The Exhaust Port – Episode 36 // Book Club Tackles ‘Leia, Princess of Alderaan’ by Claudia Gray

We’re back! After a long (too long) layoff, The Exhaust Port podcast is back with a rambling edition of Book Club! Dave Bartholomew joins me to discuss the amazing novel Leia, Princess of Alderaan by the undisputed queen of Star Wars writing, Claudia Gray herself. Gray delivers another must-read addition to the growing Star Wars canon, once again centering on everyone’s favorite Disney princess, Leia Organa herself. The novel is a coming of age tale for a 16-year-old Leia, detailing her discovery that her adoptive parents are key members of the Rebel Alliance, her entry into galactic politics, and the start of a lifelong friendship to none other than Amilyn Holdo! Coming to grips with the need for sacrifice and experiencing love and loss for the first time in her life, Leia Princess of Alderaan is a must-read for any Star Wars fan. We also loop in a tiny bit of discussion on another amazing Star Wars book, Rebel Rising by Beth Revis, contrasting the late-teen years of Jyn Erso against those of Leia – including the differences in their respective mentors and the paths they walk to essentially arrive at the same point.

For this episode’s edition of our ongoing series May the 4’s Be With You, Dave and I tackle the topic of our four favorite novels in the new Star Wars canon. As you can guess, our lists are pretty similar, but there are a few differences. We also go into a little praise and love for the various story narrators, as we both absorb our content via audiobook as opposed to the old school method of actually reading, haha.

While we are on the subject of Star Wars novels, please take a peek at our new Star Wars Reading Guide – especially if you’re wanting to get into reading Star Wars novels and are feeling a bit overwhelmed (which is understandable)! We have outlined the best starting points to get you up and reading, and where to proceed from there, providing the newbie a great guide to getting started in the world of the Star Wars canon outside of the films and animated series’.

Thanks again for listening, and make sure to subscribe and leave us a review, as it helps the podcast a TON! Lastly, feel free to drop us a line on our site, Twitter, and/or Facebook – we love to hear from you guys and appreciate your feedback!

~May The Force Be With You, Always!