SWBC: 'Quest for the Hidden City' review; looking back on 10 years of Star Wars books
Plus: A new "Convergence" excerpt and Star Wars books and comics arriving in November.
Review: Quest for the Hidden City
Happy new Star Wars book week!
This time, we’ve got Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann — the newest middle-grade novel in The High Republic Phase 2. The quick and fun read takes us on a spooky, pulpy adventure story set on a mysterious, ravaged planet reportedly haunted by monsters.
It all starts with a damaged droid floating in space and a missing Pathfinder team, whom a Jedi Padawan and her master are tasked with helping to find and investigate what happened. And with a thrilling and hope-filled conclusion, this self-contained story adds so much richness to the era and characters of The High Republic.
Some snippets from my review for Dork Side of the Force:
“It’s the perfect quick Star Wars read to keep the spooky season going. But at its core, Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann is about teamwork, community, and keeping hope through immense hardship — all told through the eyes of young people.”
“This Star Wars story is also good old-fashioned fun. Its pacing and action-packed adventure make it a breeze to fly through the book’s 240 pages. And it feels very much like a George Mann story — packed with intriguing lore like his in-universe Myths & Fables books.”
“Mann has created one of the best books for younger readers of The High Republic.”
More Star Wars book reviews:
New excerpt from Convergence
In three weeks, we’ll get yet another Star Wars book — Convergence by Zoraida Córdova.
The adult novel set during the prequel era of The High Republic chiefly follows Jedi Kight Gella Nattai and Axel Greylark, the son of the Republic chancellor. These unlikely alllies are tasked with investigating an assassination attempt between two worlds that are on the brink of catastrophe amid an ongoing war.
The excerpt introduces Axel, dubbed a “prince” but who acts anything but royally. He’d much rather spend his nights in the seedy gambling dens in the underbelly of Coruscant.
“A place of shadows where he didn’t have to be Axel Greylark, son of the most important woman in the galaxy. He could just be his wretched self.”
Read more: New Star Wars: Convergence excerpt introduces us The High Republic chancellor’s swaggering son
Celebrating the last 10 years of Star Wars publishing
Oct. 30, 2022, marked 10 years since Disney bought Lucasfilm. The last decade has seen a resurgence in popularity for Star Wars along with dozens of entertainment projects released and announced.
That includes nearly 100 books filled with both new and beloved stories and characters. And while the Disney era of Star Wars also saw the retooling of the Expanded Universe into Legends, many of those books are still revered by longtime fans and have gained new readers via the Essential Legends Collection.
Over the last 10 years, there have been 96 new canon Star Wars book published. That doesn’t include the hundreds of comics, children’s books, and art books that have also been released in the past decade.
The first new canon Star Wars book published post-Disney purchase was A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller. The most recent release was Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann.
And in between those books have been dozens of stories set all along the Star Wars timeline — from The Rise of Skywalker novelization to the prequel era of The High Republic, which is more than 300 years before the Skywalker saga.
The picture above highlights my top 10 Star Wars books of the last 10 years. It was hard to pick just 10, but those books — many of which came out in the last year or so — live in my mind rent-free, as the kids say.
I also wrote a full list of Star Wars books that were released in the last 10 years, highlighting some of the best and brightest game-changers.
What are your favorite Star Wars books that have come out in the last 10 years? Or are your favorites still part of the Expanded Universe? Let me know in the comments!
Star Wars books and comics arriving in November
Just in time for the holiday season, November is stacked with new Star Wars books and comics. Some of the most exciting titles include The High Republic novel Convergence, which wraps up THR publishing for 2022, and another wave of Essential Legends novels.
My top picks for November arrivals:
Quest for the Hidden City (Nov. 1)
Essential Legends Collection: Deceived; Revan; The Bacta War (Nov. 1)
The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic (Nov. 8)
The High Republic: Convergence (Nov. 22)
Read more: Star Wars books and comics releasing in November 2022
In my inbox: Bring Home the Galaxy
Thanks to Disney, over at Dork Side of the Force we got to exclusively reveal two new Star Wars items that are sure to be on many holiday wishlists — both part of the Star Wars: Bring Home the Galaxy campaign.
The first is a new Mandalorian wax warmer by Scentsy, which specializes in scented products like meltable wax and cleaning supplies. The brand frequently partners with companies like Disney to create scents and warmers themed after beloved stories and characters, like Grogu/Baby Yoda and R2-D2 from Star Wars.
I personally own a The Child/Grogu warmer and several packs of the “Age of Adventure” wax, which is scented with silver mint, bergamot, geranium, eucalyptus, and orange zest. It’s honestly one of my favorite scented waxes — a fresh, floral, and clean smell that’s great to use yearround.
Find Star Wars x Scentsy products here.
Then there’s a new Mandalorian art print over at Thomas Kinkade Studios. The “Brothers in Arms” piece features Din Djarin and Boba Fett in full armor as they land on a lush green planet in search of information that could help find where Moff Gideon has taken Grogu.
The new print also has a Limited Edition Canvas and a Limited Edition Paper, but you can get the art printed with several different types of canvas and frames.
Check out The Mandalorian collection here.
New gift guides and product reveals arrive every Tuesday morning as part of Bring Home the Galaxy, which runs through Dec. 13.