Star Wars Universe - Where to start

[Justin]

Hi
The star wars universe can be very daunting when comes to the novels and i thought it would be good to create a where to start topic. Now i started with the thrawn trilogy which i thought was an excellent place to start but some people say not. Whats everyone else's opinions? And also a bit of assistance for myself im wanting to read the Fate of the jedi series can i read that as a standalone series or do i need to read New Jedi order and fate of the jedi first?

[Kerry]

I have just returned to world of Star Wars this last year or so after not reading but maybe two SW books in ten years. I chose to reboot and skip all those old stories and start fresh. That list is very small. If I hit on a very good character I might fish back but that is about it. (Ventress in Dark Horse comics might be one for me.)

Watch the 6 movies. See the animated Clone Wars on Netflix. Read 'Dark Disciple' to finish that series.

I did listen to "Kenobi" and enjoyed it Also, I understand Darth Plagueis gives good background for Clone Wars series.

Plan B: Look at Goodreads ratings. Read only those about 4 stars.

[John]

I would also appreciate some tips on where to start, so far I've only read Darth Plageius and I'm currently half way through A New Dawn but want to read some of the legends?..

Cheers! :)

[Kerry]

John wrote: "I would also appreciate some tips on where to start, so far I've only read Darth Plageius and I'm currently half way through A New Dawn but want to read some of the legends?..

Cheers! :)"Perhaps look into Mara Jade. Introduced in Heir to the Empire(1991) Part of the popular Thrawn Trilogy. All 3 books have over 4 stars for Goodreads ratings. She was voted most popular expanded universe character. Zahn recently revisited her in Choices of One (2011) The 20-year anniversary.

Check out this list.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

[Handsome Jack]

There are three era for starters:

1. Rise of the Empire Era
2. Rebellion Era
3. New Republic Era

The Rise of the Empire era saw the transition of Old Galactic Empire which governed the galaxy for 25 thousand years and where the Jedi flourished into a Galactic Empire ruled by Darth Sidious, Vader and where the Jedi were wiped-out by Order 66. This is also the timeline where Galen Marek founded the Rebellion.

The Rebellion era is where the rule of the Galactic Empire was questioned through space battle, blockades and sabotages and Darth Sidious reign finally ended with the sacrifice of Darth Vader. This is where Episode V and VI of the Star Wars Movie took place.

The New Republic era is where the New Republic was established and where the Thrawn Trilogy took place.


Tell me which era you guys prefer and I'll recommended some books.

[Cole]

I started reading chronologically a while back. I started with into the void. If you can get access to the dawn of the Jedi trade paperbacks it's a great read and introduction to the Jedi. But if you're just looking for classic characters I would read the original trilogy followed by the xwing books, then the thrawn trilogy. I'm a completionist though so I think you should read all of the books in order!

[Justin]

I also really enjoyed some of the standalones red harvest and deathtroopers were really fun books to jump in at if you were unsure also if you love the movies and not read any of the books a good entry point would be rise of Lord vader which is set straight after revenge of the sith .

[Justin]

does anyone know if the fate of the jedi series is a standalone series or do I have to make sure I've read certain books first?

[Aaron, Jedi Master]

Fate of the Jedi can be read on its own but many characters and situations were set up in previous books. Have you read any of the Legacy of the Force novels?

[Justin]

no I haven't unfortunately Aaron is it worth reading them first to get the best out of it?

[Aaron, Jedi Master]

I actually liked the Legacy of the Force novels better. The problem is time. If you plan to read them all eventually I'd say read them in order. Depends on how invested you are :)

[Justin]

Yeah defo in it for the long haul lol does the new jedi order series start it all off or just legacy of the force? new jedi order is a massive series of about 19 books lol

[Albert]

I personally recommend the Dark Lord Trilogy: Labyrinth of Evil, Revenge of the Sith novelization, and Dark Lord the Rise of Darth Vader. If you want a much better understanding of Anakin's fall to the Dark Side, look no further than these books.

Chronological order for the long series goes: NJO, Legacy of the Force, Fate of the Jedi. I believe each series can be read on its own but references are made to past events so you may be a little confused. Because of this and the length I'd say only read them if you are or willing to be fully invested in Star Wars. Plus they all get really mixed reviews from fans.

[Jared]

I jumped back into SW books a few years ago. After lots of research, here's what I did:

Thrawn Trilogy
Jedi Acedemy Trilogy
I, Jedi
Young Jedi Knights 1-6
Hand of Thrawn Duology
New Jedi Order
Dark Nest Trilogy
Legacy of the Force
Millennium Falcon
Fate of the Jedi

It's been a great ride. Also interspersed in there I read the Darth Bane trilogy, Darth Plagueis, and Revan (all essential reads IMO). I've also read all the new canon novels - all of which are worth your time except for Heir to the Jedi unfortunately. Now I'm about to go back and read the X-Wing series.

If you want to read Fate of the Jedi, I'd take my list as a bare minimum.
You're in for the time of your life.

[[deleted user]]

I have just started on the Legacy of the Force series, although I am finding that it is quite a tiresome read, with an undeveloped plot and characters. Is there any Star Wars book that is actually interesting, but doesn't require you to have read most of the EU books, as they are not available where I am?

[Aaron, Jedi Master]

Katherine, maybe try the novel Kenobi. It's a good standalone

[[deleted user]]

Thanks! That sounds great and I'm sure I'll love it.

[Shawn]

Kenobi is awesome, I also loved the Han Solo trilogy(although it's not canon)

[[deleted user]]

Ok.

[James]

Hi Katherine - I recommend A New Dawn as well. It is amazing.

[[deleted user]]

I have read that, actually! I agree, it was great.

[Michael]

I just started the Star Wars novel journey last year, and I decided to do all chronological - not including Old Republic. There are a ton of scholastic/kids novels in there (big boost to your Goodreads challenge numbers though!), but to start with Qui-Gon and Darth Maul running around in the universe was really nice.

The only option I considered was starting at the Thrawn trilogy which was highly recommended, but I enjoy working my way through time with different authors, and seeing the movies every 20 or so novels. Now that I am in the Clone Wars era its very cluttered (16 novels, original Cartoon Network series, then movie and 6 seasons of animated series), but I am digging being able to dive deep into every niche.

Cestus Deception has been the biggest bummer so far…200 pages in and it feels like 800, ugh.

[Cole]

Some of the clone wars books are fantastic. The commando novels for sure.

[D]

After reading Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, which I agree is a very strong starting point (as it 'launched' the EU after the movies), I sampled some of his other work which I'd also recommend checking out: Outbound Flight, Allegiance, and Star Wars: Scoundrels.

I also found the Dark Horse comics , and now the Marvel comics, to be very well written.

[Kerry]

Bumping