All these people in my head

While I have read comics all my life, I never approached any Star Wars original book before last year.

I always loved the novelizations of the movies, but, somehow, never dove into any original story.

I know, I know. Nothing to be proud of.

Last year, minutely preparing my then epically failed trip to Batuu, I bought "Black Spire" by Delilah Dawson.

My portal.

Vi and her world at the edge of the galaxy welcomed me to this expanded way to enjoy my most emotionally-charged fandom.

Then the lockdown happened.

Without the need to commute, and all the evenings at home, I started prop-making, saber-building.

And books-savoring.

Thanks to a mix of audio and text, to be precise.

As you know, comments and notes are essential to my reader's survival.

I need the paper.

However, I can affirm with absolute certainty that I wouldn't be SO desperately in love with 'some' characters right now without Marc Thompson's voice.

Did I read plenty of Star Wars novels in one year? Not too much, really.

However, these 19 stories gave me joy and sadness, love and hate.

And I cried.

A LOT.

Pure bliss and desperation tears.

The most unstoppable sobbing caused by the death of a character in Charles Soule "Light of the Jedi."

It hit me, illogically and deeply.

[I will rant more profusely about this novel in future posts (many), but, sincerely: READ. THIS. BOOK].

The best fluff comfort: "Guardians of the Whills" by Rucka (Baze and Chirrut are too perfect ), "Chaos Rising" by Zahn (please, try to beat the colored markers scene), and "A New Dawn" by John Jackson Miller (flirty Kanan bartender!).

Tall blue alien military genius aside - possibly my favorite fictional character ever written-, many started to live rent-free in my head.

Rael, Eli, Vi, Marchion, Ar'alani, Amilyn, Thane, Ransolm, Loden.

And I'm so profoundly grateful for every one of them.

This year would have been *truly* different without them, and the unparalleled talent of their creators.

Ps. I include here the magnificent 'Last Known Trajectory' which I am finishing these days.

Not *precisely* a canon book.

But it has all the rights to be.