Despite SDCC and a recent publishing-focused panel barely in the rearview, io9 has the exclusive reveal of the next big Star Wars novel trilogy: Reign of the Empire! Beginning with Alexander Freed’s Reign of the Empire – The Mask of Fear on February 25, 2025, the trilogy is set to chart a course of the Rebellion’s rise in the 20 years between the prequel and original trilogies, with the subsequent releases coming from authors Rebecca Roanhorse and Fran Wilde! Check out the full cover and more details below!
It might seem like the “dark times” have become quite illuminated over the past several years with TV shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rebels, and Andor, books like Tarkin and A New Dawn, comics like Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith to the recent Inquisitors, and even video games with the Jedi series, but none have promised such behind-the-scenes access to the Rebellion’s formation like this before. The Reign of the Empire trilogy will help consolidate the Rebellion’s formation and efforts across the 20-year span by focusing on big names like Mon Mothma, who graces The Mask of Fear cover, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa, but also a host of new characters as well. I love the potential here to see events from the many shows, books, comics, and video games in a new light, especially from such important figures to the burgeoning movement, and how they fit into the larger schemes and plans to eventually start the full out Civil War and take down the Empire. I’m also intrigued to see new events added to the Rebellion’s plans, as it’ll serve to help flesh out what they end up doing and give greater context to what all comes next. Given the next two books in the trilogy are years away at this time, and each one will jump forward in the timeline to cover as much of the period as possible, it gives the trilogy a chance to let Andor’s season two be included in its events as well, while I suspect we’ll get to see more of Luthen Rael and Mon Mothma’s relationship too. No one, or time period, is ever really gone from publishing efforts, but something this expansive and definitive to the bigger, overall workings of the Rebellion almost makes this feel like a goodbye to the era to some degree, as while I’m sure there will always be stories to tell, I wouldn’t be surprised the books move to focus on different eras in support of upcoming films and shows or the next big initiative.
The Mask of Fear is by Alexander Freed, who was behind the absolutely unforgettable Alphabet Squadron trilogy, which is an absolute must-read if you haven’t yet. I’m excited for him to be back, and of course would’ve taken a full trilogy from him, but I’m happy we get different authors for the other two books, especially since they are Roanhorse and Wilde. Rebecca Roanhorse’s Resistance Reborn is highly underrated, combining comics, games, and other books to fill in part of the year between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. I’d been hoping we’d see her again and, given her ability to pull from so many sources and gel them together, this trilogy sounds right up her alley. She’ll be writing the second entry, out Spring 2026. And for the final novel, out Spring 2027, Fran Wilde will make her full novel debut to Star Wars, following up on her From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi story, “No Contingency.” Wilde’s story made my Top 10 from the novel and was an audition for what she could do with a character like Mon Mothma, revealing a surprising story for the character prior to her movie appearance and even included references to Andor, and was also a pseudo-sequel to Freed’s own Mon story in From a Certain Point of View: Star Wars. Sounds fitting she’ll wrap up what Freed started for this trilogy.
Check out the blurb for Reign of the Empire – The Mask of Fear below and find your way back to the Manor for news on the other entries and eventual reviews:
Before the Rebellion, the Empire reigned.
“In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the
first Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society!”
With one speech, and thunderous applause, Chancellor Palpatine brought the era of the Republic crashing down. In its place rose the Galactic Empire. Across the galaxy, people rejoiced and celebrated the end to war—and the promises of tomorrow. But that tomorrow was a lie. Instead the galaxy became twisted by the cruelty and fear of the Emperor’s rule.
During that terrifying first year of tyranny, Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa face the encroaching darkness. One day, they will be three architects of the Rebel Alliance. But first, each must find purpose and direction in a changing galaxy, while harboring their own secrets, fears, and hopes for a future that may never come, unless they act.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.