Feature: May the 4th Be with You
May the 4th is a religious institution for Team BookCrushin. Today we celebrate May the 4th with some reading recs, merch we can’t wait to buy (there’s soooo much on sale!), and how the fandom is celebrating today. Check it out below and May the 4th Be with You!
Star Wars Reading Recommendations
Last year we shared reading recs for fans at all levels (and some dark side recs, too!) and this year we are back with more recs! 2021 kicked off a new era in Star Wars storytelling – The High Republic! Set 200+ years before the prequels, the High Republic shares a time when the galaxy is at peace and the Jedi are “at their best.” The new era is removed from the Skywalker Saga but fans will feel Star Wars shine through
- Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule: The intro to the universe, a selection of characters, and the vibe for the whole series. Unlike the rest of the canon novels, where you can skip around and read in the order you feel like, I recommend reading every single story (young readers, YA, and adult novels as well as the comics) in this era in order. With this being a new era, if you miss a book, you miss character intros and historical events that will set up the big battle that is inevitable. Light of the Jedi is an amazing intro to the Jedi culture, politics, and villains of the story (Marchion Ro, I’m ready to join the Nihil).
- The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott: This one isn’t out yet but it is the first standalone graphic novel in the current canon universe! I love that different mediums are being explored, including audio dramas and manga!
Diving into a new era can be scary. Or maybe you want the familiarity of the characters and worlds you grew up with. Don’t worry, we have those recs, too! I spent last year reading through a good majority of the canon novels and I’m here to add some of my favs not previously mentioned!
Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover: Look, most Star Wars fans will tell you this a MUST read book (and possibly one of the best sci-fi books of all time). This book has a unique storytelling style compared to the others and places readers within the POV of the featured character. It even has its own Twitter bot that will hurt you on the daily.
- Star Wars: Darth Vader, Dark Heart of the Sith by Greg Pak, with art by Raffaele Ienco: I have never been a big Vader fan but dang, Greg Pak put us through the RINGER with the emotions in the lastest Vader series. If you ever wonder how Anakin and Vader battle it out in the same mind, this series is for you.
- Or check out our recommendations for What to Read after you watched The Mandolorian!
Shop Star Wars: The High Republic
Not to Be Missed Merch
- Jedi: Fallen Order, Christy’s favorite Star Wars game, is on sale for up to 70% off!
- There’s a round up of a variety of merch deals here (I will NOT get into Legos……)
- Out of Print’s Star Wars collection is BOGO free! Someone take Kelly’s wallet away.
Other Ways to Celebrate
ICYMI The Bad Batch, an animated spinoff of The Clone Wars, premieres on Disney+ today. The first few eps of The Clone Wars season 7 introduce the Bad Batch. Star Wars animated is arguably some of the best Star Wars so don’t let the format give you pause. Episode 2 is on Friday so catch up now and get ready to hang with this special set of clones!
Christy is on planet at Batuu today, celebrating Star Wars day! She’s also playing along with the May the 4th Disneybound challenge – today’s theme is favorite character and who can resist sharing THE PORGS!
