I wanted to read some Star Wars novels what is a good book to begin with and where should I go from there?

Question

There are so many different books and story lines I just want to start at the beginning and go from there but I can't figure out where the beginning is!

Answer 1

Read anything by Kevin J. Anderson. Don't ask why, just do it. Another good read, for the extended Star Wars Universe I recommend Darth Bane by Drew Karpyshyn. Once again, just do it. No questions.

Answer 2

First off, you would want to decide which part of the story line you want to read about. If you want to read about the original characters (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, etc...) then you want to focus on the books that take place after Return of the Jedi (ROTJ). If you preferred the recent movies, then you will want to start with books earlier in the timeline. Most people seem to prefer continuing on with the original cast, and a majority of the books do take place after ROTJ.

If you choose this as your starting point, then I can recommend the following series/books for reading (in the order noted below):

The Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command)

The Jedi Academy Trilogy (Jedi Search, Dark Apprentice, Champions of the Force)

The Black Fleet Crisis (Before the Storm, Shield of Lies, Tyrant's Test)

The Hand of Thrawn Duology (Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future)

The New Jedi Order (NJO) - approx. 20 books

The Dark Nest Trilogy (The Joiner King, The Unseen Queen, The Swarm War)

Legacy of the Force (LOTF) - 9 books

These books feature the main characters and cover the main points of the books that take place after ROTJ. Most of the other books will help fill in the gaps, but the ones noted above are must-reads for any fan. You will want to read all the series noted above before even thinking of tackling the NJO books, as these set up the NJO books and explain new characters and new or shifted alliances among the characters. Some great new characters are introduced in these books as well. And, so far, the NJO books are definitely the high point of the entire series and feature some extremely dramatic and life-shattering changes for the main characters. The events in these books are far more dramatic and devastating than any of the events from earlier books or even the movies.

If you are a fan of Jedi/Sith lore, then I would recommend Darth Bane: Path of Destruction and Rule of Two. The events here take place 1000 years before the events of Episode IV, so cover a lot of the history of the Jedi and the Sith mythology.

I haven't really been able to get into the books that take place in and around the newer movies, but my favorite books in the Star Wars EU do come from this part of the timeline: the Republic Commando books. These books are about a couple of elite squads of clone troopers and their roles in the Clone War as well as their struggle for individuality and survival after the war. These books are Hard Contact, Triple Zero, True Colors and Order 66.

I also very much enjoyed the X-Wing books, which take place 7-13 years after ROTJ. These books, as well as the Republic Commando books above, feature mainly new characters or some of the minor characters from the books/movies. So if you are a fan of Wedge, then these would be perfect.

Other good books in the series that I would recommend, but that aren't necessary for understanding the series as a whole are:

The Han Solo Trilogy (The Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, Rebel Dawn) These books detail the history of Han Solo before you meet him in Star Wars, including how he got the Falcon and how he met and teamed up with Chewbacca.

Tatooine Ghost - Tells about the early relationship/marriage of Han and Leia and includes a lot of background that is covered in the NJO and Dark Nest books. Even though it takes place much earlier in the timeline than either of those series, you might want to wait until after reading them to read this book. It will probably make more sense that way.

I, Jedi - Introduces a major new character and is probably one of the best books in the series. Details the discovery of force ability and training of Corran Horn.

Look in the front of any book for a complete timeline and the series order of books. Books should be read in the order listed in the series. These books should keep you occupied for a good, long time. I hope this answers your question.

Answer 3

The orginal three Timothy Zahn books take place right after Return of the Jedi

Heir to the Empire

Dark Force Rising

The Last Command

They are true to the spirit of the original trilogy and actually better than the new trilogy.