Lucasfilm publishing and Del Rey might not officially be at New York Comic Con as it kicks off today, but they’re bringing their usual slice of upcoming novel news anyway—and whether you’re a fan of the sequels or the prequels, of Jedi or Sith, or maybe a lovably incompetent stooge or two, there’s something to enjoy.
Announced on StarWars.com today were four of the next major Star Wars books from Del Rey and Disney Lucasfilm Press—aside from the many upcoming tales within the High Republic line of novels and comics, that is. From Del Rey come two intriguing tales of the Clone Wars and the period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. The former, Brotherhood (out May 10, 2022), is written by Mike Chen, is set during the earliest days of the Clone War, as Obi-Wan is sent to investigate a terror attack on the ostensibly neutral homeworld of the Trade Federation, Cato Nemoidia—only to find Anakin, newly ascended beyond Obi-Wan’s tutelage to the rank of Jedi Knight, defying council orders and Obi-Wan’s own personal requests to tag along too, “bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling” for good measure. Aside from, presumably, providing an answer to that little Revenge of the Sith gag about the amount of times Anakin has saved his former master’s life, the book wants to dive into the uneasy relationship Anakin and Obi-Wan find themselves in when they are no longer student and master, and almost parent and son, but instead brothers in the dying days of the old Republic.
The other Del Rey novel, Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher (out June 28, 2022), will instead take readers to a post-Return of the Jedi with Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian. The book is set during the duo’s hunt for Palpatine’s Sith assassin, Ochi of Bestoon—briefly touched upon in The Rise of Skywalker, but perhaps better explored in Marvel’s current Darth Vader comic as just an incredible, absolute disaster of a man who’s comically good at eating shit at every available opportunity. But even beyond the chance to flesh out Ochi’s character, Shadow of the Sith is very interesting as it wants to lay the foreshadowed seeds for Palaptine and the Sith Eternal’s rise on Exegol, and explore Ochi’s last mission: find the granddaughter of Darth Sidious, Rey, and her parents.
Lucasfilm Press’ two books will be aimed at younger readers. The first is an anthology, Stories of Jedi Sith—out June 7, 2022, and edited by Jennifer Heddle—collating stories of Force users from the Light and Dark sides. The author list includes Roseanne A. Brown, Sarwat Chadda, Delilah S. Dawson, Tessa Gratton, Michael Kogge, Sam Maggs, Michael Moreci, Alex Segura, Vera Strange, Karen Strong, and will feature new illustrations by Jake Bartok. Padawan, due out July 26 and written by Kiersten White, will follow a young Obi-Wan during his time as a Padawan to Qui-Gon Jinn, as the young man, frustrated by his new master’s distance, takes off on a mission of his own to explore a world full of young people with their own peculiar connections to the Force.
Suffice to say, between these and the already announced next wave of High Republic books, you won’t be able to swing a lightsaber around without hitting a a Star Wars book or six come next year.
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