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Book News: Complete Encyclopaedia update:
Posted: 30th June
TheForce.net are reporting that the anticipated The Complete Star Wars Encyclopaedia by Stephen Sansweet and Pablo Hidalgo may actually be larger and more comprehensive than was previously known. Originally believed to be a two volume tome with 800 pages, with a price tag of $75. It is now expected to be at least three volumes, over 1000 pages, and according to Stephen Sansweet, contain "close to a million words".
RandomHouse.com have updated their entry for this book and confirms the page count at 1408, cost at $125 (up from $75) and release date of 18th November (pushed back from 4th November).
(Sources: TheForce.net, RandomHouse.com)

Book News: Karen Miller and Karen Traviss to pen all five The Clone Wars novels:
Posted: 27th June
Following the recent confirmation by LucasBooks/Del Rey, both authors (Karen Miller and Karen Traviss), writing in their respective blog and website, have indicated that the proposed five book The Clone Wars series (one for the movie and four to tie-in with the TV series) will be written by just Karen Miller (two books) and Karen Traviss (three books).
(Source: Karen's Musings, KarenTraviss.com)

Book News: "Collector's Edition" of DK's The Clone Wars Visual Guide available in October:
Posted: 26th June
Affiliate StarWarsTimeline.com have informed us of a listing on Amazon UK for a "Collector's Edition" of Dorling Kindersley's Visual Guide to The Clone Wars. There is currently little information as to the actual details of this "Collector's Edition" other than it is more than two and-a-half times the cost of the normal edition (£40 compared to £14.99), appears to have 16 more pages (160 compared to 144) and will be published two months after the normal edition (1st October rather than 1st August (UK)).
(Source: StarWarsTimeline.com)

Book News: Official confirmation The Clone Wars novels:
Posted: 26th June
After much waiting and discussion, LucasBooks and Del Rey have finally confirmed, at least, that the first two of The Clone Wars novels are indeed being written by Karen Traviss and Karen Miller. The first novel, by Karen Traviss, appears to be a direct novelisation of The Clone Wars movie and is slotted for release on 26th July. Miller's novel, the first of another four novels, looks to be a tie-in with the animated TV series due in the Autumn on Cartoon Network and TNT, but it's initial release date has been pushed back from 25th November to sometime in December.
(Source: StarWarsBlog)

New Release: Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
by Michael Reaves (Paperback Novel)
Posted: 24th June
Jax Pavan is one of the few Jedi Knights who miraculously survived the slaughter that followed Palpatine's ruthless Order 66. Now, deep in Coruscant's Blackpit Slums, Jax ekes out a living as a private investigator, trying to help people in need while concealing his Jedi identity and staying one step ahead of the killers out for Jedi blood. Others search for the elusive Jax too...more

Affiliates News: EU Cantina has gone blue:
Posted: 22nd June
Affiliate EU Cantina has decided to change the theme of their website to celebrate two of the biggest Star Wars events since 2005: The Clone Wars and The Force Unleashed. "From now until the release of The Force Unleashed, we will be blue. Besides obvious site updates, a few special features are going to be added."
Full details at EUCantina.net.

Book News: Yet another Untitled novel appears:
Posted: 20th June
Just as the mystery of Karen Traviss's The Clone Wars novel appears to have been resolved, another Untitled entry appears on Random House's website.
Simply titled Untitled SW Game Novel it is due for release on February 24th 2009 with no writer accredited (as yet), in paperback form and published by Ballantine (Del Rey's parent publishing house).
However, the question is this paperback edition of The Force Unleashed? If so, why Untitled? More news as we receive it.
(source: RandomHouse.com via NJOE.com)

Book News: Summer edition of Activity Annual now available:
Posted: 20th June
Looking for something to occupy the kids during the, let's face it, typically wet British summer holidays? Well, the summer edition of the Star Wars Activity Annual from Pedigree is now on sale for £5.99. Packed full of information about your favourite and not-so favourite Star Wars characters, quizzes, puzzles, crosswords, stickers and "build your own R2-D2 pen holder".
For a limited time Tesco are selling it for £5.

Affiliates News: New Affiliate - StarWarsTimeline.com:
Posted: 20th June
StarWarsTimeline.com is one of the most comprehensive Star Wars Timelines anywhere. It is the creation of one man, the "indefatigable" Eddie van der Heijden from the Netherlands. Eddie's timeline uses the Great ReSynchronization as the starting year for the timeline (an in-galaxy event established in 35 BBY by the Republic Measures & Standards Bureau to recalibrate the disparate dating systems used by the Galactic Republic, thus placing A New Hope in year 35). Eddie has organised all day-by-day events based upon the in-galaxy 10-month calendar of 368 days to the year.
Visit StarWarsTimeline.com.

Book News: Jedi Twilight available one week early:
Posted: 20th June
Book fans in the UK maybe interested to know that the first book in Michael Reaves Coruscant Nights trilogy, Jedi Twilight, is available now, one week earlier than its official UK release date of 26th June (US is 24th).
Our local bricks'n'mortar book seller, Waterstone's, is selling it on their 3 for 2 offer (although their internet site still has it for pre-ordering, we haven't checked our local Borders). Internet book seller Amazon UK is also offering it for immediate delivery.

Book News: Random House confirms Traviss's The Clone Wars novel?:
Posted: 19th June
After much waiting it appears that Random House Inc. (Del Rey's owner) have finally confirmed that Karen Traviss's Untitled book due for release on 26th July is indeed the Clone Wars novelisation. They have updated their listing for this novel with the book title simply being Star Wars: The Clone Wars implying that it is the novelisation of the forthcoming movie.
(Source: RandomHouse.com)

Media News: Official The Clone Wars mini-site at StarWars.com:
Posted: 19th June
The Official Star Wars website, StarWars.com, have launched their The Clone Wars mini-site. It "features a brief audio by Anakin and Obi-Wan followed by music from the movie itself. After that, the site opens to a page where you can find a count-down clicker for the movie, videos about The Clone Wars, a gallery, a page for characters, downloads, and much more!"
(Source: StarWars.com via EUCantina.net)

Media News: Two The Clone Wars videogames coming soon:
Posted: 19th June
It appears that there will now be two separate The Clone Wars videogames from LucasArts, both being exclusive to Nintendo's consoles: the Wii and the DS. According to IGN, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels” is exclusive to the Nintendo Wii and, using the Wii remote, it allows you to compete in the duels of The Clone Wars. The DS game, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance" is a new storyline based upon characters and situations from the movie.
(Source: IGN.com (Wii game), IGN.com (DS game) via ClubJade.net)

Book News: Invincible hangs on in NYTimes Best Sellers list:
Posted: 16th June
For the fourth consecutive week Invincible remains on the New York Times Best Sellers list. On 22nd June, the final Legacy of the Force book will be at #25 position, dropping a full ten points from #15 the week below.
Unfortunately, Invincible has never climbed higher than its #5 debut position on the 1st June but, with the exception of the prequel film novelizations, it is still the highest ranking debut for a Star Wars hardback since Del Rey became the licensee in 1999.
(Source: NYTimes.com)

Book News: Amazon UK give UK release date for Karen Miller's The Clone Wars novel:
Posted: 16th June
Amazon UK have posted a listing for Karen Miller's The Clone Wars novel that gives a release date of 18th December, just over three weeks after the US release. However, Amazon UK are currently listing this book has been a hardback edition with a page count of 336, which does not correspond to the US Del Rey edition: paperback and 272 pages. It is possible that Amazon UK's listing is inaccurate and could be updated at a later point.
(Source: Amazon.co.uk)

Affiliates News: Star Wars Weekends with the EU Cantina:
Posted: 16th June
Affiliate EU Cantina sent staff to cover Disney Star Wars Weekends: "we sent Austin down to Star Wars Weekends to get video and coverage of the weekend. The first part, released today, is the speech given by Steve Sansweet in the "Behind the Force" feature. He discusses The Force Unleashed, The Clone Wars and more."
Full details at EUCantina.net.

New Release: Star Wars Insider (issue 102)
Available from 17th June in US
The new issue of Star Wars Insider is a creature special, focusing on the many monsters and creatures of the Star Wars galaxy and the people who created them. Veteran creture maker Stuart Freeborn provides the big Insider interview, his apprentice Nick Dudman gives his take on the Star Wars experience, we countdown the top 10 toughest creatures.
Plus, get the latest news on The Clone Wars and check out new books, comics, toys, collectibles and more in Blaster, Star Wars Insider’s new review section! Full details at titanmagazines.com.

Book News: Five The Clone Wars TV series books discovered:
Posted: 13th June
Eddie van der Heijden from StarWarsTimeline.com has discovered five The Clone Wars TV series tie-in children's books from Grosset & Dunlop (Penguin), as mentioned by Publishers Weekly back in May. They are Meet Ashoka Tano by Kirsten Mayer, Decide Your Destiny #1: The Way of the Jedi by Jake T. Forbes and Operation Huttlet by Steele Filipek. All five are due for release on 2nd October (US).
(Source: Penguin.com)

Media News: New The Force Unleashed video:
Posted: 13th June
LucasArts have released a new Web-Doc entitled “A New Chapter: The Story of the Force Unleashed". This video contains plot spoilers. You can watch it here.
(source: EUCantina.net)

Media News: New The Clone Wars trailer:
Posted: 13th June
StarWars.com have released a new trailer for The Clone Wars which you can watch on their homepage here.

Media News: Another free Star Wars story:
Posted: 11th June
Just over a month ago, Del Rey offered Betrayal free for a limited time. However, there are more Star Wars stories available for free on the 'net. Last week we directed you to Judge's Call (a short story set one year after Luke and Mara's wedding).
This week it is Podracing Tales, "a series of eight vignettes centered around everyone's favorite sport: Podracing!". Written by Dark Horse Comics's Ryder Windham and Ken Steacy and originally published as a holiday treat by StarWars.com, these comic stories take place during The Phantom Menace.
You can read it courtesy of StarWars.com here.

Book News: Cover and contents for Luke Skywalker tome:
Posted: 11th June
Dark Horse Comics editor Randy Stradley has posted on DarkHorseBoards both the final cover art and contents for the upcoming deluxe edition Luke Skywalker: Last Hope For The Galaxy. As well as some recent comic stories, it will also contain various old Marvel and LA Times stories featuring Luke Skywalker. Full details at DarkHorseBoards.
(source: ClubJade.net)

Affiliates News: New Affiliate - Undercity Portugal:
Posted: 11th June
Undercity Portugal is a Portuguese Star Wars news site dedicated to the Star Wars fans of Portugal. However, it is not restricted to Portuguese speakers, as many of its articles and features are in English - just now they have an interview with Dark Horse's John Jackson Miller (writer Knights of the Old Republic). Visit Undercity Portugal.

Media News: The Force Unleashed screenshots:
Posted: 11th June
Affiliate EUCantina have discovered some new and exciting screenshots for The Force Unleashed on the XBox 360. The pictures have been supplied by Portuguese gaming website Eurogamer.pt. You can view the screenshots here at EUCantina.
(source EUCantina.net)

Book News: Final cover art for TFU graphic novel:
Posted: 9th June
Dark Horse Comics have finally revealed the final cover art for the graphic novel of The Force Unleashed. Although it features similar art as the novel and video-games, it does include a subtitle label: "The next chapter in the Star Wars saga".
(source: DarkHorse.com)

Affiliates News: EU Cantina re-launches Book Club
Posted: 5th June
Affiliate EU Cantina have announced a re-launch of their EU Book Club: "We’re going to start up fresh in June by reading the Republic Commando series. We’re going to read Hard Contact for June, Triple Zero for July, True Colors for August, and finally, the upcoming Order 66 when it’s released on September 16th. So roughly one month per book."
Full details at EUCantina.net

Media News: Traviss to attend Comic-Con 2008:
Posted: 5th June
Speculated The Clone Wars author Karen Traviss has announced on her website that she will now be attending San Diego's Comic-Con (24th-27th July). These dates coincide with not only the release of her (unconfirmed) The Clone Wars tie-in novel and the release of several children's books but also the unveiling of Dark Horse's The Clone Wars comic series. It appears that the 39th Comic-Con is going to see a lot of The Clone Wars material.
(Sources: karentraviss.com, comic-con.org, darkhorse.com)

Affiliates News: New Affiliate - Galactic Binder:
Posted: 5th June
Galactic Binder is "the largest Star Wars specific directory in the galaxy, with over 1,000 sites already listed (and we’re just getting started). Use the advanced search and sorting capabilities to find links to Star Wars sites you never knew existed. Rate and review your favourite sites to let others know why they’re the best. Drill down into over 125 specific categories to find exactly the types of sites you’re looking for." Visit Galactic Binder, The Ultimate Star Wars Directory.

Book news: New Scholastic book discovered:
Posted: 5th June
As reported on TheForce.net, a listing on Amazon US has been discovered for what could be the next youth series from children's publisher Scholastic. Titled Rebel Force, it has at present no author credited, but appears to be set during the Rebellion era.
(source: TheForce.net)

Affiliates News: Lorne Peterson interview (part 3):
Posted: 5th June
Affiliate Lightsabre have posted part 3 of their interview with Lorne Peterson. Lorne is an Oscar winning model maker who has worked on all six Star Wars films as well as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
You can read the interview here.

Book news: Invincible now available in UK:
Posted: 5th June
Over three weeks have passed since Invincible's US release, but at last for UK Star Wars book fans, the finale to Legacy of the Force has been published by Century. Correspondingly, we have updated our Amazon Sales Rank Watch to reflect sales from Amazon UK.

Media news: Free Star Wars stories:
Posted: 5th June
Just over a month ago, Del Rey offered Betrayal free for a limited time. However, there are more Star Wars stories available for free on the 'net. Judge's Call is a short story by Timothy Zahn set one year after Luke and Mara's wedding. You can read it for free courtesy of Del Rey here.

New release: Omnibus: Droids
Posted: 4th June
by Dan Thorsland et al. (Graphic Novel) (US only)
Collecting together all the Droids comics: The Kalabra Adventures, Rebellion, Season of Revolt (never before released in US as graphic novel) and one-off The Protocol Offensive (written by Anthony Daniels)...more

Book news: Ultimate Graphic Novel Library:
Posted: 3rd June
As reported on TheForce.net, Collectibles Today are offering the Ultimate Star Wars Graphic Novel Library. The Library will consist of "the series is made up of ten volumes, averaging 274 pages each, none of them will replicate any of the existing trade paperbacks or Omnibuses." Full story at TheForce.net

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