Lit Favorite author?

Zahn without a doubt. It was his books that got me into the EU, and I always find myself re-reading them.

My bad, I didn't read the post fully. Just skimmed and couldn't figure who you were talking about. I wish we could get a Leia and Saba adventure or had gotten a Mara/ Saba adventure novel before Sacrifice

My "Other" vote was for Brian Daley, with Zahn my #2 pick and Stackpole at #3.

I have a feeling Leia will be tied up for a bit with whatever Crucible will hold, but I'm all for Tahiri, Kyp, Kyle, Corran, Cilghal, Seha, Ben, Octa, Barratk'l, Vestara, Jaden, or any character centric novels!

Hm, it's tough. I like all of Reaves' stuff a lot; I enjoy the little Reaves/Perry-verse. Stackpole and Zahn are great, especially when they work together. I like Stover's stuff a lot, but I wouldn't exactly call him a favorite of mine. I think Allston and Luceno are the closest things I have to favorites. Daniel Keys Moran and Brian Daley are also pseudo-favorites, since their selection of works is considerably smaller than the ones I listed, but I really like their work.

My appreciation for Zahn is undercut by his incessant Thrawn-wanking, minimalism, and mischaracterization (Palpatine & Vader). With that in mind, Stover & Luceno tie.

I voted "other." My favorite is Karen Miller. I love Wild Space, Stealth and Siege; I love the way she portrays Anakin and Obi-Wan's friendship while at the same time contrasting their world views and philosophies. She also does a great job with the Anakin/Padme romance, with most of those scenes being in Wild Space and one really good one in Stealth. I also love her portrayal of Padme and Bail Organa as politicians as well as friends. And she writes the creepiest Palpatine I've ever read, creepier than he was even in the Plagueis novel.

Second favorite is Luceno, as I have yet to read a novel of his that I didn't like. And I really like his portrayal of Anakin and Obi-Wan in Labyrinth of Evil.

Third is Stover, mainly for the ROTS novelization, although I also liked Shatterpoint. Stover's ROTS, the way he gets inside Anakin's head and portrays the slow spiral into insanity, is much better than the movie.

I voted for Matthew Stover and Karen Traviss. Yes, I'm quite aware that these two authors have vastly different styles and preferred subject matter. That's one of the reasons why I enjoy each of them so much.

Stover captured me with Shatterpoint, and that was around the time when I really began to take notice of the names of authors rather than simply wading through a stack of Star Wars books loaded with hits and misses. I followed him into Traitor, at a time when I didn't really know or care much for the NJO, and if I took the time to detail everything I loved about the Revenge of the Sith novelization, I wouldn't get to sleep tonight. He does a fantastic job illustrating the Force in a way that feels both mystic and somehow very tangible at the same time, and Stover always uses it in a masterful way that adds to the narrative and gives the reader a glimpse at what it must be like to be a Jedi and wield this kind of power. His characterization and atmosphere is stellar, getting you into the head of characters in a really visceral way, and every book I read of his—even short stories, like Equipment and The Tenebrous Way—captures the most epic essence of Star Wars.

Prior to reading Traviss' work with the Republic Commando series, I had never been much for stories that didn't have to do with Jedi or Sith. I'd grown up loving superheroes, and while I'd always been an enormous Batman fan, people with powers always had a special place in my heart; what drew me to Star Wars in the first place was changing through the TV channels when I was a kid and finding the moment in TESB when Luke summoned his lightsaber to him with the Force. But there was something in the way Traviss wrote these characters, a spark, that made these names on a page feel almost like real, interesting people in way that very few authors have ever managed. She captured a sense of brotherhood in Hard Contact, and by Triple Zero, this powerful sense of family that seemed really beautiful for someone who didn't have such a great family life growing up. The action was sharp, and many of the ideas questioning the status quo of the universe were really fresh and intriguing. I loved the hard, military look at the work of Star Wars she brought to the table. And yes, of course, the Mandalorians. I love getting into other cultures, real or fictional. Details, language, customs, food—it's fascinating to see how other people live. The Mandalorians were almost instantly interesting; I had, of course, come across them before in the EU, but Traviss made them something solid. Reading through her books, and watching her build this entire new world from bits and scraps from twenty-year-old comics and reference articles had me only wanting more. I only hope the same loving treatment gets applied to other races and cultures in the franchise.

Basically, Stover and Traviss represent to me two sides of the same coin. They each excellently capture their areas of expertise, providing an overall richer universe. I go to Traviss when I want grit, and I go to Stover when I want grand.

And an honorable mention, of course, goes to the fantastic James Luceno. Luceno often manages to strike a brilliant balance between the epic staging Stover's mastered, and Traviss' gritty approach. He's repeatedly blown be away with the likes of Labyrinth of Evil, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, and most recently, Darth Plagueis. I always look forward to his next project, never being disappointed with the result, and honestly wish they would use the man for more than the occasional stand-alones.

I like Karen Traviss' books. Especially Triple Zero, True Colors, and Bloodlines. I like Kal Skirata and the family like relationship among the clones and the jedi involved. Bloodlines I don't know how to explain. Back when it came out terrorism was a big fear (not to say it isn't now but not as bad I think) and since they made a big swing at it in Bloodlines, it makes me wonder what could happen to us if something like what happens in Bloodlines happens to us. Jori Lekauf and Lon Shevu were great characters. I wish they had survived.

Zahn, Luceno, Stover, Allston. My reasoning is essentially the same as whatever I posted about a week or two ago in the "favorite books" thread. Stover is mind-blowing in a way that only Michael Kirkbride (The man who made Elder Scrolls lore so deep and trippy) can approach*- and Traitor in particular resonated deeply with me. Zahn, Luceno, and Allston are all phenomenal at actually "expanding" the Star Wars universe- creating and effectively utilizing new characters, settings, concepts, etc. Their plots are great, their utilization of existing canon makes me happy, their characters are well-thought out, and they are excellent at writing a satisfying conclusion to a story while still leaving open possibilities for future tales (unlike, say, Invincible). I've always loved how meticulous Zahn is in making sure that his plots and characters are all internally consistent- and his portrayal of the Empire as competent makes the heroes' eventual triumph all that much more satisfying. Luceno can weave together incredibly disparate plot threads into an incredible tale, has a phenomenal sense of scale, and is truly able to capture the feel of the films while still telling a story that is distinctly his own, and stands on its own. Allston makes me laugh, and is great at making me legitimately care for the characters.

*A collaboration between Stover and Kirkbride would likely cause the world to implode/ usher in the next kalpa.

I've got a lot of love for a bunch of those on the list but none of them connected with me like Traviss did. She really found a way to make me care about her characters(all OC's no less) in RC. As well she picked up on my favorite character, Pellaeon, and the Remnant in a meaningful way so my vote is for her.

Zahn is by far my favorite, but I also enjoy Allston, Stackpole, and Luceno are all pretty good.

Oh I love both, Landos Modus Operandi is just a little more fun and of course the great humor that comes from having Vuffi along.

Zahn. I have enjoyed every Star Wars book he's written (and The Icarus Hunt is one of my favorite novels ever). Not only that, but he's a supremely nice and gracious man who truly knows what Star Wars is all about.

I'll be really cliche and say Matt Stover and James Luceno.

Fun related fact: As of now, the Dark Lord trilogy is the only Star Wars work (not counting the KOTOR games) that I've read three times. I've read a few other things twice, but the DLT is a masterpiece. Gearing up to read the Thrawn trilogy a third time in the near future, as I plow through the Bantam books.

Vuffi was fun to read. Next time I read that trilogy and the Han Solo Trilogy by AC Crispin I need to count how many times Lando told Vuffi not to call him master.

You guys are forgetting authors of sourcebooks and Essential Guides.

The best authors? Dan Wallace & Jason Fry!

--Adm. Nick

I was only going for the authors that have written novels. I forgot about sourcebooks and Essential Guides. Thanks for bringing them into the conversation. Should we bring in comic book authors into this thread or put that on another?

Comic authors should be counted too! John Ostrander & John Jackson Miller are the kings of that category!

--Adm. Nick