Lucasfilm and Del Rey have announced a handful of new Star Wars novels that will arrive in 2022: two adult books from Adam Christopher and Mike Chen, a middle grade anthology edited by Jennifer Heddle, and a young adult novel by Kiersten White, featuring adventures stretching from before The Phantom Menace all the way into the post-Return of the Jedi era of the franchise.
The Star Wars franchise sees a handful of books every year that fill in various sections around the franchise’s timeline.
First up is Mike Chen’s Star Wars: Brotherhood, a Clone Wars-set story about Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, about the former’s ascendancy from Jedi Padawan to Jedi Knight:
After an explosion devastates Cato Neimoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened. The Jedi dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Order’s most gifted diplomatic minds, to investigate the crime and maintain the balance that has begun to dangerously shift. As Obi-Wan investigates with the help of a heroic Neimoidian guard, he finds himself working against the Separatists who hope to draw the planet into their conspiracy–and senses the sinister hand of Asajj Ventress in the mists that cloak the planet.
Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight. Despite the mandate that Obi-Wan travel alone–and his former master’s insistence that he listen this time–Anakin’s headstrong determination means nothing can stop him from crashing the party, and bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling.
Once a Padawan to Obi-Wan, Anakin now finds himself on equal–but uncertain–footing with the man who raised him. The lingering friction between them increases the danger for everyone around them. The two knights must learn a new way to work together—and they must learn quickly, to save Cato Neimoidia and its people from the fires of war. To overcome the threat they face they must grow beyond master and apprentice. They must stand together as brothers.
The book will be released on May 10th, 2022, and it looks like it’ll be pretty early in the timeline, set before the events in The Clone Wars series kicked off. Maybe we’ll see them meet Captain Rex for the first time?
On June 7th, we see the release of a new middle grade anthology featuring stories of the Jedi and Sith, featuring a bunch of familiar authors: Roseanne A. Brown, Sarwat Chadda, Delilah S. Dawson, Tessa Gratton, Michael Kogge, Sam Maggs, Michael Moreci, Alex Segura, Vera Strange, and Karen Strong. The book will be illustrated by Jack Bartok.
Next up is Adam Christopher’s Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith, which is set nearly twenty years after Return of the Jedi, and follows Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian (pictured above) as they investigate rumors of a reemerging Sith.
The Empire is dead. Nearly two decades on from the Battle of Endor, the tattered remnants of Palpatine’s forces have fled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. But for the heroes of the New Republic, danger and loss are ever-present companions, even in this newly forged era of peace.
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker is haunted by visions of the dark side, foretelling an ominous secret growing somewhere in the depths of space, on a dead world called Exegol. The disturbance in the Force is undeniable…and Luke’s worst fears are confirmed when his old friend, Lando Calrissian, comes to him with reports of a new Sith menace.
After his daughter was stolen from his arms, Lando searched the stars for any trace of his lost child. But every new rumor only led to dead ends and fading hopes–until he crossed paths with Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin tasked with kidnapping a young girl.
Ochi’s true motives remain shrouded to Luke and Lando. For on a junkyard moon, a mysterious envoy of the Sith Eternal has bequeathed a sacred blade to the assassin, promising that it will give him answers to the questions that have haunted him since the Empire fell. In exchange, he must complete a final mission: return to Exegol with the key to the Sith’s glorious rebirth—the granddaughter of Darth Sidious himself, Rey.
As Ochi hunts Rey and her parents to the edge of the galaxy, Luke and Lando race into the mystery of the Sith’s lingering shadow and aid a young family running for their lives.
Christopher had previously been slated to release another post-ROTJ book, set during The Mandalorian, but that was cancelled earlier this year. At the time, Del Rey said that he was working on another book, and it looks as though this is the one.
One of the biggest complaints about Rise of Skywalker was how much of its plot came together, summed up nicely in the film by Poe Dameron as “Somehow Palpatine has returned.” The film introduced a lot of plot stuff: not only the return of Palpatine, but the existence of the Sith world Exegol, and their role in fueling the First Order. The film certainly raised plenty of questions, and I’ve maintained that those plot holes will eventually be filled in with additional context and novels in the years to come.
Christopher’s book looks as though it will contain some exciting material: a Luke and Lando team-up should make for a fun thing, and it looks like there’s a bit of a nod to the theory that Jannah (played by Naomi Ackie in Rise of Skywalker) is Lando’s daughter, some details about Ochi of Bestoon (whose remains were found by Rey and company on Pasaana) and his quest to recover Rey for Palpatine. That novel hits stores on June 28th, 2022.
And finally, Kiersten White will release a YA novel featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi as a Padawan. We’ve visited this era before with Claudia Gray’s Master & Apprentice, set eight years prior to The Phantom Menace, and this one looks as though it’s set a bit before that. Here’s the plot summary:
Obi-Wan Kenobi really wants to be a good Padawan. The best Padawan, even. But that’s feeling more and more impossible with his new master, Qui-Gon Jinn. All of Obi-Wan’s friends are off training to be real Jedi, getting mission experience, while he’s still on Coruscant, practicing his forms and sitting in silent contemplation. Ever since Qui-Gon’s former master, Dooku, left the Order, it feels like Qui-Gon has been too busy trying to connect with the Force or arguing with the Jedi Council to properly train his Padawan.
When Obi-Wan finally convinces Qui-Gon to take him on a mission to a remote planet once explored by an ancient Jedi, his master doesn’t show up the morning they are to leave—so Obi-Wan impulsively takes off by himself. Upon arriving on the mysterious, lush planet, he encounters a group of teenagers with no adult supervision—and who all seem to have some connection to the Force. Free from the constraints of the Order, Obi-Wan joins them in their daring adventures, but the Padawan side of him keeps questioning the teens’ strange relationship to the Force, and to the verdant planet around them, and what all of it might mean to his future. Obi-Wan will test the limits of his relationship to the Jedi and to the Force in this exciting, yet soulful exploration of one of Star Wars’ most enduring heroes.
This book will be hitting stores on July 26th.
While we wait for those to arrive, there are a bunch of other books coming soon: Ronin: A Visions Novel by Emma Mieko Candon (October 12th), Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil by Timothy Zahn (November 16th), The High Republic: The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray (January 4th), The High Republic: Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland (January 4th), The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older (February 1st), and Queen’s Hope by E.K. Johnson (April 5th).
With Adam Christopher’s Mandalorian novel previously cancelled (likely because of Gian Carano’s firing, though that’s never explicitly been confirmed), I was wondering what his consolation project was.
So I’m glad he’s back in the production queue (and also getting to dramatize that bit of Luke/Lando exposition from Rise of Skywalker).
The new Obi Wan and Anakin book sounds like an interesting premise, and I also like the idea of Luke and Lando on an adventure together.
Ochi of Bestoon, wearing a distinctive horned helmet, has been working for Vader in the ongoing comics series War of the Bounty Hunters.
AHHHH The Luke & Lando teamup was one of the things I felt like was such an aggravating/tantalizing thing that was hinted at that we just didn’t even get to see, so that’s kind of exciting.
I just have no desire for people to further expound on any part of Rise of Skywalker. I’m sure given enough time and enough books they could perform the same triage that the prequels eventually got, but why?? Star Wars novels could be about anything, and I guess I’d rather explore Luke and Lando on an unrelated adventure rather than this. But also, I haven’t picked up any new Star Wars books since Disney acquired it so I am not the target audience.
@@.-@,
I mean, they kinda have too. The compressed timeline of the ST leaves few remaining openings for multimedia focus (unlike the PT and OT eras).
And stuff has to be resolved and patched up for the inevitable period when Disney finally jumps the franchise timeline ahead past the end of the ST.
Why comment so aggressively about how you have ‘no’ interest in a thing?
I mean, I am not one of the people defending the sequels, I am happy to sit down with a cofee (or a beer) and tell you ALL the problems I have with them. One of those problems IS that they skipped over so much that I actually wanted to see so in that sense I like the books being out.
I will admit, in my head the ST is kind of a ‘What if’ and not my preferred ‘sacred’ timeline (to borrow from another sister franchise ;) )…but I still like exploring it from time to time.
You know that a team-up has Serious Potential when ‘Luke & Lando’ sounds like a classic double act, even when you don’t know anything more than their names – the fact this is a team up between the smoothest of smoothies and the most adorable Jedi master in history (alright, alright, RECENT history – The Order may be Serious Business, but it does have a fine record of attracting some absolutely adorable heroes to its ranks) just makes this all the more exciting!
Also, that story about Cato Nemoidia at the beginning of the Clone Wars sounds interesting – more because they’ve been clever enough to make the Trade Federation distinct from Cato Nemoidia proper, which opens up some excellent opportunities for intrigue, tragedy & world-building.
@6,
I will admit, in my head the ST is kind of a ‘What if’ and not my preferred ‘sacred’ timeline (to borrow from another sister franchise ;) )…but I still like exploring it from time to time.
Yeah, for me, the way I approach the three Trilogies is that Episodes I-VI is the core narrative as Lucas intended. You do those 6 films, you stop at ROTJ, and you get a complete, contained story with Anakin’s rise, fall, and redemption.
VII-IX is completely optional and is the equivalent of the original creators’ estate authorizing continuations to generate income. There are some aspects of the ST I do like and I’ll pop in for reading material, yeah…but it’s still my least favorite of the three Trilogy eras.
Yeah, basically – and I’m willing to consider Rogue One/Solo in there (as well as Mandalorian)…even Rebels/TCW…even though there are obviously some Legends-based EU they’ve had to retcon a little or that you can pick and choose from in those earlier eras. But I can also see how some people might just go by the main movies only, or maybe even just the OT.
I write fanfic for fun and my stories diverged from what was then the Legends canon shortly after the Jedi Academy trilogy anyway, but I’ve also at times incorporated some newly introduced elements (I love the island of Ahch-To, for example) from a few of the Disney era things even if the *events* are completely different.
It’s fun. And in a way having my own little version that combines all the things I like, plus some of my own stuff, kind of makes it easier for me ot just accept/enjoy the other canons floating around.
@6, I guess because I used to love Star Wars books and I’m still holding out hope that Disney puts out one that makes me think “yeah, that looks like a nice read.” And because I have almost no interest in backward-engineered solutions to ‘the canon’ because, much like yourself, I handwave away some of the movies (1-3, 9). Also, I don’t feel like my comment was particularly aggressive, as I say I haven’t been buying the books anyway so I’m not the target audience. I don’t begrudge anyone enjoying books like these, I just wish Star Wars as a whole could break a little more new ground. And, as we all know, the Disney execs laboriously pour over the comments on TOR for ideas about what they should do next haha.
@11 – ah, sorry.
I guess I just meant that if you’re not the target audience, it seems like going out of your way to comment on it. Like, I don’t comment about how I have no interest in the newest whatever movie when it’s not a franchise I enjoy.
Obviously something like Star Wars is trickier because so many people have so many different opinions on different aspects of the franchise, but maybe it just felt like another paper cut because of how much negativity there is (which I understand, there’s stuff I don’t like) that sometimes drowns out the people who DO want to be excited about it.
#5
I don’t know what about the ST really needs to be resolved. Desert kid leaves home to be a Jedi, learns shocking facts about family, turns bad guy good, and an evil space wizard explodes. (Stop me if you’ve seen this trilogy before.) It was all wrapped up, just like in 1983, albeit in a more bloated way.
I think they’re already free to move on to the next generation, where Broom Boy leaves the stables to be a Jedi, learns shocking facts about family… Zzzzzzzz…
Yeah, basically – and I’m willing to consider Rogue One/Solo in there (as well as Mandalorian)…even Rebels/TCW…even though there are obviously some Legends-based EU they’ve had to retcon a little or that you can pick and choose from in those earlier eras.
Same. Those are supplemental materials that completely optional, yet nicely enrich the main narrative (TCW especially in relation to Episodes II and III).
I do keep going back and forth on watching all three Trilogies back-to-back to just see how it all plays together. But every time I get the thought, I look at the ending of ROTJ and how complete and final it is…and I just can’t bring myself to do it.
@14 – my big 2020 pandemic project was a full scale saga rewatch for the express purpose of soundtrack analysis, but also as a way to watch all 11 movies (as I included RO and Solo) in saga order.
Now, full disclosure, but TFA is by far my least favorite and a lot of my issues around the sequels center around decisions made in that movie. The jump from RotJ was physically painful and depressing.
That said one thing that WAS very interesting was watching Palpatine’s throughline throughout the saga, as well as the many parallels of Anakin’s wanting to ‘fix death’ and his several statements about wanting to ‘save people from dying’ throughout the prequels to Kylo’s desire to ‘finish what his grandfather started’ ultimately culminating in him…saving Rey from dying.
I actually love the ending of TROS, thematically (even if the execution was a mess), and if anything I think they needed to hammer home harder the connection with Anakin and his quest to “cheat” death and Ben being the one to figure it out…much to Palpatine’s chagrin. There really is no way to ‘cheat’ it, as much as Palpatine (and Anakin) tries to. Really, if they had just had Anakin come back as a Force ghost to act through Rey I probably would have loved it fairly unreservedly; I loved that his voice was present, but I think Anakin taking a more ‘solid’ role there would have helped make the trilogies seem a bit more symmetrical/intertwined and further hammered home the handoff to Rey as the next Skywalker (which is also one of those things I’m fine with in theory, but just got slammed in too fast).
There are several story beats in TROS that I actually think could have worked had they been better seeded/planned from the start. Palpatine returning isn’t THAT crazy. I really, really wanted Rey to have been created (perhaps through Sith alchemy or as part of Palpatine’s contigency plans) from the Force (ironically, Star Wars: Visions gave us something similar to that) as a kind of anti-Chosen one, for example, and then still choose the Light instead. That’s why she sees just reflections of herself when she asks who her parents are, it’s why Kylo isn’t lying when he tells her that her parents are ‘nobody’. Hell, maybe even cloned from Luke’s hand if you really want to get crazy about it, and give her connections to both Palpatine and the Skywalkers (although I also maintain that it’s totally fine to have her be an ‘adopted’ Skywalker). It might even be why Kylo is immediately suspicious when he hears about a girl on Jakku because perhaps he knows she was hidden there (by Luke, perhaps) after her caretakers or surrogate mom escaped. But, nah, Palpatine apparently had a son. *eyeroll*
Anyway now I’m getting way off topic :D
…I think they needed to hammer home harder the connection with Anakin and his quest to “cheat” death and Ben being the one to figure it out…much to Palpatine’s chagrin. There really is no way to ‘cheat’ it, as much as Palpatine (and Anakin) tries to. Really, if they had just had Anakin come back as a Force ghost to act through Rey I probably would have loved it fairly unreservedly; I loved that his voice was present, but I think Anakin taking a more ‘solid’ role there would have helped make the trilogies seem a bit more symmetrical/intertwined and further hammered home the handoff to Rey as the next Skywalker (which is also one of those things I’m fine with in theory, but just got slammed in too fast).
Yeah, I think that’s one of the core overreaching missteps made by the ST.
I’ve said this before in past Star Wars posts, but one thing the PT did right was re-contextualizing the OT. While Luke was still that Trilogy’s central protagonist, the overarching character of the first six Episodes was still ultimately Anakin/Vader; the generational perspective just shifted.
I remember the lead-up to the ST and thinking that was the (or at leas a ) key to making to work and feel like a natural continuation rather than a tacked-on addendum. If the PT was Anakin’s rise and fall and the OT was his death and redemption, then the ST has to be about his legacy.
And to be fair, the skeletal framework is there, with stuff like Kylo’s obsession with his grandfather, Leia and Han refusing to see Anakin as anything other than Vader even 30 years later, the Imperial war machine outliving one of the men who helped build and guide it, etc.
And I have to admit that I do like the tragedy of Anakin posthumously fulfilling Yoda’s prophecy from ESB, about how once you embrace the Dark Side, it’ll dominate your destiny forever.
30 years after his death, Anakin’s darkest deeds are still haunting his family and the galaxy, trigger another galactic civil war, and ultimately wipe out his entire bloodline (which ties back into, as you pointed out, the futility of cheating death).
It’s just the execution of all this, ah, sucked.And I still agree Anakin’s Force Ghost should have appeared in TROS. It’s still ridiculous they went with VOs only.
Cinema is a visual medium, J.J., and you broke one of the cardinal rules: Show, not tell. It’s not that hard to f**k up.
I thought TROS was moderately entertaining if more than a bit hyper. The main point of contention for me, however, was the climax of Rey obliterating Palpatine with the Force. I mean, what the what? Talk about ditching a nice thread they had going in favor of a special effects show.
If Rey, as the old coot says, becomes evil if she kills him, then they had a perfectly good alternative. What if Rey healed him? Using the powers they showed earlier in the movie, she puts her magical hands on Palpatine and causes him to revert to the way he looked in The Phantom Menance, but now a weak, powerless, sad, human being. And dies of a broken heart. Aww.
Anyway, I thought they were building to something like that. Silly me.
@17 – that actually would have been pretty awesome. It kind of reminds me of some aspects of the Harry/Voldemort conflict where ultimately Voldemort can’t possess him becaues Harry is able to feel love, and also ultimately he can feel pity for him. Or the ideas in Lord of the RIngs or even the OT where the hero’s grace/mercy is the turning point…no, I don’t think Palpatine would have actually repented but I kind of like that concept that she would take a third option (in a way, similar to Luke).
SO yeah, chalk that up as another better ending.
@18,
Palpatine’s entire arc is the acquisition and consolidation of more and more power (political, military, and Forceful).
So stripping him of that power and cutting him off from the Dark Side…it would’ve been an interesting way of ending his life for good without repeating ROTJ (even 2 years later, I simply cannot buy Rey killing Sidious by deflecting his Force Lightning back at him).
And she could have also gotten the idea from Luke having cut himself off on Acho-To in the previous movie.
#18
Yeah, it just seemed like a good path to take, and a nifty loophole. She had always been depicted as a loving, caring person. The healing power made total sense for her character. Oh well.
I don’t know what about the ST really needs to be resolved. Desert kid leaves home to be a Jedi, learns shocking facts about family, turns bad guy good, and an evil space wizard explodes. (Stop me if you’ve seen this trilogy before.) It was all wrapped up, just like in 1983, albeit in a more bloated way.
Yeah, that is one of the cardinal sins of the ST for me.
There are some interesting ideas here and there in the framework, sure. But as a whole, VII, VIII, and IX don’t really add anythingg to the Saga’s overarching narrative.
You can stop at ROTJ and literally be left with the exact same outcome/status quo at the end of TROS.
It goes back to what I was saying earlier, about my fears that the ST would feel tacked on rather than feeling like an organic continuation of the narrative of I-VI.