DVD Corner

Star Wars: The Mask Of Fear Book Review

“Star Wars: The Mask Of Fear” has plenty to chew on, but is a bit too overstuffed.

Written by Alexander Freed, “Star Wars: The Mask Of Fear” is the first installment in the Reign of the Empire trilogy. The novel takes place after the events of “Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith” and can be seen as a companion piece (and a prequel) to “Andor.” The story is more of an ensemble piece that revolves around Senator Bail Organa, Saw Gerrera, and Senator Mon Motham. Bail Organa is looking into forged videos involving the Jedi, Mon Mothma is plotting a bill to undercut Emperor Palpatine’s power, and Saw Gerrera is leading a band of guerrilla fighters to fight against the empire and gather weapons. There are a few new faces who have pivotal roles here including an Imperial intelligence spy (Hali), her apprentice (Chemish) and an augmented former Separatist (Soujen) who joins Saw’s group. 

As the story bounces around from character to character, numerous storylines begin to surface involving the 4040s (an Imperial political group that is anti-Separatist and sees Mon Mothma as a threat), Chemish spying on the 4040s, Bail being held hostage by Saw and company, Soujen potentially holding the key to what bail is seeking and plotting something against the Empire and perceived traitors,  

Truth be told, Alexander Freed’s Star Wars stories haven’t been my favorite in the past. The Alphabet Squadron trilogy was a real struggle in particular. With “Star Wars: The Mask Of Fear,” Freed dishes up what is arguably his best work although it’s certainly not free of flaws. 

For the first part of a trilogy, ‘Mask’ has enough content for an entire trilogy itself. At 450 pages, the story is certainly long and juggles perhaps too much. There’s a lot of set-up in the first two-thirds of the novel and the pacing suffers for it. Freed has a tendency to whip up talky and sometimes dry exposition that can cause the book to slow to a crawl. Thankfully, the last third of the novel kicks into gear as the plot delves into Separatist reintegration, the individual ideologies of Mon Mothma, Saw, and Bail Organa, and the growing unease (and unawareness) of what the Emperor is doing behind-the-scenes. The further exploration between the evolving and complicated dynamic between Mon Mothma and Bail also proves to be engaging.

The story’s focus on politics also shine brightly here as the plot digs into the state of the Galaxy, the Senate innerworkings, the aftermath of The Clone Wars, and the early days of the Galactic Empire. It should be noted that this story does require a general understanding of Star Wars lore (especially the Clone Wars) and the rise of the Empire. 

There are a couple subplots that don’t quite pan out here. While Freed may have grander plans for Chemish, the storyline involving the character working as a spy felt like a side story that just draws focus away from the core 3 characters. The plot involving Bail looking into the forged Jedi videos is also not very engaging as we know it will go nowhere and that he will fail in his quest. 

“Star Wars: The Mask Of Fear” is available Feb. 25, 2025.

February 8, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Andor, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, Star Wars Books, Star Wars: Reign Of The Empire, Star Wars: The Mask Of Fear Book Review