Star Wars Legends/Old Eu help?

[hammerofglass]

IDK, what does "the Citizen Kane of x" mean if not "good but massively overhyped"?

[TheStarWarsTrek]

Touche.

[J!!]

What you really need to do before anything else is find yourself a copy of The Crystal Star, by Vonda McIntyre. Others might tell you to save the best for last, but it really helps put the Old EU into focus.

[Actarus]

I would say that the best books to read first are those more closely linked to Episodes IV-V-VI:

- The Thrawn Trilogy, since they are the first books to propose a sequel to the movies. They were meant as Episode VII-VIII-IX.
- Shadows of the Empire : That book even had a theatrical trailer. It depicts the events between ESB and RotJ and introduce the galactic crime syndicate Black Sun and its "padrino" Prince Xizor. It shows how Vader began the hunt for Luke Skywalker, how the Rebellion got the plans of Death Star II (many Bothan spies died...) and how Leia and the others knew where Han was. Great read.
- Then maybe the Rogue Squadron novels? I haven't read much of those.

[Yukaphile]

I loved Young Jedi Knights, the New Jedi Order series, Jedi Apprentice, Jedi Quest, hell, pretty much anything by Jude Watson, or James Luceno, or Matt Stover. The Dark Lord trilogy was pretty good. Shatterpoint too. I also love the Jedi Academy trilogy, and Dark Empire. Hell, so much, where do I unpack it all?

[CharlesPhipps]

I admit, its mostly:

* Dark Empire
* Tales of the Jedi
* Rogue Squadron
* Thrawn

And I have a special spot for The Truce at Bakura.

[Yukaphile]

... nothing else, really? The Revenge of the Sith novel, part of the Dark Lord Trilogy? Jedi Trial? Cloak of Deception, Shatterpoint, Dark Rendezvous, and so much more?

[CharlesPhipps]

... nothing else, really? The Revenge of the Sith novel, part of the Dark Lord Trilogy? Jedi Trial? Cloak of Deception, Shatterpoint, Dark Rendezvous, and so much more?

I generally hate everything after the NJO. I'm not a big fan of the violence and nihilism of it or Legacy.

A lot of the Old EU is entertaining but there's only a certain amount that is genuinely GOOD.

I'd add the Han Solo Trilogy and Old Brian Daley Han Solo books too.

Revenge of the Sith novelization and Shatterpoint too, you're correct. Mindor was also good too. Stover rocks.

[AndrewGPaul]

I remember reading The Crystal Star, but I don’t remember it being particularly terrible. Not great, but then all the X-Wing and Rogue Squadron novels are ... OK at best. The plots and characters get you past the substandard writing.

The Thrawn trilogy and the subsequent duology, the Jedi novels about Kip Durron, I, Jedi, the X-Wing and Rogue Squadron novels, The Courtship of Princess Leia and one or two other stand-alone were the ones I read, and then left it there. I read one or two later ones, but by that point they didn’t feel like Star Wars to me, and were adding in elements that didn’t fit, IMO.

I did like the portrayal of Thrawn in Rebels. He reminded everyone that while he’s cool and all, he was still an Admiral of the Empire, and quite happy with its villainy. Don’t forget he’s still a wrong ‘un.

[Karha of Honor]

Just a heads up DON'T read Legacy of the Force. Trust me when I say it's not worth it.

The last NJO book was the perfect ending for the Luke centric era.