What's out in a Galaxy Far Far Away [Star Wars]

Lanchester

Hey all,

I wouldn't say that I'm a hardcore Star Wars guy, but I do really like it. I of course have seen the movies, but I've never seen/read anything else...and want to.

So, I've seen this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_books and think...Where should I start? What is good?

I am really interested in the Sith era and stuff like that. Possibly how things came about before episode 1.

I appreciate all the suggestions.

TychoCelchuuu

The Thrawn trilogy is more or less the best place to start/the best books. The first three "Tales of..." books are mostly good too, not sure about the latest two. As for the Sith era stuff someone else will have to recommend things because I stopped keeping up with this stuff a while ago.

NargorothRiP

do yourself a favor and buy a taco bell number 3 and be done. what comes out afterwards is roughly analogous to what star wars is in book form.

Gaslight

Thrawn Trilogy is almost universally acclaimed as the best of the EU novels. The later Hand of Thrawn books aren't necessary.

The Kevin Anderson books could be skipped but they're not bad.

The X-Wing series (first by Michael Stackpole and then taken over by Aaron Allston) are pretty good if you just want a rip-roaring military adventure read. For the love of God avoid Stackpole's I, Jedi though.

Callista trilogy isn't great. The Crystal Star desperately wanted to be something other than a Star Wars book. The Black Fleet Trilogy has two decent and totally separate storylines that you keep expecting to tie together at the end and they never do. Corellian Trilogy isn't great unless you're desperate to meet asshole members of Han Solo's extended family.

I read all the way through the New Jedi Order books until about the time of Traitor and I just couldn't take it anymore. Dear God that series just dragged on and on.

Prior to the original trilogy timeline, the three Han Solo adventures books by Brian Daley are pretty enjoyable, and so are the three Solo books by A. C. Crispin.

Bartholamue

From my understanding, Timothy Zahn is the author to look for when choosing the Star Wars novels.

Esh

I've heard much better things about the Dark Horse comics than the novels.

l3lasphemer69

Agree with above, the Dark Horse comics, both 1 & 2 are really good. For the novels, the Heir to the Empire series are the best, they could be a movie themselves... Other than those, the Bounty Hunter trilogy is awesome, and the X-Wing series. If you are really into Jedi/Sith stuff, the Tales of the Old Republic comics are excellent!

JaysonFour

I'll second the X-Wing series. It's just a kick-ass adventure read. Stackpole and Allston really knew what the hell they were doing.

kaliyama

Lanchester wrote:

Hey all,

I wouldn't say that I'm a hardcore Star Wars guy, but I do really like it. I of course have seen the movies, but I've never seen/read anything else...and want to.

So, I've seen this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_books and think...Where should I start? What is good?

I am really interested in the Sith era and stuff like that. Possibly how things came about before episode 1.

I appreciate all the suggestions.

Most of it's pretty terrible. It only has an appeal if you really want to consume everything starwars or you're a teenager. The Zahn books about Thrawn are great, the Dark Horse comics are good. Everything else you can give a miss. The Kevin J Anderson young adult books were pretty good for young adults, as I recall.

Peen

Shadows of the Empire and Courtship of Princess Leia are decent one-offs.

Tejs

My personal favorites list:
- Anything written by Timothy Zahn - pretty much all the books are good (Thrawn Trilogy and Outbound Flight in particular)
- Most of the X-Wing series (there are 9 books in the series, 1-6 at least are pretty good)
- I personally liked I, Jedi, but then again I like the Corran Horn character
- Cloak of Deception, by James Luceno. In particular, this book seemed to explain a lot better the events leading to Episode I in an actually believable (or at least, partially) way. AKA how the Trade federation was maneuvered to blockade Naboo. If only he wrote the actual movie, I think it would have been way better.
- Tales of <Blah> books are all kinda interesting
- The Jedi academy trilogy (kinda...)

Xagar

Stuff by Zahn, X-Wing stuff, I, Jedi are my favorites.

Janson

Pretty much what everyone else says. Zahn, X-wing, Tales of... and some of the comics.

Personally I hated Corran Horn (too much of a Mary-Sue for me) so my favourite X-wing books were Aaron Allston's ones. He at least knows how to be humorous. Seriously, too many of the Star Wars books are lacking in humour.

I did really enjoy Michael Stackpole's SW comics, though.

wonderpug

Thrawn Trilogy. Think of it as reading Episodes VII, VIII, and IX.

flowerhoney

Did you ever see the Star Wars Clone Wars miniseries?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Clone_Wars_(2003_TV_series)

I freakin' died for this when it was airing on cartoon network, it served as a bridge between the 2nd and 3rd prequel but unlike the prequels didn't suck (and when I say didn't suck, I mean it had 0% suck present)
Its short, sweet, and amazing

Gaslight

I, Jedi is a case study of:

1. Why the first-person perspective is comparatively rare in fiction writing and definitely not always a good idea.

2. Why it's never a good idea to go back and try to write "around" someone else's work (in this case Anderson's Jedi Academy books).

Dhalphir

NargorothRiP wrote:

do yourself a favor and buy a taco bell number 3 and be done. what comes out afterwards is roughly analogous to what star wars is in book form.

thanks for your useless comment. go away now.

to the OP

If you like the Sith era, I really enjoyed the Darth Bane trilogy.

Path of Destruction
Rule of Two
Dynasty of Evil

Dhalphir

Corran Horn as a character was too much of a Mary Sue for me, but then again pretty much every EU male protagonist is

Tycho Celchu is a mary sue, Wedge Antilles is a Maru Sue, etc

see317

Didn't see him mentioned, but Matt Stover's Star Wars books are pretty entertaining. It's nice to see someone trying to introduce a shade of gray here and there.

TychoCelchuuu

Dhalphir wrote:

Corran Horn as a character was too much of a Mary Sue for me, but then again pretty much every EU male protagonist is

Tycho Celchu is a mary sue, Wedge Antilles is a Maru Sue, etc

Yes, but, that doesn't automatically make them crappy characters.

(Says the guy with the username of one of them)

l3lasphemer69

Also I rather enjoy the current New Jedi Order series

ChopperDave

If you're at all interested in video games, Biohazard's Knights of the Old Republic games are both excellent, and cover an era of Star Wars history well before Episode 1.

I personally consider KOTOR to be the best story set in the Star Wars universe after the original trilogy, and I would consider KOTORII to be even better had it not shipped unfinished.

Synthesis

Pretty much all the Timothy Zahn books, particularly the Thrawn Trilogy, though the two follow ups are decent as well.

X-Wing can be hit or miss, but as recently pointed out to me, the ones not by Stackpole tend to be the stronger. Then again, a lot of people like all of them.

ChopperDave wrote:

If you're at all interested in video games, Biohazard's Knights of the Old Republic games are both excellent...

This conjures up images of Capcom doing a KOTOR game, which is both hilarious and terrifying.

Dehumanized

do yourself a favor and track down the lando calrissian adventures

it was written in the 80s before they really put any thought into shaping the EU, and it is insane

not great mind you, just pants-on-head crazy

the Professor

Dehumanized wrote:

do yourself a favor and track down the lando calrissian adventures

it was written in the 80s before they really put any thought into shaping the EU, and it is insane

not great mind you, just pants-on-head crazy

The Flamewind of Oseon is like being on acid and mushrooms at the same time.

I cannot agree with you enough about reading the LC adventures.

juggerbot

TychoCelchuuu wrote:

Dhalphir wrote:

Corran Horn as a character was too much of a Mary Sue for me, but then again pretty much every EU male protagonist is

Tycho Celchu is a mary sue, Wedge Antilles is a Maru Sue, etc

Yes, but, that doesn't automatically make them crappy characters.

(Says the guy with the username of one of them)

Tycho Celchu embodies the best of the EU from my standpoint. When you look at it, the Empire makes for a pretty bland villain. The Emperor's biggest accomplishment is managing to keep his Force abilities hidden from the Jedi. Beyond that it was the cliche of an ambitious politician in a republican government gaining the loyalty of the military and using a crisis to gain dictatorial powers. Vader is wholly lawful evil, and his evil is introduced by him violating the diplomatic immunity of a ship suspected of aiding the Rebellion (which it was).

Some (cannot emphasize this enough) of the villains in the EU are much more interesting. Although Thrawn was certainly a great villain, he was also incredibly pragmatic, which was the source of much of his success. Ysanne Isard, however, is probably my favorite "villain" of the Empire.

Spoiler:

For one, she managed to destroy the New Republic's faith in Tycho Celchu, who not only was an excellent pilot but had also been with the Alliance since Alderaan was destroyed. He was captured and tortured by Isard, and even though he resisted, it took years for the Republic leaders to trust him again, since they knew Isard was breaking captured Rebels for use as sleeper agents. Plus, when she knew that Coruscant would fall, sher released the Krytos virus, which only infected aliens, fostering resentment between the aliens and the New Republic which could not afford the bacta (the supply of which Isard had subsequently taken over and cut off from the Republic) required to treat them all. The fact that she could force the Republic into such unwinnable situations which required unpopular, borderline immoral actions makes her a malicious bitch you love to hate.