The prequel trilogy of Star Wars films (and similar material set in the same time period) introduced audiences to plenty of new Jedi, with one of the most striking being Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu. Though he’s one of the most important players of that era, he hasn’t always gotten a chance to headline a story all on his own: the only novel in which he’s a leading man was 2004’s Shatterpoints by Matt Stover.
Lucasfilm has opted to change that with a brand new novel all about Mace. Star Wars: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes, the book will pick up some time after The Phantom Menace and see Mace reeling from Qui-Gon Jinn’s death. When a message from the late Jedi asks for Mace by name to go to the Outer Rim world of Metagos, Mace sets out to fulfill his friend’s last wish. But the situation on the planet is complicated—namely, the planet’s surface is irradiated glass thanks to a solar flare, and the Sa’ad farming clan that Qui-Gon was protecting has enemies who need to be dealt with.
Barnes, having previously written Star Wars: The Cestus Deception in 2004 and for television and film (namely The Twilight Zone and its reboot, plus Horror Noire), said he was “thrilled” at being approached by Lucasfilm to expand on the inner life of Mace, something that hasn’t really been shown since the character’s five-issue comic series in 2017. “I was busy with television work…but how could I pass this up?” Barnes recalled. “A chance to wield the purple lightsaber? Hah!” He went to describe the book as one of “mystery, adventure, betrayal, and romance on a new planet…where a single supreme warrior, willing to risk all, can make the ultimate difference.”
“I can’t wait to share The Glass Abyss with the fans,” he concluded. “Heck…I can’t wait to read it myself.”
Star Wars: The Glass Abyss releases on August 6, 2024.
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