Andrew Liptak spotted an interesting Expanded Universe tidbit on, of all things, a Kickstarter involving Shadows of Mindor author Matthew Stover. The relevant bit:
In other news Matt is replacing Karen Traviss as the author of the 501st novels for Star Wars.
You all should not only drop him a line congratulating him but you should also tell a friend or three about the great news.
Well that’s certainly something. Of course as Dunc over at Club Jade points out, you should take this with a massive grain of salt because this has not been confirmed or so much as spoken about by anyone in any official capacity with Lucasfilm or Del Rey. Keep in mind, however, that Shelly Shapiro alluded that there might be reason to be hopeful for something Imperial Commando related during Celebration VI.
Here’s my take, as unpopular as it might be. If this is true, I’m glad that Matthew Stover is back and I hope it sets precedence for additional novels from him. That said, I do wish it was anything other than Imperial Commando. This is somewhat of a poisoned well. Those who haven’t read the prior novels, or simply have no desire to, will have a hard time picking up a Stover book to wrap up that particular series. Those who have may not like the dramatic shift in author styles going from Traviss to Stover, and it’s a stark difference.
So, hold on to your butts and let’s see how this plays out.
While at Celebration VI, Erich Schoeneweiss of Del Rey was kind enough to show Nanci and myself a laser print of the upcoming Essential Reader’s Companion by Pablo Hidalgo. I’ll just get right to the point: this book is an absolute must buy for any Expanded Universe fan. The art is gorgeous and plentiful. Pablo’s writing is fantastic. This is a book that needs to be on your bookshelf.