Club Jade

Looks like 501st will be the last Star Wars book from Karen Traviss after all: Apparently there have been some rumors about this flying around (news to me, but then, I haven’t been looking) and she has confirmed that the second Imperial Commando book is a no-go. The particulars and details – from Traviss’ perspective, anyway – are at the link. (via)

The book was tentatively scheduled for a November 2010 release, and appeared on Sue Rostoni’s schedule post in August, posted only days after Traviss announced she was leaving the franchise.

UPDATE: And Sue Rostoni says:

Karen’s blog was the first time I had heard that she was not going to write the second Imperial Commando book.

I don’t know if we will hire another author to finish the series. It’s rather up in the air at the moment.

Wow… UPDATE 2: Sue goes on to say, “This is really not an issue because Random House hires the Star Wars authors, not LFL,” so not quite as shocking as it first seemed. Still odd.

UPDATE 3: Traviss has a followup blog entry.

Look for Karen Traviss’ Imperial Commando: 501st in bookstores today, while Wednesday brings Legacy #41.

Can’t say I’m particularly broken up about the departure of Karen Traviss from Star Wars, as I wasn’t planning to read any of her forthcoming novels anyway. However, I’ve been following the threads on the fan boards and in-between the mourning/celebration some interesting points have been raised: How far is The Clone Wars going in railroading over existing canon, if it’s driven away an author who infamously loved to retcon? (more…)

The second Imperial Commando novel will be the last Star Wars for Karen Traviss, she writes on her blog, due to “changes in continuity.” (via)

Imperial Commando I & II are due out in October 2009 and July 2010, respectively. Presumably this means that her standalone Boba Fett novel and military Essential Guide, both tentatively scheduled for 2011, are now no-gos. Somehow I’ll manage not to cry into the giant margarita I plan to have tonight.

StarWars.com has the cover and official blurb for Karen Traviss’ Imperial Commando: 501st.

The Jedi have been decimated in the Great Purge, and the Republic has fallen. Now the former Republic Commandos — the galaxy’s finest special forces troops, cloned from Jango Fett — find themselves on opposing sides and in very different armor. Some have deserted and fled to Mandalore with the mercenaries, renegade clone troopers, and rogue Jedi who make up Kal Skirata’s ragtag resistance to Imperial occupation. Others — including men from Delta and Omega squads — now serve as Imperial Commandos, a black ops unit within Vader’s own 501st Legion, tasked to hunt down fugitive Jedi and clone deserters.

For a bigger look at the cover and the rest of the blurb, including some possible spoilers for Order 66, head over to the StarWars.com link above.

Ewan at swbooks.co.uk spotted yet another blurb at Amazon.co.uk. This one is for Karen Traviss’ Imperial Commando: 501st. And in related news, Random House is now giving the book a release date of October 27, moving back from September 29.

Once again, remember these Amazon blurbs are unconfirmed information! And it looks like this one contains spoilers for Order 66, so it’s black-barred under the cut. (more…)

• Fate of the Jedi: The second book, Christie Golden’s Omen, has appeared on the Random House online catalog with a release date of June 23, 2009. (Please remember the page count is probably a placeholder number.)

• Imperial Commando: Karen Traviss talks about the fate of Sev on her blog.
• The Force Unleashed: Kotaku interviews Haden Blackman. (via)
• Comics: Preview Knights of the Old Republic #34.

Behold, the next three years of Star Wars publishing, ranked by CJ readers. Most of you seem to be looking forward to Fate of the Jedi: This poll also got more votes than the second, 172 to 143. Of the second poll, which asked you to choose from among the rest of the new contract’s fiction (at least those that we have some detail on) the clear winners were those that have established fanbases: Cunningham’s Blood Oath, featuring charter member of the Jaina Solo harem, Zekk; Irvine’s Knights of the Old Republic novel, set just before the popular games; Traviss’ Imperial Commando; and Drew Karpyshyn’s third Darth Bane novel. The rest are certain to see their stock rise as we get more details.

The response to our Fate of the Jedi poll was pretty clear: Most of you (58%) are sure to be reading it, 24% are waiting to hear more before you decide, and only 19% have given up entirely (and/or were never big EU readers to begin with.) I’ll make a pretty pie chart after we finish our latest poll, though: Which of the other upcoming novels tickle your fancy the most? Vote below the cut or on the sidebar. (more…)

Well, after starting an avalanche of reveals last week, StarWars.com gives us a lowdown of the new publishing contract (so far.) Some of it we already know: Fate of the Jedi, Blood Oath, The Clone Wars. As for reveals…

• Blood Oath features… Zekk! Still not dead.

• Christie Golden’s Star Wars debut in summer ’09 will be titled Fate of the Jedi: Enigma.
• Karen Traviss’ Imperial Commando series will be in paperback, and the first book is 501st, also due next summer.
• Winter ’09 brings another (horror!?!) standalone from a new author, Joe Schreiber.
• And a guide to Vader published by Becker & Mayer, who handled last year’s Vault.
• Drew Karpyshyn’s third Bane novel (hardcover, natch) will appear in early 2010, as will Kemp’s standalone.
  
• Fall 2010 bring a Star Wars craft book by Bonnie Burton.

• And another new-to-us author, Alex Irvine, tackles the ancient Jedi.
• For 2011 expect Traviss’ Boba Fett standalone in paperback.
• And another PB from Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff.