DuracellEnergizer said:

Sorry, but I'm deadset against reading any novels set inside the PT era (or NJO or Legacy eras, for that matter). My policy is if a novel can't fit in my personal canon, I'm not going to devote time and effort towards reading it, regardless of how well written it is.

Besides, at this point, I'm pretty much done with reading anything from the old EU, too; once I'm through A. C. Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy and Zahn's last three novels, the only SW books I'll ever read are going to be the ones I've already read and taken a liking to. There's too many classic authors and novels out there waiting to be read, and I've put off reading them for Star Wars long enough.

Luke Skywalker and The Shadows of Mindor takes place before the thrawn trilogy and it's beyond amazing.