GBBP 39: Claudia Gray

The Great Big Beautiful Podcast, Episode 39: Claudia Gray

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This week, we return to the Star Wars universe as we run up to the release of The Force Awakens in just a few weeks.

Since wiping away 30 years of Expanded Universe canon and lore, Disney and Lucasfilm have recently released a spate of Star Wars novels meant to create a “new normal” built around the upcoming films.

We’ve already featured a few of those authors on the show, including Christie Golden (Dark Disciple) and the trio of Alexandra Bracken, Adam Gidwitz, and Tom Angleberger (who wrote YA adaptations of the original trilogy). This week, we welcome Claudia Gray, who wrote Lost Stars, a YA novel set during the events of the original trilogy but which follows a pair of best friends who give a unique perspective to everything we think we know. Imagine Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead set in the Star Wars universe, and you’re close.

I think it’s fair to say that Lost Stars caught many readers off guard and has been one of the standout titles of this first wave of books. It, unfortunately, got overshadowed by Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath, which was released at the same time, but the fan reception to Lost Stars has been almost universally positive, if not enthusiastic. Even though there’s a sense of inevitability hanging over the events of Lost Stars, it still feels incredibly fresh and vibrant.

But Lost Stars is just one book in a long career–a career that continues to branch in new and exciting directions. Recently, Little, Brown announced a new series of YA sci-fi books by Claudia Gray:

The first book, Defy the Stars, and its sequel will bring readers an epic sci-fi adventure exploring the boundary between artificial intelligence and the human soul. Defy the Stars is about a young soldier, Noemi, in an intergalactic war and the robotic enemy warrior forced by his programming to obey her. When Noemi realizes that destroying him could save her world, she’s torn between her duty and her growing belief that he may be far more than just a machine. And far more to her than just the enemy.

On this week’s episode, we chat with Claudia about Star Wars, Defy the Stars, writing routines, and cool pseudonyms. Enjoy!

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