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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. JediMatteus

    JediMatteus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 16, 2008

    truce at bakiyra is ok. It is cool when Luke saves devin from the dark side by finding the light through the twisted mesh of the dark side.

    BFC sucks big time
     
  2. Todd the Jedi

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

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Like I said, opinions are mixed. ;) Hell, I thought it was awful the first time I read it as a teenager, but after re-reading it years later I completely changed my view.
     
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  3. Darth_Henning

    Darth_Henning Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 1, 2007
    I have to disagree. I may be bias because it was the first EU novel I read, but its still my favourite outside of the X-wing series.
     
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  4. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Let me know where you're leaning and I'd be happy to offer more specific recommendations on what interests you.

    As for comics, along with the X-wing novels are X-wing comics. They're really good, though they take a little bit to get going. There's one major issue in that they're set before the novels and were written at the same time as the novels were coming out, so characters show up back and forth and the comics and books can kind of spoil each other a little. It's not really a big deal except that the last page of the last comic is a HUGE spoiler for the books. Basically, I would recommend reading the first two X-wing comic omnibuses, then the first four X-wing books, then the third comic omnibus, then the rest of the X-wing books (though I'm not including X-wing: Mercy Kill there. That was released like fifteen years after all the other books and is set decades later. It's worth reading but would make basically no sense until after you've read the NJO and done a little bit of reading up on the events after it).

    Otherwise there actually isn't a ton in the way of post-ROTJ comics, and most of them are curiosities more than narrative essentials. The big exceptions are Dark Empire and Crimson Empire. Dark Empire, set just after TTT, is about the return of Palpatine via clone bodies. Dark Empire, Dark Empire II, and Empire's End chronicle Luke's attempts to defeat Palpatine. They're major narratively but also kind of stupid and repetitive (Dark Empire II is basically just Dark Empire all over again) so read them if you're interested, but if you skip them you're not missing much. Crimson Empire and Crimson Empire II are about one of Palpatine's Royal Guards who vows to avenge Palpatine by bringing down the Imperial cabal that had a hand in sabotaging some of his clone bodies. They're kind of mediocre and have absolutely laughable art but they're popular because the main guy is a badass and there are some interesting aspects to the stories. Crimson Empire III is about him going up against a random Imperial warlord and it's even worse than the others but whatever.

    The excellent comic Chewbacca ties into the early events of the NJO books, and should be read only after the first book. Union is narratively minor but kind of a fun look at a smaller event that you should read after the HOT. Jedi Academy: Leviathan is about Luke's Jedi students doing a minor thing and isn't that good but it's a minor curiosity if you read the Jedi Academy Trilogy and like the characters. Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand is about what happened to Mara after the Emperor's death and that would probably interest you. It's nothing amazing but it's interesting and often overlooked. As always, there are a few more comics than those but those are the highlights of what you might be interested in as entry points. There are always more to come back to later.

    The OT period is where a ton of comics live. The definitive comic here is actually the collection of old newspaper comic strips from the eighties collected under the Classic Star Wars label. They're completely gorgeous classic adventure stories about the big three gallivanting all around the galaxy between ANH and TESB and feature a lot of the big events between the movies (the debut of Executor, the evacuation of Yavin, the discovery of Hoth, the bounty hunter on Ord Mantell). Also from the seventies and eighties is the original Marvel comics run, which is of uneven quality and is really old and cheesy but also totally awesome if you're into retro sci-fi adventure and there are some really good stories in it. Once you get into it it's better than you might think. The modern equivalent of those series is Empire, which later changed its name to Rebellion, a really good comic series that started telling various unrelated stories about the Empire and Rebellion and eventually wove them together into a big story (though it was criminally canceled before entirely resolving what it had set up).

    Agent of the Empire is just two arcs long but is one of the absolute best recent comics. It's about an Imperial spy, sort of referencing James Bond, and set a few years before ANH. There are also various Boba Fett comics that all basically stand alone, if you're interested in Boba Fett. The Blood Ties series is a decent place to start, or the Boba Fett: Man on a Mission TPB. The Bounty Hunters is a TPB collecting stories about random bounty hunters that has the single best Boba Fett issue, Twin Engines of Destruction.

    For the prequel era, the dominant comic there is Republic. Its stories run from TPM to ROTS, and its Clone Wars run is the backbone of the original Clone Wars storytelling. Its first few arcs were nothing to write home about, but once Quinlan Vos was introduced a few arcs in, it took off and never looked back. Definitely pick it up if you have any interest in the prequel era. It changed its name to Dark Times after ROTS and continued with some more minor characters introduced in Republic and wasn't as good but was still worth picking up when you get there. Other post-ROTS comics include Purge and the "Darth Vader and the" series, which all stand alone fairly well and can be picked up if you want to see Darth Vader kicking random ass, but they're not really anything special. They're pretty monotonous because few of them know what to do with the concept. Purge, Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison, and Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows are probably the three best trades. Back to the prequels, Jango Fett: Open Seasons is a pretty good comic about Jango's backstory.

    Set far in the past are several very good comics. Jedi vs. Sith is possibly the best single arc of all time, about the end of a thousand-year war between the Jedi and Sith that resulted in the formation of Darth Bane's secret Sith Order that culminated in Darth Sidious. Knight Errant is set slightly earlier in the same era, with a female Jedi trapped behind Sith lines. The book I mentioned takes place between the first and second comic arcs. Going back farther, Tales of the Jedi tells the story of the Jedi's first conflict with the Sith Empire, and a thousand years later, of the adventures of a few Jedi Knights in the ancient Republic that eventually becomes the tale of two fallen Jedi's attempt to revive the Sith. The actual writing quality isn't very good but it's got important events if you're interested. Much better is Knights of the Old Republic, a comic that ties loosely into the video game but is set before it, about a Jedi apprentice accused of murder who goes on the run with some scoundrels. It's exciting, funny, wonderfully humane and hopeful even at the worst, and just a huge pleasure all around. Farther back again is Dawn of the Jedi, which the book I mentioned ties into. It's about the predecessors of the Jedi having a conflict with an ancient species that built an empire in the galaxy, the Rakata. It's got an interesting premise but it only lasted three arcs without getting to the really good stuff and it honestly never lived up to its potential.

    On the far end of the timeline is Legacy. Set a hundred years after the end of the NJO, roughly, it's about a distant descendant of Luke's who's become a bounty hunter with no ambition after the Sith seized control of a successor state to the Empire and defeated the successor to the Rebellion. Except there are still lots of Jedi out there in hiding, and a big fleet of good guy ships, and even a faction of the Empire loyal to their Emperor . . . a descendant of Jaina Solo (uh, basically. They weren't allowed to say it outright, but, yeah, I can explain later) who was deposed by the new Sith Lord. It all sounds kind of silly but it's executed really well, and after you read the NJO, it's one of the only things forward of that on the timeline that's worth reading. It's got some really great storytelling and is quite possibly the most popular Star Wars comic on this site, or it was for a while anyway. It's one of the highlights of Star Wars comicdom.

    So that's some ideas to start. Unlike with the books, some of these titles are basically one story and some are many, so while there's just one trade paperback of Jedi vs. Sith to buy that's only one story arc, Republic had almost a hundred issues plus several affiliated titles pumping out a few more issues, collected across like fifteen trade paperbacks. So depending on what you're interested in, there are some series where further advice in whether you need to get all the trades or where to start or what to get would be helpful.
     
  5. Jeff_Ferguson

    Jeff_Ferguson Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2006
    Is anybody here a collector? Like, not just a reader, but a collector? I'm going home for a bit this summer and will be clearing even more old books and comics out of my storage boxes. Pretty sure I still have all of Tales of the Jedi in original issue form. They're yours if you want them, for free. Just pay for shipping from Southern Ontario. Can ship slowly and cheaply.

    Crap, I'm probably breaking all kinds of rules doing this, aren't I? Give me this one, guys. I've earned it. ;) And it's about giving to the community, not taking from them!
     
  6. JediMatteus

    JediMatteus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 16, 2008
    wow i cant imagine not being able to read this stuff. I just never understood collecting when it comes to literature of any kind
     
  7. darklordoftech

    darklordoftech Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 30, 2012
    Did Luke think that "Darth" was Vader's real name until the Bespin duel?
     
  8. PCCViking

    PCCViking Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2014

    If Luke had overheard Obi-Wan's comments to Vader on the Death Star, he might've thought that.
     
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  9. WorstMB2PlayerInTheWorld

    WorstMB2PlayerInTheWorld Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Jul 27, 2014
    Why do most people hate the post-NJO books?
     
  10. cdgodin

    cdgodin Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 9, 2009

    Denning.
     
  11. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    That's an oversimplification, but a fair one.
     
  12. DelRiego

    DelRiego Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2002
    Are there in-depth portrayals (or any at all) of neutral force users? Some guy who is force-sensitive but declines to be recruited by any light/dark cultists?
     
  13. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    What do you mean with "in-depth portrayals"? And how do you mean "neutral"?
     
  14. DelRiego

    DelRiego Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2002

    Someone force-sensitive who is not affiliated with Jedi, Sith or other organizations; just curious because it seems to me that you are pretty much forced to be a Jedi if you're born force-sensitive...
     
  15. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
  16. DelRiego

    DelRiego Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2002

    Thanks, I have readit, although not in deep detail; however it mainly talks about other groups. My curiosity is about folk who don't get recruited, if there's something like that at all. Like for example an athlete or a gambler, or even artists or soldiers who aren't defined by their force-sensitivity (may use it to gain advantage, who wouldn't?) but arent adepts of any group.
     
  17. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    I don't think it is what you are looking for but the Force adept http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...ons-in-the-gffa.50017024/page-8#post-51571693
    urban adept http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...ons-in-the-gffa.50017024/page-9#post-51597373
    and dark side marauder http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...ons-in-the-gffa.50017024/page-9#post-51597373
    mention people who just have talent and no training beside their own experience.

    Sorry about the size but I don't seem able to link.
     
  18. DelRiego

    DelRiego Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2002
    Thanks!. Descriptions fit with what I was inquiring about, although there seems not to be relevant named characters which fall into them.
     
  19. Captain RX

    Captain RX Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2014

    Personally, I think the NJO was bad and really began the destruction of the EU. It felt like Del Rey was trying to eliminate as much of the classic Banthem era continuity as possible and replace it with really weird Star Trek fan fiction. I also did not like that the SW Universe became so grim dark after those books and because of how long it was I felt like the story was very sloppy with several abandoned plots and odd moments.

    To answer the question posed in the title I think the logical answer is to start at "A New Dawn" for canon EU stuff or "Heir to the Empire" for the Legends EU.
     
  20. Guxman

    Guxman Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2014

    Kir Kanos (the guy on my avatar) could fit well in that description, I think. He was a simple soldier (elite, but soldier) who had some Force capabilities that were never developed, or even undoubtedly proved.
     
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  21. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Beside Kirana Ti, Kam Solusar and Kyle Katarn I think the members of Luke's first class count before they were enrolled
     
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  22. JediMatteus

    JediMatteus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 16, 2008

    not the NJO that was awesome. you mean DN, LOTF, and FOTJ
     
  23. DrCube

    DrCube Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Aug 2, 2014
    Awesome, this is exactly the kind of thread I signed up for. Apologies in advance for questions you guys and gals have heard roughly one jillion times before.

    Watching Empire recently for the first time in a few years has really reignited my interest in the series as a whole, and there a handful of things I was curious to see if the EU had covered.

    1. I was going to ask about series that take place far removed from the events of the films, but the Legacy discussion above already nailed that one.

    2. The evolution of droids. Essentially, is there material that covers the process of going from advanced machine to fully aware AI?

    3. Force users unaffiliated with the Jedi or Sith. Or separate groups entirely?

    4. The day to day business of the Empire. The boring stuff, I suppose. Imperial Senates, ranks, training, infrastructure, manufacturing and the like.

    5. Material regarding the Trade Federation's work pre-Sidious.

    6. Expansion of the midichlorian concept. Either in the sense of greater explanation or stories wherein midis play some kind of vital role.

    That pretty much covers it, I guess. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
     
  24. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    For number 3, (Unaffiliated force-users) there's a few independent factions that get coverage in novels - and not much of that.

    Fallanassi are in Black Fleet Crisis.
    Jensaarai are in I, Jedi.
    Baran Do Sages and Aing-Tii Monks are in Outcast.
     
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  25. JediKnight75

    JediKnight75 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2011
    For number five; there's nothing pre Sidious, but Cloak of Deception deals with the Trade Federation immediately before The Phantom Menace. It leads into TPM and sets up many plot points and makes the movie make more sense. While it may not be exactly what you're looking for, it's worth reading and may be close