Though I haven’t heard great things about this first installment of a trilogy, I thought I’d try it out myself.  Unfortunately, it did not manage to capture my interest.

My biggest issue with the novel is that there are far too many characters without enough characterization to really make them stand out.  There are also far too many plot threads.  Perhaps these numerous story lines will all reach fruition in the subsequent installments, but I can attest to becoming more than a little confused as to who was who and what was happening.

Furthermore, I never quite lost myself in Wendig’s writing style.  He’s obviously a proficient writer – Disney and LucasFilm never would have allowed him into their playhouse if he didn’t impress them.  But on a personal level, his writing left me feeling unsatisfied.  Perhaps I’m mistaken, but it seemed as though he had an outline of events he was required to touch upon without ever really finding himself invested in them. I could be totally wrong, of course, but that’s my impression.  It all felt … disconnected.

Because I didn’t recognize any of the characters, failed to relate to them, and couldn’t keep up with an exorbitant amount of interludes, vignettes, asides, and preludes, I cannot bring myself to recommend Star Wars: Aftermath.