The Luckless Rodian by Renée Ahdieh

At last!  One of the defining scenes from Star Wars - the cantina shooting.

In this story, we see Greedo’s moments leading up to his encounter with Han Solo.

Greedo is not only after Han for the bounty but has a personal score to settle too.

Fans of a certain age will be happy to have confirmed who shot first.

Lots of fun to be had here.

Renée Ahdieh's website - http://www.reneeahdieh.com/

Renée Ahdieh

Beru Whitesun Lars by Meg Cabot

A brief exploration of Aunt Beru from beyond the grave.

This was certainly a warm and charming story.  A nice exploration of the responsibility she and her husband took on 20 years prior.

A heartfelt addition to the collection.

Well done.

Meg Cabot's website - https://www.megcabot.com/

Meg Cabot

Master And Apprentice by Claudia Gray

This was a lovely addition to this collection.

Obi-Wan is now back in the fight against the Empire.

But he has been out of action for twenty years and is not confident in his abilities any longer.

He calls on his old master Qui-Gon for council.

It was humanizing to see Obi-Wan turn to his old master in this way.  It adds to all the encouragement he gives to Luke in the next few scenes.

Well done.

Claudia Gray's website - http://www.claudiagray.com/

Claudia Gray

Rites by John Jackson Miller

These are the events leading up to the attack on Luke Skywalker by the Tusken Raiders.

Who’s were those raiders?  What was their story? What led them to that same canyon?

I wasn’t captivated by this story as I have been by the others. I think it’s because, as characters, I was never very interested by the Tuskens.  In all of these stories we know how the scene will end but, instead of adding something to the drama, the story behind the Raiders was pretty much what we had gleaned from the movie.

There was no real surprise here.  Perhaps that’s what was lacking for me; I didn't learn anything new about the Raiders.

John Jackson Miller's website - http://www.farawaypress.com/

John Jackson Miller

The Red One by Rae Carson

I continue to be impressed at how enriching these stories are to the original 1977 movie.

This is the story of the little red droid, you know the one.  The one who had a bad motivator.

How did R5-D4 come to be on that sandcrawler with R2-D2?

Perhaps things would have been very different without R5-D4’s involvement. 

On of the themes running through this collection is that there are no unimportant parts. No matter how small or brief, parts are played to allow the story to continue.

I also like reading about the wants and desires of all of these characters.  Everybody has a plan to improve their lives.  Everybody has hope, perhaps that's a requirement for this collection, that everybody embody A New Hope.

A good lesson to remember in all of our lives. 

Rae Carson's website - http://www.raecarson.com/

Rae Carson

Reirin by Sabaa Tahir

This is the first story that did not have a direct connection to the plot of the movie.  Instead it is an independent scene that happens in the background while Luke and his uncle trade R2 units after their first choice malfunctions.

Reirin is a young, female who dreams of leaving Tatooine and her clan of Tusken Raiders for a life among the stars.

While the two humans negotiate for a new droid she sneaks on board the sandcrawler.

I found it to be a bit similar to the previous story of Jot the Jawa, but still, it goes to expand the desperation on Tatooine.

I just love how much richer these stories are making the movie.  What a terrific idea.

Sabaa Tahir's website - https://www.sabaatahir.com/

Sabaa Tahir

Stories in the Sand by Griffin McElroy

I am finding this collection of stories to be an absolute delight.

The author of this one gives a charming, gentle voice to the Jawas.

Jot is a bit of a loner and outsider of the community that resides in the sandcrawler that ultimately discovers R2-D2.  He is an outcast, because of his size.  He is small, a runt, by the standards of Jawas.  He spends much of his time alone in his little corner of the roving junkyard.

One of his responsibilities is to perform a memory wipe on the droids before they are sold.  But before he does so he watches these memories, thinking of them as stories, and through these viewings he realizes there is a larger galaxy out there.

McElroy wrote a sad, touching and ultimately hopeful story in showing us one of the lives on board this giant scavenger of the desert.  The author has given us a view from the inside of Jawa culture that has not been explored in the movies.

I love thinking that Jot is out there in that galaxy far, far away and experiencing stories of his own making.

Lovely.  Just lovely.

Griffin McElroy's website - https://www.griffinmcelroy.com/

Griffin McElroy

The Sith of Datawork by Ken Liu

Terrific!

Remember the scene where C-3PO and R2-D2 are in the escape pod and the gunners on the Star Destroyer, let it go after detecting no life signs aboard?

What if the gunner had second thought about not firing on it?

How can he save himself if his inaction is called into question?

Paperwork!  Or datawork as it’s called here.  Enter Arvira, fleet logistics liaison (grade 4) who knows the forms to fill.

Lots of fun, especially because you just know that running an empire requires quite a lot of forms.  All bureaucracies need a datatrail.

Ken Liu's website - https://kenliu.name/

Ken Liu

The Bucket by Christie Golden

This book could be a lot of fun, if it continues as it seems laid out - a scene by scene expansion of the original 1977 movie.

After Darth Vader commanded his troops to find the rebels on board and to “tear the ship apart,” we see the capture of Princess Leai through the eyes of storm trooper TK-4601’s eyes.

It was interesting to see how an attitude can change even when following orders.  Free will, freedom to think and freedom to act are explored in this tight story.

I feel like I am reading parts of the script that had to be trimmed to make the movie.  And when I see it again I’ll have a much richer experience for having read this book.

Christie Golden's Website - http://www.christiegolden.com/

Christie Golden

Raymus by Gary Whitta

I do love these kinds of collections, where they fill in little corners of iconic stories and movies.

This one bridged the events of Rogue One and A New Hope.  In the opening sequence of the original movie, the rebel ship, Tantiv IV, was boarded and the captain questioned while being lifted off the deck and strangled.

This is his story.

Princess Liea has the Death Star data in her hands and the ship is trying to escape the star destroyer.

This was a personal war story.  One where the main character suspects that this is when his part in the struggle will come to an end.

We know just a little bit more about this poor man who died shortly after the opening credits. In movies, death is meaningless.  But here we come to understand how each body had a story, a history of its own.

A strong start to a giant collection that was published to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the first movie.

Gary Whitta's website - http://www.garywhitta.com/

Gary Whitta