Kelnaaz Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Title says it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vepress Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Well, if you really want to get into the Lore on this particular time period I would start off with Knights of the Old Republic (PC or xbox Game) rather than a book. This will give you a great backstory on some of the events that are taking place. Rakghoules and all! It's basically the story of Revan. Knights of the old Republic is the game The Old republic is based off of. Start there and enjoy for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimzerr Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 If you're looking to get into the lore after the Battle of Endor, I HIGHLY recommend the Thrawn trilogy, by Timothy Zahn. He's a great writer, and Thrawn is my favorite Star Wars character due to his depth and brilliance. Old republic was pretty much covered in the post before me. Most Star wars books are good, and I enjoyed Karen Traviss's work on the Clone Commandos, though not her work on Legacy of the Force. However, LotF is a must read, after the Jedi Academy series. I wish I'd never read any of them, just so I could read them all again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutOfSight Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 If you're looking to get into the lore after the Battle of Endor, I HIGHLY recommend the Thrawn trilogy, by Timothy Zahn. He's a great writer, and Thrawn is my favorite Star Wars character due to his depth and brilliance. Old republic was pretty much covered in the post before me. Most Star wars books are good, and I enjoyed Karen Traviss's work on the Clone Commandos, though not her work on Legacy of the Force. However, LotF is a must read, after the Jedi Academy series. I wish I'd never read any of them, just so I could read them all again. Spot on. I was about to post about the Thrawn saga. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeshield Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 If you really want to get into the lore, start from the very beginning of the timeline I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boscgard Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thrawn trilogy most defiantly, Heir to the Empire has just received an Anniversary Edition with some nice extras in it so thats a good place to start. Outbound Flight aswell once your done with those, and well pretty much anything by Zahn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorBeckett Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) What era do you want to get into? This list is a bit old but gets the general idea... Here's an overview of the Star Wars eras. Old Republic era (25,053 – 1,000 BBY) This era explores the earliest days of the Galactic Republic, its protectors, the Jedi Order, and its enemies, the Sith. Beginning with the formation of the Republic, it ends with the defeat of the Brotherhood of Darkness at the Seventh Battle of Ruusan and the rebirth of the Republic in the Ruusan Reformation. Though this era spans twenty-four thousand years of history, the earliest tale to date takes place only as far back as 5,000 BBY. Earlier millennia, as well as the Pre-Republic era, are chronicled only as historical lore and legend. Major works: Tales of the Jedi (Shadows and Light posed between The Sith War and Redemption) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (comics) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Unseen, Unheard Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords Star Wars: The Old Republic Darth Bane: Path of Destruction Jedi vs. Sith Rise of the Empire era (1,000 – 0 BBY) In this era, the Republic is seemingly in a golden age. However, the Sith, under Darth Bane, survived to plot against the Republic and the Jedi in the shadows. After centuries of Sith scheming, Palpatine, alias Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, sets events in motion which lead to the Clone Wars, a conflict that tears apart the Galaxy. At the end of the Clone Wars, Palpatine's master plan leads to the corruption of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, the Great Jedi Purge, and the formation of the Galactic Empire. Yet, there is still hope for the Galaxy, as the early exploits of heroes such as Han Solo and Lando Calrissian show. Major works: Darth Bane: Rule of Two Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil Star Wars: Republic Jedi Apprentice Jedi Council: Acts of War Star Wars: Darth Maul Cloak of Deception Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Rogue Planet Outbound Flight Jedi Quest Star Wars: Jango Fett Jango Fett: Open Seasons The Approaching Storm Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Boba Fett Series Star Wars: Clone Wars Clone Wars Adventures Star Wars: The Clone Wars Film Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV Series Shatterpoint Legacy of the Jedi The Cestus Deception The Hive Republic Commando series MedStar Duology General Grievous Secrets of the Jedi Jedi Trial Yoda: Dark Rendezvous Labyrinth of Evil Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars live-action TV series Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader Star Wars: Dark Times Coruscant Nights Trilogy The Last of the Jedi Star Wars: Droids The Han Solo Trilogy The Adventures of Lando Calrissian The Han Solo Adventures The Force Unleashed The Force Unleashed II Rebellion era (0 – 5 ABY) As an Alliance to Restore the Republic forms, a young man named Luke Skywalker discovers his destiny: to become a Jedi Knight, like his father. Trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi and later Yoda, the last of the Republic's Jedi Masters, he rescues Princess Leia, joins the Rebel Alliance, and destroys the Empire's mighty Death Star at the Battle of Yavin. Many other heroes fight along side him in the pivotal battles of the Galactic Civil War, from the Battle of Yavin, to the Retreat from Hoth, to the pivotal Battle of Endor, where the Emperor, though not the entire Empire, is defeated. The Rebellion declares a New Republic, defeating such threats as Ssi-Ruuk, the Nagai, the Tof, and resurgent Imperial warlords. Because of how long it has been around, this era has more works (if all unlisted works are counted) than any other era. Major works: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Vader's Quest Marvel Star Wars Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina Allegiance Star Wars: Dark Forces Star Wars: Empire Star Wars: Rebellion Jabba the Hutt: The Art of the Deal Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine Splinter of the Mind's Eye Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Tales of the Bounty Hunters Shadows of the Empire Shadows of the Empire: Evolution Star Wars: Ewoks Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Tales from Jabba's Palace The Bounty Hunter Wars The Truce at Bakura Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II Jedi Prince Series The Bounty Hunters New Republic era (5 – 25 ABY) During this time period, a New Republic sweeps the Galaxy, liberating countless worlds, including the Galactic capital world, Coruscant. Before the New Republic can call itself safe, however, it must deal with a series of Imperial leaders, including Ysanne Isard, Warlord Zsinj, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Admiral Daala, and even the resurrected Emperor Palpatine himself. Aside from the remnants of the Empire, the Republic must deal with many external and internal threats during this period. As the Republic tries to bring peace to a fractious Galaxy, Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi Master, and sets about establishing a New Jedi Order. He also meets the former Imperial assassin, Mara Jade, whom he eventually marries. His friend Han Solo and his sister Princess Leia also marry and have three children: Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. After the Galactic Civil War finally ends in the Bastion Accords, Luke's niece and nephews become Jedi apprentices themselves. Major works: X-wing: Rogue Squadron X-wing novels The Courtship of Princess Leia Tatooine Ghost Thrawn Trilogy Dark Empire Dark Empire II/Empire's End Boba Fett: Death, Lies, & Treachery Crimson Empire Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood I, Jedi Jedi Academy Trilogy Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Jedi Academy: Leviathan Children of the Jedi Darksaber Planet of Twilight The Crystal Star The Black Fleet Crisis The New Rebellion Corellian Trilogy The Hand of Thrawn Duology Union Survivor's Quest Junior Jedi Knights Young Jedi Knights New Jedi Order era (25 – 40 ABY) During this era, an extra-galactic species known as the Yuuzhan Vong invades the Galaxy. The New Republic, the New Jedi Order, the Imperial Remnant, and the Chiss Ascendancy are all faced with these seemingly implacable invaders. Whole planets are laid to waste, and many heroes die. In the end, a Galactic Federation of Free Alliances is formed, uniting the ashes of the Republic with the Galaxy's other leading factions. After five years of war, the Galactic Alliance finally achieves victory. Only a few years later, however, the Alliance is faced with another crisis. The ancient Killik civilization resurfaces, under the influence of the Dark Nest. These servants of the Dark side of the Force foment a crisis within the Alliance, which escalates into a brief but intense war. Major works: Boba Fett: A Practical Man New Jedi Order series Star Wars: Invasion Star Wars: Chewbacca Dark Nest Trilogy Legacy era (40 ABY—) Though this era has a clearly-defined beginning, it has no end as of yet. It begins in 40 ABY, with the Galactic Alliance and the New Jedi Order dealing with the legacy of years of war and peace. Another crisis threatens to split the Alliance, as allies from previous wars find themselves on opposite sides during the Second Galactic Civil War. Meanwhile, Jacen Solo finds himself drawn to a mysterious figure: possibly the same agent of evil who figures in Luke Skywalker's visions. He becomes the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Caedus and brings peace to the galaxy, uniting everyone against him. After his death, the Alliance is split in two, and the Empire takes over once again. Nearly one hundred years later, a new Sith Order and a new Galactic Empire dominate the Galaxy. Cade Skywalker, the last remaining heir to the Skywalker legacy, may be the only one who can save the Jedi Order. Major works: Legacy of the Force Millennium Falcon Fate of the Jedi series Star Wars: Legacy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Infinities This era is for stories released under the official Star Wars banner which are not meant to be considered part of the Star Wars canon. Some of these stories are alternate versions of stories covered elsewhere in the continuity, but with events which cannot be reconciled with other stories. Some are explicitly "alternate universe" tales, which branch off from existing storylines when a crucial event turns out differently. Others are pure parodies. Major works: Star Wars Tales (some stories) Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi Edited January 19, 2012 by DoctorBeckett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychogobstopper Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Old Republic Era * The Old Republic: Revan * The Old Republic: Deceived Rise of the Empire Era * Rogue Planet (if you plan to read The New Jedi Order; I don't recall liking this book all that much back when it was released) * Republic Commando series (you better like Mandalorians, though - also, Imperial Commando 501st is the last novel featuring these characters) * Shatterpoint * Labyrinth of Evil * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader * The Han Solo Trilogy * The Adventures of Lando Calrissian * The Han Solo Adventures (Brian Daley's works, which I recall as being fun as hell, though I haven't read them since my early teens - there's also, if I recall correctly, a point in A.C. Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy where its story takes a sort of "break" where one could then easily read these books) Rebellion Era * Splinter of the Mind's Eye (the first non-novelization SW novel; originally intended as the basis for a low-budget Star Wars) * Shadows of the Empire (takes place between The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi) New Republic Era * X-Wing series (keeping in mind that the last two books - Isard's Revenge and Starfighters of Adumar - take place following books outside this series) * The Courtship of Princess Leia (I don't recall much about the quality of this one, but it is pretty important as far as the future of the EU goes from this point on) * The Thrawn Trilogy (pretty much a must - the first post-ROTJ novels published, though some time has passed since ROTJ) * The Jedi Academy Trilogy (not great stuff, but pretty important for the establishment of Luke's new Jedi Order) * I, Jedi (just fantastic, and a great companion piece to both the X-Wing series and the Jedi Academy Trilogy) * Darksaber (again, no recollection on quality, but some important characterizations here for later works - at one point, I had a copy signed by Kevin J. Anderson but no clue where it's at these days) * The Corellian Trilogy (I do recall enjoy these books, and some events here are important in later books as well) * The Hand of Thrawn Duology (more Zahn work, based on his earlier Thrawn Trilogy - good stuff, as I recall, plus important in later books) * Young Jedi Knights series (surprisingly good for YA books, though I've only read the first six; also, they introduce and flesh out many characters who are important in the NJO and beyond) New Jedi Order Era * The New Jedi Order series (some of it is average, some is good / very good, some is great; my favorite SW novel period - Traitor - is in this series) * The Dark Nest Trilogy (I enjoyed it well enough, plus some events are very important in LOTF) Legacy Era * Legacy of the Force (I enjoyed most of it, but I do agree with some criticisms that I've seen that parts of it feel as if the series was too long, too drawn out) * Crosscurrent (pretty fun; worth noting that it focuses on a Jedi introduced in the Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy video game, and features none of the original and/or other popular EU characters) * Millennium Falcon (pretty fun, plus worth it to spend some time "alone" with Han & Leia following the tragic events in LOTF) * Fate of the Jedi (read the eight published so far, and mostly enjoying it; worth noting that one might want to consider reading the "Lost Tribe of the Sith" eBooks either prior to or in conjunction with this, as they spell out some of the history of the Sith in this series) If I haven't mentioned a post-ROTJ book above, then odds are it wasn't worth reading (if published back in the Bantam days) or it was published after I wasn't reading SW novels quite as voraciously as I once did (i.e., some of Zahn's newer stuff, Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, etc.). As for books set during the Clone Wars, I haven't read most of those; same with the Old Republic Era. For some examples of those that I consider not worth reading: Children of the Jedi; Planet of Twilight; The Crystal Star; The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy; and The New Rebellion. Unfortunately, there is a rather important mention during the FOTJ series of one character who is in a few of those books, but one would probably be okay to still skip those. Of course, she also appears in Darksaber, so it could be odd to have her show up in that one without the context of her first appearance and the ones after Darksaber. For comic recommendations (out of the many comics series that have been published, I have unfortunately read very few, so I'm not going to bother separating these into eras): * Tales of the Jedi (nicely collected in two Dark Horse Omnibus editions) * X-Wing Rogue Squadron (chronologically take place prior to the X-Wing novels, and introduce some characters important in those novels - collected in three DH Omnibus editions) * Dark Empire Trilogy (Dark Empire, Dark Empire II, Empire's End) * Legacy (great stuff, 140 years or so after A New Hope) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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