What Books & Comics Should I Read? / Where Should I Start in the EU?

You forgot to take off Rendezvous, 2ndQuest. Why let a dust mote ruin a good reflection, eh?

Not to call this obsolete, but it's not like people can't peruse the listings at the front of most SW books. I'd concentrate more on the comic angle, as they stopped the comprehensive lists of them around the CW1 TPB, and many have omitted them since.

This site really needs a full comic compendium and TPB reviews.

 

My first post. I'd just like to say this Thread has been very handy, thanks!

 

I only started reading the Star Wars novels a few weeks ago and one of my friends, who has read the majority of the books, suggested that the Thrawn trilogy be read first. I read those three books and they were quite simply three of the best books that have read, and i have read quite a few. Although Truce at Bakura comes right after ROTJ, I do not recommend that book as a starting point. Many of the characters in That book never show up in any other books, aside from the stars of ROTJ. I also think that Truce at Bakura is quite boring and it took me awhile to get through.

 

what is considered to be the direct lead in to attack of the clones? is there one?
thanx!!!

 

I'm about to delve into the EU for the first time and I was wondering if I could ONLY read the novels and no comics? Does anything important plotwise happen in the comics? Will I be missing anything during the Clone Wars or in the post ROTJ era?

Also, I know about the Palpatine clone in Dark Empire. Are those events mentioned in later books, specifically the NJO series? I really don't like the idea of Vader not wiping out the Sith.

 

Well . . . just some of the best and actually worthwhile stories happen in comicdom. Go for it!

 

But will I be missing any plotpoints? Will I still understand everything in the novels without the comics?

 

You'll miss a lot of the Clone Wars.

>>"I know about the Palpatine clone in Dark Empire. Are those events mentioned in later books, specifically the NJO series?"<<

From time to time, yes.

 

The Dark Empire is one of the few comics that has really major events in my opinion but most people hate them so I wouldn't advise them.

The Clone Wars comics are very cool but there aren't too many huge battles, I'd say the Battle of Jabiim (Clone Wars Volume 3) and The Dreadnaughts of Rendili (Clone Wars Volume 6). The siege of Saleucami seems pretty important too. And then there's the battle of Kamino in Clone Wars Volume 1 but the fight seemed rather short to me and they didn't show enough of the space fight in there IMO.

 

In the Clone Wars, IMO, the comics are essential to getting the big picture. It's where most of the storys are, allthough there are plenty of short stries. The books as far as I an tell only seem to focus on individual conflicts, not the war as a whole. I would say you'd get a better picture of the clone wars (no pun intended) by reading the comics, then just the books. Also the Clone Wars shorts help show the Clone Wars on a bigger scale.

 

I didn't mind Dark Empire that much. I didn't like the coloring, the plot was a bit too campy, even for Star Wars.

The X-Wing series is the best place to start, IMO. Although none of the major characters in the movies have big roles here, the action and the writing is quite good. Truce at Bakura wasn't special.

Avoid Planet of Twilight like the f'ing plauge. It turned me off the EU completly.

I personally didn't like the later EU novels. I'd suggest reading from Truce at Bakura up untill JAT, then skipping to the NJO. Don't bother with the rest, they got a bit too wierd and convoluted in my opinion.

 

What ever you do, don't start with The Hand of Thrawn Dulogy. I got my mom to, and she didn't like them at all.

 

I guess it depends what information you deem "important". The Thrawn and Jedi Academy trilogies progress the overall Star Wars storyline by featuring characters and events that shaped the events that followed. By the time of the Crystal Star, The New Rebellion, The Correllian Trilogy and the Black Fleet trilogy, the stories became more episodic as the events that take place have no real long-term impact and the characters themselves are not progressed or changed. It was not until the Thrawn duology and Vector Prime that the Star Wars EU got out of its rut

 

"Children of Jedi, Darksaber and Planet of Twilight form a loose psuedo-trilogy of stand-alone novels.

Each function alone but feature a character named Callista, who is introduced in COTJ, plays a larger role in DS and exits the stage in POT.

Storywise, not counting the few COTJ plot threads it continues, Darksaber functions more like a sequel to the Jedi Academy Trilogy.

People are usually mixed on COTJ, from what I've seen. They either like it or hate it.

Darksaber is usually more positively recieved (but if you didn't like the writing style of the JAT, you probably won't like DS's eitehr since it's the same author).

PoT tends to be grouped together with The Crystal Star as the least liked of the EU, but there are people who still like it."

Sorry to take so long to reply(my comp was messed up) but isn't the introduction of a major character from DS make COTJ a must read for me to understand DS or am I incorrect?

 

So DS should just be read by itself?