How’s your day going? Would you like to feel personally attacked by fiction? Great, because StarWars.com has released an excerpt from the upcoming Han and Lando novel Last Shot that will break your heart into pieces. The book by Daniel José Older is hitting stores on April 17 and is just one of the publishing titles coming out ahead of Solo: A Star Wars Story–and I’m guessing it’s the most heartbreaking of them all. The offensive but touching selection highlights Han Solo being a father to baby Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren. He’s just trying to get his restless toddler to stay asleep while being inundated with interruptions. Hashtag relatable.
Enjoy this portrait of Dad-Solo:
“What? No!†Han sat up, still trying not to move Ben too much. He was shirtless, and his hair was almost certainly pointing in eight different directions. He probably had crust on his face. He didn’t much want to talk to Mon Mothma under regular circumstances, let alone half naked and bedheaded.”
Last Shot unfolds over three different time periods: back when Lando owns the Millennium Falcon, when Han owns it, and then after the Battle of Endor. The excerpt is obviously from that last time period, featuring a Han who is a new parent alongside his wife, Leia Organa, and a reluctant politician. Lando shows up in the passage and disturbs this moment of happiness:
“Little Ben looked up groggily, those dark eyes settling on Han, studying him. Han had no idea how a two-year-old could have such ancient eyes. It was as if Ben had been waiting around for a millennium to show up at just this moment in history.
Slowly, Ben Solo’s eyes drifted closed as his chin settled on Han’s shoulder.”
It’s fine. I didn’t need my heart. Read the entire excerpt at StarWars.com.
Images: Lucasfilm, Del Rey
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.
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