In terms of the Star Wars Legends media, there are a few trailblazers whose names we still remember for good reason. Kevin J. Anderson stands out as the person who brought us such characters as Admiral Daala and Kyp Durron, but also made the Jedi experience more relatable to all fans with comics and the memorable Young Jedi Knights. As an adaptation of his Sisterhood of Dune is now available as Dune: Prophecy, let's take a moment to admire other things about him.
Here are 5 things you might not know about Star Wars novelist Kevin J. Anderson.
1. Prolific doesn't begin to cover it
If you're not just a Star Wars fan, you have a lot of options from Anderson's work to choose from. Of course, we've already mentioned his work on the Dune franchise with Brian Herbert, but he has also written for other fandoms. Check out his "Best Science Fiction Novel of 1995" Ground Zero if you're into The X-files. Delve into DC stories with Enemies & Allies, which depicts the first meeting of Batman and Superman. Standing independent of tie-ins are his many other books. There is The Saga of Seven Suns or the Terra Incognita series. His Dan Shambe Zombie P.I. books are still being written and are deliciously inventive.
2. A high-performing couple
If you read the cover of the Young Jedi Knights books, you'll find that Anderson collaborated with author Rebecca Moesta. This author wrote installments of the Junior Jedi Knights books. Moesta and Anderson have been married since 1991, and their first book together was 1995's Heirs of the Force. They co-own the publishing company WordFire Press.
3. Teaching a lesson
I've learned much about writing over the years because Star Wars authors are wonderfully open about their creative processes. This is certainly true of Anderson. The Life, the Universe, and Everything symposium, where he's appeared a number of times, was founded at my alma mater, Brigham Young University. He is the Board Chair of the Superstars Writing Seminars, which is a "quest to shape careers and transform dreams into tangible success stories."
He is a professor at Western Colorado University on a more regular basis. It's always entertaining when he announces what themed anthology his MA in Publishing students will be curating stories for, such as "Confounding Cupids: When Love Goes Awry."
4. Take a hike
Also to be found on his accounts? A mention of where he's been hiking and what story he dictated along the way. "Dictated two new chapters in NETHER VORTEX," says one update from 4.1 mile hike. When he went for a "nice walk... despite the smoky air," in 2020, he was working on Chapters 47 and 48 of The Lady of Caladan. Time constraints or an injury sometimes hold him up, but it's always exciting to see where he'll be striking out into the unknown next.
5. Big music fan
In addition to giving us all a travel bucket list based on his hikes and trips to various conventions, Kevin tells his fans what great music he's been listening to. This ranges from concerts he attends to inspirations for stories. One of his passions is for the band Rush. He co-wrote the Clockwork Angels trilogy with Neil Peart. His first book put the band and their album, Grace Under Pressure, in its acknowledgments, and things only progressed from there.
We look forward to many more works to come from this Renaissance man.