Looking for a Star Wars Summer Reading List? Found One, You Have!
Summer has finally arrived, and it’s a great time to not only enjoy the sunshine and warm weather but to also catch up on your reading. With many Star Wars releases over the last several years, it stands to reason that you haven’t gotten to read everything out right now. (If you have, we salute you.) That’s why StarWars.com is here with some book and comic recommendations for all ages that you might have missed, but that just might be your perfect beach (or otherwise) read this summer.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin
He may be writing the main Star Wars comic and also a part of the Star Wars: The High Republic gang, but you could be forgiven for having missed Charles Soule’s second foray into the galaxy far, far away. Marvel’s Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin by Charles Soule and Marco Checchetto delves into a time of the Jedi’s lives we’ve barely gotten more than a glimpse into. Set three years after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the comic follows the master and Padawan team on a mission to Carnelion IV during a rocky period of their partnership. Anakin wants to leave the Jedi Order and that presents Obi-Wan with a dilemma: Does he keep his promise to the Order or a promise he made to his dying master? This comic is also a must read for those who want to see more of Palpatine being, well, Palpatine.
Availability: You can pick up Obi-Wan & Anakin on digital.
Star Wars: Most Wanted
For those who loved Solo: A Star Wars Story and wanted to know more about Qi’ra, Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson is for you. The young adult novel follows teenage Qi’ra and Han as they navigate proving themselves to Lady Proxima…and get to know each other a little better. It’s a snapshot of both of their lives and puts many of the decisions they later make in Solo into focus. In fact, you just might want to have Solo handy for after you turn the final page…
Availability: You can pick up Most Wanted in hardcover, audio, and on digital.
Star Wars: The Rise of the Empire
Star Wars: The Rise of the Empire is deceptive in the best way, because it’s actually a collection of two full Star Wars novels and three original short stories. The short stories not only link the two novels together, but also to books close in the timeline featuring some of the same characters, such as fan favorite Rae Sloane. So what’s actually between the covers is: “Mercy Mission” by Melissa Scott, Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno, “Bottleneck” and Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, and “The Levers of Power” by Jason Fry. That’s a lot of Star Wars! This collection is particularly perfect for those who want more of the relatively early Empire, those who want to learn how Hera and Kanan first met, or those who’ve heard of the aforementioned Rae Sloane and want to know what all the fuss is about.
Availability: You can pick up The Rise of the Empire in paperback and on digital.
Star Wars: Leia: Princess of Alderaan
For many Star Wars readers, Claudia Gray’s name on the cover jacket makes a Star Wars book a must-read — but you might have missed Star Wars: Leia: Princess of Alderaan when it came out a few years ago as a part of Journey to The Last Jedi publishing program. Leia: Princess of Alderaan starts with everyone’s favorite princess with a sword in hand as she’s officially declared the heir to the throne of Alderaan. It gets even more fun from there. The story follows Leia as she joins the Apprentice Legislature…and stumbles into her parents’ big secret: the Rebel Alliance. It also features the most awkward and hilarious dinner party EVER. (Tarkin, Bail, Breha, Mon Mothma, and Leia all in the same room? We promise it’s even funnier than it sounds.)
Availability: You can pick up Leia: Princess of Alderaan in hardcover, paperback, audio, and on digital.
Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills
We all need more of the characters from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in our lives. For those of us who are too impatient to wait for Andor, Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills by Greg Rucka is essential. Featuring everyone’s favorite space uncles, Chirrut and Baze, the book takes place after the Empire lands on Jedha. It’s a quick read that packs a punch. Plus, each chapter of this gorgeously-designed book starts with a little snippet about the Force from a collection edited by a Disciple of the Whills.
Availability: You can pick up Guardians of the Whills in hardcover, paperback, audio, and on digital; a manga adaptation arrives August 10 and is available for pre-order now.
Star Wars: A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
The first of a trio of original trilogy retellings aimed towards younger readers, Star Wars: A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken gives us the story we all know so well from the points of view of Leia, Han, and Luke with each one of our heroes getting a third of the story. Leia fans will particularly appreciate her section. Even better: if you enjoy this retelling, there are ones for the next two movies in the trilogy, too.
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars: A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy in hardcover, paperback, audio, and on digital.
Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company
This is absolutely the book for anyone who wants to see how the war against the Empire looked from a Rebellion Infantry unit’s point of view. Alexander Freed’s first Star Wars book is unflinching in its portrayal of what life is like for soldiers of the Rebel Alliance when you’re not a general or a captain or a hero. That means it isn’t the lightest of summer reading, but it’s an excellent read — and we dare you to finish the book and not find yourself intrigued by Everi Charlis…
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company in paperback and on digital.
Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad
For those who played the single player story in Star Wars Battlefront II and wanted more of Inferno Squad, Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden is a must-read (and a must-read for those who are thinking about playing the game for the first time, too). Inferno Squad takes place in the months after Star Wars: A New Hope and sees the Imperial team pulled together into a special forces unit to help ensure something like the destruction of the Death Star will never happen again. While the novel can stand alone, Golden introduces us to Iden Versio, Gideon Hask, and Del Meeko, and adds both weight and depth to their dynamics at the start of the game.
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad in paperback and on digital.
Star Wars: Shattered Empire
There are so many reasons why Marvel’s Star Wars: Shattered Empire comic by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto absolutely should be on any Star Wars fan’s list. Number 1? It stars Shara Bey, who in addition to being an ace A-wing pilot, is also the mother of Poe Dameron. Number 2? It has one of the coolest Luke Skywalker stories ever. At only four issues, it’s a relatively quick read, but this comic set in the immediate of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi gives fans a look at some of the last months of the war while also feeling deeply personal, as we see how it has weighed upon Shara and her family, even with victory imminent.
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars: Shattered Empire on digital.
Star Wars: Before the Awakening
Star Wars: Before the Awakening is one of the few Star Wars books that features all three of the sequel trilogy heroes even though they’re in their own separate stories. As the name might give away, Star Wars: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka, with illustrations by Phil Noto, is comprised of three stories that each let Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron take the spotlight in the years prior to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s a meaningful glimpse into each of their lives before everything changes on Jakku. Warning: This book will make you want to immediately rewatch The Force Awakens.
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars: Before the Awakening on digital.
Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker may not be a myth, but plenty of stories have certainly been told about him. Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Liu offers us insight into how the people of the galaxy see the iconic Jedi Knight. In the depths of space, travelers exchange stories they’ve heard about Luke, including ones set after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It’s a must read for any fans of Luke Skywalker and for those who might want to find a deeper appreciation for him.
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker in hardcover, paperback, audio, and on digital, as a manga adaptation in paperback and on digital.
Star Wars: Bomber Command
Did you watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi and immediately fall in love with Paige Tico and want to know everything about her? (Us too.) If so, Star Wars: Bomber Command by Jason Fry is the book for you. Geared towards younger readers, Bomber Command is more like a handwritten, in-universe text by Paige Tico, complete with pictures and even cool pullouts of things like a map of the galaxy and schematics for a MG-100 StarFortress bomber. The book pairs well with Star Wars: Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein, and will help scratch the itch for everyone who wants more of the wonderful Tico sisters.
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars: Bomber Command in hardcover.
Star Wars: Pirate’s Price
Everyone needs more Hondo Ohnaka in their lives. That’s simply a fact. Star Wars: Pirate’s Price by Lou Anders, with illustrations by Annie Wu, delivers. Part of the Flight of the Falcon publishing program in the lead up to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Pirate’s Price helps answer just why the Millennium Falcon is on Batuu and how Hondo ended up with questionable custody of it. It’s told via the framing device of Hondo telling three stories to Bazine Netal, which means, yes, he is narrating each of them. One story is set not long after Han and Chewbacca get the Falcon, one’s an adventure with Maz Kanata, and the final one has porgs! Who doesn’t want to see Hondo have to deal with a bunch of porgs?
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars: Pirate’s Price in hardcover, audio, and on digital.
Star Wars: A Crash of Fate
And finally, nothing says summer read like a good romance. Set on Batuu, Zoraida Córdova’s Star Wars: A Crash of Fate tells the story of childhood best friends who’ve been separated for years — only to be suddenly reunited at Black Spire Outpost and caught in a fine mess. It’s the perfect book if you find yourself dreaming of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, or if you’re looking for a cute love story where sparks fly between the leads.
Availability: You can pick up Star Wars: A Crash of Fate in hardcover, paperback, and on digital.
Bria LaVorgna is a writer who doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t love Star Wars. She also really loves Alderaan, Doctor Aphra, and Inferno Squad. You can follow her on Twitter @chaosbria.
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