Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
On Tuesday, Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi is out in paperback. I reviewed it when the hardcover came out, and was not particularly impressed.
More promising is Wednesday, which brings Darth Vader #13 – the second part of the ‘Vader Down’ crossover – and Chewbacca #4.
UPDATE: I forgot that Delilah S. Dawson’s ‘The Perfect Weapon’ short story is also out Tuesday as an eBook.
Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi brings a lot of firsts, as far as Star Wars novels go. It’s the first of the new canon novels to feature one of the big three characters; the first Star Wars first-person novel* to feature an actual movie character, and the first canon novel to be set after A New Hope. It’s also the first of the new novels I actually had any interest in reading.
Now, I don’t expect a Star Wars novel to rock the very galaxy, particularly when set in a movie-limited era like this one is. I wasn’t expecting a game-changing book by any means. And generally, I don’t mind a quieter story, as long as it’s an engaging one that keeps me wanting to read.
Unfortunately, Heir to the Jedi delivers an unremarkable tale that fails to make much of an impression. From the first-person conceit to the title that seems deliberately reminiscent of Heir to the Empire, it seemed to me like the book was writing several checks that it completely failed to cash.
There is a major spoiler under the cut, but it’s black-barred so you can avoid it. Continue reading “Review: Heir to the Jedi is a whole lot of nothing”
Tuesday brings us our first novel of the year, Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi. Fair warning: I was not impressed.
Wednesday sees us with yet another comic launch: Princess Leia #1. Marvel has posted a sketchbook from artist Terry Dodson.
Coming up, we have the A New Dawn paperback on March 31, and
William Shakespeare’s The Phantom of Menace (yes, it got a title change) on April 7.
Del Rey previews Luke art for the Star Wars Insider. The artwork by Magali Villeneuve will illustrate an excerpt from Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi in issue #155.
Del Rey to give out Heir to the Jedi ARCs. You could get an early copy of Kevin Hearne’s Luke Skywalker book during the Rebels on Monday, November 24. The book is coming out in March.
Two new Star Wars novels that are coming out next spring have had their release dates changed slightly, Del Rey informs us today. Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi moves back two weeks, from February 17 to March 3. Meanwhile, Paul S. Kemp’s Lords of the Sith only jumps back a week, from April 21 to April 28. Our book release page has been updated.
Both novels will be considered part of the canon.
Random House has updated their blurb for Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi, the third of the new canon novels. It looks like we can count on there being at least two new female characters being vital to the plot. No, neither of them sounds like someone who will secretly end up to be Mara Jade.
Luke Skywalker’s game-changing destruction of the Death Star has made him not only a hero of the Rebel Alliance but a valuable asset in the ongoing battle against the Empire. Though he’s a long way from mastering the power of the Force, there’s no denying his phenomenal skills as a pilot—and in the eyes of Rebel leaders Princess Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar, there’s no one better qualified to carry out a daring rescue mission crucial to the Alliance cause.
A brilliant alien cryptographer renowned for her ability to breach even the most advanced communications systems is being detained by Imperial agents determined to exploit her exceptional talents for the Empire’s purposes. But the prospective spy’s sympathies lie with the Rebels, and she’s willing to join their effort in exchange for being reunited with her family. It’s an opportunity to gain a critical edge against the Empire that’s too precious to pass up. It’s also a job that demands the element of surprise. So Luke and the ever-resourceful droid R2-D2 swap their trusty X-wing fighter for a sleek space yacht piloted by brash recruit Nakari Kelen, daughter of a biotech mogul, who’s got a score of her own to settle with the Empire.
Challenged by ruthless Imperial bodyguards, death-dealing enemy battleships, merciless bounty hunters, and monstrous brain-eating parasites, Luke plunges head-on into a high-stakes espionage operation that will push his abilities as a Rebel fighter and would-be Jedi to the limit. If ever he needed the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi to shepherd him through danger, it’s now. But Luke will have to rely on himself, his friends, and his own burgeoning relationship with the Force to survive.
Heir to the Jedi is scheduled for a February 17 release. (via)
Well, now that we’ve got had our first look at a new/old upcoming comic, let’s see what you can actually pick up this week…
Today, send your eBook reader of choice to your eBook retailer of choice to download the free sampler containing previews of all four of Del Rey’s announced upcoming books. It gives us our first look at John Jackson Miller’s A New Dawn, James Luceno’s Tarkin, Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi and Paul Kemp’s Lords of the Sith. I skimmed it last night, and let’s just say that ‘underwhelmed’ seems to be the word of the day…
Meanwhile, comic readers will have Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #3, the second-to-last issue, waiting for them on Wednesday.
Del Rey offering a Star Wars book sampler on July 15. The 58-page free digital sampler contains previews of all four announced upcoming canon novels, John Jackson Miller’s A New Dawn, James Luceno’s Tarkin, Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi and Paul Kemp’s Lords of the Sith. It will be available in non-Amazon eBook formats as well.
Del Rey has slightly pushed back the release dates for two 2015 book releases. Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi will now be out February 17 instead of January 13, while Paul Kemp’s Lords of the Sith is set for April 21 instead of March.
Our book release schedule has been updated.