If you’re like me and the most recent incarnations of Star Wars seem a bit cartoony for your taste (not that there’s anything wrong with that), you might enjoy the new “Coruscant Nights” series of books from Del Rey and prolific Star Wars novelist Michael Reaves.
Jedi Twilight, Street of Shadows and Patterns of Force will tell the tale of Jax Pavan, a Jedi Knight who survived the betrayal of Emperor Palpatine by melting into the shadows of the Empire’s slums and making his way as a private investigator.
But Jax won’t be able to leave his past behind forever, as his Master’s dying wish brings him into contact with the growing Rebellion and forces him to risk detection by the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
The gritty universe of the original Star Wars trilogy has a lot in common with the dangerous world portrayed in such film noir pieces as The Maltese Falcon. And Coruscant, the ultra-urbanized capital planet of the Old Republic and later the Empire as seen in the prequel trilogy, is the perfect backdrop for the nefarious activities of archetypal spies, detectives and bounty hunters.
Jedi Twilight is available now in paperback. Street of Shadows will be out at he end of summer and the new year will bring Patterns of Force.
From Maltese Falcon to Millennium Falcon
The recent conclusion to Del Rey’s “Legacy of the Force” series, Invincible, brought an end to the reign of terror of Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus, as well as a promotional page for Millennium Falcon, a direct sequel to be released in hardcover this October.
It goes something like this: Han and Leia, who are now raising the daughter their fallen son left behind, seek healing in a lighthearted quest to explore the mysterious history of their temperamental ship — but they get more than they bargained for when they discover a lurking threat to both the Jedi Order and the Force itself.
I know I’ll be on board for this adventure!
