What are some good Star Wars novels?

[Crimson Dragoon]

In your opinion, which SW novels do you people think are good reads?

My picks:
Shatterpoint
ROTS novelization
The Thrawn Trilogy
Labyrinth of Evil
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Dark Rendezvous

[Sasori]

I heard ROTS is good. But ask someone like TWF cos he faps over EU Star Wars all the time :LOS

[Mad Hatter]

There are no good star wars novels :nuts

[Crimson Dragoon]

I heard ROTS is good.

It is. Far superior to the movie, though that might not be saying much.

[TWF]

Nothing by Kevin J.Anderson, for sure.

Cestus Deception is good, so is the Medstar Duology and anything by James Luceno. Also Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Heir to the Empire and Survivor's Quest are great.

[Kreig]

Thrawn Trilogy.

And I thought the Jedi Academy trilogy was good.

[TWF]

Darksaber was average. By trying to shift the spotlight from Luke and Han to Kyp was just plain stupid.

[Kreig]

Darksaber was average. By trying to shift the spotlight from Luke and Han to Kyp was just plain stupid.

Yeah but, it had Exar Kun.

And the Suncrusher.

[TWF]

Dark Empire had the Galaxy Gun and two Eclipse-Class Star Destroyers. And the Reborn Emperor and Dark Jedis and Adepts too.

[Kreig]

Good point.

[Dream Brother]

The majority of SW novels range from plain bad to downright appalling. A few good ones, though:

Traitor
Shatterpoint
I, Jedi
Thrawn Trilogy
ROTS novel
Rogue Squadren series

I'll think of a few more in the morning, too tired right now.

[TWF]

Ironic that you make mention of Stackpole's I,Jedi as a good one. :LOS

Most of the bad stuff like Planet of Twilight, New Rebellion and the Han Solo Trilogy were terrible because they simply contradict canon information from AoTC and RoTS.

[Dream Brother]

What's wrong with I, Jedi? Granted, I read it when I was much younger (and so I may see it in a different light if I read it now) but it always seemed like one of the better reads in the SW EU. Corran Horn is a good character.

[TWF]

Corran was a wannabe Luke just like Kyp is. He was better without the Force wanking.

[Dream Brother]

From what I remember of Corran, he didn’t really seem to resemble Luke much at all -- or even try to resemble Luke. In terms of raw force power/talent he’s miles below Luke, and he can’t even utilize telekinesis without absorbing energy to do so, instead relying upon conversion of energy and creating images/sensations in the minds of other people to win battles. Luke is idealistic/a dreamer and is essentially naïve at heart, wanting to believe the best of people most of the time -- Corran, on the other hand, is highly cynical and ‘streetwise’ due to his CorSec training, and (if anything) is more comparable to Mara Jade than Luke, overall. His fighting style is different, his personality is different, his abilities in the force are very different and his background isn't much like Luke's either.

I’ll have to reread I, Jedi to be sure. Like I said, it’s been a while.

[TWF]

Corran Horn - Gary Stu of EU Jedi post-PT.

[Dream Brother]

Isn’t the term ‘Gary Stu’ supposed to denote overly idealized/romanticised characters that lack flaws and are rife with cliché/stereotypes of the genre they’re placed in? If so (and correct me if I’m wrong on that loose definition) then I don’t agree. He’s not overly idealized and doesn’t lack flaws -- he has a very big flaw in that he cannot make use of telekinesis in the conventional manner, something that is seen as a basic skill by most force users, he’s not described as being incredibly good looking, and he has personality flaws such as being overly paranoid, overly competitive and arrogant, especially before the NJO series. There’s even a scene in I, Jedi, if I remember correctly, where he almost beats a man to death with his hands and feet due partly to jealousy, not out of righteousness. Not only is he far from being the best Jedi, he’s also far from being the best fighter pilot, the other thing he’s known for -- even with the force on his side he could only just keep up with Tycho Celchu in their dogfight, and it’s thus pretty much a given that both Luke and Wedge (just to name two other examples) are also better than him.

He’s not the greatest character in the SW universe, but he sure as hell isn’t anywhere near the worst or most ‘Stu-ish’. If anything, Luke is more cliché/overly idealized than Corran -- Luke is noted for having boyish good looks, having a heart of gold, a tragic past where his foster-parents were murdered and amazingly strong raw force potential that exceeds nearly everyone he meets and often overcoming seemingly impossible odds over and over again, much in the age-old tradition of the ‘hero’.

Corran obviously isn't entirely devoid of cliché or stereotypes in fiction, but he's not bogged down by them either, and I'd actually say that he's one of the anti-Stu's of the SW series, EU and movies alike.

[Crimson Dragoon]

Corran Horn - Gary Stu of EU Jedi post-PT.

Doesn't that title belong to Kyp Durron?

[Tyrael]

Isn’t the term ‘Gary Stu’ supposed to denote overly idealized/romanticised characters that lack flaws and are rife with cliché/stereotypes of the genre they’re placed in? If so (and correct me if I’m wrong on that loose definition) then I don’t agree. He’s not overly idealized and doesn’t lack flaws -- he has a very big flaw in that he cannot make use of telekinesis in the conventional manner, something that is seen as a basic skill by most force users, he’s not described as being incredibly good looking, and he has personality flaws such as being overly paranoid, overly competitive and arrogant, especially before the NJO series. There’s even a scene in I, Jedi, if I remember correctly, where he almost beats a man to death with his hands and feet due partly to jealousy, not out of righteousness. Not only is he far from being the best Jedi, he’s also far from being the best fighter pilot, the other thing he’s known for -- even with the force on his side he could only just keep up with Tycho Celchu in their dogfight, and it’s thus pretty much a given that both Luke and Wedge (just to name two other examples) are also better than him.

He’s not the greatest character in the SW universe, but he sure as hell isn’t anywhere near the worst or most ‘Stu-ish’. If anything, Luke is more cliché/overly idealized than Corran -- Luke is noted for having boyish good looks, having a heart of gold, a tragic past where his foster-parents were murdered and amazingly strong raw force potential that exceeds nearly everyone he meets and often overcoming seemingly impossible odds over and over again, much in the age-old tradition of the ‘hero’.

Corran obviously isn't entirely devoid of cliché or stereotypes in fiction, but he's not bogged down by them either, and I'd actually say that he's one of the anti-Stu's of the SW series, EU and movies alike.

Well you've got me convinced.

[TWF]

Corran Horn is the same as Kyp Durron. And annoyning and limelight hogging EU character who is attempted just as Andersen did with Kyp, to Stackpole to Horn as another Luke Skywalker.

And boyish good looks? Never ever seen that in any EU works barring the Courtship of Princess Leia were he was described as "handsome" but plain.

[Dream Brother]

Corran Horn is the same as Kyp Durron. And annoyning and limelight hogging EU character who is attempted just as Andersen did with Kyp, to Stackpole to Horn as another Luke Skywalker.

And boyish good looks? Never ever seen that in any EU works barring the Courtship of Princess Leia were he was described as "handsome" but plain.

I understand that this is your stance, but you haven't actually given me any justification/proof to back that stance up. If you find his personality annoying, that's perfectly fine, as the like/dislike of characters is more a matter of the personality of the specific individual examining them, and so people will always differ in that area. But how is he trying to be another Luke Skywalker, and how exactly does he hog the limelight? Without actual examples, these accusations seem baseless. I’ve already gone over how he differs quite a lot from Luke in nearly every area, at least the way I see it.

As for Luke’s good looks, I suppose that’s more of a shaky point to argue than the others, and you can feel free to disregard it. The other points still stand, though -- and keep in mind that my main argument is that Corran isn’t a ‘Gary Stu’, not Luke bashing. The Luke issue was just thrown in on the side.

[TWF]

What? Stackpole in I,Jedi frequently tried to make a comparison to putting him in the same spotlight as Luke. Gary Stu characters don't have to be romantic based characters to bring the same effect into a story.

He is randomely introduced with the power of the Force, somehow is among the top-tiers of the Praxeum and has a bloodline ability. And let's not go into NJO with his character.

[Dream Brother]

How did he put him into the same spotlight as Luke? Corran (at the time) was just one of the group of students attending the academy, not any kind of universe-saving hero. He wanted to save his wife -- that was pretty much it. The fact that he has the force and is one of the better students doesn't mean he's a 'Gary Stu'. Recall that the Praxeum had barely any students at the time Corran trained in. Taken from wiki:

The Jedi Academy, or Praxeum, was first housed in the Great Massassi Temple and had 12 original students, including Kyle Katarn, Brakiss, Corran Horn, Dorsk 81, Gantoris, Kam Solusar, Kirana Ti, Streen, Tionne, and eventually Cilghal, Mara Jade and Kyp Durron.

Being ‘top-tier’ amongst 12 people isn’t really much of a big deal, is it? And even then it's balanced out due to him being utterly crippled in telekinesis. In fact, in that respect (if I remember correctly) he is one of, if not the worst out of those 12 students. A ‘Gary Stu’ wouldn’t suffer this problem at all; he would be excellent in all areas of the force, and more talented in raw force power to boot. A Gary Stu would most likely also be the absolute best out of all the students (e.g, Kyp Durron) not just one of the best. Having the force in the EU doesn’t make him anything amazing, and having a bloodline ability seems like more of a way of balancing out the (pretty serious) hole in his force usage than anything else.

I didn’t actually say ‘romantic’ either, which could have been confused with relating to a relationship of some kind -- I said ‘romanticised’. By that I meant overly idealized, and yes actually, that is supposed to be a defining characteristic of both a Gary Stu and Mary Sue. Corran doesn't have this trait.

[Tyrael]

I didn’t actually say ‘romantic’ either, which could have been confused with relating to a relationship of some kind -- I said ‘romanticised’. By that I meant overly idealized, and yes actually, that is supposed to be a defining characteristic of both a Gary Stu and Mary Sue. Corran doesn't have this trait.

I always find it interesting to note romance and fantasy as words have the same literl root meaning-both are something dreamed up by the imagination and not real-although they have been given new meanings through there use.

On topic= Never read any Star Wars books, but I am seriously considering adding them to my stockpile. Can anyone recommend one book that is a good starting point?

[Moogoogaipan]

I read the jedi apprentice books they were pretty good.

[Kreig]

On topic= Never read any Star Wars books, but I am seriously considering adding them to my stockpile. Can anyone recommend one book that is a good starting point?

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn.

First book is Heir to the Empire, followed by Dark Force Rising and ending with The Last Command

[Crimson Dragoon]

On topic= Never read any Star Wars books, but I am seriously considering adding them to my stockpile. Can anyone recommend one book that is a good starting point?

Which era do you want to start in? If it's post RoTJ, start with the Thrawn Trilogy. For Prequel Era, I suggest either the Medstar Duology or Shatterpoint.

[masamune1]

Anyone like Shadows of the Empire?

[Crimson Dragoon]

SoTE was alright. It's not on the level of Shatterpoint or some of the finer Prequel Era novels, IMO.

[TWF]

Medstar Duology, Shatterpoints, Cloak of Deception were good. The Han Solo trilogy was weird however.

[Darth Judicar]

Almost everything is good. I've rarely come across an EU book or series that I didn't like. Some of my favorites:

Dark Lord
Shadow Hunter
Shatterpoint
Republic Commando series
Labyrinth of Evil
Thrawn Trilogy
Legacy of the Force series
Tales of the Bounty Hunters

I think I may be one of the few people to not get into the NJO series that much. The whole series never really appealed to me except Jacen's time with Vergere and the Vong.

[Caladan Brood]

Based on what I've read, nothing's good.
However, I would definitely give anything by Matthew Stover a go, because his other non-starwars works are fucking fantastic.

[TWF]

Over-all for me these are what I highly enjoy: Courtship of Princess Leia, Rogue Squadron - I, Jedi - Outbound Flight/Survivor's Quest, Heir to the Empire, Alliegance, Shatterpoint, Cetsus Deception, Jedi Trial, Dark Lord, RoTS, Medstar Duology, New Jedi Order, some parts of the LoTF series.

[CT_Fan]

These are my favorite's:
Courtship of Princess Leia, Tatoonie(sp?) Ghost, Thrawn Trilogy

Can't really think of anything else. For me most of the NJO series start off horribly I mean all the good guys are "OMG we're all doomed" and somehow they all turn retarted until second half of the series. I would go more into it but I would go on for about 10 pages. For an example thought tak legacy of the force series I mean come on did all the jedi take stupid pills? Or the vong series how many times was Jaina kidnapped? How is she a badass jedi if she gets captured so many times in such dumb ways? I keep reading it because I like some of the characters and I already started the series so might as well finish it.

[TWF]

Also, Shatterpoints is way up there for me. And I strongly recommend everyone here to read the Cetus Deception.

[forgotten_hero]

I liked the Rouge Squadren series a lot better than the Wraith Squadren series. It just seemed to me like they were trying to extend the series to make more money and not create a good storyline.

As for I, Jedi I enjoyed it. True I thought it was a bit far-fetched that Corran would be able to access his force powers, but I did like how he didn't rely on it. If I remember correctly, he made an analogy between his force powers and his having a blaster yet not using it until he had to.

[cornflakes]

anything by James Luceno.
<3 Agreed. My favourite is his Labyrinth of Evil. I enjoyed Rise of Darth Vader and Cloak of Deception too.

I kinda enjoyed the Thrawn trilogy, except the C'baoth-Luke subplot. Shatterpoint was pretty good too. But I don't like New Jedi Order at all, simply because I think the Yuzhann Vong is just contrary to the spirit of SW.

I am currently reading Legacy of the Force. Not too bad. I like how the characters from the movies (mainly Han and Luke) are coping with a generation of people who have no memory of the Empire and Rebellion, and thus cannot appreaciate their achievements. And the Boba Fett subplot is cool as well.

[TWF]

You can't discredit NJO and then compliment LoTF. The Vong were an interesting aspect of an antagnoist instead of a rehashed recycled subverted cult of Darksiders/Dark Jedi/Sith emerging once again.

[Mojo]

Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Dark Rendezvous


I enjoyed reading both of these books the most out of your list

[Darth Judicar]

You can't discredit NJO and then compliment LoTF. The Vong were an interesting aspect of an antagnoist instead of a rehashed recycled subverted cult of Darksiders/Dark Jedi/Sith emerging once again.
I find the remergence of the Sith/Dark Jedi much more interesting than the old "unknown space aliens invading" storyline. In fact, LOTF is my favorite series now. NJO had some good books but it was a series that could have ultimately been a lot shorter.

[Dream Brother]

LotF, in my opinion, is pretty sucky, although I liked Bloodlines.

At least NJO had a book written by Stover.

The Vong were an interesting aspect of an antagnoist instead of a rehashed recycled subverted cult of Darksiders/Dark Jedi/Sith emerging once again.

Agreed.

[Crimson Dragoon]

LotF, in my opinion, is pretty sucky

It's a damn rehash of the Prequels. Of course it sucks.

At least NJO had a book written by Stover.

Like I said before, Stover is awesome.

[tammy_2328]

Darth Bane.

It's way way way back from the Star Wars Movies and the history of the Sith, real Anakin's birth place, a lightsaber that can cut a lightsaber and the rise of the dark side. It's pretty cool.

[TWF]

I like Alliston's books in Legacy. Anyway, Path of Destruction is win.

However, Timothy > Matthew. :pek

[Crimson Dragoon]

However, Timothy > Matthew. :pek

Lies. Stover is t3h st0rongest.

Seriously, I can't believe I forgot PoD. That was a good novel about how the Dark Side changes a person and Bane's struggle to get to the top. The Sith of his time were really stupid though.

[Dream Brother]

However, Timothy > Matthew. :pek

Blasphemy.

[Ulfgar]

No mention of the Hand of Thrawn Duology? For shame.

[Dream Brother]

I forgot about that -- it was good stuff. Thrawn rocks, even if it was just a fake version of him at that point.

[Darth Judicar]

Just finished Fury. Pretty good, just two to go until the end. Jaina becoming an apprentice to Fett? Wow, never saw that coming. A Jedi willingly going to Fett for training....I still have True Colors, Rule of Two, Death Star, and the Medstar books to keep me busy until February.

Speaking of Rule of Two, anyone read it yet? I loved PoD, so I'm hoping this one will be good too.

[JediJaina]

I've always been partial to Timothy Zahn since it was his books that inspired my nickname. :amuse

[TWF]

Barnes's Cetsus Deception was awesome.

[Crimson Dragoon]

Yeah, Cestus Deception is pretty cool. Jedi Trial is pretty good also.

[TWF]

I liked the Medstar Duology. Which says something about current EU since PT EU is kicking its arse.

[Midus]

Just started the Thrawn trilogy and I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far. Suggestions on what I should try after I read this. Most interested in the Old Republic era.

[Crimson Dragoon]

Shatterpoint and Revenge of the Sith Novel

[TWF]

Attack of the Clones, Approaching Storm, Cloak of Deception (haven't read it but heard its good), Jedi Trial, Cetsus Deception, and Laybrinth of Evil.

[Sen]

Well the ones that I liked~
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Cetsus Deception
Laybrinth of Evil
Approaching Storm

Since Vader is my favorite, I also prefer to read novels focused on him. I actually read some of the ones about Anakin as a kid but they were sadly aimed at kids so they were rather simple and short imo.

[Chee]

I was looking at some Star Wars merch and it had pages and pages of novels. Daaaamn. :uwah

[Midus]

Any decent Boba Fett books?

[Soul Assassin]

I've read so many of these things it's hard to remember. I didn't like what LotF has offered overall. NJO had such a long arc with the Vong (I think it has better than 20 books) it's difficult to say if you should read them or not. I mean, I remember some of the books being good, and others suck. Overall I have to say that I was disappointed though; however, interesting things were revealed.

Attack of the Clones, Approaching Storm, Cloak of Deception (haven't read it but heard its good), Jedi Trial, Cetsus Deception, and Laybrinth of Evil.

Luceno's Cloak of Deception is a good read. Yoda's somewhat sarcastic throughout, which is fun.

Michael Reaves wrote Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. I remember this being good.

Any decent Boba Fett books?

Darth Judicar (above) mentioned Fury, Fett - actually the Mandalorians as a whole - are interwoven into the final 3 or 4 books in the LotF series. Having said that, it's not really business as usual "bounty hunting" stuff.

Erm. Tales from Jabba's Place contains a short (A Barve Like That) which is worth reading (as it ties into Fett's story somewhat in LotF). There's another short story with Fett and Solo in it. I'll try to remember it and post again as it's a good read - worth reading.

[Okkervil River]

So is Fate of the Jedi any good so far? I haven't read any Star Wars since the end of LotF, because that series really turned me off by basically following fan directives. Not to mention killing my two favorite EU characters. But I'm still a little curious as to whether or not FotJ is any better.

[Crimson Dragoon]

To tell you the truth, I've stayed away from FotJ myself

Stick to KOTOR era stuff and Prequel Era stuff

There's much more good stuff there

[Tabris]

ROTS and Tales of the Bounty Hunters.