Guest Black Lushus Report post Posted July 1, 2002 Okay, don't make me feel like a total geek folks..i, by no means, am a Star Wars geek, but I actually enjoy reading the post, pre, and in-between movie novels that apparently are authorized official canon to the Star Wars universe...does anyone else here read them? I haven't read anything with the new Trilogy characters, just stories involving the original trilogy characters...I have four books so far and have been trying to follow the timeline that Bantam/Del Rey (the publishers) have set aside...so far I have read Shadows Of The Empire (which takes place between Empire and Return), The Truce At Bakura, The Courtship Of Princess Leia (an excellent book) and Heir To The Empire...if you dig Star Wars and want more than just the movies, these are excellent reads and I highly recommend them. I just hate that I waited so damn long to get around to start reading them... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BorneAgain Report post Posted July 2, 2002 I've read all 4 of those as well. The novels are pretty good but some of the recent ones are really depressing. *Spoiler* They killed off Chewie for God's sake!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Lushus Report post Posted July 2, 2002 yeah I heard about that, those bastards! but ya gotta figure sooner or later, someone big has gotta go! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vyce Report post Posted July 2, 2002 The novels are actually, as a whole, much, MUCH better than the crap that Lucas himself is putting out these days. Kind of sad that others have a better grip upon the universe that he created. Quite a few of the novels are very good, entertaining reads. I haven't had the time to check out the latest books (the whole New Jedi Order series is pretty massive), but I do highly recommend anything written by Tim Zahn. Don't stop with Heir to the Empire, read the entire Zahn trilogy. It's so good that Lucas has stated that it can officially be considered the sequel series to the original trilogy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest areacode212 Report post Posted July 2, 2002 Has anyone ever read the 2 Dark Empire series from Dark Horse? Are they worth buying? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest raptor Report post Posted July 2, 2002 Dash Rendar (from Shadows) is the greatest non-movie character...EVER. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Lushus Report post Posted July 2, 2002 The novels are actually, as a whole, much, MUCH better than the crap that Lucas himself is putting out these days. Kind of sad that others have a better grip upon the universe that he created. Quite a few of the novels are very good, entertaining reads. I haven't had the time to check out the latest books (the whole New Jedi Order series is pretty massive), but I do highly recommend anything written by Tim Zahn. Don't stop with Heir to the Empire, read the entire Zahn trilogy. It's so good that Lucas has stated that it can officially be considered the sequel series to the original trilogy. oh no, I plan on reading all of them, i go through about a book every 2 weeks, depending on what i have going on with the rest of my life...as a matter of fact tomorrow i will be going to Borders or somewhere to get the next part in the Zahn trilogy... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pochorenella Report post Posted July 2, 2002 Has anyone ever read the 2 Dark Empire series from Dark Horse? Are they worth buying? I have the Dark Empire I TPB and it's really good, though the coloring really could have been better IMO. The story is good and Boba Fett is back in this one! I haven't had the chance to read DE II but I plan to soon. For what is worth, Shadows is also a great TPB. I'm not really sure about Lucas accepting evrything published as official canon, but I can be wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest areacode212 Report post Posted July 2, 2002 Hmm, Boba Fett returns in Dark Empire? Interesting. This reminds me, how "canon" is the Star Wars comic series that Marvel published years ago? There were some pretty cool stories in there, but most of that stuff seems like it would've been "overwritten" by the new novels & such. There was a story where Boba Fett manages to climb out of the Sarlacc pit, only he has amnesia, and he basically hangs out with Han Solo as a babyface. Until of course, his memory returns, upon which he turns heel again, and falls back in. Corny, yes, but I enjoyed that story when I was a kid. I heard that the Shadows novel and comic book actually complemented each other, as opposed to one being an adaptation of the other (they focus on different aspects of the story). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Karnage Report post Posted July 2, 2002 Could someone post a list of all the Star Wars non trilogy books worth reading in order? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted July 2, 2002 >Dash Rendar (from Shadows) is the greatest non-movie character...EVER. Feh, he's just a Han Solo clone. Best expanded universe characters are Thrawn, Mara Jade, Corran Horn and Talon Karrde >Could someone post a list of all the Star Wars non trilogy books worth reading in order? If you mean chronologically wrt the timeline, here you go: - FYI: ANH = A New Hope, ESB = Empire Strikes Back, ROTJ = Reutrn of the Jedi - Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks (pre-ANH) - The Han Solo Trilogy by A.C. Crispin - Star Wars: A New Hope by George Lucas (ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster) (between ANH and ESB) - Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster - Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (Anthology) (between ESB and ROTJ) - Tales of the Bounty Hunters (Anthology) (post ROTJ) - The X-Wing Series by Michael Stackpole (1-4, 8) and Aaron Allston (5-7, 9) - The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn (HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION) - The Jedi Academy Trilogy by Kevin J Anderson - I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) - The Hand of Thrawn Duology by Timothy Zahn (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) - The New Jedi Order (currently at part 12) by R.A. Salvatore, Michael Stackpole, James Luceno, Kathy Tyers, Greg Keyes, Troy Denning, Elaine Cunningham and Aaron Allston. Other Expanded Universe Recommendations: - the Tales of the Jedi Dark Horse comics by (mostly) Kevin J. Anderson - The Essential Chronology by Kevin J. Anderson and Daniel Wallace - the NEW Essential Guide to Characters by Daniel Wallace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BorneAgain Report post Posted July 3, 2002 Tales from Jabba's palace kicks ass too. btw has anyone read attack of the clones yet? I thinking about buying it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest areacode212 Report post Posted July 3, 2002 I haven't even SEEN Attack of the Clones. There's a theater near my work that shows movies for $2.75 before 2pm (I live in a city where most movie tickets are now >$10, so this is kind of a big deal), so I'm just waiting for a good time to take a LONG lunch break. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest phoenixrising Report post Posted July 7, 2002 I would highly recommend the X-Wing Series - I own all of the books, 1 through 9. Every few months I go through them in order. BTW, Corran Horn rocks, but not as much as WEDGE! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vyce Report post Posted July 8, 2002 I would highly recommend the X-Wing Series - I own all of the books, 1 through 9. Every few months I go through them in order. BTW, Corran Horn rocks, but not as much as WEDGE! The X-Wing series IS pretty damn fun. And I agree about Wedge. I'm an old school Wedge Antilles mark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted July 11, 2002 >And I agree about Wedge. I'm an old school Wedge Antilles mark. And I thought that Stackpole and Allston really NAILED Wedge's character, as well as fleshing out the lesser-known Rogues like Janson and Klivian. BTW, for more of Wedge in the spotlight, he gets lots of face time in Allston's Rebel Dream/Rebel Stand duology from the nJo series... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Lushus Report post Posted July 11, 2002 you know, the novel i'm looking forward too (or novels perhaps) is the one that would take place between Episode 3 and A New Hope because it (they) would chronicle the events involving the Emperor and Vader hunting down and killing most of the Jedi, how Yoda got to Degobah, how Obi-Wan ended up on Tatooine, etc...obviously there won't be enough time to show all that in Episode 3 (unless the movie is like 4 hours long).... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted July 12, 2002 I believe that Timothy Zahn is doing a story that takes place around that time, and it centres around Thrawn and the "Outbound Project" which Mace Windu was supposedly on. But of course Lucas still has to make Episode 3 so who knows what else he'll retcon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Lushus Report post Posted July 21, 2002 Okay I was reading "Dark Force Rising", the 2nd book in Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy and I noticed a plot hole in this supposedly official part of the canon...the book mentions that Vader lost his right hand after botching up the Battle Of Yavin (A New Hope) as punishment by the Emperor, but as we all know he lost his right arm as Anakin in Episode 2 thanks to Count Dooku...now this book came out in 1992 so i can see how it can be missed by the time the movie comes around, but George Lucas really should be careful if he wants to have his storyline jump all over the place through the years rather than being straight linear, it creates too many plotholes...wonder if any of the hardcore star wars nerds caught that one... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vyce Report post Posted July 22, 2002 Okay I was reading "Dark Force Rising", the 2nd book in Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy and I noticed a plot hole in this supposedly official part of the canon...the book mentions that Vader lost his right hand after botching up the Battle Of Yavin (A New Hope) as punishment by the Emperor, but as we all know he lost his right arm as Anakin in Episode 2 thanks to Count Dooku...now this book came out in 1992 so i can see how it can be missed by the time the movie comes around, but George Lucas really should be careful if he wants to have his storyline jump all over the place through the years rather than being straight linear, it creates too many plotholes...wonder if any of the hardcore star wars nerds caught that one... Thanks to Lucas' retconning, there are TONS of plot holes now. Just look at Boba Fett's bio. Get your hands on one of those "Guide to Characters" books, it gives you a whole history & bio on Boba Fett. And here's a hint - he was never a fucking clone in the books. I hate Lucas so very, very much. Fett is just one example. He's a good one. I remember an interview Lucas gave in the 80s or early 90s where he said that he didn't like the character. Didn't know why he was so popular. Said he was just an incidental character meant only to have his 15 minutes of screen time and be gone. And boom! As soon as Lucas realizes he can milk mindless drones out of their money, he sticks Boba (and his "father", Jango) in the new flicks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Lushus Report post Posted July 22, 2002 whichis probably why Lucas has started to become the proverbial "self-parody" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted July 22, 2002 There is one thing you need to remember though - the books, comics and RPGs are considered "secondary official sources", so if anything changes in the movies, future books would need to adjust to that. Yes, it's sucks, but it's George's world, so you gotta play by his rules - even if they don't make sense. At the same time, it's probably better if he omits some stuff - the "Callista Trilogy", The Crystal Star, tbe Black Fleet Crisis, and (of course) the Holiday Special all come to mind... >Just look at Boba Fett's bio. Get your hands on one of those "Guide to Characters" books, it gives you a whole history & bio on Boba Fett. And here's a hint - he was never a fucking clone in the books. Actually the New Guide To Characters tries to amalgamate everything about Fett together. And while it isn't entirely sucessful it's not bad. Come to think of it, they describe Count Dooku's motivation quite well also. The movie never really gives you a good idea of the guy's motivation, and this helps fill in the blanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vyce Report post Posted July 23, 2002 There is one thing you need to remember though - the books, comics and RPGs are considered "secondary official sources", so if anything changes in the movies, future books would need to adjust to that. Yes, it's sucks, but it's George's world, so you gotta play by his rules - even if they don't make sense. But the problem is, and I've stated this before, the books, even if they are "secondary", are as a whole BETTER than the movies Lucas is putting out. The novels are, in general, pretty decent, and interesting, and take the Star Wars concept & universe further and in better places than Lucas himself is capable of. So it's really, really frustrating and more than a little disheartening when he starts to retcon stuff. If I had the choice, I'd purge all of his recent crap than the content of the novels or comics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Spaceman Spiff Report post Posted July 31, 2002 I'm a *HUGE* Star Wars mark (read: geek). I've read a bunch of the stuff written post-ROTJ, w/ the exception of the X-Wing Series & I, Jedi. I've stopped since the intro. of the New Jedi Order stuff. When I get home, I'll list all the ones I've read w/ any recommendations/comments. As for their "canon-ness", Shadows of the Empire is the closest any of them come to being actual canon, according to George. All the rest can be contradicted at any time by the movies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted July 31, 2002 As for their "canon-ness", Shadows of the Empire is the closest any of them come to being actual canon, according to George. All the rest can be contradicted at any time by the movies. Eh, it figures. He probably loves a mediocre "event" book like Shadows because it tied in with a lot of stuff that earned him some nice coin. He probably thought that the former lead singer for Journey (also named Steve Perry) wrote the book as well. All I can say is: retcon away George. Keep pissing your fans off and you'll be as popular as Howard Mackie at a Spider-Man convention... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Spaceman Spiff Report post Posted July 31, 2002 OK, here we go. I'd do the * Ratings, but it's been a while since I read most of these. I've read: Shadows of the Empire - OK Truce at Bakura - OK Children of the Jedi - lame The Crystal Star - lame Darksaber - OK The New Rebellion - OK Thrawn Trilogy - must-read Hand of Thrawn Duology - must-read Correllian Trilogy - OK Han Solo Trilogy - must-read Jedi Academy Trilogy - OK Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy - OK The Courtship of Princess Leia - eh Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy - OK Planet of Twilight - lame Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina - must-read Tales From Jabba's Palace - must-read Tales of the Bounty Hunters - must-read Episode One - The Phantom Menace - OK A New Hope - must-read Empire Strikes Back - must-read Return of the Jedi - must-read Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vyce Report post Posted August 1, 2002 All I can say is: retcon away George. Keep pissing your fans off and you'll be as popular as Howard Mackie at a Spider-Man convention... You have spoken the forbidden name. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Daredevil21 Report post Posted August 1, 2002 Finally, I found someone that has read these damn things. When I got real into Star Wars ('97), I picked up several of the novels. My first book was Tales From Jabba's Palace (I'm a Jabba mark), and I was amazed how good it was. I just got so into it, that I finished it in about two weeks. I loved how every tale eventually tied in with what happened in ROTJ. I also picked up ROTJ and the original Star Wars novels, and really enjoyed them as well. During that summer, I went through Shadows Of the Empire, Tales of the Bounty Hunters, and Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina. Shadows was my favorite, and once again, I loved how it tied in with the movies, and was really interesting, because even though I knew that certain things had to happen, I kept reading to find out what happened next. Great book. The other two were really good too, and fun to read. Shame I haven't kept up with them recently. Maybe I'll have to do that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Spaceman Spiff Report post Posted August 1, 2002 I've also got: The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope The Art of Star Wars: ESB The Art of Star Wars: ROTJ The Art of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Pretty good books if you can find them. Interesting to see the evolution of characters, ships, costumes, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pochorenella Report post Posted August 1, 2002 I'm not really much into reading novels or stuff like that, so what do you guys say about the comic adaptations of said novels or movies like Shadows of the Empire or the Original Trilogy? The Marvel Comics adaptations for the movies weren't that great IMO, but the Shadows TPB is really good, and also Dark Empire (which I'm not sure is also a novel). I've heard the novels for the movies have some good stuff in them that complement the stories, is this true? If so I might check them out. Also, what do you guys think about the manga adaptations? I've heard nothing but rave reviews for them and I thought about buying them but they're too damn expensive. I've checked out a couple of them and they look damn great. How about you, people? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
