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

I honestly just like reading everything, or the thought of it. My goal for the summer is to try and conquer all the EU material I can. I'm not expecting much... it's Star Wars and I like to know the story. Experience it for myself compared to reading it on wookiepedia. Might take some struggling because I'm picky about writing styles, but I'm sure I'll have fun.

Though for the time being I think I'll hold off of buying hard copies and stick to what I have come across digitally when I reach that point. 109 books or something insane is what I have to read until then xD

 

Libraries are really fabulous in this regard. And if they don't have the books, you can usually request that they purchase a title and they'll get it for you...

 

This is true. I know my library has the newest Star Wars books. c:

 

YEAH BABY!

 

I think the list I read is pretty good - though the Jedi Academy trilogy is pretty rubbish and all it does is introduce a few characters that are in the background of the new Jedi Order in later books.

 

I figured I would compile this list while waiting for dinner to finish.

The Books I Own (in chronological order)
Lost Tribe of the Sith
TOR: Revan
Knight Errant
Jedi Apprentice #1
Cloak of Deception
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Ep 1
Rogue Planet
Jedi Quest
Outbound Flight
The Approaching Storm
Ep 2
First three republic commando books
Ep 3
The Last Jedi
The Han Solo Trilogy (The Paradise Snare is the only one I've read)
Death Troopers
Ep 4-6
All of the Tales books
Scoundrels
Allegiance/Choices of One (I've read both)
Shadows of the Empire
Bounty Hunter Wars
Truce at Bakura
First three Jedi Prince books (hahahaha)
All of the X-wing books (except the newest, currently trying to read the first one)
Courtship of Princess Leia
Tatooine Ghost
Thrawn Trilogy (Comic and book versions)
Jedi Academy/I, Jedi
Children of the Jedi/Darksaber/Crystal Star
Black Fleet Crisis
Corellian Trilogy
The New Rebellion
Hand of Thrawn Duology
Survivor's Quest
Then all of the YJK books
All of NJO
and the first of the Dark Nest Trilogy

I'm clearly missing a lot of the prequel era books. Can you guys help me with the what to read most importantly and what I can skip/leave for later?
I'm going to try and read everything eventually but I don't want to get... stuck.

 

Good
Lost Tribe of the Sith
Knight Errant
Cloak of Deception
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Rogue Planet
Outbound Flight
First Republic Commando book
Ep 3
The Han Solo Trilogy
Ep 6
All of the Tales books
Scoundrels
Shadows of the Empire
All of the X-wing books
Thrawn Trilogy (Comic and book versions)
I, Jedi
Hand of Thrawn Duology
All of NJO

Average/Mediocre
Jedi Apprentice #1
Ep 1
Jedi Quest
Ep 2
Next two Republic Commando books
The Last Jedi
Death Troopers
Ep 4-5
Allegiance/Choices of One
Bounty Hunter Wars
Truce at Bakura
Courtship of Princess Leia
Tatooine Ghost
Jedi Academy
Children of the Jedi
Darksaber
Black Fleet Crisis
Corellian Trilogy
Survivor's Quest
Then all of the YJK books

Not Good
TOR: Revan
The Approaching Storm
Crystal Star
The New Rebellion
The first of the Dark Nest Trilogy

Excellent
First three Jedi Prince books

From the prequel era you're missing Darth Plagueis, Shatterpoint, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, and Labyrinth of Evil, which are all must-reads. I'm also fond of The Cestus Deception but I am the only person in the world who likes it so take that how you will.

 

Does anyone know if the Dark Empire 2 on Itunes includes the Empire's End audio drama as well? I was planning on getting the Dark Empire trilogy, but I don't know if the art is worth it and I can't find it for less than $100 anyway.

 

Thank God--and here I thought I was the only one who felt this way about Stackpole's X-Wing books! (His Dark Tide duology is a little bit better, though.)

I really second the recommendation about Shadows of Mindor, BTW, as well as Allston's X-Wing entries, which use a lot more humor than Stackpole's.

The only things worth pursuing post-NJO (in my opinion) are Millennium Falcon and of course the Legacy comics. Maybe Crosscurrent and Riptide too, though I don't find them as good as MF or Legacy.

Regarding LotF and FotJ, hoo boy. I personally think they're terrible, both series, and be warned if you read them, they will pretty much completely ruin everything that was wrought narratively in the NJO series. While they're not unanimously considered awful (they do have some defenders on this board), a lot of fans strongly disapprove of both series, especially LotF. So read at your own risk, and I highly recommend perusing one or two from the library before deciding to commit money to them.

 

I thought Allston's X-wing: Mercy Kill was pretty good.

 

I have been doing the digital thing with the newer stuff too. It's a lot easier and cheaper for the most part. I just picked up the Lost Tribe series for like 5$.

On that note, Lost Tribe is cool, but the way it seemed snooping around here I was expecting something completely awesome and I am so far a bit underwhelmed. But we'll see. I am about halfway through I think. Maybe it will pick up? I mean don't get me wrong it's good....but I thought it was gonna be more gooder.

There's just something missing from it. Doesn't quite seem like a SW story so much because of the stuff that is missing, but I won't hate. It's a semi-good read so far, and it's SW (sort of), so that makes it a little better.

 

SO I've just finished reading the Young Jedi Knights series.
Now do I start Vector Prime or should I go back in timeline and read Darth Plagueis?

 

VECTOR PRIME.

 

DARTH PLAGUEIS

 

I second Vector Prime. If you're already at that point in the timeline, you might as well press on! (Be sure to stop after The Unifying Force, however.)

 

Thanks for the tips.
But why stop at Unifying Force? I plan to read Legacy and FOTJ too.

 

Legacy era is hit or miss for some people. Just try it and if you can always stop.

 

Lots of people don't like all or parts of it. But then,some people don't like the NJO, or just about anything else. Everything has its dislikers, it's better to see what you think yourself.
(A note: I really dislike LotF. Sacrifice was about the worst thing I think could have happened to the series at that point. And then FotJ just felt disorganized, for one thing.)

 

The Dark Nest trilogy is decent on its own (I more dislike it for what it later led to). As for LotF and FotJ, I find that the quality of storytelling and just outright character assassinations in those books (particularly LotF) are so bad--and undo so much of what was achieved in NJO--that I recommend checking out the first two or three as library books before deciding if you actually want to spend money on them.

I strongly dislike those books, but who knows? You might enjoy them. It's like I say: Try 'em before you buy 'em.

 

As far as I am concerned, there is a gaping hole in the continuity between The Unifying Force and the Legacy comics

I've read such terrible things about Dark Nest and beyond - how it completely retcons some of my favourite aspects of NJO (and everyone who's read it will know what I'm talking about) and is written by some of the worse writers of the EU.

 

Got it. Thank you guys. Well, I'll read it anyway and judge it by myself.

SPOILER ALERT:

Almost finishing Vector Prime, Chewie's death was hard to read... It really sank my heart. It's that kind of emotional link with the characters that made me want to jump in the EU in the first place, and it's what makes me hope the Sequel Trilogy won't erase the EU from existence, while the books will still be there, they won't have the same feel to them as, you know, the legitimate further adventures of our favorite characters.

 

I did just that. I own a copy of that series tradepaperback. Sad indeed
Finished Vector Prime, I'll start the Dark Tide duology on friday I think.

 

That's right, support your local library!!
I fear the day that libraries go away because everything is digital.