Category: Novel News

The High Republic News: Extended Light of the Jedi Excerpt, IDW’s The High Republic Adventures Preview, Plus New Interview with Cavan Scott

Posted on November 17, 2020January 11, 2021 by Head Butler Ryan

January is fast approaching, even if it felt like it never would due to this insane year, which means The High Republic’s launch is nigh! To keep the hype train going, Penguin Random House and Del Rey were kind enough to release the first 8, yes EIGHT!, chapters from the initiative’s opening novel, Light of the Jedi, written by Charles Soule. The extended excerpt deals with one of the initial crises due to the destruction of a ship in lightspeed (the Great Hyperspace Disaster), giving us a glimpse at the Jedi and the Republic of the era. Also, the official site has dropped our first look at IDW’s The High Republic Adventures, which sees Yoda training new Padawans while dealing with the growing crisis, plus Cavan Scott, writer of the upcoming Marvel on-going comic The High Republic, offered an in-depth interview about the initiative as a whole and his series. Find my thoughts on the excerpt, the glimpse at IDW’s comic, and some details from the interview below! (Update: THR has begun and our reviews are rolling in!) Continue reading “The High Republic News: Extended Light of the Jedi Excerpt, IDW’s The High Republic Adventures Preview, Plus New Interview with Cavan Scott” →

The High Republic News: Villainous Nihil Take Center Stage in Art/Excerpt, VR Tie-in Revealed, And More!

Posted on October 31, 2020January 11, 2021 by Head Butler Ryan

Whether it’s the previous excerpts or various teases in comics/novels, The High Republic era’s villains, the Nihil, haven’t been heard from much. That all changed recently with an article on the official site, detailing some Nihil characters and a creepy new monster, and in an excerpt from Justina Ireland’s A Test of Courage, where we’re smack-dab in the middle of the Nihil’s POV as they carry out a nefarious mission to spread their particular brand of chaos. But wait, there’s more! Of course while I’m on my honeymoon, more news drops, so below you’ll also find more concept art, this time of the some Padawans, while it was revealed the VR game Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge will offer a tie-in experience by going on a mission with Yoda! (Update: THR has begun and our reviews are rolling in!) Continue reading “The High Republic News: Villainous Nihil Take Center Stage in Art/Excerpt, VR Tie-in Revealed, And More!” →

From A Certain Point Of View: The Empire Strikes Back Character Cards Revealed

Posted on October 7, 2020November 11, 2020 by Head Butler Ryan

Updates regarding the much anticipated From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back have been sparse to non-existent since its announcement but one of the most moments leading up to its release has finally happened: social cards revealing who or what each of the 40 authors is writing about! Rolled out in 5 minutes intervals through Del Rey’s Twitter account, it was a blast to watch the unveiling unfold, especially when the Twitter account VeersWatch got his due. Head below for all the stories to be told, as I break them all down and reveal the top 10 I’m most excited for. UPDATE: Here’s my review, including which ones made my final Top Ten. Continue reading “From A Certain Point Of View: The Empire Strikes Back Character Cards Revealed” →

The High Republic News: Charles Soule Interview on Light of the Jedi; “Excalibur” Lightsaber Revealed

Posted on September 23, 2020January 11, 2021 by Head Butler Ryan

Charles Soule, Light of the Jedi author and one of The High Republic’s architects, talked about the novel, the process behind the era, and more with The Hollywood Reporter, while the official site revealed one of the era’s unique, Excalibur-esque lightsaber blades. (Update: THR has begun and our reviews are rolling in!) Continue reading “The High Republic News: Charles Soule Interview on Light of the Jedi; “Excalibur” Lightsaber Revealed” →

The High Republic Website Launches, First Look at Yoda

Posted on September 1, 2020January 11, 2021 by Head Butler Ryan

We might have to wait until January 2021 for the launch of The High Republic and thankfully Lucasfilm is providing a steady drip of new details and teases which help keep it in our collective consciousness. Today, The High Republic received a landing page on the official site, full of updated looks at Jedi like Avar Kriss, Keeve Trennis, and…Yoda (!), among other features. Head below for a look at just over-the-hill Yoda, a Trandoshan Jedi, and more details! UPDATE: We’ve since launched our own The High Republic hub, putting all our coverage together in one handy new spot! (Update: THR has begun and our reviews are rolling in!) Continue reading “The High Republic Website Launches, First Look at Yoda” →

Alphabet Squadron: Victory’s Price is the Trilogy’s Ominous Sounding Finale

Posted on August 14, 2020April 26, 2022 by Head Butler Ryan

The Alphabet Squadron Trilogy is fresh off its truly riveting second entry, Shadow Fall, and a title like Victory’s Price for the grand finale sounds par for the course, especially since it’s so ominous. The cover has also been revealed, alongside a blurb, to get readers hyped for all the incoming pain straight to the heart when the book releases March 2021. Head below to see the full cover (which does have all of Alphabet Squad on it, and once you see it, it hurts…) and some thoughts on the blurb. (via Nerdist). UPDATE: My Victory’s Price review is here! Continue reading “Alphabet Squadron: Victory’s Price is the Trilogy’s Ominous Sounding Finale” →

The High Republic Teases Continue: A Test of Courage Excerpt Released!

Posted on August 11, 2020January 11, 2021 by Head Butler Ryan

With the cancellation of Star Wars Celebration this year, and the subsequent delay of The High Republic until January 2021, building hype for the upcoming publishing initiative has certainly needed to change shape and from. First we got the opening chapter of Light of the Jedi and now an excerpt from A Test of Courage, the middle grade novel launching alongside LotJ on January 5! In it, we get to meet Vernestra Rwoh, the youngest Jedi Knight at 15, and Avon Starros (a distant relative of Sana Starros!), a young inventor. Their dynamic is a blast to read in this short sample, and I hope the rest of the book can live up to the interactions here. I’m also very curious to see if Avon’s line about inventing something to block the Force will potentially come into play, considering THR is supposed to last for multiple years/phases, while Vern’s phantoms in the Force should offer plenty of intrigue as well. Head below for a sample and the cover, otherwise head to the official site for the full excerpt! (Update: THR has begun and our reviews are rolling in!) Continue reading “The High Republic Teases Continue: A Test of Courage Excerpt Released!” →

Doctor Aphra Audiobook Excerpt Released!

Posted on July 13, 2020July 25, 2020 by Head Butler Ryan

We are almost a week away from the Doctor Aphra audiobook, which adapts and expands her initial appearance in the Darth Vader comic, and the first excerpt has been released! It’s our first chance to hear Aphra brought to life and Emily Woo Zeller delivers on so many levels, that despite my hype, I got instant chills hearing her as Aphra, as it’s even better than I expected! The excerpt includes a little space battle between her and Maz Kanata, who’s mad at her because she naturally stole something from the vaunted space pirate, and the banter between the two had me laughing hard; writer Sarah Kuhn has hit the mark as far as this 7 minutes is concerned and I can only imagine how much fun the rest of this will be! While an original scene, the item Aphra steals from Maz is one she uses in her heist of the Triple-Zero matrix, as seen in her debut way back in 2015, so the connections are strong already! Speaking of those, I have a primer article with what you could expect in the audiobook, while it has a panel for SDCC@Home on July 24. Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original hits your ears July 21, but head below to listen to the excerpt now! UPDATE: And here’s my review! Continue reading “Doctor Aphra Audiobook Excerpt Released!” →

Star Wars Publishing Panels For SDCC@Home 2020 Revealed!

Posted on July 13, 2020July 13, 2020 by Head Butler Ryan

Getting into San Diego Comic-Con might not only be difficult for many people, but it could be impossible. While the physical Con might be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve shifted the event online for everyone to enjoy, calling it SDCC@Home! Of course there will be some Star Wars goodies to tune into, with a strong focus on publishing. There are two panels, both on July 24, a Friday. The first is “Star Wars Audiobooks: Doctor Aphra” at 1-2pm CST, which dives into the creation of the upcoming audiobook (out July 21) and includes such guests as writer Sarah Kuhn and Aphra voice actress herself, Emily Woo Zeller! (We have a primer article for the audiobook, figuring who and what might all be included!); The second is “Lucasfilm Publishing: Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away” at 2-3pm CST, featuring panelists like Timothy Zahn, Alex Segura, Justina Ireland, and Alyssa Wong, as they discuss all their upcoming books and stories. Here’s hoping for more The High Republic news, as well as some reveals and surprises! Don’t forget to tune in on July 24 for SDCC@Home’s Star Wars content! Continue reading “Star Wars Publishing Panels For SDCC@Home 2020 Revealed!” →

The Mandalorian Publishing Program Announced: This Is the Way…for More Mandalorian! UPDATED

Posted on June 30, 2020July 31, 2020 by Head Butler Ryan

Without any films to support, the publishing arm of Star Wars, beyond the upcoming The High Republic, is now tying into TV content, which I hope continues for all the upcoming shows! So beginning this fall (and stretching into Spring 2021), likely just before The Mandalorian’s second season premieres on Disney+, a slew of tie-in content for the show will be released, from original adult novels, art books, and even comics. Head below for the Baby Yoda sparse details! Continue reading “The Mandalorian Publishing Program Announced: This Is the Way…for More Mandalorian! UPDATED” →