Brief blurb offers new hint at Knight Errant

I’m not sure how noteworthy this is to anyone who picked up the preview of the comic/novel at Celebration – and it’s much less detailed than what we saw at StarWars.com – but this new blurb does offer a new detail of John Jackson Miller’s Knight Errant novel.

A lone Jedi in Sith space dedicates her life to bringing down Sith rule, one act of sabotage at a time. A thousand years before Star Wars: A New Hope, the Republic is in a dark age and groups of Sith have taken over vast swaths of the galaxy. Hiding in one Sith hell-hole is Kerra Holt, a young Jedi working alone to destroy the Sith Masters. But what she doesn’t know is that she just might be the pawn of a powerful Sith Lord…

The Knight Errant comic book is due to start in October, with the novel coming in January.

Fate of the Jedi: Kenth Hamner and full Vortex blurb revealed

We got our first look at the back of Denning’s Fate of the Jedi: Vortex this afternoon, a while new look at Luke’s (temporary) replacement as leader of the Jedi, Kenth Hamner. (A previous version of Kenth resembled William Shatner; Paul Kemp thinks this one looks like Mr. Roeper.) Also along for the ride is a new, extended blurb (highlight to read the spoilery bits:

In a stunning turn of events, Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben, joined forces with members of the Sith armada sent to kill them — and turned their combined might against the monstrous being Abeloth, whose power was causing young Jedi Knights to go seemingly insane. But with Abeloth gone and the Knights sane again, the Sith reverted to form, making a treacherous attempt on Luke’s life.

Luke and Ben have no time for retaliation. A new and even more insidious threat is rising, one that endangers not only the Jedi but the entire Galactic Alliance. Unless the Skywalkers survive to sound the alarm — and to pass along the secrets they have learned about Abeloth and the Sith — the galaxy will suffer as it has never suffered before. But the reinforcements they need remain grounded on Coruscant, where the political battle of wills between the Jedi Council and Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala has reached a boiling point.

Now Luke and Ben must go on the run, taking along the inscrutable — and dangerous — Sith apprentice Vestara Khai. With a host of Sith warriors in hot pursuit, the Skywalkers soon find themselves trapped on the moon Pydyr, caught between their former allies and a mob of angry Fallanassi. A new truce may be their only hope. But can a Sith ever be trusted?

With the Jedi’s most famous father-and-son team outnumbered and outgunned, the countdown to galactic disaster has begun — and time is running out!

Vortex is due out in hardcover December 7.

SDCC: Saturday (and some Friday) roundup

Someone got stabbed with a pen in Hall H this evening; There’s a report from San Diego’s NBC affiliate and Comic Book Resources and Entertainment Weekly are on the case. (Harrison Ford is not a suspect.) The rumors have been flying over Twitter, including allegations that seat-squatting (a common practice) was a factor.

Blurbs for Red Harvest and Fate of the Jedi: Conviction

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.

New blurb for The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance

Random House (as spotted by Eddie) has posted a new summary for Sean William’s The Old Republic tie-in. Even omitting the intro filler, it’s a lengthy one, so strap in:

Tassaa Bareesh, a matriarch in the Hutt crime cartel, is holding an auction that’s drawing attention from across the galaxy. Representatives of both the Republic and the Sith Empire are present, along with a Jedi Padawan sent to investigate, a disenfranchised trooper drummed out of the Republic’s elite Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian with a private agenda. But the Republic’s envoy is not what he seems, the Empire’s delegate is a ruthless Sith apprentice, the Jedi Padawan is determined to do the right thing and terrified that he can’t, the trooper hopes to redeem her reputation, and the Mandalorian is somehow managing to keep one step ahead of everyone.

None of these guests—invited or uninvited—have any intention of participating in the auction. Instead they plan to steal the prize, which is locked inside an impregnable vault: two burned chunks of an exploded star cruiser, one of which may hold the key to the wealth of an entire world.

But the truth about the treasure is dangerous and deadly. And in the end, Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire, must do something they’ve never done before, something that all the agents of good and evil could never make them do: join together to stop a powerful threat that could destroy the galaxy.

The current release date for the novel is July 20

Blurbs times two: Vortex and Visions

Ewan of SWBooks.co.uk spotted the blurb for Denning’s Fate of the Jedi: Vortex in the Random House Fall catalog. It’s somewhat spoilery, so highlight to read:

In Book Six of the bestselling nine-book Star Wars Fate of the Jedi series, the suspense crescendoes as the Skywalkers and their treacherous Sith allies race against time to discover the origins of the mysterious Force-entity known as Abeloth. When they begin to uncover secrets better kept hidden from mortal minds, no one is surprised to see the uneasy partnership erupt into violence. But they are surprised at where the investigation leads: to the home of the reclusive Fallanassi, who may hold in their hands the future of the Jedi Order itself.

Also appearing in the catalog are The Force Unleashed II (Pencil in November 2010 for the game and October 5 for the book;) and a first look at the cover art for Bonnie Burton’s craft book. (Two words: Lightsaber scissors.)

We’re also finally getting the skinny on Visions, with thanks to Eddie. Blurbs have appeared on both the regular and deluxe editions on Amazon. Here’s what the regular has to say:

Star Wars Visions collects a wealth of art – hand-picked by George Lucas – produced by a variety of artists, illustrators, designers and cartoonists, working across all genres and styles to celebrate their favourite characters, themes, worlds and moments from the Star Wars Universe. The full list of contributors is to be released incrimentally over the 6 months leading up to publication, with sneak previews, on starwars.com.

The deluxe blurb gives a list of artists, and the information that it will come with 50 additional “paintings and illustrations,” which is just mean. But such is life.

And while we’re on the subject, President Obama bought a copy of Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy in Iowa City today as a gift for the son of press secretary Robert Gibbs. Hat-tip to reader Greg for the photo link!

EUbits: It’s art week for Star Wars fans

hughes-maraNamesake corner. Topps is saluting the ‘Women of Star Wars‘ in their Galaxy 5 line. And since you can only have so many slave Leias before the theme gets tired, there’s an Adam Hughes Mara Jade card. Granted, it’s Adam Hughes and thus total cheesecake, but we’re used to that.

Visions peek. I can’t believe there’s, like, war and battle and stuff in the Star Wars art book. Ugh. (P.S. If we’re going there, I would love something ROTJish in the style of The Death of General Wolfe. And prints, because I would so totally buy prints of that if it was done with a stylistically straight face.)

Would you like some false hope with that? IGN has ‘thoughtfully’ compiled all the leading candidates for the totally nonexistent, never-going-to-happen (except for probably that bounty hunter thing in the live action series) additional Star Wars movies. Basically, what I am saying is, no matter how good the effects on Avatar are, don’t hold your breath. (Yeah, I am a little sick of this topic and Dark Empire? Are you kidding me? …Sorry.)

Crosscurrent. Check out chapter two of Paul S. Kemp’s upcoming paperback. Meanwhile, the first review has surfaced over at Stomping on Yeti.

The Old Republic. NJOE’s Rogue77 found a brief summary for Sean William’s The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance.

Fate of the Jedi: First blurb for Golden’s Allies

NJOE spotted a blurb for Fate of the Jedi: Allies – the fifth book in the series, and second by Christie Golden – on Amazon.co.uk. The second half sounds like it could be a bit spoilery for Backlash, so highlight to read.

In the middle novel of the bestselling nine-book “Star Wars” series “Fate of the Jedi”, an uneasy – and unprecedented – coalition of Jedi and Sith enter the dark and treacherous area of space known as the Maw to search out the strange being that has been reaching out to Luke Skywalker during his journey to retrace the travels of his late nephew, Jacen Solo. Forced to wait on the planet Klatooine for reinforcements from Lando Calrissian, this already fragile alliance is threatened by the presence of the Hutts, and while Leia, Han, Jaina, and Jag walk a fine line between obeying the law of the Galactic Alliance and supporting Luke, Jedi Ben Skywalker and Sith Apprentice Vestara Khai may be the ones to lead the mission to triumph – or disaster.

Allies is due out May 25.