What Series/ Trilogy/Novel Is best to Read First?

Truce at Bakura, though I don't recommend reading all the novels in order from TAB on, I think It's better to read that before the thrawn trilogy.

 

Courtship of Princess Leia. There are no "essential" novels beforehand, and there are no original characters, ships, or places which need a backstory to be understood.

Tatooine Ghost is also a good place to start. It has a good lead in to the essential Thrawn Trilogy, and it sums up much of what happened in Courtship. If you plan on going farther into the EU, like into the NJO, then Courtship is a more important novel.

 

Thrawn Trilogy, because they were the first Expanded Universe books to be written. Almost every other book that takes place after ROTJ has some little nuance or reference to that trilogy and they are all based around it's time period.

 

Being a fan of reading the novels in order, to get the best EU exerience, I feel starting at Truce at Bakura is the way to go for any fan of Star Wars.

 

Thrawn Trilogy

These are the novels that refreshed my sense of wonderment in Star Wars, resuscitating the "fan" in me after a period of dormancy.

 

I also Think the Thrawn Trilogy, It makes up for the third trilogy lucas didnt write.

 

this is a no-brainer. THRAWN TRILOGY!

 

Thrawn Trilogy.

-Evan

 

X-Wing. Definitely X-Wing.

 

I voted for the Thrawn trilogy, just because it felt most like the movies to me.

 

Read them in order, or start with the Thrawn trilogy

 

Either Thrawn Trilogy or Shadows of the Empire for the uninitiated.

After that, start with Truce at Bakura and work your way foreward. Just don't lose hope in the mess of mediocrity between the end of Thrawn Trilogy and Hand of Thrawn, in spite of a few jewels (Isard's Revenge, Starfighters of Adumar, etc. )

 

Thrawn Trilogy, because they were the first Expanded Universe books to be written.

You are more than a decade off of the first Expanded Universe books written. Splinter of the Mind's Eye was first released in 1978. In 1979 you saw the first two book in the Han Solo Adventures, the original Han Solo trilogy, released. 1980 saw the release of the last book in the Han Solo Adventures. And 1983 saw all three books in the Lando Calrissian Adventures released, less than a decade before Heir to the Empire would make it's appearance yet still years before it. Yet that's seven books in the EU out before Zahn ever wrote one. And that's not counting the various childrens books.

 

They were the first post-hype Star Wars novel series, however. After Star Wars became a dead/dormant entity around 85 or so (Marvel wasn't far behind, they cancelled their series in 87, I believe), there was little or no material coming down the pipe.

The quality of Tim Zahn's novels (and to a lesser extent, Dark Empire) brought SW back to the world of popular culture. They're not the first EU ever, but merely the first of a new generation, and largely responsible for its resurrection.

Come on, if a sub-par book like Crystal Star had been released first in 1991 instead of Heir, the Bantam line would have withered on the vine.

 

I'd say read them in order from the first, but the Thrawn Trilogy is always a nice way to be broken into the EU.

 

Thrawn Trilogy, hands down.

 

After Star Wars became a dead/dormant entity around 85 or so (Marvel wasn't far behind, they cancelled their series in 87, I believe), there was little or no material coming down the pipe.

Actually, dead/dormant does not fit. From '84 to June of '91 when HttE is first released, Star Wars would see the following (dates from the bibliographies in the EGtC and the NEGtC):

• In October 1987 West End Games released the first edition of their Star Wars: Roleplaying Game. In November of that same year they released the Star Wars Sourcebook.


• December '87 through the fall of '88 would see Blackthorne Publishing release their Star Wars 3D issues 1-3 comics.


• September 7, 1985 through November 30th of that same year saw the Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour cartoons.


• November 1, 1986 through September 5, 1987 saw the All-New Ewoks cartoon series.


• The Great Heep aired June 7, 1986


• The Ewok Adventure: Caravan of Courage, the first of two Ewok movies made for tv, airs November 25, 1984


• Ewoks: Battle for Endor airs November 24, 1985, barely less than a year after the first one airs.


• 1984 would see at least six children's books released: Three Cheers for Kneesaa! An Ewok Adventure, The Ewoks' Hang Gliding Adventure, How the Ewoks Saved the Tree: An Old Ewok Legend, The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense, The Baby Ewoks' Picnic Surprise, and Wicket Finds a Way: An Ewok Adventure.


• At least three children's books are released in 1985: The Ewoks and the Lost Children, Wicket and the Dandelion Warriors: An Ewok Adventure, and The Lost Prince: A Droid Adventure.


• There would be at least seven children's books to be released in 1987: Escape from the Monster Ship: A Droid Adventure, The Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure, The Shadow Stone, An Ewok Adventure, The White Witch: a Droid Adventure, Wicket Goes Fishing: An Ewok Adventure, The Red Ghost: An Ewok Adventure, and The Pirates of Tarnoonga: A Droid Adventure.


• December 1984 would see the first edition of A Guide to the Star Wars Universe.


• 1988 sees WEG release at least two books Strike Force: Shantipole and Tatooine Manhunt.


• In 1989 WEG releases Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope, Galaxy Guide 2: Yavin and Bespin
• , Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races (written by Troy Denning by the way), the Starfighter Battle Book, the Imperial Sourcebook, and Crisis on Cloud City.


• 1990 sees WEG release the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, [iGalaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi
• , and Jedi's Honor (also by Troy Denning).

And that's just a few of the items, which were Star Wars that came out between '84 and June '91. Just some of what was used for source material for the EGtC and the NEGtC. Now you may argue that none of that counts because it was not SW novels. But the point was to show that Star Wars was not dead/dormant prior the release of Zahn's HttE. I didn't add Marvels Droids series, their Ewoks series, or their Annuals series which would all have issues that would fall within this time frame. Nor did I add their Return of the Jedi series, written by Archie Goodwin, which ended in January of '84. I also didn't add WEG material from 1991, or the Star Wars #1-3 newspaper strip collection from the same year, as I didn't have the months needed. As I already stated, this is just a portion of everything released in the timeframe I've given.

 

If you're sticking to novels post RotJ then I'd suggest just going in order starting with the Truce At Bakura and work your way through. Continuity is much less confusing that way.

But from the lot that you've mentioned in the poll I'd go with The Thrawn Trilogy.

 

The Thrawn Trilogy, of course.

 

The X-Wing series is good.

 

"Actually, dead/dormant does not fit."

With the exception of the Ewok TV movies, none of those kept SW in the national zeitgeist. As good as the WEG materials were, they never occupied more than a small niche. The release of a high-profile novel series by established sci-fi authors changed all of that. I'd hazard a guess that in 1997, a full two years before Episode I, there were a lot more active fans then in 1987.

 

The Thrawn Trilogy is very good as an introductory series. If you like everything in order though, Truce at Bakura would be best.

 

Thrawn Trilogy. It's amazing and only requires knowledge of the films. Actually, one of my friends read it without even that much.