Club Jade

Today is the day to pick up James Luceno’s Millennium Falcon in paperback. Wednesday will bring Legacy #42 and/or the seventh trade collection of the same, ‘Storms’.

I realize that I am in the minority here, but I’ve always thought that getting books signed by their author is rather pointless. So I really don’t understand why anyone would want to bother getting an edition of a Star Wars novel with a personalized dedication page. (At least they’re not offering to do a find-and-replace with [insert character here]?) I suppose it makes sense for gifts, and it’s getting be that season… But still. Oh well: Whatever floats your boat.

EU Cantina has posted their interview with James Luceno. Topics include writing, Millennium Falcon, Brian Daley, and the future of the EU. They’re also taking questions for their next interview, with Lucasfilm Licensing Executive editor Sue Rostoni.

• Upcoming: …Speaking of, Sue made a rare weekend appearance on StarWars.com this afternoon to confirm that there will be some sort of novel tie-in for The Old Republic MMO, though the details are still up in the air. She also touches on the Fate of the Jedi covers.

• Comics: Buy The Clone Wars movie at Target, get a free variant-cover copy of Shipyards of Doom.
• LOL N00B: io9 mines some general Star Wars cluelessness to make a case for the Nagai. Thirty years and countless sources of EU, and they latch onto …albino space elves? Bravo.

James Luceno’s history lesson/Legacy of the Force bookend has been out for a week now… What did you think? Vote on the sidebar or below the cut, and if you have more to say, comment here! (more…)

Sue Rostoni announced on the StarWars.com boards this afternoon that the January ’10 Jaden Korr novel by Paul S. Kemp is titled Crosscurrent.

In more immediately relevant EU news, Fictional Frontiers had James Luceno on this weekend in honor of Millennium Falcon. And EUC wants your questions for their own interview.

Today look for James Luceno’s Millennium Falcon in bookstores, while Wednesday brings Knights of the Old Republic #34.

The book comes out tomorrow, and since it’s the first set after Legacy of the Force and our bridge to next year’s Fate of the Jedi expectations are pretty high. (Plus, fanboys love Luceno.) First up, an excerpt.

Random House has posted their spring catalog as a PDF, and it includes a blurb (though no cover) for Fate of the Jedi!

Fate of the Jedi launches a huge story arc, with heroic roles for the galaxy’s most beloved characters — Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, and their surviving children, Ben Skywalker and Jaina Solo. While Luke and Ben set off on the journey of a lifetime — of discovery and hardship, of obstacles and victories—the others remain in more familiar territory, dealing with the aftermath of the civil war that rocked the galaxy in the Legacy of the Force.

Some of that is familiar from early rumors but it’s good to have some sort of official confirmation. (When are the print catalogs sent out, exactly? Could it be the source of the early leak? Plus there are a few recently-revealed things missing, like the title of book 1, Outcast.) We can also expect a seven-city author tour, a “free PDF sampler giveaway,” an “original prequel short story” and a live chat (that’s been a while) on StarWars.com. (No, FateOfTheJedi.com isn’t live yet!)

Millennium Falcon also gets a page, which touts that it will have an excerpt from Outcast. Excerpts in hardcovers? That’s new…

On the official site tonight, the cover and blurb for the first post-LOTF novel, James Luceno’s Millennium Falcon. Here’s the first part of the blurb – head on over to StarWars.com for the rest.

Two years have passed since the defeat of Darth Caedus, the former Jacen Solo. For a grieving Han and Leia, the shadow of their son’s tragic downfall still looms large. But Jacen’s own bright and loving daughter, Allana, offers a ray of hope for the future as she thrives in her grandparents’ care. The eager, inquisitive and Force-strong girl makes a curious discovery aboard her grandfather’s beloved spacecraft — the much-overhauled but ever-dependable Millennium Falcon. The Solo family then finds itself at a new turning point, about to set out on an odyssey into uncertain territory, untold adventure, and unexpected rewards.

156 readers weighed in, and there’s nothing too surprising here: Stover’s Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, set not long after Return of the Jedi, took a clear lead with 61 votes; Luceno’s Millennium Falcon, our first look at the GFFA after the events of Legacy of the Force, took second with 43 votes. (Don’t forget these two recently swapped street dates: It’s good news for at least 43 of you.) Traviss’ Republic Commando: Order 66 and Reaves’ Coruscant Nights trilogy dueled it out for third place, ending up with 28 and 24 votes, respectively.