Del Rey Reveals New Art For 'Star Wars' Legends Books Coming This Summer

Del Rey just revealed the books for the fourth wave of its Essential Legends Collection, which reprints beloved books of the former Expanded Universe in paperback form. On August 2, 2022, Michael Reaves’ Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Joe Schreiber’s Death Troopers, and Michael A. Stackpole’s X-Wing: The Krytos Trap will be re-released with all new covers. Additionally, Shadow Hunter and The Krytos Trap will also receive unabridged audiobook versions for the first time.

The Holocron That Could Have Changed Everything

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, originally published in January 2001 is a prequel to The Phantom Menace and describes the Sith apprentice’s hunt for a high ranking Neimoidian who has disappeared with a holocron that holds all of Darth Sidious’ plans to take over the galaxy. It must not fall into the hands of the Republic or the Jedi.

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The book’s second plot-line deals with Jedi Padawan Darsha Assant, who is going on a final mission before becoming a Jedi Knight. She is tasked with finding a former employee of Black Sun who is willing to share some information on the dealings of the criminal syndicate in exchange for protection by the Jedi Order. However, Assant’s mission fails and she turns to her master, a Twi’lek named Anoon Bondara for help. To protect his Padawan, Bondara agrees to not disclose her failure to the Jedi Council. The two then start to investigate the whereabouts of the former Black Sun member.

The two storylines come together when Maul learns about the location of the holocron and a hunt ensues deep in the underbelly of Coruscant.

Han Solo And The Living Dead

Published in October 2009, Joe Schreiber’s Death Troopers was Star Wars’ first foray into the adult horror genre. The events of the book take place roughly one year prior to the Battle of Yavin when the Imperial prison barge Purge suffers an engine malfunction deep in outer space. Rescue comes in the form of a Star Destroyer. However, when the crew that is sent out to salvage spare parts returns from the massive battleship, they soon become ill and die only to return as blood-thirsty zombies soon after. The few surviving Imperial officers and a small batch of prisoners, including Han Solo and Chewbacca, later escape from the prison barge to the Star Destroyer. They would soon learn that its crew has turned into zombies, forcing them to fight against an army of undead stormtroopers.

A Few Good Men

The Krytos Trap is the third book in the X-Wing series (following Rogue Squadron and Wedge’s Gamble, which have also been reprinted under the Essential Legends Collection banner). First published in October 1996, the book takes place three years after the Battle of Endor and shortly after the New Republic retakes Coruscant. It tells the story of how the pilots of Rogue Squadron tried to secure large amounts of bacta as a cure against the Krytos virus, which does not harm humans but threatens to kill all alien lifeforms on the capital planet. They also have to battle the forces of Imperial leader Ysanne Isard as well as the ruthless Imperial Intelligence agent Kirtan Loor, who is willing to do everything to unseat Isard and kill all non-humans on Coruscant.

To make matters worse, one of Rogue Squadron’s pilots, Tycho Celchu, is put on trial for the murder of fellow pilot Corran Horn. The other members of the team, including Wedge Antilles, have to use all resources at their disposal to fight back not only against the remnants of the Empire but also to prove Celchu’s innocence.

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Written By Gerald Petschk

Source(s): Twitter, The Essential Reader's Companion

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