Life While There's Hope

Fanfiction
Title:	Life While There's Hope
Author(s):	Diane Williams
Date(s):	2000
Length:	36035 words
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Wars
External Links:	was online at Slash City, it is now at Archive of Our Own
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Life While There's Hope is a Han/Luke story by Diane Williams.

Summary

"Han Solo rescues a young man from the Hutt with unexpected consequences."

Author's Notes

"Originally published in 2000.

This is an Alternate Universe story, so some of the events and dialog in the original movie have been altered to fit this story. If you can’t stand the idea of someone tinkering with George’s vision, then move along ‘cause these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

I would like to thank the SWAL-Edit members who gave me encouragement, feedback, and advice during the writing of the first half of the story – and who didn’t kill me when it took a year to write the second half: Destina Fortunato, Irene, Cara Loup, and Anne Higgins, thanks for guiding me through my first Han/Luke story. Secondly, big thanks to Cara Loup and Angel Sparrow for beta-reading the second half of the story and keeping me on target. Your advice and suggestions were priceless, and if there is an award for Beta-Readers, then Cara should definitely get it. And to those who read the first half of the story and didn’t kill me for taking so long to finish it – thank you very, very much for not giving up on me."

Warnings: Mentions of sexual slavery but nothing graphic.

Reactions and Reviews

When Han Solo saves a young slave from a brothel owned by Jabba the Hutt, his actions have unexpected consequences for them both. If there's one thing I enjoy most about Diana William's fan fiction, it's the fact that she can take the basic formula of what we already know as canon and nudge it a little to the left to make it new and fresh without skewering off into the unknown. Life While There's Hope is a prime example of what Star Wars could have been if things would have gone just the tiniest bit different from the very start. It's still the same story - Luke still meets Ben Kenobi and joins the Rebellion; Leia still manages to be strong willed and a leader; Han and Chewie are still smugglers and end up becoming heroes despite themselves - but with a Han and Luke flavor that had me absolutely delighted. Better still is the fact that the scenario that Diana lays out is entirely plausible and even goes so far as to slightly mirror what might have happened to Anakin if he had stayed a slave.

I loved the original Star Wars movies, but it hasn't been a fandom in which I've particularly come across anything I wanted to recommend till now. I was really pleased when Diana Williams finally finished her AU story, 'Life While There's Hope' - it's a Han/Luke story, that begins with Han Solo stealing a certain not-very-proficient pleasure slave from Jabba the Hutt.