Lit Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

We didn't have a thread for this book yet, so I figured I'd make one.



This thrilling Young Adult novel gives readers a macro view of some of the most important events in the Star Wars universe, from the rise of the Rebellion to the fall of the Empire. Readers will experience these major moments through the eyes of two childhood friends-Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell-who have grown up to become an Imperial officer and a Rebel pilot. Now on opposite sides of the war, will these two star-crossed lovers reunite, or will duty tear them-and the galaxy-apart? Star Wars: Lost Stars also includes all-new post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi content, as well as hints and clues about the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, making this a must-read for all Star Wars fans.

 

Let the fun begin.

 

I suppose there are two subjects I'm most interested in at this point.
One is the author. Does anyone have an opinion on Claudia Gray or her previous works? That could be an indicator as to whether this will be a much-needed young adult story that gives 'ordinary views' of the GCW, or a Twilight knockoff (or both, I guess).
Two is, of course, the juicy info on the shape of the new Post-RotJ galaxy. Any idea when we'll start seeing spoilers?

 

so this is basically romeo and juliet in space.

 

Only if they both die at the end.

 

I feel bad for liking that.

I'm going to don my Vader helmet and mope in the corner now.

 

Why must the girl be the Imp?

 

i like the old english gent being the imperial it says a lot

 

Good, Good.

 

Plus, Jello's right, we've never had a real Star Wars romance book. The only exception is Union, which is corny and cheesy Bantam-era EU at its best (or worst). Romance has always been tertiary to the main events, war, philosophy, etc. This book sounds like that flipped, where the main events frame romance. And all of the YA books thus far in the NEU era have been ranging from good to great.

 

I've read it. It's so sweet and innocent it might give you a sugar high. Not gonna lie, though, as someone who entered the EU in the Bantam era, Union is basically the happiest ending the GFFA could have gotten, before the NJO took it in an entirely different direction.

 

Best.

It's cheesy and indulgent, but most of all it's fun. Just an absurd amount of fun. Significantly, you can tell that all the people involved loved what they were doing, the characters, and the franchise. Every little bit of that panel is hilarious.
On it's own, it wouldn't stand up so well, but as a love letter and tie-together for that era, and the capstone to a relationship? It's beautiful. As I've said, I'm not usually a shipper, but my standard is if the payoff can make me squee half as hard as this panel did:

It's only as saccharine as the ceremony on Yavin 4 or the celebration on Endor, and no less deserved. The galaxy is at peace, the Republic has been restored, there's a thriving and diverse new Jedi Order, and my favorite two characters are in love and smiling. What happened to all of these things after aside, for that moment, all was right with the galaxy.
And that's leaving aside other details like Kam Solusar played by Bruce Willis.

 

I actually just ordered Union. Now I'm excited

 

I've heard that Janson is played by Tommy Lee Jones in Union, but I've yet to see proof of that at all.

As to Lost Stars, I've always intended to buy this book but I saw speculation yesterday that increased my interest tenfold. It's mere speculation, of course, but now I'll have to read it to see if it's true.

Spoiler

Someone said it would be cool if the characters in this book turned out to be Finn's parents.

 

I can never unsee still-alive Brand in that picture. Either that, or the poor fool never realized that if you Force Ghost you can apparently change your appearance.

 

My brother says he's heard of her, and her stuff is generally well-liked AFAIK. 'Course, that doesn't mean anything per se, but it's better than hearing "Yeah, nobody likes her stuff."

 

I'm reasonably interested in this, if chiefly for the "never seen it before" factor. I agree that Union would not be a good template to follow, but more because there have always been specific things about it that bothered me than just because it was "cheesy".

Speaking of which:

Holy carp, it is him. I've never noticed that before. Probably not going to unnotice that now.

 

Yee-up. I love that. I figure force ghosts show up in the form they're most comfortable with, and hovering is better than walking.

 

I have to wonder why the Jedi apparently have very brightly-colored robes for marriages. And is that Corran Horn in those green robes or is that a woman? I can't tell.

 

Eh, I sort of like the idea of the NJO having brightly-colored robes (at least for formal occasions) instead of all being Obi-Wan cosplayers as their predecessors were. There's something symbolic in that.

...But back to Lost Stars.

 

Right. So a Rebel pilot and an Imp officer. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. It's really a cool concept...and if these two were childhood friends (thinking Luke and Biggs here, just for example), then how'd they get set up on different sides? Girl signs up to join the military (maybe her mother or father was in the military, providing the motivation for her to join) but the boy sees something terrible that the Empire does and decides he should fight it? It's really going to be a compelling story, I think.