The Force Awakens books and novels announced!

The Force Awakens books and novels announced

It’s only a 100 days until the release of Star Wars The Force Awakens. It is time to get an overview of all the books and novels that will be released to go with the J.J Abrams movie. Below you can get a preview of the tie-in novelization, the art book, the making-of book and much more.

After LucasFilm made the decisions to ditch the Expanded Universe they have quickly released more new novels to cover the ground between the Clone Wars and the period of The Force Awakens. Sadly, most novels dealt with the aftermath of the Clone Wars and were in my opinion superfluous for the most part (read my review of The Sith Lords and Dark Disciple). Only last week did Disney release the first new story set after The Return Of The Jedi. Aftermath, written by Chuck Wendig, received mixed reviews as it added precious little to the Star Wars mythology. All this hasn’t endeared Disney and LucasFilm in the eyes of fans. The question is can they get the tie-in books for The Force Awakens right?

Star Wars The Force Awakens novelization

Release date; December 18th (Kindle), January 5th (Hardback).

The official tie-in novel for The Force Awakens will be written by no other than Alan Dean Foster. Foster is famous for writing the original Star Wars novelization release it almost 6 months before the film, in December 1976. The novelization quickly sold through its first print run of 125.000 months before the release of the movie. so there were at least some indications the movie would end up being successful. His sequel, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, is famous for attempting to establish a romantic relationship between Luke and Leia. Both treatments did flesh out the back story of the movies. Lets hope Alan Dena Foster has been given the same creative freedom with this novelization as well. The projected length is 320 pages. At this moments no official cover exists. I will bet it features the official poster. The price is around $ 16.74 for the kindle edition. The hardback will trade for $ 20.52 while the audio book will be a whopping $ 40 on Amazon.com.

If you want to stay up to date on the progress of the novelization you can go to Alan Dean Foster’s blog. There you can read about his challenges to this book and others published.

Source; http://www.alandeanfoster.com/version2.0/updatesframe.htm

The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Release date; December 18th.

Star Wars is of course famous for its strong visuals. The Force Awakens will see a return in the use of ‘real’ special effects with sets, costumes and detailed miniatures. All that needs to be conceptualized before it can be designed. This special art book is produced by LucasFilm and published by Abrams and has detailed artwork and thee background on how it was created. The book is 256 pages long and will be published as a hardback. It is authored by Phil Szostak and costs around $ 36 on Amazon.com.

Step inside the Lucasfilm art departments for the creation of fantastical worlds, unforgettable characters, and unimaginable creatures. The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will take you there, from the earliest gathering of artists and production designers at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco to the fever pitch of production at Pinewood Studios to the conclusion of post-production at Industrial Light & Magic—all with unprecedented access. Exclusive interviews with the entire creative team impart fascinating insights in bringing director J. J. Abrams’s vision to life; unused “blue sky” concept art offers glimpses into roads not traveled.

Bursting with hundreds of stunning works of art, including production paintings, concept sketches, storyboards, blueprints, and matte paintings, this visual feast will delight Star Wars fans and cineastes for decades to come. The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the definitive expression of how the latest chapter in the Star Wars saga was dreamed into being.

A proper making of book that details what went into the production of the latest Star Wars movie is scheduled for March 2016.

News is courtesy of TheForce.net

Battlefront: Twilight Company (Star Wars)

Release date; November 17th.

Many Star Wars fans are not just looking forward to the upcoming movies but are also eager to play Battlefront. The game, inspired by the Battlefield series has been highly anticipated. Set for release on November 17th the game will receive its own tie-in novel. Battlefront Twilight Company is written by Alexander Freed. It seems to be a nod to the upcoming Star Wars anthology movie Rogue One. I am not certain this novel is for everyone. It is one thing for Halo or Mass Effect to get tie-in novels but this maybe a step too far. Time will tell. Granted though, the artwork is gorgeous.

A companion novel inspired by the hotly anticipated videogame Star Wars: Battlefront, this action-packed adventure follows a squad of soldiers caught in the trenches of the ultimate galactic war between good and evil.

The bravest soldiers. The toughest warriors. The ultimate survivors.
 
Among the stars and across the vast expanses of space, the Galactic Civil War rages. On the battlefields of multiple worlds in the Mid Rim, legions of ruthless storm troopers—bent on crushing resistance to the Empire wherever it arises—are waging close and brutal combat against an armada of freedom fighters. In the streets and alleys of ravaged cities, the front-line forces of the Rebel Alliance are taking the fight to the enemy, pushing deeper into Imperial territory and grappling with the savage flesh-and-blood realities of war on the ground.
 
Leading the charge are the soldiers—men and women, human and nonhuman—of the Sixty-First Mobile Infantry, better known as Twilight Company. Hard-bitten, war-weary, and ferociously loyal to one another, the members of this renegade outfit doggedly survive where others perish, and defiance is their most powerful weapon against the deadliest odds. When orders come down for the rebels to fall back in the face of superior opposition numbers and firepower, Twilight reluctantly complies. Then an unlikely ally radically changes the strategic equation—and gives the Alliance’s hardest-fighting warriors a crucial chance to turn retreat into resurgence.
 
 Orders or not, alone and outgunned but unbowed, Twilight Company locks, loads, and prepares to make its boldest maneuver—trading down-and-dirty battle in the trenches for a game-changing strike at the ultimate target: the very heart of the Empire’s military machine.

Star Wars The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary

Release date; December 18th.

If an art book isn’t enough we will also be getting a visual dictionary that show each weapon, ship, costume and prop used on set. I have such books for the original trilogy and each of the prequel movies. They make for fine coffee table material but I am not sure about their added value beyond. Luckily the price is set at only $ 15 for the hardcover copy.

The definitive guide to the characters, droids, aliens, and creatures of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Beautiful photography and clear, authoritative text by LucasFilm insider Pablo Hidalgo names and explains all the details of costumes, weapons, and accessories. Includes three exclusive, specially commissioned cutaway models produced by Industrial Light & Magic model maker John Goodson.

Star Wars The Force Awakens Incredible Cross Sections

Release date; December 18th.

Arguably a cross sections book is more imaginary than a visual dictionary. To create such cross sections of ships and weapons requires a great deal of technical imagination than you don’t see elsewhere. Just like the visual dictionary you can pick it up for just $ 15 at Amazon.

See the vehicles of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in unparalleled detail with this newest addition to the Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections series. Twelve breathtaking artworks bring the new craft to life, showing all of the weapons, engines, and technology, while engaging text explains each vehicle’s back story and key features.

Now we have come to the end of my preview of novels and book that tie-in with the release of The Force Awakens. Sure, there is a lot more work. You can buy a character anthology for children as well as the myriad of young adult novels. The latter under the subtitle Journey to Star Wars The Force Awakens. Sadly, though they may be good they add little to the official canon back story. This was my article on all ‘The Force Awakens books and novels announced’. I hope you enjoyed this preview and use it to make sure you don’t anything this December.