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The Best Star Wars Books?

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There are so many Star Wars books out there now I think it’s hard to pick up good ones. First I read the Zahn trilogy and was absolutely enthralled. Then I read several other books. Barbara Hambley’s Those Who Hunt the Night was so brilliant I was excited about Children of the Jedi , but was utterly disappointed. I read a few other crappy books. Then I read the new Zahn duology (is that a word) and liked it, but not as well as his first books.

Ah yes, I also read the one that starts right at the end of Return of the Jedi, where aliens attack and the Empire and Rebellion have to ally themselves. Meh.

So, what are the best books out there? Which are worth reading? As I mentioned before, I highly suggest:

Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
all by Timothy Zahn

If you're going to take forever, then I'm having a hotdog!
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http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/0345394429.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Some of the best Star Wars novels out there collected into one nice little package. Plus, they do a better job of capturing the Star Wars "feel" than any others IMO, b/c they were written while the OT was still being made. Back when Star Wars was still fresh (& good).
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I liked the Thrawn trilogy, like most pepole did. I wonder how good it would have seemed in the middle of all the new EU rather than at the head of it. After a while, every writer had a "Trilogy" out there, all with superweapons, all with threats to the Solo children, all with the new badass, la-dee-dah.

The titles I'd recommend:

Shadows of the Empire - my only quibble was how Dash Rendar had a stupid name and was written to "out-Solo" Han Solo. Freaking stupid. Rest of it's plenty good, though.

The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy - a lot more subtle than the most of the other EU trilogies. One of the villians seemed odd, even by sci-fi standards; also, author KW Jeter was apparently legally obligated to include the word "obsequious" as often as possible. Still, very entertaining.

AC Crispin's Han Solo trilogy - better than the Thrawn trilogy, IMO.

For PTEU, I liked the James Luceno novel, Cloak of Deception and (the author escapes me) Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter.

Everything else I've read ranged from average to bad to god-awful. Children of the Jedi had literary AIDS, I swear.

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Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno is probably the most fun I've had reading a Star Wars novel.
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That has always bugged me about the books. They're always trying to be bigger, badder, super-duper-ultra-weapons!!! What's presented in the films is what should be the "ultimate" and the books shouldn't be out-doing them. I mean, how more powerful can you get than blowing up a whole frickin' planet...oh right, there were the star-exploder thingies. Whatever.

Was it in "Dark Empire" that the Emperor had a SUPER-Super-star destroyer?
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The Han Solo trilogy (not the adventures one, the newer one, although the adventures one intrigues me) comes up often. I think I read the first one once and liked it.

I still think the Zahn trilogy captured Star Wars perfectly. I thought it had the same scope, the same feel, the same universe, etc. I also felt that Zahn took all the garbage that was out there and put it back into focus in his later two books; he did a good job of taking the EU he had been given and bringing it back to good old Star Wars.

But it's hard, any expansion of scope loses the feel. The OT worked because it followed several personal stories that just happened to be wrapped up in a larger adventure. Any effort to chronicle the workings of the greater republic/empire changes the scope. Anyway.

I haven't encountered TOO many super weapons, other than the eye of palpatine. I think Zahn dodged that bullet.
If you're going to take forever, then I'm having a hotdog!
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The Han Solo Trilogy was probably the best set I have read, I have not yet read the Thrawn Trilogy however

"The Empire can't stop us now..now its our turn" -Luke-

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-The Jedi Academy trilogy, if only for the fact that it's so...out there. Admiral Ackbar (accidentally) crashing a ship through a glass pyramid, the spirit of Exar Kun being fended off by Luke's padawan students, Wedge getting a little frisky with an alien designer and a prototype Death Star. Good reading, but bizarre.
-Han Solo origin trilogy
-Darksaber
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hmm ihavent read alot of these older EU books, i have mostly followed the new stuff. thrawn trilogy was great. i have probably read around 30 of them ranging from the PT to the newest ones coming out. and these are my top three

traitor
labryinth of evil
destiny's way

the former 2 are good and are just personal favorites over alot of the other books i read, but traitor is by country mile the best starwars book i have ever read.
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I would recommend Revenge of the Sith

It is way better than the film, and it makes a lot more sense because you can read Anakin's inner struggle rather than just watching Hayden make weird facial expressions which could easily be mistaken for constipation.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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Originally posted by: C3PX
I would recommend Revenge of the Sith

It is way better than the film, and it makes a lot more sense because you can read Anakin's inner struggle rather than just watching Hayden make weird facial expressions which could easily be mistaken for constipation.


I agree. Read the book then watch the movie, and you will understand a lot more. When I saw the movie in theaters with my dad and a friend, they came out asking questions and complaining about some parts that made sense to me and seemed really good all because I read the book. The ROTS novelization is pretty much a character analysis, but an awsome one.


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I loved the following the most:

Shadows Of The Empire
The Thrawn Trilogy
The Jedi Academy Trilogy
The Courtship of Princess Leia
The Bounty Hunter Wars
Darksaber
Planet Of Twilight
Tales From The Cantina

And I really enjoy these as well:

The Blackfleet Crisis Trilogy
The Crystal Star
The Corellian Trilogy
The Hand of Thrawn Duology

Outside of those I'm not a fan of much, though I do still need to catch up on the Han Solo trilogy

<a href="http://www.bynkii.com/archives/2005/05/i_hates_lucas_i.html" title="www.bynkii.com/archives/2005/05/i_hates_lucas_i.html" target="_blank">.Truth.</a><br /><br />"Mmm....starcruiser crash!"

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i donno i didnt feel revenge of the sith was well written, that was my only beef with it. it felt too much like a guy jsut reading the screen play and quickly filling in gaps. it felt rushed to me.
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I'm new to the EU and am really overwhelmed by the sheer number of books out there. Is there a list somewhere that details the books in chronological order? I'd love to start my reading as far back in SW history as possible and work forward so that everything ties in and so that I understand references to things past. Any help would be more than appreciated.

Thanks
Chris
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I think rather than finding a well "tied in" series of books, you are more likely to just find a confusing mess. Personally I found the best way to handle the EU was to check out the abridged audio books from the library (or through inter-library loan). This way you get the gist of what is going on without having to read the whole book, if the book turns out to be pretty interesting or enjoyable, stop the tape, return it to the library and check out the book. If the book turns out to suck, suffer through all four tapes (if you are that determined), then return it and check out the next one.

There are many SW timelines available online that have been put together by fans. They will usually list all the books, comic books, and revelvant video games, as well as the movies of course. Usually the reverse side of the front cover of most Star Wars books contain a mini time line listing where that particular book fits into the time line and what books come before and after. At least the older books did, I wouldn't be surprised if the new ones don't due to the vast amount of SW books published these days. Your best bet is too search google.com for "Star Wars Expanded Universe timeline" or something to that effect (maybe if that doesn't work try searching "star wars book timeline").

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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Originally posted by: C3PX
I think rather than finding a well "tied in" series of books, you are more likely to just find a confusing mess. Personally I found the best way to handle the EU was to check out the abridged audio books from the library (or through inter-library loan). This way you get the gist of what is going on without having to read the whole book, if the book turns out to be pretty interesting or enjoyable, stop the tape, return it to the library and check out the book. If the book turns out to suck, suffer through all four tapes (if you are that determined), then return it and check out the next one.

There are many SW timelines available online that have been put together by fans. They will usually list all the books, comic books, and revelvant video games, as well as the movies of course. Usually the reverse side of the front cover of most Star Wars books contain a mini time line listing where that particular book fits into the time line and what books come before and after. At least the older books did, I wouldn't be surprised if the new ones don't due to the vast amount of SW books published these days. Your best bet is too search google.com for "Star Wars Expanded Universe timeline" or something to that effect (maybe if that doesn't work try searching "star wars book timeline").



Thanks for your reply. I'll give that a shot.
w

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To address Starboy's original question again, I also remember enjoying a couple of the stories from the "Tales of the Bounty Hunters". It is one volume with several short stories all by different sci-fi authors. The stories focus on the life stories of all the bounty hunters who are after Han in ESB, sounds pretty boring huh? Well actually it is. But I enjoyed the story of Boba Fett (I like the way Fett's character was portrayed, somewhat like a more rational version of Timothy McVeigh, who makes a living killing rather than committing mass murder), though I read the thing right after it was first published which was in sometime around the mid nineties, so it has been a while. I also really enjoyed the story of IG-88. It was actually one of my favorite bits of the EU. It is a pretty goofy story about IG-88 becoming self aware, killing his makers, and then scheming galactic domination. It is kind of like the Borg meet Terminator as he goes around planting his memory in everything. He even eventually "becomes" the second Death Star and has complete control over it. At one part he slams the lift doors shut in Palpatine's face, who then uses the force to rip them open again. So, as you can see it is terribly cheesy, but it is short and a fun decently written read (IG-88's story was written by Kevin J. Anderson). Aside from IG-88 and Boba Fett's stories the rest of the book is crap.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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Kevin J Anderson is a hack.

That is all.




Actually, just hit Demonoid and grab some of the mp3 novels. I have every released audio book in mp3 format and that is how I am catching up on the E(p)U.

A long time ago in the faraway galaxy...

Star War: The Third Gathers
Backstroke Of The West

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Originally posted by: JackLucas
Kevin J Anderson is a hack.

That is all.

Seems the "in" thing to do these days is to call authors hacks. You can do it with anyone really, J.K Rowling is a hack, J.R.R. Tolkien was a hack, G.A. Henty was a hack, Tom Clancy is a hack... Not even really sure what a hack is anymore, but most of my favorite authors have been or could be accused of being hacks. That said, Kevin J. Anderson writes in an easy to read style which makes him very popular among casual readers and he usually writes very cheesy and exaggerated stories, which is what makes the tale of IG-88 so likable, you feel no obligation to take it seriously.

Originally posted by: JackLucas
Actually, just hit Demonoid and grab some of the mp3 novels. I have every released audio book in mp3 format and that is how I am catching up on the E(p)U.


Hey, I know, let's all confess our recent copyright infringements!!! It'll be fun![/sarcasm]

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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My latest purchase. Should be here in a few days.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f20/stonetriple/SOTME.jpg

30 years and I'm just now getting around to reading it.

Hey - I've been busy!
Forum Moderator
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I have that exact same copy. I want a later edition because it is thicker and the print is larger, I hate reading older paperbacks (or cheap paperbacks) with tiny print.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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I’m not the most well read, but here are a few stories from the current canon I enjoyed.

Master & Apprentice
Doctor Aphra
Bloodline
Dooku: Jedi Lost
Aftermath

Currently reading: Light of the Jedi

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If I was going to recommend books to someone who has never picked up a SW book before but was interested, here’s what I would suggest that doesn’t require much shoehorning into the current canon.

Revenge of the Sith novelization: THIS is the definitive backstory of the OT. Puts the film itself to shame.

Darth Plagueis: Cool story tying the prequels together

Master and Apprentice: Wonderful exploration into the Jedi religion, and more interestingly, the strain between spirituality and dogma; I really enjoyed this one for that.

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye: It’s good! It has historical value, too.

Shadows of the Empire: Fun story between ESB and ROTJ

Glove of Darth Vader series and Dark Empire: Glean what you may from the source material for the ST.

The Approaching Storm: For people that enjoy being bored

Bloodline: Remedial ST context

I, Jedi: It’s good, and a glimpse into the post-ROTJ EU without breaking your tether.

Labyrinth of Evil: Pretend its early 2005 and get into the hype headspace.

Phantom Menace novelization: It’s pretty good, and you learn Dooku’s true age.

The Secret History of Star Wars: Wake up, sheeple!

Star Wars Episode I Scrapbook: Nostalgia

The Visual Dictionaries: So good

OT Choose Your Own Adventure books: Hopefully you’ll get farther than me on your first read. I got killed by sand people on Tatooine after the very first decision.

My stance on revising fan edits.

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Hal 9000 said:

OT Choose Your Own Adventure books: Hopefully you’ll get farther than me on your first read. I got killed by sand people on Tatooine after the very first decision.

One minute they are in single file - the next they are all around you.

Was the second decision to ‘leave Tatooine’ (in a 1980’s DOS style pc game adventure game?) 😉

Quality list of books, Hal.

 

For me I’d go with…

The Secret History Of Star Wars
Rinzler’s 3 ‘Making Of’ the OT books
Rinzler’s 'Star Wars Storyboard’s (for the OT)
Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye (just so different to what came after, and love ADF’s writing in this)
‘The Art Of’ OT books (pre-1997 editions, of course) 👍
‘The Visual Dictionaries’ of the various Star Wars releases (though I always give these a glance over in the book store beforehand - then wait for them to appear at the seconds stores)

Looking forward to also reading Brian Jones’ ‘George Lucas: A Life’, and Dale Pollock’s ‘Skywalking’ books shortly too.
 

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

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Hal 9000 said:

Phantom Menace novelization: It’s pretty good, and you learn Dooku’s true age.

Wait, Dooku was created before Attack of the Clones was even written?