Back on February 17th, I posted our first look at Heir to the Jedi, you can now pick up your own copy at Amazon for $20.52
Click Here to revisit our past review!
Category Archives: Star Wars books
Heir to the Jedi: A First Person Review of the Scion’s Journey
Heir To The Jedi by Kevin Hearne, used with permission from Random House Publishing
Because I write fiction, I don’t write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing, but you are not addressing other people as ‘I’ – you are inhabiting that ‘I.’
-Kate Atkinson
To date, only one other Star Wars novel (I, Jedi) has portrayed the galaxy far, far away in first person. First person narratives can be some of the trickiest to accomplish, as it requires the author to become a character on such an intimate level. They can also, if executed correctly, give the most rewarding experience to the reader. Kevin Hearne masterfully achieved this goal in Heir to the Jedi, providing the galaxy with the most insightful and profound chronicle inside the head of Luke Skywalker to date.
Almost forty years has passed since we were first introduced to the farm boy destined for greatness. Over that time period, countless books and comics have attempted to capture a true representation of Luke Skywalker, to varying degrees of success. I for one, was somewhat cautious when I read the publisher’s summary for Heir to the Jedi, as I felt it was something that had been covered ad nauseam.
Luke Skywalker, Heir to the Jedi
Heir to the Jedi, by Kevin Hearne
In August 2012, Heir to the Jedi was announced at Star Wars Celebration VI. At the time, the novel was without a final title, and simply described as a first-person story about Luke Skywalker after the events of A New Hope. This was somewhat intriguing, as only one other Star Wars book has been written in first-person to date: I, Jedi. Shortly after the book’s initial announcement, Jennifer Heddle (the Senior Editor of LucasBooks) stated on Twitter that Hearne had submitted an outline for the novel. She also boasted that the outline was very funny, a somewhat unique description for a Star Wars novel.
JEDI ACADEMY: THE PHANTOM BULLY BY JEFFREY BROWN – COVER REVEAL!
Via Starwars.com:
School is back in session in a galaxy far, far away.
Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully, the third book in writer/artist Jeffrey Brown’s New York Times bestselling series, continues the story of middle-school life for a young Jedi — and StarWars.com has your first look at the cover!
Featuring Brown’s trademark cartoon-meets-storybook art style and humor, the cover finds that for all a Jedi’s powers, loose-leaf paper is still a great threat. In addition, there’s the pressure of having Yoda and a Zabrak for teachers! But who is the phantom bully…? Here’s the official summary of the upcoming book:
It’s hard to believe this is Roan’s last year at Jedi Academy. He’s been busier than ever learning to fly (and wash) starships, swimming in the Lake Country on Naboo, studying for the Jedi obstacle course exam, and tracking down dozens of vorpak clones — don’t ask. But now, someone is setting him up to get in trouble with everyone at school, including Yoda. If he doesn’t find out who it is, and fast, he may get kicked out of school! Why can’t middle school just be easy. . .
This incredible, original story captures all of the humor, awkwardness, fun, and frustrations of middle school — all told through one boy’s comics, journal entries, letters, sketches, e-mails, and more.
Stay tuned to StarWars.com for more on Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully!
Peek At New Shakespeare ‘Star Wars’ Prequel Parody Cover
Via Cnet.com:
“O Threepio, Threepio! Wherefore art thou Threepio?”
“William Shakespeare’s The Phantom of Menace” — the fourth installment of Ian Doescher’s Shakespearean “Star Wars” parodies from Quirk Books — hits bookshelves on April 7, and CNET got an exclusive look at the cover.
The cover portrays Queen Amidala in all her regal glory, much like other Shakespearean leading ladies from “Macbeth,” “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
“The prequels are happening because time and time again, people approached me at readings of the ‘William Shakespeare’s Star Wars’ books and asked, hopefully, if I was going to write the prequels,” Doescher told Crave. “This was especially true for young people, for whom the prequels ARE Star Wars.”
Fans of both Shakespeare and “Star Wars” will be treated to a retelling of “The Phantom Menace” as only the Great Bard himself could have written. The saga starts with a tantalizing tale featuring a disguised queen, a young hero and two brave knights facing a secret evil enemy.
“I think ‘Star Wars’ fans will appreciate learning more about the inner lives of the characters in the prequels: Jar Jar Binks may not be as dumb as you think, the cloners do some funny things when they talk, and Mace Windu is every Samuel L. Jackson fan’s dream,” Doescher told Crave.
Just like a true Shakespearean drama the retelling is filled with sword fights, soliloquies and a doomed romance written in the stars. The tale is written iambic pentameter illustrated with 20 Elizabethanesque drawings.
“Shakespeare fans, I think, will appreciate having the full arc of Anakin Skywalker completed — the six-book series becomes The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, and his downfall in Episode III is as Shakespearean as ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Macbeth’ or ‘King Lear,'” Doescher told Crave. “In other words, the ‘Shakespeare’s Star Wars’ prequel trilogy maintains the elements of the original books and adds a slew of new surprises!”
All three prequels will be released by Quirk Books this year leading up to the highly anticipated release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on December 18.
Click here to see the cover.
STAR WARS EPIC COLLECTION: THE NEW REPUBLIC VOL. 1 AND THE OLD REPUBLIC VOL. 1
Via Starwars.com:
If you’re looking to add some classic comics to your own personal Jedi Archives, Marvel has just announced two new ideal tomes: Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic Vol. 1 (coming May 2015) and Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Old Republic Vol. 1 (coming July 2015), which gather fan-favorite stories from two distinct eras of a galaxy far, far away, in massive, most-impressive collections.
Click below to read the full article.
‘Star Wars’ Graphic Novels For $1.99 Each on Amazon
Via Geeksofdoom.com:
Part of the Kindle ebook deal of the day over at Amazon today is a massive SALE on over 75 Star Wars graphic novels for only $1.99 each.
Here’s just a small list of the selections currently offered in this sale:
– Star Wars: Dark Empire I & II
– Star Wars: Heir to the Empire
– Star Wars: Tales Volume 1
– Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command
– Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison
– Star Wars: Mara Jade – By the Emperor’s Hand
– Star Wars: Union
– Star Wars: Crimson Empire
These are whole graphic novels, which are typically 1-6 single issues compiled that sell for $9.99 to $24.99 or more each, but they are only being offered for only $1.99 each right now, so definitely get in on this sale while it lasts today. Check out the MAIN SALE PAGE for the full list of over 75 titles available at a discount and get in on this great deal!
Note – this deal is valid only for today, Monday, December 29, 2014, until 11:59pm PST.
– You can gift Kindle books and set your gift to be delivered whenever you want to anyone with an email address. On the Product Page (on the top right side), click the button that reads “Give as a Gift.” From there you enter the recipient’s email address and note the date you’d like your gift to be delivered via email, and also include a personalized message. There’s also the option to have the gift emailed right to you that you can forward the gift email to the recipient yourself or print it out and personally deliver it to the recipient.
– You don’t actually need a Kindle device to read these ebooks. Books can be read on a Kindle or one of Amazon’s free reading apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows PC, Mac, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7.
Star Wars Saga Children’s Books: Meet the Authors
Via Starwars.com:
STAR WARS BOOKS HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Via Starwars.com:
If you’re like me, you’ve maybe gotten some of your holiday shopping done by now, but not all of it. There are always those few last gifts you’re not sure of, a couple more people on your list. But if any of the stragglers on your list are people who like Star Wars (and we would hope they are), we have you covered in the world of publishing! Here are a few of our favorite things this season.
Our children’s editor Frank Parisi recommends three books with very different styles of art that are all nonetheless beautiful and essential to the stories they tell:
Click below to read the full article.
WRITING THE REBELLION BEGINS
Via Starwars.com:
Almost a year ago, I began adapting the Star Wars Rebels animated show into a series of junior novels and chapter books for Disney-Lucasfilm Press. The most recent book to be published, The Rebellion Begins, serves as the novelization forSpark of Rebellion, the movie-of-the-week series premiere. Given the storied tradition Star Wars novelizations, the responsibility of bringing these screen characters to life on the printed page for the first time has been both exciting and humbling.
My primary goal for The Rebellion Begins (the original title of Spark of Rebellion) was to write a novel that could be enjoyed by readers of all ages, from kids who have never before picked up a Star Wars book to adult fans who own the entire collection of Expanded Universe literature. This approach meant that I needed to re-introduce classic elements of the galaxy like Imperial stormtroopers, Star Destroyers, and an energy field known as the Force to new readers who might be unfamiliar with the Star Wars universe. These re-introductions proved to grow organically out of the story itself, since screenwriter Simon Kinberg centered his script around a 14-year-old kid named Ezra Bridger. Ezra’s a street urchin who’s never been off the planet of Lothal, and knows only vaguely of the mystical Jedi Knights from old spacers’ stories. Yet as Ezra becomes further involved with the crew of the Ghost, he learns more about the galaxy at large, and so does the reader. Ezra’s journey acquiring all this new knowledge mirrors the reader’s journey through the novel.
Click below to read the full article.
STAR WARS: DARK DISCIPLE COVER – REVEAL!
Via Starwars.com:
Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos strike back!
StarWars.com is thrilled to reveal the cover art for the upcoming novel Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden! Based on a series of scripts originally written for the unaired seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and starring ex-Sith bounty hunter, Asajj Ventress, and the unorthodox Jedi Quinlan Vos, this new Star Wars tale of love and loss, betrayal and redemption is being produced in creative collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group and Dave Filoni, supervising director of The Clone Wars and executive producer of Star Wars Rebels. Star Wars: Dark Disciple hits the shelves on July 7, 2015.
Originally announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2014 to much excitement, the book is canonical within the Star Wars universe, and continues the story of two fan-favorite characters. Check out the full cover, a striking work by artist Matt Taylor, below!
Review: Limited Edition Star Wars Moleskine Notebook from ThinkGeek.com
Goodnight Darth Vader – Perfect Holiday Gift!
This year, Jeffery Brown released the third book in his “Darth Vader” series. All three books in this series, Darth Vader and Son, Vader’s Little Princess and Goodnight Darth Vader, were on the New York Times bestseller list. In these books, Darth Vader deals with the same parenting challenges that we all do. Star Wars fans, parents and children alike enjoy reading these books.
If you are looking for a git this holiday season, the “Vader” series by Jeffery Brown makes a perfect gift or stocking stuffer! You can get these books at www.chroniclebooks.com for $14.95 or on amazon.com for $9.45.
Yoda’s News Receives “Tarkin” Review Copy
Tarkin, by James Luceno
With just a few short days until the November 4th release of Tarkin, Alex Rybak (a staff writer here at Yoda’s News) was excited to find his review copy of the upcoming book by James Luceno in the mail today. Tarkin will be the second book released by Del Rey Books in their new line of Star Wars adult fiction, following the September release of A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller. Miller kicked off the new line of stories set in the galaxy far, far away with a thrilling adventure (you can read our review here) that tied-in to the Star Wars: Rebels television show. James Luceno, like Miller, is also a veteran Star Wars author best known for his attention to detail and ability to weave intricate adventures. This time around, Luceno will be exploring Grand Moff Tarkin in the time period before we met him in A New Hope. Here is a description of the book from Del Rey:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .
Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.
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.
Readers of Yoda’s News can expect a review in the next few days, hopefully before its release on November 4th, 2014. You can preorder the book now for only $19.53 on Amazon. Special thanks to Alexandra Coumbis and Del Rey Books for providing Yoda’s News with a review copy of this novel.
You can follow Alex Rybak and Yoda’s news via Twitter at @arybak89 and @yodasnews.
Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy – Book Trailer
Via Starwars.com: