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Book News: Essential Atlas Online Companion updated:
Posted: 25th November
StarWars.com have updated their Online Appendix to Daniel Wallace and Jason Fry's The Essential Atlas with information on the following systems: Abrihom, Anduvia, Ankori, Arthon, Begali, Bettok, Blair Cluster, Borga, Brachi, Bresallis, Calast, Canoliss, Cataalda, Chuzalla (site of the lawless city of Zallakesh), Crakull, D'Anjon Nebula, Dandelo, Din Nebula, Echani, Elliirad, Esyvam, Fallowan, Golh, Graador, Hydra, Juma, Khorm, Kishpaugh, Kur Minor, Kwapi, Leafar, Lessuris, Londori, Luxiar, Maill, Monic, Nam Priax, Nath Goordi, Oben, Oolex Pulsar, Ord Dycoll, Orocco, Pleida, Quilken, Raltac, Reega, Refgar, Rim, Ryborea, Rychel, Shawti, Sintheti, Slession, Spee, Stribos, Sumarin, Tabiid, Taborin, Talcim Cluster, Telkadis, TerraAsta, Tortali, Udnil, UR-1060, UR-2650, UR-3741, UR-8827, UR-9353, Urun, Vagar Praxut, Varlinaar, Veccacopia, Vosteltig, Waymancy, Werta, Wranag, Xantar, Ychthyton, Zircon, Zissh, Zuggit.
The Online Companion homepage is the official resource for all updates/additions to The Essential Atlas.
(Source: StarWars.com)

Book News: Sean Williams' The Old Republic novel titled:
Posted: 23rd November (UPDATED 25th November, 1st December)
According to amazon.com, Sean Williams' forthcoming The Old Republic hardback novel will be titled Fatal Alliance. As yet there has been no official announcement or confirmation of this novel but according to both amazon.com and RandomHouse.com (who both have listings for this title), we can expect it late July 2010.
(Source: amazon.com)

UPDATE #1: On 24th November, StarWars.com's Twitter feed reported: Sean Williams TOR Novel Gets A Title and gave a link to the news report on TheForce.net. Secondly, RandomHouse.com have updated their listings for the hardback and audiobook releases with the title The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance. So it would appear that Fatal Alliance will be the novel's title. Lastly, TheForce.net noticed that the hardback novel's page count now stands at a hefty 432 pages!

UPDATE #2: In an update, StarWars.com has confirmed that Sean Williams will indeed be writing The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance and that it is due for US release in July 2010. In further tie-ins to the upcoming The Old Republic MMO videogame, Threat of Peace author Rob Chestney has been slated to write an original The Old Republic short story to be published online at StarWars.com. While Paul Kemp, author of the forthcoming Crosscurrent, is to pen a second The Old Republic novel, although no release date has been announced and it is unclear whether this is a separate title to the previously announced Crosscurrent sequel, that is has Paul Kemp been contracted to write three Star Wars novels rather than two.
(Source: StarWars.com)

UPDATE #3: LucasBooks' Executive Editor, Sue Rostoni, has confirmed on the StarWars.com Message Boards that Paul Kemp's The Old Republic novel is in addition to his Crosscurrent sequel.

Book News: First look at New Year's UK Decide Your Destiny new titles:
Posted: 21st November
Amazon.co.uk have published covers and plot details for the next two UK Decide Your Destiny titles from Sunbird Books: Crisis on Coruscant by Jonathan Green and Dooku's Secret Army by Sue Behrent.
In the first, Crisis on Coruscant, the reader finds that the Galactic Senate is under attack and as Padawan to Jedi Master Shaak Ti, their mission is to rescue Chancellor Palpatine, then find out who is responsible for the plot. The adventure will take the reader from the depths of the underlevels on Coruscant, to the Great Mesra Plateau and Jabba the Hutt’s Palace on Tatooine.
While in Dooku's Secret Army, the reader learns of the rumour that Count Dooku is building a highly-trained army to destroy the Jedi. As apprentice to Jedi Master Plo Koon, their assigned a mission to locate and destroy the training ground of Dooku’s secret army. Their search will take them to different planets and introduce them to many interesting characters: but who should you trust? And can they complete their mission before they are betrayed?
Both Crisis on Coruscant and Dooku's Secret Army are due to be published in the UK on 28th January 2010.

Comic News: The Old Republic - Threat of Peace #20 now online:
Posted: 20th November
The twentieth issue of Threat of Peace, the introductory online comic for the forthcoming MMO video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, is available to read online.
The twentieth issue of Threat of Peace catches Lord Angral aboard his battle cruiser. After receiving a tip from his criminal partner, Angral turns back to Korriban to confront the traitorous Lord Baras. At the same time, Jedi Master Orgus Din surprises the Bounty Hunter Braden in a Nar Shaddaa cantina and demands to know who was responsible for the attack on Coruscant.
(Source: swtor.com)

Book News: Crosscurrent excerpt:
Posted: 17th November
Crosscurrent author Paul S. Kemp has posted a short excerpt from his forthcoming novel on his own blog. Crosscurrent is set just before the end of Legacy of the Force and features Jedi Knight Jaden Korr who experiences a Force vision so powerful he has little choice but to act on it. Enlisting two salvage jocks and their ship, Jaden sets out into space. But what Jaden and his crew find confounds them. A five-thousand-year-old dreadnaught, bringing with it a full force of Sith and one lone Jedi, has inadvertently catapulted eons from the past into the present.
Crosscurrent is due to be published in paperback in the US on 26th January and in the UK on 4th February 2010.
(Source: Blog of Paul S. Kemp)

Book News: Amazon.co.uk post Allies summary:
Posted: 12th November
Amazon.co.uk have updated their listing for Allies, the fifth Fate of the Jedi novel written by Christie Golden, with a brief summary [WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS]:
HIGHLIGHT TEXT BETWEEN ARROW HEADS TO READ >>>An uneasy and unprecedented coalition of Jedi and Sith enter the dark and treacherous area of space known as the Maw to search out the strange being that has been reaching out to Luke Skywalker during his journey to retrace the travels of his late nephew, Jacen Solo. Forced to wait on the planet Klatooine for reinforcements from Lando Calrissian, this already fragile alliance is threatened by the presence of the Hutts, and while Leia, Han, Jaina, and Jag walk a fine line between obeying the law of the Galactic Alliance and supporting Luke, Jedi Ben Skywalker and Sith Apprentice Vestara Khai may be the ones to lead the mission to triumph - or disaster.<<<
(Source: Amazon.co.uk via NJOE.com)

Book News: Clone Wars Gambit: Siege release slips:
Posted: 12th November
The US release date for the fifth and final The Clone Wars novel, Clone Wars Gambit: Siege by Karen Miller, has slipped again, from 22nd June to 6th July 2010. It was originally planned for a May release but was then moved to June and now RandomHouse.com are listing it with a US release date of 6th July 2010.
(Source: RandomHouse.com)

Book News: No premium for US Fate of the Jedi paperbacks:
Posted: 10th November
Following our story of 5th October that the US paperback reprints of the Fate of the Jedi novels would be in a larger premium size and that their cover price would also increase, Sue Rostoni, Executive Editor at LucasBooks, writing on the StarWars.com Message Boards has announced that the Fate of the Jedi paperback reprints will NOT be published in the premium size, but in regular paperback size at the paperback price. As this is breaking news, online sellers such as Amazon.com and others have yet to amend their pre-order prices to reflect these changes.
(Source: StarWars.com Message Boards)

Comic News: Comics for February and beyond:
Posted: 10th November
StarWars.com has posted solicitations from Dark Horse Comics for their February releases. They include Knights of the Old Republic #50, the last part of the storyline Demon, and also the last ever issue!; Legacy #45 continues the storyline Monsters in which Cade and his friends have been separated, Deliah Blue has been captured, and they're about to meet the source of all of the Vongspawn.
StarWars.com have also confirmed last month's story that Dark Horse Comics will release a trade paperback collection of The Old Republic: Threat of Peace online comic story in April 2010. Also confirmed for an April release is the trade paperback collection Dark Times Volume 4: Blue Harvest and the Boba Fett Omnibus Collection.
(Source: StarWars.com)

Book News: Next year's youngling and padawan readers' books:
Posted: 7th November
Penguin Young Reader Group, parent company of US publisher Grosset & Dunlap, has released their Spring 2010 catalogue (PDF) and it includes details on three The Clone Wars titles expected early next year: Day One by Rob Valois  (48 pages) and Children of the Force by Kirsten Mayer (32 pages) are paperback storybooks based on episodes from the second season of the TV series and are designed for young readers; while Decide Your Destiny: Tethan Battle Adventure by Sue Behrent (192 pages), is the third title in this choose-your-own-adventure series and is for padawan aged readers. Both Day One and Decide Your Destiny: Tethan Battle Adventure are expected in January, while Children of the Force is due in April 2010.
Meanwhile two listings have appeared on Amazon.com for summer 2010 releases from Grosset & Dunlap. Firstly, for younglings, is a new paperback storybook, The Hunt for Grievous (48 pages), by Chris Cerasi; secondly, for padawan readers, is the second Secret Missions book by Ryder Windham, The Curse of the Black Hole Pirates (160 pages). Both titles are due for release on 22nd July 2010.
(Sources: Penguin via StarWarsTimeline.com)

Comic News: The Old Republic - Threat of Peace #19 now online:
Posted: 6th November
The nineteenth issue of Threat of Peace, the introductory online comic for the forthcoming MMO video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, is available to read online and begins a new Act, Uncertain Surrender.
The nineteenth issue of Threat of Peace marks the start of the third chapter in the story, beginning with the Bounty Hunter Braden returning from his visit to Coruscant. Reporting in, Braden gets further orders from Nok Drayen, and an insightful question. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Tavus meets Jedi Knight Fortris Gall in the ruins of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. The truth about the recent attacks begins to unfold.
(Source: swtor.com)

Comic News: Rescheduled release dates for this Winter's graphic novels:
Posted: 5th November
Dark Horse Comics has updated their graphic novel US release schedule with a few minor changes. Firstly, The Clone Wars: The Colossus of Destiny, the latest graphic novella based on the animated TV series has been brought forward two months from 17th February 2010 to 23rd December 2009 - possibly to capture the Christmas market; while Legacy Volume 7: Storms has been pushed back two weeks from 9th December to 23rd December also. This means that Dark Horse Comics will be releasing three graphic novels on 23rd December: the two above plus the hardback edition of The Thrawn Trilogy. Lastly the next Star Wars Adventure title, Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes has been pushed back one month from 20th January 2010 to 17th February.
(Source: Dark Horse Comics)

Book News: New illustrated adventures of Han and Chewie from Scholastic - UPDATE:
Posted: 29th October (UPDATED: 5th November)
Amazon.com has listings for two new young reader illustrated books from Scholastic that would appear to be the beginnings of a new series that feature Han Solo and Chewbacca and are due to be released next summer. The first book is titled Adventures In Hyperspace #1: Fire Ring Race and has the following summary: Before they met with Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine, the closest Han Solo and Chewbacca came to galactic politics was a few choice manoeuvres around Imperial blockades. Instead, their life was spent rambling through the Outer Rim, flying fast, and taking quick jobs to get from place to place-along with a few close calls along the way! The second book has no sub-title nor summary and is simply titled Adventures In Hyperspace #2. Both books are paperbacks with a 96 page-count and have, as yet, no accredited author and are due for release late May/early June 2010.
(Source: StarWarsTimeline.com)

UPDATE: StarWars.com has confirmed the existence of this new young reader illustrated series and that the first book at least will be written by Ryder Windham.
(Source: StarWars.com)

Comic News: Legacy Volume 2 - Shards now available on iPhone/iPod Touch:
Posted: 4th November
The second volume in Dark Horse Comics' Legacy series, Shards, is now available for electronic download from iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This latest electronic version joins Dark Horse Mobile's existing electronic conversions of Legacy Volume 1: Broken, Empire Volume 1: Betrayal and The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom.
Legacy Volume 2: Shards (requires iTunes) is available as a single 55MB download and has converted the 154 page graphic novel into a whopping 704 screens of comic strip action!

Book News: The Complete Vader delayed - UPDATE:
Posted: 22nd October (UPDATED: 4th November, 5th November))
As reported on StarWars.com the US release of Ryder Windham and Pete Vilmur's epic tome, The Complete Vader, has been delayed due to "a printing problem" at Random House. It was due for release on 27th October, but has been postponed to a later unspecified date.
UK readers are unaffected as the UK edition was published earlier this month by Simon and Schuster Ltd.
(Source: StarWars.com)

UPDATE: Sue Rostoni, Executive Editor for LucasBooks, has confirmed that the printing problem delay is due to "sticky pages" and that there is still no confirmed US release date. However, the problem has not affected the UK edition and is now in stock at both Amazon.co.uk and Waterstones.com.

UPDATE #2: StarWars.com have announced that the US edition of The Complete Vader will now be republished on 25th October 2011. Sue Rostoni has stated that the "sticky pages" problem was due to an ink that backfired and made some of the pages stick together and so the book has been recalled. We have also received a report from affiliate StarWarsTimeline.com that the UK edition suffers from the same problem but there is no word as to whether the UK edition will be recalled.

Book News: Summary for Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle:
Posted: 4th November
Amazon.com have published a summary for next year's Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle from DK Publishing, written by Daniel Wallace with contributions from Ryder Windham and Pablo Hidalgo: Four decades of Star Wars history come together for the first time in a highly illustrated year-by-year format. Star Wars Year by Year pulls together a vast array of information from the films, comic books, novels, merchandise, and computer games. Star Wars Year by Year provides fans with everything they need to know about the phenomenon that is Star Wars, from the first Star Wars release in 1977 through the most recent plot twists in the animated television show Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The book is chronologically arranged from 1973 to 2009, and includes stunning chapter openers for each decade, highly illustrated articles for each year that delve into important events in the creation of the movies and comic book art, and fascinating facts about the influence of Star Wars in the real world.
Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle is due for US release in hardback on 19th July 2010, a UK release has yet to be confirmed.
(Source: Amazon.com via StarWarsTimeline.com)

Comic News: All-new The Clone Wars comic strips for UK's The Clone Wars Comic:
Posted: 27th October (UPDATED: 2nd November, 5th November, 10th November)
Titan Comics in the UK will produce all-new The Clone Wars comic strips to be published in their monthly Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic (beginning with issue #6.1 on sale on 12th November). The 32-page comic will contain an eight-page self-contained original story with material created by Tom DeFalco, Robin Etherington and Rik Hoskin and comic art from Andrés Ponce and comic newcomer Tanya Roberts.
StarWars.com has posted a sneak peek at the pencil artwork here.
(Source: StarWars.com)

UPDATE: Titan Comics have confirmed the story titles and release dates for the first two stories with affiliate StarWarsTimeline.com:

• Issue #6.1 (released 12th Nov.): Inside Job written by Rik Hoskin, illustrated by Andres Ponce, coloured by Digikore and lettered by Andrew James.
• Issue #6.2 (released 10th Dec.): Keep the Faith written by Tom DeFalco, illustrated by Tanya Roberts, and coloured and lettered by Digikore and Andrew James.

UPDATE #2: Affiliate JediNews.co.uk have posted a sneak peek at the pencil artwork for another page from the first story Inside Job.

UPDATE #3: StarWars.com has posted a sneak peek of a coloured page from the first story Inside Job due to be published on 12th November in the UK.

Book News: Sean Williams to pen Old Republic novel - UPDATE:
Posted: 1st November (UPDATED: 4th November)
We first reported back on 17th April that Sean Williams (author of last year's The Force Unleashed) could be writing another Star Wars novel when he auctioned off a character's name in an as yet untitled Star Wars novel in aid of the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Now the PubEasy ordering database has a listing for Star Wars: The Old Republic by Sean Williams with a 27th July 2010 release date. Williams' The Old Republic novel would be the official novel of the forthcoming MMO game but it is unclear whether Williams' novel will be an original standalone story based loosely on the game's premise or a direct novel adaptation similar to Williams' The Force Unleashed novelisation of Haden Blackman's story.
(Source: NJOE.com)

UPDATE: Although there has been no official confirmation (nor denial) about this book, Amazon.com now have a listing for The Old Republic by Sean Williams in hardback and unabridged audiobook.
(Source: via StarWarsTimeline.com)

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