Star Wars Reads Panel discussion
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Reading Order
I recommend starting with the Grand Admiral Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn and avoid reading The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton at all costs :)
Well next year they are coming out with a book callled dawn of the jedi which will be set before tales of the jedi comic series. If you have not read those yet start there they are set before revans assualt on the republic and a must read.With star wars the comics and books coinside with each other.
Yup, Timothy Zahn's first trilogy is a great place to start, as it opens up the EU universe very well for someone who only knows the movies.Unfortunately, they also set the bar pretty high and many other authors will seem lesser beings in comparison. Also unfortunately, Zahn's later SW books are not as great as that first trilogy (although they are still better than many others).
Ebony wrote: "I recommend starting with the Grand Admiral Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn and avoid reading The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton at all costs :)"If he does read the best at first then he cannot be happy, except maybe when reading I, Jedy ;)
Zahn definitely sets the bar quite high. Although, I started with the Thrawn trilogy and moved on to other EU novels and I never really thought anything less of them. I do like Zahn's novels the most but I still really love and enjoy many EU novels by other authors.
I would suggest starting at the Han solo trilogy writen by A.C. Crispin, which takes you to the begining of ANH, then read Shadows of the Empire, then on to Truce at Bakura, though not a great book, it starts off the day after ROTJ. Then read on from there. Doing this will include The Thrawn Trilogy but also introduce you to a whole new round of characters.There is a nice gap, (not too big though) between the end of the events of the early days of Darth Vaders life and the begining of the Han Solo Trilogy.
Including Truce at Bakura, Courtship of Princess Leia, and the Xwing Series as well as The Thrawn Trilogy will set you up for events later in the EU series.
Also take a look at the first couple inside pages of any of the books. There is a timeline of the books there so if you wanted to read chronologically it gives you a good starting point and roadmap from there.
Timothy wrote: "Also take a look at the first couple inside pages of any of the books. There is a timeline of the books there so if you wanted to read chronologically it gives you a good starting point and roadma..."I agreed. It helps you along the way, and gives you an idea where you are in years too.
There's now so much Star Wars EU out there that you could read nothing but for years if you can stomach it all. What you Should read is really a matter of subjective opinion; yours and ours both. What is it about Star Wars that you love the best? The novels and their authors are very varied indeed. Tell us your favorite ingredients and we'll give you a recipe!
I've been going through the entire EU in publication order. Yes, I know it'll take a lifetime. I read the original Zahn trilogy when it started coming out in 1991 and have been trudging through them in publication order since then, with going back and picking up a few pre-'91 stories that I'd missed (of which there are only a few). I've also tried to mix in relevant comics. Here's a good resource: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_o... . Sometimes I lament that I'm so far behind, but it has become a long-lasting, fun, and rewarding hobby (or perhaps it is a love-affair?). For those on the go, try the audio book versions you can get from your local library system for those long car trips. The library is also good for graphic novels collecting individual comic issues. Long live the EU! I hope the new Star Wars movies "fit" in with it and we don't get a splintering of the Star Wars universe....
Hey, I'm new to the site / group so please bare with me. I have never been a very big reader and while I'm still not, I'm trying to sit down and actually read books without being distracted by things around me like computers. I've read some half way before but it also had taken an age to get half way but I'd gave up.I want to read some star wars books as a somewhat starting point. The only star wars book I currently own is The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks. Would this be a good starting point? I've already seen all the movies so it wouldn't spoil much. I don't want to read all the spin off books as that would just take me forever.
I was hoping I could read through the main books in the way he is growing up. Like in The Phantom Menace he starts out at just 9 racing the Pods.
So I guess, back to the question. Is this book the first book which would have come out if they had been released in order of his age?
Much help is very appreciated.
Thanks.
Before reading it read a few before. Starting at Darth Plagueis (Palpatine's Master), Darth Maul Saboteur (found in Darth Maul Shadow hunter), Cloak of Deception, Darth Maul Shadow Hunter, The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks. Then move on through the time line setting your self a goal to read all the book of The rise of the Empire era. Click here for the chronological list of novel and select Rise of the Empire Era
If you want to start with the first novel for the EU, it is Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Allen Dean Foster. It has only been in the last couple of years that I have started reading them in order. The Thrawn Trilogy and also the X-Wing series are great. I, Jedi is also a great stand alone novel. Choice of One has been one of my favorites. Don't forget to read the novelizations of the Original Trilogy. You won't look at the movies the same way. Good luck and enjoy the adventure!
Ok thanks guys, well I guess I'll just put this book on hold for now. I need to see if I can get hold of Darth Plagueis (Palpatine's Master) and begin reading.
good choice. Hard back is out I believe. Not sure about paperback.
Petter wrote: "There's now so much Star Wars EU out there that you could read nothing but for years if you can stomach it all. What you Should read is really a matter of subjective opinion; yours and ours both. W..."I've read about 6 or 7 of the Star Wars books. I loved the novels about Darth Bane. Currently I am trying to get through Star Wars The Last Jedi but haven't really been delighted with it as evidenced by it taking me over 6 months just to have read a little over half of it. I guess I like a lot of fighting in my books and also I think the Dark Side is much more interesting and mysterious than the do gooders on the "light" side.
an intriguing question indeed - you could pick your favourite era - or start at the beginning.. & with Tim Lebbon's Into The Void now out - personally, (having read most of it as of now) - start there ... and walk forward piece by piece. There are chronological timelines on the wookiepedia that cover books only or a combination of books and comics. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Specia... is the search string I used on wookiepeida to show (i think) all the various constructed timelines..
Choose your path.. and May the Force be With You
There is just so much out there to choose from, it's entirely up to you. I read them in the order of "whatever I could get my hands on" when I was growing up, with the exception of series set within the larger EU. Then I become OCD about reading them in the proper order.....
For those focusing on post-Return of the Jedi era, you might want to prioritize the Junior Jedi Knights books. Start with The Golden Globe. Word on the street is they're casting for an all-grown-up Tahiri, and these six books will tell you her origin story.But I will definitely reiterate my previous point. Read them in publication order. I'm in mid-2000s with New Jedi Order, and have read probably 95% of the books that came before. Yes a dozen +1 years behind, but it's been a fun journey.
Jordan wrote: "There is just so much out there to choose from, it's entirely up to you. I read them in the order of "whatever I could get my hands on" when I was growing up, with the exception of series set withi..."LOL.
Bernard wrote: "For those focusing on post-Return of the Jedi era, you might want to prioritize the Junior Jedi Knights books. Start with The Golden Globe. Word on the street is they're casting for an all-grown-...""Word on the street" is simply another name for "rumor" & "gossip," or as they say in Virginia: "This and that and who shot the cat." *wink*
I read them in whatever order I can get my hands on them.
"Word on the street" is simply another name for "rumor" & "gossip," or as they say in Virginia: "This and that and who shot the cat." *wink*Ok, spoiler alert if you don't want to know about Tahiri, post Junior Jedi Knights.
Here is my "word on the street." :)
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/10/07/...
Whether or not this Star Wars VII casting article is correct or false, the article was a spoiler for me. I haven't read any stories with Tahiri beyond the 6 Junior Jedi Knights, but I now know from this article that she appears in the NJO and later books.
By the way, I think the article may have some of its in-universe facts wrong, but I dare not research them yet for fear of spoiling even more. :)
Most of the newer Books come with a chronology in the front of when the books take place in reference to A new Hope. Just by one and then go by the guide for whichever era you like best. There are over 200 novels to choose from
Insofar as that article goes, it could be defended as at worst an oversimplification. She never "fell in love" with Jacen....but love did lead her down that path. In view of not spoiling things for Bernard, I'll say no more. I do think including Tahiri will either cause them to do irreparable damage to the EU (through having to simplify everything that has happened to her post-JJK) or be confusing for those who have not read all of the relevant books.
I'd love to see Tahiri in the new movies. But you are correct about the fact that it wasn't Jacen she fell in love with.
Jordan...it was ANAKIN SOLO she was supposed to be in love with, not his older brother, Jacen!Ron: yep!
I knew that, I was trying to spoil the surprise for Bernard! Although so far as that goes it isn't much of a surprise....they are kind of inseperable....
I figured it was wrong just because she and Anakin were BFFs in the JJK books, and it seemed odd to me she'd jump to Jacen. But I was willing to leave that open. Ok I better stop speculating for fear of turning this topic into a giant spoiler alert. :) But nice to know my hunch was right! One of you should write that website and tell 'em about their rookie mistake.
And I'm also extremely worried about the Episode VII implications on the EU. Maybe if they made Tahiri 40 years old, it wouldn't interfere, but somehow I doubt it.
Bernard wrote: "I figured it was wrong just because she and Anakin were BFFs in the JJK books, and it seemed odd to me she'd jump to Jacen. But I was willing to leave that open. Ok I better stop speculating for f..."I did write them and set them straight this morning. haha
I would be very surprised indeed if the coming SW movies take any particular consideration to existing EU. There is too much EU out there already, much of it incoherent, to effectively integrate into the new movies. We'll likely see a complete split into separate Book and Movie 'verses. It would have been different if Episode VII had a much later setting in time, where there's nothing written yet, but that won't be the case since we'll apparently see a few of the veterans from the original trilogy.
I take heart that they're auditioning for EU characters. (Tahiri, and Jaina, presumably.) Also encouraged that they've got senior citizen Luke, etc. I'm hoping new stories are in that gap between Crucible and Legacy comic series. Have you seen cover of Crucible? It's got eerie looking old Luke, Leia and Han on it. Tie in to movie? Heh.
I have read Crucible and it is a very good book. Yes, the cover is kind of creepy, but everyone ages. I think it is a great set up for the next generation to step up and let them rest.
Amber wrote: "We'll see what we'll see, Petter."Yep, that we will! And I really really look forward to see it, too. As with "The Hobbit" I will try to avoid official spoilers and trailers as much as possible; I want the new movies to truly surprise and dazzle me. :D
I just finished that, actually, and at the end all three of the "big hitters" decide it's time for a vacation and their successors can run things for a while. Set up for a film adventure that won't screw up too much EU? Or set up for the new characters we'll see in the movie? Not sure....
Jordan wrote: "I just finished that, actually, and at the end all three of the "big hitters" decide it's time for a vacation and their successors can run things for a while. Set up for a film adventure that won't..."I didn't like Crucible as much as I usually like Star Wars books, but I did like the ending where they decide to take the vacation and let the next generation move into more prominent roles.
I enjoyed it, as it has been a while since we had a single standalone story set in that part of the timeline as opposed to the longer-running series that can get very dark at times. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed those as well, but sometimes you want a return to the simple. The amount of physical damage dealt out to our aging protagonists was a little ridiculous though....I at one point wondered if they were attempting to rough the characters' appearance up in preparation for the films, as none of the actors have aged as well as their characters have been said to. Well, maybe Harrison Ford has.....
Jordan wrote: "I enjoyed it, as it has been a while since we had a single standalone story set in that part of the timeline as opposed to the longer-running series that can get very dark at times. Don't get me wr..."The physical trauma, I think that's part of what did it for me. He loses an eye, gets a new one implanted and is back out to continue on a couple hours later... That and the whole sequence near the end where they followed the bad guys into the dark side nexus or whatever it was. The rest of it was pretty good, it's just those two things kind of spoiled it for me. It was good to see Vestra being evil and no longer conflicted though.
Yeah....I think she's still somewhat in flux, but at this point she feels the die has been cast. She's caught between the Jedi and the Sith, firmly alligned with the Dark Side (at least for now) but profoundly alone in the Galaxy. I think she was using the Qrephs, hoping to seize control of their operation. With that gone, it'll be interesting to see what her next move is.
Jordan wrote: "Yeah....I think she's still somewhat in flux, but at this point she feels the die has been cast. She's caught between the Jedi and the Sith, firmly alligned with the Dark Side (at least for now) bu..."I am looking forward to her next meeting with Ben. Now that she's dropped asteroids on thousands of people in Lando's employ, she can't play the confused naïve card, so I am wondering how that's going to play itself out. She still has ship so it wouldn't surprise me if she began taking on apprentices in an effort to protect herself from both the Jedi and the Sith.
Possibly. She's still a teenager though....not really seeing the apprentices thing yet. I doubt she'd be able to control them at this point....
True, but she is powerful and she did spend a year with the grand master of the jedi order and taking on apprentices seems like a rash, overconfident teenage thing to do. haha But you're right, it might be a while before she can do that effectively.
Yeah. I don't see her taking the risk, at least not yet. Unless it's just stealing a baby and having Ship raise it while she's not around....even that would be risky though.
Petter wrote: "Amber wrote: "We'll see what we'll see, Petter."Yep, that we will! And I really really look forward to see it, too. As with "The Hobbit" I will try to avoid official spoilers and trailers as much..."
The trailers for the second film in The Hobbit is actually pretty good. The first film was better than I expected, too, and I HAD seen the trailers. ;)
Jordan wrote: "I enjoyed it, as it has been a while since we had a single standalone story set in that part of the timeline as opposed to the longer-running series that can get very dark at times. Don't get me wr...":) Try reading MILLENIUM FALCON. It's a stand alone story that treats the FALCON as the full blown character she is! Though it's technically set between the end of the NJO and the beggining of the FOTJ arcs, it actually starts while the FALCON's being manufactured...60+ years BBY.
Thanks Amber for getting this topic back on topic. :) I take full blame for drifting us to movies and spoiler territory. Sorry! For my part, next book up for me is NJO #5. A long way for me to go but again it is worth it!
Star Wars Reads Panel
Books mentioned in this topic
The Golden Globe (other topics)Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1: Force Storm (other topics)
I'm looking to start reading the Star Wars books and have no idea where to start... Any suggestions of where I should begin? :) I've looked online and found various (different) start points and at some point I'd like to read them all but don't want to be reading them in a wacky order.
Thanks!