Heir to the Jedi

"A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and&mdash;for the first time ever&mdash;written entirely from Luke Skywalker's first-person point of view."

- Del Rey

Heir to the Jedi is a novel written by Kevin Hearne. It was intended to be the final installment in the Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion series, but was instead made into stand-alone book, with the story taking place between Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. It was released on March 3, 2015.

Back cover
'''He defeated the Empire's ultimate weapon and gave the Rebel Alliance new hope. But Luke Skywalker's battles&mdash;and the galaxy's fight for freedom&mdash;have only just begun.'''

Internal flap
''Luke Skywalker's game-changing destruction of the Death Star has made him not only a hero of the Rebel Alliance but a valuable asset in the ongoing battle against the Empire. Though he's a long way from mastering the power of the Force, there's no denying his phenomenal skills as a pilot&mdash;and in the eyes of Rebel leaders Princess Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar, there's no one better qualified to carry out a daring rescue mission crucial to the Alliance cause.''

''A brilliant alien cryptographer renowned for her ability to breach even the most advanced communications systems is being detained by Imperial agents determined to exploit her exceptional talents for the Empire's purposes. But the prospective spy's sympathies lie with the Rebels, and she's willing to join their effort in exchange for being reunited with her family. It's an opportunity to gain a critical edge against the Empire that's too precious to pass up. It's also a job that demands the element of surprise. So Luke and the ever-resourceful droid R2-D2 swap their trusty X-wing fighter for a sleek space yacht piloted by brash recruit Nakari Kelen, daughter of a biotech mogul, who's got a score of her own to settle with the Empire.''

''Challenged by ruthless Imperial bodyguards, death-dealing enemy battleships, merciless bounty hunters, and monstrous brain-eating parasites, Luke plunges head-on into a high-stakes espionage operation that will push his abilities as a Rebel fighter and would-be Jedi to the limit. If ever he needed the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi to shepherd him through danger, it's now. But Luke will have to rely on himself, his friends, and his own burgeoning relationship with the Force to survive.''

Development
Hearne's novel, unnamed at the time, was first announced in August 2012 at Celebration VI. According to Senior LucasBooks Editor Jennifer Heddle in January 2013, the outline for the novel was very funny when turned in. The title was released in a StarWars.com press release on April 25, 2014.

As of May 18, 2014, Hearne reported that he was in the process of editing the novel. On June 23, Del Rey announced that the book's release date had been moved from January 13 to February 17. On October 24, it was announced that the novel would be released on March 3.

Continuity
The novel was composed with input from the Lucasfilm Story Group, making it part of the new Star Wars canon. As one of the first releases in the new canon, the story's title is partially a homage to author Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, which some consider to have begun the Expanded Universe. Author Kevin Hearne has stated that Heir to the Jedi takes place prior to the Marvel comic book series Star Wars.

Reception
Heir to the Jedi debuted on The New York Times Best Sellers List in the paper's March 22, 2015 edition.