Reading books in the Star Wars universe has always been hit-or-miss for me. It can be hard to follow along with the vastness of space and the various characters, especially when they are not those you know well from the screen. However, those that touch on previous filmed characters or that are unique enough tend to stand out, such as Kiertsen White‘s Hiding from the Dark: A Star Wars Horror Novel. White amplifies the fear people have for the dark side and shows said fear from a fresh point-of-view.
Pursued by Imperial forces, a young girl named Bia must flee her home planet of Coruscant and find her mother. All the time, she is hunted by a figure in black, a presence more horrifying than she has ever encountered before. Can Bia escape—and what does she have that the Empire wants so badly?
Star Wars has always been a mix of various genres from Western, to science-fiction, to fantasy, to political drama, but horror should also be included. This is not just in the case of stories such as Hiding from the Dark, but as the dark side is terrifying on its own. However, White brings a fresh taste of horror to this new tale that even had me, a 40-year-old horror fan, on edge at times.
Using Darth Vader and his ability to use the dark side of the force as the overarching boogeyman in Hiding from the Dark was ingenious. White builds suspense and tension throughout with this mysterious boogeyman in the background. Young Bia doesn’t know who this force is that is haunting her and following her, but knows that she wants nothing to do with it. Adding to the fear of her current world is the situation she finds herself in, her mother is missing. Frightened with the thought of possibly never seeing her mother again along with the mystery surrounding this terrifying dark force drives her to make tough decisions and go into the unknown.
Fear has always been present in Star Wars stories, especially when it comes to the dark side. There are horrifying moments throughout the series of films, books, comics, and televisions shows, but using horror as the main theme in a story is something special. Not to mention this story is aimed at a young generation, hopefully building new fans of this galaxy far, far away along with new horror readers.
What made it click a bit more for me was how I subconsciously compared this horror tale to the stories told by R.L. Stine in his Goosebumps books. There was this playfulness to the story, but had moments of ultimate fear. I feel that if I compared a story to Stine’s work, it’s got to be good, and White nails it with this one. White’s prose and storytelling ability hit home for me as an adult and can see a wide variety of readers enjoying this story from it’s intended audience of grades 3-7 to those nearing 100.
As someone who loves to hybrid read stories between physical, digital, and audiobook, I started this book in physical form and was planning on completing it this way. But when I moved to audiobook for my commute to this office I was hooked and never looked back. Hiding from the Dark is narrated by Jorjeana Marie & Marc Thompson, but also features classic music and even iconic sound effects that you’d expect from a feature film. This made me feel even more connected to the Star Wars universe and immersed me in White’s epic story even more.
Hiding from the Dark: A Star Wars Horror Novel is a tension-filled horror story set in a galaxy far, far away. Kiersten White brings fears, frights, and the boogeyman to Star Wars in a captivating and suspenseful way. Hiding from the Dark is a great new Star Wars tale for those grades 3-and-up!
Star Wars: Hiding from the Dark hit bookstores everywhere on September 1, 2026 from Random House / Star Wars. The audiobook, narrated by Jorjeana Marie & Marc Thompson, is available via Libro.fm!
