Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Unlike many, I was excited to see the EU scrapped for what would hopefully be an improved vision of Star Wars beyond Episode VI. The Thrawn Trilogy was fine, but always felt a little bit out of step with the great themes of the films. So, I was really hoping that Aftermath would point the Star Wars Universe in a more "true" direction. Unfortunately, Aftermath is a total fail. The story is extremely difficult to focus on because the author's diction choices and phraseology are a constant distraction. Again and again he uses idioms and expressions from our world that are glaringly out of place when shoehorned into A Galaxy Far, Far Away. For example, the first time we meet a character who does PR for the New Republic the author declares that she is "trending" across the planet. Do they have Twitter on Coruscant and Bespin now? Are Jawa's doing selfies in the Dune Sea? This is just one early example of how inappropriate Wendig's choice are. In truth, these problems occur on nearly every page or scene in the language he chooses and the voices he gives his characters. Earthly idioms are everywhere, and it murders a readers' ability to focus on the plot and characterization. Science fiction writers are supposed to build new worlds and take you there. Instead, Wendig tried to make the Star Wars Universe more like ours, and the result is revolting. This author clearly was making these deliberate choices in writing style, likely to achieve some level of distinctiveness that marks some authors' work, like James Ellroy's signature language in crime novels or Hemingway's work. As the lead-off hitter for a new range of Star Wars canon, Wendig fails on every level to connect and build an authentic Star Wars tale. Don't buy this book.