May the fourth be with you! To celebrate Star Wars Day, I’m taking a peek into the future with a look at the forthcoming Star Wars novels confirmed so far. With none of the “Journey to The Rise of Skywalker” titles even announced yet (rumor says to expect those to be revealed at SDCC), we’re set for a bumper year of new Star Wars content!
This list only covers the Star Wars novels, not non-fiction and collected comic books, so there’s a lot more Star Wars content coming in total. Watch out for reviews of these titles and more in our The Saga Continues column, where you can find reviews of many other Star Wars novels.
11th June: Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed
Publisher: Del Rey
Official Synopsis: The Emperor is dead. His final weapon has been destroyed. The imperial army is in disarray. In the aftermath, Yrica Quell is just one of thousands of defectors from her former cause living in a deserters’ shantytown―until she is selected to join Alphabet Squadron.
Cobbled together from an eclectic assortment of pilots and starfighters, the five members of Alphabet are tasked by New Republic General Hera Syndulla herself. Like Yrica, each is a talented pilot struggling to find their place in a changing galaxy. Their mission: to track down and destroy the mysterious Shadow Wing, a lethal force of TIE fighters exacting bloody, reckless vengeance in the twilight of their reign.
The newly formed unit embodies the heart and soul of the Rebellion: ragtag, resourceful, scrappy, and emboldened by their most audacious victory in decades. But going from underdog rebels to celebrated heroes isn’t as easy as it seems, and their inner demons threaten them as much as their enemies among the stars. The wayward warriors of Alphabet Squad will have to learn to fly together if they want to protect the new era of peace they’ve fought so hard to achieve.
My Thoughts: The concept of a ragtag band of misfit pilots living together and confronting their inner demons while taking down an opposition group hell-bent on vengeance sounds like the kind of Star Wars novels I dream of, so I really hope this one can live up to its synopsis. I really enjoyed Battlefront II: Inferno Squad, which feels like it has a similar blend of warfare combined with heartfelt character-driven storytelling, so I’m hoping for more of the same here.
I’m also very excited to see Hera making an appearance at a later stage in her story and getting to spend time with an older version of her character—especially as I’m currently reading A New Dawn, which shows her at a very early, pre-Rebels point in her arc.
23rd July: Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn
Publisher: Del Rey
Official Synopsis: “If I were to serve the Empire, you would command my allegiance.”
Such was the promise Grand Admiral Thrawn made to Emperor Palpatine at their first meeting. Since then, Thrawn has been one of the Empire’s most effective instruments, pursuing its enemies to the very edges of the known galaxy. But as keen a weapon as Thrawn has become, the Emperor dreams of something far more destructive.
Now, as Thrawn’s TIE defender program is halted in favor of Director Krennic’s secret Death Star project, he realizes that the balance of power in the Empire is measured by more than just military acumen or tactical efficiency. Even the greatest intellect can hardly compete with the power to annihilate entire planets.
As Thrawn works to secure his place in the Imperial hierarchy, his former protégé Eli Vanto returns with a dire warning about Thrawn’s homeworld. Thrawn’s mastery of strategy must guide him through an impossible choice: duty to the Chiss Ascendancy, or fealty to the Empire he has sworn to serve. Even if the right choice means committing treason.
My Thoughts: Honestly, the Thrawn books haven’t been my favorites—although I do love the character’s story arc on Rebels—so this isn’t top of my list of books I’m most excited about this year. That being said, the synopsis sounds very promising with a looming clash between Thrawn’s allegiance to the Chiss Ascendency and the Empire. I’m hoping for a lot of political maneuvering and power play here, and judging by the previous two volumes in the series I doubt I’m going to be disappointed on that front.
5th August: Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate by Zoraida Cordova
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
Official Synopsis: Izzy and Jules were best friends until Izzy’s family abruptly left Batuu when she was six. But now she’s back, and Jules, the boy who never left, is unsure what to make of her. While on the run from vengeful smugglers and an angry pirate, Jules and Izzy will come to terms with who they are, and what they mean to each other.
My thoughts: There’s very little to go on so far for this book to give any opinions. One of the books that tie into Disney’s new Galaxy’s Edge land at its theme parks, this could end up being a cynical marketing exercise, or it could end up being great. Naturally, I’m wishing for the latter. I mean, we’ve already got smugglers and pirates involved, so the ingredients for an epic adventure are certainly in place!
One thing we do know, which I had already guessed from the bare bones synopsis above, is that this will be a YA title. It would be nice to get something along the lines of Leia: Princess of Alderaan, but only time will tell.
27th August: Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson
Publisher: Del Rey
Official Synopsis: After devastating losses at the hands of the First Order, General Leia Organa has dispatched her agents across the galaxy in search of allies, sanctuary, and firepower―and her top spy, Vi Moradi, may have just found all three, on a secluded world at the galaxy’s edge.
A planet of lush forests, precarious mountains, and towering, petrified trees, Batuu is on the furthest possible frontier of the galactic map, the last settled world before the mysterious expanse of Wild Space. The rogues, smugglers, and adventurers who eke out a living on the largest settlement on the planet, Black Spire Outpost, are here to avoid prying eyes and unnecessary complications. Vi, a Resistance spy on the run from the First Order, is hardly a welcome guest. And when a shuttle full of stormtroopers lands in her wake, determined to root her out, she has no idea where to find help.
To survive, Vi will have to seek out the good-hearted heroes hiding in a world that redefines scum and villainy. With the help of a traitorous trooper and her acerbic droid, she begins to gather a colorful band of outcasts and misfits, and embarks on a mission to spark the fire of resistance on Batuu―before the First Order snuffs it out entirely.
My Thoughts: Another Disney Parks tie-in, my first thought on reading this synopsis was to shout, “Vi Moradi’s back!” to an otherwise empty room. This is definitely a book I’m excited for as Moradi (a central character in Dawson’s previous Star Wars novel, Phasma) is a really engaging character who I’m honestly thrilled to see returning to the page and I’m happy to know I’ll be getting to explore Batuu through her eyes.
I also have to admit that, depending on precisely where this story falls, I’m really hoping that Cardinal will also be making an appearance here. The synopsis seems to place it well after the events of Phasma, so I’m keeping my fingers firmly crossed for that.
