Suvudu Universe

Horror author Joe Schreiber’s next Star Wars book, Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown will be released January 28, 2014.

As part of the promotion for the book Del Rey has been releasing excerpts from the book on their Facebook page.

Excerpt #1:

Maul stared at the thing. The gray slope of its face was a surgeon’s nightmare of ritualistic scars, metal rings and studs, wire loops, and hooks, with bluish sacks pulsating beneath its eyes, all of it siphoning down and inward toward a gaping, razor-toothed mouth. Even its arms seemed to have been plucked from two different organisms. The right hand was a blunt-knuckled fist, the left an elongated spider-fingered claw. Together they formed a mallet and blade, one made for pounding, the other for slashing. It was the right that had come careening out of nowhere just seconds before, slamming Maul backward and knocking out one of his teeth.

The thing reached down and picked up Maul’s incisor from the floor of the cell. Straightening up, it shoved the tooth into an empty space in its own mouth, twisting it until it lodged in place. Then it grinned at Maul as if asking how he liked the sight of one of his teeth in its mouth—another trophy for its collection.

Maul gazed back at it.
And then the rage came.

And the rage was good.

Excerpt #2:

“Darth Sidious,” Damask said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him. “Will you join me?”

Palpatine flicked his eyes toward the air-taxi’s cockpit, but Damask gave him a reassuring nod.

“I’ve rendered the surveillance equipment inoperative,” the Muun said, “so that we may speak freely. As equals.”

“Of course.” Without hesitating, Darth Sidious slipped inside next to the Muun, his expression revealing just the right tincture of pleasant surprise. “It’s always good to see you under any circumstances.”

“Yes.” Behind the transpirator mask, Darth Plagueis offered what might have been a faint smile. “I know we had plans to meet later in Monument Plaza for our usual stroll, but something’s come up and I had to alter my schedule at the last minute. I thought it best that we meet now.” He turned to Sidious and cast a passing glance back at the LiMerge Building. “I take it that you’ve been in touch with the Zabrak?”

“As a matter of fact, I just—”

“I recall you mentioning that you’ve dispatched him to Cog Hive Seven find this elusive weapons dealer?”

“Iram Radique, yes.” Sidious was careful to sound as casual as possible, although inside he was already puzzled. Darth Plagueis knew only the broadest generalities about Darth Sidious’s ongoing work to destabilize the Outer Rim planets and orchestrate the Galactic Civil War. He rarely asked specific questions about where the weapons were coming from, or how exactly Sidious intended to use them to facilitate the Grand Plan.

“This Radique,” Plagueis continued on in the same conversational tone as he gazed out the window at the approaching Avenue of the Core Founders, “is rumored to be one of the most powerful arms dealers in the galaxy?”

“Radique is as dangerous as he is unpredictable.” Sidious was aware of an unwelcome warmth beginning to climb upward through the back of his neck, enveloping his cheeks and forehead.

“Which is why I sent Maul to assassinate him.”

Excerpt #3:

For a moment Smight wasn’t sure whether what he was seeing was real or a side effect of the stim. Eight meters in front of him, the mountainous shape of his employer had already come into focus to fill the entire corner of the ready room. Smight gaped as Jabba Desilijic Tiure shifted his enormous tail, gazing out at the audience that awaited him.

“Hello, Jabba,” Sadiki said. “I appreciate you making time in your busy schedule for me.”

“Sadiki Blirr.” The crime lord’s mouth opened just enough for him to run his tongue along his upper lip with a lascivious sneer. “You know, if you ever get tired of running that prison, I would be happy to make you one of my slave girls.”

“Such a generous offer.” She remained absolutely composed, even congenial, before him. “Unfortunately, I’ll have to decline for now.”

“To what do I owe the honor?”

“Ah, well.” Sadiki gestured at the guards who had come to abrupt attention behind her, including Smight himself. “I believe I have some of your people here.”

For more on Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown visit Random House’s book page.

SOURCE: Star Wars Books on Facebook