Clone Wars & Penny Arcade

Some nice references to Karen Traviss’s Republic Commando books here. Click for the full version.

Karen Traviss to Pen 501st Novel

This according to Starwars.com:

Summer brings the second installment of Fate of the Jedi — Enigma by Christie Golden. Karen Traviss returns with the third novel in The Clone Wars series, No Prisoners, as well as the start of a new paperback series: Imperial Commando. The first book will be Star Wars: Imperial Commando: 501st.

Starwars_EU, a livejournal community also chimes in:

“Karen Traviss’ Imperial Commando series will be in paperback, and the first book is 501st, also due next summer.”

EEEEE!

Obviously, this is still rumor, but MAN! This will be a really fun book to read, when/if it comes out. Obviously, it’ll be about the in-universe guys, and not us. More as it comes in.

Imperial Commando Novels

Looks like Karen Traviss isn’t done with the Republic Commando novels after Order 66. In a recent interview with Randomhouse, she mentioned that she will be writing a couple Imperial Commando novels, and a Boba Fett novel:

Q: What other projects are you working on, both Star Wars—related and in your own fictional universe?

KT: I’m concentrating wholly on military and political fiction for the foreseeable future. I’m having a wonderful time working on Gears of War, which is a profoundly intelligent and well-created universe about a squad of soldiers in a post-apocalyptic world — yes, there are chainsaw rifles, but it’s also very smart stuff – and I’m continuing the Republic Commando series in Imperial Commando books. There are a few other SW books in the pipeline too, including a Boba Fett one. In my creator-owned work, I’m writing a political thriller series about mercenaries, set in the very near future . I’ll also be doing some comics work, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. So, no vacation for a few years….or sleep….!

Looks like she won’t be able to put her armor together any time soon…

Review: The Clone Wars

[This review contains spoilers for The Clone Wars]

Earlier this year, the Star Wars Lit community was abuzz with the news of a couple of things – that there was an untitled Karen Traviss novel coming, and that there was a Clone Wars movie coming out. A couple of months ago, fans learned that they were both connected, as Karen turned out to have been writing the novelization.
The release of The Clone Wars brings about the first book released in the time frame since Traviss’s last Republic Commando novel, True Colors, which was released last year, and once again shows that Traviss is one of the better writers for the Clone Wars.

This novelization isn’t the best work that Karen has released. The book is a very short one, and plotwise, has a bit to be desired. In a nutshell, the Seperatists have kidnapped the son of Jabba the Hutt, hoping to anger the Hutts enough to ensure that the Republic can’t utilize their space lanes.

The book is rife with action, which is Karen’s strong point, especially when it comes to Clones. the main characters are introduced with a battle, where Karen puts her expertise gained from the Republic Commando books. What I really enjoyed was seeing an author put a level of military realism to this – the Clones talk and act like soldiers.

Karen leaves a lot of nods to the 501st, helping to further explain the role of Vader’s fist, the battalion seen in Revenge of the Sith, named for the 501st Legion. One of the more interesting characters in the book is Captain Rex, whom a number of Legion members are building in anticipation of the film’s release. Karen pushed these guys to a particular prominence in the book, which is a great nod to the group, of which, she’s an honorary member. There weren’t any mentions of Republic Commandos, which surprised me a little.

The plot of the book leaves more to be desired beyond the military sections. There are some interesting political ideas here, but the idea that the Republic would send two of their most highly regarded Jedi after a Huttling is somewhat ridiculous. While this is addressed somewhat at points, I found it hard to believe.

More so, I found the notion that the Hutts, or more particularly, Jabba, would completely base foreign policy on a kidnapped child a ridiculous notion. Granted, this is a novelization based off of an animated movie, so expecting something on the level of Karen’s other books or other Clone Wars novels such as Shatterpoint is somewhat expected.

Unfortunately, the book is short, clocking in at around 250 pages, taking me a total of five or so hours to read. Fortunately, Del Rey seems to have realized this, and as a result, I only paid $12 for the book (yay for a 40% discount at Borders).

Overall, this is a decent enough read, despite the fact that it is short and not as good as her other books. However, with four more books to go in the series, there’s plenty of room for more improvement and Clone action.

7/10

New Cover for Order 66

DelRey has changed the cover for Karen Traviss’s upcoming novel Order 66:

I’m not sure that I like the change. At all. The other one was so much better, fit the Star Wars universe well. This one reminds me of something on a children’s book or something. Bleh. I’m sure the book itself will be good though. This book is being released on September 16th as a hardcover. Preorder here.

Changing Hands to Host Star Wars Author Karen Traviss

This article just popped up regarding the Dune Sea Garrison:

July 15, 2008
Author: Kathee Austin

In celebration of Star Wars’ Clone Wars (the movie) release, Changing Hands Bookstore presents Karen Traviss, author of seven Star Wars novels, who will read from and discuss her latest Star Wars adventure, The Clone Wars.

And yes, of course, Storm Troopers will make an appearance.

In The Clone Wars and across the galaxy, the Clone Wars are raging. The Separatists, led by Count Dooku, the onetime Jedi and now secret Sith Lord, continue to press forward, and more and more worlds are either falling, or seceding and joining the cause. Under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the Republic heroically battles on, championed by its huge army of cloned soldiers and their Jedi generals.

Anakin Skywalker, believed by some to be the prophesied “Chosen One” destined to bring balance to the Force, is now a Jedi Knight under the tutelage of his Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Death is a constant possibility—but there’s no time for Anakin to question his latest orders: He and Obi-Wan have been assigned a new mission, and failure is not an option. Jabba the Hutt’s infant son has been kidnapped, and the vile gangster has sought to enlist the Jedi for help. Much is at stake: A grateful Jabba might allow the Republic access to the Hutt-controlled space lanes that the Grand Army desperately needs in order to beat the Separatists into submission.

It’s up to Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Anakin’s new apprentice Ahsoka, a brash and inexperienced young Padawan to track down the evidence and retrieve the missing Huttlet. But the Republic is not the only power that craves access to those space lanes. Count Dooku, determined to win the prize for the Separatists, has set a trap for the Jedi. When they find the Huttlet, they will also find Dooku’s master assassin, Asajj Ventress, and countless legions of battle droids waiting to spring a trap.

On Monday, July 28th at 7pm Jedi Knights of all ages are welcome to visit with Karen Traviss–who will be joined by the Members of the 501st Legion’s Dune Sea Garrison– as she signs and discusses The Clone Wars at Changing Hands Bookstore.

Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 South McClintock Drive
Tempe, AZ 85283
480.730.4828

Source

Clone Wars Novelization Cover and Updates!

Theforce.net has posted up this cover for the upcoming Clone Wars novelization:

And, Karen has posted up this news about the book, which is apparently a 5 book series. Can you hear squealing? Yeah, that’s me.

NEWS – new series, new books, new covers

Yes, there is a NEW SERIES out this month, and judging by the mail I’m getting, folks don’t seem to realise what it is. There’s a NEW FIVE-BOOK STAR WARS SERIES for adult readers based on the Clone Wars movie and TV cartoon show, and I’m writing three of them. But because the movie and the TV show are for the youngsters, and I write adult fiction, then you can deduce that the novels will show you stuff you won’t see on screen. (This is separate from the young adult books that are also being published. ) With me so far? Good.

CLONE WARS, the hardcover based on the movie – loosely based, so no griping that it’s different, please, because that’s the whole point – is out on July 26. Full of the gritty, off-message, character-testing, question-raising, grey-area, military-oriented stuff you’ve come to expect from me. And clones. Plenty of clones. And familiar characters from the movies that you won’t see quite the same way ever again.

My good buddy Karen Miller is writing the other two novels. She doesn’t write predictable, lightweight stuff either, so stand by for a challenging series that will make you take another fresh look at the Clone Wars.

I‘ll be pimping the books at Comic Con in San Diego, July 24 – 27, with a short book tour immediately afterwards. I’ll post cities and dates when they’re all confirmed.

YAY! Can’t wait to read them. Or this one. First book is out July 26th.

Clone Wars Novelization News!

This in from the Official Star Wars Blog:

Del Rey & LucasBooks announce Novels Based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars Feature Film and Animated Series
June 25, 2008

This just in from the wire:

NEW YORK, NY – June 25, 2008 – LucasBooks and Del Rey, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that Del Rey will publish five novels to tie-in with the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film, premiering on August 15, and the animated TV series that will air in fall of 2008 on Cartoon Network and TNT.

The first novel – Star Wars: The Clone Wars – is written by fan-favorite Star Wars author Karen Traviss, and will go on sale July 26, 2008. Popular science-fiction/fantasy author Karen Miller will write the second novel, to be published in December 2008. Both books will add depth, color and background to the screen stories and characters, making them must-reads for every Star Wars fan.

The story follows the heroic Jedi Knights as they struggle to maintain order and restore peace during the tumultuous Clone Wars. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side.

Del Rey Editor Shelly Shapiro says, “It is a gift to all Star Wars fans to see the franchise continue to grow and develop under the watchful and ever-inventive eye of its creator, George Lucas. The Star Wars galaxy is one of the richest fictional “worlds” ever invented, and it is exciting to be able to explore this new area with novels, as we’ve done with so much success–and so much fun–with the original six movies.”

Plot Summary for Order 66

Order 66, written by Honorary (or honourary in this case) Member Karen Traviss, was recently covered with a new and very cool book cover. Starwars.com has just followed up with a plot summary of the book:

A Closer Look at Order 66

April 28, 2008

The Clone Wars rage to their bloody climax. Treachery reigns. Treason takes courage. Commandos, Jedi, and the entire Galactic Republic must face the end of life as they know it . . . and the dreaded dawn of a new empire.

After the fierce combat of Hard Contact, Triple Zero,True Colors comes the spectacular culmination of New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss’s gripping Republic Commando series. As a battle-scarred era nears its end, a shattering power play is about to stun the entire galaxy . . . and set in motion events that will alter destinies and resound throughout history. and

Even as the Clone Wars are about to reach an explosive climax, no one knows if victory will favor the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) or the Separatists. But no matter who wins, the stakes are highest for elite Special Ops clones like the Republic Commandos in Omega and Delta squads — and the notorious renegade Advance Recon Commando troopers known as Null ARCs.

With Republic forces stretched to the max and casualties mounting, the last thing these beleaguered warriors need to hear is that Chancellor Palpatine is keeping vast armies of secret clone troops in reserve. Sergeant Skirata, a mentor to the clone commandos, has no intention of standing idly by while Palpatine sends them into battle like lambs to the slaughter. Skirata begins to plan the clones’ escape from the GAR, but his heroic effort will be in vain unless he can reverse the clones’ accelerated aging process. To pull that feat off, he will need the services of Separatist scientist Ovolot Qail Uthan, currently under lock and key in a GAR fortress prison. Caught in the treacherous dealings of their leaders, and locked in the battles of their lives, the disillusioned Null ARCs and Commandos nonetheless fight with everything they’ve got, determined to wrest victory from the Seps and save the galaxy.

But even the deadliest weapons may not be powerful enough to defeat the real menace. And nothing will stop the apocalyptic horror unleashed when Palpatine utters the chilling words: The time has come. Execute Order 66. Translation: The Jedi have tried to stage a coup, and all must be shot on sight.

With their faith in the Republic and their loyalty to their Jedi allies put to the ultimate test, how will the men of Omega and Delta squads react to the most infamous command in galactic history? All the breathtaking action, suspense, and intrigue of Karen Traviss’s Republic Commando series comes alive in Star Wars: Order 66. Available in hardcover from Del Rey Books in September, 2008.

Here is the cover art by Greg Knight, jacket design by David Stevenson, recently revealed at randomhouse.com

I’m really excited for this book – I’ve loved Karen’s first three books in the series, and this one sounds like it’s going to be off the hook.

New Book Covers!

A couple of our honorary members are publishing new Star Wars books!

This summer, Karen Traviss’s latest, Order 66, will be released as a hardcover, due out this September, 9-16-2008. No plot has been released yet, but expect Clones, clones and more clones. And oh yeah, some Mandalorians and quite possibly some dead Jedi. This is one sick cover.

Next up is Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. Looks like it’s a bit in the older style of Star Wars books, and it’s by Matthew Stover, who’s an absolutely fantastic author. This book’s out in Hardcover on October 21st.

Finally, after something like 10 years, we’re getting a second Star Wars Encyclopedia. This time, it’s two volumes, and is written by Stephen Stansweet and Pablo Hidalgo. This one’s due to be released on November 4th at $75. I can’t wait.

Which one are you looking forwards to the most?