Random House Worlds has released an exclusive excerpt from book”>Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss, the second novel in Star Wars’ Reign of the Empire trilogy, offering a tense new look at Saw Gerrera and revealing why he stands as one of the franchise’s most relentless rebels. Written by Rebecca Roanhorse and set for release on September 11, the excerpt follows Bail Organa and Saw Gerrera meeting secretly on Alderaan to discuss the fallout from events during the Blossom Festival on Inusagi.
The trilogy, which tracks Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera across the years of Imperial occupation leading up to A New Hope, has been widely welcomed by longtime Star Wars fans seeking more stories in the vein of Rogue One and Andor. Set a year before Andor, Edge of the Abyss finds its three protagonists enduring thirteen years of Imperial rule when a festival attack goes awry, setting off events none of them can ignore.
A Meeting on Alderaan
The excerpt opens with Bail Organa arriving at a dimly lit store in Crevasse City, uncertain exactly who he is meant to meet. After exchanging coded signals with the cashier, he climbs a creaking staircase into a grimy storage room crowded with boxes of memorabilia. There, looking down through a dusty window at a chanting crowd a block away, sits Saw Gerrera — older than his years and carrying the visible weight of things he has witnessed.
The two former allies engage in a fraught conversation that lays bare their ideological divide. Bail bristles when he senses Saw is about to ask him for a favor, while Saw grows restless at Alderaan’s peaceful nature. “Alderaan is a peaceful planet,” Bail says. “That’s not a crime. In fact, isn’t that the point?” For Saw, peace is merely temporary. “For now,” he replies, his eyes bloodshot and haunted. “It won’t be peaceful forever.”
The Shadow of Inusagi
At the heart of their meeting lies the botched mission on Inusagi, where an Imperial governor was installed to replace the planet’s leadership after a dispute over a natural resource. Saw describes the operation as a simple attempt “to remind the Empire that it can’t operate with impunity,” but he acknowledges the cost when Bail presses him on the aftermath.
“You don’t think I suffer consequences? I have no home, no place of safety. I’m wanted everywhere, considered a pariah and a criminal, even on worlds I’ve never set foot on.” He gestured, indicating their ignoble meeting place. “Hiding. Always hiding. No, Bail Organa, my entire life is consequences.”
Saw Gerrera
The exchange reveals the painful rift between two men who once shared a common cause. Saw admits he briefly allied with the Inusagi resistance — a concession that surprises Bail, who had long believed Saw refused to work with any faction other than his own Partisans. But Saw also confesses defeat: “Inusagi is lost,” he says, dismissing Bail’s list of grievances including martial law and the banning of peaceful protest.
A Sinister New Threat
Beyond the personal drama, the excerpt plants seeds for a darker development in the wider saga. As Saw reveals that his captured comrade Nankry now knows everything about the Partisans, their safe houses, and something called “the Library,” Bail can only respond with dismay. The Empire will soon learn those secrets too — a detail that hints at threats looming over the growing rebellion.
The novel also introduces another chilling element: the Empire is not content merely to oppress through violence but is radicalizing the new generation, including Mon’s and Bail’s teenage daughters, Leida and Leia. This focus on how Imperial rule shapes the next generation adds a fresh dimension to the trilogy’s exploration of resistance.
Looking Ahead
Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss by Rebecca Roanhorse will be released on September 11, published by Random House Worlds. It follows the first entry in the trilogy and sets the stage for a concluding volume that should bring the story up to the eve of A New Hope.
The excerpt arrives as Star Wars continues to expand its expanded universe with titles aimed at fans who prefer the spies, soldiers, and mercenaries of the ground war over the mystical Jedi and Sith. For those eager to see how Bail Organa and Saw Gerrera’s fragile alliance evolves in the years before the original trilogy, this new look offers both tension and promise.
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