Jump to content

The Best View in SWTOR contest has returned! ×

Post ROTJ Novels Question


sell-dog

Recommended Posts

As some of you may know or inferred, I'm relatively newer to SW EU and been picking up on books, comics, and lore over the past couple of years. Sadly, obligations have not allowed me to catch up to some of you in terms of knowledge as quickly as I would prefer, but hey all been fun.

 

So far all my attention has been to TOR era and some ROE era. I received the Jedi Academy book trilogy for the holiday season a month ago. Will I be confused if these are my first Post ROTJ novels to read? Or is it recommended to read the Thrawn trilogy or something else first? Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As some of you may know or inferred, I'm relatively newer to SW EU and been picking up on books, comics, and lore over the past couple of years. Sadly, obligations have not allowed me to catch up to some of you in terms of knowledge as quickly as I would prefer, but hey all been fun.

 

So far all my attention has been to TOR era and some ROE era. I received the Jedi Academy book trilogy for the holiday season a month ago. Will I be confused if these are my first Post ROTJ novels to read? Or is it recommended to read the Thrawn trilogy or something else first? Thanks.

 

You won't really run into any problems jumping in at the Jedi Academy Trilogy. The Thrawn Trilogy is probably the best set of novels to jump in on (and is a better written series too), but Jedi Academy is early on enough that you should be able to pick up on what's what just fine. Thrawn Trilogy, Jedi Academy Trilogy, and Dark Empire comics are probably the biggest "jumping on" points for the post-ROTJ EU.

 

Spoilers for Pre-Jedi Academy EU that gets referenced in the Trilogy [spoilers for Courtship of Princess Leia, Thrawn Trilogy and Dark Empire]:

 

Han and Leia getting married and having kids (twins named Jacen and Jaina and then a younger son named Anakin) and the Rebellion setting up the New Republic are the biggest things to happen pre-Jedi Academy. I think there may be some references to the Dark Empire comic series as well (Kevin J. Anderson, the author of Jedi Academy was collaborating with Dark Empire's author on SW stuff around that time) - the only thing to know from Dark Empire is that the Emperor was able to survive Endor by transferring his essence into some clone bodies and almost turned Luke to the Dark Side, but was defeated (I think that gets referenced as what finally makes Luke decide to start training more Jedi).

 

 

If it means anything to you, I'd wait until the fate of the post-ROTJ is decided. As it may be rendered completely non-canon. On the other hand you might want to buy those books now in case they pull them off the shelves...

For what it's worth, the "non-canon" status of post-ROTJ books will probably matter a lot more to those of us who've already read most of them, since it means we may not be seeing any new books in that timeline - OP even if they stop making books in the "old" canon (nothing firm has been revealed on that front), you will have years worth of novels and comics (if they're your thing) set in that universe to read if you find that you enjoy them. The timeline has progressed something like 45 years past the movies, without any real significant time-skips involved (although admittedly some of the books published from 1995-1998 were of particularly... questionable quality).

 

If "canon" status does matter to you personally though, then Beniboybling has a good point.

Edited by DarthDymond
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for the info and advice!

 

@psandak, yeah I've definitely heard Thrawn is the best and definitely on my list. Just that it takes me a while to read because of other obligations so I'd rack up quite the fine renting from the library and may just read JA before buy Thrawn.

 

@Beni, yeah definitely know what you mean. To be honest I have a man-crush on Exar Kun so I'll read these particular books whether they are canon or not just for the story. P.S. thanks a bunch for replying to my PM a while back :)

 

@DarthDymond, awesome thanks a bunch for the info. For better or worse I've somewhat "spoilered" myself as I do some serious wooki from time to time so I have a general idea of Post ROTJ EU just not nothing too specific.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it means anything to you, I'd wait until the fate of the post-ROTJ is decided. As it may be rendered completely non-canon. On the other hand you might want to buy those books now in case they pull them off the shelves...

 

Actually I'd take the opposite view. Grab as much as you can because if it is retconned it'll be a collectors item.

 

That said sell-dog, You should be fine as the references will be more inferred or easy to pick up as you go along. It usually won't ruin the story or anything. I'd suggest getting the Thrawn series first though. If you start with that or the X-wing series you can't really go wrong for post-ROTJ stuff. Once you're done with Academy though, try the Correllian Crisis or Blackfleet Crisis books.

 

If you really want to know what happened to the rebellion as far as their military achievements X-wing series is really the best (yeah probably better than Thrawn) and it'll introduce/expand on some of the primary characters in the Thrawn series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're all gonna get wiped by Disney so don't worry about it.

 

Well thank you for that utterly useless commentary about something we're all very well aware is likely.

 

Seriously, some of us enjoy Post-ROTJ stuff and still love reading it so please try and be just a tad bit sensitive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it's worth, the "non-canon" status of post-ROTJ books will probably matter a lot more to those of us who've already read most of them, since it means we may not be seeing any new books in that timeline - OP even if they stop making books in the "old" canon (nothing firm has been revealed on that front), you will have years worth of novels and comics (if they're your thing) set in that universe to read if you find that you enjoy them. The timeline has progressed something like 45 years past the movies, without any real significant time-skips involved (although admittedly some of the books published from 1995-1998 were of particularly... questionable quality).
But if it is non-canon, it will probably go out of print, meaning you won't be able to purchase it anymore.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That said sell-dog, You should be fine as the references will be more inferred or easy to pick up as you go along. It usually won't ruin the story or anything. I'd suggest getting the Thrawn series first though. If you start with that or the X-wing series you can't really go wrong for post-ROTJ stuff. Once you're done with Academy though, try the Correllian Crisis or Blackfleet Crisis books.

 

If you really want to know what happened to the rebellion as far as their military achievements X-wing series is really the best (yeah probably better than Thrawn) and it'll introduce/expand on some of the primary characters in the Thrawn series.

 

Thanks a bunch for the info and advice! Yeah reading Thrawn is definitely on my list just don't have it yet, didn't know much on the X-wing so that sounds awesome. Renting from a library is risky for me as my reading for fun time is inconsistent and may rack up a fine. I will definitely keep all the books you mentioned in mind moving forward! Thanks again

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't read the Thrawn trilogy yet and I've read the whole Yuuzhan-Vong series, the whole NJO series, and then the one after that too (can't remember what it's called). Although I did pick up the first book in the Thrawn trilogy a while back and I intend on reading it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But if it is non-canon, it will probably go out of print, meaning you won't be able to purchase it anymore.

 

That's not necessarily true. All Star Trek books are officially non-canon, yet continue to be published and sold. We have no idea what's going to happen to post RoTJ EU. Even if they retcon a majority of it, the books are still extremely popular and make a lot of money. In the end that's all that matters to these people and as such may keep them in print as non-canon.

 

Then again, they may retcon very little and work the story into the existing timeline. The truth is we have no idea. I do find it a bit convenient that the blog anti-eu posters are holding up as the gospel was written by a LA licensing employee who is telling people to buy up as much eu items, that they just happen to license, as possible....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's not necessarily true. All Star Trek books are officially non-canon, yet continue to be published and sold. We have no idea what's going to happen to post RoTJ EU. Even if they retcon a majority of it, the books are still extremely popular and make a lot of money. In the end that's all that matters to these people and as such may keep them in print as non-canon.

 

Then again, they may retcon very little and work the story into the existing timeline. The truth is we have no idea. I do find it a bit convenient that the blog anti-eu posters are holding up as the gospel was written by a LA licensing employee who is telling people to buy up as much eu items, that they just happen to license, as possible....

I think in the past that has been how things have operated...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...