I have a serious soft spot for huge, unwieldy franchises. Worlds that live on past five or six films. That have TV spinoffs or canonical book and comic book tie-ins. That just keep going for decades. For one reason or another, these stories have staying power.

But even the most popular franchises have some… oddities that pop up. I’m not talking about the unfortunate sequel or lackluster spinoff that people pretend to forget. I’m talking about the installments that were legitimately forgotten. Films, shows, or books that flew so far under the radar that only diehard fans know about them.

Welcome to Franchise Oddities. 

Halloween might only come once a year, but we shouldn’t let that prevent us from continuing to embrace the spooky side of life… and of fandom. Every October, Star Wars fans like to look back and debate the creepiest creatures, aliens, and moments of the saga. Inevitably, we end up talking about Rancors, Rathtars, Dianoga, and Brain Worms. Among plenty of other worthy contenders.

That’s all well and good, but what about the parts of Star Wars that were intentionally meant to be scary? The parts that were supposed to make us jump or stay up at night? What about the stories that crossed genres and stirred some horror into the sci-fi/fantasy mix? In short,what about Galaxy of Fear?

Yes, Galaxy of Fear. What’s that, you say?

Galaxy of Fear was a series of 12 short chapter books intended for young readers that capitalized on the teen horror craze of the 90s. In retrospect, they were a relatively minor blip on the publishing radar. All 12 books (written by John Whitman) came out within the span of only a few months in 1997 and 1998, and they were distinctly different from other Star Wars books of the time. Sometimes described as Goosebumps in the Star Wars universe, the books have unfortunately slipped into obscurity – even among Star Wars fans.

And that’s a shame, because these books are all kinds of fun. And definitely worth seeking out if you don’t have them in your collection.

Imagine, if you will, being a young Star Wars fan in 1997. New books to satisfy your craving are coming out at a relatively steady pace, and most of them deal with familiar characters and situations. Then one day, you visit your local bookstore and see something new. Something different. It says Star Wars right there on the cover, right above a sweet 3-D hologram!

A hologram? Yep, and it’s of an unfamiliar monster with a long, snakelike tongue and sharp teeth that you’d swear was trying to claw its way off the cover and grab you! This… does not look like the Star Wars you know. Talk about making a strong first impression.

If we’re being perfectly honest, the hologram covers are what immediately set the series apart. Only 4 of the 12 books had them (and they were marketed as “limited collector’s editions”), but I’m not going to lie: they were pretty awesome. Was it a gimmick? Maybe. But the holograms still delight me today, 20 years later (especially the one for Book 9, Spore, featuring a surprised Ithorian). What can I say, I’m easily amused.

Even though the stories technically take place in the months immediately following A New Hope, the events have almost no connection to or effect on the larger universe. They feature some notable cameos and familiar faces (for example, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and the droids all make a somewhat inexplicable appearance in the very first book), but the stories mostly exist on the periphery of the Star Wars narrative.

Other familiar faces include Darth Vader, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Dr. Evazan, Boba Fett, and even Dash Rendar. (I suppose now would be a good time to note that the entire Galaxy of Fear series is obviously part of the Legends timeline.)

The series focuses on the adventures of 12- and 13-year-old siblings Tash and Zak Arranda. And surprisingly, our young protagonists are written against expectations. Tash and Zak are not Jedi Padawans, they’re not royalty, and they’re not scavengers living a life of high adventure. They’re just kids.

Their parents were killed when Alderaan was destroyed, so their backstory fits nicely into the Empire vs Rebel narrative we know. But when it comes right down to it, they’re just kids living day to day (with their Uncle Hoole and the somewhat sullen caretaker droid D-V9). In short, they’re relatable to young readers in a way that Jacen and Jaina often weren’t.

And their Uncle Hoole? A Shi’ido shapeshifter, he claims to be a traveling, research anthropologist, which automatically makes him awesome in my book. I mean, it would’ve been so easy to make the main adult character in these books a Jedi or a smuggler or a bounty hunter or any number of other familiar occupations.

But an anthropologist? I actually have a degree in anthropology, and I recognize that not everyone is as excited about this as I am, but believe me when I tell you: that’s just brilliant.

Hoole turns out to have a complicated history with ties to Palpatine. He used to be a geneticist tasked with discovering new methods of controlling life. His experiments ultimately led to a planetwide genocide (oops) and the creation of Trioculus, a character who plays a central role in another series of children’s books. So Galaxy of Fear doesn’t exist entirely in a vacuum.

The first five or six books form an arc about the Empire’s attempt to create a biological weapon, which was another way this series distinguished itself. Kids’ books, even those that are part of a larger series, rarely told a continuing story over several books. These books not only wanted to scare the pants off of kids, they also wanted to set up a compelling mystery that kept ’em coming back for more.

But I digress. I mean, the series has the word fear in its title. So is it scary? Well, keep in mind that the books were written for 10-year-olds, so it’s not like they’re going to give adults nightmares. But the creatures are definitely nightmare-worthy.

Parasitic snakepeople who feed off of decaying corpses. An evil carnivorous planet. Zombies. Boneworms. A sentient, man-eating blob of slimy ooze. Aliens that eat your brains through wormlike appendages. Space slugs. Homicidal robots. Six-foot beetles. And whatever this thing is.

Even though they’re intended for young readers, they’re still pretty intense. And they hold up really well… especially among that audience. And the fact that they’re all set in the Star Wars galaxy? Icing on the cake.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the cliffhangers. Every chapter has one.

Every. Single. Chapter.

Just when you think everything is smooth sailing, plot-wise, the last sentence of the chapter will set you up with a bloodcurdling scream, something slimy jumping out of the dark, or an attack of killer bugs. The cliffhanger-every-chapter approach is kind of the Galaxy of Fear calling card. Accept it. Embrace it. Love it.

Ultimately, the Galaxy of Fear books are incredibly fun stories with a healthy dose of creepiness lurking in the dark. This series doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. It deserves more fan love. I’d love to see more Star Wars–based horror stories, but in the meantime, I’ll be over here – curled up in the dark, reading about the time Darth Vader controlled an army of zombies.