Star Wars Myths & Fables
Beautifully illustrated, this unique treasury of in-world space tales takes readers to the far reaches of the Star Wars universe…including to the remote outer rim world of Batuu from Galaxy’s Edge.
Author: George Mann
Artist: Grant Griffin
Release dates: August 6th 2019 (standard edition), August 30th 2020 (Target-exclusive edition), October 7th 2020 (Galaxy’s Edge edition)
Pages: 192 (standard edition), 227 (Target-exclusive edition), 304 (Galaxy’s Edge edition)
ISBN: 9781368043458
The power of myth is a phrase long associated with Star Wars, from the building blocks of wha George Lucas constructed back in the mid 70’s when he was formulating the ingredients that would coalesce into Star Wars in 1977 right through many decades of storytelling to today, when the saga is quite literally multigenerational, from the youngest of younglings entering the GFFA through new doors like Galaxy of Adventures and Rebels to hoardes of interested general media consumers finding the galaxy through The Mandalorian on Disney Plus. Wherever you enter – or entered – and regardless of age, Myths and fables is absolutely a book you need to read.
Written as taes told to children across the galaxy, the introduction makes very clear the power of storytelling and also the ‘chinese whisper’ effect that has modified, adjusted and contemporised these tales through their retelling over countless years, and while nothing here claims that these are ‘canon’, in all honesty who needs canon when the childhood stories told are so engaging, so widespanning and so darn ‘Star Wars‘.
The regular, off the shelf version of the book consists of nine stories, covering many years and endless light years. We open, as we should, on Tatooine with The Knight & the Dragon as the nomadic Tusken Raiders try to find a way to appease a hungry Krayt Dragon stealing away their numners, sacrificing humans until an old Jedi Knight arrives to tame the dragon and warn the Tuskens to stop sacrificing humans to the dragon. The next, A Droid With A Heart, sees General Grievous – like Kenobi, never mentioned by name but shown in beautiful Grant Griffin artwork – deal with an errant tactical droid who had protected countless droids from wasteless deaths, dying at the blades of the general but becoming a hero in the doing.
Vengeful Waves takes us to the home of Tobias Beckett and Jedi Knight Kit Fisto where the aquatic people of the planet the Nautolans and the Anselmi once lived in peace but the growing envy of the Anselmi led to conflict and Anselmi expansion above the waves, a move that angered the ocean spirit. The Wanderer sees a mysterious warrior with a lightsaber protect the innocent from pirates while Black Spire heads to Batuu and a young girl called Anya who lives with her mother and her siblings, safe until her brother and sisters go missing and she concocts a plan to rescue them from slavers.
The style of writing is perfectly pitched at kids, and it’s plan to see how these tales could – in-universe – be told to youngsters across the galaxy. For instance Gaze of Stone, which introduces Darth Caldoth and sees a young Twi’lek taken into the custody of Caldoth as he trains the young boy as his apprentice in the dark side, humbled by his master but ultimately working together to find ancient and forbidden sith knowledge until the Twi’leks plan to literally turn his master to stone backfired, ending with a grim monument to his failure as shown by Grant Griffins art at the top of the story. This is pure childrens cautionary tales, which with titles like The Witch and the Wookiee feel very much like the kids storybooks many of us read when Return of the Jedi was released.
That tale sees pirates attempt to steal riches from a witch, only for her wookiee protector to see them off before they realise they’ve been cursed, their trinkets crumbling into dust in their hands. The Dark Wraith sees a fearsome bogeyman rain vengeance down on a city, leaving its descendants fearful of its return while the final story Chasing Ghosts couldn’t be more of a kids tale as a scoundrel dodges the attentions of a bounty hunter, criss-crossing the galaxy to evade capture and spinning a tale of a legendary thief called Arquel as a cover to distract from his own disappearing act.
This really is a fun read, with hints and shades of the familiar mixed with allusions to characters and places we know so well and dipping in and out of eras and classic Star Wars stories known to millions. There’s the obvious Batuu connection, but also pre-The High Republic hints of the Nihil, mentions of Korriban and rule of two relationships that deep divers will revel in. Hugely enjoyable and well worth hunting down to add to your kids bookshelf and your own as well.
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