Surprise Star Wars audiobook drops on Audible

Most Star Wars book readers spend months anticipating upcoming releases, but not this time. Fans woke up to the news Thursday morning that a brand-new Star Wars audiobook had dropped completely out of nowhere.

Star Wars: Padawan's Pride, published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press with cover art by Jake Bartok, written by Bryan Q. Miller, and narrated by Kevin Kemp, is a middle-grade book only available on the Audible platform. It is being labeled as part of a larger series called "Star Wars Adventures: Audible Originals," implying this is the first in a string of future releases like it.

According to the book's summary, the story takes place three years after Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and stars Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawan Anakin Skywalker.

When Obi-Wan is forced to leave the planet during an important mission, Anakin finds himself alone and in charge -- what could possibly go wrong?

It's quite unlike Star Wars publishing to drop a new project out of nowhere, but few are complaining about the news. There are not many Canon stories set between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones yet (and if you're looking for more, Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes releases next month). And it's possible future books in this series will take place in a similar time period.

Because the book is an Audible Original, you can only get it on the platform. If you already have a membership though, it's included and can be added to your library with one tap. If not, Audible does offer free 30-day trials if you've never signed up before.

More Obi-Wan and Anakin? A dangerous mission? A galaxy not yet plagued by the Clone Wars? Sign us up.

Star Wars: Padawan's Pride is available today exclusively on Audible.