When did you first realize that Courtship of Princess Leia was going to be irredeemably bad?

For me, it was the revelation that Han is really a king, and C-3p0's musical number celebrating the fact. (For those who haven't read the book: I swear I am not making this up.)

I knew it was going to suck badly when the Han-Leia-Isolder love triangle reared its grotesque head. Han's royal background (hadn't other novels already established that Han was an orphan with no real knowledge of his roots?) and Luke's inexplicably blue lightsaber certainly didn't help matters.

http://thecoplbookclub.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/the-culmination/

All that needs to be said.

I had a guy in mine who claimed that Darth Maul - or Darth Mon, as he called him - was Darth Vader when he was younger.

DuracellEnergizer said:

I had a guy in mine who claimed that Darth Maul - or Darth Mon, as he called him - was Darth Vader when he was younger.

Hal 9000 said:

I guess nobody liked Leonardo's joke. 

Well, you know how it is, you hit, you miss. I mostly miss.

Hal 9000 said:

 I've got a stocked Kindle (app) and a revised, though still ambitious, reading list. I've got a good 2+ years for all this catch up reading

To echo what Tim said earlier, read what you think you'll enjoy, not what you think will have any bearing on VII.  At least not until we start getting reports and blurbs from the filming after it begins.

If Hamill, Ford, & Co are in the next film - and it appears they are - there is no way any of the Zahn stuff will be part of the story.  Well, not unless there's quite a stretch.  The Zahn EU (all of which is fantastic, by the way) takes place when our heroes are in their 30s and 40s.  The original cast are much older than that now.  It would be a weird leap filming Thrawn stories with Luke in his 60s and Solo in his 70s.

That said;  As a devout follower of all things Zahn EU (my personal canon), I would love an occasional name-check to some of the novels.

Leonardo said:

Hal 9000 said:

I guess nobody liked Leonardo's joke. 

Well, you know how it is, you hit, you miss. I mostly miss.

 Disco Leonardo likes DISCO music.

Ok, that one, I missed. Unless you're channeling Ric Olié.

More of a Disco Stu reference.  And it's not meant to be a very good one.

Hal 9000 said:

I'm reading the Thrawn trilogy right now, as everyone says this is the more important. I like it so far; he seems to understand the characters. Afterward...

The Dark Empire comic series. Because why not.

I suggest you limit yourself to the first Dark Empire and ignore the two sequels. The first, while not stellar, has its merits, but Dark Empire II and Empire's End are beyond pointless. 

I, Jedi - I'll read this one in place of the Jedi Academy trilogy for efficiency.

That's the best idea I never had.

The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy

I wouldn't bother. While the first book was very interesting, the final two entries are complete letdowns. 

The Corellian trilogy

The best non-Zahn/non-comics EU anyone could ever read, and that isn't hyperbole.

New Jedi Order - An abbreviated run of just five entries: Vector Prime, Star by Star, Traitor, Destiny's Way, and The Unifying Force

The EU officially jumped the shark with the NJO - don't waste your time reading this tripe.

I would appreciate suggestions of which are the essential reads of the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi serieses. They're recent enough that I haven't found a reliable description of which ones are the barebones essentials.

I doubt anyone here would recommend - or even bother to read - either of those two series. 

TMBTM said:

I'm reading The Jedi Academy Trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson and I must say that it is more entertaining than The Thrawn Trilogy... BUT it feels more like watching a cool TV series than a trilogy of movies in the sens that the story feels more scattered, less focused. That's the strenght and the weakness of those books, IMO.

Let's say that if one had to adapt one of those trilogy on the big screen, The Thrawn trilogy would be easier to do (stronger characters, more focused story) but on paper I prefer the Jedi Academy.