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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

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

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Master_Keralys, Jun 4, 2008.

  1. credar

    credar Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 18, 2011
    Nope.
     
  2. Giovs

    Giovs Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2013
    Yeah, I did. But I didn't enjoy it that much, is Choices of One any better?
    Thanks.
     
  3. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2012
    Well, I liked them both. But I like most everything of Zahn's.
     
    Ordo N-11 and aleja2 like this.
  4. Giovs

    Giovs Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2013
    Me too, Allegiance is the only exception so far. Scoundrels was great.
     
  5. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2012
    I must respectfully.....





    .....agree. :p
     
  6. Rew

    Rew Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2008
    So I've just noticed something.

    I was looking up the "future novels" category on the Wook, and these were the entries:
    - Maul: Lockdown
    - E&R1: Razor's Edge
    - E&R2: Honor Among Thieves
    - E&R3: untitled Luke Skywalker novel
    - Jedi Academy
    - Paul Kemp duology
    - Sword of the Jedi trilogy

    So aside from Jedi Academy (which doesn't count, as it's a non-canon children's book), the Kemp duology (stuck in limbo), and the SotJ trilogy (seems to be in limbo now too), is it true that there are only four novels right now that we know for certain are on the horizon? That seems a bit low. Perhaps Lucas Books/Del Rey is waiting on further direction from Disney now?
     
  7. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    Much worse Maul Lockdown is likely to be only one that is at least kind of interesting.
     
  8. Surfcaster

    Surfcaster Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2013
    Hi, I'm new to the forum. I've been a Star Wars fan since 1977 when I was 9 yrs old and the first movie came out. However, other than reading Splinter of the Mind's Eye in the 8th grade, I never read any of the books until earlier this summer. I started with Zahn, since he seems to be among the most highly regarded Star Wars authors. I've read all his novels except Outbound Flight and Scoundrels. I've enjoyed all of them and fully plan on reading these two, but decided to delve into some other parts of the story for a bit.

    Currently, I'm reading Matthew Stover's Return of the Sith...the movie didn't really convince me of Anakin's journey to the dark side, so I'm hoping the novel will help with that. I'm about 1/4 the way in and I feel optimistic that it will! I also plan to read Rise of the Darth Vader, Darth Plagueis, Shatterpoint and maybe Rogue Planet. Darth Bane is also on my list.

    The New Jedi Order is also on my list to get to, and here is where my question lies. I'm fortunate that our local library has most of what I want to read, including this entire series. But the whole series is a lot of books...so how important is it to read them all...am I going to miss large, important chunks of the story by selectively reading 6 or 7 of them?

    Also, anything specific I should read before I start New Jedi Order that I've not mentioned here?

    And what about the Legacy of the Force novels? There are definitely a couple of those I have interest in. Can I just read those couple, or do you really need to read the whole series?

    Thanks!
     
  9. HWK-290

    HWK-290 Jedi Padawan star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2013
    Depends on which NJO books you're selectively reading.

    In my opinion, the important ones are as follows: Vector Prime, Balance Point, Star By Star, Traitor, Destiny's Way, Force Heretic III: Reunion, The Final Prophecy, and The Unifying Force.

    It's nice to have some background on exactly who all the new kids are in NJO. The trouble is that the books that inform us about these youths are, you guessed it, books for youths. You may want to take a quick stab at the Young Jedi Knights and Junior Jedi Knights series, regardless.

    Corran Horn shows up a decent amount in the NJO; only book you need to inform you about him is I, Jedi.

    Rogue Planet is nice to have read beforehand, but it gives away a little too much for me to be wholly comfortable recommending it.



    LotF novels don't really cut it as standalones, in my experience.
     
  10. Surfcaster

    Surfcaster Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2013
    The ones I have on my list are Vector Prime, the two Dark Tide novels...Onslaught and Ruin, Star by Star, Dark Journey and Traitor, and the jury is out on the Edge of Victory duology. I'm highly open to suggestions, so will certainly add those from your list to mine.

    Between Vector Prime and the Dark Tide novels, those are the first three. I guess I can see how that goes and decide what to do from there. If they read quickly enough, I may just read them all!
     
  11. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    Definitely include Rogue Planet, it's a prequel to the NJO and more importantly one of the best written EU books. The Bane books are not so great.

    Pretty much every book advances the plot in some way. I would suggest reading all of them if you have the time, if only so you can form a fair opinion of the story in its entirety. To get both the best books of the series and the gist of the plot, though, I'd suggest reading at least Vector Prime, Dark Tide II, Agents of Chaos I, Balance Point, Edge of Victory I, Star by Star, Traitor, Destiny's Way, The Final Prophecy, and The Unifying Force.

    You can understand it without having read any of the previous books, but if you want to be more or less "caught up" before beginning the series, I would recommend Rogue Planet, the X-Wing series (at least the first four), the Thrawn trilogy, I, Jedi, the Hand of Thrawn duology, and the two Young Jedi Knights omnibuses, Jedi Shadow and Jedi Sunrise.

    You might also look into the Crimson Empire trilogy of comics, as it originated one of NJO's primary antagonists, but it's by no means essential.

    You don't really need to read any of them, because they're terrible.
     
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  12. Surfcaster

    Surfcaster Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2013
    Thanks, Catherine. I appreciate your comments and will take this all into consideration, I'll definitely add Rogue Planet to my list. My interest in those LOTF novels was to read about Mara's death...not worth it?
     
  13. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    If you have any appreciation for Mara's character at all, then don't, I repeat, DON'T read LOTF. At least not for her death. A lot of fans, and even Tim Zahn, were very displeased with the way she died.
     
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  14. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I can't like this post enough. That was easily the worst handled death in the EU. Vector Prime? Please. That has nothing on this.
     
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  15. Zeta1127

    Zeta1127 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I flatly refuse to read the post-NJO, what I like to call the Denningverse, which includes DNT, LotF, FotJ, and Crucible, for so many reasons, but mainly because it seems to abandon things like the theme of redemption from RotJ and Denning simply doesn't understand the novel Traitor from the NJO.
     
  16. Surfcaster

    Surfcaster Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2013
    Wow...okay...glad I asked! I really do enjoy Mara's character...at least the way Zahn has developed her, and I am looking forward to reading more about her. I was very disappointed to find out she'd died an untimely death...especially when I read that Zahn had wanted to write a story about her and Luke teaming up with Ben as an adult, but that will never happen now. Okay, I will have to rethink reading those stories.
     
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  17. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    I mean read them if you want to, they're just not very good and don't follow organically from any of the previous books. If you're just curious about how Mara dies it's in the fifth LOTF book, Sacrifice.
     
  18. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2012
    And it's really terribly done. Written by the woman who's on record as "strongly disliking reading."
    And who clearly had not understanding of the characters. /tangent rant.
     
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  19. DigitalMessiah

    DigitalMessiah Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2004
    lol
     
  20. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2012
    My wording, or the statement itself?
    I can't remember if she said "hate," so I wasn't going to go there. But she doesn't read...
     
  21. DigitalMessiah

    DigitalMessiah Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2004
    The statement itself. Never heard of a writer that didn't like reading.
     
  22. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
  23. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2012
  24. LightDarker

    LightDarker Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2013
    My Recommendation for people new to the EU would be to read stuff in between ROTS and ANH. Its the rise of the empire: the emperor is consolidating his power across the galaxy, Vader is hunting the last of the Jedi, storm trooper are bringing "peace and order" to rouge systems, underworld gangster corrupting the galaxy, the last of the Jedi trying to escape the empire's grip, and the formation of the rebel alliance. People who only have seen the movies would get a kick out of how the galaxy lost all hope before Luke Skywalker gave them a reason to hope again.
     
  25. Surfcaster

    Surfcaster Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2013
    I'm nearly done with Stover's version of ROTS. All the extra background and detail was great, I really enjoyed it...so much I'm thinking of reading the novelizations of the other two prequel stories as well. I also want to read Darth Plageuis. Are there any recommendations on which to read first?

    And thanks for the recommendation to read stuff between ROTS and ANH, that's a good idea. Looks like I've got reading list that will keep me busy a while!