The journey to The Force Awakens continues in the second book of Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy.
The scrappy band of misfits, bounty hunters, and former soldiers introduced in the first book has been successfully (for the most part) tracking down high-ranking Imperial officers and dragging them back to the New Republic.
Far from being wiped out, the remnants of the Empire are stubbornly holding on to the planets they control and gathering their forces for another attack against the New Republic. But while some Imperial officers truly believe that having the Empire in charge would be better for the galaxy (certainly better than the chaos that’s going to result from the New Republic’s idealistic half-measures), others are working behind the scenes to return to the days of secret police, puppet governments, and an Emperor like Palpatine. Only much worse.