Spooky Star Wars Stories

In the past few years there have been plenty of options for young Star Wars readers to enjoy all aspects of the saga. Whether you prefer funny adventures like C-3PO Does Not Like Sand! or serious tales of the galactic struggle like Spark of the Resistance, there is a Star Wars story for everyone. 

Even fans of the SPOOKY side of the Force can find plenty to give them nightmares!

Here's a few of our favourite chilling tales in a galaxy far, far away... (Click on each for our original review)

Dark Legends by George Mann is a spine-tingling set of spooky tales has much in common with Myths & Fables as the stories are generally cautionary tales set in-universe in the Star Wars galaxy. Perhaps these are the stories that kept young padawans up at night?

The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear! by Tom Angleberger is a middle-grade adventure novel featuring creepy chills and thrills hiding around every corner, or lurking in the next tree. Wookiees may not be afraid of the dangers that lurk ahead, but will you be?

Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex is a fun picture book where New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Adam Rex tries to answer the question of what could possibly scare the most terrifying villain in the galaxy. Spoiler alert: not much!

Tales from Vader's Castle are comics from IDW and part of the Star Wars Adventures series. These creepy comics have an over-riding story but also short stories within, featuring many familiar Star Wars characters facing horrors and frights! A follow up series called Return to Vader's Castle was also released. Both have been collected as graphic novels from IDW books.

Adventures in Wild Space is a series of middle-grade chapter books featuring all sorts of creepy crawlies and chilling brushes with danger. Exciting and fun, if you are brave enough!

And of course for those of you who are willing to dig deep and hunt them down, the original Galaxy of Fear chapter book series from 1997-98 is a must-read for terror and suspense in the Star Wars galaxy. The Adventures in Wild Space books and The Mighty Chewbacca

both owe a bit of debt to these Goosebumps-inspired thrillers! 

And while it's not a story, exactly, fans of the hairy, scary, scaly and creepy creatures of the Star Wars galaxy will want to check out DK Adventures' What Makes a Monster? by Adam Bray. This collection is recommended for any detail-oriented reader who’s enthusiastic to learn more about the furry, slimy or slithery beasts in the Star Wars saga.

What's the scariest Star Wars story you remember? Comment below!

Long Forgotten Version of The Empire Strikes Back!

Just in time for the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, we found a little-mentioned alternate version of the story, in a pretty unlikely source!

It is hard to really comprehend just how big Star Wars was in the late 1970's and early 1980's. It wasn't just popular, it was a pop culture phenomenon.

Larger version at the bottom of article

Every major magazine seemingly had Star Wars on the cover at some point, some multiple times, including TIME, People, Us, Rolling Stone, and in 1980, Family Circle.

Family Circle?

Family Circle was a very popular "women's interest" magazine published from 1932 and up to the end of 2019, always very much intended for mothers. Yes, of course moms like Star Wars too! (True fact: my mother introduced me to Star Wars! Thanks Mom!)

The August 5, 1980 issue seems like a typical one for the time but there on the bottom of the cover after headlines of diets, beautiful skin, recipes and the "right look in pants" are those glorious words: The Empire Strikes Back.
Not even a mention of the words "Star Wars". There was no need. By then, months after the movie premiered, the blockbuster sequel was a household name by itself! And Family Circle was definitely all about households.

Donald F. Glut's Original Novelization

This was no ordinary feature though: what Family Circle ran across 4 pages was the entire story of The Empire Strikes Back! This is a condensed version is written by Donald F. Glut, author of the official novelization of the movie published that spring.

With a few black and white illustrations borrowed from the Marvel comics adaptation of the movie (including the infamous scary-looking Yoda based on early concept art that was later corrected in comic reprints), Glut's short-story version of The Empire Strikes Back emphasizes the action and romance and leaves out almost all of Luke's Jedi training.
There's a few key moments from the movie left out to shorten the story. Here's a few examples of what's different in this version (or scroll down to enjoy it yourself):

- There is no Wampa attack, and so there's no Luke lost in the snow or in the medical clinic. Instead Luke encounters the vision of Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi after he crashes his snowspeeder during the Hoth battle.

-Yoda doesn't play around. He introduces himself almost immediately.

-Luke's X-wing doesn't crash on Dagobah, so there's no levitation scene later.

-There's no mysterious Dagobah cave, so no dream-like fight with Vader.

-C-3PO doesn't get broken up, or go missing on Cloud City, so instead of worrying about his whereabouts, Leia and Han have a little romantic scene that was apparently cut from the movie.

-When Han is frozen in carbonite, instead of saying "I love you" and "I know", Han and Leia have much more to say. (This is consistent with the comic adaptation as well as Glut's own novelization).

It's very hard to believe this amazing movie is 40 years old now as it seems so timeless today. Hopefully in another 40 years fans will be celebrating and discovering new ways to enjoy these movies that crossed generations and appealed to so many of us in so many ways!  

May the 40th Be With You!  

Don't Be Scared of Are You Scared, Darth Vader?

Don't be scared of some silliness in your Star Wars!

Since Halloween itself is not really a thing in the Star Wars Galaxy (that we know of), there hasn't really been a lot of Halloweeny Star Wars storytelling over the years. There have been spooky Star Wars stories, like the 90's Galaxy of Fear book series, but Disney/Lucasfilm Press has now released what is arguably the first Star Wars Halloween picture book.

Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Adam Rex tries to answer the question of what could possibly scare the most terrifying villain in the galaxy.

Spoiler alert: not much!

Darth Vader lurks in a dark, gloomy, Dagobah-like swamp while the narrator taunts him with various not-very-scary things, trying to find the one thing that may frighten the Dark Lord of the Sith. Then others join in, more from the world of classic horror movies than from Star Wars, to try to scare him.


Things get really silly and fun but it's difficult to describe without revealing a few of the surprises that await the reader. 

On a quick flip-through this appears to be a bleak, even dismal, looking book. However, the escalating attempts to scare Vader, along with his deadpan responses, are really enjoyable in contrast to the darkness. Clearly it would help if someone in your household can talk like Vader when reading this one aloud! 

Rex's not-very-scary monster artwork is reminiscent of early MAD magazine cartoonists like Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis. High praise indeed!

Forget about this book fitting into the rest of Star Wars. It doesn't. Are You Scared, Darth Vader? exists in its own little world. It almost feels like it could be dialogue from brave kids meeting Darth Vader at Disneyland. 

This book is the Star Wars equivalent to a "Fractured Fairy Tale".

Have a laugh and enjoy this twisted take on classic characters. Happy (early) Halloween!

Since we always like to remember Star Wars books from the past, here's a few items that could also almost be considered Star Wars Halloween books...

Star Weird: Star Wars Scratch and Sniff

Star Wars tie-in products have always come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes companies try to create something completely unique to grab the attention of young fans. Occasionally things get a little odd! Here's our first look at such items from the past in a new segment called STAR WEIRD!

The last we'll see of Star Wars Scratch & Sniff?

Back in 1997 the original trilogy (Episodes 4-6) films were being re-released to movie theatres and it was a BIG deal. Fans had kept the galaxy alive over the years, but to the general public, Star Wars had been over since 1983's Return of the Jedi.

Along with the renewed public interest in Star Wars came many related products, including this bizarre kids' book from the "Golden Books" series (at the time not called "Little Golden Books") Star Wars: A More Wretched Hive: The Mos Eisley Cantina (1997). What makes this one so odd? It's a Scratch and Sniff  book!

Yep that's right. You get to SMELL the infamous Mos Eisley Cantina, inside and out!

From 1986

Scratch and Sniff books were a popular novelty in publishing during the 1980's but not very common nowadays. There were earlier titles that incorporated the concept into Star Wars books. A More Wretched Hive appears to be the last one made.

The story, told by Margaret Ryder, is a quick version of Luke and Obi-Wan's first meeting with Han Solo and Chewbacca, then blasting off in the Millennium Falcon. Ryder has fun with emphasizing the gross smells the characters encounter. The book is illustrated with photos specifically from the 1997 "Special Edition" version of Episode 4. However it's the smells that make A More Wretched Hive stand out!

Smell Jabba the Hutt if you dare!

Along the way the reader enjoys the scents of:

- "horrible" smells coming from the Cantina
- "foamy, fruity" drinks served inside
- "the sharp, electrical scent" of Obi-Wan's lightsaber (smells a little like cinnamon)
- Chewbacca's "strong, swampy odor" (smells like patchouli oil)
- Greedo's bad breath "worse than a Sarlacc" (yes, it is!)
- "Jabba's rotten aroma" (did anyone really want to smell this??)
- the Millennium Falcon's "hot starship exhaust"

If you feel the need to join in these delightful smells A More Wretched Hive is often still available online or in used book stores. For good or bad, the 19 year-old smell stickers may not work so well anymore though.

As Jar Jar would say:

Pee- youssa!