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

There are five TCW spinoff novels: The Clone Wars and Wild Space by Karen Traviss, and Wild Space, Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth, and Clone Wars Gambit: Siege by Karen Miller. I haven't read any of them so I don't know if they're any good or not but they do feature TCW characters like Ahsoka, Rex, Lok Durd, and Wullf Yularen.

For pre-TCW Clone Wars material, Shatterpoint, Dark Rendezvous, and Labyrinth of Evil are the essentials, along with Dark Horse's line of Clone Wars comics, which were recently republished in three Omnibuses. I don't know if you have any interest in comics but these are quite good and feature Asajj Ventress as a recurring character, before her backstory and character arc were rewritten by TCW.

The only books in this time period worth reading are Knight Errant and Lost Tribe of the Sith, both by John Jackson Miller. The others are the mediocre Darth Bane Trilogy and a series of subpar tie-ins to the MMO The Old Republic.

Mostly, the pre-PT era is dominated by comics:

Dawn of the Jedi is a current ongoing series set over 25,000 years before the movies. It's about how the Jedi Order was first formed, before the Galactic Republic even existed. I haven't read any of it but the creative team behind is very good. Only the first story arc has been collected in trade paperback so far, though, so you'd have to read back issues to catch up. There's also a novel set in this time period that's coming out soon, called Into the Void.

Tales of the Jedi is a comic series from the mid-1990s about some of the first wars between the Jedi and the Sith. Unfortunately, it's not very good (except for the final story arc, Redemption, which is excellent). If you're interested in this era, though, I guess it's fairly essential. The whole series was collected in two Omnibuses a few years ago.

Knights of the Old Republic is kind of a prequel series to the KOTOR video games, although it revolves around an entirely different cast with infrequent cameos from the game characters. It follows the adventures of a Jedi Padawan framed for murder as he and his friends try to evade both the Jedi Masters who framed him and the war between the Mandalorians and the Republic. The whole series is available in ten TPBs, and later this year Dark Horse is going to start republishing it in a series of Omnibuses.

Knight Errant is a series from the same writer as KOTOR, set a few thousand years later during the New Sith Wars. The Knight Errant novel I recommended earlier takes place at the same time as this series and involves the same characters. I haven't read this comic but I've heard good things. It's pretty short and was collected in three TPBs.

Jedi vs. Sith is the story of the end of the New Sith Wars, the conflict that resulted in the apparent destruction of the Sith, as mentioned in the prequels. It's quite dark and brutal, as it shows how desperate the Jedi have become to end this war that has stretched on for a thousand years, and how much reduced they and the Sith both are from their typical glory and power. This story was somewhat retold in the first book of the Darth Bane Trilogy, but it was retold very poorly with none of the nuance, pathos, or attention to character and detail. It's my personal favorite comic from this era, but if you have no interest in comics I guess that's irrelevant.

 

Of the Clone Wars books that aren't the movie novelization, No Prisoners is actually the best. It's not great, but it's actually pretty harmless and acceptable. The Karen Miller TCW tie-ins are absolute disasters, though, and are best avoided.

 

For the "pre PT" era (Old Republic Era) see Catherine's notes, but I'd add that you might still want to read the Darth Bane trilogy (about the guy who created the Sith's Rule of Two) and that I thought Old Republic: Fatal Alliance was fairly good.
Knight Errant (the novel) is a very good story (I haven't read the comics yet), and features a female Jedi as its protagonist, which is relatively rare.
Lost Tribe of the Sith is a collection of e-book shorts (plus a new 100-page one) chronicling the history of a group of Sith crash landed on a backwater planet.

 

I actually like those- mostly for Palpatine's inner monologue, and Bail Organa.

 

Where should I start if I want to learn more about Jaina Solo?

 

You could read the Young/Junior Jedi Knights series which focuses on the Solo kids and friends at the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV, but that series is aimed at younger readers. Jaina really comes into her own in NJO - she's 16 at the beginning - so my recommendation would be Vector Prime.

 

Thanks!

 

Note, there are 19 novels in that series, so it's a good bit of reading.

 

I was just browsing ebay for some cheaper comics, i came across 3 being sold at 99p each. i can't find much about them so i was wondering if anybody else had read them and could tell me if they are worth reading.

Boba Fett; Enemy of the Empire #1
Tales of the Jedi #4
The Jabba Tape

Thanks for all the help, you guys are great!

 

I liked Enemy of the Empire, but you really want the whole series. It's out in tpb and it's also part of the recently released Fett Omnibus.

 

How does one go about getting the tpb?

 

Unless you have a local comic shop, I'd go for Amazon. There are some in the Marketplace. Alternatively, you could go for the Fett Omnibus which is in stock and get more for your money. There's a list of what is in there on the page. I enjoyed all of the listed stories, though I wasn't crazy about the art in Yavin Vassilia. (Story is good though).

 

I would suggest, if you enjoy the OT, then start with Heir to the Empire by Tim Zahn, if you like the PT/TCW more than the Clone Wars Novels are good, or the prequel books to The Phantom Menace (Cloak of Decption, Darth Maul books). and then go from there. When i started i began with the Jedi Academy Trilogy.

 

Hi crew!
Long time fan of all 6 movies but recently I'm new to the world of EU due to my growing thirst for more plot details and fill in of the gaps.
I have just finished reading the Darth PAlageious book (my firsts Star Wars book) and found it to be fantastic and exactly what I was hungry for! The book is the most perfect prequel to episode 1 and really sets the plot for the whole prequel trilogy. Now I am after something similar but set between ep 1-2 and then of coarse one set between 2-3 and 3-4. It is my understanding that there is many books set during these times, but I am not after a story based on a random adventure that has no real tie in to the movies.. I'm after bridging books that feature major plot points and set the stage for the movies.. In my mind the darth PAlageious book really answered questions that helped us better understand the overall saga or at least the prequels. Is there any other books I should be aware of that are considered official 'in between' movie stepping stones or does one simply need to read them all in order to gain an idea of what happens between the movies? I have noticed that there are some other books set at the same time as the darth PAlageious one but I don't feel the need to read them after having read PAlageious, I feel I already understand the leed up to ep 1. I'm dying to read more about palatines dealings between ep 1-2, 2-3, and so on! Cheers all

 

And Labyrinth of Evil is great for content between EPII and EPIII; it's my favourite EU novel.

 

I wish James luceno did official 'in between' books... I'm sure we'd all love to know 'what happens next' and so on from the plagueis book... Eg: the relationship between palps & dooku growing to become master and apprentice.. The relationship between palps & the trade federation. The beginning of the separatist movement. There's still so much more he could make a story about for an in between ep1-2 book. Maybe I should read this shatterpoint book next!?

 

Which book directly links to after episode 1?

 

Rogue Planet is the closest- though it's not as direct- a year or two has gone by since then.

 

Darth Plagueis has one or two brief scenes that take place almost immediately after Episode 1.

 

There's also a bridge novel between Episodes V and VI called Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry. The Episode II lead-in, as mentioned, is The Approaching Storm, but it's terribly written and does almost nothing to set up Episode II.

These stories also feature more of Palpatine's dealings with Nute Gunray and the Trade Federation:

Darth Maul: Saboteur
Cloak of Deception
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Labyrinth of Evil

 

Getting through The Approaching Storm was an agonizing experience and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

 

I enjoyed it- but then I enjoy Alan Dean Foster's style in general.

 

A great lead in book is Death Star. Set right before and during parts of A New Hope.

 

Crosscurrent and Riptide. How lost would I be if I were to pick these up having only read up to maybe half of the NJO in the timeline?