Star Wars Novels

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G'day everyone,

 

I thought I would start a thread to see what our opinions are on the extended Star Wars universe and the novels that support it?

 

I myself have had a mixed experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the Thrawn trilogy (and the duology that followed) as a teenager, and still thought they were ok after a recent re-read as an adult. I also enjoyed the books written on Mara Jade (Choices of One & Allegiance) - whilst not ground breaking, they were a fun read particularly from the Storm Trooper point of view. Darth Plagueis was also very good, mainly because it was more 'adult' than I expected with some political intrigue; the characters were also particularly engaging for some reason.

 

The Republic Commando series was good (I thought). I enjoyed every book. 'Military/Action candy for the brain' is how I would describe them and I got into them more than I expected I would. Initially, I thought the whole Mandalore Culture component was a bit, um... pathetic?... but it grew on me.

Sadly, I thought The New Jedi Order series was pathetic. In fact, I only read the first book and decided to not pursue it further (backed up by all the reviews I read).

 

However, recently I started the Legacy of the Force series, after needed a break from some dedicated non-fiction reading. I am nearly finished book three and I have enjoyed them all so far! Much better story and characters (I couldn't really get into the Solo children as teenagers and I found the Vong enemy in New Jedi Order difficult to take seriously). Hopefuly the Legacy books will continue to be solid reads - and hey, at only around 350 pages per pop they are fairly quick to consume! It is also cool reading the Legacy of the Force novels and seeing how they refer to the Republic Commando stories from the future perspective (something I am probably missing a fair bit of in the series by not reading all the previous books).

 

I have been told the X-Wing series is really good, so I got some second hand copies of the first three books and intend to get stuck into them at some point.

 

So, what are your experiences and do you have any recommendations?

 

[Lalie Fanyarendil]

I should preface this with a note that I first started reading the Star Wars books when I was nine. These are the books that I read through my formative years and they definitely influenced my outlook on life. So although I still enjoy them thoroughly as an adult, I may be biased toward them. I haven't read many of the pre-A New Hope books because they started coming out at about the time I hit high school and had no more free time.

 

I'd definitely recommend the X-Wing series. I think the characters have been given great senses of humor, and 20 years after first picking them up they still make me laugh out loud. And then if you like them, read I, Jedi. (It focuses on one of the characters from that series.)

 

I would have said Thrawn Trilogy if you hadn't already. If you like Thrawn try Outbound Flight. I admit I got a bit bored with the parts about the Jedi, but that was mostly because I was excited to get to the parts about Thrawn and his first command.

 

I loved the New Jedi Order series because it presented a VERY different set of challenges for the galaxy and the Jedi. I feel like the Yuuzhan Vong's culture and motivation gets development along the way that makes it more interesting. It also makes the characters start re-assessing their assumptions and values. Some of them are more successful than others. Don't judge the whole thing based on what R.A. Salvatore contributed! I think he's a mediocre writer. (I'm referring to the quality of the writing and not to the events of Vector Prime.) This series also made me happy by referencing or bringing back characters from a bunch of previous Star Wars books.

 

I also really enjoyed the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy. It's the story of how Boba Fett survived the sarlacc and what he did immediately afterward. These books are what turned me into a Fett fangirl. (I love characters who are always fifteen or twenty steps ahead of everyone else.)

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Might have to give the Bountry Hunter Wars Trilogy a go Lalie - and thanks for the double recommendation on the X-Wing series.

 

Sadly, the New Jedi Order might just be too long. I nearly shied away from Legacy because it is 9 books! There are just too many other things to read for me to commit to such a great undertaking.

 

I have eyeballed Outbound Flight but I think I will see how I go after everything else.

 

Oh and I read the Darth Bane trilogy a while ago. They were alright from memory, but I don't really remember them.

[Lalie Fanyarendil]

Too long is a valid point. With that in mind, you may want to know that the X-Wing series is 10 books long. However, there's a focus shift after book 4 that provides a satisfying conclusion, so it's an easy point to pause the series and read something else for awhile before continuing to book 5. Book 5 starts up sort of a new story arc. Book 10 takes place decades after the main series, so that one is also easy to read on its own after taking a break after book 9.

 

I'll have to check out the Darth Bane trilogy--I've been trying to decide where to start in the Old Republic novels. Thank you!

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I started a few years back reading them in chronoloigcal order, starting from the first after episode VI. The X-Wing/Rogue Squadron books were terrific, I second that claim. I agree that I, Jedi was pretty good as well, so were the Thrawn and Darksaber/Crystal planet ones if I'm remembering right.

I only ever got up to the first few books after Han and Leia's third child (Anakin?), then life got busy. Those last few the quality dropped off, but it was probably a different writer that I just didn't like. I was really looking forward to getting up to the Mara Jade arcs, but never managed it.

It's sad that Disney de-cannonized them so that they can do whatever they want for episode VII.

Edit: think the below is everything I've read but Thrawn, which was audiobooked.

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Got a copy of I, Jedi.

 

Added to the 'to-read' pile

[Lalie Fanyarendil]

Yaaaay!

 

The used bookstore is having a sale this weekend. I'm going to go see if I can find the Dark Nest trilogy, and if they have Betrayal then also whatever Legends of the Force books they have in chronological order after it.

 

There's plenty of room for more on my Star Wars bookshelf!

 

I also adored the Star Wars Shakespeare trilogy. I read the first one and figured that there wouldn't be any more because it would only appeal to a narrow audience of people who loved Shakespeare AND Star Wars. I'm so glad I was wrong.

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So I just finished Tempest (third in the Legacy series). It was alright, but not as good as the previous two. I am now 50 pages into Exile and it seems much better.

 

Both Aaron Allston and Karen Traviss are the better two authors in the series. I suspect Troy Denning's novels will be the least enjoyable.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I started reading them when Splinter of Mind's Eye came out and read them all until 2009.  I enjoyed some more than others.  I loved the Karen Travis books, anything with bounty hunters, and the Thrawn Trilogy.  I couldn't get into the whole Vong thing.  I loved the Tales from the... series of short stories that told the same stories from different viewpoints, even if some of the stories where weak and they got cut out of canon, I thought it was an interesting take.

 

2009 is when I had a child.  I lost a big chunk of disposable income and an even bigger chunk of free time and these lost priority.  I've been meaning to sort all of these books out into keepers and donaters for a long time, but I know if I start going through them I'll get sucked right back in.

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Sounds near exactly what I have read Sloth-Like. My mum reader Splinter of the Mind's Eye to me in hospital as a five year old when I broke my arm

 

I also couldn't get into the Vong thing. I have the Tales of the Sith (or something like that) collection of short stories sitting on my shelf to read. I too also really enjoyed Traviss' books - the republic commando ones in particular.

 

If you have not given the Legacy books a go, then I suggest trying them. They are not half bad, particularly if you have taken a break from reading Star Wars.

[Lalie Fanyarendil]

I remember the Tales from the... books! And Splinter. But I'd almost forgotten about them, wow. (My sister owned them, so I didn't buy them myself.)  I should read them again now that the prequels have come out to see how things have changed and then been re-worked back into the canon. I remember them doing a pretty good job of that with the name Jaster Mereel...

 

One of the other downsides of the Vong arc is that every time I think of it a parody to Zydrate Anatomy from Nom Anor's point of view starts running through my head with the refrain "And if it all goes wrong somehow then I'll blame it on Vergere, Vergere."

 

I wonder if Disney is going to forbid any new novels in this EU from being released. I'm afraid to look it up. I could live with them discarding this EU as canon as long as they let it continue to exist and grow along with their new EU.

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Should be interesting anyway, whatever they do with the new movies.

 

I think the new films will be somewhere between the original 3 (the best) and the 'new' 3 (terrible).

[Kevin Mack]

Under no circumstances should you read The Courtship of Princess Leia.

[Lalie Fanyarendil]

Not even to laugh at Isolder?

[hwedwards]

Oh boy -- deffo letting my nerdflag fly here.

 

I read every single book in the Extended Universe that chronologically occurred post-ANH up to a few years ago -- I haven't yet caught up with the Fate of the Jedi series after a kinda disappointing Legacy of the Force.

 

I'm an avid reader and these books filled up so much of my time during my teenage years, but my absolute favorites had to be the Han Solo origin series by AC Crispin.  Han Solo has been, and will be, my favorite fictional character, and seeing his evolution was just so awesome.

 

Definitely feel you guys with the New Jedi Order series -- the Yuzzhan Vong were total badass bad-guys -- and X-Wing ... those were my faves before the Han Solo trilogy came out.  I never really dug the Luke-centric books (with the exception of the Jedi Academy series, that one was rad).

 

I have all of them in ebook format now, and this is making me want to go back and re-read some of my faves and get started with the Fate of the Jedi series...

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

The Han Solo origin series was great. I'm hoping it's one of the mini-series Disney plans on doing.

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Just finished Sacrifice (Legacy book 5).

 

Despite some opinions, I am really enjoying the Legacy series.

[Lalie Fanyarendil]

According to Disney it no longer exists. T.T

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According to Disney it no longer exists. T.T

Which is a real shame given the amount of creative effort that has gone into the EU over the last few decades. Seems wasteful to me, why not harness what has already been created?

 

Ah well, I will probably not read the Fate of the Jedi series for this reason - at least until the new movies get released.

[Kevin Mack]

Did they say none of it exists? I thought they were still deciding what stays or goes based on the plan for the new movies.

[Lalie Fanyarendil]

They said that none of it exists anymore. Just the six movies, the Clone Wars TV series, and what Disney comes up with. I could have lived with it if they'd allowed the EU to continue to grow as an alternate universe sort of thing, but they aren't allowing anything new to be added to it anymore. (They are letting what currently exists to stay in print.) I think I'm actually heartbroken. The EU has always been my favorite part of Star Wars. I read these books all through my formative years. Thrawn was the lens through which I learned to understand character motivations in literature, particularly noble villains and anti-heroes. The X-Wing Series helped me learn just how complex the issue of trust is and how much it is valued by those who deserve it. The first part of the New Jedi Order? The grieving process.

 

So, I definitely has a sad about Disney's decision, though I don't have a high opinion of Disney so I can't say I'm surprised.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Did they say none of it exists? I thought they were still deciding what stays or goes based on the plan for the new movies.

 

They officially de-cannonized all EU books. If they want to use some of the material and put it in movies and new content, then it would be re-cannonized at that point.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Have you seen the "leaked" photos of Mark Hamill with a beard? He looks very Jedi master. Even if they're changing canon, I'm excited for the movies.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Have you seen the "leaked" photos of Mark Hamill with a beard? He looks very Jedi master. Even if they're changing canon, I'm excited for the movies.

Oh, after what they did with Avengers, I'm confident they will be awesome.

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[INSAIYAN]

I better get at least a cameo... or am I officially dead now? I fought my way outta that thing in the books.