Alexander Freed
A Youtini Collection

Star Wars books you should read if you like
Alexander Freed

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Alexander Freed
"Out here, when somone above you gives an order, you follow it. When someone tries to teach you something, you pay attention. When someone shoots at you, you shoot back."
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any Star Wars readers got their first introduction to Alexander Freed in 2015 with Battlefront: Twilight Company, but he began writing in the Star Wars universe earlier than that. In fact, if you’re a fan of Star Wars: The Old Republic, you may have been enjoying some of his work without even knowing it.

After getting his start writing for pen-and-paper roleplaying games, Freed was on the writing staff at BioWare from 2006 to 2012. There, he was part of the team that earned The Old Republic MSNBC’s game of the year award in 2011 as well as four Game Developers Choice Awards, among others. He wrote the arc for Imperial Agent, one of the playable character classes, and two arcs—Blood of the Empire and Lost Sons—for the Dark Horse comic that tied into the game.

In 2012, he left the company to become a freelance writer. As a freelancer, he continued to work in video games and pursued some additional work outside the Star Wars franchise. He also continued to write for Dark Horse’s Star Wars comics, writing both parts of Purge: The Tyrant’s Fist. 

2015’s Twilight Company was his first Star Wars novel, and it earned a spot on BuzzFeed’s “Best Science Fiction Books of 2015.” He followed that up the following year with the novelization for Rogue One. He contributed to “Contingency Plan,” a short story in From a Certain Point of View. In it, we see Mon Mothma during the Battle of Yavin—a fascinating look into what those tense hours were like for the legendary Rebel leader and one of the anthology’s highlights.

His credentials in the current crop of Star Wars authors thus solidified, in 2019, Freed published Alphabet Squadron, the first in a trilogy set just after Return of the Jedi as the New Republic—and a cobbled-together team of pilots—hunt down Imperial holdouts. You can read our review and check out our two-part podcast roundtable where we gave our full thoughts on the first entry in the trilogy. The second installment, Shadow Fall, came out in 2020 and you can check out our review as well as Alexander Freed's interview on The Living Force Podcast!

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Books in this Collection

The Youtini Collections team has hand-selected the books in this collection
Legends
Legends
Graphic Novel

The Old Republic Volume 1 Blood of the Empire

Written by
Alexander Freed
Artwork by
Dave Ross
Blood of the Empire is the second story arc in a series of comic tie-ins to the Star Wars: The Old Republic massively multi-player online roleplaying game. The story features Sith apprentice Teneb Kel, rest from leading the Sith Empire’s forces to victory. He’s tasked with a mission by secretive Emperor himself, but his prey proves to be a difficult target. In order to complete his mission, preserve his emperor’s reign, and save his skin, Kel must forge an unlikely alliance and keep the secrets he learns along the way. Written by one of the game’s designers, Alexander Freed, the comics were originally released on-line and eventually published as a single issue by Dark Horse.
Set in the newest corner of the Star Wars galaxy!Afterhundreds of years, the Sith Empire has returned to the galaxy, determined tocrush the Republic that sent them into exile. For young Sith Teneb Kel, it ishis only chance to rise above his lowly beginnings as a slave and prove hisworth to the Dark Council. Yet their mission for him is unexpected. He will nothunt Jedi, but rather a fellow Sith the Emperor'sapprentice!The release of The Old Republicpromises to be a Star Wars event of the highest order, agame-changing moment that will mobilize legions of fans to explore anever-before-seen piece of the Star Wars mythology!
Legends
Legends
Graphic Novel

The Old Republic Volume 3: The Lost Suns

Written by
Alexander Freed
Artwork by
Dave Ross, David Daza
The third and final arc in the comic tie in series to the online roleplaying game, The Lost Suns tells an all-new story of Theron Shan - son of Jedi Master Satele Shan and descendant of the legendary Jedi Revan and Bastila Shan. Theron, a top field agent for the Republic’s Strategic Information Service, is sent in search of Jedi Master Ngani Zho, who had raised him as a child until it was discovered that, despite his storied lineage, he lacked sensitivity to the Force. But Shan isn’t the only one in search of Zho, as a Dark Lord of the Sith with a bit of a grievance against the Shan family is also on the trail. With only a captive smuggler and an amnesiac Jedi Master, Theron has to find out what’s going on deep in enemy space — all while trying not to get captured, or worse.
One of the Republic's elite spies, Theron Shan, embarks on an assignment to uncover dark secrets that could shatter the fragile peace with the Sith and plunge the galaxy back into war! An old Jedi, Ngani Zho - once Theron's mentor, and formerly thought lost in Sith territory - has returned, quite a bit more peculiar than before he left. Unfortunately, he''s the only one who can guide Theron on his mission. Quickly, Theron's hands are full with Zho, a troublesome thief, and the Sith who never should have let that old Jedi return to the Republic!
Legends
Legends
Graphic Novel

Purge (Graphic Novel)

Written by
John Ostrander, Haden Blackman, Alexander Freed
Artwork by
Various
Purge is a series of connected one-shot comic issues set as a follow-up to Revenge of the Sith. A handful of Jedi who survived Order 66 unite to do something, once and for all, about the evil Galactic Empire and the Emperor's dark enforcer. Vader isn't upset that the Jedi want to resurface, because he has a singular focus—to track down Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Darth Vader brings death to the Jedi who survived Order 66. His legend grows as he roots out Jedi, crushing their lives, their hopes, and all memory of their kind from the civilizations that now bow to the Galactic Empire.
Canon
Canon
Adult Novel

Battlefront: Twilight Company

Written by
Alexander Freed
Artwork by

Deep in the trenches of the Galactic Civil War, there is no more time for games. Rebel Alliance troops must run headfirst into Imperial territory in order to gain ground, risking everything for even the smallest chance of victory.

The fiercest of them all, a group of soldiers bound by loyalty and their collective hatred of the Empire, is known as Twilight Company. Always eager for a fight, they embark on a mission that could jeopardize everything the Alliance has worked for. But if Twilight Company emerges victorious, their efforts could bring new recruits to the cause and increase the Rebellion’s chances of winning the war.

The bravest soldiers. The toughest warriors. The ultimate survivors.

Among the stars and across the vast expanses of space, the Galactic Civil War rages. On the battlefields of multiple worlds in the Mid Rim, legions of ruthless stormtroopers—bent on crushing resistance to the Empire wherever it arises—are waging close and brutal combat against an armada of freedom fighters. In the streets and alleys of ravaged cities, the front-line forces of the Rebel Alliance are taking the fight to the enemy, pushing deeper into Imperial territory and grappling with the savage flesh-and-blood realities of war on the ground.

Leading the charge are the soldiers—men and women, human and nonhuman—of the Sixty-First Mobile Infantry, better known as Twilight Company. Hard-bitten, war-weary, and ferociously loyal to one another, the members of this renegade outfit doggedly survive where others perish, and defiance is their most powerful weapon against the deadliest odds. When orders come down for the rebels to fall back in the face of superior opposition numbers and firepower, Twilight reluctantly complies. Then an unlikely ally radically changes the strategic equation—and gives the Alliance’s hardest-fighting warriors a crucial chance to turn retreat into resurgence.

Orders or not, alone and outgunned but unbowed, Twilight Company locks, loads, and prepares to make its boldest maneuver—trading down-and-dirty battle in the trenches for a game-changing strike at the ultimate target: the very heart of the Empire’s military machine.

Canon
Canon
Adult Novel

Alphabet Squadron

Written by
Alexander Freed
Artwork by

The Emperor is dead. But the Empire is still clinging to what remains of its resources to survive. It’s up to a mismatched team of pilots to finish chipping away at what remains of one of the worst threats the recent galaxy has ever known.

If you’re a fan of the X-Wing books on the legends timeline, you will love the debut novel in this trilogy set just after the events of Return of the Jedi. With so little known about the events leading up to The Force Awakens, this is the perfect book to introduce you to the Galactic Empire’s final end.

The first novel in a new trilogy starring veteran New Republic pilots.

On the verge of victory in a brutal war, five New Republic pilots transform from hunted to hunters in this epic STAR WARS adventure. Set after Return of the Jedi, Alphabet Squadron follows a unique team, each flying a different class of starfighter as they struggle to end their war once and for all.
 
The Emperor is dead. His final weapon has been destroyed. The Imperial Army is in disarray. In the aftermath, Yrica Quell is just one of thousands of defectors from her former cause living in a deserters’ shantytown—until she is selected to join Alphabet Squadron.
 
Cobbled together from an eclectic assortment of pilots and starfighters, the five members of Alphabet are tasked by New Republic general Hera Syndulla herself. Like Yrica, each is a talented pilot struggling to find their place in a changing galaxy. Their mission: to track down and destroy the mysterious Shadow Wing, a lethal force of TIE fighters exacting bloody, reckless vengeance in the twilight of their reign.
 
The newly formed unit embodies the heart and soul of the Rebellion: ragtag, resourceful, scrappy, and emboldened by their most audacious victory in decades. But going from underdog rebels to celebrated heroes isn’t as easy as it seems, and their inner demons threaten them as much as their enemies among the stars. The wayward warriors of Alphabet Squad will have to learn to fly together if they want to protect the new era of peace they’ve fought so hard to achieve.

Canon
Canon
Adult Novel

Alphabet Squadron: Shadow Fall

Written by
Alexander Freed
Artwork by
Following the success of his entry novel Alphabet Squadron, Alexander Freed is back and better than ever with the much-anticipated sequel, Shadow Fall. Set shortly after the victorious (albeit costly) battle at Pandem Nai, Yrica Quell's ragtag Alphabet Squadron continues their task of finding and eliminating the elite Imperial 204th Fighter Wing, better know as Shadow Wing. Working under the supervision of New Republic Intelligence Agent Caern Adan and General Hera Syndulla, Quell is faced with the challenge of managing her ill-fitting group of pilots while at the same time protecting a secret that could cause irreparable damage to not only Alphabet Squadron, but to the entire New Republic. Meanwhile, a familiar face with a new name has returned to Shadow Wing, and his mission is quite clear: revenge. Check out the second installment in this action packed trilogy!
After their narrow victory over Shadow Wing, Alphabet Squadron is on the attack, hunting their adversaries within the Imperial Remnant. Shadow Wing is desperate for direction and leadership—and they find both in the iron will of Major Keize, their former commander and Yrica Quell's one-time mentor. As battle lines blur, Alphabet Squadron finds itself not only fighting their resurgent foes, but their leader's own deadly shadow.
Canon
Canon
Adult Novel

Alphabet Squadron: Victory's Price

Written by
Alexander Freed
Artwork by
Devastated and torn apart by the events in Shadow Fall, Alphabet Squadron attempts to piece together their next steps forward in a galaxy on the edge of complete destruction. Soran Keize, the former leader of Shadow Wing, long thought dead, has returned to the ruthless TIE squadron making them stronger and more dangerous than ever. With our heroes at their absolute worst, they must pull together to overcome their renewed rivals at their very best. The only question lies in what it will cost. Alexander Freed’s Victory’s Price is the epic conclusion to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy we have long waited for. Known for mixing the right amount of airborne conflict, character development, and surprising twists, Freed is sure to leave everyone talking with this one!
In the wake of Yrica Quell’s shocking decision—and one of the fiercest battles of their lives—the remnants of Alphabet Squadron seek answers and closure across a galaxy whose old war scars are threatening to reopen. Soran Keize has returned to the tip of Shadow Wing’s spear. Operation Cinder, the terrifying protocol of planetary extermination which began in the twilight of the Imperial era, burns throughout the galaxy. Shadow Wing is no longer wounded prey fleeing the hunters of the New Republic. With its leader, its strength has returned, and its Star Destroyers and TIE squadrons lurk in the darkness between stars, carrying out the fallen Emperor’s final edict of destruction—as well as another, stranger mission, one Keize has championed not for the dying Empire, but for its loyal soldiers. Alphabet Squadron’s ships are as ramshackle and damaged as their spirits, but they’ve always had each other. Now, as they face the might of Keize’s reborn juggernaut, they aren’t even sure they have that. How do you catch a shadow? How do you kill it? And when you’re finally victorious, who pays the price?
Canon
Canon
Adult Novel

From A Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

Written by
Various Authors
Artwork by
The first iteration of this tubular collab was so well-received that readers were eagerly anticipating its sequel. The From a Certain Point of View series welcomes so many new authors to the Star Wars Expanded Universe in a way that allows them to extend their reach to other parts of the galaxy while also treating us with stories from well-known authors of the beloved franchise. To all of the new contributors making their debut in this book, we will be watching your career with great interest.
Press Release:On May 21, 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back made its theatrical debut. To celebrate the classic film’s landmark 40th anniversary, StarWars.com presents “Empire at 40,” a special series of interviews, editorial features, and listicles.Forty years of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, 40 authors retelling its stories? Sounds good to us.The anthology series From a Certain Point of View is set to return with From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, celebrating 40 years of Episode V and arriving November 10. Like its predecessor, From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back will feature 40 stories by 40 authors reimagining the classic sequel through the eyes of background characters — heroes, villains, droids and creatures. Check out the cover below!All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book — a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies’ longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House will donate $100,000 to First Book, and Disney/Lucasfilm will donate 100,000 children’s books — valued at $1,000,000 — to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education.Always in motion is the future…but follow the hashtag #FromaCertainPOVStrikesBack to get an early sneak peek at some of the authors participating, and come back to StarWars.com on Monday, June 16, for a reveal of the entire author roster.Authors:Tom Angleberger Sarwat ChaddaS.A. Chakraborty Mike ChenAdam ChristopherZoraida Córdova Delilah S. Dawson Tracy Deonn Seth DickinsonAlexander Freed Jason FryChristie Golden Hank GreenRob Hart E. K. Johnston Lydia KangMichael Kogge R.F. Kuang C.B. Lee Mackenzi Lee John Jackson Miller Michael MoreciDaniel José Older Mark OshiroAmy Ratcliffe Beth Revis Lilliam Rivera Cavan Scott Emily Skrutskie Karen Strong Anne Toole Catherynne M. Valente ​Austin WalkerMartha WellsDjango Wexler Kiersten White Gary Whitta Brittany N. WilliamsCharles YuJim Zubkavich
Canon
Canon
Adult Novel

From A Certain Point of View

Written by
Various Authors
Artwork by

A truly unique and heroic feat in Star Wars publishing, From a Certain Point of View is a compilation of forty short stories by more than forty incredible authors to retell the story of A New Hope in celebration of its fortieth anniversary. Not only did Del Rey assemble a massive team consisting of their catalog of regular Star Wars writers such as Chuck Wendig, John Jackson Miller, and Claudia Gray, they managed to rope in many award-winning authors to pen their first stories in a galaxy far, far away. Such authors include Ken Liu, Sabaa Tahir, Zoraida Córdova, and Rae Carson. All of the book’s authors donated their pay to First Book, a nonprofit dedicated to improving literacy.

The stories represent the points of view of many of the notable side characters from A New Hope, such as Wedge Antilles, Greedo, and Grand Moff Tarkin. But they don’t stop there. The book benefits from forty years of expanding the Star Wars universe, and as such many characters not originally in the original film provide perspective in creative ways–Lando Calrissian, Yoda, Breha Organa, and even Qui-Gon Jinn! It is a compilation not only of characters and authors, but also styles and tones. At times heartbreaking, hilarious, and head-scratching. Some stories will connect differently with different readers. It certainly has something for everyone and is a remarkable read.

Forty years. Forty stories.

In honor of the fortieth anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope, this collection features Star Wars stories by bestselling authors, trendsetting artists, and treasured voices from Star Wars literary history. More than forty authors have lent their unique vision to forty "scenes," each retelling a different moment from the original Star Wars film, but with a twist: Every scene is told from the point of view of a background character. Whether it's the X-wing pilots who helped Luke destroy the Death Star or the stormtroopers who never quite could find the droids they were looking for, Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View places the classic movie in a whole new perspective, and celebrates the influence and legacy of the unparalleled cultural phenomenon, Star Wars.

Canon
Canon
Adult Novel

Rogue One

Written by
Alexander Freed
Artwork by

Plucked directly from the opening credits of A New Hope, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story brought us exactly the type of adventure that fans had been longing for. The dark yet hopeful tone of the film is mirrored beautifully in the words of Alexander Freed in this novelization as he weaves the tale of Jyn and her compatriots.

As opposed to some other film adaptations, Freed uses this opportunity to create a novel that can truly stand on its own regardless of the reader's previous history with the film. And if you loved Rogue One as much as we did, you'll be awed by his masterful characterizations of the beloved team as they're plunged into the most harrowing moments of their lives.

As the shadows of the Empire loom ever larger across the galaxy, so do deeply troubling rumors. The Rebellion has learned of a sinister Imperial plot to bring entire worlds to their knees. Deep in Empire-dominated space, a machine of unimaginable destructive power is nearing completion. A weapon too terrifying to contemplate . . . and a threat that may be too great to overcome.

If the worlds at the Empire’s mercy stand any chance, it lies with an unlikely band of allies: Jyn Erso, a resourceful young woman seeking vengeance; Cassian Andor, a war-weary rebel commander; Bodhi Rook, a defector from the Empire’s military; Chirrut Îmwe, a blind holy man and his crack-shot companion, Baze Malbus; and K-2SO, a deadly Imperial droid turned against its former masters. In their hands rests the new hope that could turn the tide toward a crucial Rebellion victory—if only they can capture the plans to the Empire’s new weapon.

But even as they race toward their dangerous goal, the specter of their ultimate enemy—a monstrous world unto itself—darkens the skies. Waiting to herald the Empire’s brutal reign with a burst of annihilation worthy of its dreaded name: Death Star.

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