Love Star Wars? Here's Something to Read For Different Genres

Even before the 1977 release of Star Wars, there was a Star Wars thing to read. First was a novelization written by George Lucas and Alan Dean Foster It quoted Princess Leia and gave a history of the Emperor. A year after the movie became a blockbuster, Foster penned Splinter of the Mind's Eye and Marvel Comics began releasing issues of tie-in comics for the new fans. All this is to say that, if you're looking for something to read in the Star Wars universe, you wouldn't be the first to find the sheer volume of publications daunting.

Every fan has at least one reason to love the galaxy far, far away, so I'd like to make a couple of reading recommendations for some of those reasons and give newcomers a jumping-off point.

"I love you." "I know."

The Han Solo and the Princess dynamic is one of the great will they/won't they relationships. If you'd like a lot of the mushy stuff and adventure, I recommend The Princess and the Scoundrel. by Beth Revis This 2022 novel covers not only the pre-wedding festivities, complete with Ewoks in the bachelor party, but the wedding and honeymoon. Of course, Han and Leia can't be happy newlyweds without stumbling across Imperial problems, It's lighter on "the course of true love never did run smooth" than Dave Wolverton's The Courtship of Princess Leia.

A recent publication, Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton, depicts two Jedi from the High Republic who are emotionally attached to each other. It helps to have some grounding in the Nihil crisis and the nature of the High Republic's Jedi Order, but newcomers can still understand the context in the narrative.

"I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi."

If you came away from Star Wars with a desire for your own lightsaber, look no further than the original Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn. These books, beginning with Heir to the Empire, continued the stories of the protagonists five years after the Battle of Endor. The bickering couple were now starting a family. The Rebels had a semi-stable government. In the Imperial Remnant, a Grand Admiral plotted with a clone Jedi to retake the galaxy in exchange for the Skywalker twins and the twins that Princess Leia is gestating. More interesting than this plot to kidnap Jedi is Mara Jade, a smuggler who feels compelled to kill off the man who killed the Emperor. It takes all three books to reconcile these different storylines and is wonderfully convoluted.

Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray is perfect for anyone who wishes we could have seen more of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. The story predates any of the prequel movies by eight years and has at its heart a conflict of priorities between Jinn and Kenobi as they navigate a political dispute. It might be one of their last missions together and Obi-Wan is growing out of his dependence on his master's wisdom, while Qui-Gon firmly trusts a prophecy.

"All wings, report in."

The X-wing books by Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston were my greatest fascination once I got into the wider Star Wars universe. "You're a good pilot Corran, but you're no Luke Skywalker" is the beginning of X-Wing: Rogue Squadron. Two and a half years after the fall of the Empire, Rogue Squadron is reorganized by Wedge Antilles. The war against those loyal to the Empire is still a very real threat to every one of the pilots and there are mysteries to be solved and obstacles to overcome. Following on from the successes of Rogue Squadron, Wedge boldly proposes the formation of a squadron populated by pilots who aren't ideal candidates for Hero of the New Republic. These people, who range from remedial pilots with blackmail in their records to an actor who turned from Imperial propaganda to being a controversial pick for a squadron roster. As Wes Janson says, "You can't look dignified when you're having fun" and Wraith Squadron rarely looks dignified.

I am fond of Imperial stories and Claudia Gray also penned Lost Stars. It begins with the day that two children discover their ambition to serve the Empire and follow their careers in the Empire and Alliance. You might like this if you've wanted to be in the head of an Alderaanian who saw his planet destroyed or wanted the story of the people who disabled the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon at Bespin. In the middle are stories of friendship and loyalties and other ties that bind.

"What I told you is true from a certain point of view."

On the anniversaries of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, A Certain Point of View anthologies were published. These collections featured backstories or concurrent tales for things that appeared in the films. A personal favorite of mine is the POV of the R2 unit who blew his own motivator to get Artoo a second chance at a first impression on Tatooine. Another story explains how someone with a detailed knowledge of Echo Base's installation map saved some of the soldiers on Hoth.

Going further back, there is a lot to enjoy about the Tales.. books. Jabba's Palace, Bounty Hunters, the Mos Eisley cantina, the Empire, and the New Republic. are the settings of these anthologies books and there are things to enjoy in all of them. Some of them have the feel of Chaucer with a single-character focus, while others are surprising exercises in complexity packed into a short story.