With The High Republic books and comics dominating the publishing landscape of Star Wars, we were due for some news about books across other parts of the Saga, but I did not expect what just dropped today! For starters, fans eager to see more of Luke Skywalker post-Return of the Jedi get a meal of a novel, Shadow of the Sith, which explores his mission with Lando Calrissian trying to find Exegol and all the backstory that comes with it, Brotherhood focuses on Obi-Wan & Anakin in the earliest days of the Clone Wars and that business on Cato Neimoidia, Stories of Jedi & Sith brings 10 authors together to tell new tales about the Force-users, and Padawan gives Obi-Wan fans more goodness to enjoy in 2022 with a story set early in his Padawan years with Qui-Gon Jinn. How about that feast of Star Wars books?! Head below for more details on each of these exciting new releases!
Shadow of the Sith, releasing June 28, 2022, will be written by Adam Christopher, who previously had his The Mandalorian tie-in novel cancelled but I’d say writing such a premier story about a vital time in Luke Skywalker and Lando’s stories is quite the upgrade! Here’s the blurb:
Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian return in this essential novel set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
The Empire is dead. Nearly two decades on from the Battle of Endor, the tattered remnants of Palpatine’s forces have fled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. But for the heroes of the New Republic, danger and loss are ever-present companions, even in this newly forged era of peace.
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker is haunted by visions of the dark side, foretelling an ominous secret growing somewhere in the depths of space, on a dead world called Exegol. The disturbance in the Force is undeniable…and Luke’s worst fears are confirmed when his old friend, Lando Calrissian, comes to him with reports of a new Sith menace.
After his daughter was stolen from his arms, Lando searched the stars for any trace of his lost child. But every new rumor only led to dead ends and fading hopes–until he crossed paths with Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin tasked with kidnapping a young girl.
Ochi’s true motives remain shrouded to Luke and Lando. For on a junkyard moon, a mysterious envoy of the Sith Eternal has bequeathed a sacred blade to the assassin, promising that it will give him answers to the questions that have haunted him since the Empire fell. In exchange, he must complete a final mission: return to Exegol with the key to the Sith’s glorious rebirth—the granddaughter of Darth Sidious himself, Rey.
As Ochi hunts Rey and her parents to the edge of the galaxy, Luke and Lando race into the mystery of the Sith’s lingering shadow and aid a young family running for their lives.
Having just watched The Rise of Skywalker last week, wondering when and how Luke’s explorations for Exegol and Ochi with Lando would be covered, as well as Ochi’s mission to get Rey from her parents and how he had that blade, have been questions on the top of my mind. In a few short months, Adam Christopher looks to be delivering the answers we’ve all been searching for since TROS added some new wrinkles to the story of Rey, Luke, and Lando. I’m interested to see more about Lando’s search for his daughter and if it’ll confirm everyone’s theories about Jannah’s identity, though I’d love it if she’s not his daughter so we can have more POC characters in the universe, and I can’t wait to learn about the Lando show and if this ties into some of what it’ll cover as well. I also hope these means we’ll learn more about Rey’s parents, with the bare minimum being their names, and the author of the book has teased we should at least learn that. And having this twenty years after Return of the Jedi makes me wonder if we’ll hear anything about Luke considering his Academy and what Ben Solo is up to at this time, but just more Luke and what he was up to during this era is more than enough to make me happy. And lastly, Ochi of Bestoon stars in the latest Darth Vader comic, where he’s been fleshed out into a character with Deadpool-vibes, so I hope this good keeps that energy, while this all ending with disappointment on Pasaana because Ochi sinks into quicksand certainly puts quite the task on the author’s shoulders. We’ll be watching and reading Shadow of the Sith with great interest!
Update: Adam Christopher provided the few teases he could on Twitter, like lightsabers will feature heavily in it and some of his influences, including The High Republic: Light of the Jedi.
Next up is Brotherhood, written by Mike Chen, who’s graced us with a wonderful Emperor Palpatine tale in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, so having enjoyed that tale and knowing his prequel love on Twitter means everyone should be excited for this book. It’s out May 10, 2022, which might be right around when the Obi-Wan Kenobi show releases on Disney+, per the ever reliable source of Jordan Maison! It would make a lot of sense to have these two out around the same time! Check out the blurb:
The Clone Wars have begun. Battle lines are being drawn throughout the galaxy. With every world that joins the Separatists, the peace guarded by the Jedi Order is slipping through their fingers.
After an explosion devastates Cato Neimoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened. The Jedi dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Order’s most gifted diplomatic minds, to investigate the crime and maintain the balance that has begun to dangerously shift. As Obi-Wan investigates with the help of a heroic Neimoidian guard, he finds himself working against the Separatists who hope to draw the planet into their conspiracy–and senses the sinister hand of Asajj Ventress in the mists that cloak the planet.
Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight. Despite the mandate that Obi-Wan travel alone–and his former master’s insistence that he listen this time–Anakin’s headstrong determination means nothing can stop him from crashing the party, and bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling.
Once a Padawan to Obi-Wan, Anakin now finds himself on equal–but uncertain–footing with the man who raised him. The lingering friction between them increases the danger for everyone around them. The two knights must learn a new way to work together—and they must learn quickly, to save Cato Neimoidia and its people from the fires of war. To overcome the threat they face they must grow beyond master and apprentice. They must stand together as brothers.
The previous take on “that business on Cato Neimoidia” essentially found Obi-Wan drunk and Anakin having to save the day and his Master in the book Labyrinth of Evil, which placed it closer to the end of the war, but this could still honor that moment and this be it’s own separate moment, at the early stages of the war. In a Twitter thread, author Mike Chen deep dove a bit into what to expect, from exploring Anakin’s psyche after losing his arm but marrying the love his life, Obi-Wan’s still dealing with the specter of honoring Qui-Gon’s promise), writing Asajj Ventress, and breathing life into new characters. And if this truly releases around the same time as Obi-Wan Kenobi, having the two actors on screen together while reading about this early mission will bring additional emotional weight to Brotherhood. There hasn’t been a Star Wars Day gift quite like this in awhile!
Anthologies are becoming more and more common and I love how it enables more storytellers to dip their hands into the galaxy far, far away. The latest is Stories of Jedi & Sith, which releases from Disney Lucasfilm Press on June 7, 2022. The authors lined up for the collection include: Roseanne A. Brown, Sarwat Chadda, Delilah S. Dawson, Tessa Gratton, Michael Kogge, Sam Maggs, Michael Moreci, Alex Segura, Vera Strange, and Karen Strong. Stories of Jedi & Sith will include illustrations by Jake Bartok, a fan artist who’s work has been a fountain of joy so make sure you follow him on Twitter and Instagram, who is currently working on some amazing Lord of the Rings/Star Wars mashup goodness. Here’s the blurb for the book:
The battle between good and evil never ends….
The brave Jedi. The devious Sith. These iconic heroes and villains embody the struggle between light and dark that is at the very heart of Star Wars. In this exciting middle grade anthology, ten acclaimed authors imagine all-new tales for some of the saga’s most popular characters, from Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader, from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Asajj Ventress, and beyond, complete with beautiful spot illustrations. Epic stand-offs, cunning plots, courageous action and ruthless anger are all here in this showcase of the enduring power of one of the greatest movie sagas of all time.
Several of these authors have contributed to Star Wars before, a few in the previous anthology From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back: Sarwat Chadda, Sam Maggs (who has also written some recent Star Wars Adventures (Vol. 2) issues for IDW, and Karen Strong. Michael Kogge is prolific with the junior novel side and Star Wars Insider. Michael Moreci wrote The Clone Wars – Battle Tales comic miniseries which we interviewed him about. And Alex Segura dipped into Poe Dameron’s expanded backstory with Poe Dameron – Free Fall. It’s a great list of talent and I’m eager to see what new tales they cook up for Jedi and Sith alike, while I hope at least one The High Republic character makes an appearance!
Update: We now have the list of which character each author will cover (thanks to the always resourceful Star Wars Books & Comics on Twitter) : Brown writes Rey, Chadda has Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (lots of them in this news today), Dawson writes Asajj Ventress, Gratton will write Emperor Palpatine, Kogge covers Yoda, Maggs writes Luke Skywalker, Moreci has Darth Maul, Segura writes Qui-Gon Jinn, Strange writes Darth Vader, and Strong will have Bariss Offee. No High Republic names like I was hoping, but I’m really looking forward to Strong’s Offee story, considering everything that happened with her in The Clone Wars, I’m curious if this will dive into her decision more…or what happened after the war ended. Otherwise, even more Qui-Gon and some Rey too…this is an embarrassment of riches.
Last, but certainly not least, is the aptly titled Padawan, which focused on Obi-Wan’s younger years as a Padawan to Qui-Gon Jinn. It’s written by Kiersten White, another from the FCPOV: TESB incubator, and it arrives on July 26, 2022. Here’s the blurb:
Obi-Wan Kenobi struggles with his place in the Force as a young Padawan in this coming-of-age adventure!
Obi-Wan Kenobi really wants to be a good Padawan. The best Padawan, even. But that’s feeling more and more impossible with his new master, Qui-Gon Jinn. All of Obi-Wan’s friends are off training to be real Jedi, getting mission experience, while he’s still on Coruscant, practicing his forms and sitting in silent contemplation. Ever since Qui-Gon’s former master, Dooku, left the Order, it feels like Qui-Gon has been too busy trying to connect with the Force or arguing with the Jedi Council to properly train his Padawan.
When Obi-Wan finally convinces Qui-Gon to take him on a mission to a remote planet once explored by an ancient Jedi, his master doesn’t show up the morning they are to leave—so Obi-Wan impulsively takes off by himself. Upon arriving on the mysterious, lush planet, he encounters a group of teenagers with no adult supervision—and who all seem to have some connection to the Force. Free from the constraints of the Order, Obi-Wan joins them in their daring adventures, but the Padawan side of him keeps questioning the teens’ strange relationship to the Force, and to the verdant planet around them, and what all of it might mean to his future. Obi-Wan will test the limits of his relationship to the Jedi and to the Force in this exciting, yet soulful exploration of one of Star Wars’ most enduring heroes.
One of the first book series I got into as a kid with Star Wars was Jude Watson’s Jedi Apprentice series, which also dealt with Obi-Wan’s early years with Qui-Gon Jinn as his Master, so to return to this part of their story together will be a great blast from the past and I’ll be curious if it’ll make any little references to that series or not. As a Qui-Gon Jinn fan that always wants more content for him, which has been surprisingly sparse, between this and 2019’s Master & Apprentice, things are finally looking up. I’m also hoping the reference to an ancient Jedi pulls in some type of High Republic goodness too.
Between these exciting new books and all the High Republic content to come, Star Wars publishing is looking really bright in 2022.