Jedi Council Forums - New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!

Post Reply | Active Topic Notification | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

« 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 » - Previous | Next | Reload

Author	Topic: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
bschuster Registered: Mar '09	Date Posted: 7/29 1:41pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but no one has posted in the invasion thread in awhile. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knows what number will be the first issue of invasion to feature the solo kids?
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Xicer Registered: Aug '08	Date Posted: 7/29 3:39pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Issue four, set for release on October 7th. Here's the synopsis: Twenty-five years after the events in A New Hope, the relentless assault by the alien invaders known as the Yuuzhan Vong has plunged the galaxy into war. But word has come of a possible intelligence coup for the New Republic ! Young Finn Galfridian joins Leia Organa and her children aboard the legendary Millennium Falcon for an undercover mission to a notorious refuge for pirates and smugglers. Meanwhile, Finn's sister Kaye, held prisoner aboard a Yuuzhan Vong starship, is about to show the invaders that the galaxy is not defenseless! -----signature----- "Just before your arrival, Moneo and I were discussing Infinity." "Poor Moneo." --Leto II and Malky, "God Emperor of Dune"
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Cash_Fendar Registered: Apr '09	Date Posted: 7/30 6:20pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Looking around the boards here one time I saw a thread which posed the question "what do you think would be a good idea for a novel?" Or something to that effect. I haven't seen that thread lately (if it even still exists), so I figured I'd ask here. Is there a Thrawn centered novel that goes deeper into his back story? If not is there talks of a possibility of one in the future? I know OB touches on some things, and there are a few snippets in Tatooines' Ghost and Allegiance (I think), but I'm talking something more substantial. Maybe like an origins story or something? -----signature----- "Tracy my cap is luke." "Luke warm Chris?" "No f@#kin Luke Skywalker you inbred!" -The Kids in the Hall:Brain Candy-
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Xicer Registered: Aug '08	Date Posted: 7/30 7:51pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Outbound Flight is the closest you're going to get, but it really does give a lot of info on Thrawn's tenure in the CEDF. Him, Car'das and Lorana are really the three main characters of that book. The paperback also has a short story called "Mist Encounter" which detail's Thrawn's exile by the Chiss and subsequent recruitment by the Empire. Thrawn makes an appearance in Tatooine Ghost (albeit disguised as a Stormtrooper) but no backstory is revealed about him, and he isn't in Allegiance at all. Anyway, Zahn's upcoming 2011 Allegiance sequel is supposed to include Thrawn so maybe we'll get something there. -----signature----- "Just before your arrival, Moneo and I were discussing Infinity." "Poor Moneo." --Leto II and Malky, "God Emperor of Dune"
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Taral-DLOS Registered: Jun '09	Date Posted: 7/31 11:38am Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Hello all, My Star Wars novel collection is almost complete, but I'm still missing most of the X-Wing series. The reason being that I am often hesitant to read a nine-part series in a row. I much prefer standalones, and find even trilogies to be irritating sometimes. It's good to switch it up a bit, y'know? That was one of the great things about NJO, it was a big meta-series, but each book within it was either standalone or duology (with one trilogy). As for the X-Wing series: Are these books one massive series spanning many years, or are they several small one-or-two-book series that all fall under the title "X-Wing"? Are they separated enough that if I read two at a time (ie Rogue Squadron and Wedge's Gamble, then The Clone Wars: No Prisoners, and then the Krytos Trap and the Bacta War) I won't get screwed? Thank you guys! -----signature----- Taral, Dark Lord of the Sith Current novel: Imperial Commando: 501st Current comic: Classic Star Wars: The Rebel Storm Support Hutt-on-Hutt Love
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Xicer Registered: Aug '08	Date Posted: 7/31 4:19pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	The X-wing series is basically split up like this: Rogue Squadron Wedge's Gamble The Krytos Trap The Bacta War Wraith Squadron Iron Fist Solo Command Isard's Revenge Starfighters of Adumar The first four books all focus on Rogue Squadron and basically chronicle their takeover of Coruscant and fight against Ysanne Isard. The books are interconnected but they aren't as dependent on other books in the series as, say, LotF. Wedge's Gamble and The Krytos Trap always seemed more reliant on each other than the other books, so I would recommend reading those two back-to-back. But otherwise, as long as you read them in order, you shouldn't have any problems. The trilogy that comes after focuses on Wraith Squadron and their campaign against Warlord Zsinj. The Rouge Squadron books are referenced and several characters crossover, but for the most part the books can be read apart from the first four. I actually read these three before the Rogue Squadron books and had no trouble. Each book has a self-contained plot which is pretty much concluded in the same book, but they all contribute to one overall story. The next two books are standalones. Isard's Revenge takes place right after TTT and reintroduces Rogue Squadron. The plot is self-contained once again and can be read by itself. Same thing with Starfighters of Adumar, which takes place 4 years after the last book. Basically, if you want to slip in other books while going through the series, you can really do it any time you want. But if you want to have a little schedule just follow what I wrote above. -----signature----- "Just before your arrival, Moneo and I were discussing Infinity." "Poor Moneo." --Leto II and Malky, "God Emperor of Dune"
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
The2ndQuest Title: Manager: -Literature -LACWAC -Games Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/31 6:37pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	It should also be noted that Isard's Revenge benefits from having read some of the XWRS comics, as a couple subplots are mentioned there, even if the book is mostly a standalone (and more of an epilogue to the first 4 XW books, as well as an excuse to explain some things that appeared in Dartk Empire and Crimson Empire). -----signature----- "When your future self tells you to do something, YOU DO IT." K'Kruhk, 140 ABY:"Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Handmaiden_Yane Title: Manager Emeritus Top Games Character Host Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 8/1 8:43pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	I just picked up Volume I of the Rogue Squadron Omnibus comics, but besides RS, where is a good place to start with SW comics? -----signature----- I'm pretty much a BioWare fangirl. She was tiny. About as tiny as a stick of dynamite. Currently gaming: Dragon Age Origins and Pokemon Pearl \| Official Games Forum Index Chick "Now I'm like this big nerd, and everyone's like, yeah, applaud the nerd.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Havac Title: Lit Mod of War Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 8/1 9:37pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Well, that depends on what your interests are. Unlike the novels, the comics don't tell quite as much of an interlocking story. About the only thing I can think of is that Legacy is significantly improved by reading Republic in advance. So I'll just tell you about the comic series, and you can decide where you want to jump in. If you're interested in the post-ROTJ big story, which I'm guessing you might be from the Rogue Squadron pickup, Dark Empire is an obvious starting point, then moving on to DEII, Empire's End, and Crimson Empire I and II. However, the post-ROTJ comics are generally scattershot -- Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand, Jedi Academy: Leviathan, Shadows of the Empire: Evolution, Union -- you can tell by the titles that they tie into the novels far more than into each other. With the exception of the ____ Empire run, you can really get into any of them individually, so long as you're familiar with the accompanying books. The other comics I'll point you at as starting points are series. Tales of the Jedi is the earliest set of stories in existence, telling about the Jedi/Sith conflict. If you're interested in that sort of thing, it's another good starting place, but I'll warn you that the comics aren't particularly good. If you're interested in some of the KOTOR backstory, however, with Exar Kun, it might be worth a look. Republic is the first major ongoing Star Wars comic series. It's prequel-oriented, with the initial run focusing on events around TPM featuring Jedi Council masters and original characters (I'd also group the miniseries Jedi Council: Acts of War in with this set of comics, as it's basically an addendum to Republic). They are, again, not all particularly good comics, though some are pretty good. In any case, many of them are important to future (and much more excellent) Republic issues, establishing characters, storylines, and scenarios that come into play later. That later is the second half of Republic, the Clone Wars run (which you'll find in TPBs under the Clone Wars name, rather than Republic, as they also collect some related issues and miniseries), which is truly excellent and a great introduction to what Star Wars comics are capable of. If you have a strong interest in the PT, I'd recommend looking into Republic. The second major ongoing Star Wars comic series is Empire. It's set during the classic trilogy era, and features an anthology format for its first half, not concentration on any one set of characters or storyline, but just telling interesting stories featuring the heroes and villains of the era as well as original characters. In its second half, many of those characters draw together for a more focused storytelling experience. If you're interest is focused on the OT characters, I'd suggest Empire as a good place to start. In 2006, Dark Horse relaunched its comic titles; these are the current ongoings. Empire was retitled Rebellion, and the storylines from Empire carried on in that comic. So, obviously, Empire is the place to start here and not Rebellion. Republic was retitled Dark Times, as it entered the post-ROTJ era. It doesn't focus on the same characters or stories (though its characters and story were set up in one of Republic's last issues), and so it's a possible jumping-in point if the inter-trilogy era excites you. I'll warn you, though, that the comic comes out very slowly, and while the art is great and the story good, isn't doing anything tremendous with the era. I'd not recommend it as a starting point. Two new titles were also created in the relaunch. One is Legacy. It's set almost 140 years after ANH, featuring Cade Skywalker, Luke Skywalker's descendant. He's rejected his family legacy after seeing his father killed when a hidden group of Sith rose up and conquered the galaxy, and remains a bounty hunter on the run. Meanwhile, the Galactic Alliance Remnant and forces loyal to Roan Fel, the rightful emperor of the Empire whom Darth Krayt deposed, fight actively against the Sith. It's the most interesting, groundbreaking thing Dark Horse is doing, featuring their best writing and art team. It's a great jumping-in point, as it doesn't rely on anything previous and is telling a great, original-trilogy-esque story; the only thing is that you'd benefit slightly from having read Republic, as a handful of long-lived Republic characters recur here (the creative team is the same one behind most of Republic's run). The second new title is Knights of the Old Republic. It's not a direct tie-in to the game, as it's centered on the adventures of Zayne Carrick, a Padawan living during the Mandalorian Wars. However, several game characters make appearances, and situations from the game are being explored and explained. It's a very twisty, mysterious series, excellently written, with a great sense of adventure. It's a wonderful series to get on board with. In addition, there's Invasion, which replaced Rebellion and is just starting up (only one issue is out so far). It's set during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the New Jedi Order series, and marks another good jumping-on point. It doesn't seem, so far, to require a particular knowledge of anything, though familiarity with the preexisting material in the era obviously helps. There are now a couple The Clone Wars comics coming out, tying into the show; if you're a fan of it, those obviously provide an area in which you can immediately get started. There's also Tales, which coexisted with Republic and Empire but I've left for last as it's kind of its own beast. It's a straight-up anthology series, presenting various short comics. Almost all of it was published under the Infinities label, meaning the creators didn't have to worry about continuity; it contains a mixture of character pieces, comedy comics, and what-if scenarios. It's generally entertaining and a very easy series to get into, but if you're looking for more of a story experience, rather than scattered bits, it might not be something you want to get started with. So, that's basically it for major starting points. If you tell me what of that bunch interests you, I can give you some more specific recommendations if you'd like. -----signature----- "Is there a captain's hat involved in this?" "I . . . don't know what department I want. I need . . . pants."
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
The2ndQuest Title: Manager: -Literature -LACWAC -Games Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 8/1 9:55pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Havac posted: Tales of the Jedi is the earliest set of stories in existence, telling about the Jedi/Sith conflict. If you're interested in that sort of thing, it's another good starting place, but I'll warn you that some of the comics aren't particularly good. Fixed. Some of these aren't great (the Golden Age/Fall of duo, Freedon Nadd) but the others contain some bright spots, and TOTJ: Redemption is one of the best SW stories period. Havac posted: Republic was retitled Dark Times, as it entered the post-ROTS era. Minor, but important, correction. -----signature----- "When your future self tells you to do something, YOU DO IT." K'Kruhk, 140 ABY:"Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Handmaiden_Yane Title: Manager Emeritus Top Games Character Host Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 8/3 12:15am Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	Thanks for the advice! I'm planning on looking into some Tales of the Jedi comics, namely the Golden Age of the Sith and the Fall of the Sith Empire because according to Wookieepedia, they feature Empress Teta. I've also heard the KOTOR comics were decent and I've wanted to read them because I really liked both KOTOR games. I've heard about the Legacy comics before and want to start in on that. The comics shop by my work has most of the volumes and I think they can order the first volume. I got a little confused about the Republic/Rebellion/Empire/whatsits renames...if I wanted to start reading those (classic era, right), what comic/volume/omnibus should I be on the lookout for? I think I will try to find Dark Empire and the Mara Jade comic. -----signature----- I'm pretty much a BioWare fangirl. She was tiny. About as tiny as a stick of dynamite. Currently gaming: Dragon Age Origins and Pokemon Pearl \| Official Games Forum Index Chick "Now I'm like this big nerd, and everyone's like, yeah, applaud the nerd.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
The2ndQuest Title: Manager: -Literature -LACWAC -Games Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 8/3 10:45am Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here! - Date Edited: 8/3 4:50pm (2 edits total) Edited By: The2ndQuest
	I'll try to help any series title confusion- long post ahoy! KOTOR is really fun and knowing the games like you do, you'll probbaly get a kick out of some of the backstory references being fleshed out, though the actual original story focus is very good too. KOTOR, more than any other SW comic or novel, feels like it'd be an easy transition to a great TV series. Legacy is awesome, but give it a couple volumes if you can- the first volume is good, but throws a lot of stuff at you, but it's the second volume, IMO, where they flashback and flesh out different POVs of those events (as well as set up the next major story) that the story/era really starts to come alive, and the third volume is an awesome climax. For Classic Era stories, Empire is the series to start with. Check out Manisphere's psot on 7/14 in this thread where he quotes an excellent breakdown by Havac on the series. I personally recommend Empire Volumes 2, 3, 6 & 7. Vol 1 is a love it/hate it situation it seems, and doesn't really connect to the rest. Volume 4 is really mediocre (but it's all Leia-centric material so if you're a fan, maybe take a look) and Volume 5 is a mixed bad of awful stories, ok stories and an excellent 1-shot. Some characters from Volume 5 to recur as suppoorting characters, though. Empire was renamed Rebellion (just think of Rebellion Volumes 1-4 as Empire Volumes 8-11), but I would read Empire Volumes 3 & 4 at least before tackling Rebellion. All the Rebellion volumes were quite good, IMO. There's also an Omnibus of non-Empire/Rebellion series stories set in the Classic-era called "Early Victories". It's nothing to rave about, but it does include two somewhta interesting 90's stories- Vader's Quest (where Vader finds out Luke's name) and the comic adaptation of Splinter of the Mind's Eye (the first EU novel that, before ESB was made, was designed to serve as a possible low-budget sequel to ANH). Not a must-read, though. "Republic" was originally just titled "Star Wars" (or unofficially referred to as "Star Wars ongoing")- they added the "Republic" subtitle when they launched "Empire" as a second ongoing SW title. As such, the initial trade collections of the series don't have the "Republic" title on them- they're just collected by their individual story arc names (Outlander, Twilight, Rite of Passage, etc). Most of these have been collected recently (alongside some other notable prequel-era comics like Acts of War & Darth Maul) in three Omnibus volumes- The chronological order sstart with "Rise of the Sith" (all pre-TPM stories, including Acts of War, Darth Maul, Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan and the first "SW Ongoing/Republic" story, Prelude to Rebellion.). Then you have "Emissaries and Assassins" (all TPM-AOTC bridge material- including Episode 1 Adventures, 2 "SW Ongoing/Republic" stories [Outlander & Emissaries to Malastare] and Jango Fett: Open Seasons). Lastly there's the just-released "Menace Revealed" (more TPM-AOTC bridge material- includes the Jedi Quest adaptation, the Jedi Starfighter prequel Crossbones, and a "SW Ongoing/Republic" story The Hunt for Aurra Sing, plus a few misc material). They're all not too bad- Acts of War and Darth Maul are the highlights of the first volume. Outlander and Jango Fett are the highlights of the second. The third doesn't have as much of a stand-out, though "Hunt" is a partial followup to "Outlander". Also note that the best "Ongoing/Republic" material have not yet been collected in an Omnibus, nor has such a collection been announced yet. This would be the material focusing on fan-favorite Quinlan Vos. You can probably still find the individual volumes of these stories, though- "Twilight", "Darkness", "The Stark Hyperspace War" & "Rite of Passage" are good-to-excellent, and are the most important "backstory" volumes from the Ongoing/Republic series so far as they pertain to later publications. Because... Then Republic focused on the Clone Wars, alternating between Quinlan stories and Anakin/Obi-Wan stories. Ventress, Durge and others all debut here. There are 9 "Clone Wars" volumes collecting this part of the run. It's an absolutely stellar run and on par with, if not excelling, DHC's current SW titles. You can find a breakdown of these volumes here. These won't hit Omnibus for a very long time. Also, skip the General Grievous miniseries- it's awful. (be careful not confuse the "Clone Wars" volumes with "Clone Wars Adventures" or the more recent material tying into the 3D animated series, "The Clone Wars") After the Clone Wars, the renamed Republic "Dark Times" (since, after ROTS, there is no Republic anymore). These had an alternating release schedule, so it's a series that comes out slower. The first volume is excellent with some of the best art you'll find in SW comics. The second volume has awful art but isn't too bad a story. The third volume is part of the Vector crossover (don't worry about that yet, it can get confusing) and the fourth series is currently only a couple issues in so far. So, the short short version: TOTJ -> KOTOR (but you don't need to read TOTJ to read KOTOR) Republic (pre-AOTC)/3 Omnis Cited Above -> Republic (Clone Wars) -> Dark Times (you don't need to read the pre-AOTC to read CW, but it'll help in some places; for Dark Times, you only really need to read CW Volume 9) Empire -> Rebellion -> Early Victories Omnibus (you should read Empire [at least certain volumes] before Rebellion. The EV omni does not require previous reading) Invasion (unconnected, thus far, to other ongoing titles, though one might suggest "Union" & "Chewbacca" as semi-relevant prelude material to the era if one hasn't read the NJO books) Legacy (unconnected directly to other ongoing titles, but does have some cameos and minor connections to the Republic series due to same creative team) -----signature----- "When your future self tells you to do something, YOU DO IT." K'Kruhk, 140 ABY:"Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
aesium Registered: May '04	Date Posted: 8/3 3:37pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	I just noticed that all nine of the LOTF books have been printed in HC; I understand six are from SFBC. However, I do have the Traitor HC and the height of that book is smaller than the HCs I've bought from places like Barnes and Noble. Are the LOTF HCs the same size as Traitor or do they come in the full HC size? -----signature----- "It's not about waging war, Anakin. It's about finding peace, and your place in the galaxy." - Jacen Solo
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Xicer Registered: Aug '08	Date Posted: 8/3 4:27pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	AFAIK, all SFBC hardcovers are shorter than regular hardcovers, including the LotF ones. -----signature----- "Just before your arrival, Moneo and I were discussing Infinity." "Poor Moneo." --Leto II and Malky, "God Emperor of Dune"
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
aesium Registered: May '04	Date Posted: 8/3 4:38pm Subject: New to the EU? What to Read? Where to Start? What's That Mean? Your Questions, Answered Here!
	That's a bummer. Thank you. Xicer posted: AFAIK, all SFBC hardcovers are shorter than regular hardcovers, including the LotF ones. -----signature----- "It's not about waging war, Anakin. It's about finding peace, and your place in the galaxy." - Jacen Solo
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History

« 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 » - Previous | Next | Reload