One of the most unique releases of 2021, Star Wars Insider: The Fiction Collection is a unique bind-up of short stories formerly printed in the magazine. Is this collection worth your money? Read on and find out!
For so many reasons, Star Wars Insider: The Fiction Collection represents what will probably stay as one of the weirdest releases in 2021. The first reason is the most obvious one: within the covers, the book contains both Legends and canon (current continuity, as the book calls anything post-2015) short stories. The cover prominently features the Legends banner that is printed on the mass-market Legends paperbacks, even though almost half of the book is not, in fact, Legends material. This, from the start, might turn people away if they were only interested in collecting canon stories! Even more odd: the image chosen, with Palpatine and Vader, comes from one of the canon short stories. I’d be mildly interested in hearing the decision making process behind all of this.
Another reason that this book is unique is the format it was printed in. It is a hardcover book, an oversized, yearbook-sized collection. The paper is printed on heavier stock, a glossier page that really does give you the yearbook feel. I almost want to pass this to my friends to sign before we go away for the summer! With the hardcover binding, it does stand just a bit taller than the individual issues of Insider do on your shelf. The size of these more closely represents other Titan Publishing books, like the Star Wars Annuals or behind the scenes features on each individual movie of the Disney era.
But that’s enough about the uniqueness of the release itself; you’re probably wondering if the collection is worth purchasing!
On a purely value level, I can easily say: yes, if you are interested in 2-3 of the stories, it is already worth the entry price of about $25 MSRP. Take into consideration the original price for these short stories: $8-10 per issue of Insider. And that’s for current issues – you may not be able to find back issues for that price everywhere. I, personally, buy each issue almost for the short stories alone. (Not because the short stories are always worth the cover price alone, but because I’m a canon completist. What can you do?)
If you’re not sure whether you’re interested in 2-3 of the short stories, there are a few short stories that are worth it, if you follow the logic of my pricing-valuation. This volume collects all of the Blade Squadron stories, which follow B-Wing pilot Gina Moonsong. These stories show the Squadron’s battles at Endor, Kuat, and Jakku, connecting with other canon works like Aftermath and some short stories from The Rise of the Empire. Of course, these stories are short, but if you’re a fan of the Alphabet Squadron novels, it’s a safe bet you’d be interested in these as well and they are very character driven, focusing on what the Squadron values in each other and values in terms of ending the war.
In general, the short stories are a mishmash, with no real theme or direction. The only commonality between the stories is really that they were printed in the magazine. Some canon short stories aren’t connected to any major work, like Freed’s work about an Alderaanian family on Coruscant after the Battle of Yavin. Another connects to Lords of the Sith, featuring our favorite Imperial Admiral, Rae Sloane! I found the canon short stories pretty enjoyable, and mostly worthy of being on your canon shelves.
The Legends stories were a much more mixed bag. A few tied into bigger stories: a short story focusing on Vestara Khai, one of my favorite characters from late-Legends, stood out here. This story, and most of the others, are mostly able to stand alone, whether or not they tie into another novel or story. Some of the stories seemed to be pretty clear stand-alones; others might have been connected to other novels, but if they were, it wasn’t immediately clear. For example, the Vestara Khai story doesn’t feature a tag connecting it with Fate of the Jedi, despite it being clear set-up for the series. Neither does the Jaina Solo novel, despite leaving extremely heavily into the story of the same series. The biggest sore thumb in the book is a story about Darth Tenebrous, which ties into the Darth Plagueis novel, which indulges in Legends’s worst impulses.
Overall, I mostly enjoyed the short stories here. My completionist mind is a bit bugged by the Legends banner, but it’s truly not a big deal. Most local comic shops in my area have had this for about a month now, so I would recommend checking to see if you can (safely) purchase from them.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor!