Book Review: Star Wars: Most Wanted

 

Most Wanted, published in 2018, is one of the main storylines adjacent young-adult Star Wars novels. The book was written by Rae Carson and is a prequel to Solo: A Star Wars Story. The story is set on Corellia, which is basically a run-down, backwater planet whose main industry is building ships. The story centers around Han and Qi’ra becoming friends. They are working for Lady Proxima (the wormlike creature at the beginning of the Solo movie), basically doing the dirty work for her crime syndicate. It hints at not only the characters they would become in the Solo movie but who Han would become in the original trilogy, at least when it comes to the Falcon, and why he allowed it to look like such a piece of junk. In the book, he is actually a more honorable character than we see during much of A New Hope. The book explains why he ended up as the selfish smuggler that we first meet in A New Hope, and this book (and the Solo movie) sets up the possibility that something involving Qi’ra will turn him into the guy who is only out for a big payday.

The hardcover version of the book is a little under 400 pages, so it is long enough that it could have been included as one of the main-storyline adult novels.  The story in the book is very enjoyable and good enough that it does not feel like a typical young-adult novel. I am one who did not necessarily need a background for Han to be fleshed out. I am personally more interested in the events between Return of The Jedi and The Force Awakens being explained. So, while I do not think either this book, the Solo movie, or the sequels to either that may end up being released down the line are all that necessary, That said, I think Carson tells an enjoyable, sometimes emotional, sometimes funny story, that provides a good supporting story for the characters. So, it is absolutely worth the time to read.