Star Wars: Leia – Princess of Alderaan
by Claudia Gray (Lucasfilm, 2017)
Gray does a remarkable job plotting a story for 16-year-old Leia that stands on its own merits, offers a credible backstory, contains plenty of surprises, yet still fits in perfectly with everything the character will become. An easy but quite captivating read.
Vader’s Little Princess
by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle Books, 2013)
A peon to parenthood, expressed through a comic (and comedic) imagining/retrofitting of the father/daughter relationship between Darth Vader and Princess Leia. Amidst the Star Wars in-jokes, there lie such simple pleasures as tiny Leia cutting love hearts from Vader’s cape.
Star Wars – Fate of the Jedi: Conviction
by Aaron Allston (Random House, 2011)
Allston makes little allowance for the passing of time, allowing (grandparentally) old favourites Han, Leia and Luke to nimble about the Star Wars Expanded Universe, having adventures just like they did back in the day. As non-demanding escapism goes, it’s not bad.
Star Wars: Bloodline
by Claudia Gray (Del Rey, 2016)
With much of the Star Wars expanded universe now rendered non-canonical, Claudia Gray’s novel — a serious backstory to The Force Awakens, focussing on Leia’s political struggles within an ailing New Republic — subtly apprises readers of what is, and is no longer, recognised.