Book Review: Star Wars: The Mask of Fear - Reign of the Empire by Alexander Freed

Are you ready for season 2 of "Andor"? I sure am - I'm currently re-watching season 1 right now (just re-watched the first prison episode last night!).

For those who don't know "Andor", it's a very different show than the other Star Wars TV shows and movies. It's usually been described as "Star Wars for adults", as it really emphasizes politics and subterfuge over pew-pews (although it's got a good amount of that too). It is also overseen by Tony Gilroy, who did NOT grow up a Star Wars fan or work in movies just so he could one day work on Star Wars - thus, much of what is shown are pretty original concepts (family dog-style droids, nagging mothers on Coruscant lower levels, cereal with blue milk) sprinkled in with your regular storm troopers and Tie Fighters.

Although keep in mind, as the series is set in the Star Wars universe, it is still definitely fantasy. I mean, one episode had Andor arrested and sent to a prison on another planet because he looked like people who were committing crimes. Can you even imagine? YOU CAN'T!

Anyway, Alexander Freed's new novel is the first part of a trilogy set to compliment "Andor" (note: I don't know if The Mask of Fear is the name of the novel or the name of the series - we'll find out when book two becomes available!). The novel is set just months after the fall of the Separatists and the execution of the Jedi. The setting plays an important role in the novel, as much of it takes place on Coruscant - the damage from the battle at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith has destroyed Coruscant's weather-control devices so it is often cold or rainy, and damage to the upper levels has been mostly repaired while the damage to the poorer sections below has been pretty much left alone. (Side note: The book also mentions that while the naval battle from the movie was happening in the atmosphere, the Senate was also surrounded by droids. When did that happen? Who fought them off? That would have been nice to have seen in the movie!)

The novel follows four characters. Two are senators: Mon Mothma (also a main character on "Andor") and Bail Organa (Princess Leia's foster father, who is fated to die on Alderaan). Both were members of an ill-fated coalition who shortly before the Battle of Coruscant urged Palpatine to end hostilities with the Separatists and start negotiations, both were arrested and harshly interrogated once Palpatine moved from being Chancellor to Emperor, and both are still under constant Imperial surveillance. And for good reason - both are looking for ways to curtail Palpatine's power.

As two future founding members of the Rebel Alliance, it was a nice touch to point out how different they are from each other. Mon Mothma is someone most comfortable working inside the system, making alliances and pulling political levers. She spends most of her time in this book trying to gain backing for a bill that will define which branches of government will have which powers in the new Empire (with the Senate retaining most of the power). Bail Organa, however, is a firebrand, unafraid to say anything no matter the consequences - he sees his earlier arrest as a badge of honor. He is also someone who easily attracts allies and often falls into leadership roles (although most times in losing efforts). It is fascinating to see in the story that while Mon and Bail are colleagues and working (mostly) for the same thing, they are not friends.

Bail spends most of the novel searching for the truth about what happened to the Jedi and why they were all executed. While almost everyone - including Mon Mothma - believe that they were rightly executed for trying to overthrow Palpatine, Bail believes it's a lie and that it was done to prevent them from blocking Palpatine's route to power. The great thing about this is that while we know that Bail is right, his belief isn't built on proof - he has just always looked up to Jedi and can't imagine them doing anything wrong - he's basically a middle-aged man enthralled by Navy SEALs.

Saw Gerrera is the third big star of the novel. He has moved quickly from being a radical anti-Separatist to a radical anti-Imperialist, with his rationale explored in the story. To complete his mission, he forms a tenuous alliance with the fourth star of the book, a Separatist cyborg super-weapon that was activated in case of a Separatist defeat.

Obviously all four of their stories intersect at various points. There can be a lot of supporting characters to remember, and sometimes the story drags a bit, but overall this is a very worthwhile read to see how some people internalize and accept an overthrown government while others work for justice under the radar.

During a point near the end of the book, we find out that even when Palpatine was Chancellor he was already setting up and overseeing concentration camps designed to either turn enemies into believers or just imprisonment. Since Star Wars takes place a long time ago, can you imagine having this Project 2025 years or so ago? Could never happen!

Not to mention, this book explains how Mon Mothma gets a robot stomach! So now you'll spend all your time watching season 2 of "Andor" thinking about that! Good read - eight out of ten hot dogs!