Wendig tackles what is quite possibly the trickiest novel to navigate since Heir to the Empire with confidence and precision, introducing new characters and concepts while retaining the jury-rigged, gung-ho swagger of the original trilogy. Roll on chapter 2.

Do yourself a favour, you don’t want to be suffering from Jedi fatigue come December, avoid any further trailers for the new film and read this instead. Wendig has achieved an accomplishment I thought nigh on impossible. He has written a novel that has left me actively salivating for the next Star Wars movie. Well played Mr Wendig, well played. Turns out, thirty two years later, I haven’t changed a bit; I am still completely in thrall to my childhood favourites. If The Force Awakens manages to capture the same sense of adventure that is on display here, then the future of Star Wars is in safe hands

highly readable, sharp continuation of the saga

Chuck has kept the spirit of the original Star Wars movies – that cheesiness and goofiness we all loved so much – but at the same time made sure there is enough realism and grittiness so that it appeals to the tastes of readers today. 10/10

It's clear from the start that Wendig really gets Star Wars, he manages to immerse the reader into that unique Star Wars feeling right from the start. The ambience is spot on. Aftermath is full of the strange creatures and dusty technology that helps to make up the Star Wars universe. He then populates this canvas with intriguing, lively, thoughtful characters that fit into the spaces seamlessly…The ending, when it comes is just superb and does what a book should, leave you wanting more - such as figuring out just who is really in charge of the remnants of the Empire. Star Wars Aftermath almost makes up for that sweeping canon reset, a few more like this and Disney will be completely forgiven. A wonderful Star Wars adventure by a gifted author. 5 *

Coupled with Wendig’s elegant prose, and you have a journey that is both breath-taking yet restrained, throwing you headlong into a story that reaches its crescendo at around the half-way point and maintains this pace throughout, while subsequently making it clear that all these events are just the beginning. The clues for what lies ahead are there for those who want to look for them (especially during the intriguing final chapter), but for others this is Star Wars fiction at a high standard done well. The Force is strong in this one indeed. 4 *

Compelling characterisation, both heroes and villains spring into fully formed being, good dialogue and a rapidly evolving, entertaining plot – that for some reason which I can’t quite put my finger on reminded me of ‘Where Eagles Dare’, ensure that ‘Aftermath’ rattles along an brisk, engaging and enjoyable pace. With equal thought and measure having gone into the interludes and asides that pepper the story (and doubtless set up another novels and books in both the series and the Star Wars universe as a whole), some of which feature familiar faces and a scoundrel or two, Wendig has managed to do what I previously thought was nigh-on-impossible, delivering a book that immerses the reader, the fan and the devotee into a Universe full of wonderful possibility and a multitude of endless adventures that has restored more than a little magic to the Star Wars franchise . The force is strong with this one…

Fast paced, fires on all cylinders ... a very hard book to put down.