Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
We learned two big things from the Lucasfilm Publishing panel at SDCC: There’s going to be a prequel comic about Kylo and the Knights of Ren, and Dooku: Jedi Lost is indeed coming out in hardcover.
Continue reading “SDCC: Kylo and the Knights of Ren are getting an origin comic”
Star Wars Upcoming Book and Comics has spotted listings for a hardcover version of the audio drama on both Amazon UK and Amazon France. (via)
Cavan Scott’s Dooku: Jedi Lost is Del Rey’s first foray into original Star Wars audio drama. There has been some backlash from fans – both the hearing impaired and those who just plain aren’t into audio formats – so an alternate format is not out of the question.
These Amazon listings are curious, but they doesn’t make it for sure – Amazon has steered us wrong many times before! If a text version is coming, expect an official announcement from Del Rey first.
For those who are into audio, Dooku: Jedi Lost is available now.
There’s an excerpt from Cavan Scott’s Dooku: Jedi Lost over at StarWars.com. The audio drama will be out on April 30.
Continue reading “Preview Dooku: Jedi Lost and other book news”
Del Rey’s Unbound Worlds blog has the details on how you can score the two exclusive versions of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn: Alliances that they’ll be bringing to San Diego Comic Con next month. The first is a signed hardcover version that comes with a new cover, a pin and a tote bag. The second is the audiobook version, which features an exclusive conversation between Zahn and narrator Marc Thompson, as well a collector’s tin, numbered and signed card, and the same pin as the hardcover.
Either version will cost you $45. Del Rey will be using a wristband system again, with separate wristbands for each edition.
Fans at the con will also be getting the book slightly early: SDCC is held July 19-22, while the standard editions go on sale July 24.
Del Rey and the approximately twenty billion (okay, 40-something) authors of From A Certain Point of View have begun to reveal the subjects of their stories. Several dropped last week – Star Wars Books has them collected on Facebook, or keep an eye on their Twitter for the up-to-the-minutes.
We’ve also learned about the audiobook casting, which includes Jon Hamm and Neil Patrick Harris as well as Star Wars vets Ashley Eckstein, Janina Gavankar, and Marc Thompson.
The book is out October 3.
That’s no moon. With the Essential Reader’s Companion only 3 weeks away, copies are landing on the desks of the official types (with, one assumes, an audible thud.) Expect to see a lot of reviewer tweets about it soon. In the meantime, you can get a closer look at some of the portraits and check out the first 28 pages in the Random House catalog. (via)
The blogside. Tor’s Emily Asher-Perrin takes a look at ‘the true nature of the force,’ addressing a lot of the weird and complicated issues at hand with ‘balance’ and all the rest of the simple tricks and nonsense scattered throughout fandom.
Costuming. Trisha Barr interviews Shea Standefer about her great Jaina Solo costumes at CVI. Bria wrote about gender-swapped costumes, including a crossplay Wraith Squadron she took part in at D*C. And, on that note, more Expanded Universe costumes from D*C.
Interviews. John Ostrander talks about the next arc of Agent of the Empire at CBR; Roqoo Depot caught up with Timothy Zahn, James Luceno, and Troy Denning at Celebration.
Blurb. There’s now one for The Last Jedi by by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff. (via)
Audio Random House Audio has a poll up on Facebook asking which of three books – Miller’s Knight Errant, Reaves/Perry’s Death Star or Zahn’s Allegiance – you want to hear on audio first.
Random House Audio continued their convention tour, bringing some of their audio book production team to Star Wars Celebration VI as well as having a show floor presence. I caught the Star Wars University: Audio Books panel with staff from Random House Audio, producer Aaron Blank, narrator Marc Thompson (check out my interview with Marc), and director Kevin Thomsen. Crashing the panel was Leland Chee, keeper of the Holocron. Key points from the panel: Continue reading “Celebration VI: Audio books panel highlights”
After the Random House Audiobooks panel, I had the opportunity to chat with voice actor Marc Thompson about his work as the narrator of the audio versions of the Star Wars novels. Plus he gives us a little sample of one of his favorite characters, Cilghal.
James sent in several videos from San Diego, including this tour of Her Universe’s new offerings from Ashley Eckstein, including our first look at the new Her Universe logo tee! And Ashley mentions that they have lanyards, which have been pretty thin on the ground at cons lately… I hope they bring them to Celebration!
James also talked to Katie Fleming about the Random House Audio Fan Fiction contest. He also confirmed for us that they will be bringing the fan fiction recording to Celebration VI.
Other videos: The ‘As You Wish’ Boba Fett helmet art project, artist Jeff Carlisle, and the Well of Souls. James also took a ton more pictures – they start here, if you’ve already seen Wednesday’s.
Random House Audio is looking for fans to record a five-minute audio sample of their fan fiction stories on the convention floor at SDCC. Only stories from five fandoms – which include Star Wars – are eligible. The winner “be professionally recorded and mixed by Random House Audio for streaming at www.randomhouseaudio.com.”
I am not making this up. (Can we blame Fifty Shades of Grey?)
The other fandoms are Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, Percy Jackson, Hitchhiker’s Guide and Artemis Fowl. Plus, Sunday is “open mic.” Registration is open now.
If they announce a Laurel K. Hamilton book at the Star Wars panel, I’m applying to become the new divination teacher at Hogwarts. (via)
UPDATE: Bryan Young talked a bit more in depth with the PR people about the contest, and the fan fiction thing “is not the primary goal.” Nonetheless, the whole concept makes me very nervous, something which I’ll explore further later.