Books Rank the novels of the new canon

Thanks, and no worries. I was more puzzled on behalf of anyone who's written books marketed to kids than personally insulted.

I don't think any writer adjusts a book's responsibility to be good based on the audience being marketed to, or at least I hope they don't, for their own sakes as well as readers'. I get the perception that "adult" books shape more in canon, but hopefully that's not true in new canon, or whatever we've decided to call it. We need more data, but Lost Stars and the upcoming Ahsoka YA (about which I know nothing) suggest that won't be so. Fingers crossed I suppose.

 

An ex-girlfriend assured me that something doesn't have to be long to be good...

I always had her read over my writing.

 

I'm glad I didn't offend you

 

I only have read Lost Stars which was good, but in Mexico it's difficult to find them, but I'll try in ebook form.

 

Out of all the NewU I've actually read so far, I'd rank it like this:

1. The Perfect Weapon. It has a slightly cheesy ending, but this story nails it. Completely goes in depth and adds characterization to several characters, giving enough ample time for backstory, action, intrigue and world building. With just 60 pages, this story accomplished more than most other pieces of Star Wars fiction.
2. Heir to the Jedi. Apparently I'm alone in this, but I just finished this book and loved it. I really dug the looks into Luke's mind, the weight he felt, and his focus on training with the force without a teacher. I'll probably read it again soon.
3. Weapon of a Jedi. A fantastic story that I don't really have much to complain about.
4. Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku. Quite a fun story, and built up the character, but it plays as to much of an adventure serial to really have any particular meat or merit in the EU. Hopefully the Corsair gets a comic or another full book to actually shine.

Going to be digging much deeper into the NewEU soon though. So we'll see how this lasts.

 

.5 Ahsoka (best book based on best character)
1. Aftermath
2. Heir to the Jedi
3. Lords of the Sith
4. A New Dawn
(those four I absolutely loved)
5. Leia: Moving Targets
6. Dark Disciples
7. The Perfect Weapon. (Did not like Bazine too much, but still enjoyed every novel I have read.)
(my two least faves)
8. Battlefront
9. Tarkin
I plan on reading "Adventures in Wildspace", "Servants of the Empire", "Ezra's Gamble", "Smugglers Run", "The Weapon of a Jedi", "Lost Stars" finishing all the alien books, finishing "Before the Awakening", and reading all future books / books I have not gotten to in canon.

 

You're not alone. I loved Heir to the Jedi. It's my 3rd favorite of the new canon after Lost Stars and Aftermath. Very enjoyable.

Nice to see that you liked The Perfect Weapon too. I didn't include it in my rankings, but it was a great little short story.

 

If you end up loving Lost Stars as much as I did (it's my #1), your list will look a heck of a lot like my list (though I didn't "love" A New Dawn). Anyway, nice taste!

 

What I have read thus far:

1) Lost Stars
2) Dark Disciple
3) A New Dawn
4) Lords of the Sith
5) Tarkin
6) Before the Awakening
7) TFA Novelization

 

The Nunbaissance.

 

Of the stuff I've had a chance to read:

1. Before the Awakening - Loved the new TFA characters and really enjoyed getting to read more about them.
2. Force Awakens (junior novelization) - probably my favorite novelization, really like the insights into the characters and the bonus scenes.
3. Lost Stars - I'm usually not a sucker for love stories, but this one worked and adds a lot. You won't look at the original trilogy the same way.
4. A New Dawn - As a Rebels fan, this stand-alone prequel got the new canon off to a good start with a story that easily matched the quality of the previous EU
5. Rey's Story - A really interesting read with lovely illustrations and new insights into TFA's breakout star (although it does diviate a little more from the movie than I'd like)
6. Rey's Survival Guide - A look at Jakku from Rey's eyes. A little drier than other books on this list, it fleshes out the place a lot and offers Rey some more development and insights. There are a few minor inconistancies with the movie, though, but nothing unforgiviable.
7. Dark Disciple - A decent story and well-written, but really dark and not one I like that well or have had the urge to re-read. It get this high on writing quality alone.
8. Lords of the Sith - A road trip with Vader and Palpatine. Perfectly solid, but not the best of the best.
9. Force Awakens (adult novelization) - An okay novelization that feels a lot more distant from its source movie and lacks most of the charm, but still has some great moments and tidbits that enhace the movie experience. Best read along side its junior counterpart.
10. The Princess, the Smuggler, and the Farmboy - A novelization of A New Hope that works, but doesn't quite rise to the occasion. Still, better than the original ones and worth a look.
11. Weapon of a Jedi - A decent story about Luke's training that won't dissapoint fans, but doesn't rise above the "decent" catergory. Jess Pava's first apperance.
12. Tarkin - Impeccibly written, but I was never able to get into the story that much. The Carrion Spike story is worth the price of admission and Tarkin is perfectly in character.
13. Aftermath - A springboard for a new trilogy, the series suffers from chronic medicotority.
14. Heir to the Jedi - An isolated story that meanders before rushing to an ending. Completely skippable.

 

Can I base my decision on covers since I don't got time to read.

 

Well, of the ones I've read

1. Lost Stars
What can I say here? I already gushed about it right after finishing it, and I still think it's outstanding! Just started rereading it, which is not something I often do.

2. *This spot reserved* (hopefully bloodline )

3. Tarkin
This one really came out of nowhere for me. I wasn't even planning on reading it, but my mom saw a new SW book at the library and picked it up for me, so I decided to give it a chance. I was really pleasantly surprised. If we're going to be getting books that are mostly significant for character rather than plot, this one really does a good job of it. Docked a few points because the main story felt like an afterthought and wrapped up very abruptly, but it made a character I'd never cared about much more interesting.

4. A New Dawn
Felt a bit weird at first, but it's grown on me as we progress further into the new continuity. Plus it's got solid characters. Kanan is one of my favorites, so I appreciate getting more of his backstory whenever we do. On top of that, it gave us Sloane, so bonus points there too.

5. Dark Disciple
I really wanted to love this one, and there was a lot about it that I did, but certain logical/motivational inconsistencies really bugged me. The actions of the council just don't quite feel like they make sense to me.

6. Aftermath
The writing style took a while to get used to, but more than that, it was just kind of a dull main story to me. Sinjir was about the only character I actually liked, and even though the sequels look to be broadening the scope of events that these people will be involved with, being aware that the war lasts less than a year after this point made the Imperial meeting (already tiresome because the characters go in circles saying the same things repeatedly but not making any real progress) and whatever other groundwork was laid in this book feel inconsequential. I'm afraid that knowing where things are going and how quickly the war is brought to a halt with Jakku has really dampened my interest in the immediate Post-Jedi time frame in general.

7. Lords of the Sith
It was just kind of dull to me. The basic summaries we got ahead of time cover half of the actual length of the thing, up to bringing down the Star Destroyer. Seeing the Vader presented in the prologue and knowing nothing major can happen to him or Palpatine or the empire itself made the Twi'leks' efforts feel incredibly futile from the start and I had a hard time caring.

8. Heir to the Jedi
Felt like a series of setup stories with no real payoff. Weird preoccupation with food and creatures reminded me of Splinter of the Minds Eye. Didn't really capture Luke's voice for my money, which is doubly important in first person, and the character work wasn't all that engaging either. I honestly found this one to be a bit of a struggle to get through.

 

I've revised/added to my rankings:

Bloodline
Lost Stars (YA)
A New Dawn
Battlefront: Twilight Company
Tarkin
Aftermath
Smuggler's Run (J)
Dark Disciple
Heir to the Jedi
The Weapon of a Jedi (J)
Before the Awakening (J)
The Force Awakens (N)
Lords of the Sith

So far, Lords of the Sith is the only one I didn't really like, but even then there's plenty enough to like about it. I actually rather enjoyed Heir to the Jedi and Dark Disciple, seemingly far more than others around here. Bloodline was next level though, and I can't even begin to fully sing its praises. So far, I think the new canon is in good shape, and I'm excited to see where it goes. I think Life Debt has a lot of potential (I know people loathed Aftermath, but I thought it was pretty decent set up, once I got used to the writing style).

 

From best to worst
1.)Heir to the Jedi
2.) Battlefront: Twilight Company
3.) A New Dawn
4.) Lords of the Sith
5.)Bloodline
6.)Aftermath
7.) Dark Disciple
8.) Tarkin

I didn't read the TFA novelization so I obviously cant rank it. First 3 were great, next 3 were okay and the last 2 were just plain horrible.

 

A New Dawn
Aftermath
Twilight Company
Bloodline
LOTS
Dark Disciple
Tarkin
Heir to the Jedi
Force Awakens (nothing against the movie, but prose was just incredibly meh compared to others in nu canon)

 

Personally, I find the notion that, just because a book is primarily aimed at a "younger" audience, that that means that it automatically doesn't need to be well-written, to be rather insulting (both to the writer and the audience). It seems to assume that you cannot have a well-written piece of work that younger people can still enjoy, or that the writers somehow don't care about putting out a good product regardless of the age range that it's primarily marketed to. I disagree strongly with both of these assumptions.

Frankly, I have found that, in many cases, the "young adult and young readers" stuff has been better written than the "adult" books (imo).

 

Not exactly what you were talking about, but I recently, finally, got around to binge-watching "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (series not movie) and by the end of it came away thinking that the story, the world building, the character development, et al were all vastly better done on that show than a hell of a lot of "adult" ones I've seen.

As for the Star Wars novelverse specifically, I think "Lost Stars" being the surprise hit that it was pretty much ends any notion that YA fiction can't be as good as its older counterparts.

 

^I've watched ATLA and it's sequel Legend of Korra and yeah, I agree with you on that.

 

Harry Potter is one of the most popular series of all time and its a bunch of Middle grade novels. I grew up with the series but I can tell you that adults had and continue to have a very strong presence in that fandom. Good story telling tends to do that. Based on everything I've seen so far, the middle grade/ YA content of the new Canon has had some of the strongest story telling. Which is why I'm so pumped for the Ahsoka novel coming out later in the year.

My rankings (so far!)

1. Lost Stars
2. Bloodline
3. New Dawn
4. Before the Awakening
5. Moving Target
6. The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farmboy
7. Aftermath

I'm planning on tackling Lords of the Sith, Tarkin, and Twilight Company eventually, but none are a top priority. Heir to the Jedi is not connecting with me what so ever so I haven't made it very far with that one. Hoping to pick up Life Debt and Ahsoka day of, and I think Catalyst might have potential....depending on who is writing it and the overall plot.

 

The Hunger Games trilogy as well, don't forget about them. Anyway my rankings thus far (I haven't gotten to read all of them yet):

1. Bloodline.
2. Lost Stars.
3. Tarkin.
4. Before the Awakening.
5. Moving Target.
6. A New Dawn.

 

I have to redo my list...Bloodline is my new #1...by a long shot!

1. Bloodlines
2. Lost Stars
3. The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
4. Aftermath
5. Heir to the Jedi
6. The Force Awakens novelization
7. A New Dawn
8. Battlefront
9. Lords of the Sith
10. Smuggler's Run
11. Moving Target
12. Tarkin
13. The Force Awakens (junior novelization).
14. Dark Disciple
15. Beware the Power of the Dark Side
16. So You Want to be a Jedi

 

1. The Weapon of a Jedi
2. Bloodline
3. Aftermath
4. Servants of the Empire
5. Lost Stars
6. A New Dawn
7. Before the Awakening
8. Smuggler's Run
9. Moving Target
10. Dark Disciple
11. Twilight Company
12. Heir to the Jedi

Note: There is a large gap between Moving Target and Dark Disciple.
Note 2: I did not read Tarkin or Lords of the Sith.

 

Haven't read enough to really make a list but Bloodlines is my favorite SW novel in a long time.

Didn't enjoy Tarkin, A New Dawn, or Aftermath. Tarkin was especially disappointing considering it was written by my fave EU author, Luceno. It was just bland to me. I actually returned Aftermath for a refund. Just terrible.

I need to read Lost Stars though as Claudia Gray has renewed my faith in SW novels with Bloodlines. She should be given a multi novel contract by Del Rey/LFL.