Lit Any pre-NJO recommendations?

I've never read a Legends book. A recent (and pleasant) trip to the cinema made me hungry for some non-prequel era Jedi Order content. Before I get to the Jedi Order books I thought I'd read the Thrawn trilogy to better understand the state of the galaxy in this continuity that is new to me. I'm looking for other books and comics that are set before NJO and are either really good or really important.

Thanks so much if you take the time to help!

PS: If there's a thread for this I'm sorry. The search bar doesn't work for me.

 

The X-Wing novel series is usually considered fairly good and fairly important - it tells how the New Republic captured Coruscant, and what happened shortly afterwards.

The Hand of Thrawn duology also seems to be considered fairly good and fairly important - as a lead-in to the NJO, showing how the Empire finally made peace with the New Republic.

Between those two, are lots of books and comics of varying degrees of importance and popularity - but those two sets (X-Wings, and Hand of Thrawn) I'd say are the starting point.

For Jedi, however, other things may be a little more important. Luke doesn't really start building a Jedi Order properly until immediately after The Thrawn Trilogy (Dark Empire comics, Jedi Academy Trilogy (plus I, Jedi), Callista trilogy (especially Darksaber, the middle one), Jedi Academy: Leviathan comic, and Young Jedi Knights series, are the books and comics that focus most on Luke's Jedi Order itself.

However, their quality is often criticised - so not having excessively high expectations, helps.

 

Are you looking for general stuff, or specifically for stuff involving Luke's Jedi?

 

All of those in the X-Wing series.

If you want a good lead-in to the "kids' in the NJO, the Young Jedi Knights and Junior Jedi Knights books are good (the former are more middle-grade to YA while the latter are junior/young readers)

 

You could probably just read the "good" books out of the whole New Republic era and ignore everything else. You won't be missing out on much.

For me, just going by what i've ready and heard from fan consensus, that would be the X-Wing series, Thrawn Trilogy, Hand of Thrawn Duology, and maybe the Jedi Academy Trilogy.

 

Thanks everyone!

I have a preference for force related stuff as it is NJO I'm building up to. However, I'm open to (and have now taken on board) recommendations related to important galactic events.

 

Splatbooks like The Essential Atlas and The Essential Guide To Warfare are fairly good when it comes to major events of the Galactic Civil War, at least.

 

Dark Empire

 

So, if you're going to read the NJO I'd actually recommend just going in cold. It was originally conceived as a soft reboot of sorts-- a jumping on point for new readers-- and it works pretty well in that regard, I think. It is very much informed by the previous ten years of stories but in a way where all the stuff that came before feels like backstory, if that makes sense? Like the kind of historical context that any good fantasy series has-- the Clone Wars to the NJO's original trilogy. Except in this case stories of all the events actually exist, so once you're done reading the NJO you can go back and pick whatever interests you-- maybe you want to know more about this character, or that event, or these aliens.

That being said, if you do want to read some stuff to 'prep' for the NJO, I'd actually not suggest the most common recommendations like the X-wing series or the Thrawn books or even Dark Empire. All of these detail major events of the era, but none of them are actually very relevant for the stories told in the NJO. Instead I'd probably start with either the Jedi Academy or Corellian trilogy (or both), then follow up with at least the first six books of the Young Jedi Knights series and all six volumes of the Junior Jedi Knights books (they're breezy reads, especially the latter, aimed as they are at children). Then maybe you could read Union if you want to see Luke's wedding and meet some of the secondary characters who'll be popping up here and there in the NJO. I, Jedi you could read if you want background on Corran Horn, and the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron trade paperbacks In the Empire's Service and Blood & Honor if you want more backstory for a family that features sort of prominently in the back half of the series. There's also Courtship of Princess Leia and Truce at Bakura for some locations that pop up here and there, although really I'd wait on all of these.

So, yeah. To sum up, if NJO prep is what you seek, I'd actually recommend not preparing and just getting right into it; however if you really want to then the following books are most relevant (spoiler'd for size):

Spoiler

The Jedi Academy Trilogy:
Jedi Search
Dark Apprentice
Champions of the Force

The Corellian Trilogy:
Ambush at Corellia
Assault at Selonia
Showdown at Centerpoint

Young Jedi Knights: Heirs to the Force
Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy
Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones
Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers
Young Jedi Knights: Darkest Knight
Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Under Siege

(you might find these collected either in two volumes titled Jedi Shadow and Jedi Sunrise or a single volume called The Rise of the Shadow Academy)

Junior Jedi Knights: The Golden Globe
Junior Jedi Knights: Lyric's World
Junior Jedi Knights: Promises
Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest
Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress
Junior Jedi Knights: Kenobi's Blade

Union

Finally, this isn't the era you were asking about, but there's one other book that's more directly relevant to the NJO than any other: Rogue Planet, which takes place during the prequel era. That one I would definitely not read until after I finished the NJO series, if you aren't going in spoiled; if you are spoiled, though, you could read it before if you like.

Incidentally, all of these also happen to be the pre-NJO books that most deal with Luke's Jedi-- there's a couple others (Children of the Jedi, Darksaber, the Jedi Academy: Leviathan comic book, the video games Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy) but these are the works where Luke's Jedi are most prominent (except for the Corellian trilogy, but that's relevant for other reasons).

Anyway. Hope this all helps!

 

My recommendation for Luke pre-NJO is Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, Dark Empire, and the Black Fleet trilogy (Before the Storm, Shield of Lies, and Tyrant's Test).

The fact that Shadows of Mindor has not been mentioned is an egregious oversight and you should all be flogged.

 

That's quite a list Trip
I think I want to read through it but if I get bored I'll just skip strait to NJO like you recommended, rather than quitting.

DigitalMessiah Dark Empire is tempting. Unfortunately I can't find an inexpensive physical copy anywhere. Is this a problem I'll run into with other EU comics?

 

DM, you'll be glad to know that as soon as I read the OP, the three things that popped to mind were Shadows of Mindor, Dark Empire, and Black Fleet Trilogy.

So Ewan Tibbetts, consider this me seconding those three. I think if you're interested in EU stuff that kind of 'parallels' Luke's Jedi from the ST, these three works are the best bet since I think they not only delve more into Luke's personal journey and views of the Force, but are the closest to what we've seen of him in the sequels so far (while also doing their own thing, if that makes sense).