Shadowhawk takes a brief look at a new Star Wars novel, set in the unfamiliar setting era of the Dawn of the Jedi.

“Appears to be a very ambitious novel, so let’s wait and watch. In the meantime, I’m definitely excited!” ~Shadowhawk

I found out about this novel through the Star Wars fansite Club Jade, one of the most concise and exciting Star Wars fansites on the internet. And they themselves found out about it through Hollywood.com. Star Wars as a franchise has been gaining a lot of steam in the last couple of years. There is the immensely visually stunning MMORPG The Old Republic. There is a whole series of tie-in novels of the game, penned by popular tie-in writers like Paul S. Kemp (Review of Deceived) and Drew Karpyshyn (Review of Annihilation) and others. The movies are all getting the 3D treatment and Ep I – The Phantom Menace (my review) has already had it’s brand new re-release. Not to mention that the license for the property now rests with Disney, at least as far as the movies are concerned. There has been no word yet that the license for the comics might be shifting from Dark Horse to Marvel (which Disney owns). To be honest, I’d rather that the license stay with Dark Horse, given the incredible work they’ve done over the years to develop the franchise.

Anyway, joining the entire craze is a new novel by Tim Lebbon, in which he explores the Dawn of the Jedi setting, created for the meta-series of the same name by Dark Horse. Dawn of the Jedi is set very, very early on in the history of the Star Wars setting, at a time when the ancient Rakata still held sway over much of the galaxy (covered in the RPG Knights of the Old Republic). Here’s the blurb and cover for the novel.

Release: May 7, 2013

Hardback: $27.00 | eBook: $13.99 | 352pp

On the planet Tython, the ancient Je’daii order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force—and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je’daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy.
 
Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je’daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency. The leader of a fanatical cult, obsessed with traveling beyond the reaches of known space, is bent on opening a cosmic gateway using dreaded dark matter as the key—risking a cataclysmic reaction that will consume the entire star system. But more shocking to Lanoree than even the prospect of total galactic annihilation, is the decision of her Je’daii Masters to task her with the mission of preventing it. Until a staggering revelation makes clear why she was chosen: The brilliant, dangerous madman she must track down and stop at any cost is the brother whose death she has long grieved—and whose life she must now fear..

To read more in the Dawn of the Jedi setting, you can check out several comics from Dark Horse:

• Force Storm – I’ve read this as digital single issues (it’s currently available as a trade paperback as well), and I found it to be quite interesting certainly. The build-up is handled well and the protagonists are very engaging as well.
• Prisoner of Bogan – This is currently on-going and I haven’t gotten around to reading them as yet. They are on the cards though. Might be a review of both the mini-series soon.

More information can be found here.

What are your thoughts?