SINGAPORE, July 14 — Star Wars fans who can’t wait until the end of the year for yet another instalment in the Star Wars movie universe, Rogue One, can surely find solace in Chuck Wendig’s new book, the sequel to last year’s Star Wars novel, Aftermath, which was released on Tuesday.

Called Aftermath: Life Debt, it still revolves around the characters featured in the last book — ex-Rebel Alliance pilot Norra Wexley, her son Temmin “Snap” Wexley, former Imperial officer Sinjir Rath Velus, and the Imperial Admiral Rae Sloane, and what happens after the events at the Battle of Endor — but also has some familiar faces, such as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca.

Author Wendig told StarWars.com: “It’s maybe cheating to say that the focus is on all of them. The Aftermath crew intersects with Han and Leia and Chewie in a big way, and those stories dovetail with each other... The fun is seeing them bounce off each other, but also how they end up fitting together in odd ways.”

The author gave more details about the new novel, saying: “The New Republic is having growing pains in its transition, and it’s not always managing them well. Meanwhile, the Empire is stronger than some think, and the future of the Empire rests in the hands of two figures: Rae Sloane and the mysterious individual she meets at the end of the first book.”

Life Debt is the second in a book trilogy by author Wendig, and joins the series of canon movies, TV shows, books, games and comics that connect the timeline from Return of the Jedi to The Force Awakens.

However, the Aftermath trilogy, said Wendig, is less about The Force Awakens and more about Return of the Jedi, in that it directly continues the latter and only hints at the former. “But at the same time, we do start to see the bridge being built to Snap Wexley and Jakku, and the Empire’s end and eventual rebirth in the form of the First Order. The seeds of Leia’s Resistance movement are planted here in Life Debt, too.”

Fan favourite characters such as Sloane as well as minor characters in the first book are now given more play in Life Debt. “Sloane is a different animal. She gives us a new lens into the Empire: While we can still see it as an oppressive regime, we can also see why some would have joined up and stayed loyal. Sloane wants order. She’s pragmatic. She has an ethos and, on paper, it’s ostensibly a positive one even if the Empire she serves is ultimately autocratic and malevolent. Her motivations are human and, at least to me, understandable even as they remain something to condemn,” the author told StarWars.com.

“The idea is to let the characters breathe, let them talk to each other, and see how it plays out,” added Wendig. “It’s less about who they are… and more about who they become.” — TODAY