Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss Review

"A person cannot dream of a better world if their dreams are all born of nightmares."

Star Wars is composed of epic trilogies. Original. Prequel. Sequel. Thrawn. Alphabet Squadron.

For some reason, the hardest hits from a galaxy far, far away tend to come from triptychs, and even though there’s nothing wrong with a one-off story like The Mandalorian and Grogu or the upcoming Starfighter, the excitement of three separate installments is hard to match.

Last year, the Reign of the Empire trilogy began with Alexander Freed’s certified masterpiece, The Mask of Fear. The book harnessed the power of espionage and spycraft in a way that Star Wars readers hadn’t seen in quite some time, and the result was a political thriller that stood toe-to-toe with the epic conclusion of The High Republic, Trials of the Jedi, which followed mere months after.

Now, Rebecca Roanhorse (Resistance Reborn) has returned to Star Wars publishing to craft the second entry in the new saga. After a rather sizable time jump, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Saw Gerrera are back to continue building the foundation of the Rebellion from the shadows, and even though The Mask of Fear received the highest possible Youtini rating…Edge of the Abyss may eclipse it.

If you wish that you had a third season on Andor, this is it.

Plot

While The Mask of Fear took readers on a multiplanetary journey of intrigue and deception, Edge of the Abyss focuses its story on a more intimate tale of interpersonal deception in the wake of violent revolution. Beginning with a particularly bloody mission surrounding the forces of Saw Gerrera, the book brings us into a galaxy on the brink of destruction as the sides of the future Galactic Civil War are beginning to solidify.

As they do so, questions surrounding the price of revolution begin to linger.
Is violence ever truly the answer?
How much can you be asked to sacrifice in service of a galaxy you may not live to see?
Is pop music really the most integral tool in the pursuit of forcing teens to accept the beginnings of Imperial propaganda?

Random House Worlds

Roanhorse uses all of these disparate questions to craft a plot that welcomes back the familiar leaders of the Rebellion as they attempt to build up the Rebellion while also maintaining a tenuous grip on their own lives…and even their sanity. Mon’s need to save face within the Imperial Senate immediately finds itself at odds with her crumbling relationship with her daughter (thanks for all the help on that one, Perrin). Bail is forced to reckon with the fact that the justice system he’s fought for his entire life may not exist despite the fact that his own daughter means to enter it.

And Saw…well, Saw is as Saw does, and although he’s aware of the consequences of his actions, we can see his worry about the ripples eroding bit by bit as the years go on.

Much like Andor’s story structure, the larger events surrounding Edge of the Abyss play on in the background while the majority of the scenes are harsh, unrelenting conversations between two players on the board. Whether it’s setting up a political charity event as a way to salvage the facade of a dwindling reputation or asking someone out on a date who may end up needing to become a sacrifice for the Imperial war machine, these scenes are rife with tension, and they all lead to a riveting climax that would feel right at home alongside the Aldhani Heist or the Ghorman Massacre.

While Roanhorse’s storytelling may leave some readers wanting perhaps a few more pages tacked on to the end, Edge of the Abyss provides a prescient, powerful tale about the constant sacrifices required to achieve galactic freedom.

Characters

Fans of Rebecca Roanhorse will remember how perfectly she captured the essence of every character that appeared in the pages of Resistance Reborn back in 2019. That book could have easily turned into an overbearing cameo-fest, but instead, it became one of the best examples of the rich tapestry of the interconnected Star Wars galaxy.

Random House Worlds

Edge of the Abyss employs many of the same tactics to present a cast that brings together a host of multifaceted characters in ways that feel remarkably natural and consistently enhance the story rather than distract from it. As she introduces each new piece on the board, Roanhorse absolutely nails the execution of their individual voices. As one of biggest Bail Organa fans in the world, I was shocked by how precisely her dialogue choices for the Alderaanian senator reflected the vocal cadence of Benjamin Bratt’s Andor interpretation over the trademark wit of Jimmy Smits from the Prequel Trilogy.

A subtle difference, but one that provided unrivaled immersion.

Roanhorse’s skill with voice matching is repeated throughout the novel in the way that she crafts speeches for Mon Mothma and Saw Gerrera as well as the adolescent musings of Leia and Leida. And not only were their voices unmistakable when compared to their onscreen counterparts, they were all fully fleshed out rather than simply being temporary echoes of more exciting representations.

The masterful character work within Edge of the Abyss doesn’t stop at the recognizable names, however. There are plenty of original voices that demand just as much excitement and respect as the noted veterans, and the fact that readers will be just as excited to reach a chapter about Chemish as they will to read a chapter about someone they’ve known about for decades is a sensational feat.

Each one of these people has a role to play in the story that the Reign of the Empire is crafting. Much like Andor, there is no singular, cartoonish villain at the center of it all. The overwhelming power of the Empire’s fascism is far wider and far more sinister, and through the actions of each individual, Roanhorse explores how quickly that corruption can spread.

Writing

If Rebecca Roanhorse decides to write a Star Wars novel every seven years or so, we will consider ourselves very lucky. Her ability to bring in characters from all over the Star Wars universe in logical, effective ways is undeniably impressive, but she also does so with extreme efficiency and outstanding prose.

Whether she is crafting a scene filled with shocking violence and tyrannical fear or with a delicate conversation about music and the pressures of adolescence, Roanhorse’s syntax, word choice, and flow is so precise that it appears effortless. You can’t help but be entranced by the story from the first page, and instead of her dialogue appearing like a pale comparison to the iconic monologues of Andor, her deft talent allows it to live as a parallel masterpiece.

While it would be easy to wax continuously about Rebecca Roanhorse’s skills when it comes to writing our favorite galaxy, we’ll instead take a nod from her knack for efficiency and simply state that she is one of the best Star Wars writers we have. Period.

Overall

The Reign of the Empire trilogy is shaping up to be one of the best Star Wars stories we’ve seen in years. Edge of the Abyss continues the legacy of The Mask of Fear and Andor by providing an incredible story of spycraft, espionage, and the devastating cost of rebellion while also setting us up for what is sure to be a sensational finale next year.

Star Wars publishing rarely gets better than this.

Rating: Masterpiece

Edge of the Abyss is out now.