Star Wars Book Recommendations

[Jekyll]

Hi all!

I’ve tried several Star Wars books through the years and often did not finish because they were pretty dull, I haven’t been able to find a good series yet. I’m almost finished with the Dresden Files series and I’m looking for a new series to dive into.
I was wondering what recommendations you would have that would be good reads? I really don’t care about specific periods of time or characters. I’ve heard good things about the X Wing books. What about the Fate of The Jedi series? Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

[Derek Metaltron]

Bloodline is a great story if you’re a Leia fan and want to know a little more about the period leading up to Force Awakens and Last Jedi. It has some of the prequel style politics without it being dull and uninteresting.

Catalyst is also a good read, focused on Galen Erso and his relationship with Orson Krennic in the Clone Wars and early days of the Empire.

[Carabas]

How much do you care about whether they're canon or not?

[Jekyll]

How much do you care about whether they're canon or not?

Not at all! Should have thought to post that. Thanks!

[Hiromi]

I recommend the X Wing series wholeheartedly, some of the more fun SW novels

[Jekyll]

Bloodline is a great story if you’re a Leia fan and want to know a little more about the period leading up to Force Awakens and Last Jedi. It has some of the prequel style politics without it being dull and uninteresting.

Catalyst is also a good read, focused on Galen Erso and his relationship with Orson Krennic in the Clone Wars and early days of the Empire.

I recommend the X Wing series wholeheartedly, some of the more fun SW novels

Thanks! I’ll check those out!

[Carabas]

Not at all! Should have thought to post that. Thanks!

I like the original Han Solo trilogy by Brian Daley that came out in the 70s.

[Zero Hunter]

I really liked quite a few of the new continuity books, but I think Lost Stars is one of the best. It follows two characters from the early days of the Empire to after the final fall of the Empire after the Battle of Jakku. They are a man and woman who grow up on an Imperial controlled world and both join the Empire as they get older. At one point the guy see how horrible the Empire is defects to the Rebellion. Meanwhile his love interest stays loyal to the Empire rising threw the ranks until she actually reaches the level of an admiral. The story weaves in and out of the main movies with them both being stationed on the Death Star and being in their at ht battle of Endor and such. It is a really great story and show you big events from the point of view of just typical Imperials.

[Gray Lensman]

Not at all! Should have thought to post that. Thanks!

If you don't mind canon/not canon then the first Zahn series starting with Heir to the Empire is an excellent one. The series introduces what many consider to be the two best additions to Star Wars - Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.

[Carabas]

If you don't mind canon/not canon then the first Zahn series starting with Heir to the Empire is an excellent one. The series introduces what many consider to be the two best additions to Star Wars - Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.

Good trilogy, but be wary for it is the start of a frelling huge soap opera...

[Jekyll]

If you don't mind canon/not canon then the first Zahn series starting with Heir to the Empire is an excellent one. The series introduces what many consider to be the two best additions to Star Wars - Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.

Good trilogy, but be wary for it is the start of a frelling huge soap opera...

I have tried Heir but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I know a lot of folks that like it too.

[Gray Lensman]

Good trilogy, but be wary for it is the start of a frelling huge soap opera...

I always figured the best way to deal with that was to not bother with the two follow up books past the original trilogy. Zahn basically has to acknowledge the rest of the old EU and it suffers for it. Namely the Dark Empire comics, which while very good, are best taken as their own alternate universe story seperate from the rest of what is now Legends continuity.

[Carabas]

I always figured the best way to deal with that was to not bother with the two follow up books past the original trilogy. Zahn basically has to acknowledge the rest of the old EU and it suffers for it. Namely the Dark Empire comics, which while very good, are best taken as their own alternate universe story seperate from the rest of what is now Legends continuity.

With "frelling huge soap opera" I pretty much meant the entire post-RotJ EU that was about the Skywalker and Solo kids. They're a direct continuation of the Heir To The Empire trilogy.

Didn't Dark Empire come out first?

[Gray Lensman]

Didn't Dark Empire come out first?

Heir to the Empire beat Issue 1 of Dark Empire by 6 months. This means Dark Empire was complete first, but Zahn likely had an outline figured out at the minimum before then.

[WebLurker]

Heir to the Empire beat Issue 1 of Dark Empire by 6 months. This means Dark Empire was complete first, but Zahn likely had an outline figured out at the minimum before then.

They were in production at the same time; Dark Empire was originally going to be set right after Return of the Jedi (within a year, at the very most, is my understanding). Since Zahn refused to tailor his novel to fit the comic, the latter was modified to be set after the Thrawn books (about five years later than the original intent).