The Rise of the Empire: Star Wars: Featuring the Novels Star Wars: Tarkin, Star Wars: A New Dawn, and 3 All-New Short Stories by John Jackson Miller

by John Jackson Miller

Witness the rise of the Empire with these two thrilling Star Wars novels—plus exclusive short stories by Melissa Scott, John Jackson Miller, and Jason Fry! TARKIN “Compelling . . . The villains of Star Wars are as much fun as the good guys.”—New York Daily News Under Governor Wilhuff Tarkin’s guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction—the so-called Death Star—moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. Until then, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Guerrilla attacks by an elusive band of freedom fighters must be countered with swift and brutal action—a mission the Emperor entrusts to his most formidable Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer, and Tarkin, whose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire’s supremacy—and its enemies’ extinction. A NEW DAWNForeword by Dave Filoni “A story with pacing and dialogue that feels like classic Star Wars.”—Nerdist Ever since the Jedi were marked for death, Kanan Jarrus has devoted himself to staying alive rather than serving the Force. So when he discovers a conflict brewing between Imperial forces and desperate revolutionaries, he’s not about to get caught in the crossfire. Then the brutal death of a friend forces him to choose between bowing down to fear or standing up to fight. But Jarrus won’t be fighting alone. Soon he is joined by Hera Syndulla—a mysterious agent provocateur with motives of her own—in challenging the Empire for the sake of a world and its people.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Novels, Space Opera, Short Stories

Unknown Binding

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller has spent a lifetime immersed in science fiction. His Star Trek novels include the Discovery – Die Standing, the acclaimed novel Discovery — The Enterprise War, the Prey trilogy, and Takedown. His Star Wars novels include A New Dawn, Kenobi, Knight Errant, Lost Tribe of the Sith, and the Knights of the Old Republic comics, available from Marvel as Legends: The Old Republic.

He’s written comics and prose for Halo, Iron Man, Simpsons, Conan, Planet of the Apes, and Mass Effect, with recent graphic novels for Battlestar Galactica, Dumbo, and The Lion King. Production notes on all his works can be found at his fiction site.

He is also a comics industry historian, specializing in studying comic-book circulation as presented on his website, Comichron.. He also coauthored the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.

Reviews

[Silvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Individual rating for Star Wars: A New Dawn. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Hera and Kanan were my fave couple in the whole SW universe and reading about the first time they met just gave this fangirl so many things to squeal about.

Now, this is NOT a romance novel like Lost Stars. Hera and Kanan were just a part of a larger story of (yet another) Empire's effort to assert control in a planet with valuable resources. Sounds familiar? I know. It's almost always like that with SW world-building.

I mostly enjoyed the novel, it's fast paced, has great two secondary characters, a former surveillance officer and a ferocious vet-cum-miner). However, it it falls short on telling me (much) more than showing. Also, the antagonists were boring. One reminded me of Gov Pryce and the other was an annoying cruel bully.

But, Hera and Kanan really shone here. I loved reading their POVs - my first time reading Hera's, whose face has become my GR avatar for years. And, what a wonderful addition to the Kanan graphic novels. I was still sad reading about Master Billaba and Order 66.

All in all, one of the better SW novels I read. Since this is set six years before Rebels, now I want to know what happened in between, including when the crew members were recruited.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of two previously published novels and three short stories. The title is misleading as these stories range from after Episode III to the finale of Return of the Jedi.

My review is going to be based on the three short stories as I have already read and reviewed the two novels. I really enjoyed two out of three of the short stories. The first one concerns Hera and we see her before she has joined the crew we know her with in Rebels. I believe this is the weak one of the collection. She is part of a different crew but this crew was never fleshed out. Maybe I didn't care to get to know them since I knew she wasn't going to be with them long. Even the story was meh as nothing of consequence happened here.

The second one is with Tarkin and Vidian who is a character from one of the novels in this collection. I enjoyed this one as we see how opposing characters do not like working with each other and we get to see how their different methods both work.

The third story is about Admiral Sloane and her command of a destroyer. It is a different point of view of the Battle of Endor. I didn't think I would like this one because the different point of view has been done many times in this universe. What sold me on this one is that we get to see the demise of the Empire thru a valued member of the Empire.

All in all, this is a cash grab collection. The three short stories are worth a read but not at full price of this book if you have read the two previously published novels. If everything in this collection is new to you, then I would recommend this book.

[Lance Shadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars: The Rise of the Empire is a compilation of canonical Star Wars stories that includes two novels and three short stories: Melissa Scott’s Mercy Mission, James Luceno’s Tarkin, John Jackson Miller’s Bottleneck, John Jackson Miller’s A New Dawn, and Jason Fry’s The Levers of Power.
I decided to edit my review because got the chance to read this book from cover to cover, and it feels quite a bit different. Originally, because I already read and reviewed the two novels in this book separately, I just read the three short stories. I gave this 5 stars simply for the monetary value you can get by buying this compilation- for 15$, you can get both Tarkin and A New Dawn. Plus three extra short stories. Compare that to the 10$ I spent on A New Dawn and this book is a stellar deal.
This rereview will still be focused on the short stories, because I already read and reviewed Tarkin and A New Dawn. I will briefly go over them, but if you want an in depth review of each novel you will need to check out my full reviews for these novels. I will put links in this review for each one.

MERCY MISSION: 2.5 Stars
This story follows Hera Syndulla, who plays a prominent role in A New Dawn and on the animated TV series Star Wars Rebels. Hera, currently working with a group of smugglers, is hired by a fellow Twi’lek named Goll to deliver vital medical supplies to the struggling Twi’lek people of Ryloth. However, the Imperial presence on Ryloth lead by Moff Delian Mors threatens to stop them.
This story was not that good, and it is easily the weakest part of this collection. Both times I read this story, I forgot about it immediately after. The writing is sloppy, making it difficult to read. Scott doesn’t spend nearly enough time establishing the group of characters that make up Hera’s smuggling crew, so their character moments just feel like wasted page time. The only ones I remember are Hera and Goll- and that’s just because they are familiar faces in other parts of the Star Wars Canon.
This story is saved by two elements that prevent it from being completely awful. First, the chase scene that covers the majority of this story is quite fun. Despite stumbling on the characters, Scott wrote a fun and exciting action sequence as the freighter was making its way to the surface.
Second is the rewards that people who read Paul S. Kemp’s Lords of the Sith will get. They will recognize Goll, a former fighter of the Free Ryloth Movement, and Moff Mors, the leader of the Imperial garrison on Ryloth. Because I knew what happened in Lords of the Sith, there are some stakes for Hera and her friends in getting the medicine to the Twi’leks. It also gives Goll motivation for being on this mission. Not only that, I was also sympathetic towards Mors in her desperate attempts to try and stop the smuggling freighter.
Mercy Mission helps you understand Hera’s motivations in A New Dawn better, but unless you read Lords of the Sith, there isn’t really enough to make it stand out. Read it once, then just skip it and go right to Tarkin.

TARKIN: 3 Stars (review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
James Luceno’s Tarkin is a spiritual successor to his beloved 2012 novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis. Much like Plagueis, its primary purpose is to flesh out an important galactic figure who previously had little known about them by exploring that character’s life. It also is meant to give some context to as much history and lore as possible by finding ways of tying it in to the story. Tarkin is a unique case because it confirms numerous elements that were pushed into legends back into canon. If you’re curious to see what was brought back, check out my full review.
I read this book after reading Luceno’s Plagueis, and my opinions on this book are similar to that one. I have trouble getting through various parts of this novel because there are quite a bit of boring passages, but the efforts Luceno goes through to integrate elements of the Legends lore into the canon are admirable and his characterization is overall pretty strong. I enjoy the interactions between Tarkin and Darth Vader as well as all the connective elements in terms of how Tarkin got to where he was in A New Hope, how he is able to boss Vader around, and how Luceno was able to connect various legends lore to this book. I don’t rate this book as high as Plagueis, though, because I think the writing for this book is not as good.

BOTTLENECK: 4.5 Stars
In this story, Grand Moff Tarkin must team up with the villain from A New Dawn, Count Vidian, to solve a growing problem in the Empire- a shortage of equipment, particularly armor, in the face of rapidly expanding control. They go to a key manufacturing planet to solve the problem, and their egos collide as they approach the problem with different perspectives.
This is a very good addition to the compilation, as it does an excellent job connecting the two novels bundled in this book. We get to see Tarkin as he makes use of his recent promotion to Grand Moff, as well as get a sneak peek on Denetrius Vidian before he wreaks havoc in A New Dawn. I think the woman that collects old armor is a fun side character, and the action is well written. It also has a cameo from Rae Sloane that also sets up the dynamic between her and Vidian established in A New Dawn.
Most importantly, this is just an entertaining read. John Jackson Miller is very good with his writing, and through well rendered action scenes and great dialogue he elevates tired tropes into memorable characters. It is very enjoyable seeing Tarkin’s militaristic approach in putting down the striking factory workers with force and Vidian’s businessman approach in imposing long work hours and merciless restructuring, and witnessing them come to a head through arguing and going behind each other’s back. It’s also interesting to see how their contention resolves.
It is really cool to see how much more rewarding this story is right after reading Tarkin but right before A New Dawn.

A NEW DAWN: 4.5 Stars (full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
A New Dawn is a prequel to Star Wars Rebels. It chronicles how Kanan Jarrus first met Hera Syndulla and how he joined her crew. Kanan, once a jedi, is avoiding the empire by living life as a despicable lowlife, but a series of events on the planet Gorse and its moon, Cynda, cause the instincts of his jedi past to come to light. Hera Syndulla has arrived on Gorse to acquire a data cube from a dissident at a surveillance company, as well as find out more about the empire’s great industrial fixer, Count Vidian. When Vidian threatens to endanger the inhabitants of Gorse, Hera attempts to stop him, teaming up with Kanan, a crazed bomber named Skelly, and a surveillance worker named Zaluna.
I recently raved about this novel in my updated review, and I don’t mind raving about it again. I really love this one. I have read it three times already, and it will not be my last. The plot is epic, the characters across the board are fantastic, the action is well rendered, and the dialogue is wildly entertaining with plenty of laughs. This is a must read for those that follow Star Wars Rebels, and a great start for the Star Wars canon.

THE LEVERS OF POWER: 4.5 Stars
The Levers of Power follows Rae Sloane, now an Admiral, at the Battle of Endor. This is yet another POV type story that has a classic battle from the films seen from the eyes of a new character. These types of scenarios have been done to death- at least since the days of Shadows of the Empire, when fans got to revisit the Battle of Hoth from the POV of Dash Rendar in the Nintendo 64 video game.
Overall, the story was fantastic, and you get to see how the novels from this compilation impact the Star Wars timeline going forward after Return of the Jedi. I loved Rae Sloane’s character here, as she has that rough edge of an imperial but also being more practical and knowing when to retreat. I like how this story fleshes out the character introduced in A New Dawn and Bottleneck and makes here more human.
My only problem with this story is that it takes place after the films, yet the compilation is called “Rise of the Empire”. This is a great little story, but it doesn’t fit timeline wise with the rest of the compilation. Perhaps it should have been included in a printing of part of the Aftermath Trilogy, which features Sloane. Much how like Mercy Mission is closer to Lords of the Sith than Tarkin or A New Dawn, The Levers of Power fits more with Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath than it does this collection. Small nitpick, otherwise a great read.

THE CONCLUSION: I set this rating at 4 stars, but the truth is that the rating is highly variable. It depends on whether or not you already have the novels in this compilation. If you own neither Tarkin or A New Dawn yet, consider this book 5 stars- if you had any desire to check out either of the two novels in this book, just buy this book because it will be worth the investment. After that, take off one star for each novel from the compilation you already own- I rated it 4 stars because I already purchased A New Dawn before buying this book. I received Tarkin from a friend as a gift, but I didn’t count that in terms of rating this book because I didn’t have to buy it.
If you already bought both novels, this is a solid three stars, because if you read the short stories and novels from this book in the order that its presented you do get quite of context with the Empire solidifying its power (through Tarkin, Sloane, and Vidian) paralleled next to the early instances of dissidence and rebellion (through Birch Teller’s hijackers and Hera’s efforts) before the rebel alliance came together.
Overall I enjoyed reading this collection, but I wish the short stories would be released separate from this collection.
Here’s my final recommendation: it depends on what you already purchased and your interest in the two novels in this book. You can skip this compilation if you already own both the novels in the collection or have no interest in reading them. I don’t think the short stories are good enough on their own to warrant paying full price for this collection. However, if you don’t have either Tarkin or A New Dawn but were interested in at least one of them, DEFINITELY GET THIS BOOK! Even if you just want to read one of them and want to avoid the other like the plague, trust me, you won't regret the purchase, because you're still getting the book you want at a discount as well as a trio of short stories.
If you already own one of the novels but want to read the other, Rise of the Empire is worth getting if you also want the short stories, but if you only want that novel you can just get your novel by itself for cheaper and pass on this book.
I will say though, if you are looking for a birthday or Christmas gift to get for a family member or friend who is into Star Wars and/or trying to get into the newer material, you can’t go wrong with Rise of the Empire.
I know this recommendation is all over the place, but it really is based on the money and how much you are willing to spend to get the extra components bundled in this compilation.

[Jared Mayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rise of the Empire is a surprisingly hefty paperback featuring stories in the new line of Star Wars publishing. It repackages A New Dawn and Tarkin–both enjoyable reads in their own right–and delivers top-notch, brand-new short stories to enrich the purchase. This volume serves as a really great introduction to the new characters and stories being written in the new era.

John Jackson Miller’s Rebels tie-in novel, A New Dawn, is wonderfully written and feels authentically like Star Wars. It’s not the best Star Wars book available on shelves, but it’s a great place to start featuring conflicted heroes, fear-inducing villains, and explosive conflicts.

James Luceno’s Tarkin is a journey into the psyche of one of Star Wars’ most memorable villains never to ignite a red lightsaber. It’s dark, dramatic, and intriguing in a character-driven way. The moments that work best are the interactions between its titular character and the man-in-black himself, Darth Vader.

Both books are worth the read, but the three new short stories are why I bought the book. They’re essential reading for those invested in the new canon, tying characters and events together in a very satisfying way. Hera, Tarkin, Vidian, and Sloane really shine in a few short pages.

Do I wish the short stories were released independent of the paperback? Of course. But the book offers a wide variety of content, looks great on the shelf, and is a great book to hand a friend who might be interested in reading great content in a galaxy far, far away.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an attempt by Disney to make fans dish out more money, because Disney needs it. Of course, I'm a sap who actually paid for it. It brings together, in one volume, two novels: James Luceno's "Tarkin" and John Jackson Miller's "A New Dawn", neither of which were stellar (see my reviews of both). It also includes three short stories, which, I'm guessing, were previously unpublished. They range from okay to decent.

The title is misleading: "The Rise of the Empire" gives the impression that the book is about, well, the starting point of the Empire. To me, the time period in the Star Wars universe that this title evokes is during the last half of the Clone Wars, slightly before and immediately after the Purge, when Senator Palpatine transforms into Darth Sidious and Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader.

Instead, the book deals more with the construction of the Death Star and the events leading up to "Rogue One".

The title should be "The Rise of Disney".

[Tom Merritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lore nerds

An excellent lore collection that gives some depth to Sloan and others. I unexpectedly enjoyed the Rebels prequel the most.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

2022-12: Tarkin: 3 stars.
It's 14BBY, so five years after Order 66. James Luceno gives us both a backstory for Wilhuff Tarkin and a present day investigation.

At this novel's opening, Tarkin is a Moff, and he is notified of an attack on the Rampart Station (named after Vice Admiral Rampart??), where some of the construction of the Death Star is happening. This attack exposes a possible plan to disseminate false information (i.e., not Empire propaganda) through the Holonet.

We then take a small detour to see Tarkin's childhood on Eriadu (an Outer Rim planet) and his time spent hunting with his uncle, where he first learned that the guy with the biggest stick is practically obligated to smash the weak.

Then, after years spent learning about and working in law enforcement, good ole Palpy took Tarkin under his creepy wing, seeing Tarkin's potential as to be an evil a-hole on a large scale. Palpy then groomed the guy, to the point that Tarkin was genuinely appreciative/totally under the sway of Palpy (this is the Tarkin we saw during his rescue by Anakin and Ahsoka during the Clone Wars).

Returning to the present, Palpy sends Tarkin and Vader to investigate who's messing with the Holonet, and the two do, leaving multiple dead in their wake, and Palpy happy that his two best errand boys foiled some rebelliousness.

Did this novel give me any deeper understanding into Tarkin, except that he's not just evil, he's evil through and through? I think I figured that out in "A New Hope" when he appeared dressed pretty much as a Nazi, destroyed an entire planet, then probably took a break for a spot of tea.

More interesting however, is that Tarkin suspects Vader is actually Anakin (they got on famously during Tarkin's rescue years earlier), though Vader is too dark, broody and torturey now to be all smiley-faced when reunited with Tarkin for their mission together. The two murderers, sadly, are pretty effective together, and as it's only 14BBY, we know they commit much more torture and murder in the years to come.

Though James Luceno didn't give me new insight into Tarkin's character, the chase Tarkin and Vader go on is fast and effective, sadly, as we know most actions against the Empire this early in the timeline are doomed pretty much to failure. Though not as riveting as other Star Wars books, it's enjoyable enough for the Murder Duo action.


2015-01: A New Dawn: 3 stars.
Great to see what Kanan Jarrus was doing before the AMAZING Hera Syndulla encountered him. It took a lot to motivate Kanan to get involved dealing with any sort of injustice, but Hera's fierce determination to take on the Empire was the impetus he needed. And we get our first glimpse of Rae Sloan.

Though this wasn't the best Star Wars book I've read, I did enjoy seeing amazing pilot and Space Mum Hera and recovering Jedi Kanan become a team before the others we're familiar with from Star Wars Rebels appear on the Ghost.

[Jessamyn Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy Mission by Melissa Scott (Short Story)
3/5 Stars
Meh. I love Hera but I'm so tired of Ryloth stories. Did a little bit to bridge Lords of the Sith and Tarkin.

Tarkin by James Luceno
I read this on its own a while back. See my review here.

Bottleneck by John Jackson Miller (Short Story)
3/5 Stars
I read this after A New Dawn, so I had already been introduced to Vidian at that point and I didn't really want to read him and Tarkin bickering. It served its purpose as a segue between the two novels I guess. Bonus points for tiny Sloane scene.

A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller
4/5 Stars
The main attraction in this collection, in my opinion. It's a very good sign when I can hardly put down a Star Wars book. Thanks to Rebels and Kanan's comics, the galaxy's best space parents already have my heart. But they're such babies in this? They're barely older than Sabine and Ezra are now? They have so much character growth ahead? But they're already such a great team? *hugs them*

A lot of fun side characters, Gorse and Cynda are some of the cooler locales I've seen in Star Wars books, and the plot had some good twists and turns. Plus a healthy dose of Bae--er, I mean Rae--Sloane never hurts.

(I have to wonder if Miller knew about The Thing that was going to happen to Kanan or if all that foreshadowing was unintentional...)

(After reading this, I have to say Rebels is criminally under-utilizing Hera's fighting abilities. *sideeyes*)

Levers of Power by Jason Fry (Short Story)
4/5 Stars
If you ever wanted to know where Rae Sloane was The Day the Empire Died, this story is for you. She is one of my favorite new canon characters and this was a nice setup for Aftermath.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ovo je jedna fina kompilacija dve postojece knjge plus tri mini price koje sluze da spoje kolko tolko ta dva narativa koja su u sustini skroz razliciti. Al pretpostavljam da je neko u Dizniju mislio da je ovo dobar potez.

Glavne knjige us Tarkin koja nam daje uvid u jednog od interesantnijih likova koji kontrolise imperiju, a druga je Nova Zora koja prikazuje da Imperijalna straho vada polako menja ljude i u sustini ih tera na to da se dignu u pobunu.

Same mini price koje su ubacene su dosta interesantne i iskreno pretstavljaju finu podlosku za neke opsirnije price, narocito zadnja. Prvo imamo Misiju Milosrdja koja prati Heru, junakinju druge knjige, u dostavi medikamenata u zonu pod Imperijalnom kontrolom. Druga prica, Smetnja, nam daje uvid u prvi susret izmedju Tarkina i Vidijana prilikom resavanja zastoja u proizvodnji uniforma :) I na kraju imamo Poluge Moci koja prati Rae Sloan, admirala Imperijalne flote koja ucestvuje u bici iznad Endora i prisustvuje unistenju druge zvezve smrti (moja omiljena prica).

Sve u svemu nije losa kolekcija, iako nema puno veze sto su strpani zajedno, tako da slobodno zavirite ako vec ne posedujete neke od tih knjiga posebno.

[Sean Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved A New Dawn but could barely get through Tarkin. As you might expect from a book about Grand Moff Tarkin and his military career, it was very military and ear story focused. But it just wasn't for me. It got bogged down in too many details about specific facets of the various ships, consoles, and technologies to the point that it became boring to read. Though I did enjoy the overall story and background on Tarkin.

A New Dawn was much to my liking. An action adventure story that plays it's part as a perfect prequal to Star Wars Rebels.

[C.J. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rise of the Empire is honestly a great deal for the price. Keep in mind though that it’s around the size of a comic book volume (a big paperback) and 700 pages long.


Mercy Mission short: 4*
An entertaining story and not at all a bad introduction to Hera leading into A New Dawn.


Tarkin: 4*
As opposed to some people I’ve seen, I am a huge fan of the detail and stylized writing of James Luceno. His stories are some of my favorite in the universe. I love seeing the ideas and experiences behind the mind that led to Tarkin becoming the Grand Moff.


Bottleneck short: 5*
The idea of having Tarkin and Vidian face off was a great one. This could have been flushed out into an even longer story and I would have been on board. However, it still did itself justice as a short. The twist with the poisoning at the end is just another reason why Tarkin is the mastermind. Another tidbit of information on Rae Sloane before her official first appearance in A New Dawn as well.


A New Dawn: 4*
Not my favorite novel as I had read it prior to seeing anything about rebels. Even though it’s a prequel to rebels I just didn’t have any connection or reference to those characters. With that being said, it’s a pretty enjoyable first team up for Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla. An even deeper extension to the Bottleneck short would be how imposing and honestly creepy Count Vidian is. He was a great creation for an antagonist. As always for me, especially with this being the first official appearance, Rae Sloane is continuously badass.


The Levers of Power short: 5*
Now ADMIRAL Rae Sloane leading her ISD during the battle of Endor. I love seeing the amount of stories that can be pieced together just from things already seen in the universe. Also the reference to the B-Wing fighters from the Blade Squadron shorts? what a nice little reference. The ending with her shooting the officer and preparing for what will come in Aftermath? what a badass, again.


The end of this compilation also includes excerpts from: Battlefront: Twilight Company and SW Aftermath, just another reason why this is totally worth the price. If you haven’t read these novels or short stories (I couldn’t find these three online) it’s honestly unbeatable.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rise of the Empire combines two full length novels and a handful of short stories. The short stories are the best part. A glimpse into the lives of a fledgling rebel and a comeptant and ambitious starship captain, I enjoyed these the most.

I was excited to read the novel Tarkin. In the end it was bland. A victim of the fact that nothing major can happen, because it is a prequel, the story serves to help you learn some about the would be Grand Moff's background. It does that well enough, but the narrative is so forgettable, that I have forgotten it already.

The novel A New Dawn has the same problem as Tarkin being a prequel to the show Rebels. I wish Rebels and Clone Wars were a little bit darker and more adult. Although the story is very good and very Star Wars, I have the same opinion about A New Dawn. The antagonist was better than those in Clone Wars, at least. He seemed competent and interesting. I couldn't help but feel like he was a combination of villains in the past from Star Wars, but that aside at least he was interesting. As were most of the protagonists. The problem came in the structure and telling of the story. There were 50 something chapters, each maybe 5 pages long. It was easy to read, but I was only REALLY interested for maybe half of those chapters. The rest of the time I was just making my way though to find out what happens. I found myself unconvinced that the characters were acting in a way that made sense sometimes... and I feel the same was about The Clone Wars or Rebels. If both this book and those animated shows were edited to be tighter, bounce around less, and hold one consistent, adult level narrative, I'd be all in. As it is, they are interesting, but in the end somewhat disappointing from a content perspective.

[Matthew Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rise of the Empire seems to be a misleading title but both novels (Tarkin and A New Dawn) and the 3 short stories were mostly enjoyable reads. Tarkin was definitely the stronger of the 2 novels in this collection.

Tarkin: An interesting backstory to a character that most people probably disliked. There were moments that I felt the author was making Grand Moff Tarkin to similar to Grand Admiral Thrawn but it works for the book. The interactions with Tarkin and Vader were well written and gave a lot of insight into their relationship.

A New Dawn: After watching the entire Rebels series this was enjoyable to see how Hera and Kanan met and became a crew. I was hoping Sabine and Zeb would make an appearance but I was left disappointed. I felt a lot of the story could have been left out and I found myself bored and skimming just so I wouldn't fall asleep.

[Gideon Sledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt disappointed I didn’t like Tarkin as much. I’m a fan of Luceno’s other books, and you get glimpses of that in moments set between Vader and the Emperor. Tarkin as a character didn’t feel as engaging to me as other Imperial leaders.

As for New Dawn, I really enjoyed it to my surprise! I watched Rebels but never felt particularly connected to Kannan or Hera quite as much as I did reading the book. Vidian was an incredible character acting as a not-quite Sith and not-quite military commander. I like the idea of a scary person in a bureaucratic role and I think Vidian filled that well.

I would give A New Dawn 5 stars, but Chopper isn’t in it. Great book!

[Abigail Singer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this is an anthology I have 3 separate reviews.

Tarkin by James Luceno (2.5 stars)
Tarkin was the novel I enjoyed the least out of the collection. I enjoyed the story a lot and it was interesting to see how the Spike and his early teachings formed him as a commander. I also felt weird at some points sort of rooting for him since he was the protagonist, because he's still Tarkin and thus of the "dark side." It's hard to root for a man who will casually murder a few thousand innocent people because it's tactically wise.

My main problem with the story was the writing. It felt mediocre at best. On a large scale there is an interesting plot of insurgents who stole his ship and is wreaking havoc on Imperial institutions,
and a good chunk of the story is Tarkin trying to figure out their next move to stop them. However, once the book gets to 3/4ths of the way though, he seems to suddenly piece the information together out of nowhere. There's a whole chapter dedicated to him linking what he knows of the insurgents to events he knows and how he deduces who all of them are. There are a few hints at one point or another, but they are too vague to be pieced together in such a manner that he does. There wasn't enough information to lead the reader there properly. Tarkin just seems to know the information because the plot requires him to figure it out and link things together. It reads as sloppy writing to me, leave some more obvious clues along the way, flesh out the information!

My other issue with the writing is heavily packed sentences. "The closest planets of any note were the desert world of Tatooine and equally inhospitable Geonosis, on whose irradiated surface the Clone Wars had begun and which had since become a denied outlier to all but an inner circle of Imperial scientists and engineers" (Luceno 29-30). There are worse offenders than this but I can't locate them at the moment. While I understand that Star Wars books are written for Star Wars fans, so there should be the assumption that the reader will have advanced knowledge of the universe, at time Luceno assumes the reader knows too much. He writes lengthy sentences that need to be unpacked to begin with but then includes universe specific terms, places, and events that require further unpacking. I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan and am well familiar with the universe, but even some of his sentences had me going "huh?" and once I decoded them, I realised I did know the information in them, or could infer the small details I didn't know.

So while I would give this 3 stars for the overall story and character, the writing really killed it for me.

A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller (5 Stars)
I'm a little bias, I got this anthology for A New Dawn and because I wanted to read more about Kanan's early life and how he met Hera. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel like Kanan's opening scene sums up his character wel with Captain Slone hails him from the Star Destroyer demanding to know his identifier and Kanan's response is "What are you wearing?" followed by "Just trying to get a picture. Hard to meet people out here" (Miller 330). I read that and thought "wow, he has balls."

It's interesting though that people who have watched him, even for just a little bit claim that they see something in him, something good. I suppose it's this trait that gets him on the Ghost so I shouldn't be complaining, but for a man trying to hide, a lot of people see to see this about him.

And I really liked the detail of young Kanan suggesting to Obi Wan to use the signal to tell everyone to stay away, I almost feel like this feels a little forced like they wanted to make sure he ended up doing something important with a major character. I personally liked how the comics handled it and just had Anakin and R2 walking by in the background. Dave Filoni mentioned in a recent tweet that Ahsoka and Kanan knew each other as younglings.

I don't have much else to say about this, but I hope there's more stories about the early years of the Ghost and things Kanan and Hara get up to before Star Wars: Rebels starts. Maybe a book that tells how they got Zeb and Sabine would be nice.

I have to wonder though, if Zaluna is foreshadowing.

3 Short Stories (4 Stars)
At first I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the short stories in here because I was mostly after reading A New Dawn but all the stories fit well together and lead into the larger works well. I enjoyed seeing a bit more of Hera's earlier life and "Bottleneck" helped set the stage for A New Dawn more than I realised when I read it. It was also refreshing to see the evolution of Slone's character. Having read the Kanan graphic novels, the reaction to Slone when she sees him in Kanan: First Blood make a lot more sense now. And the way "Aftermath" went, I have a feeling she'll show up again. (She may have already since I'm woefully behind on Star Wars books).

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars: The Rise of the Empire is actually a collection of four stories; two full novels and two short stories. The stories include Mercy Mission (short story), Tarkin, Bottleneck, A New Dawn, and finally The Levers of Power. The collection is an interesting choice, when you stop and think about it. Mercy Mission focuses on a protagonist (the same one as in A New Dawn, oddly enough), Tarkin is a novel focused on one of the antagonists of the series, Bottleneck is another short story, with the focus on the antagonists, A New Dawn focuses on a pair of protagonists, and finally The Levers of Power is another antagonist, though of a smaller stature than the other characters previously mentioned.



Mercy Mission by Melissa Scott

Mercy Mission focuses primarily on Hera Syndulla, and the event of the story itself occurs well before the Rebels TV show. It’s clear that even here she’s a more than competent pilot – but it is before she had gained confidence in her skills (there’s a couple of points where we see her hesitating where she would never have done so in the show). This may even predate Hera officially joining the Rebellion. As far as I can tell she’s still working on mercy missions (sneaking in badly needed medicine, food, etc), but there’s no organization she’s attached to.
Obviously the team Hera is currently working with is not the one we know and love from Rebels, and instead it consists of all new characters. Though there is a brief mention of Chopper (fun fact: Apparently Hera is the owner of Chopper, which explains SO much about him and why he hasn’t been ‘fixed’).
This was a great short story that not only helped to establish a bit more of Hera’s background, but her foray into the Rebellion. We also learned a bit more about her people’s struggles, specifically a new disease that’s not really fatal to any species but theirs (hence the desperate need for medicine). Hera is one of my favorite characters, so I’m always thrilled to get any additional detail about her character.
Mercy Mission is likely the first story chronologically in this compilation, which is why we see it here. Additionally it does a great job supporting A New Dawn as these events clearly predate those.



Tarkin by James Luceno

Tarkin is set after A New Hope, but before Revenge of the Sith, though there are some flashbacks to Tarkin’s past, which occurred well before A New Hope or even the construction of the Death Star. This is a great read if you’re looking for some insight into Tarkin’s character, or even just a chance to read more about any of the Star Wars antagonists (I promise you, that while his name is the title, other ones are a part of the story).
Tarkin has long been an interesting character for me. Where many of the Star Wars antagonists are angry and hot tempered (for lack of a better description), Tarkin is cold and calculating. In many ways that makes him more of a danger (though that’s not to say I’d prefer to face Vader). I loved the chance to get more of a character study for Tarkin, and was beyond joyous when that also included some of Tarkin’s childhood. It was more than I could have hoped for.
During the events in Tarkin, we see Tarkin and Darth Vader team up to try and take down and manage a group of Rebels. I’ll admit that while I adored every minute of this novel, I had to constantly stop myself from rooting for the Rebels (the good guys, so to speak); because let’s be honest here, what are the odds that things are going to go well for them, when the whole story is being told from Tarkin’s perspective?
Having a bit of additional perspective on Darth Vader and Darth Sidious was a bonus, in my opinion. I certainly wasn’t expecting anything other than just Tarkin, based on the title (though the description does imply otherwise). Seeing all of the planning and plotting that goes on inside the Empire was intriguing to say the least. Frankly, if Sidious didn’t have all of his men actively trying to one up each other, I’d be wondering how they got anything done over there (one can only imagine how many delays occurring when a backstabbing occurs on the regular).
I found this to be a compelling read, though I’ll admit there were times that it was a little on the slow side. I really enjoyed Luceno’s writing style on the whole, and am glad that he’s been brought into the fold. I can’t wait to see what he produces next for Star Wars.




Bottleneck by John Jackson Miller

After reading Tarkin’s story it may be odd to have it immediately followed up by a short story with him being one of the main characters, but in a way it works. This story is based almost entirely on Gilvaanen, where the production facilities are for the Storm Trooper armor. The other main character of the story is none other than Vidian himself.
As it turns out – the Empire has grown too fast for the production of Storm Trooper armor. They literally have more Storm Troopers than they do armor, which is a crazy thought. Tarkin and Vidian have been sent to Gilvaanen to attempt to boost productivity. Needless to say there’s no room for failure on their part, nor do they intend to humor the idea of it.
Talk about a power team. Tarkin is practical and warlike with his precision, while Vidian is a brilliant organizer and problem solver. Together they make quick form of the two facilities, routing out the problems and bringing in solutions.
There’s also a brief mention of Sloan in this short story – the relevance to which will become clearer later. In this novella she gets a promotion and is allowed her own Star Destroyer (as she is to escort Vidian on his duties).
Establishing Vidian and his abilities/though processes will further help the setting for A New Dawn, but more on that later.
This story did a great job establishing three separate characters and their unique goals. Seeing Tarkin and Vidian and their different approaches to the same problem was fascinating. I almost wish that this novella had been longer, but it is what it is.



A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

While watching Star Wars: Rebels did you ever find yourself wondering how the characters ended up meeting each other in the first place? A New Dawn doesn’t tell us the full story, but it does tell us how Hera and Kanan met, and since they’re both my favorites of the series (cough totally not biased cough) I’m inclined to consider their meeting the most important.
As far as where A New Dawn fits in with the rest of the canon series, I can give you a pretty good estimate for that one. Movie wise it fits in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. As far as the books go it’s tucked between Thrawn and Lost Stars (both are fantastic, in case you were wondering).
A New Dawn is not quite what I was expecting, but I loved it anyway. This was a great prelude to the Rebels series, if I may say so. I for one have always had questions about many of the characters in Rebels, but in particular I’ve been wondering about Kanan and Hera, and this novel finally gives me a few of the answers I’ve been hoping for. Granted, it doesn’t tell me everything, but I’ll take what I can get!
For some reason I had always assumed that Kanan had gotten Hera into the Rebellion, rather than the other way around, but I’ve officially been proven wrong. In this novel we have Kanan essentially in hiding after the fall of the Jedi (for more information on how Kanan survived that, go ahead and read his graphic novels). Meanwhile Hera is the bold and brave agent trying to gather information and make a difference in the galaxy. I wasn’t expecting that twist, and while Kanan immediately steps up to help Hera out, the fact remains that he may not have had she not been there. It’s interesting food for thought.
I loved the character interactions in this story, as well as getting a chance to know the characters without having the others around (not that I don’t love them all – especially Chopper). So often we’ve been forced to see one or both of them guarded, but here they’re a bit more open. Okay, that’s not completely true, as they both have a lot of secrets, but there’s an instant connection between the two that draws them to each other (okay, it’s mostly Kanan being drawn to Hera, but still).
It was interesting to see both characters in a different point in their lives. Hera is confident in her abilities, but she hasn’t hit the point where she feels comfortable working in a team (even thought that is vital for finishing many of the missions she hopes to take on). Meanwhile Kanan is still hurting from his past, and unsure of what he should make of his future. By joining the Rebellion he’s essentially decided to stop sitting on the sideline and instead start fighting for hope. It’s a great change for him, and is wonderful to see it happen.
The antagonist for the series is an interesting one. While he is more physically intimidating than Tarkin, I almost want to put him on the same level. Vidian is a scary dude – and that’s before taking his cyborg body into account. He’s cold and calculating and clearly has no problem coming to lethal conclusions for the sake of business. In short he’s the perfect antagonist for our newly founded team.
I know I’m biased because I love Hera and Kanan (though mostly Hera – she’s one of my favorite characters in all of Star Wars, which is saying something), but I really enjoyed this novel. It’s fast paced and witty and everything else one would hope to find in a Star Wars novel. Even the battle scenes (the few that there were) were pretty great. I know it’s unlikely we’ll see another full novel about any of the Rebels characters, but I would so love it should another one come out. Here’s hoping!



The Levers of Power by Jason Fry

Remember when I said that establishing Sloan’s character would be useful in unexpected ways? Well I was referring to this short story. This one takes place during the Battle of Endor. Sloan is aboard the Vigilance (as she is in command of it), and is watching the battle by the Death Star (2.0) take place as well as making the attempt to see what is happening on the ground. I probably don’t have to point out what’s going to happen next.
Obviously Sloan doesn’t know which way the battle will turn, but her instincts were surprisingly sharp. It just goes to show that some of the people on the Empire’s side were not there out of blind faith (unlike a certain other member on the bridge…oddly enough he didn’t make it…go figure).
This was an interesting tactical perspective on the Battle of Endor (not to mention it was from the losing side – which was interesting to see). Sloan isn’t the harshest character I’ve met in the Star Wars universe, but she’s on the top ten for most practical; she’ll always prioritize that over ethics any day.
This was an interesting choice for the conclusion of this compilation. It’s obviously the latest as far as chronology is concerned, and likely is the reason it was put at the end. Still, it was a bit of a jump from A New Dawn to this. Once I settled in on the timeframe things went pretty smoothly.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Lady*M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy Mission - Melissa Scott - 3 stars

One year after the events in Lords of the Sith, a rebel group arrives on Ryloth to deliver much needed drug. The copilot on the ship is Hera Syndulla. One of the crew members, Goll, was a member of Free Ryloth movement and is her father's friend, not keen on disclosing Cham's location.

The story is short, mainly describing Hera's realization how disorganized various rebel groups are, not sharing intelligence and resources, and demonstrating her pilot skills. The story ends with mission success, but that is not the point of the story:

Goll paused, his face serious. “You have the makings of a good leader. Like your father.”
Leader of what? Hera thought. But maybe she could pull together a group of her own, find some way to stand up against the Empire. “I want to,” she said, and was mildly surprised by her own desire. “I hope I can.”

Moff Mors makes an appearance and it was stated that Hera is already in possession of Chopper, though he wasn't present during mission.

Tarkin - James Luceno - reviewed here - 5 stars

Bottleneck - John Jackson Miller - 4 stars

In the story falling between Miller's Orientation and A New Dawn, Grand Moff Tarkin and Count Vidian are forced by the Emperor to work together. The Empire has been spreading to fast and the production of stormtrooper armor cannot support it, so the two men are sent to the planet Gilvaanen to investigate. While trying to uncover who is to blame for failing production, Tarkin and Vidian are also trying to get an upper hand over each other. While it plays out as whodunit, it's much more interesting as a way to shine the light on the characters, Tarkin in particular. He is methodical and shares some wisdom with Rae Sloan who just got the rank of the captain:

“Accept no favors, and you’ll never owe any.”

“Count Vidian’s eyes never close. And neither should yours.”

The last one will play out in A New Dawn. The story ends with a bargain between Tarkin and Vidian to stay out of each other's way and, after reading aforementioned novel, I can only conclude that Tarking did get better side of the bargain.

A New Dawn - John Jackson Miller - reviewed here - 3.5 stars

The Levers of Power - Jason Fry - 4 stars

Baylo, Vidian, and Tarkin. All of them had shaped Sloane as a young officer, and she still thought of them often—her own retinue of ghosts, always in attendance.

During the battle of Endor, Admiral Rae Sloane captains Imperial-class Star Destroyer Vigilance. Throughout the battle, she remembers her mentors and lessons she learned from them which enable her to see the situation clearly when things go terribly wrong for the Empire. I was still shocked when she shot the loyalty officer point blank, not that it wasn't satisfactory. Sloan is one of the most remarkable characters that came from the new canon and thanks to the end of Aftermath, we know her story isn't over. Sloan believes in the Empire, so I am curious to see how she handles its transformation into the First Order. Will she remain believer? I only know I want to see more of her.



All the stories/novels of this collection are connected in some way. If you want to know entire timeline connected to these particular stories, it goes like this: Orientation (Star Wars Insider) > Lords of the Sith > Mercy Mission > Tarkin > Bottleneck > A New Dawn > Levers of Power.

A solid introduction to the new canon for those who want to start with it.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rise of the Empire is a collection of two full length novels: Tarkin, A New Dawn; and three new short stories unique to this collection.

Plot Summary
As the name implies, Tarkin, is about Governor Wilhuff Tarkin: his rise to Grand Moff and the strange nature of his upbringing. It depicts his relationship with Darth Vader, and their missions together.

A New Dawn is a set-up to introduce some of the characters in the animated Star Wars Rebels series. It shows how Kanan and Hera met each other, and what they were doing before the series starts. Kanan had been keeping a low profile, moving from job to job, where his abilities would likely never be shown. On the other hand, Hera actively participated in rebellion activities.

For the short stories, Mercy Mission - Hera; The Levers of Power - Rae Sloane; Bottleneck - Tarkin. They have some action, but are character development focused.

Positives
+Strong theme of character "rise" into the characters we know

Negatives
+One author is a stronger writer than the others, makes it imbalanced
+Drawn out novels

My Thoughts
I've read a few Star Wars canon novels at this point. My main issue with many of them is that they are so incredibly drawn out with weak character development.

Tarkin was much stronger on this point and is the high point of the collection. A New Dawn I was falling asleep at the beginning of every chapter because it had a formulaic structure of a character thinking about the events of the previous chapter.

I think Tarkin is really for those fans who want a deep cut of some knowledge of this character, rather than the casual fan. I would say I am on the side of casual fan, so there were times I was bored during the strategizing portions. I do think it was written decently.

A New Dawn could have been cut by 30% easily, and really suffered from being too long. A novella would have gotten the point across. The characters were presented in a one dimensional way, and I would have liked some more nuance to them.

The short stories were ok, I wouldn't seek them out to read.

My Thoughts on the Ending
Tarkin didn't have anything really new in terms of adding to the timeline, as this is an area in Star Wars that has been written and developed so much. However, I really enjoyed his childhood sections and thought he was such a bad-ass on his home planet showing up all those creatures. It made me like him!

A New Dawn's ending was ok. I had just wanted to get it over with so much that I was skimming a lot towards the end. I didn't really care too much that Skelly died. He was super annoying anyway.

[WayneM0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a compilation of two Star Wars novels as well as three short stories.

They were good but I must say didn't grab me like others have.

The characters were good but lacked the mainstream characters I really love.

Kanan and Hera are good characters and I did enjoy reading about their exploits. They are from the Star Wars Rebels animated TV series and as I haven't seen much of that it was interesting. However the imperial characters were the best. Tarkin is such an interesting figure, as was count vidian and captain Sloane.

The world building was not as on.point as usual either. This will always be key to Star Wars for me ~ the star wars universe is usually so immense and varied. This also didn't have the cameos that I really enjoy and the.humour wasn't quite there as well.

So it was good, I enjoyed it but it didn't grab me and hook me like other novels have.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a collection of two novels and three short stories all set in the Star Wars universe and leading into the Disney sequels to the original trilogy.
The stories were good and tied together the novels as well as connecting the original trilogy to the cartoons and future novels set in this universe. The third story, which finished thr collection, was the best and sets up the Aftermath trilogy which I highly recommend.
As a big fan of what are now the "Legends" novels from the 1990s, I was hoping that these novels could come close to that quality. I put off reading this for years though because I had not watched the Star Wars cartoons which seemed ro be majorly connected to these stories and novels. In retrospect, I think that watching them may have given some of the aspects of the novels more depth, but they are perfectly enjoyable without having watched the cartoons.
As far as the novels individually:
The first Novel: Tarkin, seemed to work hard at walking the line between making Tarkin a compelling, sympathetic, protagonist and acknowledging that this was a character who blew up a planet as an interrogation technique.
Finding out about Tarkin's rise to power and his childhood were interesting. However, the information about the Emperor seemed contradictory to his persona in the original trilogy.
I enjoyed the second novel, A New Dawn more. The characters were mostly new to me since I hadn't watched the Rebels cartoon. The descriptions and motivations were of these characters were sufficient without taking over from what was, primarily, an action novel. It obviously was meant to introduce these characters who become a major part of the cartoon series and my only complaint is that all of them are forgotten/ignored since they obviously didn't exist in there original trilogy and could not easily be carried over into the new trilogy because of the time which had passed.

[nemotron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I did not actually read "A New Dawn". I intended to do so, mainly because I knew it featured Rae Sloane, whom I liked as a character from reading "Aftermath". I started reading New Dawn after I read all the other stories in the book and I just could not get into it. It's probably an unfair thing to say, because this is her first appearance and Miller created her, but the voice of the character felt wrong to me. It wasn't the Sloane I grew to like from Aftermath and Levers of Power. I'm also not a fan of Rebels and I did not find the Count Vidian character all that interesting, so the incentive to read it was just too low. Anyhow, I shelfed the story for "maybe someday".

Reviewing this in the order I read the stories.

The Levers of Power
Short and sweet. Sloane was one of my favourite characters from Aftermath and this was a nice little prelude to her appearance there. 3-4 stars

Mercy Mission
Not bad, but it did nothing for me. (It might be more interesting to you if you watch Star Wars Rebels and know about the characters) 2 stars

Tarkin
I could have done without so many prolonged jumps into the past, but aside from that I really liked the story. I felt Luceno did a good job with the character's voices, the plot was interesting and the build up to the finale nicely done. 3-4 stars

Bottleneck
After reading Tarkin, I didn't feel Miller got him quite right in this short story. Otherwise it was ok. Something about the Vidian character always made me feel that he doesn't quite fit into the Star Wars universe. Maybe just a personal preference thing. Anyhow: 2 stars

Overall rating (excluding "A New Dawn" for the aforementioned reasons): 3 stars

[Jordan Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it's technically 2 books and 3 short stories in one, The Rise of the Empire brings together stories that should all be read as one overarching tale. The narratives flow one into the next, and I think readers will get more out of the stories and the characters by having all of them bound together like one really long story.

The first short story, 'Mercy Mission,' is largely forgettable aside from the introduction to Hera and her fantastic piloting skills.

Then we move straight into 'Tarkin,' which I really liked. I never really had much of an opinion about Governor Tarkin before, but I loved getting to see more of him. It was interesting to see how his lessons in the wilderness fed his strategic skills, and it was fun to follow the paths of logic Tarkin used to figure out what the rebels would do next. I liked the team-up between Tarkin and Darth Vader, and I thought it was interesting that Tarkin essentially knew Vader was Anakin and that he and the Emperor were Sith lords. It's usually shocking for characters to discover Vader's true identity, but Tarkin didn't really care, and I think that says a lot about what he is and isn't willing to accept in his rise to greater power.

'Bottleneck' was a good read, and it featured another partnership. I really didn't like Count Vidian, which was the point of his character, but I liked the way he and Tarkin were able to be doubly ruthless by using strategy and efficiency. They're both frightening characters on their own, but together they're really terrifyingly powerful.

And then 'A New Dawn,' which was my favorite part of the book. I loved getting more background on Kanan, and it was a lot of fun to see his and Hera's first interactions. The setting in this story was strong, with lots of visuals and descriptions that became important to the plot, and these pieces of information lended themselves to a strong sense of life on Gorse and Cynda. We get to see a lot more of Count Vidian's ruthlessness here, and man, did that cyborg deserve to die. I liked Skelly and Zaluna, and I liked how they used their unique skills against the Empire. I felt for Skelly in particlaur; he was just trying to save Cynda and the miners, but no one would listen to him. And unfortunately, when someone finally did listen, it was a homicidal cyborg who decided to use Skelly's research to intentionally blow up the moon. The action in this story was fast paced, and we got to see a lot of Kanan's fighting skills and Hera's piloting finesse. I also really liked Kanan's few moments of quiet reflection about his past as a Padawan and the fate of the Jedi. It's a small thread woven into the larger story, and I liked how Hera simply accepted Kanan's secret but secretly hoped he'd tell her more about it one day. It's sweet to see their relationship go from annoyed flirtation to shipmates with the promise of something more, especially knowing how close they are in Star Wars Rebels.

Finally, 'The Levers of Power' gives a last look at Rae Sloane, an Imperial captain/admiral who'd been a secondary character in the previous stories. It was neat to see how her time spent with both Tarkin and Vidian had affected her temperament and her battle tactics. This story is set during the Battle of Endor, and after the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of the Emperor, Sloane makes a strategic retreat and saves her ship and crew to continue to fight for what's left of the Empire. I'd be interested to see what happened to Sloane as the final days of the war played out and whether or not her past lessons helped her survive.

Overall, The Rise of the Empire is a great addition to the Star Wars Universe. I have a new favorite baddie in Tarkin, and I always need more Kanan and Hera. A great set of stories with plenty of action, familiar characters, and general Star Wars goodness.

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rise of the Empire is quite a value, made better by the low price for two novels and three short stories (plus preview excerpts of two more novels) than any of the pieces would be by themselves.

This collection better enmeshes the first two novels of the current Star Wars canon within the novels that came shortly after, with one short story placed at the beginning of the collection, one between the two novels, and one to finish the collection:

Mercy Mission, the first short story, acts as a bridge between Lords of the Sith, the fourth canon novel, and A New Dawn, the first canon novel and first novel in this collection. It focuses on Hera Syndulla as she shows off her piloting skills on a mission that takes her back to her home planet of Ryloth. The mission itself is not especially interesting, but it's cool to see a less-experienced Hera still growing into the leader she becomes in A New Dawn and the TV show Star Wars: Rebels. It does feel like there are two many characters for a short story though, and it's hard for me to imagine that they were all necessary.

The novel Tarkin, released as the second canon novel but presented here first since it takes place earlier in the timeline, is both an origin story for the character and a look as his changed relationship with Darth Vader after the events of Star Wars: Episode III. Unfortunately, the story of him and Vader pursuing an isolated band of rebels is not particularly interesting -- his interplay with Vader is the only good part. The flashbacks to Tarkin's past are much better as we see him shaped into the iconic character from Episode IV. The novel is quite short, at not even 300 pages, so maybe the author knew there wasn't much story worth telling here either.

Bottleneck, the middle short story, bridges Tarkin and the first canon novel to be released: A New Dawn. It focuses on a team-up between Count Vidian from A New Dawn and Tarkin himself as they investigate armor supply issues. It's fun to see these two personalities clash and especially to get more of Count Vidian. Their investigative styles are very much at odds as they try to outmaneuver -- an occasionally gain a grudging respect for -- each other.

A New Dawn is a prequel to Star Wars: Rebels and shows how Hera and Kanan meet. It also introduces readers to the style of story that this new Star Wars canon likes to tell so much -- established characters mixed with new, doing something more technical than you might want to do in movie or TV show, and explicitly building out the lore by focusing on establishing how things work in the universe. (For example: A large emphasis of A New Dawn is on the Empire's production process and focus on efficiency.) It's a pretty strong novel, although I ended up enjoying the villains -- Count Vidian and Rae Sloane -- more than Kanan and Hera.

The final short story, The Levers of Power, has little to do with the "Rise of the Empire" referred to in the title of this collection. It follows Rae Sloane during the Battle of Endor as she commands a Star Destroyer. It's a good look at her evolution into a top commander and a major power player in the post-Return of the Jedi world (as depicted in the Aftermath novel) and one of the better written pieces of this collection.

Finally, the collection ends with previews of two other novels, both of which were released around the same time as this collection -- the aforementioned Aftermath and Battlefront: Twilight Company.

Overall, The Rise of the Empire is a collection of solid, if not mind-blowing, Star Wars fiction. Unless you're a big hardcover collector (this is a paperback collection, at least the only way I could find it) it's the best way to experience the first two canon novels with some added connective tissue and a good introduction into the expanded Star Wars universe.

[Silver Keeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this collection because it was cheaper than the two individual novels I wanted, so I do not feel cheated by the not-so-good quality of the three exclusive short stories. I found the first two too forgettable; they’re just two more uninspiring little adventures about some characters from the novels. The third one, The Levers of Power, is more interesting as it shows the defeat of the Galactic Empire at the Battle of Endor from the perspective of a capable, loyal, and not-so-wild imperial admiral, Rae Sloane. The fog of war, the waiting from the orbit, the chaos, the quick decisions, the shattered plans… all good elements. Unfortunately, the “theme” of the story is how a leader must be a solid reference for their soldiers, and the story does not delve deeper into the protagonist's mind, thus avoiding showing her internal turmoil.
Still, it's a light and fresh read, significantly better than the other two.

I liked the novels.

Tarkin seems a bit rough, but it is a fun cat-and-mouse game focusing on an underrated (at least by me) character from the original movie. There are good links to the lore (both new and old canon), a bit of mystery thanks to the obscure plans of the rebels, and a good set of flashbacks showing the background of the traditionalist Wilhuff Tarkin. I would have liked more pathos, but Luceno, the writer, did a good job within the limits of a “finished” and “static” character like this one.

A New Dawn was a surprise. A welcome one, to quote a wise politician. I am not a fan of the classic stories of “simple and minor missions” of the rebels against the Galactic Empire, especially when there aren’t any music or images, but this one was quite good, and I have to admit I enjoyed it more than I expected and more than the other novel. The heroes are “classic,” both the old (Kanan and Hera) and the new ones, but better than many. They have some internal conflict, the setting is original without being too alien, the Empire is intimidating, and the villain, the efficiency expert cyborg Count Denetrius Vidian, is a bit too “villainous,” but I would really like to see him on screen: a powerful and creepy cyborg sent to reorganize industries in "his imperial way": killing people and blowing up things. We have too few cyborgs in the new canon, and this is not a bad one. I felt some emotions reading the final chapters, and this is more than many canon novels and comics did.
As for The Levers of Power, I would like more Rae Sloane.

In the end, this collection can be really good for fans of the classic “Rebel Alliance vs. Empire” stories. Nothing too new or weird, nothing like the excellent and claustrophobic Andor TV show, but still something good and old-fashioned.

[Craig Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of fun sci fi action romps set in a galaxy far far away...

The opening short story, "Mercy Mission," by Melissa Scott is the most forgettable piece but is a fun little introduction to Here Sydulla before her bigger role later. There are a couple of fun space dog fight scenes, and some ingenuity from our viewpoint smugglers.

The first novel "Tarkin," by James Luceno is a great introduction to the eponymous character that helps the reader understand both how ruthless he becomes and his relationship with Darth Vader in A New Hope. It's also a good representation of the various intrigues within the Galactic Empire as Palpatine plays various factors against each other. Further complicating things are an extremely ruthless proto-Rebel alliance cell with a grudge against Tarkin. They're a ragtag bunch of fanatics, and because this novel is set from Tarkin's point of view they're definitely antagonists.

The next short story ("Bottlenecks" by John Jackson Miller) is another that shows Imperial factions working against each other, in this case Tarkin and the villain of the next novel. They play off each other well and it comes off as a mini political thriller with space blasters.

The second and final novel "A New Dawn," by John Jackson Miller acts as a prequel to the Rebels cartoon series, but is aimed at an older audience as it's definitely a more mature story, dealing with themes of death, terrorist bombings, and even mild hints towards sexuality.

The key thing it introduces are the characters of Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus. The former's backstory gets a little bit of short shrift, but the latter's is well covered. We also get a compellingly sadistic villain. There are a lot of really good guerrilla style action set pieces as well. Some of the supporting cast aren't greatly sketched out, which does make it kind of hard to care about what happened to them.

And for a book entitled "The Rise of the Empire," the final short story "The Levers of Power," by Jason Fry being set during the Battle of Endor is an odd choice. I did like the interplay between the Star Destroyer commander and her ISB loyalty officer though. As well as the officer remembering lessons both good and bad she'd learned from other Imperial characters featured in the earlier narratives in this book.

[Michael Galarneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of two different novels and three short stories. In the main, the stories are decent additions to the new and growing expanded Star Wars universe that is being created by Disney. While I am still a little bitter about the loss of the original EU, Disney is doing some good things. The two novels in this book provide two interesting stories. Tarkin gives a wonderful look into the who the man is and how he came to be that way. It also helps to establish the relationship that Tarkin and Vader have. A New Dawn is a wonderful story about how Kanan and Hera first meet. For those that are fans of the Rebels animated series, this is an excellent background for these to characters and their relationship. One warning, the book is not written to the target audience of the show. While it is not graphic of inappropriate, its reading level and some themes may be above the heads of those that typically watch the animated series. By far the best thing about this book (the reason I give it 4 stars instead of 3) is the inclusion of the three short stories. By weaving the stories around the novels (one before Tarkin, one between the two novels, and one after A New Dawn) there is an overall story that is told about a secondary character that appears in both novels: Rae Sloane. Rae plays a rather significant for the Empire after the death of the Emperor, and this collection basically relates her subtle rise to power. In that sense, The Rise of the Empire is less about what the title proclaims and more about The Rise of Rae Sloane.

[Kate ☆♪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy Mission: This was a short story that introduced Hera, Hera Syndalla from Star wars Rebels. There were a lot of new characters and it all happened very fast. (3 stars) (2/1/21)

Tarkin: To be honest I did not like this book as much. I found it cool how it was based on the bad guys and not the good guys. It revealed Tarkin’s past which I found very interesting but overall I did not enjoy the book that much. (2.5 stars) (2/16/21)

Bottleneck: Starts off with Tarkin and introduces Count Vidian, Rae Sloane and Quelton. I’ve never heard of Vidian, Sloane and Quelton before so it was interesting to meet them in this short story. Tarkin does not seem to like Vidian but Quelton does. It is an interesting short story revealing a new enemy. (2.5 stars) (2/20/21)

A New Dawn: OMG this book was AMAZING!!! This probably had to be my favorite book throughout this entire book. This book takes place before the animated series Star Wars Rebels. In this book you meet Kanan and Hera who are two main characters in the TV show. It is interesting learning about Kanan’s past. Count Vidian, (first appearance in Bottleneck) is the main villain throughout this book. He is a very interesting villain who doesn’t have any powers with the force. I REALLY enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Star Wars Rebels. (5 stars) (3/19/21)

Levers of Power: This short story takes place The Day the Empire Died. Rae Sloane from A New Dawn is in this story. It was cool seeing her as a commander in this story. (3.5 stars) (3/19/21)

[Warren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't exactly my favorite. Tarkin already has a review by me (I believe), with my main issues w/ it being that I couldn't buy into Tarkin being this Alpha hunter type in his history.

The other novel contained used characters from the Disney Rebels TV series which I've never watched (it's not on a station I have available and I don't want to spend the time searching for it after I did see the first episode and wasn't wowed). A New Dawn was good enough, all together, with characters I liked well enough, but it had a few strikes against it (from my vantage point).

1. I don't know any of the characters and that made it hard for me to connect. Star Wars is like comfort food to me and just being in the sandbox isn't enough - I want the people I know or at least some connection to them.

2. Some of the dialogue and inner monologue stuff took me out of what I was reading due to references that were attached to current American culture. I only noticed a few times, and can't really recall what they were (though I think one had something to do w/ lowering a tip for a valet).

What I did enjoy was the short stories, which also had characters I didn't know, but I really enjoyed the ship captain (Sloane) that grew into the antagonist (or one of them) in the Novel. As a whole, and in all cases, I preferred the short stories to the larger novels.

These books aren't "bad", but they weren't as memorably as others I've read.

[Aatifah George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic anthology of stories setting the stage for the downfall of the Empire and the fluctuation of power and influence of the Empire's "best," many of which we don't get to see in the classic films. Tarkin was an engaging narrative unraveling the history and reasoning behind the man we see briefly in A New Hope and the Clone Wars and Rebels series, as well as giving more insight into the hierarchy of Palpatine's court and the formation of Imperial intelligence and strategy.
A New Dawn is another insightful introduction to our beloved Rebels characters Kanan and Hera and brought depth and color to more wonderful characters that are not featured in the show but play a large part in the Rebels' path to heroism and call to action.
The worlds introduced in both novels add to a much greater understanding of Imperial control across the galaxy, the tension between Core and Outer Rim worlds, and how the people of these worlds understand the Empire that controls them.
The short stories are a wonderful addition to the novels and set an even clearer background for both novels as well as add more to the stories of characters featured in each story.
A must-read for fans, especially those who love the rebellion era, and the characters and stories told in these books are truly unforgettable (especially A New Dawn, I would say).

[Sal Perales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Del Rey’s newest release is a collection of a couple of previous novels Tarkin and A New Dawn. In addition, it also contains three new short stories: Mercy Mission, Bottleneck, and The Levers of Power. Stuffed in a paperback these stories tell of the Empire’s rise to power (hence the title).

All five stories in this Anthology (or collection of Star Wars stories… whatever) are great reads. I think the stories are in chronological order and that is awesome for me to finally put everything in its place.

Mercy Mission > Tarkin > Bottleneck > A New Dawn > Levers of Power

I’m glad the stories all have a little to tie them to each other. Whether it’s a familiar locale or a character we’ve seen before, it helps us put perspective on everything. The characters really shine here and I’m glad to see them at different points on their journey. I think far and away the most interesting one here is Rae Sloane. While I doubt she will be seen in The Force Awakens at all I do feel that she is a very important character in this mythos and I can’t wait to see her again. The short stories alone are worth the purchase and if you still haven’t read Tarkin and A New Dawn this is a great opportunity!