Star Wars: Most Wanted 

A Young Adult Novel by Rae Carson

Star Wars: Most Wanted was written by New York Times Best-selling Author, Rae Carson. This tale takes place before the events that take place in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

SUMMARY: Corellia, A planet known for its outstanding ship manufacturing, is now held in the tight grip of the Galactic Empire. The Empire uses the massive shipbuilding plants to manufacture their star-fleet.

On the the streets, even in the sewers below, life is rough. The white-worm gang, run by Lady Proxima, recruits orphans to run criminal errands in exchange for shelter and a meal.

An auction is to take place in the underbelly of Corellia. Lady Proxima sends two of her best and mature white-worm members, Han and Qi’ra, to do her bidding in the deal. However, the auction goes sideways, forcing a trio of characters to work together. Though not only just to survive, but by coming up with a solution to fix the unexpected turn of events.

CHARACTERS: as you can see on the cover, our main characters are Han and Qi’ra, so I’ll mention them and a new Character. Each of these characters are scrumrats, working for Lady Proxima in the white-worm gang.

Qi’ra: She’s one of the oldest in the white-worm gang. She puts her trust in no one but herself. Others, especially Han, view her as a stuck up, know it all. She wants out of the sewer life, going as far as having a secret safe-house out in a ship boneyard. Rae Carson did an excellent job writing Qi’ra, giving her a complete arch for this tale.

Han: He’s a survivor, loves driving, had a strong desire to pilot a ship. He’s daring and risky. He’s also one of the oldest in the white-worm gang. He’s kind, somewhat oblivious to things. His character is consistent with how he’s portrayed in the Solo: A Star Wars Story film.

Tsuulo: He’s a Rodian, somewhat of a whiz as he’s pretty good with technology. He has a strong belief in the force, trusting in it to guide him.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Although it doesn’t dive too deep into the backstory of Han’s youth, we get a better understanding of the relationship between Han and Qi’ra. Rae Carson did an excellent job writing Qi’ra and Han. Qi’ra has a drastic and complete character arc before we meet her in the Solo film.

I only have two complaints with the book, one is the name of the rodian, Tsuulo… it’s a little to close in sounding like Solo. The other thing I don’t like, is the cover of the book! The art is just fine, but this little image of the Falcon that looks like a sticker… is not a sticker, I can’t remove it! It’s printed on the cover! It says, “Read this book! Then see Solo A Star Wars Story, now in theaters!”

We have a fun tale here, the event was on a much smaller scale. I think we need more stories like this, that don’t always tie into some major galactic scale event. (Looking at you Last Shot.). The book is a quick read and like the film, I had fun with it.

Do I recommend that you pick up and read Star Wars: Most Wanted? Yes! It was a face paced read that gives a rich backstory of Han and Qi’ra.

RATING: I will give this book an A-. A solid companion for the Solo film.