LucasBooks and Del Rey announced that Del Rey will publish five tie-in novels to go with the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film. The movie will premiere on 15 August—with the animated TV series airing in the autumn—on Cartoon Network and TNT.
The first novel under the agreement, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, by Karen Traviss, is scheduled to be published as a $20 hardcover on 26 July. Karen Miller is writing the second novel, which should be out in December. According to Del Rey’s David Moench, “both books will add depth, color, and background to the screen stories and characters, making them must-reads for every Star Wars fan.”
Describing the books, Moench says, “The story follows the heroic Jedi Knights as they struggle to maintain order and restore peace during the tumultuous Clone Wars. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side.”
Del Rey Editor Shelly Shapiro says, “It is a gift to all Star Wars fans to see the franchise continue to grow and develop under the watchful and ever-inventive eye of its creator, George Lucas. The Star Wars galaxy is one of the richest fictional ‘worlds’ ever invented, and it is exciting to be able to explore this new area with novels, as we’ve done with so much success—and so much fun—with the original six movies.”
British author Traviss received critical acclaim for her first novel, City of Pearl, as well as for its five sequels. She is the author of seven other Star Wars novels, including three books in the “Legacy of the Force” series, as well as the upcoming Star Wars: Order 66. Her short stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Realms of Fantasy, and On Spec.
Canadian-born Miller was raised and lives in Sydney, Australia. She’s written six mainstream fantasy novels and two Stargate SG-1 tie-ins.