Right then fellow geeks, I'm sure some of you can help me out here.
I've got a hankering to dive into some of the extended universe Star Wars stuff. My love of Star Wars has been rekindled somewhat and I want to know what's worth a look and what isn't.
I like the old Marvel stuff and much of the current comics line.
I've read Dark Empire which I didn't like too much (controversially I'm not a fan of the artwork).
I think I might like the Thrawn Trilogy - is that the best place to start? How about Shadows of the Empire?
What standalone novels are worth reading? Any particular authors?
I don't mind at all whether things are considered non-canon o if they contradict something that's been established elsewhere.
I'm not planning on spending too much on this - I'm hoping to make good use of the library, second hand book shops and car boot sales.
I really enjoyed the EU novels, even the shit ones had something to enjoy! Any of the ones by Zahn are a good read but the Thrawn trilogy is the best of them. Try to read the two Han Solo trilogies before Disney ruin the story. I really liked 'The Courtship of Princess Leia' - although others seem to have nothing but bad things to say about it, it, at least, tried to be something different (and taps into the whole 'romantic' element of SW). Similarly, I liked 'The Crystal Star'. From the prequel era and earlier, I would suggest 'Shatterpoint' (Apocalypse Now with Mace Windu) and the Darth Bane trilogy (which is basically Luke Skywalker's story but with the 'wrong' choices.) Most of these aren't particularly well-written and some (none of those I've mentioned) are really terribly written.
Don't forget Splinter of the Minds Eye. An interesting read considering its dating. Alan Dean Foster is always good for a novelisation and the graphic novel is enjoyable too.
Invested in the Marvel Omnibii for their run. Well worth it since Dark Horse didn't include ROTJ plus they include a couple of Alan Moore SWUK strips.
The Force Unleashed 1 and 2 must be going for buttons these days. This is canon. (http://www.space-mullet.com/2015/06/05/green-leader/)
Comicswise I always recommend Knights of the Old Republic (the series) and Empire, both uniformly excellent.
Bookswise I second endorsement of the very silly Courtship of Princess Leia (Barbara Hambly), and while not as big a fan as some, the Thrawn Trilogy is good stuff. The 'Tales of...' short story collections are uneven as bejayzus, but there's some real gold in there, ditto the Han Solo trilogies. I'm a big fan of the 20-volume New Jedi Order series, but it's one hell of a time commitment, and now utterly undone by the new canon.
Along with the books already mentioned I would also suggest The New Jedi Order. A pretty good series on the whole and it introduces a new enemy, the Yuuhzan Vong.
There are a few gems in this series, most notably the book 'Traitor', which is my favourite EU novel.
Cheers
For books, Thrawn Trilogy and Shadows of the Empire are essential. Thrawn was the very first EU novel, and made a big splash for a reason.
Comic wise I'd say Star Wars Legacy is essential reading. It takes place far in the future of the original Trilogy, and really switches the Star Wars concept up.
Video game wise, Star Wars Jedi Knight is an older game now, but one of the best. Kyle Katarn is the greatest causality of the EU being chucked out.
Quote from: NapalmKev on 27 January, 2017, 06:54:49 PM
There are a few gems in this series, most notably the book 'Traitor', which is my favourite EU novel.
Mmmm, I think 'Rebel Dream' from the same series might be mine... and I'm very partial to 'Star by Star', which pulls no punches whatsoever.
Given the title I thought this thread was somehow going to relate to Brexit.
Quote from: Tony Angelino on 27 January, 2017, 09:47:59 PM
Given the title I thought this thread was somehow going to relate to Brexit.
You're not the only one!
Thanks guys, I'll be keeping an eye out for the Zahn books and some of your other recommendations. I went in 2 old bookshops and 4 charity shops today and didn't find and Star Wars books in any of them! Weird. I'm sure you can normally pick them up for 50p at charity shops.
With Thrawn being integrate into the canon SWU, it'll be interesting to see what over now 'Legends' material gets rebooted.
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 28 January, 2017, 06:52:40 PM
With Thrawn being integrate into the canon SWU, it'll be interesting to see what over now 'Legends' material gets rebooted.
They've already
stolen used
Ben, albeit with different parentage.
The EU had a few gems, and I would've preferred to see the
Yuuhzan Vong in the new trilogy rather than a continuation of the Empire.
Cheers
Quote from: NapalmKev on 29 January, 2017, 12:10:01 PM
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 28 January, 2017, 06:52:40 PM
With Thrawn being integrate into the canon SWU, it'll be interesting to see what over now 'Legends' material gets rebooted.
They've already stolen used Ben, albeit with different parentage.
Or rather Jacen with a different first name.
Quote from: TordelBack on 29 January, 2017, 12:44:59 PM
Quote from: NapalmKev on 29 January, 2017, 12:10:01 PM
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 28 January, 2017, 06:52:40 PM
With Thrawn being integrate into the canon SWU, it'll be interesting to see what over now 'Legends' material gets rebooted.
They've already stolen used Ben, albeit with different parentage.
Or rather Jacen with a different first name.
Yeah, I get what you mean. One thing I would say about Jacen is that his [spoiler]fall to the Darkside[/spoiler] was handled better (IMO) than [spoiler]Anakin's fall in the prequels[/spoiler].
Cheers
I loved the original "Tales..." anthologies, edited & co-written by Kevin J. Anderson;
- Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina
- Tales from Jabba's Palace
- Tales of the Bounty Hunters
Some great Boba Fett stories, including 'A Barve Like That' (his escape from the Sarlacc Pit) and 'The Last One Standing' (the final showdown between Solo & Fett).
I had a pretty big collection of Star Wars comics back in the day too (not too taken with Marvel's recent offerings).
The most memorable was a one-shot called 'Twin Engines of Destruction' (a showdown between Boba Fett and his doppelganger, Jodo Kast).
New EU literature such as:
Books like Lords of the Sith, Lost Stars, Catalyst, Servants of the Empire series, Aftermath: Life Debt & Tarkin
Comics such as Lando, Kanan, Darth Vader & the Dr Aphra series
That Star Wars comic series by Brian Wood just before all Star Wars went to Marvel was really good.
And while it's not strictly speaking 'EU'. 'The Star Wars' was a really cool 'what could have been' take on a Star Wars.
Do you know what bloody well needs reprinting? The Wagner/Kennedy Fett/Dengar material. Easily some of the best (now none canon) SWU material.