Expanded Universe newsbits: Sue hints, January comics, Sean Williams, sibling rivalry

Lots of tidbits: Sue Rostoni has continued posting bits and pieces about the new contract on StarWars.com boards and blogs, including the timing of Fate of the Jedi and Blood Oath (apparently Seeley’s cover art has Zekk “in a very manly pose, looking ruggedly handsome.”) Meanwhile, the first FOTJ cover will feature Luke, although no artist names yet, and the manuscript for Shadows of Mindor is 419 pages. And she’s updated her book schedule entry with a few new dates (already reflected in our schedule) and the news that the Reaves/Bonhoff ‘holostar’ novel is set two years before the Battle of Yavin. And today we swing right back to Fate of the Jedi: It “will continue to be a mix of characters.”

Poll results: Upcoming Star Wars novels

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.

Wait, what? Mindor and Falcon swap dates

IMAGE: Rogue Leader by Dave SeeleySo sayth the official blog this evening: Stover’s Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor has been moved back to December, and Luceno’s Millennium Falcon moved up to October. But the main focus of the post is a nice bit from artist Dave Seeley on the how and why of the image, and we get our first look at Mindor’s back cover – Lord Shadowspawn.

This is also the second time we’ve gotten a real news item via the blog… Interesting, no? (I suppose an all-Flash site would be mildly bearable if this method continues. Permalinks good!)

Yes, yes, I’m updating the book schedule.

UPDATE 05/20: On TOS, we have word from Sue Rostoni on the how and why of the switch:

Matt is late with his manuscript, and Jim is early — just made sense to swap them to give us a bit more time.

Poll: Upcoming Star Wars novels

IMAGE: 2008 novels, and no, that is not the real MF cover, just a ROTJ still.

Our latest poll went up yesterday, and asks which upcoming novel you’re straining at the bit for – The Coruscant Nights trilogy by Michael Reaves (The first book, Jedi Twilight, comes out in two weeks,) Karen Traviss’ Order 66 (September 16,) Matthew Stover’s Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (December) or James Luceno’s Millennium Falcon (October.) Vote on the sidebar or under the cut. Continue reading “Poll: Upcoming Star Wars novels”

Possible Shadows of Mindor summary spotted

IMAGE: Battle of Mindor illustration from The New Essential ChronologyThe EU Cantina posted about another summary today – this one for Matthew Stover’s Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor from the book’s Amazon UK page. Not going to bother to spoiler-bar this one, but keep in mind it is unverified.

The Battle of Mindor, where the forces of the New Republic, led by Luke Skywalker, take on the Black Stormtroopers, led by Lord Shadowspawn, self-styled new Emperor of the galaxy. What Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han, Solo, Chewbacca, C-3P0, R2-D2, Lando Calrissian, and the pilots of Rogue Squadron don’t realize is that the Battle of Mindor is a trap devised just for them – a diabolical attempt by Lord Shadowspawn to do away with the heroes of the New Republic so that he can crush the upstarts and restore the Empire – with himself at the helm. But Lord Shadowspawn has underestimated the bravery and resourcefulness of his enemies…

Shadows of Mindor is currently scheduled for an October 21st release.

Upcoming release dates: Delayed gratification

Three books have had their release dates pushed back recently. Making room for the mystery book? Clone Wars stuff? (Or both?)

Our Star Wars book schedule has been updated.

Upcoming releases: Street dates!

The Random House site has added dates for the following releases:

As we learned last time, nothing is set in stone, but you’re probably safe penciling these dates in. Don’t forget, our Star Wars book release schedule is always available in the sidebar.

Sue Rostoni on cover art

IMAGE: ‘Rogue Leader’ by Dave SeeleyFirst off, she explains that while the ‘Rogue Leader’ image “hasn’t been chosen to become the cover of the Luke book, the idea is one that appeals to us.

She also addresses the concept of covers and canon, which has been a hot topic over at the TOS boards lately:

With SW, we’ve tried to get covers to stay true to what’s happening inside, but it’s rarely completely possible. I think we’ve done a very, very good job with our covers in conveying the sense and feeling of the books. Personally, I don’t think covers should be cannon at all…… an exception might be when an EU character who has never been seen before shows up on a cover, then we’d use that as future reference… but people need to be realistic about these things.

Check out the Books, Comics, and Television VIP thread at StarWars.com for more.