main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Books Rank the novels of the new canon

Discussion in 'Literature' started by ScorpionJedi, Jan 7, 2016.

  1. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    I don’t know if anybody else noticed this but their seems to be a weird trend in SW novels these days. They all do flashbacks and side stories and interludes and it’s driving me crazy. Does anybody remember the NJO books or FOTJ. It didn’t do it as much. Those books were also I felt written much better. I don’t understand why I don’t like any of the neu books. I read them and I get bored. Is it just me has anybody noticed Star Wars books aren’t molded the way they used to be?
     
  2. Outsourced

    Outsourced Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2017
    Please god don't let this turn into a "Legends was Better" thread.
     
  3. Xander Vos

    Xander Vos Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 3, 2013
    I thought I agreed with this, but then I re-read Betrayal and it didn't hold up as well as I remembered.

    I'm going to read through NJO soon so I'll see how those hold up, but I think we look at the Legends books with rose-tinted glasses.

    That being said, I do definitely agree that the style of the Nu-Canon books hasn't really captured me yet, outside of Grey's books.
     
  4. Outsourced

    Outsourced Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2017
    I like a lot of the new canon novels, but Grey is on another level for me. Lost Stars and Bloodline are some of my favorites, hands down.
     
  5. JABoomer

    JABoomer Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2009
    Update:

    1. Thrawn - Everything I could ever want from a novel, a look behind the curtain of the Imperial military from the Grand Admiral himself

    2. Aftermath: Empire's End - solid ending to the trilogy, made the downfall of the Empire believable, added to the Emperor's mythos with a kill-switch on the Empire, celestial stations, and exploration of the Unknown Regions
    3. Tarkin - really enjoyed the internal politics of the Empire
    4. Lords of the Sith - interesting to see the Vader/Palpatine interactions
    5. Aftermath: Life Debt - really enjoy seeing the galactic powers struggle for dominance after Endor
    6. From a Certain Point of View - really enjoyable, luckily the ones I didn't care for were the really short stories, some continuity mistakes towards the end of the book
    7. Ahsoka - tight and well paced story, wasn't expecting to enjoy it but the young adult novels excel, I read it in two days
    8. Most Wanted - fun and enjoyable story that provided fantastic background to the main characters in Solo
    9. Battlefront II: Inferno Squad - solid book looking at the internal conflict the Empire creates within it's own ranks, fun to then watch cut-scenes from game

    10. Catalyst - slow and plodding story, but one that kept moving forward despite few action sequences, I enjoyed looking into the workings of the early Empire
    11. Leia, Princess of Alderaan - good book, explores Leia's character and is spot on while doing so, surprised how old she was when she became involved in the Rebellion
    12. Rebel Rising - a good read about a tragic story/life
    13. Lost Stars - I enjoyed how it intertwined throughout the OT
    14. Phasma - enjoyable and unexpected backstory that provides good depth to a character poorly utilized in the films
    15. Bloodline - good mix of action and politics, but it was difficult to see how useless the NEU New Republic is
    16. Dark Disciple - never knew where the story was going, was a really nice surprise
    17. Aftermath - different style of novel, but the content was interesting
    18. Battlefront: Twilight Company - solid action, never enthralling, enjoyed exploring the Rebellion during this time
    19. Canto Bight - first two stories were hard to get through (had to really concentrate to read Mira Grant's writing), last two were good, especially The Ride
    20. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - better adaptation than TFA, but still didn't add a whole lot to the movie itself, found Jyn's motives to be confusing at times
    21. Heir to the Jedi - the first person viewpoint was different (and not in a good way)
    22. A New Dawn - I see lots of people really enjoyed it, I found it to be dull
    23. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - glossed over the best parts and didn't properly capture the funny moments from the film, and added little to the story
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2018
    DarthJaceus likes this.
  6. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    The only one I enjoyed was A New Dawn. I would read it again. (That's how I know a book is good). The rest, once is enough.

    I'm hoping next week when Thrawn: Alliances comes out, I'll have 2 books I like. Right now its 50/50. The concept is great but I remember that the first Thrawn was not good. I was shocked. Timothy Zahn is regarded as the father of the EU, and an excellent writer.
     
  7. PCCViking

    PCCViking Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2014
    My opinion is that the authors in the new canon are more constrained with where they can go in their novels than in the old EU. While there were still some topics and eras that were off-limits, they had more flexibility.
     
    DarthJaceus likes this.
  8. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015

    I totally agree. No story can overstep the bounds of anything regarding creativity or something bigger than the book is. We are left with lukewarm nitty gritty self-contained “Adventures”
     
  9. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    I’m excited about the new novels on the horizon but I can’t help but notice the giant gap in between books. We have The Solo Novelization in September but then we have October, November, December, January and then February we have Master and Apprentice. I wish they could fill those months with another novel.
     
    DarthJaceus likes this.
  10. iPodwithnomusic

    iPodwithnomusic Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 23, 2012
    Recently finished Leia: Princess of Alderaan, Phasma, and Aftermath: Empire's End. Last Shot is next.

    Dark Disciple
    Thrawn
    Lords of the Sith
    Lost Stars
    Catalyst
    Bloodline
    Battlefront II: Inferno Squad
    Guardians of the Whills
    Ahsoka
    Tarkin
    Leia: Princess of Alderaan
    A New Dawn
    Battlefront: Twilight Company
    Aftermath: Empire's End
    Aftermath: Life Debt
    Phasma
    Aftermath
     
  11. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    Based on percentages just like in grade school (how I was graded)

    Phasma- 72%
    Heir to the Jedi- 70%
    Battlefront: Twilight Company- 71%
    A New Dawn-91%
    Battlefront II: Inferno Squad- 70%
    Lords of the Sith-65%
    Bloodline-60%
    Last Shot-45%
    Thrawn: Alliances-55%
    Aftermath: Life Debt- 70%
    Thrawn-68%
    Aftermath: Empire's End-50%
    Aftermath-50%
    Catalyst- 45%
    Tarkin-39%

    Cumulative score: 61.4%

    Looks like my math class report card. (65 and under was failing)
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2018
  12. Graphic

    Graphic Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 2012
    I choose no side. New Canon, Legends, PT or OT. I like what i like. Since TLJ i try to handle all those like Campfire Storys. If i like a Story depends on how it was told.
    But i have to say that my love with written Star Wars startet with the Books of the new Canon. So here we go:

    1. Bloodline
    2. Catalyst
    3. Leia Princess of Alderaan
    4. Lost Stars
    5. Dark Descible
    6. From a certain point of view
    7. Phasma
    8. Thrawn
    9. Ahsoka
    10. Tarkin

    Currently i read Thrawn Alliances and the next Book is the Battlefront 2 Novel.

    Im totally in love with Claudia Grey's approach on the Saga, her way to write the Characters and how they feel and expirience the Events around them. All those fine tunes.

    Wish she would write some Scripts for the Movies as well!
     
  13. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    Nope. Hire John Jackson Miller
     
  14. Outsourced

    Outsourced Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2017
    There can be more than one good writer you know.
     
  15. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    Well as far as NeuCanon goes, he’s the only one that wrote something great. Like I’ve said many times on this forum. Bring. Back. Drew. Karpashyn
     
  16. cubman987

    cubman987 Friendly Neighborhood Saga/Music/Fun & Games Mod star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2014
    Updated list:


    1. Lost Stars
    2. Thrawn
    3. Bloodline
    4. Leia: Princess of Alderaan
    5. Ahsoka
    6. A New Dawn
    7. Lords of the Sith
    8. Catalyst
    9. The Weapon of a Jedi
    10. Before the Awakening
    11. Smuggler's Run
    12. Tarkin
    13. Moving Target
    14. Aftermath
    15. Dark Disciple
    16. Heir to the Jedi
     
  17. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    2017 had 20 books. 2018 will only have 11. So sad........
     
  18. Dagobahsystem

    Dagobahsystem Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2015
    From what I've read so far, these are my rankings:

    1. Lost Stars
    2. From A Certain Point Of View
    3. Ahsoka
    4. Rogue One novelization
    5. The Last Jedi novelization
    6. The Perfect Weapon (novella)
    7. Forces Of Destiny (Volume One)
    8. The Force Awakens novelization

    Next up, waiting on my shelf are Dark Disciple and Bloodline.
     
    Sinrebirth likes this.
  19. Yunzabit

    Yunzabit Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2015
    I’d really like a novel sometime between now and Master and Apprentice in April. I have to go through the entire winter without a SW book. That’s colder than a night on Hoth!
     
  20. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
    I've only read a handful of the new canon books (currently reading Catalyst so I'll leave it out for now).
    1. Ahsoka (yes, I'm biased)
    2. Battlefront II: Inferno Squad
    3. Rebel Rising
    4. Leia: Princess of Alderaan
    5. Dark Disciple
    6. A New Dawn

    I think I would've bumped A New Dawn up a notch if Hera was as much a part of the story as Kanan was.
     
  21. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Your last three posts here were off-topic.

    Stop it.

    Final warning.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    DarthJaceus, PCCViking and Outsourced like this.
  22. cubman987

    cubman987 Friendly Neighborhood Saga/Music/Fun & Games Mod star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2014
    1. Lost Stars
    2. Thrawn
    3. Bloodline
    4. Leia: Princess of Alderaan
    5. Thrawn: Alliances
    6. Ahsoka
    7. A New Dawn
    8. Lords of the Sith
    9. Catalyst
    10. The Weapon of a Jedi
    11. Before the Awakening
    12. Smuggler's Run
    13. Tarkin
    14. Moving Target
    15. Aftermath
    16. Dark Disciple
    17. Heir to the Jedi
     
  23. Xammer

    Xammer Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2009
    from best to worst:

    Lost Stars - best exploration ever of the internals of the Empire
    Bloodline - it's like a reboot of LOTF, I would have loved this to be the ST
    Aftermath trilogy - the Bantam era compressed into one year with tons of twists (e.g. Coruscant not being a worthy prize, the Concordance vs. Dark Empire)
    Catalyst, Tarkin - liked the reimagining of the early Empire, particularly its relationship with the Separatist holdouts ("the war is not over")
    Moving Target - telling the SOTE story with no Xizor - feels more in line with the films
    Thrawn series - good for Empire lore (same as above), unfortunately too steeped in Legends so it breaks a bit one's suspension of disbelief
    Battlefront Twilight Company - surprised me for having a Rebel perspective, nice that it made the GCW feel like an actual war (still wondering how the comics will deal with this)
    Before the Awakening - liked this slightly more than I liked TFA
    Dark Disciple - nice, but TCW is so yesterday
    A New Dawn - that paragraph with the line "This decade, central rule was in fashion." saved the book for me
    Ahsoka - good that one gets some sort of finale to TCW (soon to be superseded), a lot of unexplored potential though
    Inferno Squad - this bored me to death, especially in comparison to how much I loved Rogue One
    Leia: Princess of Alderaan, Lords of the Sith, Canto Bight, Phasma, Rebel Rising, Guardians of the Whills - read, but couldn't focus and forgot everything
    Heir to the Jedi, Last Shot, Most Wanted - did not attempt
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2019
  24. LordOblivion

    LordOblivion Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 15, 2006
    I haven't really been reading a lot of Star Wars books in the last couple years, and I've only read three nu-canon books.

    1. Bloodlines
    2. Lost Stars
    3. Catalyst

    I really enjoyed the content of Lost Stars, which seems to be a favorite on the forums, but not so much the writing style. I know it's a YA novel, but the very basic prose was a bit tedious at points. None of the novels were bad.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
  25. Giovs

    Giovs Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2013
    Han is my favorite character, so I'm biased, but from what I've read so far:

    Aftemath: Life Debt
    Last Shot
    Aftermath: Empire's End
    Bloodline
    Thrawn
    Leia Princess of Alderaan
    Moving Target
    Smugglers Run
    Most Wanted
    The weapon of a Jedi
    Heir to the Jedi
    Thrawn Alliances
    Tarkin
    Lords of the Sith
    Ahsoka
    Rebel Rising
    Catalyst
    Lost Stars
    Lando's Luck
    A New Dawn
    From a certain Point of View
    Before the Awakening
    Cobalt Squadron
    The migthy Chewbacca in the Forest Of Fear
    Guardians of the Whills
    Battlefront Twiligth Company
    Battlefront Inferno Squad
    Dark Disciple
    Tales from a galaxy far far away Aliens
    The legends of Luke Skywalker

    I guess that's it.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2019
    Grievousdude likes this.