge of the Abyss. I’m sure that Edge of the Abyss is going to provide all the intriguing dives into the larger Star Wars universe that I will need in 2026, and I cannot wait to check it out.