Page 66 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2020)

t Celebration III, my first Star
Wars convention, all of the books
panels were standing-room-only Left: Author
Aevents. For example, one panel Claudia Gray.
I attended featured Matthew Stover
previewing his upcoming novelization of Opposite page, right:
Revenge of the Sith. Fans of the Expanded Leia faces Tarkin, just
Universe, now called Legends, were keen prior to the destruction
to see more from the author of New Jedi of Alderaan.
Order: Traitor and Shatterpoint. Many of
the panel’s attendees were regulars from
message boards, with tags hung on our
lanyards that identified our forum

usernames. One by one, fans went to the
microphone, and it became apparent from
the parade of insightful questions how
much about storytelling—point of view,
characterization, dialogue—the audience
had absorbed through interaction with the
great storytellers writing Star Wars
novels. This is as true of Star Wars
authors and their wonderful stories now
as it was then.
Today, the fandom discussion of Star
Wars reading has moved into the realm of
blogs and social media. Singing the
praises for Lost Stars on Twitter at first

was a lonely proposition, as most people
had chosen other Journey to The Force avoid some of the more obvious choices Gamesmakers refuse to give Katniss and
Awakens books to tackle first. Dave Baril, like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, or Peeta a fatal star-crossed lovers’ ending—

for example, had started with Del Rey’s Catcher in the Rye. The common thread that series also does not offer a fairy-tale
Aftermath and DK Publishing’s Absolutely across all of these novels is morally conclusion, either. Again, Return of the
Everything You Need To Know. Others’ complex stories about finding ones self Jedi has parallels to the conceits of

“purely glowing reviews” convinced Baril through personal challenge within larger YA storytelling by offering a tangible
to give Lost Stars a try. frameworks of social-political upheaval victory for the underdog rebellion that
Unfortunately, some fans had initially in the storytelling setting. A New Hope and succeeds in blowing up the second Death
bypassed Lost Stars because it was all the Star Wars movies that followed it Star, but only an abstract validation of
labeled as Young Adult. Too often the work within similar conceits. Luke and Padmé’s belief there was good
“YA” designation means books are Outside of Star Wars fandom, YA novels in Darth Vader. It is not surprising to
immediately —and wrongly—dismissed have proven tremendously successful with observe that a return to the YA spirit of

as lesser quality or unworthy of grown-up readers of all generations. One of the the Star Wars movies is finding great

consumption. Refinery 29’s article on interesting elements of modern popular payoff in the marketplace, whether with

“30 Young Adult Books Every Actual Adult YA, which straddles the teen-adult longtime books fans or first-time Star
Should Read” includes “a list of well- demographic quite successfully, is the Wars readers.
written, engaging, thematically complex avoidance of what many consider standard Ultimately, word of mouth unites Lost
books that are likely to appeal to readers young audience endings. For example, Stars with more and more readers every
of any age,” including classics such as The Hunger Games turns Shakespeare’s day, with newly minted teenage and adult
The Book Thief and A Wrinkle in Time, and Romeo & Juliet on its head when the Star Wars fans discovering the book.

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