It feels like there are new Star Wars book covers announced all the time, since often titles are getting variant covers in addition to the standard one. Some of them are disappointing, some are fine, and some are great. But a variant cover for the upcoming High Republic novel, The Fallen Star, was recently released, and it is absolutely fantastic.
In fact, it’s one of the best covers I’ve ever seen for a Star Wars book. The cover was designed by Jama Jurabaev and is an Out of Print exclusive, with pre-orders going live next week. Take a look at it:
The Fallen Star is written by Claudia Gray and is the last of the major novels in Phase One of the High Republic era. It will release on January 6, 2022, and from the moment the title was announced it was thought that the star that is falling would be the Starlight Beacon. Part of the tagline for the book has been about what happens when the light of the Jedi goes dark, and it seems that’s going to happen.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve gotten it confirmed that the Starlight Beacon will be destroyed, but this is easily the most poignant depiction of it. We see a number of Jedi standing by watching the prized station, a beacon of the Republic’s expansions and dreams under Chancellor Lina Soh, crashing and burning. It’s a stunning and startling image, and it’s gorgeous to look at.
So we know by now that the Starlight Beacon will be destroyed. That will be devastating both to readers and especially to those in the story. But the fact that Star Wars isn’t even trying a little bit to keep it a mystery makes me think that this might not be the only “star” fall from the light to the dark. Could one of hte characters do so as well? I’m guessing that will be the truly emotional gut-punch that we don’t know about, since we already know about the Starlight Beacon.
Regardless, it looks like I’m going to be picking up multiple copies of this book when it releases!
Star Wars Thoughts 
Can’t wait for this book!
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