Category: books and comics

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Sad news: Sue Rostoni is retiring

LucasBooks Executive Editor Sue Rostoni is retiring, the official site says today. She’s been working for Lucasfilm as an editor since (at least) the launch of the modern publishing program in the early 90’s with the Thrawn trilogy.

“I have enjoyed the best job in the world with the most wonderfully creative people,” said Rostoni. “I’m so grateful to have been a part of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones programs these past years — it’s been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life.”

This isn’t a total surprise – Rostoni stepped back from socializing with fans a few months back, and her final message had a touch of finality to it that led to some fans speculating that her retirement was indeed forthcoming.

Regardless of one’s opinions about the books at the moment, we can’t deny that Rostoni was a important figure in the creation and guidance of the Expanded Universe. She was always gracious and forthcoming with fans, and for that she has my gratitude. Club Jade wishes her a long, happy, and most importantly, stress-free retirement!

There’s no word on who will replace Rostoni as Executive Editor, but it certainly does put a new spin on that job listing for Senior Editor.

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Lucasfilm looking for a senior fiction editor

A Lucasfilm job listing for a Senior Editor has been kicking around. The position involves both adult fiction and comics, which sounds like it would give one a guiding hand in the future of the expanded universe.

I can’t say for sure, but it should be noted that Sue Rostoni is Executive Editor, so I believe this listing is for someone who reports to or works with her, NOT her replacement. Or perhaps not: It was announced 6/9 that Rostoni is retiring.

The position requires a BA, several years of experience and knowledge of Star Wars fiction.

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Excerpt of Zahn’s Choices of One released

StarWars.com has released a PDF excerpt of Choices of One, the upcoming novel by Timothy Zahn. Set eight months after the Battle of Yavin, Luke, Leia and Han are headed to meet with a potential new ally, the governor of Candorus, who is also the target of Mara Jade for his treason to the Empire. Get set for some classic trilogy era adventures when it comes out on July 19 in hardcover and ebook.

Skip the blurb and jump straight to the excerpt in PDF format.

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You take the good, you take the bad: Not-so-proud moments of the Expanded Universe

The other day io9 published a list of weirdest stories from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Several of us – who’ve actually read the books and comics, not just looked them up on Wookieepedia – found their choices to be a tad uninspired.

As it so happened, I did a few posts on the topic myself a few years back. Now yes, we do love the EU here, but let’s face it: There’s a lot of awfulness in them thar hills, and we here at Club Jade have always been fans of facing them head-on. With sarcasm!

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Continue reading “You take the good, you take the bad: Not-so-proud moments of the Expanded Universe”

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EUbits: Fate of the Jedi tidbits, Zahn’s Insider short

Fate of the Jedi. in lieu of of a Heir to the Empire annotation yesterday, The Del Rey folks presented us with a mini-excerpt from Golden’s Ascension. It is indeed very mini. (Also, apparently we’ll be getting a look at the Apocalypse cover today.)

Short stories. Tim Zahn’s story ‘Buyer’s Market’ will appear in the next issue of the Insider. It’s about Lando “on the hunt for some rather exotic hardware” and is set between Return of the Jedi and Heir. The artwork is by Brian Rood. Also coming up in the Insider is a story by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff.

Interviews. Del Rey’s Erich Schoeneweiss appears on the latest Fictional Frontiers.

Previews. StarWars.com has five pages from The Old Republic: The Lost Suns.

Lists. There are several facepalm moments for me in Geeks of Doom’s ten Star Wars novels worth checking out (Splinter of the Minds’ Eye? The New Rebellion?? Vector Prime???) but to each their own, I suppose.

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The Crystal Star is bad… But not that bad

I am not here to deny that Vonda McIntyre’s much-maligned 1994 Star Wars novel The Crystal Star is not a good book. It is perhaps one of the few Star Wars books that could be considered significant (Sorry, Ruins of Dantooine) that I cannot recall ever once being praised by anyone. (Except perhaps Abel G. Pena, and only then mildly.) Even my own personal Jar Jar, the works of one Kevin J. Anderson, have fans.

My own experience with Crystal Star is one of mixed reviews. Coming as it did on the heels of Anderson’s Jedi Academy trilogy, I found it kind of a relief. No, it wasn’t a great book, and it was kind of weird, but at least it was better than Anderson. (Granted, I rank the Jedi Academy trilogy among the worst things I have ever read, period.)

But that aside, there is one reason above all else why I give Crystal Star a pass: It is a completely self-contained book. There is absolutely no reason that anyone needs to read it – unless you’re undertaking some personal urge to read every single Star Wars book ever published, or have a deep interest in the childhoods of the Solo kids.

What is the lasting legacy of The Crystal Star in the Expanded Universe, really? Waru? He’s a punchline. Prozac Luke? McIntyre is far from the only culprit there: Luke is a mopey dope throughout the entire era spanning Dark Empire and the Hand of Thrawn duology.

There are a lot of bad books in the Star Wars stable, in every era. Your mileage may vary, but I find it hard to hate a novel that had no real lasting effect on the Expanded Universe as a whole. There’s something to be said for standalones: Whatever your opinion, they are generally easy to skip over.

Thankfully fannish attitudes towards the book seem to have (mostly) evolved from outright hatred to loving snark, and The Crystal Star is treated exactly as it deserves: As the Expanded Universe equivalent of the Holiday Special.

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Allston talks Fate of the Jedi, Wraith Squadron

In an interview with Del Rey’s Suvudu blog, Aaron Allston talks about the current series, Fate of the Jedi (Have you finished Conviction yet?) and drops a few more details on his upcoming Wraith Squadron book.

Most of the action takes place in the same approximate period as Fate of the Jedi, but there are critical chapters that revisit the Wraiths in earlier years, starting just after they made the jump to become an Intelligence unit. The current-era story reunites some of the longtime Wraiths, introduces new ones, and even has second-generation Wraiths.

Head on over to Suvudu for more on the Wraiths, FOTJ, and the Jedi in general.