Aftermath is a long-anticipated glimpse behind the curtain of the new post-Return of the Jedi continuity. Intrigue, espionage, shoot-outs, and space battles surrounding a secret imperial summit on the backwater world of Akiva should have made a compelling introduction to the birth of the New Republic. Instead, the story of that meeting and its disruption by a hastily-assembled group of local rebels unfolds into a fragmented, unfulfilling mess that reveals very little of interest about the state of the galaxy after the Battle of Endor. Like many Star Wars novels before it, Aftermath attempts to mingle popular movie characters with original heroes and villains.