Before they banded together to battle the evil First Order, Rey, Poe, and Finn led very different lives. These are their stories . before the awakening. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Episode VII: The Force Awakens with this first-ever paperback edition of the New York Times best seller! A shadow has been cast across the galaxy. Where once there were hope and peace, now there are fear and the looming clouds of war. The First Order is rising, its power growing, and the new Republic may well be powerless to stop it. Three individuals will find themselves drawn into the heart of this conflict: FN-2187 is a stormtrooper trained by the First Order and plagued by doubt. On Jakku, a young woman who calls herself Rey struggles to live in an isolation necessary for her own survival.

And among the stars, Poe Dameron strives to serve a Republic he has always believed in as sinister powers threaten to break his resolve. These are their stories in the days, weeks, and months before The Force Awakens.