By George & Josh Bate
Before Andor Season 2 took the world by storm, Penguin Random House published a book that, as well as effectively serving as Andor Season 0, ranks among the best Star Wars novels to ever release. Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear followed Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera after Revenge of the Sith as the three burgeoning rebels sought to conquer the Empire in three decidedly different ways. Now, courtesy of io9, the novel’s sequel Edge of the Abyss has been unveiled.
io9 confirms that Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss will take place just one year before the events of Andor Season 1 and “moves the story forward from Mask of Fear‘s exploration of the earliest days of the Empire’s rule to a galactic evil on the verge of the apex of its absolute power and authority.”
The novel, written by New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse, will follow rebel cells and leaders all over the galaxy fighting to pick away at the Imperial engine, which grows stronger day-by-day. The idea of a coheisve rebellion seems like a glimmer in the mind’s eye and suddenly becomes under even greater threat when a member of Saw’s cell is captured by the Empire.
The exclusive io9 feature about Edge of the Abyss confirms that Saw Gerrera, Mon Mothma, and Bail Organa will all return after playing integral roles in the novel’s predecessor.
Edge of the Abyss will also feature a host of characters from Andor, including:
- Kleya Marki
- Luthen Rael
- Anto Kreegyr
- Perrin Fertha
- Leida Mothma
- Nisus Osar
The cover art of the novel (which you can see above) also seems to confirm that a young Leia Organa will feature in the novel.
Edge of the Abyss will also take readers to Ghorman, the planet that was the site of the brutal massacre in Andor Season 2.
Check out a full plot description of Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss below….
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 one chance to take a stand when she makes a horrifying discovery 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 ever 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, disorganized 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, outcasts, spies, and all those that desire a better tomorrow. What the prisoner knows could help 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.