SWBC: Most romantic Star Wars books
SWBC: Most romantic Star Wars books
Plus: Qi'ra book "Crimson Climb" announced, and "Star Wars: Visions" returns May 4th.
Star Wars books with romance
Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day! Did you know that Star Wars is so much more than lightsabers and pew-pew-pewing stormtroopers? There’s also plenty of romance, especially in the books. So, here are some romantic Star Wars books to add to your TBR.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Got more recommendations? Share them in the comments!
The Princess and the Scoundrel: Princess Leia and Han Solo are newlyweds on their honeymoon in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi. Author Beth Revis weaves the most beautiful, emotional wedding in the lush forests of Endor — with Ewoks and C-3PO officiating!
Dark Disciple: A gutwrenching but beautiful star-crossed love affair between a Jedi (Quinlan Vos) and a former Sith apprentice turned bounty hunter (Asajj Ventress). Author Christie Golden turns an unused Clone Wars story arc into a masterpiece of dark Star Wars fiction.
A New Dawn: How Kanan met Hera, basically. A solid prequel story to the events of Star Wars: Rebels shows how the two Ghost crew leaders were pushed into the fight against the Empire.
The Courtship of Princess Leia: This book walked so The Princess and the Scoundrel could run. The novel by Dave Wolverton sees Leia consider a proposal from a prince in order to further destroy the Empire. But Han, of course, isn’t happy about that, so he runs away with Leia to Dathomir.
Lost Stars: Ask anyone their favorite Star Wars book, and it just might be Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. The book is a star-crossed romance-filled tale about childhood friends turned lovers — with one becoming a Rebel and the other rising the Imperial ranks. There aren’t enough words to describe how incredible this YA book is.
A Crash of Fate: Another childhood friends to lovers YA novel, this one by Zoraida Córdova. While Izzy abruptly left her small community and eventually became a smuggler, her pal Jules remained and took up the family farming business. When Izzy returns to Batuu, the spark between the two is instant. The novel is also largely set in Black Spire Outpost on Batuu — the planet in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Midnight Horizon: This High Republic YA novel is so full of action, suspense, and heist antics that it may be easy to forget its deep current of emotion. And the most beautiful romance between Zeen Mrala and Lula Talisola finally blossoms even as the two are kept apart on their respective missions to fight the Nihil.
Path of Deceit: Star Wars loves a star-crossed romance, and the one between Marda Ro and Kevmo Zink is so sweet even as it is so short. A relationship between a member of the Path of the Open Hand (who abhor the Jedi) and a Jedi Padawan could never work, right?
Convergence: Zoraida Córdova returns to Star Wars books with an adult novel set during The High Republic phase two. In Convergence, heirs to two warring planets become betrothed and eventually fall deeply in love during their epic shootout wedding.
Qi’ra-focused book coming from E.K. Johnston
Qi’ra is having quite a year — or rather, a few years. The Solo: A Star Wars Story character returned in the pages of War of the Bounty Hunters in 2021, and has since appeared throughout Marvel’s Star Wars runs in the Crimson Reign story arc and mini-series.
She’s become a force to be reckoned with as the lead of the fearsome Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. So, it only makes sense that she’s due for her own novel.
Crimson Climb by E.K. Johnston is set to arrive in October. It’s a YA book, so it’s likely Qi’ra will be in her late teens or maybe early 20s. This means the novel will probably show Qi’ra’s rise through the ranks of Crimson Dawn during the events of Solo. So, Maul cameo, please?
Breaking Book News: Qi'ra-focused Star Wars novel coming from E.K. Johnston
Star Wars releases Jedi: Survivor gameplay
Clone Wars battle droids! Cute and creepy new creatures! Lots of lightsaber slashing! Cal gets a new bomber jacket! Boglings!
All of that and more is in nine minutes of gameplay of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which releases on April 28.
In the gameplay, we see Cal and BD-1 moments after they crash land on a new planet called Koboh and need to explore and find help to fix the Mantis.
Jedi: Survivor is set several years after the events of Jedi: Fallen Order — nearly a decade before A New Hope. Yes, it’s the same time period in which Obi-Wan Kenobi is set.
Don’t forget, the tie-in novel Jedi: Battle Scars arrives on March 7. I’m still only a few chapters in, so I can’t yet say if this book will be an essential read before playing Jedi: Survivor. However, it is excellent so far.
Check out the gameplay of Jedi: Survivor below.
Star Wars: Visions returns for a second season
It’s officially official — Star Wars: Visions is coming back for a second season. And it drops on Star Wars Day, May 4th.
The new season will have nine new shorts from nine different studios — all of them showcasing their unique animation style through fresh takes on the Star Wars universe. The studios come from Spain, Ireland, Chile, the United Kingdom, South Korea, France, India, Japan, and South Africa.
Here are the episode titles and the studios creating them:
“Sith” — El Guiri
“Screecher’s Reach” — Cartoon Saloon
“In the Stars” — Punkrobot
“I Am Your Mother” — Aardman
“Journey to the Dark Head” — Studio Mir
“The Spy Dancer” — Studio La Cachette
“The Bandits of Golak” — 88 Pictures
“The Pit” — D’art Shtajio and Lucasfilm
“Aau’s Song” — Triggerfish
Read more about these studios at StarWars.com.
Previous: The Art of Star Wars: Visions review
Previous: Star Wars: Visions #1 review
Coming soon to the Space Wizards Book Club
Reviews:
The Battle of Jedha script book (Feb. 14): The audio original story (released on Jan. 3) marks a turning point for phase two of The High Republic. Many of the key parties converge on the holy Pilgrim Moon of Jedha for a peace treaty between long-warring planets Eiram and E’ronoh. But the Jedi aren’t in charge here, and they’re just one group of dozens of different religions of the Force. And, of course, the mysterious cult the Path of the Open Hand has a…hand…in launching the eponymous battle.
Read before The Battle of Jedha:
Jedi: Battle Scars (March 7): We’re so close to catching up with Cal Kestis and the rest of the Mantis crew to see what they’ve been up to since the events of Jedi: Fallen Order. Jedi: Battle Scars leads us right into the upcoming game Jedi: Survivor, and follows the crew crossing paths with an Imperial deserter who has knowledge of a mysterious object that could help them fight the Empire. But that mission to find the object puts Cal and the rest in the sights of the Imperial Inquisitor Fifth Brother.
The High Republic: Cataclysm (April 4): Digital ARCs of Cataclysm have arrived! Reviewers like me got the email last week — and it’s pretty early, but we definitely aren’t complaining.
Cataclysm is the next and final adult book in The High Republic phase two. The book by Lydia Kang follows key players from Convergence and The Battle of Jedha — like Gella Nattai and Axel Greylark — as the Jedi and their allies converge on the planet Dalna to uncover the Path of the Open Hand’s sinister machinations and confront a most terrifying foe (probably the Leveler).
Read before Cataclysm:
Path of Deceit
Convergence
The Battle of Jedha