Delilah S. Dawson’s upcoming Galaxy’s Edge tie-in novel, Black Spire, received its cover and a blurb confirming a returning Phasma character (or two), while the newly announced Dooku: Jedi Lost is an audiobook only and dives into Dooku’s past. All the details below!
When Black Spire was first announced, the coyness about its Resistance spy seemed silly when there was some very obvious evidence it would be Vi Moradi, as her entry in Women of the Galaxy says Leia sends her to Batuu, and now the cover/blurb for the novel have confirmed it. Vi, in case you are unaware, is a protagonist in Phasma, Dawson’s previous novel, who is captured aboard a First Order Star Destroyer and tortured by Cardinal, a FO officer who wants dirt on Phasma which of course Vi has. The blurb below seems to hint the story takes place post-The Last Jedi and mentions a “traitorous trooper” as one of Vi’s allies as she gets embroiled in events on Batuu, which sort of spoils what happens between her and Cardinal in the previous novel:
Walk the ancient streets, meet the colorful characters, and uncover the secret history of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the upcoming expansion to the Disney Parks experience!
After devastating losses at the hands of the First Order, General Leia Organa has dispatched her agents across the galaxy in search of allies, sanctuary, and firepower—and her top spy, Vi Moradi, may have just found all three, on a secluded world at the galaxy’s edge.
A planet of lush forests, precarious mountains, and towering, petrified trees, Batuu is on the furthest possible frontier of the galactic map, the last settled world before the mysterious expanse of Wild Space. The rogues, smugglers, and adventurers who eke out a living on the largest settlement on the planet, Black Spire Outpost, are here to avoid prying eyes and unnecessary complications. Vi, a Resistance spy on the run from the First Order, is hardly a welcome guest. And when a shuttle full of stormtroopers lands in her wake, determined to root her out, she has no idea where to find help.
To survive, Vi will have to seek out the good-hearted heroes hiding in a world that redefines scum and villainy. With the help of a traitorous trooper and her acerbic droid, she begins to gather a colorful band of outcasts and misfits, and embarks on a mission to spark the fire of resistance on Batuu—before the First Order snuffs it out entirely.
Black Spire is out August 27! UPDATE: Here’s my review, which reveals, to me at least, the novel didn’t live up to expectations.
In an interesting turn of events, Del Rey recently announced its next book, out April 30 (!), as Dooku: Jedi Lost, but it’s actually an audio-only experience. Written by Cavan Scott, and voiced by a full cast instead of just a narrator, the story digs into Dooku’s past as he goes from Count to Jedi to his eventual turn to the dark side, revealed because Asajj Ventress is tasked with researching the count’s history. In case you were wondering, Scott has teased we will learn Count Dooku’s first name, which I never even realized he didn’t have one, while Phil Szostak, Lucasfilm Creative Art Manager, pointed out an alternative cover from the prelim stages. Dooku: Jedi Lost clocks in at 420 minutes. The cast includes:
I’m a little disappointed they didn’t get any of The Clone Wars cast to reprise the roles, but these voice actors are audiobook veterans and realistically, to make this whole thing a little more feasible, I imagine they cost just a little less to hire, but I have zero evidence of that though it is something to consider. Anyways, here’s the blurb:
Delve into the history of the sinister Count Dooku in this audio original set in a galaxy far, far away….
Darth Tyranus. Count of Serenno. Leader of the Separatists. A red saber, unsheathed in the dark. But who was he, before he became the right hand of the Sith? As Dooku courts a new apprentice, the hidden truth of the Sith Lord’s past begins to come to light.
Dooku’s life began as one of privilege—born within the stony walls of his family’s estate, orbited by the Funeral Moon where the bones of his ancestors lie interred. But soon his Jedi abilities are recognized and he is taken from his home to be trained in the ways of the Force by the legendary Master Yoda.
As he hones his power, Dooku rises through the ranks, befriending fellow Jedi Sifo-Dyas and taking a padawan of his own, the promising Qui-Gon Jinn—and tries to forget the life that he once led. But he finds himself drawn by a strange fascination with the Jedi Master Lene Kostana, and the mission she undertakes for the Order: finding and studying ancient relics of the Sith, in preparation for the eventual return of the deadliest enemies the Jedi have ever faced.
Caught between the world of the Jedi, the ancient responsibilities of his lost home, and the alluring power of the relics, Dooku struggles to stay in the light—even as the darkness begins to fall.
I’ve never been a big fan of audiobooks, and if you aren’t either, it’s okay if you’re not interested in listening to the story, even if the details of it intrigue, but Del Rey hasn’t thrown out the option of bringing this script-like story into a written format in the future; something they’re considering due to any hearing-impaired fans want to experience the tale too. Having it in written format would be similar to reading Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (though I imagine it won’t be as polarizing an experience). In the end, I don’t quite understand the blacklash against this endeavor, it’s great they are trying something different like this and, if most of these self-contained novels/stories have proven anything since canon started, not consuming every piece of content won’t impact your overall Star Wars experience. This will be my first serious foray into audiobooks and maybe, just maybe, it’ll make me more receptive to the format in the future and maybe it’ll change your mind as well, dear reader! Like I mentioned earlier, this one arrives to audiobook services April 30, so we’re less than a month away! DOUBLE UPDATE: For starters, here’s my review of the audiobook, where I really enjoyed the story and was so-so on some of the audio. Also, Dooku: Jedi Lost will be out October 1 in hardcover, script style, for all those who didn’t/couldn’t experience in audiobook, and I highly recommend you pick it up!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
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