That seems like a bit of a stretch. To say he can write is certainly true, and to say he can really write is certainly true, but the ONLY fan who really can write?

Hardly.

For sure. There are a lot of fans who think (*rolleyes.gif*) that they can write, and some of them, especially one in particular in the fan audio community, have made real morons of themselves online and angered and annoyed a lot of people. They wouldn't know professionalism if it bit them.

But Nathan does, and he is the ONLY SW fan who really can write.

I mean, to actually get a book professionally published...the odds against that are astronomical.

(We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.)

Well, I just can't make the same level headed statement as Nathan. I think this s***s. Those of us who have really gotten into the RC/IC books would have waited. Many of us on these boards buy ALL the books, so would it really matter when it came out? No, I don't think so.

This whole situation got totally screwed up and it is a disappointment. So far, this is my first big time complaint with the EU. I don't care about little continuity issues, I haven't sliced my wrists over deaths of favorite characters or fussed about the direction the NJO/LOTF/FOTJ was taking, but this really bums me out.

From a business perspective, it makes sense. How long can one expect readers (or a casual audience, especially) to wait for a sequel, or, to put it another way, how far in the past can the first book in a series have been released before a new book loses some of its audience and/or relevance?

Star Wars is a somewhat different beast, though. I've never been a big fan of Survivor's Quest or Outbound Flight, having felt the latter made the former irrelevant to modern audiences and the latter was longer and more self-indulgent than necessary. However, we first learned of Outbound Flight in the Thrawn Trilogy (1991 - 1993), then found its story told partially in Survivor's Quest in 2004, then in Outbound Flight in 2006. Now, granted, that's not a series, per se, but a gap of over 10 to 15 years did not seem to harm +Outbound Flight+'s sales (as far as I know).

I would argue, considering both of those points, that canceling Imperial Commando 2 is a perfectly sound business and/or economic decision. It opens up part of the publishing schedule for something else, and it potentially avoids the controversy that has existed around the series ever since Karen Traviss chose to decline further writing for the saga and dumped her last few scheduled Star Wars books into publishing limbo.

Eventually, if the decision is made to tie up those particular loose ends from "Clan Skirata," then they can always create a new novel or comic series as a supposed standalone to fill in that gap and complete the story, one way or another, just as was done with Outbound Flight, or they could just as easily tie up those loose ends by working elements or references into other works, as with Blood Oath being integrated into some of the mystery over Zekk in the Fate of the Jedi series.

For now, though, Del Rey and LucasBooks need to move on with projects that are as relevant as possible for the time period in which they will be released. An Imperial Commando novel that wouldn't be released for two or more years after the release of 501st would be stretching the concept of marketable relevance, I'd imagine.

Yes, ImpCom2 is canceled. I'm hoping we can find a place in some other upcoming book to tie up the loose ends in a way that works. It will be replaced by another paperback and I hope to be able to release information on that one soon. I'm not sure what "soon" means though!!!

To me, "pretty much" doesn't firmly say "officially canceled".

But that's just me.

---

Who would have thought forever could be severed by... the sharp knife... of a short life?

Regarding Imperial Commando 2: I can't say I'm surprised, nor am I certain I'm really disappointed. It felt like Imperial Commando: 501st didn't really do much but take the characters in big circular conversations, thoughts, and events, so it really didn't propel much. I'm more disappointed thinking that if it had been known that there would only be one Imperial Commando book that maybe that first one would have resolved things nicely, rather than readers how waiting on a second book that likely will never come and definitely won't come from the original series author anyway.

I'm of the same opinion really. I would never have read IC1 unless there was a certain sequel. However, since somebody bought it for me as a gift, i read it anyway.

Sue has pretty much confirmed its been cancelled.

I agree with this statement, midori8. Nathan is a great writer who knows Star Wars better than the back of his hand. He should be considered for something, even if it's as simple as an E-Book. I'd love to see more official Star Wars stories from Nathan Butler.

Edited by: Merryman-Lyon on Jul 19, 2010 10:00 AM

Sue, but does that statement above-which you made last night-confirm that IC2 has been cancelled?

Yep, pretty much.