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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit GENERAL QUESTION THREAD (What to read? Where to start? What's canon? What's not? Duros, etc.)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Master_Keralys, Jun 4, 2008.

  1. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    ANH novelization

    Ben: "Still, even a duck has to be taught to swim."
    Luke: "What's a duck?"

    Real-world references aren't a big problem for me - Han's ship is called the Millennium Falcon, after all.
     
  2. JediMatteus

    JediMatteus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 16, 2008
    lots of good recommendations here. Revenge of the Sith is great, if you enjoyed the movie. Stover really added a lot to it. If you like Luke's time period, Then i would say Shadows of the Empire which takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Or the Mindor book mentioned above.
     
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  3. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004

    Though if you happen to hate the movie, the novel upgrades itself to brilliant.;)
     
  4. DarthWilliams

    DarthWilliams Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 29, 2008
    I've never read an SW novel outside of the film novelizations, and decided to take the plunge into the EU. I cannot tell you how immensely helpful this thread is for identifying starting points. Well done.
     
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  5. aesium

    aesium Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    May 31, 2004
    I haven't read Betrayal since its release, but I can't remember: Does Lumiya lie about Vader's inability to be the most powerful force-user because of his mechanical body parts or was there some fact to the statement?
     
  6. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Depends who's writing. In the RoTS YA novelization a point is made of how he's been weakened significantly - and won't be able to conjure Force Lightning. Other sources have him use it in one form or another (The Rise & Fall of Darth Vader says that when he conjured it (in the form of a ball - "kinetite") it was because the proximity of the Kaiburr crystal gave him a massive boost).
     
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  7. TheLastMandal0rian

    TheLastMandal0rian Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2014

    This is one thing that can happen with so many different authors writing for the EU. It would be nice for a clear picture of Vader's strength in the EU, instead we get different perspectives.
     
  8. purplerain

    purplerain Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 14, 2013
    How big was the Sith Empire and how big was the Republic when Marka Ragnos died?
     
  9. Jeff_Ferguson

    Jeff_Ferguson Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2006
    These oughtta do the trick:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. Alexander Edward

    Alexander Edward Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    Hello, all.

    I'm very new to the EU, and I'd like to get some recommendations. Im currently reading (listening to, actually) the Thrawn Trilogy, and I'd like to know where to go after that. I'm interested in The New Jedi Order series. Is that any good? I'm also interested in stuff set further into the future about rogue or interesting Jedi. The Legacy comic series sounds awesome, but I dont have much free time to read. I only really have time to listen to audiobooks at work. If you guys can recommend me anything along these lines I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

    Alex
     
  11. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Do you have money? You're going to need it if you want to do the NJO. Also, that series will put you through the meat grinder. This series is very dark, emotional etc. Prepare yourself. It is the high point of the EU but you must be prepared.
     
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  12. Alexander Edward

    Alexander Edward Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    Edit: I meant the Jedi Academy series, but if The New Jedi Order is any good, I'm interested in that too.
     
  13. Alexander Edward

    Alexander Edward Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    Yeah I can see that it's a huge series. Could you recommend any specific runs or stand-alones within the series?

    Thanks.
     
  14. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    All of them.
     
  15. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2012
    They don't really stand alone very well. There are little substories, but all are part of one big series.
    Though I'd disagree with the other poster's statement that this is the high point of the EU. More like its death knell.
     
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  16. DarthBarrister

    DarthBarrister Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 16, 2014
    I had heard one comment on SW Bookworms, or one of the other podcasts out there, that the 5 hardcovers are designed to be read as a sub-series, if you don't want to go all out and read the whole thing. That's Vector Prime, Balance Point, Star by Star, Destiny's Way, and The Unifying Force.

    That said, if you can, I recommend going for the whole thing.
     
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  17. Alexander Edward

    Alexander Edward Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    Thank you, sir. I'm downloading the "Coffee with Kenobi" podcast's episode on the expanded universe. Maybe I can get some ideas from them too.
     
  18. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    Traitor is more important than Balance Point. Really not a fan of the 5-hardcovers theory.
     
  19. Alexander Edward

    Alexander Edward Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    What about the Jedi Academy series? Any good? Is it a good place to go after the Thrawn Trilogy?
     
  20. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    It's not great, and is very silly at times, an Anderson can't write prose well if his life depended on it, but it does set up a lot of characters and settings that see a lot of exposure in the EU. Your better bet would be to read I, Jedi, which covers the same events but is A) written by a competant writer and B) is much more enjoyable. It's also the only SW book written entirely in the 1st person POV, which offers a very unique experience.

    I made a good guide to the NJO a while back. I'll try to find it, but I basically advocate reading the entire series, despite some of the books being of lackluster quality.
     
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  21. DarthBarrister

    DarthBarrister Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 16, 2014
    Absolutely agreed.
     
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  22. Alexander Edward

    Alexander Edward Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2014
    Thanks! I'll check that one out.
     
  23. DarthWilliams

    DarthWilliams Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 29, 2008
    So what I'm hearing is that a) NJO is awesome; b) be prepared for the long haul?

    I'm definitely into long, dark, complex, emotionally-tiring series. Is NJO a good EU starting point? Or should I start smaller with something like Thrawn?
     
  24. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    I'd say it's a good starting point. Plenty of emotional drama, dark themes, and just awesome stuff in general. And it references a good amount of older EU, which should pique your interest in finding out more about those stories.

    But hey, you can never go wrong starting with the Thrawn Trilogy. It's great fun, consistently well-written, and it's simply a good story.
     
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  25. purplerain

    purplerain Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 14, 2013
    Wookieepedia says that Palpatine "drained" people on Byss. Where does this information come from?