At SDCC ’25, we learned the remaining titles and a slight delay in releases for the remaining Reign of the Empire Trilogy novels, and now we get our first glimpse at details surrounding the second entry, Edge of the Abyss, by Rebecca Roanhorse. io9 had the exclusive cover and blurb reveal, which isn’t shy about highlighting it will be set only a year prior to the start of Andor, while we get plenty of familiar faces on the cover and names in the blurb, like a meet-up fans have been curious to see happen and the good news myself and many others won’t be shutting up about having more of Kleya Marki, among others! Also, historian and author Chris Kempshall announced his return for more in-universe historical fiction on his big appearance with Star Wars Explained, revealing October’s Star Wars: Star Pilots, which will put Wedge Antilles in the cockpit for tales from the Galactic Civil War aka the Original Trilogy! Head below for a look at Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss‘ gorgeous new cover by Marko Manev, its blurb, and more about Star Pilots!!
We’re going to kick this off with October 2026’s Star Pilots, from DK Publishing by author Chris Kempshall. In a really lovely interview with Star Wars Expained that’s well-worth your time, Kempshall dives deep into The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, which our wonderful Chris Werms reviewed, and covers the various aspects they had to consider regarding making an in-universe history book, like the genesis of Palpatine and how he wasn’t just immediately born Darth Sidious. At the end of the interview, Kempshall unleashed the reveal of Star Pilots, another in-universe history book written from Wedge Antilles’ point-of-view post-The Rise of Skywalker that focuses on the Original Trilogy’s Galactic Civil War. Kempshall teased it’s not just Wedge who fans will get to hear from, leaving the room open for anyone from Hera Syndulla to Shara Bey, or even Legends pilots to be made canon, and I can’t wait to see what he all decides to pull off! Heck, could there even be a hint towards 2027’s Starfighter, like a relative of Ryan Gosling’s character or maybe the post-TROS Wedge mentions something related to it? We’ll likely learn more as we close in on its October release, but for now, here’s the first blurb for it:
Wedge Antilles – hero, warrior, star pilot. The only rebel to face two Death Stars and live to tell the tale.
Wedge confronted death countless times, in battles large and small, where split-second decisions often meant the difference between survival and a fiery demise.
Now, he tells his story, and those of the brave pilots he served with and elite enemies he fought against. Aided by unsealed archives from the New Republic, and unreleased interviews of Imperial and Alliance veterans, Antilles gives the definitive account of what it was to fight the
Galactic Civil War from the cockpit of a starfighter.The ships, tactics, and weapons, but also the quiet times and camaraderie, the moments of fear and despair, the thrill of victory and the aching loss of friends. This is the untold story of the galaxy’s star
pilots.
As for the Reign of the Empire trilogy, book 2 Edge of the Abyss is now set for a September 15 release, with Fran Wilde’s Reign of the Empire: From the Ashes still targeting Summer 2027. But we didn’t just get another stellar, and dare I say, superior cover reveal, we got a blurb plus hints about who will all appear. Let’s look at that blurb first:
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.
A couple of things should probably stick out: Mon and Bail’s daughters, aka Leida Mothma and Leia Organa; Ghorman, a pivotal section in Andor‘s second season with its haunting massacre whitewashed by a complicit media that feels more and more relevant with ICE’s Gestapo actions in the US; and Anto Kreegyr, the man sold down the river by Luthen Rael that’s only ever glimpsed in holographic form in the show. Many of those items should point to, alongside the cover, some obvious other faces we’ll see, and some maybe not so obvious ones. For starters, the Ghorman storyline may or may not be related to the news Edge of the Abyss will include Nisus Osar, who was one of those ‘Ministry of Enlightenment’ jerks putting together the anti-Ghorman propaganda in Andor‘s second season, and now feels like the unfortunately perfect time to get into the propaganda efforts of the Empire even more. Then there’s the confirmation Luthen Rael will of course feature, as he’s on the cover, but also too will KLEYA MARKI, the absolute GOAT of Luthen’s cell. While Mon is one of three main characters for this trilogy, Leida’s appearance will be a welcomed link to the show, and means even more Perrin content, of which Alexander Freed’s Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear did some excellent work with. And of course the big question is, if Leia and Leida are in it, and the book focuses on the Empire’s attempt to whitewash history for the younger citizens of the galaxy, could these two characters meet?! According to some additional teases by Random House Worlds’ Editorial Director Tom Hoeler, Leia and Leida WILL MEET! I hope we’ll get to see Mon and Leia talking about Leida in future stories one day then too, while I’ll be interested to see how Mon looks at Leia vs Leida, as if we’ll see Mon thinking of Leia as more of a daughter to her than her own. Tom also revealed Karama, Chemish, and others from book 1 will be back too, and I love we’ll get to see where Chemish’s spy-related story will go next and getting to hear more from the reporter mindset of Karama will be a delight as well. The final tease from Tom comes in relation to Saw Gerrera, as fans have pointed out around this time is when he abandons Jyn Erso, and Tom’s tease is simply saying that’s an interesting observation. Will we get to see Saw make the choice to leave Jyn behind, a pivotal scene in the very good prequel novel, Rebel Rising? Either way, all the exciting new and returning characters, as well as knowing we’re getting Rebecca Roanhorse back behind a full novel, Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss sounds like it’s shaping up to be a more than worthy sequel!
Edge of the Abyss is out September 15 and Star Pilots hits shelves in October, so there’s some 2026 reads to look forward to beyond the upcoming Legacy! Check back to the Manor for the reviews closer to release date, but we’ll try to post about any updates or further reveals once they pop up. Which book are you getting? Both? Only one? Let us know in the comments or social media!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on and the website on Bluesky.