Timothy Zahn is pretty much to modern sci-fi what Stephen King is to modern horror. That is to say, he’s kind of a big deal. In the 1991 Zahn re-vitalized the Star Wars Expanded Universe with his critically and fan acclaimed Heir to the Empire trilogy, where he introduced the most memorable Star Wars villain to date in Grand Admiral Thrawn.

More recently, Zahn has returned to a galaxy far, far away. 2007’s Allegiance and 2011’s The Choices of One tell stories of a narrower scope than Heir to the Empire, but are just as personal and fantastic. On December 26th, 2012 Zahn will return to Star Wars to tell a heist story featuring our three favorite smugglers in Star Wars: Scoundrels.

We got our hands on the cover of the book as well as the publisher’s description courtesy of Shelf Life. Check them out below.

The Death Star has been destroyed. The Rebellion has had its first big victory. And Han Solo, newly conscripted to the Rebel cause, is on the run from the Empire and the bounty hunters eager to turn him in for the huge reward being offered by Jabba the Hutt. Now a mysterious stranger offers Han the resources to execute a daring robbery from a major crime lord. The mission is impossible, but the prize will make Han a free man. With no choice but to accept, Han Solo and his Wookiee partner, Chewbacca, set out to assemble a cast of rogues, knaves, and cons with the right combination of wits, skills, and derring-do to pull off an operation of this complexity and scale — the best scoundrels the galaxy has to offer. And then the game is on: a rip-roaring, intergalactic, Ocean’s Eleven-style heist adventure starring Han Solo, Chewie, and Lando Calrissian, written by #1 New York Times bestselling Star Wars author Timothy Zahn!

Look for Star Wars: Scoundrels on December 26th!