Book Review: 'The Rise And Fall Of The Galactic Empire'

Star Wars

Oct 8

Imperialcog — Image Source: StarWars.comx

The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, written by Dr. Chris Kempshall and released in July of 2024, is a spectacular novel. Penned as an in-universe text by Beaumont Kin (played by Dominic Monaghan), a historian and member of the Resistance from The Rise of Skywalker, Rise and Fall explores the depths of the Galactic Empire from an academic viewpoint. While we are late in our review, we here at CultureSlate still feel it is essential to make Star Wars fans aware of this book and, in our review, hopefully, convince readers to pick it up for themselves!

Rise and Fall is written shortly after The Rise of Skywalker, with Beaumont feeling a dire need to explore the Galactic Empire and use new knowledge he’s been unearthing in the records of Exegol, as well as from captured First and Final Order resources, to provide a more complete picture to events. As the document progresses, we learn the personal stakes that drove Beaumont to write this history. He knows he's been affected by his time as a soldier and has a deep desire for the galaxy to avoid the evils of the Empire and not shy away from the truths of its reign, lest the cycle threatens to repeat itself for a second time. These small character moments, of personal anecdotes and direct opinions, make Beaumont Kin shine and are a tribute to Kempshall’s writing style.

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It is important to note that Rise and Fall is presented in an academic style. It is dense with information on every page and features fascinating in-universe footnotes at the bottom of many, which can occasionally provide some degree of comedy when deep into a serious subject. Images are restricted to several pages one-third and two-thirds of the way through the book, with references to the relevant chapters the images relate to.

As for the content and structure of Rise and Fall, a lot is covered in this book. On a real-world level, it serves as a document bringing together the past ten years of canon storytelling regarding the Empire, with information drawn from comics, books, video games, shows, and films. It also pulls in some Legends content to inform smaller details. While it is ultimately constrained in a few small areas, such as the return of Thrawn (though Kempshall cleverly explains this in-universe), it is still a deep, informed look at much of the Galactic Empire’s tenure, as well as some time afterward.

Battle of Jakku comic — Image Source: StarWars.com

But, in other small areas, it teases what might be, if not definitely, ahead due to reveals since the release of this book. For instance, Rise and Fall stated that the main trio of Luke, Han, and Leia played roles in the fall of the Iron Blockade, and the reveal of The Battle of Jakku maxi-series proved the book true. Another detail or two in earlier parts of the book might hint at some plot points in the upcoming Reign of the Empire trilogy, but many more will likely reveal themselves to us in time.

The content is also important for how it explicitly articulates the evils of the Empire and uses copious examples to back up these ideas. It underlines the Empire’s imperialist actions against the Outer Rim; it makes clear that xenophobia and cultural divisions were heavily enforced and increased by Imperial policies, and it shines a light onto the Empire’s massacres and genocides, some we already know about and one or two with entirely new information. These are just a handful of examples of how the book explores the scope of the Empire in this era and leaves no room for ambiguity about its evil.

In conclusion, as our introduction stated, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire is a marvelous work. It blends so many elements into a complete whole, and while the book is dense with information, it genuinely makes itself accessible to both long-time fans and newcomers with its methodical handling of the subject matter. We look forward to seeing whatever Dr. Kempshall writes next in the Star Wars universe!

Rating: 10/10

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