Works by
Karen Traviss
(Writer)

Star Wars Books

Legacy of the Force Series

1. Bloodlines (2006)
   A new era of exciting adventures and shocking revelations continues to unfold, as the legendary Star Wars saga sweeps forward into astonishing new territory.
   
   Civil war looms as the fledgling Galactic Alliance confronts a growing number of rebellious worlds–and the approaching war is tearing the Skywalker and Solo families apart. Han and Leia return to Han’s homeworld, Corellia, the heart of the resistance. Their children, Jacen and Jaina, are soldiers in the Galactic Alliance’s campaign to crush the insurgents.
   
   Jacen, now a complete master of the Force, has his own plans to bring order to the galaxy. Guided by his Sith mentor, Lumiya, and with Luke’s young son Ben at his side, Jacen embarks on the same path that his grandfather Darth Vader once did. And while Han and Leia watch their only son become a stranger, a secret assassin entangles the couple with a dreaded name from Han’s past: Boba Fett. In the new galactic order, friends and enemies are no longer what they seem. . . .

2. Sacrifice (June 2007 release)
   Civil war rages as the Galactic Alliance–led by Cal Omas and the Jedi forces of Luke Skywalker–battles a confederation of breakaway planets that rally to the side of rebellious Corellia. Suspected of involvement in an assassination plot against Queen Mother Tenel Ka of the Hapes Consortium, Han and Leia Solo are on the run, hunted by none other than their own son, Jacen, whose increasingly authoritarian tactics as head of GA security have led Luke and Mara Skywalker to fear that their nephew may be treading perilously close to the dark side.
   
   But as his family sees in Jacen the chilling legacy of his Sith grandfather, Darth Vader, many of the frontline troops adore him, and countless citizens see him as a savior. The galaxy has been torn apart by too many wars. All Jacen wants is safety and stability for all–and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
   
   To end the bloodshed and suffering, what sacrifice would be too great? That is the question tormenting Jacen. Already he has sacrificed much, embracing the pitiless teachings of Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith, who has taught him that a strong will and noble purpose can hold the evil excesses of the dark side at bay, bringing peace and order to the galaxy–but at a price.
   
   For there is one final test that Jacen must pass before he can gain the awesome power of a true Sith Lord: He must bring about the death of someone he values dearly. What troubles Jacen isn’t whether he has the strength to commit murder. He has steeled himself for that, and worse if necessary. No, the question that troubles Jacen is who the sacrifice should be.
   
   As the strands of destiny draw ever more tightly together in a galaxy-spanning web, the shocking answer will shatter two families . . . and cast a grim shadow over the future.
   
   Also includes bonus story "A Practical Man" -- the Boba Fett e-novella.

3. Star Wars (March 2008 release)

Republic Commando Series

1. Hard Contact (2004)
   On a mission to sabotage a chemical weapon research facility on a Separatist-held planet, four clone troopers operate under the very noses of their enemies. The commandos are outnumbered and outgunned, deep behind enemy lines with no backup–and working with strangers instead of trusted teammates. Matters don’t improve when Darman, the squad’s demolitions expert, gets separated from the others during planetfall. Even Darman’s apparent good luck in meeting an inexperienced Padawan vanishes once Etain admits to her woeful inexperience.
   
   For the separated clone commandos and stranded Jedi, a long, dangerous journey lies ahead, through hostile territory brimming with Trandoshan slavers, Separatists, and suspicious natives. A single misstep could mean discovery . . . and death. It’s a virtual suicide mission for anyone–anyone except Republic Commandos.

2. Triple Zero (2006)
   Following the eruption of the bloody Clone Wars at the battle of Geonosis, both sides remain deadlocked in a stalemate that can be broken only by elite warrior teams like Omega Squad, clone commandos with terrifying combat skills and a lethal arsenal. . . .
   
   For Omega Squad, deployed deep behind enemy lines, it’s the same old special ops grind: sabotage, espionage, ambush, and assassination. But when Omega Squad is rushed to Coruscant, the war’s most dangerous new hotspot, the commandos discover they’re not the only ones penetrating the heart of the enemy.
   
   A surge in Separatist attacks has been traced to a network of Sep terror cells in the Republic’s capital, masterminded by a mole in Command Headquarters. To identify and destroy a Separatist spy and terror network in a city full of civilians will require special talents and skills. Not even the leadership of Jedi generals, along with the assistance of Delta squad and a certain notorious ARC trooper, can even the odds against the Republic Commandos. And while success may not bring victory in the Clone Wars, failure means certain defeat.
   
   Also includes the bonus story "Omega Squad: Targets".

3. True Colors (October 2007) release

4. Untitled (pub date TBA)

Wess'har War Series

1. City of Pearl (2004)
   A great debut novel of war, religion, first contact and ecology - reminiscent of Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow - from a talented new voice in science fiction.
   
   The mission should have been an easy one - send eight scientists, six Royal Marines, and a disgraced anti-terrorism officer 25 light years from Earth to determine the status of the missing Constantine colony, take scientific samples and data from the potentially rich planet, and return to Earth to forthcoming professional and financial reward.
   
   But what no-one knows is that Cavanaugh's Star is a territory disputed by three alien races - and the mission's landed right in the middle of the demilitarised zone. The reclusive religious human colony that has somehow miraculously survived isn't pleased to see them, either. And the planet has its own secrets, in the form of an enigmatic alien named Aras.
   
   Nothing in her tough police training can prepare Shan Frankland for keeping the peace between alien and human or even human and human as the conflicts escalate into outright violence, especially once a disastrous accident finds her carrying the secret of Constantine's survival - one that will make her the most hunted human in four worlds.

2. Crossing the Line (2004)
   Welcome to the front lines, where the first contact between worlds and species has created a flashpoint in the battle to expand across the universe. Welcome to a world where a precarious ecology means the slightest misstep can cause death - or worse ... sometimes from those you even consider friends. Welcome to Cavanagh's Star.
   
   Leading a mission to explore the planet and rescue a lost colony, Shan Frankland crossed the line between human and alien, between honour and morality, to save a world. Now, as four races prepare to battle for control of the planet - and the secrets it holds - she must find a way to stop the coming invasion. But Earth is determined to claim the planet for itself - despite the deadly alien wess'har who protect the world - and have formed an alliance with the rapacious, insectoid isenj. And Shan's former second-in-command will stop at nothing to kill Shan.

3. The World Before (2005)
   Three strikingly different alien races
   greeted the military mission from Earth
   when it reached the planet called Bezer'ej.
   
   Now one of the sentient species
   has been exterminated—and two others
   are poised on the brink of war.
   
   The fragile bezeri are no more, due to the ignorant, desperate actions of human interlopers. The powerful wess'har protectors have failed in their sworn obligation to the destroyed native population—and the outrage must be redressed.
   
   But those who are coming to judge from the World Before -- the home planet, now distant and alien to the wess'har, whose ancestors left there generations ago -- will not restrict their justice to the individual humans responsible for the slaughter. Earth itself must answer for the genocide. And its ultimate fate may depend on a dead woman: former police officer Shan Frankland, who became something far greater than human before destroying herself in the vast airless depths of space.

4. Matriarch (2006)
   In thirty years, the invincible Eqbas will arrive at Earth to forcibly return the planet to what it once was—as retribution, in part, for the gethes' thoughtless near-extermination of an alien ocean-dwelling species. First, however, another world requires their attention: the crowded, ecologically ravaged planet of the swarming, insect-like isenj. Efforts to drastically reduce the isenj population have sparked a devastating civil war—which may well do the savior/destroyers' work for them. And the human visitors can only watch.
   
   Rendered immortal and ever changeable by a parasite in her blood, ex-cop Shan Frankland isn't content merely to play Matriarch to her two similarly infected mates—one earthborn, one alien wess'har. Her fears for the future of Umeh and the ultimate fate of humankind must be set aside while she tackles an unfulfilled duty that haunts her every waking moment—a mission that must be undertaken for the sake of the future—and pursues a righteous vengeance.

5. Ally (2007)
   The worlds orbiting Cavanagh's Star are in turmoil.
   
   Civil war on Umeh—ignited by outsiders—threatens to annihilate the teeming masses of a grossly overpopulated planet. On Bezer'ej, the handful of native aquatic creatures who survived extermination must take extraordinary and terrible steps to ensure the future of their kind . . .
   
   And the interlopers from a distant planet called Earth can only watch the chaos they helped, in part, to create—knowing their home world will be next to suffer.
   
   The day of reckoning is rapidly approaching when the powerful Eqbas will remake the Earth at the expense of its dominant species. And Shan Frankland—once a police officer, once human, now something much more—must decide where her loyalties truly lie: among the gethes, on a planet she once called home, or here, where a dying species presents her with a new and unexpected crisis.

6. Judge (April 2008 release)

• Vader (2005), Brett Rector, ed.
  His deepest motivations, his darkest crimes, and his most stinging betrayals have been laid bare in Revenge of the Sith, but fans still want to know more about Darth Vader. To satisfy the most curious Vader-fan, Star Wars Insider presents Vader: The Ultimate Guide, a special souvenir magazine debuting this week at Comic-Con International. The glossy full color magazine goes behind the mask and behind the legend of the Dark Lord of the Sith. A complete cradle-to-grave biography chronicles the life of Anakin Skywalker, with new illustrations by some of the most dynamic Star Wars artists, including Jan Duursema, Joe Corroney, Chris Trevas and Tommy Lee Edwards. A timeline of historic Sith events tracks the shadowy movements of the dark side villains. Technical articles explore the suit, weapons and vehicles favored by Darth Vader. From behind-the-scenes, interviews and profiles explore the men who brought Vader to life, from concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, to performers James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen, Jake Lloyd, Sebastian Shaw, Bob Anderson and Dave Prowse. An article on Vader collectibles proves how deeply the Dark Lord has penetrated into our daily lives. Also in this magazine, fan-favorite Star Wars author Karen Traviss writes a new short story featuring Darth Vader entitled "In His Image." The story features striking artwork by Matt Busch. Full of beautiful photographs and comic illustrations as well as collectable merchandise that make up the Darth Vader mythos.