It’s the end of December and
time for me to reflect on the Star Wars books that I read in 2018 (fourteen
this year).
Last Shot by Daniel José Older
Adult Fiction - 2018
“Last Shot” is a book that
takes place over 3 timelines. The main timeline takes place sometime after
“Return of the Jedi” when Ben Solo is still a toddler. Another timeline
features Lando and L3 in the months prior to her death in “Solo”. The final
timeline features Han and Chewie in the years after “Solo”. The audio version
of this book features 3 narrators, one for each of these timelines. Though not
the strongest “Star Wars” book this year, there were some fun characters
including an Ewok named Peekpa and a Gungan named Aro.
Most Wanted by Rae Carson
YA Novel - 2018
YA Novel - 2018
“Most Wanted” features Han
and Qi'ra prior to the events of the film “Solo”. They are both scrumrats
living with Lady Proxima’s White Worms and they are both competing for “head” of
the orphans or whatever. During their competition they fall into a world of
troubles and they also fall… in love. This novel is a stronger story than “Last
Shot” and is good for anyone who wants more Qi’ra adventures.
Lando’s Luck by Justina Ireland
Middle-Grade Fiction - 2018
Justina Ireland gained fame
this year for her Zombie apocalypse book “Dread Nation”. Her Lando and L3 book
released late this year as part of the “Flight of the Falcon” line. I haven’t
actually read this yet, but I did read her Zombie book, which was pretty good.
The Mighty Chewbacca and the Forest of Fear!
by Tom Angleberger
by Tom Angleberger
Young Readers Fiction - 2018
Chewbacca and Han are sent on
a mission to the planet Ushruu where they meet a young bounty hunter and a
cargo droid (who is really K-2SO, rebel spy). This one is written for younger
kids, but is a solid novel and quite fun.
The Mindharp of Sharu by L. Niel Smith
Adult Fiction - 1983
This trilogy is from the
early days of the Expanded Universe and the novels are a bit weird. The
Mindharp was referenced in “Solo”, so I thought I would read the book. “The
Mindharp of Sharu” contains more Sci-Fi elements than is usually found in Star
Wars including characters shrinking. Though the novel is short, it took me a
while to read through, because I am used to Audio books and no audio version of
these exist.
The “Thrawn Trilogy” by Timothy Zahn
1991 - 1993
1991 - 1993
After reading “Thrawn” last
summer (Zahn’s entry into the Disney “Star Wars” canon) I thought I would
re-read the original “Thrawn Trilogy”. The novels still hold up even though
they are no longer canon. They remain some of the highest quality Star Wars
novels ever written, and the number of EU characters that came out of these
books is staggering. Besides Thrawn we get introduced to Mara Jade, Borsk
Fey’lya, Gillad Pellaeon, Jaina and Jacen Solo, Garm Bel Iblis, Tallon Karrde,
and Joruus C'baoth. Overall an amazing trilogy, that all fans should revisit.
“Thrawn Alliances” by Timothy Zahn
2018
This novel is both a prequel
and a sequel to the 2017 novel “Thrawn”. The first timeline shows interaction
between Anakin and Thrawn where the second timeline stars Vader and Thrawn.
Padme is also featured and is a stand-out character under the pen of Timothy
Zahn. One interesting note is that this novel features planet Batuu which is
the setting of “Galaxy’s Edge” the upcoming Star Wars theme area of both
Disneyland and Diseny World.
“Razor’s Edge” by Martha Wells
2013
Martha Wells has gained fame
this year for her “Murderbot” novella series, so I thought I’d check out her
Star Wars novel. The Empire and Rebellion Trilogy takes place between “A New
Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back” and each focuses on one of the Key Three
(Leia, Han and Luke). Leia’s story may be the strongest of the three. “Razor’s
Edge” features Leia facing down the crew of the Aegis, a group of pirates made
up of Alderaanian refugees.
“Honor Among Thieves” by James S. A. Corey
2014
“Han Solo goes on a mission
with Chewbacca”… was the plot of half-a-dozen Star Wars books I’ve read this
year, which is one reason why I can’t remember much about the book “Honor Among
Thieves” even though I read it only a couple of months ago. There is a new
character named Scarlet Hark, but the character is a kind of cookie-cutter
version of the all the other girlfriends that Han has dated over the years. Oh
well….
“Heir to the Jedi” by Kevin Hearne
2015
This book was planned to be
the third installment of the “Empire and Rebellion Trilogy”, however Lucasfilm
was sold to Disney before it was published and the novel was reworked so it could
fit into the new Disney Canon. “Heir to the Jedi” features Luke Skywalker
between “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back” trying to come to grips with
his new Jedi powers and advance his journey to become a Jedi without aid from
the recently deceased Obi-Wan Kenobi. It’s good stuff.
“Leia, Princess of Alderaan” by Claudia Gray
YA Novel – 2017
Claudia Gray has become a
super star in regards to Star Wars novels. Her first 2015 YA book “Lost Stars”
is a fan favorite and her 2016 Novel “Bloodline” tells of Leia’s time in the
New Republic Senate and the public learning the identity of her biological
father. “Leia, Princess of Alderann”, however, features a much younger Leia
training to become a senator. In the book she meets, Amilyn Holdo, who becomes
a lifelong friend. The book is another strong entry into the growing library of
Claudia Gary’s Star Wars books. Gray returns to Star Wars in 2019 with her
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan book “Master & Apprentice”.
“The Legends of Luke Skywalker” by Ken Liu
Young Readers Fiction – 2017
Young Readers Fiction – 2017
This book is a collection of
tales featuring the mysterious Jedi known as Luke Skywalker. Many are set
between “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens” a time period still mostly
unexplored in regards to Luke’s character. One story recounts how Luke
recovered a compass from Palpatine’s observatory on Pillio. After reading a
draft of this tale, the Lucasfilm story group wanted to include the compass in
“The Last Jedi”, so the prop department quickly 3D printed the compass
overnight, so that it could be included in the film.
“Moving Target” by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry
Young Readers Fiction - 2015
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