Author Topic: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
Manisphere  2937 posts
Registered: Aug '07
51444_WH419: Imperial Knight
Date Posted: 5/23 8:28am Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here! - Date Edited: 5/23 8:31am (1 edits total) Edited By: Manisphere
Xicer posted:
KJA's books aren't bad per se, but they're not exactly the most thought-provoking books either. The JAT is a good series but seems a bit childish or 'simple' at times. I think I, Jedi does a much better job of portraying that time period, and it only devotes half the book to the academy. He's definitely one of the pioneers of the EU and as well as novels, gave us the latter half of the Tales of the Jedi comics. But none of books have been anywhere near the level of, say, TTT.

And yes, check out the X-wing series. It's a nice break from the regular characters and there's a lot of good storytelling. Corran Horn, the main character in I, Jedi, is featured prominently in the first four books of that series so they give you some nice background information.


Not too many writers hit the TTT level though. I'm a huge Tales of the Jedi fan. I love Anderson's work on that series with the exception of Golden age of the Jedi and Fall of the Sith Empire. As for his novels, Xixer puts it well. They're a bit on the childish side. His novels though full of great ideas didn't come off all that well stylistically. They aren't the smoothest read. Now compare Anderson with Michael Stackpole in I, Jedi. That's a very well written novel in general. Not just a well written EU novel. I'd say Anderon's style is a lot tighter in Darksaber, his last entry to the EU.

 

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timmoishere  7879 posts
Registered: Jun '07
14706_AT-AT
Date Posted: 5/23 8:40am Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
For all his faults, Anderson did introduce us to the Maw, Daala, the Yavin academy and Kyp. All of those are important later in the EU.

 

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Xicer  785 posts
Registered: Aug '08
48419_Imperial Sentinel (51209)
Date Posted: 5/23 9:13am Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
I agree that KJA was great at coming up with innovative new ideas for the franchise, and many of his creations have had a positive impact on the EU (like the poster before me said: the Maw, the Jedi Praxeum, a new generation of Jedi, Daala is debatable though tongue ). And as Mani said, he gave us some of the best moments in the TOTJ series. It just so happens that when he actually writes something, it comes off a bit "meh". Don't let that stop you from reading any of his stuff, go ahead and read the JAT but be sure to read I, Jedi afterwards. The books really do go hand-in-hand and I think you'll find it interesting how different the style of writing is between KJA and Stackpole.

 

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Rew  1660 posts
Registered: Dec '08
48136_Marvin (42109_
Date Posted: 5/23 1:43pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
Plaristes posted:
Rew posted:
Quick question:

Are the junior novelizations of the film trilogies (by Patricia Wrede and Ryder Windham respectively) available in single-volume issues, like the prequel trilogy in one volume and the original trilogy in another--or maybe all six episodes in a single volume?

I ask because I could've sworn I've seen a hardcover version(s) of that before, but I can't find it anywhere on Wookieepedia or Amazon. thinking


Yes, each of the trilogies were bound together. I think they were Borders exclusives, though, which might explain why they're not on amazon.


Ah, Borders exclusives! doh! That's where I saw them. Thanks for the info.

As a result, I went out to my local Walden/Borders earlier today and picked them up. happy

 

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johnboy3441  68 posts
Registered: Aug '07
24168_Aayla Secura
Date Posted: 5/26 9:56pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here! - Date Edited: 5/26 10:42pm (1 edits total) Edited By: johnboy3441
Well, after spending a good amount of time with Nathan Butler's timeline, I've come up with a list of all the major adult-level novels and comics released prior to the continuity mash-up that was TCW, in chronological order. If some of the ordering seems odd, that's because I arranged it so that the latest point in any work is before the latest point in the work following it. As soon as my eyes are finished healing from the surgery, I'll be starting on it. I'm not planning on finishing this for at LEAST a year, and probably more, considering that I'm a slow reader. Get ready, fellas. This list is LONG.

Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Volume 1
Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Volume 2
Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement
Knights of the Old Republic: Flashpoint
Knights of the Old Republic: Days of Fear, Nights of Anger
Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
Jedi vs. Sith

Darth Bane: Rule of Two
Jedi Council: Acts of War
Prelude to Rebellion
Darth Maul: Saboteur
Darth Maul
Cloak of Deception
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Outlander
Jango Fett: Open Seasons
Emissaries to Malastare
Twilight
The Hunt for Aurra Sing
Darkness
The Stark Hyperspace War
Rite of Passage
Rogue Planet
Jango Fett
Zam Wesell
Outbound Flight
The Approaching Storm
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Clone Wars Volume 1: The Defense of Kamino and Other Tales
Republic Commando: Hard Contact
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 1
Clone Wars Volume 2: Victories and Sacrifices
Shatterpoint
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 3
The Hive
The Cestus Deception
Republic Commando: Triple Zero
Republic Commando: True Colors
Clone Wars Volume 3: Last Stand on Jabiim
Clone Wars Volume 4: Light and Dark
Clone Wars Volume 5: The Best Blades
Medstar I: Battle Surgeons
Medstar II: Jedi Healer
General Grievous
Jedi Trial
Clone wars Volume 6: On the Fields of Battle
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 7
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 8
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 10
Clone Wars Volume 7: When They Were Brothers
Clone Wars Volume 8: The Last Siege, The Final Truth
Labyrinth of Evil
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 6
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 5
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 4
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Honor and Duty
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 9
Darl Times Volume One: The Path to Nowhere
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
Clone Wars Volume 9: Endgame
The Han Solo Trilogy Volume One: The Paradise Snare
Omnibus: Droids
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu
Jabba the Hutt: The Art of the Deal
Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon
Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka
The Han Solo Trilogy Volume Two: The Hutt Gambit
Han Solo at Stars' End
Han Solo's Revenge
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
Empire Volume One: Betrayal
Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika
The Han Solo Trilogy Volume Three: Rebel Dawn
Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 2
X-Wing Rogue Squadron #1/2

Death Star
Episode IV: A New Hope
Empire Volume Two: Darklighter
Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire
In Deadly Pursuit
A Long Time Ago...: Doomworld
Vader's Quest
A Long Time Ago...: Dark Encounters
Empire Volume Three: The Imperial Perspective
The Rebel Storm
Escape to Hoth
Allegiance
Empire Volume Five: Allies and Adversaries
Empire Volume Six: In the Shadows of Their Fathers
Empire Volume Seven: The Wrong Side of the War
Rebellion Volume 1: My Brother, My Enemy
Rebellion Volume 2: The Ahakista Gambit
Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine
Empire Volume Four: The Heart of the Rebellion
Splinter of the Mind's Eye
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
A Long Time Ago...: Resurrection of Evil
A Long Time Ago...: Screams in the Void
Shadows of the Empire
Tales from the Mos Eiseley Cantina
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
The Truce at Bakura
A Long Time Ago...: Fool's Bounty
The Bounty Hunter Wars Book 1: The Mandalorian Armor
The Bounty Hunter Wars Book 2: Slave Ship
The Bounty Hunter Wars Book 3: Hard Merchandise
Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand
A Long Time Ago...: Wookiee World
A Long Time Ago...: Far, Far Away
Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Volume 1
The Early Adventures
Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Volume 2
Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Volume 3

Tales from Jabba's Palace
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron
X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble
X-Wing: The Krytos Trap
X-Wing: The Bacta War
X-Wing: Wraith Squadron
X-Wing: Iron Fist
X-Wing: Solo Command
The Courtship of Princess Leia
A Forest Apart
Tatooine Ghost
Volume 1: Heir to the Empire
Volume 2: Dark Force Rising
Volume 3: The Last Command
X-Wing: Isard's Revenge
Tales from the Empire
Dark Empire
Boba Fett: Death, Lies, & Treachery
Boba Fett: Man with a Mission
Dark Empire II
Crimson Empire
The Bounty Hunters
Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood
The Jedi Academy Trilogy Volume 1: Jedi Search
The Jedi Academy Trilogy Volume 2: Dark Apprentice
The Jedi Academy Trilogy Volume 3: Champions of the Force
I, Jedi
Children of the Jedi
Darksaber
Jedi Academy: Leviathan
X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar
The Crystal Star
The Black Fleet Crisis Book 1: Before the Storm
The Black Fleet Crisis Book 2: Shield of Lies
The Black Fleet Crisis Book 3: Tyrant's Test
The New Rebellion
The Corellian Trilogy Book One: Ambush at Corellia
The Corellian Trilogy Book Two: Assault at Selonia
The Corellian Trilogy Book Three: Showdown at Centerpoint
Tales of the Bounty Hunters
Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future
Union
Tales from the New Republic
Fool's Bargain
Survivor's Quest

Vector Prime
Chewbacca
Dark Tide I: Onslaught
Dark Tide II: Ruin
Boba Fett: A Practical Man
Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
Balance Point
Recovery
Edge of Victory I: Conquest
Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
Star by Star
Dark Journey
Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand
Traitor
Ylesia
Destiny's Way
Force Heretic I: Remnant
Force Heretic II: Refugee
Force Heretic III: Reunion
The Final Prophecy
The Unifying Force
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
Dark Nest III: The Swarm War

Legacy of the Force: Betrayal
Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines
Legacy of the Force: Tempest
Legacy of the Force: Exile
Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
Legacy of the Force: Inferno
Legacy of the Force: Fury
Legacy of the Force: Revelation
Legacy of the Force: Invincible
Legacy Volume One: Broken
Legacy Volume Two: Shards
Legacy Volume Three: Claws of the Dragon

Tales: Volume 1
Tales: Volume 2
Tales: Volume 3
Tales: Volume 4
Tales: Volume 5
Tales: Volume 6
Infinities: A New Hope
Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
Infinities: Return of the Jedi
Tag & Bink Were Here
Visionaries

Wish me luck, everyone!

 

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Rew  1660 posts
Registered: Dec '08
48136_Marvin (42109_
Date Posted: 5/27 9:47am Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
Oh, that's going to take you a lot longer than a year to go through. At least two.

Best of luck, though, and have fun!

(I'm doing my own mega reading marathon too--see my profile. It's looking it'll be a year in all for me, and that's novels only--no comics.)

 

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timmoishere  7879 posts
Registered: Jun '07
14706_AT-AT
Date Posted: 5/27 1:36pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
I wish I could remember when I started reading my EU marathon. It may have started sometime last summer, but I can't really remember. I'm currently on Bloodlines, which is pretty good progress considering I've been distracted by other books like Twilight and Brisingr.

 

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Everything tastes better wrapped in bacon, especially bacon
11/20/2008: The day I married the most wonderful woman in the world.
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johnboy3441  68 posts
Registered: Aug '07
24168_Aayla Secura
Date Posted: 5/27 8:30pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
timmoishere posted:
I wish I could remember when I started reading my EU marathon. It may have started sometime last summer, but I can't really remember. I'm currently on Bloodlines, which is pretty good progress considering I've been distracted by other books like Twilight and Brisingr.


Please, do the literary world a favor and cease indulging that little snot's delusions of grandeur. I hate to sound so mean, but there are so many other up-and-coming authors who can write circles around Paolini, and yet they get no publicity because their parents can't pull strings to get them widely published.

 

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timmoishere  7879 posts
Registered: Jun '07
14706_AT-AT
Date Posted: 5/27 8:55pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
I don't mind the Eragon series. Yes, the writing is juvenile and the plot predictable, but it is still entertaining.

 

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Everything tastes better wrapped in bacon, especially bacon
11/20/2008: The day I married the most wonderful woman in the world.
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Jeff_Ferguson  1676 posts
Registered: May '06
42357_Antares Draco
Date Posted: 5/29 12:10pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
Johnboy 3441 --- ehhhhhh don't feel like you have to read every SW novel and Trade paperback that exists. There's some skippable things in the timeline, and it would be a shame if you read everything just because it had Star Wars on the cover. Definitely a good thing to intersperse your SW reading with non-SW reading.

For example --- a lot of the pre-Clone Wars Republic stuff. I read Prelude to Rebellion and wasn't wowed by it, and I'd recommend skipping it. From what I've read on these boards, a lot of the other pre-CW stuff is aimless adventures of Ki-Adi Mundi. Rogue One and a half is doing his own EU Odyssey in this thread, and the page I've linked to is where he reviews Prelude to Rebellion (which he actually liked a good deal more than I did tongue ), so click on ahead to see what he and others think about Outlander, The Hunt for Aurra Sing, etc --- I really feel like skipping them wouldn't be the end of the world.

For a while I thought that I would one day end up reading all of the EU that was out there --- but nowadays, I'm not so motivated. I bought Jedi Academy: Leviathan from my LCS back home, and... well, it wasn't the best decision of my life. peace I also once bought The Ruins of Dantooine, and very quickly realized that I had no intention of reading it. So why did I buy it? Why did I buy it??

So yeah. John Boy 3441, I'd strongly recommend reading Rogue One and a Half's thread, and getting the opinions of others on these forums, about what along the timeline you can skip. Remember --- just because it has Star Wars on the cover, doesn't mean it's worth reading. I was considering one day picking up some of the Jedi Apprentice books, but apparently they're... yeah, not so good.

 

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"In the name of the true Emperor, Roan Fel, we come bearing greetings to our Jedi cousins." --- Marasiah Fel
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Manisphere  2937 posts
Registered: Aug '07
51444_WH419: Imperial Knight
Date Posted: 5/29 2:35pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
Jeff_Ferguson posted:
Johnboy 3441 --- ehhhhhh don't feel like you have to read every SW novel and Trade paperback that exists. There's some skippable things in the timeline, and it would be a shame if you read everything just because it had Star Wars on the cover. Definitely a good thing to intersperse your SW reading with non-SW reading.

For example --- a lot of the pre-Clone Wars Republic stuff. I read Prelude to Rebellion and wasn't wowed by it, and I'd recommend skipping it. From what I've read on these boards, a lot of the other pre-CW stuff is aimless adventures of Ki-Adi Mundi.


This is why I haven't given my own, "what to skip" opinion about Johnboy's list. I'd take The Droids Omnibus out of there before any of the Pre Clone Wars stuff. Not that Prelude to a Rebellion is the most stellar comic but I can think of at least a half dozen to a dozen things I'd take out before Prelude (including Ruins of Dantooine of course as well as Jedi Trial, JA: Leviathan Crimson Empire II etc...)

 

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DAR  1328 posts
Registered: Jul '04
18614_Darth Vader<br>with stormtroopers
Date Posted: 6/1 5:38pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
Real simple question. Of the current Star Wars comics out there which one should I spend my money on? And I like to buy the trade paperbacks and read everything in one sitting.

 

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Xicer  785 posts
Registered: Aug '08
48419_Imperial Sentinel (51209)
Date Posted: 6/1 6:05pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
Currently as in ongoing? The KOTOR and Legacy comics won't do you wrong, they're both excellent. It really depends on what you're interested in but both are great, and each have released I think six trade paperbacks so far. There's also the Tales of the Jedi comics which are older, but an excellent series nonetheless and sets up a lot of stuff in KOTOR.

 

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"Just before your arrival, Moneo and I were discussing Infinity."
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johnboy3441  68 posts
Registered: Aug '07
24168_Aayla Secura
Date Posted: 6/2 5:30pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here! - Date Edited: 6/2 6:09pm (1 edits total) Edited By: johnboy3441
Well, I've managed to blow through Tales of the Jedi and the first three TPBs of KotOR, and I'm now reading Path of Destruction. I've revised my list to include any TPBs I missed, but I don't want to be a space hog and post it here. Since Rogue1.5 is doing his own EU journey thread, do you think the mods would mind if I did one, too? It'd be better than cluttering this thread with my thoughts, I'd think.

EDIT: As for why I'm trying to read everything: my uncle is a gigantic SW fan. I never found this out until recently. He has a giant library of stuff. In fact, I dare say he has everything on the adult reading level. This is all part of a larger project on my part to compare the merits of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, and to make a fair comparison, I need to see it all: the good and the bad. I'm sure some of these books are going to be throw-aways, but so are some of the ST episodes I'll be watching.

 

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Manisphere  2937 posts
Registered: Aug '07
51444_WH419: Imperial Knight
Date Posted: 6/2 6:32pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
johnboy3441 posted:
Well, I've managed to blow through Tales of the Jedi and the first three TPBs of KotOR, and I'm now reading Path of Destruction. I've revised my list to include any TPBs I missed, but I don't want to be a space hog and post it here. Since Rogue1.5 is doing his own EU journey thread, do you think the mods would mind if I did one, too? It'd be better than cluttering this thread with my thoughts, I'd think.

EDIT: As for why I'm trying to read everything: my uncle is a gigantic SW fan. I never found this out until recently. He has a giant library of stuff. In fact, I dare say he has everything on the adult reading level. This is all part of a larger project on my part to compare the merits of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, and to make a fair comparison, I need to see it all: the good and the bad. I'm sure some of these books are going to be throw-aways, but so are some of the ST episodes I'll be watching.

Well, if you have a library of EU at your disposal, take advantage of it!

As for starting your own "journey" thread, I'm sure all you have to do is start a thread, explain the perimeters of your project and go. One thing. Many have tried this kind of project before. And many drop it after a while. Often such threads aren't posted on by many but the OP since there is often little to actually debate or discuss. Just a bit of a warning. Not a suggestion that you shouldn't do your own thing. peace

 

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