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

Darn it if I'm not going to try Darksaber. Who'd a thunk? I'm reaching back alot into Bantam of late. Thanks guys.

 

Here goes another one: Leviathan. Stay away at all costs? I've really not heard a good thing about it but couldn't really find much discussion about it anywhere. I don't seem to dislike Anderson as much as some so...any good at all?

 

Determined to monarch with complete and utter immaturity, Leviathan diadems all competitors as Star Wars? most horrid comic with unprecedented embarrassment.

Quite simply, the dialogue and storyline sinks right into the depths of a Hutt butt. There's honestly no other way to say it.

 

Whoa? I liked Honor and Duty. Granted I picked it up for half price and only read it once but I thought it was kind of on par with the Stark Hyperspace War...well maybe not. Where's Havoc to back me up about Honor and Duty?

 

Leviathan or Infinity's End definitely monarch the first prize for absolute crap. I actually didn't finish the latter, and that really says something about the quality.

 

Honor and Duty is pure gold.

Anyway, Leviathan is meh. It's one of those comics that you read and go, "Now why the hell did they bother to make this? I could think of twenty better stories to spend these pages on." It's not reprehensibly bad so much as it's just . . . pointless. It's a story about Jedi going and finding a monster and fighting it, and there is really nothing more to it. Nothing deep or striking about the story, nothing exceptional in the execution. Sub-par all the way through. Its only redeeming value is in showing us a little more of the new Jedi Order before the NJO -- a surprisingly under-covered topic. But it doesn't even do a great job with that.

 

I was wondering if I could get some recommendations on what to read based on the following:

I have read and enjoyed TTT, and just started Jedi Search (which I like so far). I am a big Luke fan, and I like to read about him being his honest, forgiving, caring Jedi self who knows how to kick the crap out of anyone. I read somewhere that he loses these qualities in later books...is this true? I'm also interested in reading more about Mara.

Based on my own research, I plan to read:
-finish JAT
-Hand of Thrawn
-Survivor's Quest
-Truce at Bakura
-Shadows of the Empire
-LS and the Shadows of Mindor (coming out in Dec. I think)

Do you have any other recommendations for me? Any must-reads for a Luke fan? I am willing to read comic books as well as novels, though I prefer novels.

Thanks!

 

If you're interested in more about Mara, I suggest reading Allegiance. It is a pretty cool book, you actually get to see Mara as the emperor's hand instead of just hear about it.

 

Well, that is a matter of a point of view. He's still a caring and forgiving Jedi who can kick the crap out of anyone. Right now he's going through some trying times and some...mysterious changes of character. He's not the Luke of TTT. The whole style and attitude of Star Wars books are a bit different in 2008 and has been since the fantastic series, The New Jedi Order.

Anyway, if you enjoyed TTT, I heartily recommend I, Jedi. It's arguably one of the top 2 or 3 books to ever come out of the EU. It's not a Luke Story but it goes over much of the incidents in the JAT at length with a more mature writing style. And Luke is a central figure for a large portion of the novel.

For Luke stuff Hand of Thrawn Duology is amazing and a natural place to go after TTT and Shadows of the Empire is also one of the most well regarded EU novels to come out. I'm not an expert at a lot of the older Bantam stuff. I also found Survivor's Quest really boring. Some love it.

Mara Jade finds more book time in the New Jedi Order series. That's a whole 19 book monster and frankly, HoT, SotE , I Jedi, the JAT, and Allegiance(Not what I wanted in a Mara Novel, really. She's not in it enough for my taste.) should keep you busy for awhile.

Since you said you would try comics I really suggest Mara Jade: By The Emperor's New Hand and Union. The former about how Mara gets clear of the Empire after the Emperor dies and the later is the wedding of Luke and Mara. It's very light fare but it's fun stuff. No super weapons or anything.

 

I would avoid Survivor's Quest if I were you.

 

I just finished LOTF and wanted to go back and read NJO and DNT. i can handle the 3 book series of DN, but for NJO i wanted to shorten it down without missing anything vital or even interesting. i hear some of the books are less than great and wanted a condensed list of which to definitely read, which were alright, and which were total garbage! Much thanks,...


Glory be Ashla

 

I'm going to post this, which is my opinion on each of the NJO books. Make of it what you will.

Vector Prime R.A. Salvatore-It's the first book so missing the setup for the whole series would be a mistake. Read it.

Dark Tide I: Onslaught Michael Stackpole-
Dark Tide II: Ruin Michael Stackpole- This series is quite excellent and important in setting up and understanding things to come. Many
love this duology. A few don't think it's Stackpole at his best.

Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial James Luceno
Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse James Luceno-Fine books that center on Han and overcoming his grief. Not a 'Must read" for this series. I read them years later though. Fun books.


Balance Point Kathy Tyers-I skipped this one as well first time around. Although it was a hardcover it was skippable as the next series which is amazing recaps Balance Point quite well. (You can skip this one)

Edge of Victory I: Conquest Greg Keyes
Edge of Victory II: Rebirth Greg Keyes-Get both of these and read 'em. They are both amazing and IMO essential.

Star by Star Troy Denning-This monster of a book is dead center in the series and it is NOT to be missed under any circumstances.

Dark Journey Elaine Cunningham-Skip it. I did as did many many people. It's a lousy novel from what I hear and it's events are
recapped in the next series which is a great one.

Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream Aaron Allston
Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand Aaron Allston-This series brings back much needed laughs. It has the most old fashioned Star Wars feel
to them of all books in this series. Don't skip them.

Traitor Matthew Stover- Don't miss this one. It's one of the most important books in the EU altogether and it's genius. Having read LOTF, this reaches back to just where Jacen went wrong and how.

Destiny's Way Walter Jon Williams-Not a gigantic fan of the book but it's necessary in beginning to wrap up this arc.


Force Heretic I: Remnant Sean Williams & Shane Dix
Force Heretic II: Refugee Sean Williams & Shane Dix
Force Heretic III: Reunion Sean Williams & Shane Dix -I skipped all of the Force Heretic novels and missed nothing. They just
weren't my thing. (quite skippable)

The Final Prophecy Greg Keyes- Second Last book. You Can't miss it!
The Unifying Force- James Luceno. This is where it all comes together and ends. Last book so you can't miss this one either and it's quite a bit more cathartic than Invincible was.

 

Thanks alot, and another question for anyone,...

what books does Luke first start training jedi and build his academy?

 

The Jedi Academy Trilogy and the companion novel I, Jedi.

 

All of the NJO books that were originally in hardcover (VP, BP, SBS, DW, TFP, TUF) were meant to be the more 'essential' plotwise, and I think you can use that as a loose guideline, with some tweaking. Here's my opinion on each book, looking at essentialness and quality:

Vector Prime - Okay quality but it's the opening book, so, yeah, probably read it.
Dark Tide I and II - Not essential but okay; I found them a bit dry but technically well-written; a lot of focus on Corran Horn (which is a plus or minus depending on your desire to read about him - I do think he was well-written here).
Agents of Chaos I and II - Mediocre and filler, they resolve some Han-angst. Skip them.
Balance Point - Didn't like this one, but it does have some Jacen-centered character development so you might find it useful. Personally I say skip it.
Edge of Victory I - Not essential but IMHO the best of the series. Anakin-centered. My advice: read it.
Edge of Victory II - Mostly filler and clean-up from EoV I; it does have the birth of Ben, but I think it's skippable.
Star by Star - Probably the most important book of the series - read it.
Dark Journey - Crap, don't bother.
Behind Enemy Lines I and II - Okay reads but filler and not essential.
Traitor - Not essential to the overall plot, but definately essential to understanding Jacen in later books and one of the better NJO books - I say read it.
Destiny's Way - Mediocre read but has some important developments - essential.
Force Heretic I, II, III - Unless you are interested in the subplots (Nom Anor in exile, Tahiri, a visit to the Chiss in II) these are mostly filler and skippable.
The Final Prophecy - Sets up the final book - moderately essential.
The Unifying Force - Essential.

So in short, I say definately read: Vector Prime, Edge of Victory I, Star By Star, Traitor, Destiny's Way, The Final Prophecy, The Unifying Force.

 

Thanks Plar and Kiss, to opinions on the NJO was helpful

 

A (very) belated thanks to those who gave me their opinions! That reading list will indeed keep me busy for the rest of the summer. I may still try Survivor's Quest, but I'll look for it at the library in case I also hate it

 

Zardi, Amazon has a range of reviews for Survivor's Quest, but beware they'll have spoilers.

 

Han Solo Adventures (by Daley)--some of the best, most widely respected SW books. Good, fun reads. Solo and Chewie are well written, and interesting to see Solo's rougher, more selfish side before Leia softens him up. Interesting, memorable droid characters. Notable aliens: Trianii, Ruurians, Swimmers. Nice look at conflicts outside of the mainstream Galactic Civil War, with CSA as notable villain. Good mix of humor and action. First EU I read, and got me hooked right off. Good place to start.

Jedi Academy Trilogy has many detractors. And it has some huge flaws. Daala, Xux, Suncrusher, etc. Simple narrative, lots of action. Has mass appeal despite its criticism by fleet junkies. It also has some good things. KJA's aliens and characters are usually good ones (overlooking Daala), especially Cilghal However, many feel he does a poor job of portraying existing characters like Mara and Lando. Some humor (Umgullian racing blobs).

Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy. You either love or hate it. Very serious, galactic-scale action, but also rather dry writing style. Limited humor. Zahn can get a bit preachy. Has too many uber-characters (Karrde, the ultimate smuggler; Jade, the ultimate assassin; Thrawn, the ultimate admiral). Characters have become vastly popular, and appear in most other books, so this gives a good idea who they are. Despite her huge fan base, the character of Jade is in many ways as short-sighted, gullible, and impulsive as Xux and Daala. Occasional, unintentional silliness. Some Star Trek-style characters issues with goofy resoltions. Zahn intruded too much on "forbidden" issues resulting in some embarrassing continuity gaffs.

Stackpole used JAT as a backsetting and made it more interesting from Corran's POV. I, Jedi remains the best SW first-person book to date. The character is likable, if arrogant; he is flawed without being overly melodromatic. Interesting supporting characters with intriguing cultures: the Gand, Caamasi, Shistavanen, Invids, and Jensaarai.

X-wing books--Fleet battles interesting, if not always easy to follow (three-dimensional maneuvers translated as text=not easy to comprehened). The books have moving tragedies and conflicts without being the depression-inducing dreariness of NJO and Legacy novels. Comic genius is at its height here, with lovable characters such as Booster, Runt, Face, and a doctor allergic to bacta!

Glove of Darth Vader series--considered one of the worst-writtent series, and fun to read for the sheer ridiculousness of it. Many memorably ridiculous quotes; the authors are masters of hyperbole. Fans love to hate it.

Republic Commando--prepare for a long string of preachiness about civil rights for clones. Author standing on her soapbox is effectively the main character. Some of the technology used by characters for espionage and warfare is interesting, and some characters are likeable when not acting as the authors' mouthpieces.

NJO--if you want all dark all time, here's where to go. Very little humor, save for Allston's books. Stackpole's contributions were dark but majestic; most authors' contributions were just dark and depressing. Do not keep sharp objects near your wrists while reading. Its basically all downhill, will nothing good every breaking the monotony to allow for fresh air. Characters well written in one book will be totally misrepresented the next. Beware of the defanging of Tsavong!

Legacy--like NJO mixed with Republic Commando. Like NJO, plagued by inconsistencies as a multi-author series not well coordinated.

Splinter of the Mind Eye--an interesting novel written before the OT characters were very flushed out. Introduced many ideas into canon which George thought of but didn't put into final movie.

Han Solo Trilogy (by Crispin)--not to be confused with above, and not as good, but with interesting explorations of Hutt society and early Rebellion. Rather Star Trek-style development of Han's tragic romantic past. Interesting appearances by Xaverri and Winter.

Lando Trilogy--comic writing style is a select taste. Very interesting alie

 

I think you mean Cloak of Deception.

 

An excellent book, with a killer ending you don't see coming.