From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: Book 2 of 2
Multiple Authors and Narrators
Publisher: Del Rey | Random House Audio
Release date: November 11, 2020

Just in time for the 40th anniversary of the greatest science fiction film ever made (sure, that’s arguable, but I’ll gladly argue it) and the greatest sequel ever made (again, arguable, but I’ll still argue it), The Empire Strikes Back, comes a collection of stories of those characters who either never saw any screen time, saw so little that few remember them, or, as you’ll see in this book and review, couldn’t communicate their stories in Earth-bound languages until now. That book? From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars), the companion book to that which was written with the same purpose for the previous film.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Black Spire
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Galaxy’s Edge – Book 2
Written by Delilah S. Dawson
Narrated by January LaVoy
Publisher: Del Rey | Random House Audio
Release date: August 27, 2019

In the second book of Disney’s new Star Wars series related to the Galaxy’s Edge theme park, Black Spire focuses on spy Vi Moradi’s attempts to resuscitate a flagging Resistance in the days immediately following the eighth film, The Last Jedi. With the New Republic’s central government destroyed by Starkiller Base and their forces all but defeated, Vi is sent by her mentor, General Leia Organa, to seek promising new worlds on which to re-kickstart the Resistance. To help her, Leia sends along Archex, a man with an intimate knowledge of the First Order. You see, he was not only a former Stormtrooper Captain known as Cardinal, but he and Moradi have a history all their own… Cardinal tortured Moradi after capturing her. During their torture sessions, though, Moradi discovered a weakness in Cardinal/Archex and exploited it. This allowed her to not only escape the clutches of the First Order, but also rescue a Stormtrooper was now able to see the error of his ways.

Star Wars: Thrawn: Treason
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Star Wars: Thrawn, Book 3
Written by Timothy Zahn
Narrated by Marc Thompson
Publisher: Del Rey Books | Random House Audio
Release date: July 23, 2019

Timothy Zahn returns with his denouement in his new canon trilogy of tales about Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn titled Star Wars: Thrawn: Treason.

In it, Grand Admiral Thrawn butts heads with Director Orson Krennic over project funding. Thrawn believes the future of the Empire, at least in the years leading up to Episode IV: A New Hope, is his TIE Defender project. Krennic, on the other hand, is certain the Empire can only hope to survive if his Stardust* project even if it has been delayed and run a bit over budget.

Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Alphabet Squadron Trilogy, Book 1
Written by Alexander Freed
Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
Publisher: Del Rey Books | Random House Audio
Release date: June 11, 2019

Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron is the first in a promised trilogy of books focusing on Navy pilots in the years following the Battle of Endor, after the Rebellion transitions into being the New Republic. The reason for the naming is because the squadron consists of pilots flying practically every letter-designated ship we’ve ever seen in the Star Wars saga “” X-Wing, A-Wing, B-Wing, Y-Wing, and even Rogue One‘s U-Wing.

Star Wars: Dooku: Jedi Lost
Audiobook
Written by Cavan Scott
Full cast audiobook narration (6 hours and 21 minutes)
Publisher: Random House Audio
Release date: April 30, 2019

Before he was the Count of Serenno, the leader of the Separatist Army and became known as Darth Tyranus, Dooku was a Padawan to Jedi Master Yoda and best friend to Sifo-Dyas. He also served as a teacher to a young Qui-Gon Jinn before leaving the Jedi Order entirely. This is the Dooku that assassin Asajj Ventress is interested in learning more about and how the story in Star Wars: Dooku: Jedi Lost sets down its roots.