Drew says on his blog:
The man on the front is Theron Shan, the main protagonist. I’ve had some people ask if he was modeled after me. (People asked the same thing about the default image of Commander Shepard as well.) I guess I can see it, since we do share some features: white guys with shorter, darker hair; two eyes, one nose. But beyond that… not so much.
On the back cover of the Annihilation novel, you see Darth Karrid, the main villain in the story. She’s the one with the red lightsaber. You also see Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, the narrator for the history holocron updates for SWTOR. If you listen to the holocron updates the voice may sound familiar – Gnost-Dural is played by the brilliant Lance Henrikson, who also voiced Admiral Hackett in the Mass Effect series. (I actually got to meet Mr. Henrikson during the VO sessions for the first Mass Effect game. How’s that for a name drop?)
He also links over to the SWTOR.com post about the cover release and a Q&A with Drew himself. *SPOILER WARNING*
“Annihilation is set right after the events of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Emperor is believed dead and the Sith Empire prepares a massive counter-attack against the Republic spearheaded by Darth Karrid, the former apprentice of Darth Malgus. The instrument of her vengeance is the Ascendent Spear, a devastating warship augmented with the dark side of the Force. Republic agent SIS Theron Shan, his Twi’lek smuggler compadre, Teff’ith, and Jedi Master Gnost-Dural are joined by Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan and Jace Malcom in a fast-paced, tension-fraught thriller.”
Some of the questions in the Q&A include what SWTOR fans have to look forward to in the book, if you should finish your storyline in the game before reading the book, more about the main protagonist, and if the book is essentially the end to the game.
Annihilation is set to be released on November 12th of this year.
