An EU Newbie Needs Some Directions

It all depends on what you like.

You?re attracted to Star Wars for the sweeping myth? I suggest the stories about Ulic Qel Droma and co. in the Tales of the Jedi series.

You like Star Wars as military science fiction, and want to hear about heroic X-Wing pilots squaring off against vile (and sometimes not so vile) Imperials? The X-Wing comics and books are the place to start. In particular, I highly recommend Aaron Allston?s Wraith Squadron books, X-Wing 5, 6 and 7. It?s my own very favorite EU story arc.

You?re curious about politics in Star Wars? I suggest Cloak of Deception, and maybe even the Han and Leia plotline of The Black Fleet Crisis.

You just want to see Luke and co. fighting evil? The Thrawn Trilogy, Dark Empire and The Jedi Academy Trilogy might be what you?re after. I can?t think of many people who like all three of those, but there are a lot of people that liked at least two out of three. The NJO is pretty good as well, but I don?t consider it the best place to start.

You want to see things from the bad guys perspective? The Tales series of short stories, Crimson Empire and Crimson Empire II, and Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter might be up your ally.

 

Oh...whats a PSAer...?

Prequal Spoilers allowed forum... If you frequented the prequal forums often, you'd understand my horribly wrong oppinion.

Some of you are posting huge lists that I'm afraid just scared the guy away. "Oh no, it's star trek!"



Trust me, you wanna ease em into EU with EU that centers around OT characters first. Then after that, they might be willing to take on the X wing books and TTT.

I enjoy TTT. I can tolerate Mara, Thrawn, and Corran. I'm just saying he should wait before delving into stories involving those characters.

 

M. Zahn is a controversial author in the Expanded Universe. If, indeed, you wish to avoid the denigration of filmic characters and the glorification (and eventual deification) of the author's own creations, then it would be wise to avoid M. Zahn's works, which do precisely that with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade. It should be noted, however, that M. Zahn's writing style is adequate, and that---for the most part---the gravest errors are errors of scope and errors of presentation, rather than strictly factual errors.

Should you decide to read M. Zahn's novels, you will inevitably discover that M. Zahn has made a flimsy and mostly ineffective attempt to recast his pride and joy---Admiral Thrawn---into a noble antihero, rather than a cold and Machiavellian villain (as he was written in the first three novels). It is the latter two novels in which M. Zahn's taste for exaggerating the prowess and importance of his characters emerges most clearly; he attempts to cast Admiral Thrawn as more formidable and intelligent than Lord Vader or His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.

M. Stackpole also has a regrettable tendency to focus too much on his star creation, Corran Horn. However, this particular tendency (while particularly pronounced in I, Jedi, Dark Tide I: Onslaught and Dark Tide II: Ruin) is not so great as M. Zahn's own grotesque self-indulgence in character development.

Thirdly, M. Anderson was formerly quite virulently criticised on this board, and a number of others. Generally, it seems that M. Anderson has been spared the wrath of the membership in recent times because of M. Zahn's increasingly (in)famous writing tendencies. It should be noted, however, that M. Anderson was most frequently criticised for flimsy plots, shallow characterisations, and generally poorly-written dialogue.

Fourthly, and lastly, there exists a series of children stories written by M. and Mme Davids, consisting of The Glove of Darth Vader, The Lost City of the Jedi, Zorba the Hutt's Revenge, Mission from Mount Yoda, Queen of the Empire, and Prophets of the Dark Side. These stories are insufferably poorly-written, and should be avoided at all costs.

 

i *liked* the crystal star

~Ñ¡Kë, Ðå®K LåÐÿ Ø? ?Hë §¡?H~

 

There are some opinions in the FAQ as well.

 

There are also a series of novels and comics set around the time of the prequels(BTW the anthology "Star Wars tales" covers all periods).

The "Jedi Apprentice" series, meant for young s, detail Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's adventures together. The comic series "Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon" also covers this era.



"Cloak Of Deception" and "Darth Maul:Shadow Hunter" deal with the political events leading up to TPM, such as Palpatine/Sidious's political manuevering to oust Valorum and his dealings with the Trade Federation.

The Dark Horse "STAR WARS" monthly mainly deals with the adventures of the Jedi knights-the council and others-after the events of TPM. The mini "ACTS OF WAR" takes place a while before TPM. Starting with issue #50, the Star Wars monthly-now named Republic-will cover stories after ATTACK OF THE CLONES. A Darth Maul comic series also dealt with the character before TPM.

In-Between TPM and AOTC is the novel "Rogue Planet" and the "Jedi Quest" novels and comics, which deal with the Obi-Wan/Anakin relationship.

Set shortly before AOTC is the novel "The Approaching Storm", which deals with the "border dispute on Ansion". There is also a JANGO FETT one-shot and miniseries, as well as a Zam Wessel one.

 

Thanks for all of the great responses! I am now 10 times smarter on EU than I was yesterday. I am going to start with the prequel books and work my way through all of them, except those that are supposedly "lame".

What is your best source for keeping track of when new books are being written and knowing when they will be occurring in the master timeline (prequel or sequel)

This Lit forum is great!

 

i won't read anything prequel so i can't help you pick out prequel books. and most of the post-ROTJ books other people love i hate, and the ones i love most other people hate

~Ñ¡Kë, Ðå®K LåÐÿ Ø? ?Hë §¡?H~

 

NJO does have its own Era mark. It is the New Republic seal as discribed in Rebel Dream, (traditional Rebel/NR mark with stars surrounding it).

There is also a Tales of the Jedi Era, which bears the mark of Naga Sadow. In addition, there is the Infinities logo.

 

I enjoyed Anderson's books, especially Dark Saber. If i didn't love pulp, I wouldn't be into Star wars in the first place.

 

G-S, welcome to the Lit. forum! (Heck, welcome to lit.! )

I'm sure you are extremely confused by now , but my advice would be to ignore opinions. Judge the books for yourself. IMO, chronological is the way to go. Just pay attention to a fine feathered Fosh in the prequel books named Vergere. She'll come into play much, much later in the books.

About the choronological thing...the stuff (comics, mostly) between ANH & ESB overlap like crazy. Regardless, the Marvel series (now being reprinted as "A Long Time Ago"), are excellent. But, of course, that is my opinion, which you'd be better off ignoring.

If you ever need a timeline for reference, there's one here, at my site. Do note, though, that I'm still working on that area between ANH & TESB.

 

Well, if you lazy and just wanna read some Star Wars, try Shadows of the Empire. It's not really heavy stuff. BUT, if you wanna jump into the fray, most likely start with The Thrawn Trilogy, even if you hate it, its sets up everything else.

I wouldn't start the NJO without reading The Thrawn Trilogy, at least SOME of the Jedi Academy trilogy, and the Hand of Thrawn Duology.

 

Pick the one with the nicest looking cover...

Personally, I would start off with the Han Solo Trilogy. There are a lot of cameos that you will not recognize, but a lot of people on these boards seem to like them. They are a personal favorite, as well.

Best of luck with whatever you choose to read first.

 

Avoid Dark Journey! Not because the plot of a court intrigue has nothing to do with the climatic events in Star By Star that follows it, but because the next duology has it all.

 

For latest news and updates check TF.N Books and JediNet Literature.

I personally still recommend reading them in order of publication in order to understand the continuity gaps better.

 

Welcome Grilled-Sarlac to the wonderful world of EU.

I am not going to post what I think you should read, because you have gotten quite a good view on what different strategies you can take when deciding.

However I did notice you said you were going to skip books that were "lame". I personally wouldnt recommend totally skipping them. What I would do is, if you are going to read chronilogically (SP?) skip over them during your first pass, but when you finish, come back to them.

Here are some of the books that are considered "lame" or the ones I seem to have noticed mentioned the most as "lame".

Children of the Jedi
Planet of Twilight
The Crystal Star
Dark Journey (NJO)
The Approaching Storm (prequel)

Thats just off the top of my head. I personally like 2 of them, and I also feel that The Approaching Storm, should be read to get a better idea of Ep 2.

 

Actually, Dark Journey isn't that bad, it brings about a new Kyp Durron which i like =)

 

Got a point there. I like the new-look Kyp nowadays.

 

Here's covers to some of the SW comic TPBs. You can probably find them in your comic speciality store, or order them off the net.


[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swdetpb.jpg]
Dark Empire. Luke turns to the dark side and some villains come back from the dead.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/c/cswtpb1.jpg]
Classic Star Wars Vol.1. Luke and co. in post-ANH adventures, as they deal with the construction of the Super Star Destroyer Executor and Bounty Hunters on Ord Mantell.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swtjtpb.jpg]
Tales Of The Jedi-Knights of the Old Republic. Adventures of Jedi many millenia before the two trilogies.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/c/cswtpb2.jpg]
Classic Vol. 2. The discovery of Hoth and first contact with the Mon Calamari.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swdeiitpb.jpg]
Dark Empire II. Luke starts his quest to rebuild the Jedi Knights as the Rebellion mounts a daring assault.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swhetpb.jpg]
Heir To The Empire. One of the adaptations of the Thrawn novels by Dark Horse.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swsetpb.jpg]
Shadows Of The Empire. This story tells the story from a different POV. Included mainly are Boba Fett's quest to deliver Han Solo to Jabba.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swxwtpb2.jpg]
Rogue Squadron:The Phantom Affair. The Rebellion and Empire try to bid for a new weapon, while Wedge confronts his past.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/c/cswtpb3.jpg]
Classic Star Wars vol. 3 Escape to Hoth. The Rebellion evacuates Yavin and makes the exodus to Hoth.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swxwtpb6.jpg]
Rogue Squadron:In The Empire's Service. The Rogues meet their match when they face an ace Imperial squadron and their leader, who has a startling connection to Wedge.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swxwtpb7.jpg]
The Rogues welcome an uncertain member to their ranks.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swmjtpb.jpg]
Mara Jade. The Novel character gets her own mini.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swcetpb.jpg]
Crimson Empire. A former guard gets involved in post-ROTJ intrique.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swontpb1.jpg]
Prelude To Rebellion. Jedi Council member Ki-Adi-Mundi finds himself in pre-TPM intrique.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swuniontpb.jpg]
Union. Luke gets hitched.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/s/swchewytpb.jpg]
Chewbacca. Series of adventures detailing the past, present, and future of the Wookie.

[image=http://206.190.141.94/covers/11/11535.jpg]
A New Hope-Infinities. A Star Wars "What If"?

 

Welcome Grilled-Sarlac, It's nice to see someone has been tempted away from the AOTC forum once in a while.

Because of your background in the movies I suggest (my personal favourite too) Shadow's Of The Empire by Steve Perry. This should give you a little grounding of the way movie characters can be treated in the EU and introduce you, nice and calmly, into a few of the more 'EU specific' ideas.

I f you want general EU immersion, try some of the computer games. That's what started me off and got me interested.

 

Follow my five step plan, I've recommended it to a lot of people in your position and it hasn't failed me yet. The following are what I consider "the essentials" to understanding the continuity of the Bantam era.


Shadows of the Empire - Simply great, fun-filled look at what exactly happened between ESB and ROTJ. It seemlessly connects the two with a few surprises and adventures along the way. Great cast of characters; Vader, Emperor, Boba Fett, Luke, Leia, Lando, Chewie, and introducing the ominous Prince Xizor!

The Thrawn Trilogy - Five years after the events in ROTJ, the galaxy has moved on, the Empire has dwindled and a blue-skinned Uber-Admiral comes out of the woodwork to help them re-take lost territory. This was the first novel published in the Bantam line.

I jedi - This is basically the events of JAT (yet another trilogy) summarized and told through the eyes of an "X-wing" character. This is the first and only EU novel written in the first person. People either love or hate this book, the haters take offense to the fact that Corran Horn, the main character, is always saving the day. If you can see past that, you're in for quite a ride! This will also give you a taste for what the first half of the X-wing books are like since they're written by Michael Sackpole.

Darksaber - Okay, first off, bear in mind that KJA has left a sour taste in a lot of people's mouths. I'm not really sure why... okay, that's a lie, I do know why, the guy went super weapon crazy... but if you're willing to see past that, he really did successfully capture that quintessential SW feel. So much so that Lucas actually gave him the go ahead to kill a character from the movies (that was before the NJO which is just a free for all in killing GL's characters ). That character meets his end in this book. Other than that the other major points of this novel is the point of no return for the Empire (which is, they lose so badly that they never recover... ever), Luke has a love intrest (which we met in Children of the Jedi, a truly horrible book. Don't even think about picking it up, all you need to know about their relatonship is covered in this novel), and we visit some long lost planets from the movies like Tattooine and Hoth, and Yavin.

Starfighters of Adumar - Well, let's see then there now. Starfighters is basically the one and only solo X-wing novel while the others are in an inter-dependant/trilogy format. It also takes place much later than the other books by some four or five years. Many claim that this is the best of the X-wing series (which I cannot comment on since I haven't finished the series). I through it into the mix because I tried to give a wide breadth of variety to the selections I gave you while still following some chronological pattern and maintaining good reading quality. It's really good if you're into those lighthearted romps in the tradition of ANH or the old Marvel run. It's probablly the funniest book in the entire EU, and it gives you great insight into the minds of some of those X-wing pilots barely touched on in the movies like the great Wes Janson.

Read these books and pick up The Essential Chronology to fill in the gaps in between and you pretty much have the foundation of what the Bantam era was like. You'll be the EU equivalent to a Jedi Knight, but if you want to be a master you'll have to seek tutalage under the likes of posters such as Genghis12 and Valiento.

Hope thi helps, MTFBWY!

~PAd

 

Well, everyone seems to have already added their thoughts, but I'll just say this...Don't take the stories too seriously. Look at them from different perspectives, much as one should do for the movies.

In general, most of the novels, suffice to say, are not as good as the movies. Some, IMO, are better. But for someone like me who sees it all as one story - one in which deep themes and characters can be presented, even in a B-movie fashion - it doesn't really matter, as long as you're entertained. See...people take the films way too seriously. So much that if any tiny thing is "wrong" with them, it forever tarnishes the end result. Meanwhile, I see everything in the grand scheme of things, and accept it for what it is, be it book or movie - warts and all. Your focus determines your reality.

All in all, reading things ( roughly ) chronological is the way to go. Some suggestions...

Tales of the Jedi comic trade paperbacks. ( 5,000 - 3,896 years before ANH )

Can't go wrong with these, pretty much. They have excellent characters, are epic, and provide many insights into the Force. The art is a little lacking on some of the titles, IMO, but the story is what matters. Reading these should make you more appreciate the effort the Sith are making in the PT to destroy the Jedi.

Prequel novels Cloak of Deception, Darth Maul - Shadow Hunter ( before TPM ) and Rogue Planet, The Approaching Storm ( before AotC. )

These novels can completely enhance the PT experience for any SW fan. Why did the Trade Federation blockade Naboo? How did they get the droid army? Why does Maul use a double-bladed lightsaber? When did Anakin make his first kill? Why is the planet of Ansion so important, and why is the Commerce Guild so interested in it? How did the Neimoidians make an alliance with Darth Sidious? The answers lie in these novels.

Also, don't forget about the Jedi Apprentice 20-book series. Although intended for pre-teen readers who like simple plots, there's a lot of PT seeds to be found here ( why Obi-Wan is so strict in AotC, how Qui-Gon bent the rules and colored Anakin's view of the Jedi Order ), as well as simple but effective Jedi wisdom that I've personally found to be more engaging than most adult novels coverage of the same thing.

The Han Solo Trilogy ( 10-0 years before ANH ), The Han Solo Adventures ( concurrent with the Han Solo Trilogy )

These are must-reads by Ann Crispin and the late, great Brian Daley. Both authors have nailed Han's personality and Harrison Ford's delivery of dialogue. We see how Han met Chewbacca, got the Falcon, became a smuggler, what his early years were like, how he joined and then was kicked out of the Empire, and how a relationship with another woman colored his view of the Rebels and led into the events at the Mos Eisley Cantina.

Also, if you like Lando ( like me ), don't pass up his spotlight in the Lando Calrissian Adventures paperback ( takes place concurrently with the Han Solo Trilogy ). These stories are a bit different, and take place out of the Empire proper, but are fun reads if you like strange, noir-like stories, oddball characters and wise-cracking droids. "Don't call me Master!"

Classic Trilogy timeframe...

Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, Tales of the Bounty Hunters and Tales from Jabba's Palace ( during the OT )

These will change your outlook on how you view the cantina sequence, the events in ESB, and everything at Jabba's palace. The stories run from serious ( "The Last One Standing : The Tale of Boba Fett" ) to funny ( "Publish or Perish : The Tale of Salacious Crumb" ) to completely asinine and ridiculous ( "Therefore I Am : The Tale of IG-88". ) A mixed bag, but definetly worth it.

You also can't go wrong with the Classic Star Wars trade paperbacks ( In Deadly Pursuit, The Rebel Storm and Escape to Hoth ) which reprint Archie Goodwin's newspaper strips from 1981-1984 and perfectly captu