May The 4th Be With You. Star Wars is Reading. 4 May, 2023 – Posted in: Articles, Events, Science Fiction – Tags: Books, Reading, Star Wars

May the 4th be with you is a pun all Star Wars fans recognize. Into a way for fans of the Star Wars franchise to come together and celebrate all things Star Wars. While today there are Star Wars films, television shows, and games for fans to immerse themselves in. Early on there was only one way to expand the Star Wars experience, and that was by reading.

The massive success of Star Wars didn’t just thrill and entertain a generation of impressionable children and young adults. It set us on a course of curiosity and discovery. There were no DVDs or streaming at that time. What Star Wars did, accidentally, was create a generation of readers.

Out of the desire to recapture the experience of watching Star Wars, fans turned to the science fiction section of their libraries and bookshops. All ready for this new crop of readers there were hundreds of worlds and stories for fans to dive into. Without Star Wars the shape of genre fiction would be very different today. What was once considered a children’s genre has become a mainstay of film, television, and publishing. Without Star Wars it would still be relatively small.

While Star Wars did open genre fiction to a wider audience, it didn’t forget its fans. Star Wars universe. May the 4th is a chance to celebrate those works fans have come to rely on over the many years since Star Wars’ initial release.

Star Wars started out as an homage to the films George Lucas watched as a child but has grown into a worldwide phenomenon that captures the imagination of us all. For Star Wars fans it is easy to recommend the many books set in the Star Wars universe, both new and old.

As Star Wars fans have grown and changed, so has the Star Wars universe. And the books that are set within that universe have grown and changed as well. Star Wars has grown out of its immaturity to become a genre of its own that encompasses a wide range of ideas and ideals. But first and foremost we need to thank Star Wars for putting us on the path to becoming readers. Without being a reader our world would not be as rich a place. So thank you Star Wars. Thank you for allowing us to become more than we thought we could. Thank you.