A quartet of new Star Wars books have been revealed – each charting “essential” canon adventures from the missing years of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker.
First up, as per the official Star Wars website (opens in new tab), is Star Wars Brotherhood. Set for release on May 10, 2022, the novel will finally explore a throwaway line from the prequels – where Obi-Wan joked that Anakin saving his life on Cato Neimoidia “didn’t count.”
The synopsis reads: “After an explosion devastates Cato Neimoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened… Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight.”
In June, more gaps will be filled – this time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Set 20 years after Episode 6, Shadow of the Sith features Luke Skywalker teaming up with Lando Calrissian to find the latter’s lost daughter. Their paths intertwine with that of Sith assassin Ochi of Bestoon, who is tasked with capturing a certain young girl by the name of Rey.
Star Wars: Padawan, meanwhile, sees a pre-Phantom Menace Obi-Wan shrug off his master Qui-Gon Jinn to go solo on a planet once explored by ancient Jedi. Once there, he encounters a group of teenagers that will “test the limits of his relationship to the Jedi and to the Force.”
Finally, Stories of Sith and Jedi is an anthology series featuring ten tales exploring some of the series’ biggest names “from Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader, from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Asajj Ventress, and beyond.”
Star Wars may be making in-roads on television – December’s Book of Boba Fett kicks off a new run of spinoffs and series – but it’s on the page where some of its most intriguing stories still lie. Whether you want a further insight into the prequels or a take on what Luke Skywalker did in the post-Jedi, post-Grogu years then make sure you’ve got a few empty spaces on your bookshelves in 2022.
For more from a galaxy far, far away, check out all the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in development.