Snag the first 'Star Wars: Reign of the Empire' book at NYCC 2024

There's a way to snag an advanced reader's copy of Alexander Freed's upcoming Star Wars novel. But it will cost you a ticket to New York (and then some).

Star Wars Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear doesn't release widely to the public until 2025. But anyone attending New York Comic-Con 2024 this weekend has the chance to read it before almost anyone else.

The steps you have to take once you get to NYCC are simple. All you have to do is visit the Random House Worlds booth and utter the phrase: "Mon Mothma requests your aid." As long as there are still copies available, the book will be yours!

Announced earlier this year, the Reign of the Empire book trilogy -- book one by Alexander Freed (the Alphabet Squadron trilogy) -- will take place in the time period between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Penned by three different authors and spanning a large time period between the three books, the story will focus on Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa as they navigate the quickly changing, Empire-ruled galaxy.

While plenty of Star Wars canon has told stories set in this time period, not as many books have been set in the early years of the Empire. Especially not books focused on those who become formative members of the rebellion later on. Each of these characters is beyond deserving of more stories, and in the hands of authors such as Freed, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Fran Wilde, good things are bound to happen.

So, if you are fortunate enough to attend NYCC later this week, make sure you pick up a copy of the first book in the series (for yourself or for a friend; the choice is yours).

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