The Bantam Era: What's essential?

I'm a big EU fan but I'm young so I wasn't old enough to handle full sized novels during the Bantam Era. I've read some of the more important books of the NJO (starting around Christmas time, I'm buying them all and reading the whole NJO through), most of the Prequel-Era books so far, and all of the Thrawn books. However, I haven't read any of the Bantam era besides Thrawn and for some reason "The New Rebellion." The New Rebellion was OK but nothing special, especially when compared to the works of authors like Zahn, Stover, and Luceno.

I was wondering if there were any Bantam books, besides the Thrawn ones, that were essential for me to pick up on the overall storyline of the post-ROTJ EU. Some examples of the books I'm talking about are the: Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy, Children of the Jedi, Darksaber, Courtship of Leia, etc. Since I'm about to embark on a long journey through the entire NJO, which at first I had only read the more important books of, I want to know if there's any important background reading I could do from the Bantam Era before I start the entire NJO. (In hopes of finishing before the next round of post-NJO comes out this summer).

Oh, and I've started the X-Wing Series as well and I like it. I've also read "I, Jedi."

 

Shadows of the Empire-generally a good book, and helps fill the gap between ESB and ROTJ (Yeah I know you want post-ROTJ, but I had to recommend this)

The Jedi Academy Trilogy-Really establishs what Luke is doing from that point on to the NJO, that is, running a Jedi school.

Otherwise, nothing is "essential" per se. Obviously, in my mind, the Thrawn trilogy is the most, but you've read that already.

 

Hand of Thrawn is a good cap to the Bantam era, it's very important to the setup of the NJO.

Darksaber is basically the 4th book of the JAT, but it picks up loose ends from Children of the Jedi too. It's also fairly important to the makeup of the Empire after Dark Empire.

 

Well, I would say


Thrawn Trilogy, obviously...good foundation of any EU collection.


Courtship of Princess Leia, to learn about Hapes and the wedding of Han and Leia.


Jedi Academy Trilogy, for reasons listed above, along with I, Jedi for a more grand picture, along with learning about Corran.


Shadows of the Empire, once again.

A couple of the first four X-wing books, to learn about Corran, Gavin, etc.

and the Hand of Thrawn duology, which puts everyone where they need to be.


Comics I would recommend include: Dark Empire 1, and Union.

 

I would read X-Wing to learn how the NR take Coruscant.

As for the rest, I agree with the others?TTT, DE, JAT, HoT, etc.

 

I'm going to recommend The Truce at Bakura just so you have the backstory for the NJO book Force Heretic II.

 

Unfortunately, the Bantam books are tainted by the presence of one Kevin J Anderson. On the one hand, he can't write for crap. And I mean it. Reading his books is painful. On the other hand, since he was one of the earliest and most prolific writers, he helped shape alot of the essential plotlines, like in the Jedi Academy trilogy. However, even then his ideas tend to be silly (it's the DBZ effect: so Vader was 500? then Kyp Durron is 10,000! Luke? he's now 500,000!)

As for myself, the books tend to start with the Thrawn trilogy, and end with the X-wing series, picking up a few single novels along the way. I just pretend that the Young Jedi Knights (another KJA series) and NJO never happened, as I view the NJO as the point where Star Wars stops being Star Wars and becomes a bastard (and campy) sci-fi series.

 

Here is the must list:

The Thrawn Triology
X-Wing Series
I, Jedi
The Black Fleet Crisis
The Hand of Thrawn

Here is the should list: (Not very essential if you have read above and less in quality as the above ones)

The Jedi Academy Triology (Horrible Triology)
The Courtship of Princess Leia
The Corellian Triology
Darksaber

Here is the avoid list

The Crystal Star
The New Rebellion
Children of the Jedi
The Glove of Darth Vader

 

The Thrawn Trilogy
Jedi Acadamy Trilogy
X-Wing Series
Courtship of Princess Leia
Shadows of the Empire
Thrawn Duology
I, Jedi
Corellian Trilogy

 

Almost all the Batntam books were referenced by the NJO at some point, so it depends on how essential you want to consider them.

The exceptions that I'm aware of are The Bounty Hunter Wars, the first two Tales entries (Cantina and Bounty Hunters), and perhaps the last one (New Republic). All the rest are referenced.

 

I don't really think Shadows is all that essential, despite the hype. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining read.

Darksaber--I did NOT like it.

I, Jedi may not be essential to the overall plotlines of SW, but is a really great book, character-oriented, and probably a good book to give you a connection to Corran Horn in NJO and to Nejaa Halcyon in the upcoming Jedi Trial.

You really should read Glove of Darth Vader; it is a laugh riot

 

You really should read Glove of Darth Vader; it is a laugh riot

Um no... and you said that Shadows of the Empire wasn't essential...

 

Darksaber is a great, fast-paced read..don't let them fool you!

 

eh... it brought the death star back for the umteenth time. It was annoying and didn't really advance anything at all. Daala returned, lost an entire fleet- again- and Luke trained more Jedi.

 

Speaking as someone who has only read the Bantam-era books, I would recommend:

Thrawn trilogy
Jedi Academy trilogy
The Truce at Bakura
The Hand of Thrawn
The X-Wing Series (i.e. the first four)

The only ones I reall disliked are:

Children of the Jedi
Darksaber
Planet of Twilight

 

I think it is a very relevant story, in the vein of a story about nuclear technology getting into the hands of terrorists. It advanced the Callista arc, had Madine and Dorsk 81's deaths, and contained good humor. The story moved along lightning fast, and characterization was good. I agree seeing the wampa monster again was hokey, but I thought it was a real good book.

 

And it unifies the Empire and puts it in the hands of Pellaeon. That becomes very important, aroundabout the time of Hand of Thrawn.

 

I've heard a lot about Callista but haven't read those books. What books is she featured in? Is she really important?

 

She's an Old Republic era Jedi whose spirit was trapped, so to be speak, in a dreadnaught called The Eye of Palpatine. A student of Luke's sacrifices herself and allows Callista's spirit to enter her body. Callista appears in Children of the Jedi, Darksaber, and Planet of Twilight. She's Luke's "first love," I guess, even though Mara was under his nose the whole time (whether that's a good thing, I'll leave it up to you).

 

She's Luke's "first love," I guess, even though Mara was under his nose the whole time (whether that's a good thing, I'll leave it up to you).

First love, not including Shira Brie, Gaeriel Captison, and Jem Ysanna, for starters.

 

So is it important to have missed this:

Black Fleet Crisis
Loose trilogy of CoTJ, DS, and PoT

That's about all I've missed from Bantam. Now onto NJO!

 

First love, not including Shira Brie, Gaeriel Captison, and Jem Ysanna, for starters.


EXACTLY!! Jeez! I wonder if all those authors look at the prequels now and see all the celibate Jedi and go oops. I bet they all just think the same thing: "Gee, that Luke Skywalker is quite the character! He deserves a woman of his own! Noone's ever thought of THAT radical an idea!"

It's one thing that makes me prefer the old Jedi Order to Luke's.

 

The way to approach GODV is don't read it thinking, "Ah, another epic chapter of the SW saga!" If you do, you will be scarred for life

Go into it thinking, "Could anything possibly be so cheesy, could any characterizations be so lame, as to make Gungans seem like refined culture and Jar Jar an intellectual giant?" And you will be rolling on the floor. Fun Stuff. We're talking every flavor of cheese ever conceived, and a few of which nobody in the dairy industry's ever thought.

Shadows of the Empire...a fun read, but ultimately, a childlike adventure of "ubercharacters":

Guri, the ultimate assassin!
Xizor, the ultimate crimelord!
a scene where Jabba cowtows to Xizor (that would be a good addition to the EU cheapening the movies thread)
Dash Rendar, Han Solo's stand-in!

the book is FUN, but we went many years with ESb and ROTJ and no SOTE and were JUST FINE. It is not essential Just fun stuff.