New Excerpt for The Mask of Fear đź“–

Looking Back at Justina Ireland's SW Career

Author

JG Carse
January 21, 2025

In partnership with

Good Morning Youtinians. It’s unbelievable that it’s been almost a year since we started the Dispatch. We are always looking to improve and deliver the best newsletter we can. After reading today’s, be sure to give us feedback and suggestions that we can consider implementing in the new year.

New Excerpt for Alexander Freed’s The Mask of Fear!

Image Credit: Lucasfilm

Alexander Freed’s upcoming Star Wars novel, Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear, now has a short but compelling excerpt on Entertainment Weekly.

The Excerpt: The excerpt is, of course, pretty short, but it focuses on Mon Mothma and gives us an idea of the political intrigue we can likely expect from the rest of the novel.

  • Opening the excerpt, Mon shares a meal with a possible new friend — a privilege that Mon reflects on immediately as she realizes her life mostly lacks friends inside and outside politics.

  • A murder of someone named Zhuna comes up.

  • As Mon leaves the meeting, she comes close to tripping over a farmer who catches her by the wrist to stop her fall — a kind act in a sea of people. But as she moves to the tram, a rash appears on her wrist, which astonishingly morphs into words demanding a meeting.

Reign of the Empire Trilogy: The Mask of Fear is the first book in the Reign of the Empire trilogy, and here is what we know about the series as a whole.

  • This first book is set shortly after the Empire’s creation and Palpatine’s rise to supreme power over the galaxy as Emperor.

  • The Mask of Fear focuses on Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Saw Gerrera as its main characters.

  • The remaining two books will be released in 2026 and 2027 and are written by Rebecca Roanhorse and Fran Wilde.

We're all fine here now — how are you? The Mask of Fear hits shelves on February 25th! Check out the Canon Book Club episode on the book a few weeks later, on March 25th!

Into the Shadows

Image Credit: Lucasfilm

New York Times Best-Selling Author Justina Ireland has created astonishing Star Wars stories, characters, and missions since Lando’s Luck in 2018. As one of the architects of this awesome new High Republic timeline, she has given us some must-read novels! 

Some of the Best Moments from Justina Ireland: Let’s look into her prolific output over the last seven years and celebrate the memories she provided for us:· 

Her Accomplishments: Justina has been a prominent voice championing inclusivity and diversity while elevating marginalized voices. Both in Star Wars and her original work, she writes characters with tensions and themes of power, race, sexism, and class struggles. She has been recognized with two awards:

  • World Fantasy Award (2018) for her work as editor of FIYAH Literary Magazine with Troy L. Wiggins.

  • Locus Award (2019) for her novel Dread Nation (2019).

Her final sign-off: Justinas posted on Bluesky that her final foray into the world of Star Wars will be:

Both novels come out on May 6th, 2025. The graphic novel will be released on a date yet to be announced. We invite you to take a trip back down memory lane and listen to our podcasts celebrating her work on The High Republic.

We’re all fine here now - how are you? Of the two upcoming High Republic novels from Justina Ireland, which are you most looking forward to reading?

Which upcoming Justina Ireland novel are you most excited for?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

  • Join Retro Roundhouse as they settle the ultimate 90s debate: Backstreet Boys vs. NSYNC. Who’s the true GOAT of boy bands? Nostalgia and music lovers, tune in!

  • Kick off 2025 with The Star Wars Archives! Join Jose and Trevor as they dive deep into Wookiee lore, exploring everything about these iconic Star Wars legends!

  • This week on The Youtini Show: Reactions to the Skeleton Crew finale, Neel’s species reveal, Jod’s master, Mando’s possible villain, and Cavan Scott on The High Republic!

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

What did you think of this issue?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Want to create a newsletter just like The Youtini Dispatch? Sign up for Beehiiv and Youtini gets a commission.