Star Wars Literature

[Emissary of the Prophets]

What is happening with the publication of new Star Wars literature?
Are they continuing to publish books that have been signed off or is everything on hold until the new 'canon' has been agreed?

 

[Relayer1]

And will they be dumping all of the old EU ?

 

[Mr Light]

No decision has been made yet. Star Wars novels are on hiatus at the moment while they decide what they're doing. A planned Jaina trilogy was cancelled, so the last novel in the continuity might be "Crucible". There's a trilogy of OT-Era novels coming out in the coming months.

There hasn't been a decision made yet but the most likely explanation is the old EU novel/comic continuity will be thrown out the window in favor of the new movies. After all, millions and millions will see the new movies... only thousands will have read the books.

 

[Set Harth]

It's all about the majority, right?

 

[Reverend]

For the most part, I'd say it's not a *huge* loss if they chuck out everything post-Jedi. In my experience most of the EU never dips much above "so-so". The best thing about the EU isn't the stories so much as the characters and those can be re-introduced in a new context.

Hell, most of them have been poorly utilized anyway. I mean how often has the likes of Jaina been sidelined because they wanted to keep making books about the increasingly geriatric OT characters?

 

[Mr Light]

I'm a huge EU fan and I absolutely love the vast majority of the books, particularly the past decade of storytelling. That said, I have zero problem with them tossing all that out the window because I understand the economics of the situation. They are never ever ever going to chain themselves to a 25 year old continuity of novels that only a few thousand people have read for a billion dollar movie. It's not like comic book movies slavishly devote themselves to comic book continuity. They take the ideas and go off in their own direction with them.

Hopefully they'll do some loose pulls from it... maybe we'll get a version of Mara and Ben and Jacen and Jaina?

 

[Relayer1]

As I really lost all interest in the EU (gradual, leading to quitting completely during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion) I'm looking forward to a new start...

 

[UUS Contrarian]

It's all about the majority, right?

Not necessarily if the minority is willing to spend a lot regardless of how well the movies are doing.

 

[UUS Contrarian]

For the most part, I'd say it's not a *huge* loss if they chuck out everything post-Jedi. In my experience most of the EU never dips much above "so-so". The best thing about the EU isn't the stories so much as the characters and those can be re-introduced in a new context.

Hell, most of them have been poorly utilized anyway. I mean how often has the likes of Jaina been sidelined because they wanted to keep making books about the increasingly geriatric OT characters?

What EU have you read?

 

[Corran Horn]

A new book (Honor Among Thieves) just came out Tuesday so I'm not sure how 'on hiatus' they are. They might not be launching anything of the continuing saga level of NJO/LotF/FotJ but they're still releasing books.

 

[UUS Contrarian]

The only other one that we know of is a Luke book.

 

[Corran Horn]

I guess it just depends on what the expected release schedule is. The Trek line killed off 3-4 Abrams-Trek releases that had already been written and paid for when somebody thought they wouldn't mesh with (presumably) "Star Trek Into Darkness". I guess the Star Wars line didn't want to have to go through that.

Still plenty of places to play in the OT and PT, though. I do halfway remember something of a 'pause' had been put into place so I could be wrong about the hiatus.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Hell, most of them have been poorly utilized anyway. I mean how often has the likes of Jaina been sidelined because they wanted to keep making books about the increasingly geriatric OT characters?

Much of that is due to the people who create the material more specifically Del Rey and the editorial policies they pursue. That isn't going to change even if you toss out everything, they still have the license and will pursue the same policies that got them into the current situation with SW publishing.

 

[Mr Light]

As I said, they're in the process of releasing three OT era books that were already far down the pipe when the sale happened.