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.
The title of the novel was revealed on April 25th, 2014 via a press release on the official Star Wars website. The press release announced an entire reboot of the adult Star Wars fiction line and stated that Hearne’s novel would be titled Heir to the Jedi. As a part of the reboot of the “Expanded Universe,” the book was crafted with input from the Lucasfilm Story Group (learn more about the story group right here on Yoda’s News). Heir to the Jedi is the third book to be released in the new Star Wars canon (after A New Dawn and Tarkin) and it’s title pays homage to the book that birthed the original “Expanded Universe,” Heir to the Empire.
via @DelReyStarWars
Set shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Heir to the Jedi is described by Del Rey:
The destruction of the Death Star brought new hope
to the beleaguered Rebel Alliance. But the relentless pursuit by
Darth Vader and the Imperial fleet is taking its toll on Alliance
resources. Now the rebels hide in an Outer Rim orbit from which
they can search for a more permanent base and for new allies
to supply much-needed weapons and materiel.Luke Skywalker, hero of the Battle of Yavin, has cast his lot
with the rebels, lending his formidable piloting skills
to whatever missions his leaders assign him. But he is haunted
by his all-too-brief lessons with Obi-Wan Kenobi and the growing
certainty that mastery of the Force will be his path
to victory over the Empire.Adrift without Old Ben’s mentorship, determined
to serve the Rebellion any way he can, Luke searches for ways
to improve his skills in the Force…
For those of you also reading the current self-titled Star Wars series by Marvel, Hearn has helped clear up the timeline of events for these two works.
via @KevinHearne
As the March 3rd release date for the book approaches, Yoda’s News’ very own Alex Rybak puts the finishing touches on his review of Heir to the Jedi. Star Wars fans will be able to get an inside look into this exciting new novel two weeks before it hits shelves, right here on Yoda’s News. Make sure to keep your holonet connections up and be on the lookout for our review on Tuesday, February 17th. And yes, in case you were wondering, our review will also be in first-person.
What are your thoughts about Hearne’s upcoming novel? Share with us on Twitter at @arybak89 (Alex Rybak) and @yodasnews (Yoda’s News).