I just finished the 5-part comic Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison...and I did enjoy it. I was rather surprised how good it was. Darth Vader is just to easy to derail, but it didn't happen.
.... and I am amazed by the input given here (especially by Jay13x!)! Looks like we've got a whole reading list up!
MY GOD, JAY THAT WAS AMAZING. Rest assured that I will use this list not just personally but also as a reading list for a lot of my friends who are also going to be reading SW:EU books, and that your hours of work will be contributing to the entertainment of many, many enthusiasts for the next few years, myself and Believeinapathy included. On behalf of all of us, thank you so much! Your hard work is much appreciated! Can't wait to get my hands on these...
I completely agree and should've said so months ago, instead of just lurking; truly a great help.
I actually decided to give Darth Plagueis a chance becuase I spent part of a Christmas gift certificate on it.
Its boring, dull, and just plain "ugh." Honestly, it was a struggle to get thru it.
The last third of the book is passable, but not enough to make it good or worth the time.
It tries to be an interesting political novel like The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy is, but at least that excellent trilogy had a great mixture of interesting political maneuvering and action. This is one has little action and the political stuff wasn't enticing at all.
This book is can be skipped, unless you have insomnia.
(about the English language) It's kinda like a raft that was cobbled together from parts of three different boats and since then has been kept barely afloat with crude repairs every time a leak appeared.
I picked up the Wraith squadron series recently and read through them. I think i enjoyed them more than the Rouge Squadron cycle. Aaron Aalston is good. He takes the same mold that Rogue squadron used, and poured a bunch of losers into it. And ended up with a really good series.
I added my impressions of Scoundrels, next up on the list is X-Wing: Mercy Kill (I can't recommend the X-Wing novels enough). I'll be reading Crucible when the e-book price goes down.
I skipped Scourge completely as it's a novelization of a Star Wars RPG module.
Just going to add another vote for the Thrawn Trilogy. IMO, this is where anyone who wants to start reading EU should begin, though it does set a very high bar for the genre of franchise fiction. After that my favorite novel was "I, Jedi" because Corran Horn is fleshed out so nicely in the novel and it does a nice job of adding some wonderful behind the scenes detail to the EU. Medstar I and II are really interesting in that they really don't have a plot, so much as attempt to give some depth to the cost of the clone war.
Beyond that they are a blend of "fine beach reads" to "insulting garbage". I would avoid any of the Kevin J. Anderson books, like the plague.
The two best EU things I have read in years are both ongoing comics: In the Shadows of Yavin (Rebellion Era), by Brian Wood: It picks up like days after the battle of Yavin and follows all the OT main protagonists as they try and find a new location for the rebel base. They are up to issue 8 right now, and there is probably a TPB collecting some of them as well.
Prisoner of the Floating World (Legacy Era), by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman: This series follows Ania Solo, who is an independant junk dealer, as the galaxy's problems suck at her in the way only the line of Solo and Organa get sucked into things. The series takes place after the original Skywalker focused Legacy series did, but the art and the writing surpass it considerably. Ania is one of the truly fleshed out and least cliche characters in Star Wars stories in a while.
I really liked Legacy of the Force, especially if you think of it as a commentary of the post-9/11 USA.
Shotacat approves of Invincible, certainly. (Seriously, seriously thought that scene between Ben and Tahiri was all kinds of ****ed up.) And there was the oddball fact that every Mando seems concerned about ZOMG CLONE SLAVES!!!11!one Yes, it is a problem, but when you suddenly make complaining about it an entire planet's hat, even though not everyone in the galaxy knows about all the events of the movies! (a problem for all EU authors; they know Palpatine died over Endor, but they don't, for instance, know it was Vader who killed him), it was the usual Travissty.
Seriously, I borrowed those books from the public library, and wanted a refund.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Shotacat approves of Invincible, certainly. (Seriously, seriously thought that scene between Ben and Tahiri was all kinds of ****ed up.) And there was the oddball fact that every Mando seems concerned about ZOMG CLONE SLAVES!!!11!one Yes, it is a problem, but when you suddenly make complaining about it an entire planet's hat, even though not everyone in the galaxy knows about all the events of the movies! (a problem for all EU authors; they know Palpatine died over Endor, but they don't, for instance, know it was Vader who killed him), it was the usual Travissty.
Seriously, I borrowed those books from the public library, and wanted a refund.
Boba Fett knows all about the clones -> Boba Fett tells other Mandalorians. Plus, many Mandalorians running around were clones, according to a lot of Boba Fett's lore from the various books.
Right?
I mostly agree with what you're saying, but you have to admit that as time goes on more details come out. So all of Luke's friends would know the truth about the end of RotJ with a few days, but it wouldn't be 'history' until after the New Republic no longer needed Luke as a symbol.
I finally read Crucible. It was pretty good but I agree that it was largely lacking in substance. I think it's better framed as an Epilogue to the Lucasfilm Era of the Expanded Universe, as the post-RotJ continuity is up in the air and all rumors point to it being more or less completely gone, with the exception of broad strokes ideas (Like Mara Jade, Ben, Jacen and Jaina).
The book itself almost breaks the fourth wall with the character's discussions at the end essentially saying it's long past time they took a break.
Just an update- In the shadows of yavin continues to be quite great and is at 13 issues so far. Dark Horse (who publish this book) has lost it's rights to the Star Wars franchise in comic form and it is moving to Marvel, and so far I am not certain what this means for the current ongoing stories. On the one hand Marvel is one of the big two comic publishers and for some people that have supported smaller publishers that is a bummer. On the other hand Marvel has been largely knocking it out of the park in the last couple years with regard to innovative books, daring stories, and pushing it's characters into new styles. It also has a lot of amazing writers and artists that it works with regularly, so it has an amazing talent pool.
Sure, I am just not sure when that actually is. Like, how many more issues of "In the Shadow of Yavin" do I have to look forward to?
Ah! I see what you're saying. I believe they have it through Calendar Year 2014, so about 10-11 more issues. More than enough time to tie a bow on any ongoing storylines.
Sure, I am just not sure when that actually is. Like, how many more issues of "In the Shadow of Yavin" do I have to look forward to?
Ah! I see what you're saying. I believe they have it through Calendar Year 2014, so about 10-11 more issues. More than enough time to tie a bow on any ongoing storylines.
that is good news.
The only other thing I worry about the most is what will Dark Horse do to replace them, becuase that was a huge part of their monthly releases sometimes.
In anticipation of both Star Wars: Rebels and Episode VII, I wish to read any novels that focus on Luke's attempts to rebuild the Jedi order, Mara Jade and her relationship with Luke, and Jacen Solo's fall to the dark side. What novels can anyone recommend to me that meet those criteria?
Well, first you should know that all EU was recently thrown out the window as far as cannon goes. The true cannon is only the films and the clone wars series. There could be other little things, but that is it for the most part, so any EU you want to read in preparation for the upcoming films is not going to be supported. I kinda get it, as it gives the film makers more leeway and does not tie them to details from novels and comics that were sometimes marginal at best. That would be a huge impediment towards developing a good story.
That said, there is the Jedi Academy trilogy by Kevin J Anderson. It think they are utter garbage, but that is the start of the story of rebuilding the Jedi Academy. The Thrawn Trilogy (set before JA) is probably the best EU series and it covers Jade's introduction to Luke. It takes a metric ass-load of books for Jacen to fall to the darkside. The Young Jedi Knights series would be the place to start, but lordy...it is 14 books written over only three real world years by Keven J. Anderson and his wife. I couldn't stand his writing before, and with them churning them out at that rate I can't imagine they are crafted with any care. Even that only touches on it because you have 20 more years of Jacen's life and many novels that he plays a part in, until "Betrayal", which is where ***** goes bad for him.
I have not read most of what I listed above, I gave up quite some time ago. It most of the later stuff I gleaned from this wiki page and browsing Jacen Solo's wiki page.
In anticipation of both Star Wars: Rebels and Episode VII, I wish to read any novels that focus on Luke's attempts to rebuild the Jedi order, Mara Jade and her relationship with Luke, and Jacen Solo's fall to the dark side. What novels can anyone recommend to me that meet those criteria?
What DrWorm said about continuity is true. Everything has started over fresh as of earlier this year, making the existing films, Clone Wars, a story in Star Wars Insider canon, and then anything new that comes out. Everything else is now 'Star Wars Legends' and is not canon.
That being said, you essentially want to read some of the 'Zahnverse' books: Allegiance and Choices of One are two novels that contain movie-era Mara Jade's story
The Thrawn Trilogy tells the beginning of their story together
The Jedi Academy Trilogy tells the story of the founding of the new Jedi
The Hand of Thrawn Duology deepens their relationship
Then you're going to want to read some of the NJO Books for Jacen's gradual turn:
Vector Prime introduces the Yuuzhan Vong threat
Balance Point is a tent pole that continues the main plot (there were 20 total books, but four or five hardcovers that were the 'core' story books.
Star by Star continues Jace's story
Traitor
The Final Prophecy
Destiny's Way
Then the Dark Next series and then finally Legacy of the Force series conclude that journey and by and large Luke and Mara's.
Why was much of the expanded universe demoted to being non-canonical? Are there not different levels of canon in Star Wars? Who made that decision, and why did they make it? How could they decide to disregard nearly three decades' worth of stories (some of them most excellent), and what makes The Clone Wars so special that it can remain canonical?
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“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
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Why was much of the expanded universe demoted to being non-canonical? Are there not different levels of canon in Star Wars?
Not really.
Who made that decision, and why did they make it?
I don't know his name but he is the same guy that has been managing the canon for years, and the reason is due to the constraints that it put on the writers of the new films. They did not want to have to navigate such a complex canon.
How could they decide to disregard nearly three decades' worth of stories (some of them most excellent), and what makes The Clone Wars so special that it can remain canonical?
I suggest you do a google search for articles on the subject, as they can convey the reasons and rational better than I can.
Who made that decision, and why did they make it? How could they decide to disregard nearly three decades' worth of stories (some of them most excellent),
Disney's new staff managing the franchise did. They made the decision because it would be very hard to write an Episode VII that doesn't step on the book's toes. For instance, there would be no Chewy is they followed the book's canon.
That being said, something becoming 'not canon' doesn't invalidate the Expanded Universe. It's better to think of it as alternative canon. Essentially, you've got two separate timelines that share the first six films and Clone Wars. The 'Legends' brand is still going to be around, it's just not going to reflect the new movies and the plot going into it.
And honestly, the EU was starting to become a MESS. You've seen, earlier in this thread, how I've read most of the EU, with only some prequel books left by the wayside. I can honestly say that while the quality overall was uneven for years, the EU's best days were behind it. They started to explore too much and the universe was becoming overcomplicated and flat out boring. I should not be bored reading about the origin of the proto-Jedi/Sith (who were neither and both) and the struggle against the Rakatan.
I, for one, appreciate the fresh slate, and unless any of the new films directly contradict the old stuff, there is no reason it can't still 'exist', so to speak. It's just the Lucasverse and the Disneyverse. Much of the EU is hit or miss, and the X-Wing books will still be some of my favorite Star Wars stories.
And as long as Rebels introduces Kyle Katarn at some point, I'm happy. He was my favorite EU character (outside of Corran Horn and the X-Wing characters).
and what makes The Clone Wars so special that it can remain canonical?
It's what a lot of kids now identify with Star Wars. Whereas our older generation identifies the OT as the core of star wars, the new generation recognizes Clone Wars (even more than the PT).
Plus, it's made by the same developers behind Rebels and it's still making Disney money.
Last Update: December 13th, 2014 - Added a quick summary of The Old Republic: Annihilation.
In honor of the EU being over (after April 25th, 2014), I'm completely revamping/revising my reviews and summaries from a previous post and providing a comprehensive overview of the 'Legends' imprint. I'm including several games and comics in here as well, although I'll note when I'm talking about which.
Before the Republic
This is a relatively 'new' era, detailed things waaaaaay before any of the films. As in 25,000 or so years before. I'm not really a fan of this era, mostly because it's too 'explainy'. Ancient dreaded empires shouldn't really ever been shown from a day to day perspective.
Dawn of the Jedi (Book and Comic Series)
Avoid this series, at least for now. They take place about 25,000 years before the movies, and 'reveal' things that are better left shrouded in mystery. Just too much about the 'origin' of the Jedi (or should I say Je'daii). This details the original schism
It connects a lot to the ancient empires (Sith and Rakata) established in Tales of the Jedi and Knights of the Old Republic, and seems to connect to the Celestials established in an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Old Republic Era
I love this Era, which is essentially from about 5,000 years before the films right up until a few hundred years before.
Tales of the Jedi (Comic)
This comic series takes place about 5,000 years before the movies, but much of the mythos about the Sith, the Mandalorians and the Old Republic was first established here. It's also available in two handy volumes thanks to Dark Horses' Omnibus series. I personally like it, and the phenomenal KOTOR video game was supposed to connect more closely (just ignore the art style difference between the two). For reference: Nomi Sunrider was supposed to be Bastilla Shan's recent ancestor, but they changed the name due to issues with the name 'Sunrider'. Also 'Ship' from later series is based on the Sith ships from this Era.
Knights of the Old Republic (Video Game)
This game is now available for as little as $2.50 in many places, and it's definitely a must play for any Star Wars or western RPG fan. Fantastic story, which I really can't talk about without spoiling. Revan was introduced in this game, and went on to be one of the most popular EU characters ever.
Knights of the Old Republic 2 (Video Game)
This game is similarly available as KOTOR now. I personally love it, but the game tends to be divisive. Rather than being a product of the Bioware team (like KOTOR), the folks at Obsidian Entertainment developed this title (most recently famous for Fallout: New Vegas). Essentially, this game follows 'The Exile', the only Jedi to follow Revan against the Mandalorians to return to the Jedi order.
The Old Republic: Revan
This book is a follow-up to the KOTOR video games, and a prequel to the Old Republic MMO. Since The Old Republic's main story doesn't really deal Revan or the Exile's fate, this book explains what happens to them. It also sets up a minor plotline in a Flashpoint in TOR and the backstory for the Sith Empire in TOR. Drew Karpyshyn (the former head writer for Bioware, responsible for the stories of every game from KOTOR to Mass Effect) writes this, and it provides a solid read, but those hoping for an epic conclusion to their story will be disappointed.
The Old Republic: Deceived
This is a story about the fall of Coruscant from this video: http://youtu.be/bVyJP92TiVg
It's pretty much the only Old Republic book I'll wholeheartedly recommend. Almost any Star Wars book told from a Sith Lord's POV is a good Star Wars book.
Red Harvest
The prequel to Death Troopers, it's about Zombies in the Star Wars universe, taking place primarily in a Sith Academy. It's an entertaining read, but entirely skippable, especially if you don't want straight up Horror in your Sci Fi/Fantasy.
The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
This book is largely irrelevant. It was released before the MMO came out, and thus contained nothing that would spoil the game's plot. It's a nice little side adventure, but utterly skippable. It only provides a little back story on some characters from the MMO, none of which is important to the story.
The Old Republic (Video Game)
I recommend reading about this game, but not playing it unless you are a fan of MMOs. This game is very plot heavy, which is great, except it's also an MMO, which means it was a huge let down for fans of the first two games (like me), who didn't want our experience dependent on other people. Especially because the story dealing with Revan and the Exile is just a minor plot stuck in a Flashpoint, which requires four people to play. I believe the Jedi Knight plot is the only critical one, but all the storylines are fairly interesting.
The Old Republic: Annihilation
This story takes place after The Old Republic's Jedi Story. The Sith have been dealt a crippling blow but hang on due to a superweapon. This story explores that conflict, and also deals with Shan family (who've been a mainstay of the Old Republic series). This book is better than Fatal Alliance, but worse than Deception. Your mileage may vary, but it's essentially a Star Wars spy thriller.
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories
This was originally available as a free series of e-books (about 40 pages each). The final story in the series is only available in the collected edition, so give a couple of the novellas a read and see if you like it before buying. The plot is about a group of Sith, slaves to Naga Sadow, who crash land on a planet without any significant metal deposits. The spend the next 5,000 years developing their own society on this planet, until reappearing in the later post-ROTJ series.
Knight Errant (Book and Comic)
I didn't like the book, but I think the comic book is better. This is essentially the a Star Wars adaptation of 'Yojimbo', or 'A Fistful of Dollars'. Not relevant in any other plot, so if you're looking for self-contained Star Wars, this is it.
Darth Bane Trilogy
A solid set of books by Drew Karpyshyn. The plot follows the origin and legacy of Darth Bane, the Sith Lord who, disgusted with the old Sith Empires, creates the Rule of Two. I highly recommend these books, but you don't need to read them to understand what happens later.
Rise of the Empire era
I should note I'm not generally a big fan of this era, mostly because the Clone Wars (period of time) got oversaturated and I don't want to spend any more time with Prequel-era characters than I have to.
Darth Plagueis
I've never actually read this one, and I don't intend to. If you loved the idea of midichlorians, this is the book for you, otherwise avoid at all costs. See this review from Penny Arcade about everything wrong with this book: http://www.penny-arcade.com/2012/01/25/star-wars-crap
Darth Maul: Saboteur
This is a short novella about Darth Maul's first solo mission. Skippable.
Cloak of Deception
This is a direct prequel to the Phantom Menace. If you watched that film and said to yourself "Hey, I want to know more about the political maneuverings that caused this Trade Federation Blockade!" then this book is for you. If, you didn't, skip it.
Maul: Lockdown
This is one of the final books published before the 'Legends' imprint became a thing. I haven't read it yet, but it's about Darth Maul posing as a prisoner to investigate an arms dealing ring. Because it has come out so late, there is literally nothing that references the events of this book, making it the most skippable there is. If you're a Darth Maul fan, however, you'll probably eat this up.
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
This book is essentially ‘The Terminator’ but replace Arnold with Darth Maul. Predictable, but entertaining. This book is important because it has characters and connections that carry through quite a few of the prequel and dark times eras (the Michael Reaves-verse characters, as I call them, because they only appear in his books).
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace takes place here.
Rogue Planet
This is a weird book. By itself it isn’t that great, but it has a strong connection to the New Jedi Order Series. It is best read and appreciated after the directly before reading the New Jedi Order book Traitor. It's a direct prequel to the New Jedi Order and has no value on its own, but has a huge payoff when you finish the New Jedi Order series.
Outbound Flight
This is another weird book. On its own, it’s a simple side story. It’s best read after the Timothy Zahn novel ‘Survivor’s Quest’ (to which this is a direct sequel) or as the last book in the 'Zahnverse' series, as Outbound flight is a plot point in quite a few of his books and this would spoil quite a bit if you read it first. This is the earliest story chronological Zahn-verse story, however it's also the least necessary. The Approaching Storm
Much like Cloak of Deception, only read if you care more about the maneuverings that occur directly before Episode II.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones takes place here.
The Cestus Deception
This is a Clone Wars-era side story starring Obi-wan. Utterly skippable.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon) starts around here. I love the series, although any given episode is hit or miss.
Jedi Trial
This is the Anakin-starring Clone Wars Era book. The Clone Wars cartoon contradicts some of this, only notable for including Nejaa Halcyon, who is related to a popular EU character.
Republic Commando Series
I could only get through the first novel in this series. I really want to like Karen Traviss’ writing, and the concept is interesting (Star Wars from a Military Squad perspective), but I just couldn't get into it. Give it a shot and if you like the first one or Karen Traviss' writing, there are four sequels or so.
Shatterpoint
This book is all about Mace Windu, and written by the guy that wrote the Magic Book Test of Metal. I liked it, but your mileage may vary.
Medstar I and II
These two books are essentially about a Star Wars M*A*S*H. Worth reading because they factor in to the Reaves-verse I mentioned earlier, and they introduce a lot of entertaining characters that recur throughout Reaves' stories.
Yoda: Dark Rendevous
This book is all about Yoda. Your mileage may vary, but it’s worth seeing things from his point of view.
Labyrinth of Evil
Like the two movie prequel books before it, this is entirely skippable unless you want to know more about the events surrounding Episode III.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith takes place here .
Kenobi
Another book published just before the 'Legends' imprint. If younger Obi-wan is your thing, this is the book for you. Otherwise, nothing references this book and it is entirely skippable.
Dark Lord: The Rise of Lord Vader
This book is about Darth Vader hunting down Jedi shortly after Episode III. Again, since I love the Sith Lord POV books, I loved this one. Not necessary to any plotline at all, but a fun read.
Coruscant Nights I, II and III
This book has characters from both Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter and Medstar I and II. It’s worth continuing their story. These are written more along the lines of a Star Wars noir, and are generally detective stories, with the added element that the main character detective was a Jedi Padawan before Order 66.
The Last Jedi
I believe this was originally going to be Coruscant Nights IV, but since a large portion of it takes place off planet, and it got delayed, it got its own title. It's got the same cast and picks up after CS III. This was the final Reaves-verse book to be released (but not the final one, chronologically).
The Han Solo Trilogy and the Lando Calrissian Trilogy
These are mostly skippable. Lando’s series is from the early 80s, and reads like 70s sci-fi. The Han Solo Trilogy is up in the air. Both aren't really ever referenced again (as was anything written before the Heir to the Empire Trilogy).
The Force Unleashed (Book and Video Game)
This was part of a major media push, which largely fell flat due to the game being B-list material. There isn't really point to reading the books if you can play the game instead, it’s not expensive, it's not hard and it’s only about 10 hours long. The plot follows Vader's Secret Apprentice (Starkiller) as he's betrayed and seeks redemption (played by a genre favorite). The light side ending was supposed to be canon, but it was never mentioned again and the new cartoon, Rebels, will most likely completely overwrite this story.
Death Star
Another Reaves-verse book, this one about the construction and subsequent destruction of the Death Star, from the point of view of the people enslaved or hired to build it. Worth it just to read about the bureaucracy that allowed the fatal weakness to be built into the plans. I liked it.
Han Solo at Star’s End, Han Solo’s Revenge, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
These three stories together are about one novel’s length. They are fun little pulp novels starring Han in some crazy adventures. They’re also from the 70s, and some of the earliest Star Wars books, so cut them some slack. I do love that they show how much of a jerk Han could be.
The Force Unleashed II (Book and Video Game)
Skip this. It ends on a cliffhanger (Darth Vader captured) and is about the clone of Starkiller from the first game. The plot will never be resolved with the Disney purchase, so don't ruin the self-contained story from the first game/novel with this.
Dark Forces (Video Game) or Dark Forces: Soldier of the Empire
The first Dark Forces game (the Star Wars ‘Doom’ style game) or its adaptation, about the mercenary Kyle Katarn, who obtained the original Death Star's plans for the Rebellion. If you can find the book, it’s worth a read (check your library). The game is available on Steam, although all the plot is in the cutscenes, and you can catch those on Youtube. I just love Kyle Katarn's character, and he was made an official part of the books in later novels (up until then he was never mentioned in the books, despite the games being around for a long time).
Death Troopers
It’s about zombies on an Imperial Prison Ship and Star Destroyer. If that got you excited, read it. If it didn't, skip it. Read this before Red Harvest, however, as Red Harvest may spoil some plot points.
Rebellion Era
This is the OT era. Mostly good stuff to be had here.
Shadow Games
This is a companion book to Shadows of the Empire, coming out 15ish years later. Starring Dash Rendar and involved Black Sun and Prince Xizor. I enjoyed it a lot, but I don't know whether it would work better being read before or after Shadows of the Empire, but it's really the only time those two characters are relevant. It also features some key EU characters from later books.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope takes place here.
Tales from the …
I recommend reading all the ‘Tales from the’ or ‘Tales of the’ books, although some of the stories are better than others. They are entirely skippable though, as they have no bearing on any other story and have varying levels of canonicity. They're basically a bunch of short story collections.
Winner Lose All and Scoundrels
Definitely worth a read, as are all of Zahn's books. However, these are the most recent and have nothing to do with his other books or characters, except for a couple passing references. These star Han, Chewie and Lando before the events of Empire Strikes Back. Han has recently lost the reward money he got from the Rebels while gambling, and is looking for a score to be able to pay back Jabba. It's a Star Wars Ocean's 11, and a pretty entertaining one at that, even if the stakes are ultimately fairly low compared to other Star Wars books. Winner Lose All is a short novella that takes places shortly before the book and directly relates.
Allegiance and Choice of One
These two books are direct sequels to one another, about a squad of stormtroopers who steal an experimental ship and desert the Empire, but end up trying to be the thing they signed up to be: heroes. These books feature Mara Jade (her youngest appearance) and younger versions of the Skywalker clan, however these were written fairly recently and aren't referred to again.
Honor Among Thieves
I believe this is the last pre-Legends imprint book to be released. Focuses on the Skywalker clan during the Rebellion. I haven't read it yet, but it's skippable for the understanding of later book because of how new it is.
Splinter of the Mind’s Eye
Worth reading because this was written as a potential low-budget sequel to Star Wars if A New Hope had failed. Takes place essentially directly before Empire Strikes Back, but in general none of this is referred to again (as is anything written before the first Zahn novels).
Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge
This is preceded Honor Among Thieves, but is generally the same in terms of being a Skywalker-clan Rebellion story. Haven't read it either.
Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron (Comics)
These can be picked up in three handy Omnibus volumes, however the first or two are prohibitively expensive in physical form (as they're out of print), so pick up a digital copy. These tell the tale of Rogue Squadron during the Rebellion Era, while the later novels tell later stories.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back takes place here.
Shadows of the Empire
This was the 90s version of The Force Unleashed’s media push. It was released as a game, a comic and a book, toys and even had commercials. I recommend the book over the game, only because the game is hard to find and not good at telling the story. It’s a good book though, and introduces the Han-replacement Dash Rendar (And his ship, the YT-1300, soon to be an X-Wing Miniature), and Black Sun leader Prince Xizor. This is what Luke and company are doing between Empire and Return of the Jedi. It’s a good read.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi takes place here.
Bounty Hunter Wars
These pick up immediately after Boba Fett is knocked into the Sarlacc Pit, and chronicles his escape and subsequent adventures. Fun, but entirely skippable as they are never referred to again.
The Truce at Bakura
I read this book when I was 14. It’s clumsily written and one of the earliest 90s SW books, but interesting. It picks up immediately after Return of the Jedi, and forces an Imperial Garrison and the remains of the Rebel Fleet to face off against a new and unknown enemy. This is where I start recommending reading summaries even if you skip the books, as the plots can be important to the overall story without being worth reading themselves. It would be entirely skippable if it weren’t for the fact that Bakura is referred to once in a while.
New Republic Era
This is the Era most explored in the 90's. It has some of the best and worst of the EU.
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
This is a pretty good book. An interesting and different kind of villain, and written in the style of the better 90s books, and an unreliable narrator. Definitely worth a read! Also mostly skippable if you don’t want to, as since it is a recent book, it’s almost never mentioned. You’ll find this is the case with most of the recent books that went back to fill in gaps between Return of the Jedi and the New Jedi Order Series.
Dark Forces: Rebel Agent & Jedi Knight, Jedi Knight (Video Game)
These pick up from the previous Dark Forces story and continue to adapt the story through the Jedi Knight video game. They are quick reads, so if you can find the books they're worth the backstory on Kyle. The Jedi Knight (Video Game) continues Kyle's story as he becomes a self-taught Jedi.
X-Wing Books
These books are probably the most popular of the entire EU, outside of the original Thrawn trilogy. I highly recommend reading all 10 novels, plus the three unofficial novels that are part of the series. These books span the New Republic and New Jedi Order era, however, so I'll list when they take place here.
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron through X-Wing: Solo Command take place here.
The Courtship of Princess Leia
Worth reading the summary at least, because it establishes both the Hapans, a major player in later books, and the Night Sisters of Dathomir, which were recently featured in the Clone Wars cartoon and reappear quite a few times. I've reread it recently, and while silly and features a VERY out of character Han doing something desperate, it expanded the mythos grealy.
Tatooine Ghost (and A Forest Apart ebook)
Read the summary. This book is essentially about Leia coming to terms with her father being Darth Vader (and no longer hating him). It’s also about the progression of Han and Leia’s relationship after TCPL. It was written soon after Phantom Menace so It’s another ‘gap filler’, so like the Shadows of Mindor it’s mostly skippable, except a painting they try to recover on Tatooine (Killik Twilight) gets mentioned several times in later novels. It also serves as a direct prequel to the Thrawn Trilogy.
Thrawn Trilogy
This is a MUST READ! These three books are mission critical, both to the Zahn-verse books and to the series as a whole. They are huge fan favorites, and probably the most popular Star Wars books of all time. If you are looking to get into post-Return of the Jedi books, you must read these. They are about Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the best Star Wars villains, coming back from the Outer Regions to discover the Empire in ruins, and his attempt to restore it. Also, Han and Leia have their twins (Jacen and Jaina).
X-Wing: Isard's Revenge takes place here.
Dark Empire (Comics)
Read the summary here. These are some of the earliest comics, and suffer from some really bad plotting (they predate most of the new books), but Luke's overall fall and return from the dark side and the death of the clone emperor are important moving forward.
Jedi Academy Trilogy
I love these books, but some people hate Kevin J. Anderson, so your mileage may vary. These books introduce a stable of regular EU characters and is nominally the second most important series after the Thrawn trilogy for establishing the EU's world. They're about Luke’s establishment of a Jedi Academy on Yavin IV and his first class of Jedi, and the emergence of Admiral Daala, the special weapons developer who ran the facility that designed the Death Star. Also, the Sun Crusher, which is an extreme YMMV concept.
I, Jedi
This is the first unofficial X-Wing series book, as Corran Horn, a major character from those books, is the star here. Great book, told from the Point of View of Corran Horn, probably the most important non-Skywalker Clan EU character. Follows Corran during his time at the Jedi Academy and his mission to rescue his wife. Corran is a fun character because his family has very poor telekinetic powers, but make up for it with their amazing telepathic powers. He’s also a complete badass.
Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
This is probably the least well known plot of the EU, despite being important for a lot of character development. Kyle Katarn begins training Mara Jade in the force (because at this point in the story, she still hates Luke), but he disappears and it's up to Mara to find him.
Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (Video Game)
This game's plot is largely about Kyle coming to terms with and accepting his role as a Jedi after giving it up at the end of Mysteries of the Sith. It's a great games, just put in the dismemberment code and invincibility and run through if you have to. This is the only video game where I can say I accidently cut Luke Skywalker in half by walking past him too close with my lightsaber.
Jedi Academy (Video Game)
In this game, you play as Kyle Katarn's apprentice in a plot that features some characters from Jedi Outcast. It was largely unimportant, except the apprentice features in his own novels later.
Children of the Jed, Darksaber and Planet of Twilight
This is kind of an unofficial trilogy, and is about Luke and his first real love interest. These books are bad, I could barely get through any of them, and I’m pretty sure I never finished any of them. Read the summaries, because the love interest matters again later (if only so you're not completely confused). A large chunk of the backstory to these was retconned after the prequels.
The Crystal Star
This novel is complete and utter garbage, and the most universally reviled star wars book. The plot is like a bad episode of Star Trek. Just… ick.
The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy
This trilogy had the most awesomely vicious villains until the New Jedi Order. Not essential reading, but definitely fun.
The New Rebellion
Meh. Read the summary, nothing to see here. It just isn’t very memorable. Some might argue with me, but it doesn't really matter again.
The Corellian Trilogy
Meh. I only read the summaries, but some plot points are important later (like Centerpoint Station). I've heard bad things.
The Hand of Thrawn Duology
Must read, more Zahn-verse stuff, it follows up on the plot points raised in the Thrawn Trilogy, it's the beginning of Luke and Mara's relationship, and it foreshadows the coming of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Scourge
This is based on a Star Wars RPG module and has no bearing on the overall story. Make of that what you will.
Junior Jedi Knights series
Read the summaries, it introduces some later important characters, but these are kids books. They are about Han and Leia’s youngest son, Anakin, and his love interest Tahiri.
Survivor’s Quest (and Fool’s Bargain novella)
The final (chronological) Zahn-verse book. Calls back to all of his previous books. Make sure not to read Outbound Flight until after this one, as it can be considered a direct sequel to the events in this book.
Young Jedi Knights series
These have been rereleased as ‘plot arc’ collections, as these young adult novels generally spread out plot arcs amongst three or four books. Characters from this series are all featured in books beyond this, so if you like Kevin J. Anderson, I say read them. If you don’t, read the summaries.
New Jedi Order Era
This era was brought about in the early 2000's and represents a change in direction after a decade of loosely connected Star Wars stories.
Boba Fett: A Practical Man novella
Worth a read, if only because it reintroduced Boba to the main Star Wars universe, and relates to later books by beginning to establish his new position among the Mandalorians.
New Jedi Order Series
This is the series that changed the way Star Wars books came out. Each cluster of 4 or 5 books represents a year of in-universe time, and they were release every year, with a yearly hardcover book with major plot points or turning points. I won’t go into specifics on many of them (especially because there are some MAJOR events that I don’t want to spoil), here’s a quick series of short reactions:
Vector Prime – OMG! WTF! One of two Star Wars books to make me tear up.
Dark Tide I and II – Climax has an amazingly iconic moment
Agents of Chaos I and II – Read or read summary
Balance Point – Must read
Recovery novella - Meh
Edge of Victory I and II - Read
Star by Star - :’( This is the second star wars book to cause me to tear up. Amazing.
Dark Journey – Deals with the aftermath of previous book. Summary will do, but is a good read
Enemy Lines I and II – Wedge Antilles is a certified Grade-A Badass.
<Rogue Planet should be read here>
Traitor – A must read. Be sure to read Rogue Planet before this. None shall pass.
Destiny’s Way – Must read
Ylesia novella - Meh
Force Heretic I, II and III – Read or Summary
The Final Prophecy – Must Read
The Unifying Force – Must Read
The required reading here is: Vector Prime, Balance Point, Star by Star, Traitor, Destiny's Way, The Final Prophecy, the Unifying Force.
Enemy Lines I and II are the second and third unofficial X-Wing series books.
Dark Nest Trilogy
This series deals with the aftermath of the New Jedi Order series, and introduces plot points important for the Legacy of the Force Series. Take it or leave it, I found it interesting, but I would never re-read it. The plot is important though, because it leads into the reasons for certain character’s actions during Legacy of the Force, and there are plot points that are brought up in the Fate of the Jedi series.
Legacy Era
This is called the Legacy era because by this point, all the Skywalker clan's kids are more or less grown and the Skywalkers themselves are old. These are the late 2000's, early 2010's books.
Legacy of the Force series
I liked it in a general sense, but your mileage may vary. Read the first few books, and if the plot turns you off, read the summaries of the rest. I really can’t talk about much more, because it’s very spoiler heavy to even reveal some of the plot.
Crosscurrent
Remember that big bold ‘Jedi Academy’? Yeah, the main character of that game (a Human Male in canon) stars in this book. Remember that Lost Tribe of the Sith E-book series? That matters here too. This book is about a disturbance in the force, that turns out to be the companion ship of the one that crashed back in the Lost Tribe of the Sith. Something about a force-sensitive metal and a hyperdrive accident, pushes them forward in time. Stop thinking about it and enjoy popcorn entertainment. Also, half-light side, half-dark side clones.
Riptide
The follow up to Crosscurrent. Only read it if you read and liked Crosscurrent. It was better than Crosscurrent, but was ultimately weird and created a complicated mythology for a character who was ultimately supposed to be a stand-in for Kyle Katarn in Jedi Academy. Between this book and Crosscurrent, it seemed like ideas were being thrown at the wall. It is quite literally an expanded Universe clearing house. Let's list them here:
References to the Great Hyperspace War
References to the One Sith (Star Wars Legacy)
References to the Empire of the Hand (Thrawn and Zahn books)
References to the Dark Forces series
References to the Legacy of the Force series
References to the Rakatan Empire (KOTOR)
Also, it seems like chapters weren't allowed to conclude without name-checking Thrawn-era cloning tech.
I'm not really sure what the point of this book was, unlike, say the next book in this list.
Millennium Falcon
Definitely worth reading. Han, Leia and their adopted daughter explore the history of the Millennium Falcon (with various side stories about the previous owners and the way the Falcon saved their lives), and ultimately leads in to the next series. Definitely one of the better stand-alone books.
Fate of the Jedi
Remember that Lost Tribe of the Sith? Yeah, they get a ship and get off that planet. Also, an ancient dark side being escapes her prison thanks to them. And young Jedi start losing their minds, thinking everyone they know has been replaced by spies. I liked the early books a lot, but the plot really drags for the second half. My spoilery opinion is below:
I loved the early stuff about the Lost Tribe, but by the end I was sick of Abeloth, and the ending seemed desperate to make connections to other series (Namely the Clone Wars and the Star Wars Legacy comic).
X-Wing: Mercy Kill goes here. It's a great swan song for the X-Wing series.
Crucible
This may or may not have been intended to be the Swan Song for the Lucasfilm Era of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (now known as the 'Legacy' imprint). It was a fun read but largely unsubstantive, and serves as more of an extended epilogue to the Fate of the Jedi series than its own book.
Star Wars: Legacy (Comic)
Dark Horse recently released a fantastic hardcover collection of this series (Volumer 1). Whether or not it's still 'canon' (as the end of Fate of the Jedi seems to imply that it isn't), it's a great look at the Star Wars Universe 100 years later.
Star Wars: Legacy II(Comic)
This one follows another branch of the Solo tree, with Ania solo, Han's great granddaughter being the star. I've only read a little bit of this, but it seems decent.
And that's it. Every adult-oriented Lucasfilm-era Star Wars book is represented here. I didn't cover a LOT of comics, because frankly I haven't read most of them and most of them aren't important to the novel's plots.
Legends Cliff Notes (The Must-Reads for the Skywalker Story)
Courtship of Princess Leia Summary
Thrawn Trilogy
Jedi Academy Trilogy
Young Jedi Knights
New Jedi Order Series (Vector Prime, Balance Point, Star By Star, Traitor, The Final Prophecy, The Unifying Force)
Legacy of the Force
Fate of the Jedi
Crucible (The final chronological book)
Zahn-verse Stories (Books written by Zahn relating to his characters and plots)
Outbound Flight (Read Last)
Allegiance
Choices of One
Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future
Survivor's Quest
Reaves-verse Stories (Books written by Reaves relating to his characters and plots)
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Medstar I-II
Coruscant Nights I-III
The Last Jedi
Death Star
Isolated Stories (Novels, Duologies or Trilogies that are self-contained)
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Scoundrels
Shadows of the Empire and Shadow Games
Death Troopers and Red Harvest
Darth Bane Trilogy
I also can't recommend the X-Wing Series highly enough. It's largely self-contained, so if you only read the books with the 'X-Wing' imprint, you shouldn't be too confused (as long as you know the general gist of what happens in the overall story).
I look forward to starting again with the new continuity, as supposedly there will not be any contradictory material, everything published from now on is canon.
For those wondering, here is the current state of 'canon' for the Post 2014 Disney-era Reboot:
Disney-Era Continuity
- All six current films, all the future films
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (CG Cartoon and Feature)
- Star Wars: Rebels (CG Cartoon)
- Four upcoming novels:
A New Dawn (September 2, 2014)
Tarkin (November 4, 2014)
Lords of the Sith (March 2015)
Heir to the Jedi (January 2015)
- A Star Wars short story (the name of which I can't find)
I'll be reviewing these books and posting summaries as they become available. There will be a future post about the Disney Continuity.
You are forgetting a few of the young reader novels, such as Jedi Apprentice, Jedi Quest, The Last of the Jedi, and Rebel Force, as well as a few books like The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader and The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi that take place from alternate perspectives.
You are forgetting a few of the young reader novels, such as Jedi Apprentice, Jedi Quest, The Last of the Jedi, and Rebel Force, as well as a few books like The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader and The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi that take place from alternate perspectives.
I've purposefully left off most of the younger reader books, because they're specifically for children and their plots are irrelevant and/or weren't canon even when the EU was still around. The only younger book series that 'matters' was Junior Jedi Knights.
I updated the post to make it clear that these are the adult oriented books.
Agreed. I really wish they could have gotten Salvatore to sign on long term.
Control is the ultimate expression of power.
I completely agree and should've said so months ago, instead of just lurking; truly a great help.
I actually decided to give Darth Plagueis a chance becuase I spent part of a Christmas gift certificate on it.
Its boring, dull, and just plain "ugh." Honestly, it was a struggle to get thru it.
The last third of the book is passable, but not enough to make it good or worth the time.
It tries to be an interesting political novel like The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy is, but at least that excellent trilogy had a great mixture of interesting political maneuvering and action. This is one has little action and the political stuff wasn't enticing at all.
This book is can be skipped, unless you have insomnia.
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I skipped Scourge completely as it's a novelization of a Star Wars RPG module.
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Beyond that they are a blend of "fine beach reads" to "insulting garbage". I would avoid any of the Kevin J. Anderson books, like the plague.
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In the Shadows of Yavin (Rebellion Era), by Brian Wood: It picks up like days after the battle of Yavin and follows all the OT main protagonists as they try and find a new location for the rebel base. They are up to issue 8 right now, and there is probably a TPB collecting some of them as well.
Prisoner of the Floating World (Legacy Era), by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman: This series follows Ania Solo, who is an independant junk dealer, as the galaxy's problems suck at her in the way only the line of Solo and Organa get sucked into things. The series takes place after the original Skywalker focused Legacy series did, but the art and the writing surpass it considerably. Ania is one of the truly fleshed out and least cliche characters in Star Wars stories in a while.
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Shotacat approves of Invincible, certainly. (Seriously, seriously thought that scene between Ben and Tahiri was all kinds of ****ed up.) And there was the oddball fact that every Mando seems concerned about ZOMG CLONE SLAVES!!!11!one Yes, it is a problem, but when you suddenly make complaining about it an entire planet's hat, even though not everyone in the galaxy knows about all the events of the movies! (a problem for all EU authors; they know Palpatine died over Endor, but they don't, for instance, know it was Vader who killed him), it was the usual Travissty.
Seriously, I borrowed those books from the public library, and wanted a refund.
On phasing:
Boba Fett knows all about the clones -> Boba Fett tells other Mandalorians. Plus, many Mandalorians running around were clones, according to a lot of Boba Fett's lore from the various books.
Right?
I mostly agree with what you're saying, but you have to admit that as time goes on more details come out. So all of Luke's friends would know the truth about the end of RotJ with a few days, but it wouldn't be 'history' until after the New Republic no longer needed Luke as a symbol.
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The book itself almost breaks the fourth wall with the character's discussions at the end essentially saying it's long past time they took a break.
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I'm pretty sure it will mean the cancellation of any of the ongoing books by the time Dark Horse's license expires.
My concern is more over their ability to print their archive. I've been loving the Star Wars Omnibus editions.
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Ah! I see what you're saying. I believe they have it through Calendar Year 2014, so about 10-11 more issues. More than enough time to tie a bow on any ongoing storylines.
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that is good news.
The only other thing I worry about the most is what will Dark Horse do to replace them, becuase that was a huge part of their monthly releases sometimes.
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“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
That said, there is the Jedi Academy trilogy by Kevin J Anderson. It think they are utter garbage, but that is the start of the story of rebuilding the Jedi Academy. The Thrawn Trilogy (set before JA) is probably the best EU series and it covers Jade's introduction to Luke. It takes a metric ass-load of books for Jacen to fall to the darkside. The Young Jedi Knights series would be the place to start, but lordy...it is 14 books written over only three real world years by Keven J. Anderson and his wife. I couldn't stand his writing before, and with them churning them out at that rate I can't imagine they are crafted with any care. Even that only touches on it because you have 20 more years of Jacen's life and many novels that he plays a part in, until "Betrayal", which is where ***** goes bad for him.
I have not read most of what I listed above, I gave up quite some time ago. It most of the later stuff I gleaned from this wiki page and browsing Jacen Solo's wiki page.
Good luck
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What DrWorm said about continuity is true. Everything has started over fresh as of earlier this year, making the existing films, Clone Wars, a story in Star Wars Insider canon, and then anything new that comes out. Everything else is now 'Star Wars Legends' and is not canon.
That being said, you essentially want to read some of the 'Zahnverse' books:
Allegiance and Choices of One are two novels that contain movie-era Mara Jade's story
The Thrawn Trilogy tells the beginning of their story together
The Jedi Academy Trilogy tells the story of the founding of the new Jedi
The Hand of Thrawn Duology deepens their relationship
Then you're going to want to read some of the NJO Books for Jacen's gradual turn:
Vector Prime introduces the Yuuzhan Vong threat
Balance Point is a tent pole that continues the main plot (there were 20 total books, but four or five hardcovers that were the 'core' story books.
Star by Star continues Jace's story
Traitor
The Final Prophecy
Destiny's Way
Then the Dark Next series and then finally Legacy of the Force series conclude that journey and by and large Luke and Mara's.
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“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
I don't know his name but he is the same guy that has been managing the canon for years, and the reason is due to the constraints that it put on the writers of the new films. They did not want to have to navigate such a complex canon.
I suggest you do a google search for articles on the subject, as they can convey the reasons and rational better than I can.
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There were, under the old system. It was films -> Clone Wars Cartoon -> books -> comics/games.
The new system is more ambitious. Under the new system, everything not labeled 'legends' is canon, which will include new stories in all media.
We'll see how that works out.
Disney's new staff managing the franchise did. They made the decision because it would be very hard to write an Episode VII that doesn't step on the book's toes. For instance, there would be no Chewy is they followed the book's canon.
That being said, something becoming 'not canon' doesn't invalidate the Expanded Universe. It's better to think of it as alternative canon. Essentially, you've got two separate timelines that share the first six films and Clone Wars. The 'Legends' brand is still going to be around, it's just not going to reflect the new movies and the plot going into it.
And honestly, the EU was starting to become a MESS. You've seen, earlier in this thread, how I've read most of the EU, with only some prequel books left by the wayside. I can honestly say that while the quality overall was uneven for years, the EU's best days were behind it. They started to explore too much and the universe was becoming overcomplicated and flat out boring. I should not be bored reading about the origin of the proto-Jedi/Sith (who were neither and both) and the struggle against the Rakatan.
I, for one, appreciate the fresh slate, and unless any of the new films directly contradict the old stuff, there is no reason it can't still 'exist', so to speak. It's just the Lucasverse and the Disneyverse. Much of the EU is hit or miss, and the X-Wing books will still be some of my favorite Star Wars stories.
And as long as Rebels introduces Kyle Katarn at some point, I'm happy. He was my favorite EU character (outside of Corran Horn and the X-Wing characters).
It's what a lot of kids now identify with Star Wars. Whereas our older generation identifies the OT as the core of star wars, the new generation recognizes Clone Wars (even more than the PT).
Plus, it's made by the same developers behind Rebels and it's still making Disney money.
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In honor of the EU being over (after April 25th, 2014), I'm completely revamping/revising my reviews and summaries from a previous post and providing a comprehensive overview of the 'Legends' imprint. I'm including several games and comics in here as well, although I'll note when I'm talking about which.
Books are in the order of the timeline from here:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline_of_books
Before the Republic
This is a relatively 'new' era, detailed things waaaaaay before any of the films. As in 25,000 or so years before. I'm not really a fan of this era, mostly because it's too 'explainy'. Ancient dreaded empires shouldn't really ever been shown from a day to day perspective.
Avoid this series, at least for now. They take place about 25,000 years before the movies, and 'reveal' things that are better left shrouded in mystery. Just too much about the 'origin' of the Jedi (or should I say Je'daii). This details the original schism
It connects a lot to the ancient empires (Sith and Rakata) established in Tales of the Jedi and Knights of the Old Republic, and seems to connect to the Celestials established in an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
I love this Era, which is essentially from about 5,000 years before the films right up until a few hundred years before.
This comic series takes place about 5,000 years before the movies, but much of the mythos about the Sith, the Mandalorians and the Old Republic was first established here. It's also available in two handy volumes thanks to Dark Horses' Omnibus series. I personally like it, and the phenomenal KOTOR video game was supposed to connect more closely (just ignore the art style difference between the two). For reference: Nomi Sunrider was supposed to be Bastilla Shan's recent ancestor, but they changed the name due to issues with the name 'Sunrider'. Also 'Ship' from later series is based on the Sith ships from this Era.
Knights of the Old Republic (Video Game)
This game is now available for as little as $2.50 in many places, and it's definitely a must play for any Star Wars or western RPG fan. Fantastic story, which I really can't talk about without spoiling. Revan was introduced in this game, and went on to be one of the most popular EU characters ever.
Knights of the Old Republic 2 (Video Game)
This game is similarly available as KOTOR now. I personally love it, but the game tends to be divisive. Rather than being a product of the Bioware team (like KOTOR), the folks at Obsidian Entertainment developed this title (most recently famous for Fallout: New Vegas). Essentially, this game follows 'The Exile', the only Jedi to follow Revan against the Mandalorians to return to the Jedi order.
The Old Republic: Revan
This book is a follow-up to the KOTOR video games, and a prequel to the Old Republic MMO. Since The Old Republic's main story doesn't really deal Revan or the Exile's fate, this book explains what happens to them. It also sets up a minor plotline in a Flashpoint in TOR and the backstory for the Sith Empire in TOR. Drew Karpyshyn (the former head writer for Bioware, responsible for the stories of every game from KOTOR to Mass Effect) writes this, and it provides a solid read, but those hoping for an epic conclusion to their story will be disappointed.
The Old Republic: Deceived
This is a story about the fall of Coruscant from this video:
http://youtu.be/bVyJP92TiVg
It's pretty much the only Old Republic book I'll wholeheartedly recommend. Almost any Star Wars book told from a Sith Lord's POV is a good Star Wars book.
Red Harvest
The prequel to Death Troopers, it's about Zombies in the Star Wars universe, taking place primarily in a Sith Academy. It's an entertaining read, but entirely skippable, especially if you don't want straight up Horror in your Sci Fi/Fantasy.
The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
This book is largely irrelevant. It was released before the MMO came out, and thus contained nothing that would spoil the game's plot. It's a nice little side adventure, but utterly skippable. It only provides a little back story on some characters from the MMO, none of which is important to the story.
The Old Republic (Video Game)
I recommend reading about this game, but not playing it unless you are a fan of MMOs. This game is very plot heavy, which is great, except it's also an MMO, which means it was a huge let down for fans of the first two games (like me), who didn't want our experience dependent on other people. Especially because the story dealing with Revan and the Exile is just a minor plot stuck in a Flashpoint, which requires four people to play. I believe the Jedi Knight plot is the only critical one, but all the storylines are fairly interesting.
The Old Republic: Annihilation
This story takes place after The Old Republic's Jedi Story. The Sith have been dealt a crippling blow but hang on due to a superweapon. This story explores that conflict, and also deals with Shan family (who've been a mainstay of the Old Republic series). This book is better than Fatal Alliance, but worse than Deception. Your mileage may vary, but it's essentially a Star Wars spy thriller.
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories
This was originally available as a free series of e-books (about 40 pages each). The final story in the series is only available in the collected edition, so give a couple of the novellas a read and see if you like it before buying. The plot is about a group of Sith, slaves to Naga Sadow, who crash land on a planet without any significant metal deposits. The spend the next 5,000 years developing their own society on this planet, until reappearing in the later post-ROTJ series.
Knight Errant (Book and Comic)
I didn't like the book, but I think the comic book is better. This is essentially the a Star Wars adaptation of 'Yojimbo', or 'A Fistful of Dollars'. Not relevant in any other plot, so if you're looking for self-contained Star Wars, this is it.
Darth Bane Trilogy
A solid set of books by Drew Karpyshyn. The plot follows the origin and legacy of Darth Bane, the Sith Lord who, disgusted with the old Sith Empires, creates the Rule of Two. I highly recommend these books, but you don't need to read them to understand what happens later.
Rise of the Empire era
I should note I'm not generally a big fan of this era, mostly because the Clone Wars (period of time) got oversaturated and I don't want to spend any more time with Prequel-era characters than I have to.
I've never actually read this one, and I don't intend to. If you loved the idea of midichlorians, this is the book for you, otherwise avoid at all costs. See this review from Penny Arcade about everything wrong with this book: http://www.penny-arcade.com/2012/01/25/star-wars-crap
Darth Maul: Saboteur
This is a short novella about Darth Maul's first solo mission. Skippable.
Cloak of Deception
This is a direct prequel to the Phantom Menace. If you watched that film and said to yourself "Hey, I want to know more about the political maneuverings that caused this Trade Federation Blockade!" then this book is for you. If, you didn't, skip it.
Maul: Lockdown
This is one of the final books published before the 'Legends' imprint became a thing. I haven't read it yet, but it's about Darth Maul posing as a prisoner to investigate an arms dealing ring. Because it has come out so late, there is literally nothing that references the events of this book, making it the most skippable there is. If you're a Darth Maul fan, however, you'll probably eat this up.
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
This book is essentially ‘The Terminator’ but replace Arnold with Darth Maul. Predictable, but entertaining. This book is important because it has characters and connections that carry through quite a few of the prequel and dark times eras (the Michael Reaves-verse characters, as I call them, because they only appear in his books).
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace takes place here.
Rogue Planet
This is a weird book. By itself it isn’t that great, but it has a strong connection to the New Jedi Order Series. It is best read and appreciated after the directly before reading the New Jedi Order book Traitor. It's a direct prequel to the New Jedi Order and has no value on its own, but has a huge payoff when you finish the New Jedi Order series.
Outbound Flight
This is another weird book. On its own, it’s a simple side story. It’s best read after the Timothy Zahn novel ‘Survivor’s Quest’ (to which this is a direct sequel) or as the last book in the 'Zahnverse' series, as Outbound flight is a plot point in quite a few of his books and this would spoil quite a bit if you read it first. This is the earliest story chronological Zahn-verse story, however it's also the least necessary.
The Approaching Storm
Much like Cloak of Deception, only read if you care more about the maneuverings that occur directly before Episode II.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones takes place here.
The Cestus Deception
This is a Clone Wars-era side story starring Obi-wan. Utterly skippable.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon) starts around here. I love the series, although any given episode is hit or miss.
Jedi Trial
This is the Anakin-starring Clone Wars Era book. The Clone Wars cartoon contradicts some of this, only notable for including Nejaa Halcyon, who is related to a popular EU character.
Republic Commando Series
I could only get through the first novel in this series. I really want to like Karen Traviss’ writing, and the concept is interesting (Star Wars from a Military Squad perspective), but I just couldn't get into it. Give it a shot and if you like the first one or Karen Traviss' writing, there are four sequels or so.
Shatterpoint
This book is all about Mace Windu, and written by the guy that wrote the Magic Book Test of Metal. I liked it, but your mileage may vary.
Medstar I and II
These two books are essentially about a Star Wars M*A*S*H. Worth reading because they factor in to the Reaves-verse I mentioned earlier, and they introduce a lot of entertaining characters that recur throughout Reaves' stories.
Yoda: Dark Rendevous
This book is all about Yoda. Your mileage may vary, but it’s worth seeing things from his point of view.
Labyrinth of Evil
Like the two movie prequel books before it, this is entirely skippable unless you want to know more about the events surrounding Episode III.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith takes place here .
Kenobi
Another book published just before the 'Legends' imprint. If younger Obi-wan is your thing, this is the book for you. Otherwise, nothing references this book and it is entirely skippable.
Dark Lord: The Rise of Lord Vader
This book is about Darth Vader hunting down Jedi shortly after Episode III. Again, since I love the Sith Lord POV books, I loved this one. Not necessary to any plotline at all, but a fun read.
Coruscant Nights I, II and III
This book has characters from both Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter and Medstar I and II. It’s worth continuing their story. These are written more along the lines of a Star Wars noir, and are generally detective stories, with the added element that the main character detective was a Jedi Padawan before Order 66.
The Last Jedi
I believe this was originally going to be Coruscant Nights IV, but since a large portion of it takes place off planet, and it got delayed, it got its own title. It's got the same cast and picks up after CS III. This was the final Reaves-verse book to be released (but not the final one, chronologically).
The Han Solo Trilogy and the Lando Calrissian Trilogy
These are mostly skippable. Lando’s series is from the early 80s, and reads like 70s sci-fi. The Han Solo Trilogy is up in the air. Both aren't really ever referenced again (as was anything written before the Heir to the Empire Trilogy).
The Force Unleashed (Book and Video Game)
This was part of a major media push, which largely fell flat due to the game being B-list material. There isn't really point to reading the books if you can play the game instead, it’s not expensive, it's not hard and it’s only about 10 hours long. The plot follows Vader's Secret Apprentice (Starkiller) as he's betrayed and seeks redemption (played by a genre favorite). The light side ending was supposed to be canon, but it was never mentioned again and the new cartoon, Rebels, will most likely completely overwrite this story.
Death Star
Another Reaves-verse book, this one about the construction and subsequent destruction of the Death Star, from the point of view of the people enslaved or hired to build it. Worth it just to read about the bureaucracy that allowed the fatal weakness to be built into the plans. I liked it.
Han Solo at Star’s End, Han Solo’s Revenge, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
These three stories together are about one novel’s length. They are fun little pulp novels starring Han in some crazy adventures. They’re also from the 70s, and some of the earliest Star Wars books, so cut them some slack. I do love that they show how much of a jerk Han could be.
The Force Unleashed II (Book and Video Game)
Skip this. It ends on a cliffhanger (Darth Vader captured) and is about the clone of Starkiller from the first game. The plot will never be resolved with the Disney purchase, so don't ruin the self-contained story from the first game/novel with this.
Dark Forces (Video Game) or Dark Forces: Soldier of the Empire
The first Dark Forces game (the Star Wars ‘Doom’ style game) or its adaptation, about the mercenary Kyle Katarn, who obtained the original Death Star's plans for the Rebellion. If you can find the book, it’s worth a read (check your library). The game is available on Steam, although all the plot is in the cutscenes, and you can catch those on Youtube. I just love Kyle Katarn's character, and he was made an official part of the books in later novels (up until then he was never mentioned in the books, despite the games being around for a long time).
Death Troopers
It’s about zombies on an Imperial Prison Ship and Star Destroyer. If that got you excited, read it. If it didn't, skip it. Read this before Red Harvest, however, as Red Harvest may spoil some plot points.
This is the OT era. Mostly good stuff to be had here.
This is a companion book to Shadows of the Empire, coming out 15ish years later. Starring Dash Rendar and involved Black Sun and Prince Xizor. I enjoyed it a lot, but I don't know whether it would work better being read before or after Shadows of the Empire, but it's really the only time those two characters are relevant. It also features some key EU characters from later books.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope takes place here.
Tales from the …
I recommend reading all the ‘Tales from the’ or ‘Tales of the’ books, although some of the stories are better than others. They are entirely skippable though, as they have no bearing on any other story and have varying levels of canonicity. They're basically a bunch of short story collections.
Winner Lose All and Scoundrels
Definitely worth a read, as are all of Zahn's books. However, these are the most recent and have nothing to do with his other books or characters, except for a couple passing references. These star Han, Chewie and Lando before the events of Empire Strikes Back. Han has recently lost the reward money he got from the Rebels while gambling, and is looking for a score to be able to pay back Jabba. It's a Star Wars Ocean's 11, and a pretty entertaining one at that, even if the stakes are ultimately fairly low compared to other Star Wars books. Winner Lose All is a short novella that takes places shortly before the book and directly relates.
Allegiance and Choice of One
These two books are direct sequels to one another, about a squad of stormtroopers who steal an experimental ship and desert the Empire, but end up trying to be the thing they signed up to be: heroes. These books feature Mara Jade (her youngest appearance) and younger versions of the Skywalker clan, however these were written fairly recently and aren't referred to again.
Honor Among Thieves
I believe this is the last pre-Legends imprint book to be released. Focuses on the Skywalker clan during the Rebellion. I haven't read it yet, but it's skippable for the understanding of later book because of how new it is.
Splinter of the Mind’s Eye
Worth reading because this was written as a potential low-budget sequel to Star Wars if A New Hope had failed. Takes place essentially directly before Empire Strikes Back, but in general none of this is referred to again (as is anything written before the first Zahn novels).
Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge
This is preceded Honor Among Thieves, but is generally the same in terms of being a Skywalker-clan Rebellion story. Haven't read it either.
Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron (Comics)
These can be picked up in three handy Omnibus volumes, however the first or two are prohibitively expensive in physical form (as they're out of print), so pick up a digital copy. These tell the tale of Rogue Squadron during the Rebellion Era, while the later novels tell later stories.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back takes place here.
Shadows of the Empire
This was the 90s version of The Force Unleashed’s media push. It was released as a game, a comic and a book, toys and even had commercials. I recommend the book over the game, only because the game is hard to find and not good at telling the story. It’s a good book though, and introduces the Han-replacement Dash Rendar (And his ship, the YT-1300, soon to be an X-Wing Miniature), and Black Sun leader Prince Xizor. This is what Luke and company are doing between Empire and Return of the Jedi. It’s a good read.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi takes place here.
Bounty Hunter Wars
These pick up immediately after Boba Fett is knocked into the Sarlacc Pit, and chronicles his escape and subsequent adventures. Fun, but entirely skippable as they are never referred to again.
The Truce at Bakura
I read this book when I was 14. It’s clumsily written and one of the earliest 90s SW books, but interesting. It picks up immediately after Return of the Jedi, and forces an Imperial Garrison and the remains of the Rebel Fleet to face off against a new and unknown enemy. This is where I start recommending reading summaries even if you skip the books, as the plots can be important to the overall story without being worth reading themselves. It would be entirely skippable if it weren’t for the fact that Bakura is referred to once in a while.
This is the Era most explored in the 90's. It has some of the best and worst of the EU.
This is a pretty good book. An interesting and different kind of villain, and written in the style of the better 90s books, and an unreliable narrator. Definitely worth a read! Also mostly skippable if you don’t want to, as since it is a recent book, it’s almost never mentioned. You’ll find this is the case with most of the recent books that went back to fill in gaps between Return of the Jedi and the New Jedi Order Series.
Dark Forces: Rebel Agent & Jedi Knight, Jedi Knight (Video Game)
These pick up from the previous Dark Forces story and continue to adapt the story through the Jedi Knight video game. They are quick reads, so if you can find the books they're worth the backstory on Kyle. The Jedi Knight (Video Game) continues Kyle's story as he becomes a self-taught Jedi.
X-Wing Books
These books are probably the most popular of the entire EU, outside of the original Thrawn trilogy. I highly recommend reading all 10 novels, plus the three unofficial novels that are part of the series. These books span the New Republic and New Jedi Order era, however, so I'll list when they take place here.
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron through X-Wing: Solo Command take place here.
The Courtship of Princess Leia
Worth reading the summary at least, because it establishes both the Hapans, a major player in later books, and the Night Sisters of Dathomir, which were recently featured in the Clone Wars cartoon and reappear quite a few times. I've reread it recently, and while silly and features a VERY out of character Han doing something desperate, it expanded the mythos grealy.
Tatooine Ghost (and A Forest Apart ebook)
Read the summary. This book is essentially about Leia coming to terms with her father being Darth Vader (and no longer hating him). It’s also about the progression of Han and Leia’s relationship after TCPL. It was written soon after Phantom Menace so It’s another ‘gap filler’, so like the Shadows of Mindor it’s mostly skippable, except a painting they try to recover on Tatooine (Killik Twilight) gets mentioned several times in later novels. It also serves as a direct prequel to the Thrawn Trilogy.
Thrawn Trilogy
This is a MUST READ! These three books are mission critical, both to the Zahn-verse books and to the series as a whole. They are huge fan favorites, and probably the most popular Star Wars books of all time. If you are looking to get into post-Return of the Jedi books, you must read these. They are about Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the best Star Wars villains, coming back from the Outer Regions to discover the Empire in ruins, and his attempt to restore it. Also, Han and Leia have their twins (Jacen and Jaina).
X-Wing: Isard's Revenge takes place here.
Dark Empire (Comics)
Read the summary here. These are some of the earliest comics, and suffer from some really bad plotting (they predate most of the new books), but Luke's overall fall and return from the dark side and the death of the clone emperor are important moving forward.
Jedi Academy Trilogy
I love these books, but some people hate Kevin J. Anderson, so your mileage may vary. These books introduce a stable of regular EU characters and is nominally the second most important series after the Thrawn trilogy for establishing the EU's world. They're about Luke’s establishment of a Jedi Academy on Yavin IV and his first class of Jedi, and the emergence of Admiral Daala, the special weapons developer who ran the facility that designed the Death Star. Also, the Sun Crusher, which is an extreme YMMV concept.
I, Jedi
This is the first unofficial X-Wing series book, as Corran Horn, a major character from those books, is the star here. Great book, told from the Point of View of Corran Horn, probably the most important non-Skywalker Clan EU character. Follows Corran during his time at the Jedi Academy and his mission to rescue his wife. Corran is a fun character because his family has very poor telekinetic powers, but make up for it with their amazing telepathic powers. He’s also a complete badass.
Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
This is probably the least well known plot of the EU, despite being important for a lot of character development. Kyle Katarn begins training Mara Jade in the force (because at this point in the story, she still hates Luke), but he disappears and it's up to Mara to find him.
Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (Video Game)
This game's plot is largely about Kyle coming to terms with and accepting his role as a Jedi after giving it up at the end of Mysteries of the Sith. It's a great games, just put in the dismemberment code and invincibility and run through if you have to. This is the only video game where I can say I accidently cut Luke Skywalker in half by walking past him too close with my lightsaber.
Jedi Academy (Video Game)
In this game, you play as Kyle Katarn's apprentice in a plot that features some characters from Jedi Outcast. It was largely unimportant, except the apprentice features in his own novels later.
Children of the Jed, Darksaber and Planet of Twilight
This is kind of an unofficial trilogy, and is about Luke and his first real love interest. These books are bad, I could barely get through any of them, and I’m pretty sure I never finished any of them. Read the summaries, because the love interest matters again later (if only so you're not completely confused). A large chunk of the backstory to these was retconned after the prequels.
The Crystal Star
This novel is complete and utter garbage, and the most universally reviled star wars book. The plot is like a bad episode of Star Trek. Just… ick.
The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy
This trilogy had the most awesomely vicious villains until the New Jedi Order. Not essential reading, but definitely fun.
The New Rebellion
Meh. Read the summary, nothing to see here. It just isn’t very memorable. Some might argue with me, but it doesn't really matter again.
The Corellian Trilogy
Meh. I only read the summaries, but some plot points are important later (like Centerpoint Station). I've heard bad things.
The Hand of Thrawn Duology
Must read, more Zahn-verse stuff, it follows up on the plot points raised in the Thrawn Trilogy, it's the beginning of Luke and Mara's relationship, and it foreshadows the coming of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Scourge
This is based on a Star Wars RPG module and has no bearing on the overall story. Make of that what you will.
Junior Jedi Knights series
Read the summaries, it introduces some later important characters, but these are kids books. They are about Han and Leia’s youngest son, Anakin, and his love interest Tahiri.
Survivor’s Quest (and Fool’s Bargain novella)
The final (chronological) Zahn-verse book. Calls back to all of his previous books. Make sure not to read Outbound Flight until after this one, as it can be considered a direct sequel to the events in this book.
Young Jedi Knights series
These have been rereleased as ‘plot arc’ collections, as these young adult novels generally spread out plot arcs amongst three or four books. Characters from this series are all featured in books beyond this, so if you like Kevin J. Anderson, I say read them. If you don’t, read the summaries.
This era was brought about in the early 2000's and represents a change in direction after a decade of loosely connected Star Wars stories.
Boba Fett: A Practical Man novella
Worth a read, if only because it reintroduced Boba to the main Star Wars universe, and relates to later books by beginning to establish his new position among the Mandalorians.
This is the series that changed the way Star Wars books came out. Each cluster of 4 or 5 books represents a year of in-universe time, and they were release every year, with a yearly hardcover book with major plot points or turning points. I won’t go into specifics on many of them (especially because there are some MAJOR events that I don’t want to spoil), here’s a quick series of short reactions:
Vector Prime – OMG! WTF! One of two Star Wars books to make me tear up.
Dark Tide I and II – Climax has an amazingly iconic moment
Agents of Chaos I and II – Read or read summary
Balance Point – Must read
Recovery novella - Meh
Edge of Victory I and II - Read
Star by Star - :’( This is the second star wars book to cause me to tear up. Amazing.
Dark Journey – Deals with the aftermath of previous book. Summary will do, but is a good read
Enemy Lines I and II – Wedge Antilles is a certified Grade-A Badass.
<Rogue Planet should be read here>
Traitor – A must read. Be sure to read Rogue Planet before this. None shall pass.
Destiny’s Way – Must read
Ylesia novella - Meh
Force Heretic I, II and III – Read or Summary
The Final Prophecy – Must Read
The Unifying Force – Must Read
The required reading here is: Vector Prime, Balance Point, Star by Star, Traitor, Destiny's Way, The Final Prophecy, the Unifying Force.
Enemy Lines I and II are the second and third unofficial X-Wing series books.
Dark Nest Trilogy
This series deals with the aftermath of the New Jedi Order series, and introduces plot points important for the Legacy of the Force Series. Take it or leave it, I found it interesting, but I would never re-read it. The plot is important though, because it leads into the reasons for certain character’s actions during Legacy of the Force, and there are plot points that are brought up in the Fate of the Jedi series.
Legacy Era
This is called the Legacy era because by this point, all the Skywalker clan's kids are more or less grown and the Skywalkers themselves are old. These are the late 2000's, early 2010's books.
I liked it in a general sense, but your mileage may vary. Read the first few books, and if the plot turns you off, read the summaries of the rest. I really can’t talk about much more, because it’s very spoiler heavy to even reveal some of the plot.
Crosscurrent
Remember that big bold ‘Jedi Academy’? Yeah, the main character of that game (a Human Male in canon) stars in this book. Remember that Lost Tribe of the Sith E-book series? That matters here too. This book is about a disturbance in the force, that turns out to be the companion ship of the one that crashed back in the Lost Tribe of the Sith. Something about a force-sensitive metal and a hyperdrive accident, pushes them forward in time. Stop thinking about it and enjoy popcorn entertainment. Also, half-light side, half-dark side clones.
Riptide
The follow up to Crosscurrent. Only read it if you read and liked Crosscurrent. It was better than Crosscurrent, but was ultimately weird and created a complicated mythology for a character who was ultimately supposed to be a stand-in for Kyle Katarn in Jedi Academy. Between this book and Crosscurrent, it seemed like ideas were being thrown at the wall. It is quite literally an expanded Universe clearing house. Let's list them here:
References to the One Sith (Star Wars Legacy)
References to the Empire of the Hand (Thrawn and Zahn books)
References to the Dark Forces series
References to the Legacy of the Force series
References to the Rakatan Empire (KOTOR)
Also, it seems like chapters weren't allowed to conclude without name-checking Thrawn-era cloning tech.
I'm not really sure what the point of this book was, unlike, say the next book in this list.
Millennium Falcon
Definitely worth reading. Han, Leia and their adopted daughter explore the history of the Millennium Falcon (with various side stories about the previous owners and the way the Falcon saved their lives), and ultimately leads in to the next series. Definitely one of the better stand-alone books.
Fate of the Jedi
Remember that Lost Tribe of the Sith? Yeah, they get a ship and get off that planet. Also, an ancient dark side being escapes her prison thanks to them. And young Jedi start losing their minds, thinking everyone they know has been replaced by spies. I liked the early books a lot, but the plot really drags for the second half. My spoilery opinion is below:
X-Wing: Mercy Kill goes here. It's a great swan song for the X-Wing series.
Crucible
This may or may not have been intended to be the Swan Song for the Lucasfilm Era of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (now known as the 'Legacy' imprint). It was a fun read but largely unsubstantive, and serves as more of an extended epilogue to the Fate of the Jedi series than its own book.
Star Wars: Legacy (Comic)
Dark Horse recently released a fantastic hardcover collection of this series (Volumer 1). Whether or not it's still 'canon' (as the end of Fate of the Jedi seems to imply that it isn't), it's a great look at the Star Wars Universe 100 years later.
Star Wars: Legacy II(Comic)
This one follows another branch of the Solo tree, with Ania solo, Han's great granddaughter being the star. I've only read a little bit of this, but it seems decent.
And that's it. Every adult-oriented Lucasfilm-era Star Wars book is represented here. I didn't cover a LOT of comics, because frankly I haven't read most of them and most of them aren't important to the novel's plots.
Legends Cliff Notes (The Must-Reads for the Skywalker Story)
Thrawn Trilogy
Jedi Academy Trilogy
Young Jedi Knights
New Jedi Order Series (Vector Prime, Balance Point, Star By Star, Traitor, The Final Prophecy, The Unifying Force)
Legacy of the Force
Fate of the Jedi
Crucible (The final chronological book)
Zahn-verse Stories (Books written by Zahn relating to his characters and plots)
Outbound Flight (Read Last)
Allegiance
Choices of One
Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future
Survivor's Quest
Reaves-verse Stories (Books written by Reaves relating to his characters and plots)
Medstar I-II
Coruscant Nights I-III
The Last Jedi
Death Star
Isolated Stories (Novels, Duologies or Trilogies that are self-contained)
Scoundrels
Shadows of the Empire and Shadow Games
Death Troopers and Red Harvest
Darth Bane Trilogy
I also can't recommend the X-Wing Series highly enough. It's largely self-contained, so if you only read the books with the 'X-Wing' imprint, you shouldn't be too confused (as long as you know the general gist of what happens in the overall story).
I look forward to starting again with the new continuity, as supposedly there will not be any contradictory material, everything published from now on is canon.
For those wondering, here is the current state of 'canon' for the Post 2014 Disney-era Reboot:
Disney-Era Continuity
- All six current films, all the future films
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (CG Cartoon and Feature)
- Star Wars: Rebels (CG Cartoon)
- Four upcoming novels:
A New Dawn (September 2, 2014)
Tarkin (November 4, 2014)
Lords of the Sith (March 2015)
Heir to the Jedi (January 2015)
- A Star Wars short story (the name of which I can't find)
I'll be reviewing these books and posting summaries as they become available. There will be a future post about the Disney Continuity.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
I've purposefully left off most of the younger reader books, because they're specifically for children and their plots are irrelevant and/or weren't canon even when the EU was still around. The only younger book series that 'matters' was Junior Jedi Knights.
I updated the post to make it clear that these are the adult oriented books.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath