Category Archives: SWEU

Don’t Mess With Myri Antilles in the Latest ‘Mercy Kill’ Mini-Excerpt

Posted on by

Another week, another mini-excerpt from Aaron Allston’s upcoming X-Wing: Mercy Kill. Myri’s back and she’s not taking crap from anyone!

The trooper caught up with Myri after three steps, seized her arm, and swung her around to slam her into the side of a building. She couldn’t see his features in the deep shadow, but his voice was suddenly full of anger. He jabbed a forefinger at her. “You do not insult the—”

She put one hand on the back of his and seized his index finger with her other hand. She bent his finger up, a sudden, all-out effort, and bones snapped.

He started to look at his stricken hand, started to make a pained noise, but she immediately drew her blaster, thumbed its side switch to make sure it was still set on stun, and fired into his stomach. The stun bolt briefly illuminated the alley and his shocked expression. Then he fell.

She looked down at him and holstered her weapon. “Sorry, Army. My heart belongs to Starfighter Command.” Then she stepped over him and returned to the street.

Mercy Kill is set to hit bookshelves on August 7th.

 

Final Batch of ‘EG to Warfare’ Endnotes

Posted on by

The sixteenth and final set of endnotes from Jason Fry’s Essential Guide to Warfare dropped yesterday. In this set, we do a quick run-through the Legacy era.

The New Civil War: Paul Urquhart writes: “I found this one really tricky, because the complexity, frustration and tragic waste of the Second Civil War isn’t easily reduced to a simple campaign narrative. In the end, I tried to simply bring out all that angst and futility. This is a galaxy gone painfully wrong, in which a lot of people – ordinary citizens and powerful and capable leaders alike – are striving for some way to fix things and a cause to believe in. Which only makes matters worse. Concluding the piece with a comment from the younger Jacen Solo is designed to underscore the poignancy. I’m not quite sure that the whole piece works, but maybe it’s appropriate that it shouldn’t, quite.”

For more, head on over to Jason Fry’s Tumblr.

‘Crucible’ Tidbits from Random House: Into the Sunset for the Big Three?

Posted on by

An interesting find over Random House’s product page for Troy Denning’s 2013 novel Cruicible. From their key selling points of the book:

AN ADVENTURE FOR ALL STAR WARS FANS! Everybody’s favorite characters spotlighted in a rousing adventure just like they shared in the “old days” of the classic movies.

FATE OF THE JEDI FOLLOW-UP: Releasing a year after Apocalypse, this is the first book to follow the popular nine-book Fate of the Jedi series. As such it will be eagerly aniticipated by fans desperate to know what’s in store for their beloved Star Wars heroes.

A PERFECT ENTRY POINT FOR NEW READERS! Even if you’ve never read a Star Wars novel before, how could you not be curious to see how our beloved trio of heroes—with the wisdom of age and experience that belie their years—fare in a brand-new heart-pounding tale of action and adventure?

STANDALONE STORY! No need to read multiple books in a series—just jump right in and ride a single rollercoaster from cover to cover.

SETS UP NEW SERIES: With this book, Han, Luke, and Leia are passing the torch to the next generation of Star Wars heroes, and the stage will be set for the next major Star Wars series.

THE HEROES RETURN: This will be the first cover to feature Han, Luke, and Leia since the 1990s!

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING STAR WARSAUTHOR! Troy Denning, just having completed the New York Times bestselling Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi series, is a fan favorite.

Emphasis added.

So will the creative staff really let the Big Three retire and shift the narrative focus to a younger generation? Well, color me skeptical. That’s something that has been discussed for so long that I’ll believe it when it finally happens.

What about the other popular fan theory that one or all of them are going to be killed off in a blaze of glory in this book? This one I definitely doubt, there’s little chance that Lucasfilm will allow that to happen.

I hope Han, Luke, and Leia are looking for a nice retirement community somewhere.

Cosplay Monday: The Zhobot Costumers

Posted on by

Welcome back to Cosplay Monday! Apologies for missing last week, in the chaos leading up to San Diego Comic Con I completely forgot to get a post set up. Let’s get right back into the flow. This week, we’re highlighting Nate and Heather’s numerous costumes!

Nate and Heather are the duo behind Zhobot. Head on over to their site and check out more of their costumes from Star Wars and numerous other fandoms.

 

Replace the Catsuit: Art Entry from Beth

Posted on by

We’ve got another submission for the Replace Mara’s Catsuit contest. This art entry comes courtesy of Beth W.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Click to enlarge)

I’ll let Beth describe this one for you:

Hello,
My name is Beth, and this is my entry for the “Replace Mara Jade’s Catsuit” competition! Mara Jade and Luke have been my favorite Star Wars characters since my father passed his old and worn Timothy Zahn paperbacks down to me. She was confident, courageous and relentless, all good characteristics for the role model of a 6th grade girl to have. I am now a college student, and looking back I am confused and quite disturbed by “The Catsuit”. It does not serve Mara Jade at all and I could never see my heroine putting that on everyday. It’s too much. Mara’s wardrobe should be comfortable, useful, flattering (but not flashy), and simple. Here is what I always pictured Mara Jade in when I read my beloved books:

Her top is a bit loose, with buttons just under her elbows reigning in the thin fabric so it doesn’t get caught by anything. It is a muted shade of purple, the color of the lightsaber strapped to her waist. Over the top, she wears a khaki vest with black lapels, each featuring a single stripe of Rebel Alliance Orange around the borders. Her pants are just your average beat up khaki flight suit pants, tucked into her Jedi issue boots. At her waist is her weaponry belt, with a silver buckle very reminiscent of the one her husband wears. At her right hip is her blaster and lightsaber, and at her left hip is a carrying pouch and the stabilizing strap for the knife sheath that straps around her left thigh. She also wears a pouch on a cord around her neck. She has two small pockets in her vest and a large pocket on her right pants leg, and each zips closed to prevent loss of equipment. She also wears a pair of black fingerless gloves and ties a black headband low on her forehead to keep sweat and hair out of her eyes. Her hair is loosely braided and tucked under her left ear.

I wish I could send you a better picture, but I don’t have access to a scanner right now. I just took a picture of my pencil sketch with my camera. Thank you so much for this opportunity! It’s so nice to get to see Mara Jade being set free from the catsuit by some of her loyal fans!

Beth

***

Thanks Beth! Remember, you’ve got until August 15th to submit your entries.

Tosche Station Radio #23: Fan Convention

Posted on by

Logo

Play in new window | Download
After a week off, the hosts are back and feeling extra tangent-y as they talk about conventions on this episode of Tosche Station Radio!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s new on the blog. Nanci reviewed Wraith Squadron and Iron Fist as part of Tosche Station’s ongoing summer X-Wing retrospective. Shane reviewed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the novel. We asked, and you delivered: the future of Star Wars at San Diego Comic Con. Emily recapped her trip to Fandom Fest. Finally, we’re starting a grassroots effort to get the release date of Scoundrels pushed up a week.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s been busy reading Janine Spendlove’s latest book, War of the Seasons: The Half-Blood. She’s helping to prepare for a Wizard Rock concert. What’s Wizard Rock? Stay tuned and you’ll find out! Brian’s still reading Mageworlds, but mostly he’s lamenting his poor decision to stack college and work at the same time.

Deak’s Dirt brings casting updates from Catching Fire. The Dramatis Personae for Mercy Kill was released by Random house, along with a new excerpt featuring Myri Antilles. They also released the cover blurb for Scoundrels. Not content with just that, Random House also wants to record your fan fiction, and the hosts go on a tangent as a result.

In this week’s Camie’s Concerns, the hosts are tackling two topics. First off, they offer advice for those attending Celebration VI and Dragon*Con this year. Later in the segment, they discuss what future Expanded Universe books they expect to hear announced from San Diego Comic Con this week as well as what listeners and readers are hoping to have announced.

For Wormie’s Works, Nanci highlights Wizard Rock group The Whomping Willows and Brian links to EUCantina’s contest to raise awareness for children’s literature.

The hosts round out the show by answering questions from listeners and discussing the Trope of the Week: Genre Savvy.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of the Solo Sound network. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store or the Zune Marketplace. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree

LFL and Publishers Holding ‘Star Wars Reads Day’

Posted on by

A little earlier today, Nanci and I got an interesting press release in our inboxes from Lucasfilm, Del Rey, Dark Horse, and the other Star Wars IP publishing houses. This fall, you can participate in an event to celebrate literature and Star Wars.

Lucasfilm and its publishing partners announced today a national Star Wars Reads Day to be held this October 6, 2012. Star Wars Reads Day is a multi-publisher initiative that celebrates reading and Star Wars. On October 6, events will take place at hundreds of bookstores and libraries across the United States. Participating publishing partners include Abrams, Chronicle Books, Dark Horse, Del Rey, DK, Scholastic, Titan Magazines, and Workman.

Officially participating bookstores and libraries will receive a Star Wars event kit (free of charge). The kit includes: an exclusive Star Wars Reads promotional item (25-50 per event); raffle prizes; promotional giveaways; a packet of event ideas, reproducible activity sheets and trivia; and more. The events will have the PR and marketing support of the eight participating publishers and Lucasfilm.

If your store or library would like to participate in Star Wars Reads Day on October 6, please sign up athttp://us.dk.com/SWRDevent. Volunteer costumers can sign up at http://us.dk.com/SWRDvolunteer.

Follow Star Wars Reads Day on Facebook!

Promoting literacy and Star Wars? Now there’s something I can get behind.

Petition: Move ‘Scoundrels’ Release Date Up One Week

Posted on by

We’re pretty excited about ‘Scoundrels,’ The Timothy Zahn-written Han Solo heist caper due out this year. After listening to three chapters of the story at Origins, I can say this is one of my most eagerly anticipated titles in years. It strikes me as a book that’s got a lot for  long-time Expanded Universe fans, but more importantly, an entry point for new readers and ones that have drifted away over the years.

So, yes, we’re pumped for this book. There’s just one little problem. It’s due to release on December 26th, 2012.

I’ve had some conversations with friends and other bloggers around the EU fandom, and for the most part we’re all in agreement. This is a book we would gift to other fans during the Holidays. It’s a book that fans would put on their gift list. It’s, really, the perfect Expanded Universe gift for that time of the year, but its release date misses that target.

We want to see books like Scoundrels succeed. Moving the date up just one week, we believe, would help bring in new and lapsed readers and would encourage longtime readers to pick up a copy.

So we’ve put together a petition asking Del Rey to slide the release date up just one week. We’d love to have a few days before the Holidays to pick up this book for friends and other fans. It’s just the book for any Star Wars fan and we want to make sure people read it.

Random House Releases ‘Scoundrels’ Cover Blurb

Posted on by

Hat-tip to Knights Archive for spotting a new cover blurb for Timothy Zahn’s upcoming Scoundrels.

To make his biggest score, Han’s ready to take even bigger risks. But even he can’t do this job solo.

Han Solo should be basking in his moment of glory. After all, the cocky smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon just played a key role in the daring raid that destroyed the Death Star and landed the first serious blow to the Empire in its war against the Rebel Alliance. But after losing the reward his heroics earned him, Han’s got nothing to celebrate. Especially since he’s deep in debt to the ruthless crime lord Jabba the Hutt. There’s a bounty on Han’s head—and if he can’t cough up the credits, he’ll surely pay with his hide. The only thing that can save him is a king’s ransom. Or maybe a gangster’s fortune? That’s what a mysterious stranger is offering in exchange for Han’s less-than-legal help with a riskier-than-usual caper. The payoff will be more than enough for Han to settle up with Jabba—and ensure he never has to haggle with the Hutts again.

All he has to do is infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy’s most notoriously impregnable safe. It sounds like a job for miracle workers . . . or madmen. So Han assembles a gallery of rogues who are a little of both—including his indispensable sidekick Chewbacca and the cunning Lando Calrissian. If anyone can dodge, deceive, and defeat heavily armed thugs, killer droids, and Imperial agents alike—and pull off the heist of the century—it’s Solo’s scoundrels. But will their crime really pay, or will it cost them the ultimate price?

Scoundrels is due to hit bookshelves on December 26th. Any chance we can talk Random House into pushing the date back a few weeks? I’ve got people I’d love to buy this for during the holidays.

Get Your Mugshot Taken With Han Solo

Posted on by

For those of you lucky enough to be in attendance at San Diego Comic Con and have a camera on them, you can get yourself a rather nifty photo op. The folks at Del Rey and Star Wars Books have put together a Scoundrels lineup stand. You, too, can get your official prison photo with Han, Chewie, and Lando.

And for those of you who will be at Celebration VI…