Club Jade

Del Rey brought plenty to the table for Celebration, but the biggest EU news is without a doubt the reveal that Aaron Allston will be writing a brand-new Wraith Squadron novel. It’s too early for details, but expect a spring/summer 2012 release date.

We also learned that Thrawn will appear in Zahn’s Hand of Judgment, Drew Karpyshyn will be writing a third Old Republic novel, Jeff Grubb’s 2012 paperback will feature Hutts, and Han Solo will appear in the Dash Rendar/Holostar novel. And TFN reports that something is in the works for the 20th anniversary of Heir to the Empire, to which I say: Damn straight.

As for Fate of the Jedi, we learned that the final book will be titled Apocalypse. Cheery! Also addressed was the heightening of drama, Vestara’s role, and (sigh) the whole Jacen/Tahiri thing. Except, not really. (I do love the Mando quote, of course.)

Meanwhile, the comic fans got a surprise of their own: Crimson Empire III is a go, for real this time. The 6-issue series will begin in March with Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley scripting and Dave Dorman on covers.

Knight Errant got a big push, complete with a costumed representation, but if the EUC report is anything to go by it’s too soon for much of a reveal.

As for Legacy, there are currently no plans for anything after the War mini – Ostrander and Duursema will “will be working on something entirely different.”

The rest of the news rehashes much we’ve already heard, but a hardcover edition of Dark Empire will commemorate the comic’s twentieth anniversary. And the return of Dark Horse Presents may yield some Tales-like stories.

Also getting some love at the con (but not enough for their own entry) was The Force Unleashed (Yoda? Really? That Muppet needs a better agent.) and The Old Republic.

While Dunc is off at fashion shows or handing out orange Death Star fans, I got a chance to attend a couple panels today, and here’s the top information:

• Apocalypse was announced as the title of the ninth book in the Fate of the Jedi series.
• Pablo Hidalgo is going to be writing an Essential Reader’s Companion, helping not only to sum up all the existing novels, but also provide some behind-the-scenes, and showcasing connections between stories. It will be illustrated, and Cal Omas will be pictured at last (and not hiding behind a potted plant)
• After Fate of the Jedi, Del Rey will be staying away from long series for a while, with just one-offs and duo/trilogies.
• Wedge Antilles is apparently the only SW character allowed to retire. He’s working on his memoirs, but Aaron Allston says not to count him out yet.
• Knight Errant: comics will be released in October, novel in January, and while you don’t need one to understand the other, hopefully the new storyline will pull you in with a young female Jedi, Kerra Holt, on her own in Sith warlord space a generation before Darth Bane. This is the first time that Dark Horse and Del Rey are working together on a SW project, with a single writer: John Jackson Miller.
• The Clone Wars – Season 3: going to rock! Dooku gets mad at Asajj, and gets a new Sith villain, raised by the Dathomir nightsisters: A Steelers-colored Maul kinsman. Invisible nightsisters attack Dooku in his pajamas! Shaak Ti is coming! Kamino is under attack (with cool water, smoke and explosion effects). Asajj’s background is revealed! Jawajames explodes from awesomeness of the trailer! Dave Filoni has trouble giving evasive answers to little kids!
  

StarWars.com has posted their panel guide for book and comic fans. (Looks like we’re going to be cutting it pretty close between Del Rey and FOTJ on Saturday.) And don’t forget the author signings!

Reed warns us that the schedule isn’t totally complete just yet, but the bulk of the panels are there. A few highlights:

• Pablo’s Behind-The-Scenes Stage will host panels on Fate of the Jedi, Knight Errant (with exclusive,) ’30 Years of Lucasfilm Licensing with Howard Roffman’ and Gary Kurtz, all on Saturday.

• Author panels on writing in the Project Room & Lecture Hall from Troy Denning (Friday at 5:30), Christie Golden (Saturday at 3:30) and Aaron Allston (Saturday at 5:00)
• Get started early on the EU when ‘Star Wars Galaxy with the Essential Guides’ will take over the Behind-The-Scenes Stage on Thursday at 1:30. CJ’s own Helen Keier will be making her first Celebration apperance along with fellow writers Jason Fry, Pablo Hidalgo, Dan Wallace, and Ryder Windham, plus artists Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas and Del Rey editor Erich Schoeneweiss. Could we get an announcement or two?
• EU Cantina is hosting a Friday panel on The Essential Atlas.
• Bryan Young (The Star Wars Examiner, Big Shiny Robot) is moderating “Why We Love the Prequels,” also on Friday.
• And last but by no means least, ‘Fandom in 140 Words or Less: Social Media and Star Wars Fandom,’ hosted by TFN’s Mandy and Eric Sunday at 2:30 in the Project Room & Lecture Hall. Your humble panelists include Bonnie Burton, Meagan Finnerty, Kyle Newman, James Arnold Taylor and…. Moi. WHOO-HOO!

But wait! That’s not all!

• Celebration V apps are now available in the Apple Store and Android Market. I downloaded it on my iPhone and found it rather underwhelming: Hopefully a schedule and map is in the cards.

• The merchandise catalog has also surfaced, so make your game plan.
• Meet the tattoo artists and make appointments…

• More artists! Sign up for speed dating… If you dare!

And I still probably forgot something. You know what to do.

Ewan spotted these summaries in the Random House Spring 2011 catalog. First up, Joe Schreiber’s Death Troopers followup, Red Harvest:

Strange things are happening in a Sith Academy, where the Dark Lord in charge has barricaded himself away, unexplained violence is on the rise, and the apprentices are growing more and more frightened. When a mercenary arrives with a delivery for the Sith Lord and a hostage Jedi
in tow, the situation reaches a boiling point. Only a Jedi Master, looking for the missing Jedi, can hope to get her and himself out alive.

The other, for Aaron Allston’s Conviction, contains some hefty spoilers for the next book, Troy Denning’s Vortex, which will be out in December. Highlight to read:

In this installment of the bestselling Fate of the Jedi series, the evil entity called Abeloth is on the run–but still not giving up it’s plans to destroy the galaxy. Despite the almost-friendship between Ben Skywalker and the Sith apprentice Vestara, the Jedi and Sith have dropped all pretenses of cooperation, and each side is making plans to rout the other.

And on Coruscant, ex-Jedi Tahiri Veila awaits sentencing for the crime of treason, and although they’ve effectively removed Chief of State Natasi Daala from power, the Jedi Council is in no position to help…

Conviction will be out April 19; Red Harvest on January 25.

StarWars.com has our first look at the seventh Fate of the Jedi book, Aaron Allston’s Conviction. I guess Tahiri looks like Number 6 now.

On the boards, Sue Rostoni reports that the book has been moved back (from April 19) to a May 24th release.

Per usual, it’s feast or famine for our new releases, and this week there are plenty of choices – even if only two of them are new. First up on Tuesday is the paperback release of Aaron Allston’s Fate of the Jedi: Outcast, the first book of the latest series. (I hear we might get the new Lost Tribe of the Sith – aka an Allies excerpt – today as well.)

Comic fans aren’t left hungry, either, with Legacy #47 and Invasion: Refugees, the first trade collection of the New Jedi Order comic series.

And last but… Okay, just last, there’s the latest Star Wars Insider.

Aaron Allston’s second Fate of the Jedi novel made quite a showing on last week’s bestseller lists: #4 on the New York Times, #5 on Publisher’s Weekly and #52 on USA Today.

The triumphant return of not only Fate of the Jedi, but our book polls! No doubt you’ve been looking forward to it. (Okay, maybe not the poll.) In any case, the fourth Fate of the Jedi book, Allston’s Backlash, came out last week, so now it’s time for you to cast your vote. Head below the cut to play (and don’t forget to check out Erika’s review!) (more…)

Luke and Ben seemed to have abandoned their mission to uncover the murky truth of Jacen’s turn to the Dark Side during the third FOTJ book, Abyss, when a weird new tribe of Sith caught their attention. In Backlash, the adventure continues.

Luke’s on the prowl, metaphorically sniffing out Vestara Kai like some crazy bad ass Jedi hunting dog. With his blood splattered on her person after a lightsaber battle that ended with the death of her Master, Vestara is unaware she’s even being tracked, but you can bet she’s looking for a place to hide. Ben, aware of his father’s exhaustion and despite Luke’s protests, elicits the help of the Jedi via an encrypted, sneaky, and very under-the-radar message intended to make absolutely clear it isn’t Luke who’s asking (which would violate the terms of his parole.) Eager to help and reminding us the “good thing about the Solos and Skywalkers” is they “never run out of things to do” (p. 6), Han and Leia pack Allana and her pet nexu aboard the Falcon and head to the place Luke and Ben guess is the most likely location Vestara would land: Dathomir. And here, ladies and gentlemen, is where the fun begins. What follows is a witty and wild adventure in which Daala realizes she’s in over her head, Han gets a flamethrower, and a nexu manages to elicit more pathos out of me than Allana ever will. (more…)