'Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss' has arrived
Plus: Star Wars news to follow at New York Comic Con.
Happy release day to Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss
It’s new Star Wars book day! Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes is finally on shelves, promising a prequel-era tale unlike any you’ve ever read before.
I’ll be honest — this book hasn’t really hooked me. I was excited about it, especially because there are so few Mace Windu-focused stories out there. I’m about halfway through my review copy and struggling to find the motivation to keep reading. Don’t get me wrong, The Glass Abyss is not a bad book. It’s an excellent character study of a powerful Jedi who gets a bad rap for being cold and unapproachable. But there’s so much more to Mace Windu, and The Glass Abyss presents his inner thoughts and motivations in powerful ways.
But this Star Wars book is not a space opera or an action-packed sci-fi fantasy. The Glass Abyss is a seriously slow burn, hardboiled mystery with hard sci-fi themes in a Star Wars font. I’ve truly never read a Star Wars book like it, and mystery noir is far from my preferred genre. It also has a distinct Expanded Universe flavor as it takes some wild swings with new alien species and a crystalline criminal underworld.
I’ll share my full review and thoughts later this week. Even if I don’t give this book a good rating, I have a feeling it will be loved by plenty of Star Wars readers.
Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes is available now from Random House Worlds.
Star Wars at New York Comic Con
New York Comic Con starts this weekend, and there are two exciting Star Wars panels to look forward to. First is the Lucasfilm Publishing panel on Friday afternoon. With The Acolyte books and the new Reign of the Empire trilogy already announced for next year, I’m not sure if there will be more blockbuster book news. But hey, I love to be surprised by Star Wars books.
Then on Saturday is a panel with Dark Horse and Lucasfilm Publishing, featuring a bunch of fan-favorite Star Wars comic creators.
ALSO, the Penguin Random House booth is handing out advanced reader’s editions of Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear to those with the secret message (below). I’m so jealous of everyone who snags a copy.
(If anyone wants to try to grab a copy for me…I will absolutely pay for shipping and love you forever)
I will follow both panels on Friday and Saturday and share any big breaking Star Wars book news as soon as I can. Next week’s newsletter will also have a recap of Star Wars news from NYCC.
Lucasfilm Publishing
Friday, Oct. 18; 3:30 p.m. EST
Guests: Krystina Arielle, Charles Soule, Zoraida Cordova, Marc Guggenheim, Steven Barnes, Lydia Kang
Star Wars Comics with Dark Horse and Lucasfilm Publishing
Saturday, Oct. 19; 1:45 p.m. EST
Guests: Daniel Jose Older, Michael Siglain, Cavan Scott, Harvey Tolibao, Alyssa Wong, Rachael Stott
Post-hurricane update
It has been a WEEK. After a very scary sleepless night listening to Hurricane Milton’s howling winds, we woke up to minimal damage and tons of debris in our yard. We lost power for three days and are so thankful to have it back since Saturday evening. There are still hundreds of thousands of people in my community who are struggling without power and dealing with flooding and bad damage to their homes. This storm was the worst to hit the Tampa Bay area in over a century, and the impacts are far from over.
Because of *all of this*, I haven’t been able to finish Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss in time for the book’s release . To be honest, I needed some lighter reading and a few hours of Disney Dreamlight Valley to distract myself from the storm outside. But, a full review of the new Star Wars novel is coming soon.
Also, the Star Wars book giveaway I was running for my birthday — it ended on Oct. 11 and I will pick the two winners later this week. Be on the lookout on my Instagram and TikTok pages for updates.
What I read during Hurricane Milton and the three days without power:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: Finished the audiobook
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch: Started reading this holiday rom-com after the power went out; 163 pages
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson: 30 pages — not a lot, but I’m still loving it, especially the scene with Shallan and Kaladin’s boots.
Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes: 39 pages between the digital ARC and the audiobook files.
Disney Dreamlight Valley: Played a few hours every day since Wednesday since I finally got the new Star Path.
This week’s Star Wars releases
Oct. 15
Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes
Tears of the Nameless by George Mann — audiobook
Oct. 16
The High Republic Adventures (2023) #11
Battle of Jakku: Insurgency Rising #2
Coming soon
As I’m putting my life back together, I’ve got a few exciting projects in the works.
Full review of Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss: As I said up top, I’m hoping to finish the book and write a review in time for Friday’s newsletter.
Q&A with Alex Segura and Rob Hart, authors of new sci-fi thriller Dark Space: This new sci-fi novel is billed as a spy thriller with “epic scope and character-driven spark of Star Trek and the intrigue of John le Carre’s Smiley novels.” I’ve been dipping my toes into more hard sci-fi, so I was excited to get an email from the publicist offering a review copy and a chance to send questions to the authors. Star Wars book fans will remember Alex Segura from Poe Dameron: Free Fall, “Resolve” from Stories of Jedi and Sith, and the recent Battle of Jakku: Insurgency Rising comic. Rob Hart also wrote a Star Wars story — “Due on Batuu” in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back.
A new Star Wars Insider story: After some excellent interviews with Star Wars authors, I can’t wait any longer — I’m writing another Star Wars Insider story! This one is all about game tie-in books and the authors behind them — from Battlefront II Inferno Squad and Jedi: Battle Scars to The Force Unleashed and Star Wars Galaxies. More details about the story and the issue’s publication date are coming soon.
Congratulations on the new Insider story! That sounds such a great read!