The Unseen Queen cover

The cover of the second Dark Nest book, The Unseen Queen, has finally been released for real. And naturally, jacket copy:

Despite being given new worlds to populate, the insectoid Killiks have not found peace. An unknown enemy has been attacking the new nests — and the Killiks hold the Jedi responsible. Traveling back to the Unknown Regions to unravel the mystery, the Skywalkers and Solos discover an evil far more familiar than they ever expected… and even more terrifying. Why does the Dark Nest want to kill Mara? Will Jacen’s apocalyptic vision trigger another galactic war or prevent one? And perhaps most ominous of all, what deadly secret are the Killik’s hiding?

To find out, Luke, Mara, Han and Leia must embark on a perilous journey into the uncharted void between right and wrong. The ferocious Unknown Terrors are only the beginning of the awesome challenges that lie ahead in their quest to fathom the unfathomable. For an obscure dispute is about to explode into chaos, pitting Jedi against Jedi — and threatening the very galaxy itself.

As an added bonus, you can see the final cover of Dark Lord as well.

Today on starwars.com…

DK Books is doing Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide. Looks like it’ll be pretty extensive. I doubt there will be as much as the Sansweet encyclopedia, but who really needs to know all that much about the second guy on the right in Jabba’s palace anyway?

But what every kid (and more than a few grown-ups) will want for Christmas is the Ultimate Build Your Own Lightsaber Kit. Preorder now and save yourself from the Tickle-Me-Elmoesque feeding frenzy.

And finally, for Hyperspace members, the Set Diaries are returning. Now that the movie is out, Pablo can let loose with all the really spoilery stuff. Today, it’s the cruel fate of Shaak Ti.

EU Roundup: Republic Commandos, Rogues, and the Naberries

Author Karen Traviss tells fans what we can expect – within limits – from the new Republic Commando book, Triple Zero.

Meanwhile, on starwars.com, Sue Rostoni confirms that Triple Zero is an add-on to the existing contract and there are still two books left unassigned in the current Lucasfilm/Del Rey contract. No plans for them yet: they don’t have to be assigned until mid-2006.

Sue does refrain from comment on the fate of the Skywalker-Solo clan meeting up with Padme’s family, which could warrant a hardcover. I’m betting they show up in Legacy; with a title like that…

And, of course, September comics. Dark Horse is actually doing something newsworthy: Star Wars: X-wing Rogue Leader #1. Huh.

Dark Nest and Outbound Flight

Catalog descriptions for the entire Dark Nest trilogy have appeared on the starwars.com boards and confirmed as correct by Sue Rostoni. She also posted a short excerpt from the pages of The Unseen Queen. In the hopes of keeping this post brief, I’m just going to link you the post I made in Livejournal’s EU community to actually read all the stuff.

In other news, Paula noticed on the CJ list that the release date for Dark Lord was actually supposed to be for Tim Zahn’s Outbound Flight. The date swap has also been confirmed by Rostoni, so expect new Zahn in January 2006.

Preview: Dark Lord

Starwars.com posts a preview of James Luceno’s Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, which is set immediately post-ROTS:

The Republic has become the Empire, ruled by the wicked Palpatine with order enforced by his new right hand agent, Darth Vader. The galaxy is reeling from civil war and the shocking elimination of the Jedi Knights. Some worlds are resistant to the New Order, and are determined to make a stand against these sweeping new changes.

One of Darth Vader’s first tasks is to snuff out these early embers of resistance, and it is this mission that will lead him to discover his true strength and come into his own as the Emperor’s iron fist.

It comes out in November.

Del Rey is also coming out with an omnibus of the ROTS novelization and Labyrinth of Evil, along with a bonus CD-ROM with a “visual script” and concept art.