Star Wars Novels!

[Althain's Warden]

Just thought i'd start a thread about star wars novels, in particular if anyone can help me find the older books that i believe are no longer in print ! I'm sort of suprised it doesn't have its own forum as i know the 500 odd books are very popular with many readers of sf & fantasy.
In particular has anyone read the two books by Drew Karpyshyn about Darth Bane ? The third is out later this year to complete the trilogy.
It presents quite an interesting account of the evolving of the sith from a larger organisation than turns into just a Master and an apprentice, the so called Rule of two.
Feel free to post any star wars book related matters !

 

[biodroid]

Have a look under the Star Wars film section, there is a big thread about the books. I have also had problems getting the older books but there is a secondhand shop by my house that sells them for cheap and in good condition. I guess that might be your only bet.

 

[soulsinging]

Have a look under the Star Wars film section, there is a big thread about the books. I have also had problems getting the older books but there is a secondhand shop by my house that sells them for cheap and in good condition. I guess that might be your only bet.

Which older books? Like the Timothy Zahn trilogy? I loved those back in the day.

 

[biodroid]

There are some written by AC Crispin etc. unless I am looking in the wrong places. I have those but they are secondhand as well

 

[Culhwch]

Five-hundred odd? I know there's a lot, but surely not that many. Though I've read scarce few of the prequel-set novels, or the more recent ones. I have a fairly extensive collection of the older ones, though...

 

[MontyCircus]

Five-hundred odd? I know there's a lot, but surely not that many. Though I've read scarce few of the prequel-set novels, or the more recent ones. I have a fairly extensive collection of the older ones, though...

A quick glance at Wikipedia lists 250 or so. I assume the 500+ number includes graphic novels, comics, reference books, art books, etc.

I've loved Star Wars since I was a kid (...not exactly alone on that point...), but I've never really thought of reading a Star Wars book. I always looked at it as kind of a scam. They put "Star Wars" on the cover and put something like "the continuing adventures of Han Solo" on the end of a hook and expect you to bite. Then a few years later another movie comes out that shows everything you read didn't happen or couldn't have happened, etc.

That said, I suppose I would be interested in reading some that don't have any strange continuity problems, deal with core characters (i.e. original trilogy characters), and that are wall-to-wall awesome.

 

[Rodders]

I'm a Star Wars collector and the books feature largely in my collection, so i'll always buy them whether or not i read them. I have read a few though and whilst they're never going to win any prizes, they are very entertaining and will get you through a long train journey in good order.

As with everything some are good and i have to say that up to this point i've never read a really poor one.

I would recommend any of the New Jedi Order and the Thrawn series of books.

 

[Althain's Warden]

They put "Star Wars" on the cover and put something like "the continuing adventures of Han Solo" on the end of a hook and expect you to bite. Then a few years later another movie comes out that shows everything you read didn't happen or couldn't have happened, etc.


I've actully found that the writers (the good ones) actually tell better stories with more infomation than Mr Lucas manages. Whilst Lucas will always have the world's gratitude for creating the universe we all love his story telling has some major problems with it imo, the authors that write the books can't write whatever they please if they want the book to be in the official universe (cannon as they call it) There is a lower cannon that is released that is just totally seperate from the official timeline. I personally find that with every film to book conversion or vice versa the book wins, everytime. Once you get past the slick graphics and the good acting (in some films! ) you just don't get as much substance as a book can give you and the imagination can create a journey that will be better than anything the imax can create. So for those reasons monty i would consider having a try of the star wars books and see if they take your fancy.

 

[Culhwch]

That said, I suppose I would be interested in reading some that don't have any strange continuity problems, deal with core characters (i.e. original trilogy characters), and that are wall-to-wall awesome.

Give Zahn's original trilogy a shot (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and Curse of the Forgotten Title) - shouldn't be any continuity problems in there. I also enjoyed the X-Wing books for action (authored by Stackpole and Allston) and the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy for the story. Can't recall the author right now...

 

[soulsinging]

Give Zahn's original trilogy a shot (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and Curse of the Forgotten Title) - shouldn't be any continuity problems in there. I also enjoyed the X-Wing books for action (authored by Stackpole and Allston) and the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy for the story. Can't recall the author right now...

Zahn's trilogy (last book is 'Last Command' btw) was utterly fantastic. It's the book that resurrected my obsession with Star Wars from when I was a kid... until Lucas killed it with the new prequels. The X-Wing books are a blast to read as well. But there is a lot of crap in those Star Wars books. For years Lucas wouldn't let anyone into the Star Wars universe, and then all of a sudden it was a total free-for-all with no regard to merit/talent or continuity. It's a shame really.

But that original Zahn trilogy is still incredibly good, even taken completely on its own.

 

[soulsinging]

That said, I suppose I would be interested in reading some that don't have any strange continuity problems, deal with core characters (i.e. original trilogy characters), and that are wall-to-wall awesome.

You need to read Timothy Zahn's original trilogy starting with Heir to the Empire then. It was before Lucas was willing to let anyone slap Star Wars onto a title to sell copies and it was hands down the best of the lot. It upholds everything great about the original trilogy and is even vastly superior to the story Lucas told with the prequels. And all the classic characters from the original movies are there. Those books are great.

 

[ratsy]

Zahns series was the best I have read...I probably read 20+ back in the day and then had enough...Andersons series was alright as well...I did the X-Wing Stackpole books which at the time were a decent read. I still have a bunch of the Star wars books tucked away in a box somewhere. I also did enjoy the "Tales of" books, Bounty hunter, Mos Eisley. They were short stories by several authors about minor characters that had small roles if any in the original movies.