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

Nope:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kibh_Jeen

 

I'm new to buying Star Wars books (plan on starting with the September reboot), and was wondering: Do the adult novels normally get Kindle editions immediately, or do we have to wait a while? It would be a lot more feasible for me to download them from Amazon than shelling out money for the hardbacks. And while Del Rey is still handling the adult novels, is Scholastic still handling the junior novels, or has Disney moved that in-house now? And what's the dividing line between junior novels and the super-kiddy "baby's first Star Wars" books? Is there going to be a different publisher for those?

 

Valid point. But same issue with JvS....so....*shrug*

 

Because individually JvS is awesome and SWDBPODANOTOR is mediocre, and together SWDBPODANOTOR ruins JvS, so given the choice between two mutually exclusive versions of the same story, I'd recommend the good one over the lame one almost all of the time. I mean people can read both if they want to but I wish I hadn't.

 

The other series does use many scenes from JvS- only a very few are directly contradicted by the use of different dialogue.

It's interesting to see the "Are you ready to kill a world?" scene from inside Bane's head.

 

Hello all, quick question about the EU: do the Dark Forces novellas tell the entire story from the game? Or rather, will I miss much if I just read the Dark Forces novellas without playing the game or having other experience with those characters?

 

Hey guys, so I have no knowledge of the EU at all but I've seen and watched all 6 movies, and I want to get more involved in the universe. However it seems like a daunting task! Could anyone offer me some advice?

First of all, I prefer physical books/media, preferably hardcover. If any if the stories or comics are combined into one large book, I'd prefer purchasing it that way.

The characters I'm most interested in reading about would probably have to be Boba Fett and Han Solo, but I would still like to read about other characters as well...

Many thanks.

 

I'd recommend you start with the Han Solo Trilogy -- Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, and Rebel Dawn. These are pretty good books that follow Han right up until the point where he meets Luke in the Mos Eisley cantina. Due to their age they have some continuity errors. The biggest being Boba Fett's back story; in the book his real name is Jaster Mereal and he isn't a clone. Later there was an explanation to explain this; either way it's a minor issue and the books a really good. I highly recommend them; they add a lot of depth to Han's character. You may also want to check out the Han Solo Adventures, which take place during a gap in Rebel Dawn. I haven't read them, so I can't tell you how good they are. I have heard good things about them and also that they have some wierd plot points. There's a good chance that the trilogy has been combined into a large book and I know fpr sure that Adventures has been.

 

Hi!!!

I have been searching the internet for a few weeks for my answer and haven't found anything, so that's why I signed up for this forum. So here is my question. I too, like many others in the thread want to get into the EU, but have questions on where to begin. So I have watched the movies and I am generally a person that likes the books better than the movies. I read Star Wars ANH book in high school (10 years ago) and I liked it.

What brought me back into wanting to get into the EU was watching the movies again and really wanting to know how Luke learned to make his light saber and become a Jedi between ESB and ROTJ. That is when I learned of Shadow of the Empire. However, I decided I want to read more books from the EU to get a move complete story that ties in heavily with the movies. I want to learn about the training of Anakin and Luke. I want to learn about the development of the Anakin/Padme romance (I like romance), etc...

Sorry for the long-winded request, but to summarize I would like to read the novelization of the 6 movies plus books that tie into the movies closely. So if someone could give me a ~15 book reading list to read in order that would be nice. AFTER that I am curious to read what happens after ROTJ, and that seems easier to figure out I think.

Thank you soo much!!

 

Is every star wars book available digitally or is it varied?

 

I think most, if not all, of the novels are. The comics are, but it depends on the source. I think Dark Horse has all the stories available digitally, but not necessarily digital copies of the physical books themselves. As an example, and maybe I don't know the website that well, but I am not seeing the KoToR omnibus editions as digital editions.

 

If I'm understanding you correctly you're currently looking for pre-Return of the Jedi books; if I'm wrong I'll need to change somethings. You won't find much in regards to Anakin's training (outside of young reader novels), but there are two books with a fourteen then a fifteen year old Anakin. They may touch on what you're looking for. There realy isn't anything for Anakin and Padme's relationship.

So my suggestions are:
Cloak of Deception (a fantastic book that leads into and gives much needed development to the plot of The Phantom Menace)
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
*Darth Plaguise (a book that many enjoy, but some feel like it is too much of a summary; you might want to consider it though. It ties together the pre TPM EU and adds background information to the movie)
The Phantom Menace
Rogue Planet
Outbound Flight
*The Approaching Storm (many people don't like this book, but I suggest giving it a try due to the inclusion of Anakin)
Attack of the Clones
Shatterpoint (focuses on Mace Windy and deals with some interesting themes)
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (a great portrayal of Yoda, along with a couple good Anakin and Obi-Wan scenes)
Labyrinth of Evil (the best book for developing Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship, and leads directly into ROTS)
Revenge of the Sith (far better than the movie in every way)
Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader (deals with Anakin's early days in the suit along with a group of Jedi immediately after Order 66; forms an unofficial trilogy with the previous two books).
The Han Solo Trilogy (Paradise Snare, Hurt Gambit, Rebel Dawn. A great trilogy that leads into A New Hope)
A New Hope
Empire Strikes Back
Shadows of the Empire
Return of the Jedi

I know that's a little longer than 15 books, but it should give you a good picture of the EU and the story around the movies. They vary in quality, but for the most part they are enjoyable. If you want to further flesh out the prequel era I'd suggest getting the three Clone Wars Omnibuses (comics). They are fairly good and add more depth to the Clone War (they don't like up with the new cartoon though). While they are part of a larger comic series, you don't need to read the previous issues. I recomemd it even if your not into comics, but it's not essentiall; the books I listed are enough.

 

Thank you! Yes, this is what I was looking for, pre-ROTJ books. It looks like an excellent list!! A few follow-up questions:
1. I'm just curious, why didn't include more books that tie into the original trilogy?
2. The Anakin training books you referred too, are they on this list or serperate?
3. Are the young reader novels good? Like the Jude Watson series.

 

I didn't include more books that tie into the OT due to unfamiliarity/ them not being as good or important as the others. Between ANH there is Scoundrels (it was pretty good, but very self contained), Splinter of the Mind's Eye (I know nothing about this book, so I can't recommend it), Allegiance and Choices of One (they are okay, but I wouldn't really recommend them), and Razor's Edge and Honor Among Thieves (I haven't read them yet and have heard mixed things about them). The only novel I know of that's between ESB and ROTJ is Shadows of the Empire.

The three books, on the list, between TPM and AOTC may show glimpses into his training, but it won't be the focus. In Rogue Planet and Outbound Flight, I wouldn't be surprised of Obi-Wan gives Anakin some instruction and they reveal what the training was like, in addition to their early relationship. Approaching Storm tales place immediately before AOTC, but it still may show parts of his training, through Obi-Wan's advice (if that's included). My assumption is that the novels will focus on their early relationship over Anakin's training. I can't say for certain because it has been a while since I've read them.

I haven't read Jude Watson's series, so I can't comment on it's quality. Although, I have heard that she said that she doesn't differentiate between Anakin and Vader; having read parts of her Clone Wars era books, this doesn't surprise me. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend them.

 

I would advise that you do not read Outbound Flight, as it is part of a non-chronological Duology with Survivor's Quest, set many years post RotJ. Survivor's Quest ought to be read before Outbound Flight, as Flight resolves the lingering uncertainties of Quest, and is greatly improved if Quest is read first. Since Quest is not within the scope of your reading plan, it would be better to wait on Flight.

There aren't really lead-in books for the OT like there are for the PT (each of which has at least one which directly precedes), hence the lack of OT titles on the list.
Of the OT titles mentioned above, Splinter of the Mind's Eye is basically the low-budget sequel option Lucas had Foster write in case the first Star Wars did poorly, and is very strange (Luke is very much in love with Leia, Han's not even in it, etc.)
Allegiance and Choices of One are enjoyable, but work best with some knowledge of the post RotJ era, and again are not particularly tied to the film. Scoundrels is a fun story (working title Solo's Eleven), but almost entirely self-contained.
I haven't read Razor's Edge or Honor Among Theives (code name SWEARHAT), but they also aren't particularly connected to the films.

There's not much on Padme and Anakin's relationship in the EU. There's more on Leia's, or Luke's, or actually this one random otter...

I don't love every book on the above list, but (excluding Flight) is probably what fits best with what you've asked. I can't think of any gaping holes in the recommendations. Death Star, perhaps, which ties into ANH.

 

Crispin's Han Solo trilogy could be thought of as a lead in to ANH, since it ends as Luke & Obi-Wan are heading toward Han to hire him. That one's already been mentioned though.

 

I disagree about Outbound Flight. I read it before Survivor's Quest and understood it easily. Reading it in that order was quite fun. Much of my enjoyment for Quest came from having read Outbound Flight. Also, while the books can be read as a duology, they also work really well as standalones. Since Outbound provides some good insight into the prequel era and may provide some insight into Anakin, I highly recommend reading it despite the distance before Quest

 

You can understand it, but personally, I found it far more enjoyable having read Quest first.
But then, the idea of reading Narnia starting from Magician's Nephew, (first chronologically) and not The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, (first written/published) fills me with dread.

You can read them however you like, but It figured the information to make an informed decision either way probably couldn't hurt.

 

Good point. I think it really depends on how you read them originally. For me starting with Outbound made Quest a lot more exciting because I knew a lot of background information. Also, I couldn't imagine starting Narnia with anything other than Magician's Nephew. I think it's cool how the way you originally read a series like these, impacts the way you prefer the story to be told.

 

It can but some of us simply need it to make sense. It's not simply down to first exposure.

 

The definitive Boba Fett story is "The Last One Standing" by Daniel Keys Moran, which you can find in the book Tales of the Bounty Hunters. It's the best Boba Fett story and the best Boba Fett vs. Han Solo story, so it's probably exactly what you're looking for. The next best Fett story is "A Barve Like That" in Tales from Jabba's Palace. "No Disintegrations, Please" in Tales from the New Republic is decent but not on the same level as those two imo. Fett is also the main character in the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy by K. W. Jeter, although that series generally isn't one of the most highly regarded. Other than that, Dark Horse published an Omnibus of their best Boba Fett stories a few years ago. They're not all great, but it's worth getting if you're interested in Boba Fett, especially since all of Dark Horse's Star Wars comics are going out of print at the end of the year.


For Han, look for The Han Solo Adventures, which is a collection of three short novels by Brian Daley that many consider to be the definitive Han Solo stories, and the Han Solo Trilogy by A. C. Crispin. And maybe also Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn.

 

Same with the OT vs PT filmic orders. I think a lot of the debate does stem from how each person experienced it first.
I usually like publishing order because then I can see how the story develops as it develops for the creator, and I avoid a situation where the author assumes the reader has familiarity with an event which had already been published, but happened in the future, like Anakin's turn, or Narnia's Winter and Lamppost. In both cases, the story still functions the other way around, but I feel like something is lost that way. Maybe it's just that I like mystery, so I'd rather discover what happened to OF through the characters, and not know so many of the answers until after I've had the questions, or I'd rather know Narnia has this anachronistic Lamppost, or the Always Winter, before I find out where it came from, or how the Deep Magic actually functioned. In the Narnia example, though, I'd actually quite likely not have read the series had I started with Magician's Nephew. Something about it felt really off to 8-year-old me, and I actually gave up on it the first time, and it took me several years until I was old enough to revisit it and understand it better.
Admittedly, I haven't usually begun with the chronologically-first story (when different from publication order) for anything. Narnia, Star Wars, Oz, Redwall, Star Trek, Doctor Who (started with 1963's Unearthly Child), etc.
Ultimately, I feel that publication order ensures the shared journey of discovery with the creator that can be otherwise lost.

 

Thanks guys for all your help!! I went to the library during lunch and got Cloak of Deception... lets see how it goes.

By the way are their threads for each book to discuss or maybe a podcast discussion to listen to after finishing a book?

Where should I post my thoughts on it? (am i sounding too eager )

 

There might be some old threads you can revive. I'm not fully sure thought. You don't sound too eager; I'm excited to hear your opinions.

Also, I was thinking about my list and I realized that they are not completely in order. Darth Plaguis starts before Cloak of Deception, but ends at the end of TPM. Regardless, it works best where I put it. Once you get to the middle of the book, it takes for granted that you're aware of the previous EU (including some comics). None of it's really essential, but it's nice to have some background so that you can see how everything connects. Anyway, Cloak is best read first because it is written as if it's the first Star Wars story. Thus starting with it would be fun.

 

I'd really suggest not bothering with The Approaching Storm. Despite Anakin and Obi-Wan being main characters, it doesn't really offer any insight into their relationship or do anything interesting with their characters whatsoever (unlike Rogue Planet, which does both). Also it's just terrible.