It's time for some lists

I'm sure countless Best/Worst lists have been posted here before, but another one couldn't hurt, right? Boredom is a terrible thing.

These are in no particular order, sort of. And I'm counting trilogies and duologies as single books, because I think it just makes more sense that way.

Best:
-Hand of Thrawn
-Thrawn Trilogy
-Stackpole's X-Wing Series
Honorable Mention here goes to the Jedi Academy Trilogy and Brian Daley's Han Solo Trilogy. Back in the day (as in 6 or 7 years ago), I had considered the Jedi Academy my favorite and, by default, the best. However, after reading Hand of Thrawn, the Thrawn trilogy pushed that out.

Worst:
-Crystal Star. Oh no, the kids were kidnapped again. Maybe something will happen to them. Wait! (A gold star to whoever gets that obscure reference)
-Planet of Twilight (I know I said trilogies are one book, but I view the Callista "Trilogy" as just three books that happen to lead into each other). I don't even remember what happened in this book (and that's after rereading the cover flap) except Callista was trying to find her force powers again.
-The Black Fleet Crisis. All I remember from this is some new race for some reason wants to take over the galaxy, or something. And the second book was divided into three parts for the three stories (Luke, Leia, and Lando) and at the end of each part the three of them were all on their way to the same planet. That was so dumb.
Honorable Mention for Children of the Jedi. All of these were slow, dull, boring reads that contributed nothing to the Expanded Universe.

Could have been good, or even great, but weren't:
-The New Rebellion. I was so looking forward to this before it came out, and I don't know why. I think the concept of a new rebellion intrigued me. But it just wasn't interesting, and I had no idea what was going on with the Dark Jedi who fought Luke in the end.
-The Corellian Trilogy. My biggest problem with these was each book was just a build up to the final chapter where there was a big fight. It was like a video game.
-The Black Fleet Crisis. The synopses of these on the back covers make them sound so good, and they just aren't, for reasons I've stated above.

Aged the Best:
-Brian Daley's Han Solo Trilogy. These books, despite being among the first to come out, are still better than most of what's followed.

Aged the Worst:
-Splinter of the Mind's Eye. I hate to put this here, but it's true. Granted, when this came out, no one knew there was going to be another movie, but still. All the Luke/Leia stuff and Luke fighting Darth Vader just don't jive.

Little Things that Happened that were Cool (these are just some very minor occurences in the books that I thought were kind of cool):
-Gallandro getting gunned down by the robotic guns.
-Luke sending his spirit into Jacen to fight Exar Kun. I don't know, there's just something about a two-year old with a lightsaber defeating a Dark Lord of the Sith that I find really funny.

Little Things that Happened that weren't Cool:
-The possibility of Han Solo being royalty. This was just plain silly.
-Han Solo as a kid on Alderaan seeing a young Princess Leia, from a distance. This also was silly. This is the kind of bad plot you find on sitcoms (another gold star to the person who can tell me what sitcoms this plot has been used on).
-Greg Keyes repeated (I think it was only two or three times, but technically that counts as repeated) use of "poodoo." There is no excuse for this. There are perfectly cromulent swear words already in use. Using the third dumbest word/phrase from Phantom Menace is not necessary.

Amazing.

 

-Hand of Thrawn
-Thrawn Trilogy
-Stackpole's X-Wing Series

HoT - Overrated. Nice wrap-up for the Bantam era, good Luke and Mara scenes, otherwise quite boring for me.

Thrawn trilogy - I agree.

X-wing books...a mixed bag. The first 5 were good, but I didn't think Iron Fist, Solo Command, Isard's Revenge and Starfighters of Adumar were all that great, aside from the new characters and the humor.

I had considered the Jedi Academy my favorite and, by default, the best.

Good cheesy fun. Simplistic characters and story. It's "good" in my book.

-Crystal Star. Oh no, the kids were kidnapped again. Maybe something will happen to them. Wait! (A gold star to whoever gets that obscure referenct)

Actually, McIntyre was the first to show the kids being kidnapped, if you don't count Anakin alone in Champions of the Force.

-Planet of Twilight (I know I said trilogies are one book, but I view the Callista "Trilogy" as just three books that happen to lead into each other). I don't even remember what happened in this book (and that's after rereading the cover flap) except Callista was trying to find her force powers again.

Nothing memorable, though I thought it was "good". I liked the settings and some scenes. Otherwise it was the same old Heroes of Yavin saving the New Republic from a terrible threat.

-The New Rebellion. I was so looking forward to this before it came out, and I don't know why. I think the concept of a new rebellion intrigued me. But it just wasn't interesting, and I had no idea what was going on with the Dark Jedi who fought Luke in the end.

Horrible, horrible book. I enjoyed The Nightmare Machine more than this.

Aged the Worst:
-Splinter of the Mind's Eye. I hate to put this here, but it's true. Granted, when this came out, no one knew there was going to be another movie, but still. All the Luke/Leia stuff and Luke fighting Darth Vader just don't jive.

I disagree. This is my favorite of the early Del Rey novels. Alan Dean Foster is probably my favorite Star Wars author.

-Han Solo as a kid on Alderaan seeing a young Princess Leia, from a distance. This also was silly. This is the kind of bad plot you find on sitcoms (another gold star to the person who can tell me what sitcoms this plot has been used on).

I thought that was one of the best scenes in The Paradise Snare. Also when Vima-Da-Boda tells Han his future and he is too drunk to take her seriously.

 

Worst - The Last Command

that's all i feel like putting.

 

-The Corellian Trilogy. My biggest problem with these was each book was just a build up to the final chapter where there was a big fight. It was like a video game.



Or a Star Wars movie.

 

"Or a Star Wars movie."

Not Empire. The Big Fight in Empire was in the beginning.

Amazing.

 

"Not Empire. The Big Fight in Empire was in the beginning."

I consider the Battle of Hoth a terrible detraction from the real story (i.e. the Wampa thread that wasn't "resolved" until Darksaber. Thanks KJA.)

But, if one is speaking in Lucas terms, IMHO the confrontation between Luke and Vader was more climatic in the traditional SW style than the "beginning" of Empire. For example, just look at TPM's Duel of the Fates.

 

BEST - Rebirth & Star by Star

what I believe needs to be added into upcoming books.... JAGGED FEL and lots of him!!! LOL! I mean come on, Jaina has already thought about him in Star by Star and usually the author won't mention this unless maybe, dun dun dun.... foreshadowing??? I'm just hoping here... hoping alots!!!

 

Are there any male Star Wars fans that have this Jagged Fel obsession?

 

Sturm, that would just be weird.


To tell you the truth, I once asked when he last turned up and someone here told me it was the Dark Tide duology and I couldn't remember him at all. This is the impression the character made on me.

 

"Are there any male Star Wars fans that have this Jagged Fel obsession?"

Hum... Chissdude ? Reverse obsession, but obsession nevertheless...

 

LOL!

I dunno, some of these stereotypes bother me. It would be great if one of the girls here had a favorite character that wasn't a Solo kid, Jagged, Mara, young Obi-Wan or anyone from the X-wing or Young Jedi Knights series...

Surely there is someone out there who longs to visit the Star Wars universe and spend time with Ponda Baba? Or how about Bib Fortuna? Hey...what about Wuher or Malakili? The uglies don't get any attention, it seems. They need your love.

 

Best single book = Star by Star followed by Vector Prime, I, Jedi and Darth Maul : Shadow Hunter

Best duology = Hand of Thrawn followed by Dark Tide and Edge of Victory

Best trilogy = The Thrawn Trilogy followed by The Corellian Crisis and Han Solo Trilogy

I also loved X-Wing series, all 9 rocked

Tales of the New Republic had some very good short stories. I have yet to read Tales of the Empire, Bounty Hunters and Mos Eisley Cantina

Worst single book = Children of the Jedi followed by Planet of Twilight

Worst duology = no such thing

Worst trilogy = Black Fleet Crisis

 

Amazing...
"Not Empire. The Big Fight in Empire was in the beginning."

ESB was pretty much the main video game formula. The big boss battle was most definitely at the end. You'll find historically that all of the big no-name battles with endless lackeys (i.e. Battle of Hoth) do occur in the beginning. As you progress through, you end up fighting the main boss one-on-one (ESB climax). In that regard, ESB is nearly exactly like a video game. Not that there's any real point in pointing this out.

Sturm Antilles...
"Surely there is someone out there who longs to visit the Star Wars universe and spend time with Ponda Baba? Or how about Bib Fortuna? Hey...what about Wuher or Malakili? The uglies don't get any attention, it seems. They need your love. "

Alright, alright. I'll step up to the plate. I feel I have to step in and show my love for that six-breasted woman in ROTJ. Yeah, she's butt-ugly. But, come on - six breasts!

 

"ESB was pretty much the main video game formula. The big boss battle was most definitely at the end. You'll find historically that all of the big no-name battles with endless lackeys (i.e. Battle of Hoth) do occur in the beginning. As you progress through, you end up fighting the main boss one-on-one (ESB climax). In that regard, ESB is nearly exactly like a video game. Not that there's any real point in pointing this out."

When I said Big Fight, I was essentially referring to the Rebellion/New Republic vs. the Empire/Whoever. The lightsaber duel at the end of Empire transcends any Big Fight and anything any video game could ever hope to do (the possible exception being Final Fantasy II, the greatest game ever, but that's neither here nor there).

Amazing