This will probably come off as a stupid post but has anyone else been in the situation where you want to learn as much as you can of the EU but struggle to get through some of the EU books? I'm about 80 pages into The Last Command and just cannot get into it. I read the first two Thrawn novels and though they were ok. I'm usually a crime thriller fan and enjoy John Sandford / Michael Connelly books but have always wanted to know more about Star Wars. I read the first Bane novel and enjoyed it. I started reading Rule of Two directly after but got sidetracked by other life priorities and lost interest. I guess I'm not as interested in the EU as I thought. Maybe Star Wars novels aren't my thing? I'm a huge fan of the movies but maybe that's the extent of my interests. I initially started reading the EU novels because I was longing for more Star Wars material and was interested in learning what happens to everyone in the future. After ROTS, we never knew if the Star Wars saga would continue in film form (we now know the future plans) so turning to the EU for more Star Wars entertainment was one of the only options.
You should consider picking up some Dark Horse Comics trade paperbacks then and see how you feel about them. They aren't as much of a time investment as a novel and thus you may enjoy a "quicker fix". Also, try one or more of the essential guidebooks if you like the whole "non-fiction" type of reading. Just note that the "non-fiction" contains lots of spoilers typically.
I wasn't crazy about the Thrawn books. I think it's Zahn's style. I liked his recent ones about Mara Jade/Emperor's Hand though.
If you want to get knowledge, yes, comics are an effective way to get it. Try those. I can't get through some SW books, either, but comics? If I don't like them, great, I wasted 30 mins of your life. Now move on. Comics. Do it.
I'm suggesting the movies are a gateway to the comics. If someone wants more Star Wars than the movies can offer there's a short list of substantial media to offer: television, novels, comics and video games.
You can also go for the semi-EU: novels based on the movies. Even if it's just the "Tales From..." books, they incorporate more of what you know than most of the other ones.
Or comics based on the novels. Try the comic adaptations of the Thrawn books, compare and contrast with your experience of the novels themselves?
Some novels read more easily than others. Zahn's style, I've found, is a bit spare. Try the X-wing series for some more engrossing EU. They're an amazing set of novels, and certainly a great start to the EU. Or, more recently, the most diverting EU works for me were: the two Medstar books, Shadow Games, and Dark Rendezvous.
Yea, I've been there, for me it was Karpyshyn, I just couldn't get through the second one, let alone the third one. I like the NJO a lot, it's very different from the rests of the novels so if you're looking for something that's maybe a little different that might be your place.
It may be that you need to be acclimated to the books. Start off with some anthologies and shorter books, peruse the action-adventure books, as they tended to read easier. Ease yourself into back into the book later, but put it aside and give it a rest while you read other things. Or... just power through it. I did that with Outbound Flight. Reading it was like pushing a grocery cart with a bad wheel. Oh, and a head's up... Avoid Rogue Planet. I managed to get sixty pages to the end before I finally quit. Reading that far was a chore.
You could also try and get audio books some of the newer books have unabridged ones. Especially the one for Death Troopers one is actually better than the book because of the scary sound effects they add.
I've never read Sandford or Connelly but if you're a thriller guy I'll suggest a couple that would be under the heading, "thriller". Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (which leads into the Coruscant Nights Tril) The Coruscant Nights Trilogy (the first book, Jedi Twilight is the best) Shadow Games Knight Errant (not technically a thriller but it has elements of a thriller)
Yeah, I kind of loved Rogue Planet. I mean Tarkin and Sienar? What more could you ask for? Outbound Flight on the other hand.... if I wanted to hear about how Thrawn is the greatest all day, I'd post in Lit circa 2001. Oh wait, I did.
Definitely recommend Death Troopers if you are in to horror. And if you liked the TV series MASH, you might like the Medstar books.
If you want to get lots of knowledge fast, comics before serious books. Some books can take hours and in the end don't matter much to the galaxy at all. If you want knowledge in the fastest way, go for comics. Although books do have a lot of interesting facts.
I started reading the EU novels with 'Dark Nest III: The Swarm War' and 'Tatooine Ghost' and I loved both of them, my collection expanded from there. 'TG' is good because it ties the OT, the PT, & the EU together nicely. 'DN III' is also good because you get to read about Luke as a Jedi Master of a rebuilt Jedi Order and it features the next generation of Jedi Knights & the Skywalker/Solo clan.