This has been a full week of Star Wars news and it’s not even May or Star Wars Day yet! Announced this week, there are some exciting additions (and reprints) of novels coming to fans later this year! First, the Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy comes to close in November with Lesser Evil, with the second book out later this April. Second, the Original Trilogy gets an Epic Poem adaptation in the style of Homer’s Odyssey by author Jack Mitchell. And lastly, essential Legends novels will receive new trader paperback releases, with fantastic new artwork for the covers, and even one, Shatterpoint, receives an unabridged audio book version! Head below for all the details and gorgeous new artwork!
I’m working on reading Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good right now to have a review by its release and imagine mine and everyone else’s surprise when April Fool’s Day brought the news of Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil’s November 16 release! With all the other novel content, specifically The High Republic coming up, sometimes a longer delay between trilogy novels results in me forgetting some details, so I’ll be happy to have Thrawn latest over sooner than later. I’m curious if there’s any potential consideration of an early release due to ensuring this part of Thrawn’s story is over before we learn about the next part of his story, as hinted at by the end of Star Wars Rebels and his mention in The Mandalorian. It is the 30th anniversary of his first appearance (I’m only one year older, yikes!), so this could simply be to celebrate that, but I imagine Lucasfilm will have a little bit more up their sleeves to honor the occasion.
From the blurb below, it sounds like this one will really dive deep in the Chiss’ past, something I have been eager for from this trilogy and haven’t quite got enough of yet:
“The fate of the Chiss Ascendancy hangs in the balance in the epic finale of the Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.
For thousands of years The Chiss Ascendancy has been an island of calm, a center of power, and a beacon of integrity. Led by the Nine Ruling Families, their leadership stands as a bulwark of stability against the Chaos of the Unknown Regions.
But that stability has been eroded by a cunning foe that winnows away trust and loyalty in equal measure. Bonds of fidelity have given way to lines of division among the families. Despite the efforts of the Expansionary Defense Fleet, the Ascendancy slips closer and closer toward civil war.
The Chiss are no strangers to war. Their mythic status in the Chaos was earned through conflict and terrible deeds, some long buried. Until now. To ensure the Ascendancy’s future, Thrawn will delve deep into its past, uncovering the dark secrets surrounding the ascension of the First Ruling Family. But the truth of a family’s legacy is only as strong as the legend that supports it. Even if that legend turns out to be a lie.
To secure the salvation of the Ascendancy, is Thrawn willing to sacrifice everything? Including the only home he has ever known?”
Next on the list of news is the reveal of Jack Mitchell’s The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem! This sounds like such a fun idea, as such an edition of the original trilogy will give it an even more historic feel than ever before. I imagine it’ll be a little more serious than the Shakespeare’s Star Wars and I’ve actually never read Homer’s Odyssey, but this sounds like a great way to read something similarly written. I like how this story will include the events of Rogue One and go all the way up to the climax of Return of the Jedi; I’m eager to see some excerpts and, in the end, see how Mitchell pulls it all off. Included with the book, besides the great cover above, is more terracotta-inspired illustrations to give even more of an ancient flair. The book is out September 28.
Last, but not least, is the announcement of the Essential Legends Collection, which reintroduces some of the old Expanded Universes’ novels with new trade paperback editions, complete with brand-new and wonderful looking covers. The first batch launches on June 15, with more coming in Fall, and includes: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, with a cover by Tracie Ching; Darth Bane: Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn, with a cover by Simon Gionard; and Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover, with Jeff Manning providing the cover. Of the three, Shatterpoint will even get an all-new unabridged audiobook release, narrated by Sullivan Jones! Mynock Manor writer Chris has been retracing Legends with his Legendary Adventures series, recently covering Heir to the Empire, but he’s also discussed Path of Destruction and Shatterpoint, so check those out ahead of their new releases! Otherwise, from the replies by Del Rey on Twitter seem to imply an essential collection is just that, a starting point of essential works, so don’t expect the two trilogies included here to have the rest of their entries published, which makes sense given the purpose of this initiative. I’ve enjoyed all three of these books, and am really liking the covers, but Shatterpoint is my favorite of the three and if I’m going to get one, that’ll be it; might even do the audiobook, as I’m growing to like those and have a longer than normal drive time for work these days and it’d be nice to switch up what I’m listening to. What novels would you like to see added to the collection? Let us know in comments below or on social media!
Also, we have a Star Wars books giveaway going on, April 2-9, for Daniel José Older’s Last Shot, a truly awesome novel starring Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and a loveably large cast of characters set across different timelines. Check out all the details here! UPDATE: Giveaway is over, but we will have more to come so stay tuned to the Manor and our social media presence for details on the next one!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.