Star Wars: Myths & Fables Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Written by George Mann
Narrated by James Monroe Iglehart
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press | Listening Library
Release date: August 6, 2019
Back in college, I took a class on short stories. As a result of what I learned, I have carried a deep love of the form throughout my adult life. So, imagine my joy when Star Wars: Myths & Fables, a collection of short stories set in a galaxy far, far away, was thrown my way.
Okay, so writer George Mann is not the first to offer up Star Wars short stories. He’s not even the first to do it since George Lucas sold the rights to this universe to Disney (that honor goes to 2017’s multi-authored collectionFrom a Certain Point of View). This is, however, the first time I can recall in which a single author wrote an entire collection of short stories that all share a similar voice and style.
There are a couple stories with characters who, while never having their names mentioned directly, are easily identifiable based on descriptions and actions. But the bulk of these feature new characters and ideas and settings (several highlighting Batuu and Black Spire Outpost, the setting for the new Galaxy’s Edge area at the Disney World and Disneyland theme parks). Some are presented as tales told by a storyteller all in his singular point of view while others have characters with voices all their own participating in the plot. Being this was the audiobook version, narrator James Monroe Iglehart is the proverbial storyteller and he has an amazing voice that draws you in and keeps you highly engaged. I’ve never heard his voice before, but I can say I look forward to hearing it again. (Iglehart is best known for his award-winning turn as the Genie in the original Broadway musical, Disney’s Aladdin).
While I wouldn’t necessarily go back and re-read all Star Wars books, there are several I could see myself returning to and even reading to my son once he finally becomes interested in the Star Wars universe.
I would also like to own a physical copy of this book because, like the Flight of the Falcon series, it is supposedly adorned with illustrations inside and, as you can see by the banner on this review, the hardcover edition has a beautiful cover that breaks the mold of the new canon books and looks more like it belongs on a Lord of the Rings collection or a new Dungeons & Dragons adventure. I want. Nay, I need.
From the publisher:
Travel to the far reaches of the Star Wars universe–including to the remote outer rim world of Batuu from Galaxy’s Edge–with this unique treasury of in-world space tales. Featuring lush illustrations, this beautiful collection includes nine original fairy tales, myths, and fables. Passed down through generations, spanning millennia, carried from planet to planet, these are the legends that bind the galaxy together.
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Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
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