What Happened Immediately After 'Return Of The Jedi' According To 'Star Wars Aftermath' Novel

What happened in the thirty years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens?  In March, Disney announced they would release a series of books called Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which would fill in that gap through a mix of novels, comics, children's books and young adult stories (all considered official Star Wars canon).

We've already previewed one of the 20 books which will hit store shelves in December 2015, a prequel comic book called Star Wars: Shattered Empire. Now Penguin Random House has released a first preview excerpt of another book in the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens line. Chuck Wendig's Star Wars Aftermath tells the story of what happened after the conclusion of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Its also apparently the first book in a series called Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy. After the jump you can read the short four paragraph description, which I assume will be printed on the book cover.

Here is the official description for Star Wars Aftermath from Penguin Random House:

The second Death Star has been destroyed, the Emperor killed, and Darth Vader struck down. Devastating blows against the Empire, and major victories for the Rebel Alliance. But the battle for freedom is far from over.As the Empire reels from its critical defeats at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance—now a fledgling New Republic—presses its advantage by hunting down the enemy's scattered forces before they can regroup and retaliate. But above the remote planet Akiva, an ominous show of the enemy's strength is unfolding. Out on a lone reconnaissance mission, pilot Wedge Antilles watches Imperial Star Destroyers gather like birds of prey circling for a kill, but he's taken captive before he can report back to the New Republic leaders.Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, former rebel fighter Norra Wexley has returned to her native world—war weary, ready to reunite with her estranged son, and eager to build a new life in some distant place. But when Norra intercepts Wedge Antilles's urgent distress call, she realizes her time as a freedom fighter is not yet over. What she doesn't know is just how close the enemy is—or how decisive and dangerous her new mission will be.Determined to preserve the Empire's power, the surviving Imperial elite are converging on Akiva for a top-secret emergency summit—to consolidate their forces and rally for a counterstrike. But they haven't reckoned on Norra and her newfound allies—her technical-genius son, a Zabrak bounty hunter, and a reprobate Imperial defector—who are prepared to do whatever they must to end the Empire's oppressive reign once and for all.

The book description or excerpt doesn't reveal much, but we do get rebel pilot Wedge Antilles on a lone reconnaissance mission, a female resistance fighter named Norra Wexley, and a tease to planets first introduced in the Clone Wars animated television series.

Entertainment Weekly has an excerpt from Star Wars Aftermath, here is a preview:

"Today is a day of celebration. We have triumphed over villainy and oppression and have given our Alliance—and the galaxy beyond it—a chance to breathe and cheer for the progress in reclaiming our freedom from an Empire that robbed us of it. We have reports from Commander Skywalker that Emperor Palpatine is dead, and his enforcer, Darth Vader, with him."But though we may celebrate, we should not consider this our time to rest. We struck a major blow against the Empire, and now will be the time to seize on the opening we have created. The Empire's weapon may be destroyed, but the Empire itself lives on. Its oppressive hand closes around the throats of good, free-thinking people across the galaxy, from the Coruscant Core to the farthest systems in the Outer Rim. We must remember that our fight continues. Our rebellion is over. But the war ... the war is just beginning." —Admiral Ackbar

Head over to EW.com to read the full excerpt. Star Wars Aftermath hits book store shelves on September 4th 2015. Disney has also released descriptions and cover art for a bunch of the other books in the Journey To The Force Awakens series:

Star Wars: Lost Stars (Disney-Lucasfilm Press), Young Adult novel written by Claudia Gray

The reign of the Galactic Empire has reached the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan, where aristocratic Thane Kyrell and rural villager Ciena Ree bond over their love of flying. Enrolling at the Imperial Academy together to become fighter pilots for the glorious Empire is nothing less than a dream come true for the both of them. But Thane sours on the dream when he sees firsthand the horrific tactics the Empire uses to maintain its ironclad rule.

Bitter and disillusioned, Thane joins the fledgling Rebellion — putting Ciena in an unbearable position to choose between her loyalty to the Empire and her love for the man she's known since childhood.

Now on opposite sides of the war, will these friends turned foes find a way to be together, or will duty tear them — and the galaxy — apart?

Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi — A Luke Skywalker Adventure (Disney-Lucasfilm Press), written by Jason Fry

Luke Skywalker returns in an all-new adventure!

In this story, set between Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Luke finds himself drawn to a mysterious planet, where he must use the Force to save a young girl — and survive in a dangerous duel against a strange new villain.

Star Wars: Moving Target — A Princess Leia Adventure (Disney-Lucasfilm Press), written by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry

Princess Leia returns in an all-new adventure!

In this story, set between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Princess Leia must lead a ragtag group of rebels on a treacherous decoy mission against the evil Galactic Empire.

Star Wars: Smuggler's Run — A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure (Disney-Lucasfilm Press), written by Greg Rucka

Han Solo and Chewbacca return in an all-new adventure!

In this story, set between Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Han and Chewie must fly the Millennium Falcon on a top-secret mission for the Rebellion, while evading ruthless bounty hunters and a relentless Imperial agent.