May The Books Be With You: A “Star Wars” Book List

Few forms of media have garnered the pop culture following that is the “Star Wars” fandom. Having spanned almost fifty years of tales from a galaxy far far away, it has been the obsession of fan boys and girls alike. Now that the last three movies of the so called ‘Skywalker Saga’ have wrapped up in the “Star Wars” universe, we thought that it could be fun to wax nostalgic and speculate about what kinds of books some of the characters from the saga would like to read. 

Luke Skywalker: “Dune” by Frank Herbert

“Dune” seems to have a lot that might appeal to former farm boy turned Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. The first is obvious: it’s about a chosen one who, against all odds, seemed to fulfill a role that wasn’t meant for him. Paul Atreides is a boy who trains as a Bene Gesserit, a social force within the “Dune” world that gives its followers superhuman abilities. Along with that, as the “Dune” books go on, Paul has to ultimately face the consequences of his rise to power thanks in part to these superhuman abilities, which leads to heartache, sacrifice, and guilt on his part. And the final point is perhaps one that Luke would have the hardest time with: so much sand! While Luke doesn’t hate sand as much as his father, Tatooine was a desert planet that had harsh conditions and harsh creatures, just like Dune itself.

Leia Organa: “Code Name Verity” by Elizabeth E. Wein

Leia may have been raised as a princess, but she was also a military leader, politician, and spy for the Rebel Alliance, not to mention attuned to the ways of the Jedi. Her devotion to the Rebel Alliance at such a young age is why I think that she would absolutely love the book “Code Name Verity”. Taking place during WWII, spy “Verity” is taken by Nazis after her plane crashes in enemy territory, with her best friend and compatriot Maddie having to find a way to save her. The espionage and harrowing spy stuff is sure to be something Leia would see herself in, and unfortunately so are the torture scenes that “Verity” has to endure at the hands of her captors. But like Leia, “Verity” is dedicated and strong, and won’t break that easily. Both “Verity” and Leia have the guts and the strength to help take down Empires.

Han Solo: “The Gunslinger” by Stephen King

It was surprisingly difficult to come up with a perfect book for Han Solo. How do you find a book with enough layers to incorporate all that makes up this great character? There’s the sense of adventure, the loner tendencies, the buddy drama, the gruffness to cover a heart of gold, the “yes, he definitely did shoot first.” But I finally settled on “The Gunslinger,” leaning rather heavily into the cowboy/loner side of Han’s character. Roland, too, starts out on his own mission, tracking down the mysterious Man in Black. But as he goes, he finds himself gathering others around him, that begin to worm their way into his small sphere of things he cares about. Like Han, he begins to learn that perhaps being out only for yourself and your own mission isn’t always the best route.

Rey: “Mistborn” by Brandon Sanderson

On the other hand, there are a bunch of stories, especially in YA now, of young women following their own “Chosen One” paths. But after going through many lists, “Mistborn” seemed to be the best fit. It’s main character, Vin, is a young woman who has grown up on the streets, surviving through sheer will and scrap. That’s until she gets caught up with a rebel crew who are looking to take down an evil empire. And, of course, Vin too discovers that she has great power within her and, over the course of the book trilogy, she grows to be the strongest fighter in the group and a de facto leader. They each start off taking care of only themselves and soon find the fate of entire worlds resting on their shoulders.

Kylo Ren: “And I Darken” by Kiersten White

Kylo Ren was another toughy as his redemption comes only after sinking all the way to the bottom and can only end in tragedy. He’s not an anti-hero, even; he’s just a villain for much of it, even if there are bits you can sympathize with. So, finding a book with a character who is similarly torn between loyalty and love to family and their own ambitions was hard. But “And I Darken” fits the bill. It’s a fictionalized story of Vlad the Impaler, the thought-to-be origin of the Dracula legend, but re-imagined as a young woman, Lada, who early in life recognizes brutality as her only way forward in a world that will only put obstacles before her.

Rose Tico: “Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

Rose Tico was definitely done dirty in “The Rise of Skywalker”, as she was basically erased from the narrative altogether. But what people love about Rose is that she is optimistic and filled with hope, even in the darkest times. This is why I think she would enjoy “Pollyanna”. Pollyanna is an orphan girl who has to go live with her uptight aunt, and while those around her are somewhat cold and dour, Pollyanna is filled with joy and optimism. She has a knack for spreading this joy wherever she goes, and instills it in those around her. And when tragedy strikes, it becomes a question as to whether she can persevere and continue to find that optimistic sense of the world. Given that Rose grew up in poverty and lost her sister during the fight against the First Order, one would think she would give up. But she never does.

There are so many other characters that we haven’t touched upon. What books would you recommend to those characters, or the ones that we covered? Tell us in the comments!!