Tag: tarkin (novel)

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Hera, Tarkin and Rae Sloane subjects of Rise of the Empire’s short stories

rise-of-the-empireStarWars.com has revealed some short synopses for the three original short stories that will be packaged in the A New Dawn/Tarkin bind up, Rise of the Empire.

The first, ‘Mercy Mission’ by Melissa Scott, follows a young Hera and her father, The Clone Wars’ Cham Syndulla, on Ryloth. ‘Bottleneck’ by John Jackson Miller features Grand Moff Tarkin and A New Dawn’s Count Vidian. And Jason Fry’s ‘The Levers of Power’ features Admiral Rae Sloane during the Battle of Endor.

Rise of the Empire comes out in trade paperback on October 6.

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Short story authors, cover revealed for ‘Rise of the Empire’ collection

rise-cropStarWars.com has revealed the cover, release date and short story authors for Rise of the Empire, the “bind-up” that collects A New Dawn and Tarkin that was officially announced at Celebration. The authors who contribute the three original short stories are familiar names John Jackson Miller and Jason Fry, along with Star Wars newcomer Melissa Scott.

Rise of the Empire will be out in trade paperback on October 6, 2015. Check out the full cover below the cut.

Continue reading “Short story authors, cover revealed for ‘Rise of the Empire’ collection”

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Canon novels will be premium paperbacks

swb-premiumsRemember way back in 2009, when LucasBooks announced that the Fate of the Jedi paperbacks reprints would be in the slightly taller premium paperback format – and then changed their minds? Well, it seems like it’s just as well, because now it gives Del Rey a quick, easy way to make the canon novels stand out among the piles of Legends when they come out in paperback. The A New Dawn paperback, due out late next month, will be the first, but Tarkin and Heir to the Jedi have all been listed with the new format.

Props to Florian of Jedi Bibliothek for bringing it to my attention – though the Star Wars Books header photo in question has been up since January.

The premium paperback issue was rather controversial back in the day, but it seems that EU fans have bigger fish to fry these days. Below, a picture I took in 2009 to show the differences between trade paperback (The Clone Wars: Wild Space,) premium paperback (Stephen King’s Just After Sunset) and mass market paperback (Dark Force Rising.)

premiums

I miss Borders.

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Out this week: James Luceno takes on Tarkin

tarkin-cropToday, of course, sees the release of James Luceno’s Tarkin, our final novel for the year. If you’re on the fence, you can read the first fifty pages now, or Tosche Station has a Go/No Go.

The book seems to be receiving good reviews from the sort of folks who would enjoy a Luceno novel about Tarkin, but not being one of them, I shall abstain. I do, however, find that Mike Cooper’s review squares pretty well with my past experience of the author.

As for Wednesday, we even have a Dark Horse hardcover, the Dark Times Gallery Edition.

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NYCC 2014: Marvel announces Kanan comic series

Kanan #1The big fiction announcement at NYCC this weekend was… A Kanan ongoing series from Marvel. It’s being written by Greg Weisman (which may or may not explain his absence from the second season of Rebels) and begins with ‘The Last Padawan,’ in yet another prequel to the cartoon, this one going back to show how Kanan survived Order 66. Apparently if this does well, more Rebels focused comics may be on the horizon. But at the very least, it adds a different era to Marvel’s Star Wars lineup.

Amy Ratcliffe has a nice interview with Weisman on CBR.

There wasn’t a novel announcement at Del Rey’s panel, but we did learn that Palpatine’s first name (from George Lucas) is revealed in James Luceno’s Tarkin.

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James Luceno: Old Expanded Universe material “still there to pick and choose from”

luceno-tarkinAuthor James Luceno talks about Star Wars, the new canon and his upcoming novel Tarkin with SciFiNow.

He says he’s seen the series bible for Rebels and that when it comes to the old EU:

I chose not to really reference too much EU material only because of the setting of the story, but it was still there. It was still there to pick and choose from.

Though he does point out that there’s not that much to begin with in the primary setting of the novel. (5 years after Revenge of the Sith.)

However, as far as Episode VII goes? He knows nothing. But he makes a good point as to the Story Group:

Without spilling secrets they can say, ‘I think this isn’t a good place to go with this book’ or ‘You might want to steer clear of this topic.’ This is part of an effort to maintain a so-called continuity where every book and every game and every comic will all be part of a single story going forward, and that wasn’t the case earlier on.

Tarkin is due out November 4.

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New blurb sheds a little light on Luceno’s Tarkin novel

luceno-tarkinJedi News spotted that Random House has posted a longer blurb for James Luceno’s Tarkin:

He’s the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.

Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkin’s guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxy’s lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heel—by intimidation . . . or annihilation.

Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkin—whose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire’s supremacy . . . and its enemies’ extinction.

Tarkin is currently due out in hardcover and eBook on November 4.

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Out this week: Del Rey sampler, Son of Dathomir #3

del-rey-samplerWell, 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.