Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Spark of the Resistance

Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Written by Justina Ireland
Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press | Listening Library
Release date: October 4, 2019

In the aftermath of their defeat at the hands of the First Order on Crait that has left them with enough crew to populate the Millennium Falcon and not much else, the Resistance is scrambling to re-group while simultaneously attempting to shore up their forces through recruitment. Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Spark of the Resistance highlights one such mission in which the crew of the Falcon receives a distress call from the planet Minfar. Despite orders to the contrary, they head out and are met by the Zixon, to whom they swear they will protect from the First Order who are also on the planet. Our heroes, however, must balance the importance of keeping their word and protecting the Zixon while also knowing that they are shirking direct orders.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – A Crash of Fate
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge book 1
Written by Zoraida Cordova
Narrated by Brittany Pressley
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press | Listening Library
Release date: August 6, 2019

In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – A Crash of Fate, the first of a new series of books centered around the Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu, Jules and Izzy are the best of friends. They do everything together. And when you’re six and five years old, respectively, living in the last known habitable outpost on the edge of wildspace, you come to rely on having that friend. You need each other.

When Izzy’s family up and leaves in the middle of the night with no warning whatsoever and no chance for the kids to say good-bye, to say your life has been upended is an understatement.

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 collection From 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.

Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
Written by E.K. Johnston
Audiobook narrated by Catherine Taber (Publisher: Listening Library)
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
Release date: March 5, 2019

I am neither a lover nor a hater of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. I saw each of the three movies in theaters as they were released and I even own a copy of each on DVD. However, I don’t really watch them regularly and I’m not very familiar with related content, such as The Clone Wars animated series. I don’t identify with them as I do the Original Trilogy or, for that matter, the Sequel Trilogy or the Star Wars Story films. They’re just kinda, well, there.

Suffice it to say, I wasn’t entirely looking forward to reading Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow, a book revolving around Padme Amidala set in the midst of the Prequel Trilogy. (I feel like I used these exact same words to describe how I wasn’t initially excited about that Hondo Ohnaka book.)

Then I started getting into it. (This line sounds familiar, too.)

Star Wars: Pirate’s Price
“Flight of the Falcon” Series, Book 2
Audiobook | Hardcover | Kindle
Written by Lou Anders
Illustrated by Annie Wu
Audiobook narrated by Jim Cummings
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
Release date: January 8, 2019

Do you remember the pirate Hondo Ohnaka from either the Star Wars: Clone Wars or Star Wars: Rebels animated series? You don’t? That’s a little shocking. Sure, this Weequay was a background character, but he managed to insinuate himself into some pretty unforgettable sequences, both for better and for worse. I was never much of a fan myself. So imagine my dismay when I tuned into Star Wars: Pirate’s Price only to discover he was the front-and-center character driving the plot?

Yeah, I wasn’t happy. But then I started listening and, I’m going to be honest with you, hearing Jim Cummings bring Hondo to life through a mostly first-person accounting of his multiple times aboard the Millennium Falcon made me come around a bit. I actually kinda like the guy now.