THE PERFECT WEAPON by Delilah S. Dawson

The Perfect Weapon (Star Wars) (Short Story)

There are plenty of mercenaries, spies, and guns for hire in the galaxy. But probably none as dangerous and determined as Bazine Netal. A master of disguise—and lethal with a blade, a blaster, or bare handed—she learned from the best. Now it’s her turn to be the teacher—even if schooling an eager but inexperienced recruit in the tricks of her trade is the last thing she wants to do. But it’s the only way to score the ship she needs to pull off her latest job.

An anonymous client has hired Bazine to track down an ex-stormtrooper and recover the mysterious package he’s safeguarding. Payment for the mission promises to be astronomical, but the obstacles facing Bazine will prove to be formidable. And though her eager new sidekick has cyber skills crucial to the mission, only Bazine’s razor-sharp talents will mean the difference between success or failure—and life or death.

The Perfect Weapon (Star Wars) (Short Story)

Format: eBook, 57 pages

On Sale Date: November 24th 2015

Price US: $1.99

ISBN: 978-0-399-17793-4

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Animated Comic Versions of Two ‘Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Books

Via Slashfilm.com:

When Force Friday arrived earlier this month, along with the barrage of toys, shirts and other junk for collectors to throw on shelves, there were also new books. There’s a whole batch of stories that have been written as part of a publishing initiative called Journey to The Force Awakens, filling in the gaps between Return of the Jedi and the new sequel arriving this winter.

Now two of those books have been given animated comic book adaptations. Sadly, it’s not the longer novels being given this treatment, but rather the kids’ books titles Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo Adventure and The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure. Watch the animated adaptations of the Journey to the Force Awakens books below!

The Luke Skywalker story has some interesting story beats, including Luke going in search of an abandoned Jedi temple. That sounds like it could have some ties to what he’s doing in The Force Awakens. Maybe he’s been looking for something for the 30 years since Return of the Jedi.

One of the more intriguing parts includes the role of Sarco Plank, a new character we’ve heard about previously, who helps Luke in this particular story. However, the narrator, a female Devaronian, knows him as The Scavenger, and it appears that he may have ulterior motives for helping Luke.

Meanwhile, the Han Solo adventure doesn’t really seem to offer much hints as to what will be coming for the smuggle and his partner Chewbacca. They get involved in some kind of imperial trouble, but what plays out is more like a small action scene from a larger story, where as the Luke story feels slightly more complete, concluding with a cliffhanger.

If after watching these videos you want to buy Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo Adventure or The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure for you or your kids, you can buy them by clicking each title and picking them up at Amazon for just under $9 right now.

Head over to Slashfilm.com to check them out!

Star Wars Reads Day is 10/10 – EPIC Board Books Perfect For The Littlest Padawan

Readers of all ages will be celebrating Star Wars Reads Day on October 10th. With the Star Wars Epic Yarns board books, parents of pre-reading Padawans can join the fun and introduce the youngest readers to their favorite movies!

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Star Wars® Epic Yarns that tells the story of each of the first three Star Wars movies in just 12 words and 12 iconic scenes depicted in incredibly detailed – and adorable – needle felt.

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Watch the Behind the Scenes video here:

You can order Star Wars Epic Yarns board books here.

A GALAXY OF STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS BOOKS COMING DECEMBER 18

Via Starwars.com:
EXPLORE THE SECRETS AND ORIGINS OF THE NEXT FILM IN THE STAR WARS SAGA!
The Force awakens everywhere on December 18. In addition to catching up with the heroes from the original trilogy, fans will also be introduced to new characters like Finn, Rey, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, and the spherical droid, BB-8. But as we all know, there’s a lot a story can’t tell you on the screen.

Fans can find out much, much more about the new characters, vehicles, and worlds of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in a slew of novels, art books, visual dictionaries, and sticker collections also coming December 18. Familiar relics and ships from the film like Luke’s lightsaber and the Millennium Falcon will also be examined in closer detail.

Click below to read the full article.

Review Of Star Wars FAQ Everything Left To Know About The Trilogy That Changed The Movies

Today, we take a look at Star Wars FAQ Everything Left To Know About The Trilogy That Changed The Movies by Mark Clark. This book explores every aspect of the Original Trilogy, the inspirations that influenced George Lucas and information about people who contributed to the movies’ success.

Most people know something about Star Wars, they have heard the iconic lines from the film, seen the merchandise and understand that Star Wars has had a large impact on culture. Mark Clark’s book is obviously all about Star Wars, but in a much more detailed way. The book details the history of the Star Wars Phenomen. Clark tells little known stories, discusses the influences on George Lucas and the other creators, gives a behind the scences look at the cast and crew, explores marketing tactics and looks at the cultural impact of Star Wars. The book contains lots of pictures that bring the facts and stories alive.

Star Wars FAQ is 424 pages long. It is an easy read. It can be read all at once or just a section at time. You can easily read about one topic and pick it up later and read about another. It is a great book to consult frequently.

Star Wars FAQ Everything Left To Know About The Trilogy That Changed The Movies, is a great book for new and older fans alike. Fans of The Original Trilogy will enjoy the stories and memories it will envoke, while younger fans will enjoy being a part of the Triology era.

Click here or below to order from Amazon or visit ApplauseBooks.com.

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Everything We Know About Star Wars’ Post-Return Of The Jedi Future

Via io9.com:
Last week’s “Force Friday” wasn’t just about the release of new Star Wars toys. It also heralded the start of “Journey To The Force Awakens,” a planned series of stories detailing the 30 years between Return of the Jedi and the new film. Here’s everything we know so far about the formative years of Disney’s new Star Wars canon.

Warning: The following information is gleaned from the newly released novels Aftermath and Lost Stars, as well as the young adult novels Moving Target, Smuggler’s Run and The Weapon of a Jedi, today’s release of Marvel’s Shattered Empire #1, and the upcoming video games Star Wars: Uprising and Star Wars: Battlefront. Suffice to say, there are plenty of major spoilers for those products below, especially the two main novels.

Click below to read the full article.

STAR WARS ATTACK OF THE CLONES: THE EXPANDED VISUAL DICTIONARY

Via Starwars.com:

 

Here’s an odd experience for a writer: discovering you have one more published book than you thought.

In 2011, with a 3-D version of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace headed to theaters the next year, DK asked me to write an expansion of Star Wars Episode I: The Visual Dictionary, the 1999 book penned by David West Reynolds. That was a fun project. Among other things, we offered a cutaway diagram of Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber; named some new droids, characters and ships; and revisited material about the Sith, the Senate, and the Jedi based on what had happened in the later two episodes — taking advantage of material that hadn’t existed when Reynolds wrote the original book.

Star Wars The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary (say that 10 times fast!) came out in January 2012 and was well received. The time was right for fans to take another look at a movie that was then more than a decade old. With 3-D releases of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in the works, DK hired me to update and expand another Reynolds book, 2002’s Star Wars Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary.

Click below to read the full article.

DETAILS REVEALED FOR UPCOMING PAPERBACK, RISE OF THE EMPIRE

Via Starwars.com:

This October, Del Rey will publish Star Wars: Rise of the Empire, an anthology featuring two previously published novels — Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno, and Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller­ — along with three original short stories. Together, these five works will chronicle events and provide readers with new insights into the scope and power of the formidable Galactic Empire.

Today, Del Rey is excited to announce the titles and synopses of the three short stories that will be included in the anthology.

MERCY MISSION by Melissa Scott

Years before she led the crew of the Ghost, Hera Syndulla was a young pilot looking to make a difference in the galaxy. Hera sets out with Goll — a close ally of her father, Cham Syndulla — on a dangerous mission to help the citizens of her homeworld, Ryloth, now languishing under the might of the Empire.

BOTTLENECK by John Jackson Miller

When Grand Moff Tarkin is tasked by Emperor Palpatine to investigate a dispute slowing Imperial production on a backwater planet, he expects an easy mission. Instead, Tarkin must forge a tense alliance with Count Vidian, the Empire’s newest rising star and a most capable rival. Matching wits and risking betrayal at every turn, the two powerful Imperials duel to gain the upper hand…and elude, at all costs, the price of failure.

Click below to read the full article.

LEGO STAR WARS

Via Starwars.com:

COMING NOVEMBER 10, DK PUBLISHING’S NEW BOOK CAPTURES THE SAGA’S GREATEST SCENES WITH STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY.

LEGO has reinterpreted the Star Wars saga in many ways: comical TV series, fun video games, and the overall creativity of the LEGO building experience. But it’s never reinterpreted it like this.

LEGO Star Wars: Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy (coming November 10 for $24.99, and available for pre-order now), is a beautiful photography book featuring painstaking recreations of classic Star Wars movie moments, as well as irreverent takes on classic characters in the traditional LEGO Star Wars style.

Created with both photography fans and families in mind, Finnish photographer Vesa Lehtimaki used his son’s favorite toys to create the stunning images in the book. The spreads showcase a wealth of new photography alongside the very best of Lehtimaki’s hugely popular online portfolio. LEGO Star Wars: Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy isn’t just a new form LEGO Star Wars book, it’s a new kind of Star Wars book altogether.

Every scene plays with perspective, focus, and colors to show Star Wars in a whole new way. Fun captions and insights from the author on how he approached each photograph add different layers of depth to the experience — even if it’s about a skiing snowtrooper.

Click below to see the full article.

 

Star Wars FAQ Coming In September

Star Wars FAQ Everything Left to Know About the Trilogy That Changed the Movies by Mark Clark will be available in September from Applause Books.

Star Wars FAQ offers an original analysis of the series’ enduring appeal and cultural impact. In the process, author Mark Clark tells a story as thrilling and action-packed as the movies themselves, with bold characters facing apparently insurmountable odds.

Featuring 38 chapters, such as Echo Base: Homage in Star Wars, New Hope: Assessing Episode IV, and Far, Far Away: Production of Star Wars, Star Wars FAQ introduces the reader to early screenplays drafts that were never filmed and to short biographies of many people who made key contributions to the movies’ success. Star Wars FAQ details every aspect of the original Star Wars Trilogy (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi). Along the way it unearths under-reported stories and illuminating minutiae often skimmed over or completely ignored in other histories of the legendary film series.

Star Wars is a story full of frantic chases, narrow escapes, daring victories, and tragic setbacks, culminating in an unlikely triumph that changed the course of the galaxy. Illustrated with vintage promotional stills, photographs of memorabilia, and other classic artwork Star Wars FAQ explores how Star Wars changed the movies.

Coming Soon!
$24.99 (US)
9781480360181
6″ x 9″
400 pages

2015-07-29 21_18_05-Re_ Star Wars FAQ coming in September - Inbox - yodasnews@kid4life.com - Mozilla

STUDYING SKYWALKERS: THE SLEEPER IN DARK DISCIPLE

Via Starwars.com:
Studying Skywalkers is an exclusive column that investigates the characters, themes, and lessons of Star Wars from an educational, literary perspective. In this installment, StarWars.com looks at the symbolism featured in a pivotal scene within the novel, Dark Disciple.

Spoiler warning: This blog contains major spoilers from the novel, Dark Disciple.

Last month, we examined Christie Golden’s new novel, Dark Disciple, which focusses on Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos, and their Jedi-informed quest to hunt down and assassinate the Sith Lord Count Dooku. A key moment in the novel features important symbols which encapsulate the significance of character development between the two protagonists, and enhances the power of Golden’s prose. This scene is centered around a creature called the Sleeper. Monsters are common tropes in literature, especially in fantasy, and reveal much about characterization. This pivotal scene with the Sleeper has ramifications that accentuate the significance of Vos’ personal journey.

Click below to read the full article.

TELLING THE UNTOLD IN DARK DISCIPLE

Via Starwars.com:
When I was contacted by Shelly Shapiro about the possibility of turning eight episodes of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television show into a novel, I was interested. When she told me the arc was to visit the “gray” area between the dark and the light side, and that the focus would be on a romance between two characters who each had their own fascinating histories, I was excited. And when I had a chance to read the scripts and watch the animatics of the first four episodes, I was well and truly hooked.

Novels, novelizations, media tie-ins…they’ve all got a lot in common, and yet each is its own distinct animal. One thing is certain for me in everything I do, and that is that I try to make it the very best book I possibly can, whether it’s just to please me, to please the creators of the IP, or to satisfy the legions of fans of what’s arguably the biggest franchise out there.

While I was excited to be writing a book that plays to my interests and strengths — tight focus, the descent into the darkness, the heady positives and anguished negatives of an intense love, and characters for whom writing dialogue was a constant delight — Dark Disciple posed its share of challenges. First, as a novelization, it had to feel completely “of” the television show, while also going beyond it to take advantage of a different medium of storytelling. Second, in Asajj Ventress it featured a character who was well known and well loved, with a complicated background that placed her solidly in a not-solid space between “good guy” and “bad guy.” Would I be able to rise to the challenge of capturing her personality? It also co-starred Quinlan Vos, whom we knew canon-wise from a single Clone Wars episode and Legends-wise from the comics. Which Vos would we be “seeing,” and would readers like him? (Answer: Both of them. And yes, I hope!)

And finally, it’s canon Star Wars. Hey, no pressure there, right?

Click below to read the full article.

STAR WARS: AFTERMATH – SPECIAL EXCERPT!

Via Starwars.com:

We all remember the last time we saw Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca together. There were fireworks. There was celebration. The second Death Star had just been obliterated, the Emperor was dead, and Darth Vader was no more. But revolutions come with a price.

There’s over 30 years of space between Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and that’s enough time for a lot of conflict. And a new trilogy of books to tell us what happened.

The first installment, Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig (Blackbird, The Blue Blazes), releases September 4 and begins immediately after the victory celebration on Coruscant seen at the end of Return of the Jedi. As it turns out, the fight for freedom wasn’t truly over. Check out the exciting excerpt below.

Click below to read the full article.

STAR WARS: DARK DISCIPLE AUDIOBOOK PREVIEW

Via Starwars.com:
The war between the clone armies of the Republic and the Separatist droid forces remain locked in a stalemate, and with casualties piling up like the ending of an epic tragedy, the virtuous Jedi Council may have finally had enough of playing by the rules. As a result, volatile alliances are formed in Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden.

In this exclusive excerpt of the audiobook edition, the Separatists are holding a celebration to honor their leader, Count Dooku, and no one wants to congratulate him more than Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos. Slinking their way past security and joining a wave of spectators flowing towards a city square, this unlikely pair has one thing on their mind: kill a Sith Lord and end a Clone War.

Of course, things just look a little too easy.

Click below to read the full article and hear the audio clip.

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