The EU- where do I start?

Faqa · Post by **Faqa** » 2006-07-27 02:22pm

Ann C. Crispin's Han Solo trilogy FTW! It's quite a nice look at Han Solo in the ten years before ANH. Ties it all together nicely, with an obvious respect for canon(aside from maybe Bria You'd THINK Commander Tharen would be a well-known name, all things considered...). Also fits itself around the Brian Daley books and Dark Empire(I think. I'm not reading that abhorrent shit).

Also, Shadows Of The Empire. Bridges between ESB and ROTJ. A bit action-heroish, but nice nontheless.

And yeah, Timothy Zahn. Of course. He's The Man in SW's EU.

Stackpole's not bad either, I hear, though I've yet to find him in this damn country.

Kevin J. Anderson is a bit silly in his plots and cares not two shits for universe consistency, but he's not bad, for all that. Darksaber was fun, even if it was stupid.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2006-07-28 02:35am

Despite what people say about Corran Horn being a Gary Stu, I genuinely enjoyed Stackpole's books (especially I, Jedi), and would recommend them to any reader.

Zahn's Thrawn trilogy should definitely be read, if not for the quality (which is great), then for the fact that the series is centrally important in the EU and is mentioned in many of the post-Thrawn books.

DesertFly · Post by **DesertFly** » 2006-07-28 03:00am

Guardsman Bass wrote: then for the fact that the series is centrally important in the EU and is mentioned in many of the post-Thrawn books.

And, in ways, in many of the pre-Thrawn books as well. Also, the "Corran Horn books" really start with the X-Wing series, which leads to the Wraith Squadron series, and then to "The Courtship of Princess Leia". And then to "I, Jedi".

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2006-07-28 10:30am

True, but I've only read 1 or 2 of the X-Wing books (Bacta War and Wedge's Gamble), but I managed to suffice on I, Jedi. The book actually does not really require that you read the previous Stackpole books.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-07-28 02:18pm

Since most people have covered the books, I'll recommend some comics. Dark Empire I & II are good reads, and although Empire's End has too many Deus Ex Machina resolutions, I like the downward-spiral feel of the resurrected Emperor's final campaign.

Also recommend SW: Rebellion, as it's been mostly good throughout it's first story-arc (though the final issue in that story is yet to come, and could turn out to be ass) and it fleshed out some of the incidental characters of SW: Empire.

I must also note that the artists of these series (primarily Cam Kennedy and Brandon Badeaux) like to draw epic frames with lots of detail, a good thing when you're doing a war-story, imho. 8)

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2006-07-29 03:02pm

Look, my advice; buy nothing. Go to your local library and start there, at least that way you'll feel that you just wasted your time if you read a crap one. Otherwise it will be your time and your money.

As for my advice; Zahn. First EU I read, the one that I can still remember what happens in each chapter (I shit you not), and while minimalistic he didn't ass rape the OT characters.

General Soontir Fel · Post by **General Soontir Fel** » 2006-07-29 03:59pm

Crown wrote:Look, my advice; buy nothing. Go to your local library and start there, at least that way you'll feel that you just wasted your time if you read a crap one. Otherwise it will be your time and your money.

As for my advice; Zahn. First EU I read, the one that I can still remember what happens in each chapter (I shit you not), and while minimalistic he didn't ass rape the OT characters.

Agreed. I read every EU book in the library, then I bought those I really liked. Ironically, my first exposure to the EU was Jedi Search by KJA. I don't know why that didn't turn me off... maybe because I was 12 at the time.

But invest your money in the New Essential Chronology. It's a handy time-saver to avoid crap. And of course, buy Zahn.