Suvudu Universe

Del Rey recently released a free ebook sampler for the upcoming novels that have been announced, A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, Tarkin by James Luceno, Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne, and Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp.

The sampler includes a brief introduction and one chapter from each book. From A New Dawn and Heir to the Jedi it is Chapter 1, from Tarkin it is Chapter 2 and from Lords of the Sith the chapter number is not listed.

Del Rey Announcement:

This free eBook sampler is the perfect way to prepare for the next exciting era of Star Wars storytelling! With Episodes VII, VIII, and IX on the horizon, Del Rey is proud to present the first wave of novels that are part of the official Star Wars film canon, created in collaboration with the newly formed Lucasfilm Story Group. The exclusive previews of these four books, starring fan favorites and set during and before the original trilogy, will transport you once again to a galaxy that doesn’t feel quite so long ago, or so far away. . . .

A NEW DAWN by John Jackson Miller

Set during the legendary “Dark Times” between Episodes III and IV, A New Dawn tells the story of how two of the lead characters from the animated series Star Wars Rebels first came to cross paths.

TARKIN by James Luceno

Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.

HEIR TO THE JEDI by Kevin Hearne

The author of The Iron Druid Chronicles tells a thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and-for the first time ever-written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view.

LORDS OF THE SITH by Paul S. Kemp

When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their awesome martial skills to prevail.

You can download the sampler for free for Kindle, Nook and iBooks.

It is hardly fair to give judge a novel off of one chapter, but I think that the samples for A New Dawn and Lords of the Sith gave the best feel of what you can expect out of the novels and peaked my interest the most. Of the books I am probably most excited for, Lords of the Sith as Kemp has a unique ability to take the Star Wars galaxy to dark and brutal places without losing the other elements that make it feel like Star Wars.

A New Dawn is next on my list because it serves as a prequel to the new Star Wars Rebels TV series. The fact that it is written by John Jackson Miller (Kenobi and Knight Errant) also has me excited. Miller is a much different style of author than Kemp, but he is great at world building and playing with characters.

The Tarkin excerpt didn’t blow me away, but I have faith in Luceno based on the masterpiece of Star Wars fiction that was Darth Plagueis. This will be in important novel in establishing the back story of one of the main villains in all of Star Wars storytelling.

Heir to the Jedi is an interesting novel. Originally to be part of the unconnected trilogy of books of “The Empire and Rebellion” series, it is now part of the new canon. This book is the first Star Wars book to be written in first-person since I, Jedi. I haven’t read any of author Kevin Hearne’s other books (yet) and Luke can be a challenging character to write, so this novel probably has the biggest range of possible positive and negative outcomes for me.

Stay tuned to this site for more updates on these books as well as reviews.

SOURCE: Random House