The Expanded Universe discussion

Technically speaking it was the kids novella of Episode 1 which I got free in elementary school. I loved it then, I won't ruin the good memory by reading it again.

The first proper one (not being based solely on the movies) I can remember was Galaxy of Fear: The Brain Spiders, which I think I checked out at my junior highs library. Or elementary school. But it didn't really get me into SW novels and I didn't follow the story too well, didn't pay attention really. But I still remember parts of it. Same goes for some of the Young Jedi Knights books. But I read the first 6 this summer and liked them, I'll probably check out the Galaxy of Fear series again sometime.

Yet the one which catapulted my large collection which I have now and the first I read with full attention I think was the collection of short stories "Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters" and some of the other collection of short stories like Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and Jabbas Palace, etc.. Then the first complete proper series I read was The Bounty Hunter Wars by K.W Jeter. I think the Thrawn trilogy was the second, and I fell in love with Truce at Bakura and Shadows of the Empire and the X-Wing series. My interest excelled from there.

I just bought a bunch of books at the mall and second hand stores not really aware of what books were part of a series at first. Once I did become aware my collection started growing and I still don't have everything.


These are my Star Wars novel beginnings.

Assault at Selonia, then A Truce at Bakura, then the Original Trilogy, then The New Rebellion, which is what really got be going, and then the Thrawn Trilogy. Back then there's wasn't all that much to choose from though. Not like now.

In many ways I long for the days of Dark Jedi, and vague references to Luke and Leia's parents and the Clone Wars for that matter. A time when Chewbacca was there and there wasn't tragedy at every turn. I've heard all the stagnation arguments and that's fine if that is your approach. But when Bantam had the rights the essence of Star Wars was still intact. Good triumphing over evil and happy endings and all that. Since Del Rey took back over, its been nothing but death, anguish, misry, etc. Just to keep thing "interesting".

Don't get me wrong, there have been some great books. But I still find myself longing for "the good ole days."

I never noticed the connection between the publishers before, but it makes sense and I see what your talking about. I do see a difference in how the stories play out between the two. But I think the essence of Star Wars is still present, just in a new fashion. They are a lot of the same authors too, which use their own style no matter who the publisher is. I have noticed very much so the differences between each author and how they write and make things sound.

I can see how you could "long for the good ol' days". I do too to some extent, since the bulk of my first experiences with SW books were the bantam ones.

My first was Assault at Corellia. I was in 5th grade, so it was a little tough, but I got through it, and was able to finish off that trilogy.

I went through a long patch when I didn't read any Star Wars books, but I finally got back in by reading Truce at Bakura, Rogue Squadron, and now I'm working on the New Jedi Order. Don't know why I waited so long.

Good to see discussions!

I don't think that I ever really even heard of those. How long ago were they published? I've seen most of the Star Wars comics that have come out in the last 10 or so years, but I haven't necessarily read them. I tend to read the comics in Insider more frequently. Those are different stories pretty much every week, so they're sporadic.

Way before my time in other words.

ok. ok. i'm old. i can't help it. i was born a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away! hehe."

Not old. Experienced. Besides, you can brag that you got to read those when (probably) nobody else in this group can say that!!

My first book was one of those ridiculous 'junior readers' episode 1 books. But my first real book...

Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice.
I realize this is still a kidish book, but it remains
one of my old faves.

I started reading Star Wars books when I was probably 8. It is really hard to remember the first one. I know I read several Galaxy of Fear books (non-canon) and The Adventures of Luke Skywalker. I also read the Star Wars story books that came out for Return of the Jedi, and the ones that came out in the early 90s. The first one I remember reading, I mean where I was and when I read it, was the novelization of Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks. I thought it was great. Although I later decided I didn't like Terry Brooks. I read this in 1999 so I would have been 11. I know I read Children of the Jedi by Barbra Hambley fairly early as well, probably around 1998. This was and is still one of my favorites.

Hi there i'm new here! I'm Jess and I have been a huge fan of Star Wars ever since my father exposed me to the movies at 5 years old. I decided at that young age that I would indeed marry Luke Skywalker. I'm still hoping... lol.

Anyway, my first star wars book... well that's sort of difficult, but I believe I began with the Young Jedi Knights series about Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, and Lowbacca. I really enjoyed these, so much in fact that I decided to read the Jedi Apprentice sereis about Obi Wan as a padawan. I think I have a thing for the Jedi in training type of story because I recently really enjoyed I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole.

I will probably stay away from most of the threads until I get closer to the larger series, because I am only on Children of the Jedi. I have been reading all the books starting with A New Hope and on from there. Can't wait to get to some books that have more of Mara Jade in them. I dearly love her character as I said, I wish I could marry Luke and we are both redheads.

Thanks for reading guys and hope to get to know some fellow Star Wars Fans.

Jessica wrote: "Hi there i'm new here! I'm Jess and I have been a huge fan of Star Wars ever since my father exposed me to the movies at 5 years old. I decided at that young age that I would indeed marry Luke Skyw..."

Huh, I thought that you would despise her on account of the competetion for Luke's heart.

lol That would seem the likely emotion wouldn't it? However, I feel too much respect for and kinship with her character. She is such a strong woman who has come from a difficult past, and we redheads need to stick together. :-)

Riiight. Well, then you should watch out for the Legacy of the Force series then.....

And by that I mean don't read it.

I actually have Sacrafice. lol I bought it in a used book store. Haven't read it yet, but a friend of mine already ruined it for me.

I also stupidly read ahead when I was at the Reno/Tahoe airport and bought Tempest. I read it on the plane and was throughly confused, however I enjoyed it. I can't wait to catch up to there to find out what else happens. tsk,tsk Jacen.

Yeah, he's a real douche-for-brains. And just a douche in general really.

Mara also almost dies from a Yuuzhan-Vong virus thingy beforehand, but she obviously doesn't....

And now, an off-topic fact. I just finally caught up with the KOTOR comic book series, and I can't wait for #9. Thank you. That is all.

My first book was Heir to the Empire, followed quickly by the other two books! I also read the Sun Crusher trilogy (or whatever it's called), but I drifted off at Ambush at Corellia.

I just got re-introduced to Star Wars novels after downloading the free short stories to Kindle for Android. After reading the first Legacy book, I'm hooked again!

Ah, you mean the Jedi Academy Trilogy (which does have the Sun Crusher). 5 star series.

Glad to hear your back into it! Have fun!

Just stating my opinion, but I hated the Jedi Academy Trilogy. I felt it was really poorly written and I had to force myself to finish it. Really I'm finding anything by Kevin J. Anderson is just not my thing. I would have to say so far The Thrawn trilogy is the best.

*rubs eyes* Yeah, that is an opinion for sure. I think its one of the best written things i history.

One author I have found to be boring myself is Troy Denning. I like his writing and books, yet at the same time they just drag on needlessly for too long.

Kevin J. Anderson is the 2nd best behind only Zahn I'd say. Maybe even rivals him.

Huh, well, I haven't read the Jedi Academy Trilogy yet, but I will say TIMOTHY ZAHN RULES!

While we're on the topic of disliked authors, I only barely labored through a couple of James Luceno's books, never again, never again I say. He was just a little over-discriptive, and usually I lean towards that style, so that's saying a lot coming from me.

I think the worst book Zahn did was the Hand of Thrawn Duology. I felt that Vision of the Future was fairly poor compared to his other works. The ending was not too interesting either. Specter of the Past was ok. Altogether I think the story just wasn't up to par with the original Thrawn books.

On the other hand, the Thrawn Trilogy is superb. Outbound Flight is one of my favorites. Survivors Quest is great. Haven't read Allegiance yet.

William wrote: "*rubs eyes* Yeah, that is an opinion for sure. I think its one of the best written things i history.

One author I have found to be boring myself is Troy Denning. I like his writing and books, yet ..."

This is why I tend to stay away from discussion groups like this, because when you disagree with someone, or have a different opinion, they get mean. I apologize if my earlier comment appeared rude or irked you, but I was just stating my throughts. I am definetely not the only one who dislikes Anderson's work. All I'm saying, is that his writing style is not something that really appeals to me. As someone who reads A LOT, it is important to me that an author has a style that doesn't make the reader needlessly work to keep track of the story. I admit he created some wonderful characters like Kyp Durron, but his writing could definitely use some work.

I will do my best to respect your opinion if you will respect mine and not get snarky.

William wrote: "I think the worst book Zahn did was the Hand of Thrawn Duology. I felt that Vision of the Future was fairly poor compared to his other works. The ending was not too interesting either. Specter of t..."

I agree completely, while I still enjoyed seeing what happened in the hand of Thrawn Duology, compared to his other works, they were a little lack-luster.

I haven't read Allegiance yet either, but I heard from a very reliable source that it was one of his finest.

I will do my best not to respect your epinion if you will respect mine and not get snarky

Sorry, but whether or not I respect anyone else's opinion, I usually get snarky.

A friend was reading something orange, maybe Planet of Twilight or Tales from Jabba's Palace and convinced me to try SW novels, so I picked up Shadows of the Empire the next day. I still want more Xixor :(

I just joined the group and am a SW junkie.

I started collecting Star Wars books in 2004, mostly as hardcovers. Fortunately I had been acquiring all the SFBC hardcovers since the 80's.

When I got all extant books up to 2006, I started reading them in timeline order. It took me about 6 months to read them all. I think the 1st was Cloak of Deception. I have kept up with all the published books since and read them as published.

A couple of years ago I got the paperback Juvie sets and read them too. I will probably read-read all in timeline order again next year. It is about time to immerse myself in the SW universe again.

The hardest part is keeping up with new books and placing them where they belong in the timeline.

Wow, I'm just happy if I can read half-ish of the books that come out once, but then, I'm a ridiculously slow reader, so that doesn't mean much.

I'm not trying to start anything. Sorry. I got what I had to say out, thats the end of that.


To Jacer3000, I too am a fairly slow reader most the time, so your not alone buddy.

Well, to put it in perspective, reading audio-books (which I generally prefer) is actually as fast as reading the book manually, it's painful. Plus, when I'm reading with eyes, I occasional voice out a line or two I like until I get it perfect.

And yes, I know I have issues, but no-one really wants to talk about that. We're here for Star Wars!

By the way, has anyone else seen Star Wars in Concert?
I just went on Saturday, and it was EPIC!! If it comes near you, I highly recommend it.

Yes I did ,it came here the 19th of June.

Sweet. I need to read now...

The Thrawn Trilogy for me. I was amazed at how good it was. In fact, now having read nearly all the EU books, it still stands as the best, imo.

Amen to that.

Best EU book in existance, IMNSHO.

Jacer3000 wrote:"Anyone else seen Star Wars in Concert?..."

Going back a little, Becky and I did when they were in Las Vegas. HOLY CRAP, was it awesome! We were in the same freakin' room with Anthony Daniels! Sweet. And they did an encore of the Imperial March.

Anyway, like I said, Assault at Correllia was my first, but now that I am reading more, I have found that there is a lot more to like than I had first anticipated. I haven't been reading at all the last few weeks, as I am in Japan, Star Wars books are few and far between, and with my job reading is not the highest priority. But as soon as I get back to the States, I'm going to get Star by Star and finish NJO.

A little unrelated, but I think that an author thread is in order given the little tirades that were happening earlier.

A tirade I wouldn't really like to revisit. I'm almost done with Rebel Dream. Love it and Dark Journey. More than Star By Star.

You're in Japan? Cool! I'm going there on vacation in October.

I'm also learning a little Japanese, Ohayou Gozaimasu.

I got into Star Wars books by reading the Thrawn Trilogy and havent put Star Wars books down since. I put the books that I have read up on the bookshelf in my classroom. So all my students think i am a dork which I am perfectly fine with. A good and bad thing is that I have read a lot of books from the library or borrowed ones from friends (most of the NJO series) so my bookshelf doesnt do justice to all the Star Wars i have really read. Zahn got me interested because he is awesome but both Troy D. and Aaron A. have adequately kept me entertained so no complaints here.

I like both of those as well, but Zahn's still my fav.

Hello. I am new here.
I started reading comic books (Heir to the Empire and Dark Empire). The first book I read was Vector Prime. Then I just read every book of the NJO series and continued with Dark Nest and Legacy of the Force.
I am about to start with Fate of the Jedi but I also wanted to read something about Sith and the Old Republic, any suggestions?
Thanks
JP

First book I read was 'Shadow Academy' then 'Heir to the Empire' within a few days of each other. And I have been hooked ever since (although I have fallen behind and been negligent of my reading these past few years....just starting to catch up again).

Riquelme wrote: "Hello. I am new here.
I started reading comic books (Heir to the Empire and Dark Empire). The first book I read was Vector Prime. Then I just read every book of the NJO series and continued with ..."

Becky read something called "The Lost Tribe of the Sith," or something like that. You can get that on a kindle or something like unto it. If you're low-tech like me, though I would probably start with the Darth Bane books. They're pretty much awesome.

"'The Lost Tribe of the Sith,' or something like that. You can get that on a kindle or something like unto it. If you're low-tech like me,..."

If you don't have ebook hardware you can just read the pdf at your computer. They're available here for free.

Thank you for the link. It said that "The Lost Tribe of the Sith" is related to "Fate of the Jedi". I will start reading it before FOTJ.

And tells the story of how the faction of the Sith in FotJ came to be.

I don't remember which book I started with....but The Courtship of Princess Leia was one of the first ones....that's where I decided that I did like Han Solo after all. Of course, Heir to the Empire is one of the first ones I read as well. I love Mara.

I decided to go back and read all of the books, in order, about a year ago. I'm currently reading I, Jedi.

Endor wrote: "I don't remember which book I started with....but The Courtship of Princess Leia was one of the first ones....that's where I decided that I did like Han Solo after all. Of course, Heir to the Empir..."

Welcome Endor! You're not too far behind me I'm on Darksaber which may i just say is horrible... it is written by one of my least favorite authors and I am really struggling to get through it so i can move on to the good stuff. Hope Planet of Twilight is better.


What do you think of I, Jedi so far? I really liked it when I was reading it even though it was really a re-cap of the jedi academy trilogy. The detail was amazing and I really liked the main character.

Thank you for the welcome! :)

I like I, Jedi. There are some parts where I'm like, "yeah, I know what happened, you don't have to rewrite it." But I've always really liked Corran. I'm looking forward for the book to move into new territory. :)

Jess wrote: "Endor wrote: "I don't remember which book I started with....but The Courtship of Princess Leia was one of the first ones....that's where I decided that I did like Han Solo after all. Of course, Hei..."

Isn't Darksaber written by Kevin J. Anderson?
And I heard that Planet of Twilight was awful... it has gotten hit with some harsh reviews.

I, personally, set off on my first star wars adventure in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, which I adored. I now own all of the books excluding thirty or so... and have seen the movies more times than I can count.