Overwatch players know that Ashe loves to cause trouble, but the game’s upcoming young adult novel will show fans how she acquired that devil-may-care attitude.
Deadlock Rebels, due for release on June 1, follows a young Ashe as she tries to take over the Wild West. Of course, B.O.B. and a teenage Jesse McCree are along for the ride.
Deadlock Rebels, authored by Lyndsay Ely and produced by Scholastic, is the second young adult novel set in the Overwatch universe after The Hero of Numbani hit shelves last year.
In the current Overwatch universe, Ashe is the fearsome leader of the Deadlock Gang, one of the most dangerous crime syndicates in the American Southwest. Ashe and her Big Omnic Butler, more commonly known as B.O.B., lead the gang towards absolute domination by any means possible.
The Deadlock Rebels novel will tackle Ashe’s rise to power as she escapes the chains of aristocracy. Born Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe to a rich family, the sharpshooter was often neglected by her parents and found solace in causing trouble. This novel picks up on the day of Ashe’s high school graduation, where she’s arrested once again and her parents decide to disown her.
To get her fortune back, Ashe plans a series of heists with her dutiful butler B.O.B. by her side. She also teams up with troublesome teenager Jesse McCree to form what eventually becomes the backbone of the Deadlock Gang. Along the way, Ashe finds out that “family isn’t just about blood,” according to one synopsis.
Ashe was introduced to the Overwatch universe at BlizzCon 2018, starring in the “Reunion” short alongside McCree. At the time, their relationship seemed important but messy. Deadlock Rebels will likely give fans a look inside this decades-long partnership.
The novel will be released on June 1, 2021, and is available for pre-order on multiple sites, including Amazon.
