Reading that's out of this world
The last movie in the Star Wars sequel trilogy will be in theaters next week. To celebrate, the Vernon Area Public Library collected some book suggestions for the characters from the original trilogy -- or for liked-minded humans:
FOR YODA
Borne by Jeff Vandermeer
In a ruined, nameless city of the future, a woman named Rachel, who makes her living as a scavenger, finds a green lump of a creature she names Borne. Borne grows and changes shape, trying to learn how to become human. Yoda would of course feel a kinship with a wise-beyond-his-years green lump.
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
When John Holloway discovers valuable jewels on the planet Zarathustra, he thinks he has it made. He cuts a deal with the giant corporation ZaraCorp to make them recognize his claim and is ready to call it a day when a small, furry biped-trusting, appealing, and ridiculously cute-shows up at Jack's outback home. It's debatable who is cuter, the fuzzy or Yoda.
Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking
Yoda would love this book because he, too, likes brief answers to deep questions. Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe's greatest mysteries, but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet-including the climate emergency, threat of nuclear war, and development of artificial intelligence-read Hawking's views on our most urgent issues. Nonfiction.
FOR LEIA
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
In her brief breaks from being a general, Leia would love this female-authored, female-centric sci-fi novel. It's set in an alternate version of Earth called the Stillness, where there are catastrophic, earthquake-like events called fifth seasons that shake things up and alter the world. There are a few people called Orogenes who have the power to shift the Earth's plates and play with the elements (sounds a lot like the Force). This book follows a few of them on various missions.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
In this novel, teenage girls have immense physical power: they can cause agonizing pain and even death with one touch. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly as teen girls take control. After a rough day, Leia would like curling up with this book, imagining that women possessed the same electrical current power as Emperor Palpatine.
Inheritance by Dani Shapiro
Leia seemed pretty calm when Luke told her Darth Vader was their father. Perhaps she had read this memoir, which chronicles a woman's discovery that the man who raised her was not her real father and her quest to find her true identity.
FOR HAN SOLO
Artemis by Andy Weir
Obviously Han is very busy smuggling but, if Chewie were driving the Millennium Falcon, Han might relax with this novel about a girl who makes a living smuggling on Artemis, the first city on the moon. When smuggler Jazz gets an offer to commit the perfect crime, she can't turn it down. But there may be a larger conspiracy at play.
Dark Run by Mike Brooks
The Keiko is a ship of smugglers, soldiers of fortune, and adventurers, travelling Earth's colony planets, searching for the next job. And nobody talks about their past. But when a face from Captain Ichabod Drift's former life sends them on a run to Old Earth, all the rules change.
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
One small ship decides the fate of the universe in this sci-fi fantasy. Jim Holden is an ice miner who stumbles upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, and finds himself in possession of a secret he never wanted. Somewhere else, Detective Miller is looking for a wealthy girl who has gone missing. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, Miller realizes that this girl may be the key to everything. Han would definitely like to picture the Scopuli as the Millennium Falcon.
FOR DARTH VADER
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
In a corporate-dominated, space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. On a distant planet, a team of scientists conduct surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied droid, a self-aware robot that has hacked its own control module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as Murderbot. Perhaps this is what C-3PO could have been in all his glory.
Accessory to War by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang
While this is more work-related reading for Darth Vader, he would love this look at the relationship between science and military power. Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that introduces Tyson's millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.
The Space Barons by Christian Davenport
This is the true story of a group of billionaire entrepreneurs (mainly Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, but also Richard Branson and Paul Allen) who are pouring their fortunes into the epic resurrection of the American space program. Nearly a half century after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, these space barons are using Silicon Valley-style innovation to send humans even farther than NASA has gone to conquer space.