Alexander Freed Books in Order

Where to Start with Alexander Freed

If you want to experience Alexander Freed’s signature style—gritty military realism, complex character psychology, and high-stakes moral dilemmas—the absolute best starting point is the Alphabet Squadron Trilogy. Spanning three novels, this series showcases his talent for taking the grand, cinematic Star Wars universe and showing it from the mud-spattered, exhaust-choked perspective of the pilots and soldiers on the ground.

Alternatively, if you prefer a self-contained story, Battlefront: Twilight Company offers a fantastic standalone introduction to his writing. For fans of video games and graphic novels, starting with his collaborative Dragon Age comic run is highly recommended, as it bridges his game-writing background with sequential art storytelling.

The Alphabet Squadron Trilogy (Star Wars Canon)

This is Freed's flagship work in the Star Wars universe, tracing the lives of five former Imperial and Rebel pilots thrown together into a ragtag squadron under the newly formed New Republic. Their mission is to hunt down Shadow Wing, an elite TIE Fighter wing executing brutal reprisals in the wake of the Emperor's death at Endor. The trilogy must be read in strict publication and chronological order:

• Alphabet Squadron (2019) – Introduces Yrica Quell, a defector from the Empire, and her squad mates as they struggle to trust one another and form a cohesive unit while adjusting to the fragile post-Empire landscape. It sets the stage for the New Republic's transition from insurgency to governance.
• Shadow Fall (2020) – The war turns darker and more personal as Shadow Wing strikes back, trapping Alphabet Squadron in a grueling battle of attrition that pushes each pilot to their psychological and physical limits.
• Victory's Price (2021) – The epic conclusion that details the final battles of the Galactic Civil War, leading up to the historic Battle of Jakku, and explores whether redemption and healing are possible for those who served tyranny.

Star Wars Canon Novels & Novelizations

Freed’s other major contributions to the Star Wars novel landscape represent key moments in the galactic timeline. These books can be read standalone, but they fit neatly into the broader franchise chronology.

Battlefront: Twilight Company (2015)

Set during the events of the original trilogy (principally around the Battle of Hoth), this book follows the Sixty-First Mobile Infantry, known as Twilight Company. They are a gritty band of rebel grunts holding the line against the Empire's massive war machine. Unlike the mystical, Jedi-focused stories of the main films, this is a boots-on-the-ground military sci-fi story that emphasizes the logistics, sacrifices, and human cost of rebellion. While it is branded as a tie-in to the Star Wars: Battlefront video game, the plot is entirely original and stands completely on its own.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

While this is a movie novelization, Freed elevates the source material by adding extensive internal monologues, deleted scenes, and detailed "supplemental data" files that expand on the characters' backgrounds. Read this to gain a deeper understanding of Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and the tragic heroism of the Rogue One crew.

Star Wars: The Mask of Fear (2025)

This political thriller serves as the opening chapter of the Reign of the Empire trilogy. Set in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, the novel follows characters like Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera as they navigate the transition from democracy to autocracy. Freed brings his signature realistic lens to the quiet, terrifying early days of the Galactic Empire.

Star Wars Comics & Legends Contributions

Before writing novels, Freed spent years writing comics and narrative storylines for BioWare's massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. His comic runs are essential reading for fans of the game's lore.

The Old Republic Comic Series

• Blood of the Empire (2011) – Coinciding with his writing for the MMO, this comic follows Teneb Kel, a young Sith Apprentice tasked with hunting down the Emperor's apprentice. It provides crucial backstory to the Imperial Agent storyline.
• The Lost Suns (2012) – This series introduces Theron Shan, a spy for the Galactic Republic, as he embarks on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines during the uneasy peace of the Cold War.

Other Legends Contributions

Freed also wrote the two-part comic story Purge: The Tyrant's Fist (2012), which details Darth Vader's relentless hunt for surviving Jedi on the planet Shinju. This work is collected in various Dark Horse compilations, including the Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire, Vol. 1.

Dragon Age Graphic Novels

In collaboration with Dark Horse Comics and Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider, Freed co-wrote a crucial trilogy of graphic novels that are canonical continuations of the BioWare games. These follow King Alistair, Varric Tethras, and Isabela on a quest to uncover the fate of Alistair's father, King Maric.

Read Freed’s Dragon Age trilogy in this specific order:

1. The Silent Grove (2012) – The quest begins in the swampy depths of the Silent Grove, where dark secrets about Maric's disappearance are guarded by witches.
2. Those Who Speak (2012) – The journey leads the companions to the Tevinter Imperium, where they face the Qunari and uncover ancient magic.
3. Until We Sleep (2013) – The emotional climax of the trilogy, where Alistair and his allies attempt to rescue King Maric from a Tevinter magister's dream-manipulation device.

Reader Note: While collections often bundle these with other Dragon Age titles like Magekiller, Knight Errant, Deception, Blue Wraith, and The Missing, those stories were penned by other authors (such as Greg Rucka, George Mann, Nunzio DeFilippis, and Christina Weir) rather than Freed. They expand on the same continuity but do not feature Freed's direct writing.

Chronological Reading Order for Alexander Freed’s Star Wars Works

If you want to read Freed’s Star Wars stories in the order they occur in the timeline rather than the order they were published, use this guide. His works span thousands of years, from the Old Republic era to the final days of the Galactic Civil War:

1. Star Wars: The Old Republic – Blood of the Empire (Comic, 2011)
2. Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns (Comic, 2012)
3. Star Wars: The Mask of Fear (Novel, 2025)
4. "Contingency Plan" (Short Story in From a Certain Point of View, 2017) – Set during the events of A New Hope.
5. Star Wars: Rogue One (Novelization, 2016)
6. "The Man Who Built Cloud City" (Short Story in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, 2020)
7. Battlefront: Twilight Company (Novel, 2015) – Spans from mid-A New Hope to shortly after The Empire Strikes Back.
8. Alphabet Squadron Trilogy (Novels, 2019–2021) – Set in the year following the Battle of Endor, culminating at the Battle of Jakku.

What to Know Before You Start

Alexander Freed’s backgrounds as a narrative designer at BioWare and a developer of tabletop roleplaying games heavily influence his prose. He treats universes like Star Wars and Dragon Age not as distant mythologies, but as living, breathing systems with logical rules, logistical limits, and deep-seated human problems. When reading his books, expect flawed, often traumatized characters who make mistakes and struggle with their consciences. There are no clear-cut battles of pure good versus pure evil in his military sci-fi; instead, he emphasizes the gray areas of survival, duty, and wartime morality.