NJOE is proud to offer our readers a review of Darth Plagueis, the highly anticipated novel by James Luceno.

Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master – but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power… over live and death. Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor. Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination – and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?

Darth Plagueis was released on January 10, 2012.

Read our review here!

NJOE is proud to offer our readers a review of Shadow Games, the first Star Wars thriller, written by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff.

Javul Charn is the most famous pop star in the galaxy – and the runaway bride of a violent lieutenant in Black Sun, the crime syndicate commanded by Prince Xizor. Or so Javul says. Soon after Dash Rendar, broke and desperate, agrees to be Javul’s bodyguard, he realizes that openness is not her strong suit – and that murder is stalking her tour. Between the discovery of dead bodies in a cargo hold and an attack by an unidentified warship, Dash and co-pilot Eaden Vrill desperately try to understand who is terrorizing Javul’s tour and why. When Han Solo suddenly joins Javul’s road show, the stakes are raised even higher. Now Dash, who has a history with Han and an even worse history with Prince Xizor, follows his instincts, his discoveries, and Javul herself – straight into a world that may be too dangerous to survive.

Revan was released on November 29, 2011.

Read our review here!

NJOE is proud to offer our readers a review of the highly anticipated Drew Karpyshyn novel, Revan.

Revan: hero, traitor, conqueror, villain, savior. A Jedi who left the planet of Coruscant to defeat Mandalorians – and returned a disciple of the dark side, bent on destroying the Republic. The Jedi Council gave Revan his life back, but the price of redemption was high. His memories have been erased. All that’s left are nightmares – and deep, abiding fear.

What exactly happened beyond the Outer Rim? Revan can’t quite remember, yet can’t entirely forget. Somehow he stumbled across a terrible secret that threatens the very existence of the Republic. With no idea what it is, or how to stop it, Revan may very well fail, for he’s never faced a more powerful and diabolic enemy. But only death can stop him from trying.

Revan hits bookstores today, November 15th.

Read our review here!

NJOE is proud to offer our readers an early review of the upcoming Paul S. Kemp novel, Riptide.

When a ship full of Sith warriors arrived in Galactic Alliance space, the fight to destroy it accidentally uncovered a hidden menace: a long-lost group of clones, secretly created as insidious weapons capable of wielding the Force and heedless of the differences between light side and dark side. Now the clones have escaped – and evidence suggests that they are flawed by a genetic disease that predisposes them to violence and madness.

Jedi Knight Jaden Korr pursues the clones, hoping to heal them but prepared to destroy them. What he doesn’t know is that Sith agents are hot on his heels, determined not only to recover the clones for their Master but also to capture Jaden for their own dark-side purposes. In a life-or-death battle, Jaden will confront a shocking reality that will rock him to his core and bring him face-to-face with the question of what makes a man… and a Jedi.

Riptide will hit bookstores on October 25th.

Read our review here!

Hot on the heels of our newly introduced Review Hub, NJOE is proud to offer our readers an early review of The Complete Vader.

Star Wars: The Complete Vader is the definitive book on the history, myth, and cultural impact of Darth Vader. From his early development in the first Star Wars film by George Lucas, to the new legends created in comics, videogames, and novels, to his ongoing appearances on everything from television commercials to bedspreads, Vader presents a complete view in all his incarnations as the Dark Lord of the Sith. Going beyond the films to cover his further adventures in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the book combines new insight with exclusive interviews and photographs from the Lucasfilm Archives. Interactive reproductions of rare memorabilia fire the imagination, while pages packed with never-seen-before images explore the world’s endless fascination with the notorious Darth Vader.

The Complete Vader will hit bookstores on October 18th.

Read our review here!

In recent weeks, the internal work being done on NJOE has been rather significant. With a minimal staff at the moment, front page posts have been rather infrequent as we focus on making quality changes that will help make NJOE more user-friendly and increase your overall enjoyment of the main site.

The first of such changes is The Review Hub. In the coming weeks, we will continue to shift all NJOE reviews into this new format and the Review Hub will see updates almost daily until the backlog is addressed. As NJOE is primarily focused on Star Wars literature, we have decided to focus first on building up the Book section of The Review Hub first. In future updates, other sections of the Review Hub will see similar updates. It is our hope that this is something our readers will enjoy, so please let us know what you think in the forums.

You can find the Review Hub easily in our navigation bar at the top of the main site, right next to the link to our forums. If you hold your cursor over the link, you’ll even find some drop-down boxes that will take you right to the specific section you’re looking for.

As detailed in an earlier post, NJOE is still looking for writers that have an interest in contributing to NJOE. We have always been only as strong as our fantastic membership, and we hope that with the introduction of the Review Hub – the first of many great updates – any potential writers and lurkers will step forward and let their passion for Star Wars be heard.

Remembering those who have gone before is important, even for those in the Star Wars universe. As we come to the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, let us never forget what those days were like, or the ones who were lost. (Read More…)

Dear NJOE readers,

Right on the heels of our new vision earlier today, we’re very excited to announce the long-awaited reboot of the Encyclopedia. As our longtime followers will attest, this has been a long time coming. Click on for the full story!

(Read More…)

As NJOE moves boldly into the future, it is clear that it cannot be done without the help of you. Whether you are a long-time member of the NJOE forums, an occasional reader of the front page or a lurker who has been waiting for a chance to shine – there has never been a better time to join the ranks of NJOE than right now. We are starting fresh, and all must apply for the newly opened positions. In the coming days, we will be entirely revamping how NJOE handles news, reviews and columns. If you have ever wanted to test yourself as a reporter, whether reporting on news or interviewing authors, we encourage you to apply to our news division. If you have ever wanted to review the latest (or earlier) Star Wars products (books, comics, video games, etc), and have a knack for being fair and even-handed between praise and criticism, we encourage you to apply to our reviews division. If you have ever looked for a platform that would let you expound upon your theories and love of Star Wars, complete with reader feedback to push your views further than you may have even believed possible, we encourage you to take that idea (be it a one-shot or a column) and apply to the Encyclopedia division. At NJOE, we understand that passion is what drives each fan to seek out a community like ours and further the discussion. But we also understand that, without a solid grasp of the technical aspect of writing, even the greatest passion will not shine through. To that end, we are offering to welcome even writers that may lack a polished final product. We will offer these writers lessons, tips and detailed guidance as they hone their craft and become better writers. At NJOE, we do not expect immediate perfection. We expect perfection to be achieved as we work together with a common passion.

If you have any interest in writing for NJOE in any of the capacities listed about, please answer this short questionnaire and e-mail it to us at NJOEnews@gmail.com (all text, please. No attachments). Please remember to answer truthfully. There is no right or wrong answer here!

1. What made you decide to apply for a position with NJOE?

2. How much of your free time could you devote to NJOE?

3. Do you have any bias (positive or negative) toward any portion of Star Wars, the Expanded Universe, or authors?

4. Do you have any experience with other Star Wars websites? Do you have any experience with writing, journalism or blogging?

5. What is something unique that you feel you can bring to NJOE?

6. What is your favorite Star Wars movie, and why?

7. What is your favorite Star Wars book, and why?

8. Are you familiar with Skype, and if not, would you be willing to download it for staff meetings?

9. As we require a writing sample to gain a better understanding of your writing and grammatical skills, please include one of the following in the body of your e-mail:
- A review of any Star Wars novel published in the last year.
- An editorial of any Expanded Universe-related topic that you are interested by, and would like to expand upon in greater detail.
- NOTE: There is no word limit for this writing sample. We are not looking for the shortest or longest samples, but rather a sample that demonstrates clear knowledge and ability of the English language, along with a passion of Star Wars that translates to the written word.

Thank you, and we hope that you take this opportunity to apply and work with us! For more information about the Encyclopedia, take a look at the pitch just below. There are great things in store for NJOE, and it starts today. It starts with you.

Sincerely,

Chris Carey (VileZero) and Punit Matta (DarkJedi)

Dear readers and users of NJOE,

Although Chris and I are sad to see two administrators like Acky and Kirr step down from their roles in NJOE, we are very excited for what the future holds. We plan to evolve NJOE to fit the Internet in which we now exist while continuing to deliver the best in Star Wars Literature news and other features. Over the next few days and weeks, you’ll see certain sections of the site shifting around and some new ones popping up. We’ll post specific updates on the main page so that you can continue accessing all the great content we produce, old and new. Hope to see you around, and that you’re as excited as we are!

-Punit Matta (DarkJedi) and Chris Carey (VileZero)