Newbie to Star Wars.

[Stormbringer]

In that case, I recommend

-The Jedi Academy Trilogy
-Darksaber
-The Crystal Star

because for that statement, you deserve it

Just be prepared for pain like you've never experienced before.

I don't want him to suffer for ever. And no one deserves the horror of Kevin J Anderson.
Spoilsport

[haas mark]

......I will safely say that I am confused..........

[Stravo]

......I will safely say that I am confused..........

You could always try to be a Trekkie. **Runs out of room**

[haas mark]

......I will safely say that I am confused..........

You could always try to be a Trekkie. **Runs out of room**

*thwap* Even YOU shouldn't be saying that! GAH! Trek is so horrible! I only could stand to watch DS9 and *parts* of STNG!!!

[Stormbringer]

......I will safely say that I am confused..........

Suffice to say that you should never ever read those books.

[Batman]

I don't want him to suffer for ever. And no one deserves the horror of Kevin J Anderson.

Why not? I suffered through it, hebloody well can too

To Verilon-if you think dying from the plague, being eaten alive by piranhas or being processed through a meatgrinder are fun ways to spend
an afternoon, I can heartily recommend those books.
Otherwise, avoid them like a bad Voyager episode
(and I'm talking bad by Voyager standards)

[haas mark]

I don't want him to suffer for ever. And no one deserves the horror of Kevin J Anderson.

Why not? I suffered through it, hebloody well can too

That was your choice, my friend.

To Verilon-if you think dying from the plague, being eaten alive by piranhas or being processed through a meatgrinder are fun ways to spend
an afternoon, I can heartily recommend those books.
Otherwise, avoid them like a bad Voyager episode
(and I'm talking bad by Voyager standards)

Only if others are the ones suffering. And frankly, I could not STAND Voyager...

[Batman]

And frankly, I could not STAND Voyager...

Think the worst Voyager episode you can remember.
That's the Jedi Academy trilogy.
It goes downhill from there...

[haas mark]

And frankly, I could not STAND Voyager...

Think the worst Voyager episode you can remember.
That's the Jedi Academy trilogy.
It goes downhill from there...

*shudder*

*thwap*

And the worst Voyager episode I manage dot sit thru was about the sixth one I saw...in the middle of the season...

[Darth Yoshi]

Don't start with Timothy Zahn. if you do, then you'll think the rest of the EU is crap by Voyager standards. Start with Stackpole or something. He's decent enough that your brain won't rot, and he won't up your standards, either.

[Ghost Rider]

No, I say start with the best...no reason to go second or third.

It's like trying out a Z when the Porsche is just sitting there.

Honestly

Read Zahn, then tempt Stackpole and Allston(though I like Allston's humor moreso)

Then just dabble...but honestly there is plenty of crap to which no one can prepare you for...put simply what Stravo wrote is leagues above the dumbasses who call themselves professional writers for EU.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

I think you should start by reading Kevin J. Anderson. Then, you'll appreciate all the other EU books more after that.

[Kuja]

If you start with KJA, you might not see a reason to take the time reading others.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Okay, this is gonna sound a bit awkward considering my very large post count, but hey, what are post counts?

Anyways, what would be the best Star Wars book to start reading with? I would like to get more involved in this particular forum, but I need to know what's going on, obviously. Of course, I don't have the necessary funds as of yet, but I will get them as soon as I get a job.

Anywho, what is the best SW book to start with?

ver.

The books by Timothy Zahn are good. And then you have some of the others, such as Stackpole and Alliston. Avoid any SW book written by the following people:

Kevin J. Anderson

If you read a SW book by KJA, then you'll probably never ever want to pick up another SW book again . . . unless you actually liked it, in which case I will send one of my top-secret hitmen to give you a reasonably humane death.

[Stormbringer]

The books by Timothy Zahn are good. And then you have some of the others, such as Stackpole and Alliston. Avoid any SW book written by the following people:

Kevin J. Anderson

Add:

Vonda McIntyre
Barbara Hambly
Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Now those are writers who's work must be avoided. They're fucking awful books each and everyone of them.

[haas mark]

Okay, I have half of you saying Zahn, and the other half saying Anderson. You've confusded the hell out of me. Get back to me when you have a consensus.

[The Dark]

My opinion:

Read Zahn
Avoid Anderson

Try the others on an individual basis, they vary by reader and author.

For example, I liked some of the Black Fleet Crisis (Luke's storyline sucked massively, but some of Leia's was decent and I actually liked Plat Mallar's tragic hero part).

I also thought Courtship of Princess Leia was not bad, since it finishes the romance between Han and Leia. Jedi Academy I thought was good the first time I read it (I was about 9), but now I hate it. The X-Wing books are pretty good; books 5-whatever they're up to now are better than books 1-4. I, Jedi is good if you can get over the first-person, which really didn't bother me that much. Other good ones are the OLD books, like the Han Solo trilogy. They're a bit dated, and I laughed sometimes at how outdated some of the writing was, but they're fun. They'll give insight into the little-seen backstory before the movies (such as Han winning the Falcon off of Lando).

Here's what I think you should read first:
The original trilogy
Shadows of the Empire
The Zahn trilogy
The Han Solo trilogy
The X-Wing books (nonology?)

Go from there based on which authors you like and what parts of Galactic history you want to focus on.

[consequences]

btw, Dark Empire and Dark Empire 2 can be found at you local super bookstore sometimes, but I've been having a bitch of a time locating Empire's End.

[Sea Skimmer]

btw, Dark Empire and Dark Empire 2 can be found at you local super bookstore sometimes, but I've been having a bitch of a time locating Empire's End.

Dark Empire can now be gotten in book form I know as I have it, but can the other two?

[Ghost Rider]

DE 1 & 2 are both collected...but Empire's End unforunatly isn't...the sons of bitchs at Dark Horse....grrrrrrr

I mean I say DE2 just should've had EE at the end and be done with it.

[Darth Wong]

Don't bother with the X-wing books. I can sum up all of them for you quickly:

1. We are introduced to an interesting cast of characters, some Rebel, some Imperial
2. Some Imperial warlord, remnant, or renegade is plotting something terrible
3. It turns out that some crucial character on the Imperial side was actually betrayed by the Empire at some point in the past (you see, every single person in the Empire was secretly betrayed by the Empire; that's how eeeevil the Empire is).
4. This betrayal is revealed to him or her, thus prompting him/her to immediately change sides.
5. At a crucial moment, the turncoat helps the Rebels defeat the Imperial warlord, remnant, or renegade.
6. Thus endeth the cheesy morality play.

[Kuja]

Don't bother with the X-wing books. I can sum up all of them for you quickly:

1. We are introduced to an interesting cast of characters, some Rebel, some Imperial
2. Some Imperial warlord, remnant, or renegade is plotting something terrible
3. It turns out that some crucial character on the Imperial side was actually betrayed by the Empire at some point in the past (you see, every single person in the Empire was secretly betrayed by the Empire; that's how eeeevil the Empire is).
4. This betrayal is revealed to him or her, thus prompting him/her to immediately change sides.
5. At a crucial moment, the turncoat helps the Rebels defeat the Imperial warlord, remnant, or renegade.
6. Thus endeth the cheesy morality play.

Switch your comment about the turncoat from Imperial to Rebel, and you'll have the first four books right.