Star Wars: EU

[Turd Ferguson]

No, not the European Union. The Expanded Universe.

I know that there are many detractors, so please, don't pop in just to say, "I don't like the EU."

Anyway, I've been keeping up with the EU since the Thrawn Trilogy was on the new release shelf (I was reading at a high school level in the first grade.) and although there were a few books that were extremely hard to muscle through, I read them anyway (I'm looking at you, Splinter and Crystal Star.)

My two favorites are Courtship of Princess Leia and I, Jedi.


What are some other favorites?

[jrcz]

Oct 10, 2011 11:11:10 GMT -5 Turd Ferguson said:

No, not the European Union. The Expanded Universe.

*sadly leaves the thread*

[Bob Schlapowitz]

The Thrawn Trilogy was really great. Shadows of the Empire was too.

[noleafclover1980]

Shadows of the Empire was awesome.... and even if it had a corny super duper everything proof doomsday weapon... I do like the Jedi Academy Trilogy. Some of the best EU stuff I think is in the comics though.. LOVE Tales of the Jedi, Knights of the Old Republic and Legacy.

[Cyno]

Anything Matthew Stover writes is pretty much gold.

[Red Impact]

It's produced some really awesome stuff, although it's also produced a lot of bad stuff.

However, the Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars series and Knights of the Old Republic more than make up for the really bad stuff like the Vong.

[Cyno]

Going back to my Stover love.

The New Jedi Order was such garbage. It produced one REALLY good book, though. Traitor was just really well-written and had a really epic, awesome moment for one of the few good characters in that series.

Shatterpoint is also excellent. I can best sum it up as "Mace Windu in Heart of Darkness." Windu is such a badass in there, too. It's also awesome because, in a universe where everything is black and white, Shatterpoint has a ton of shades of grey.

And the Episode III novelization is fantastic. I honestly think it's better than the movie (and I liked Revenge of the Sith). Stover does a fantastic job of getting into the character's heads, especially Anakin's. Palpatine's seduction of Anakin to the Dark Side is also so much more subtle and sinister than it was in the movie.

[Turd Ferguson]

Oct 10, 2011 15:09:43 GMT -5 Cyno said:

Going back to my Stover love.

The New Jedi Order was such garbage. It produced one REALLY good book, though. Traitor was just really well-written and had a really epic, awesome moment for one of the few good characters in that series.

Shatterpoint is also excellent. I can best sum it up as "Mace Windu in Heart of Darkness." Windu is such a badass in there, too. It's also awesome because, in a universe where everything is black and white, Shatterpoint has a ton of shades of grey.

And the Episode III novelization is fantastic. I honestly think it's better than the movie (and I liked Revenge of the Sith). Stover does a fantastic job of getting into the character's heads, especially Anakin's. Palpatine's seduction of Anakin to the Dark Side is also so much more subtle and sinister than it was in the movie.

For me, there were only 6 books out of the (what felt like) 84 that were written for the NJO series.

The Dark Tide books by Stackpole, The Edge of Victory Books, Star by Star, and Traitor.

I still haven't read anything after the Legacy of the Force series, as it's been totally boring. I heard that Shadows of Mindor was pretty good, but I didn't want to commit, because once I start reading a book, I can't stop until it's done.

[HMARK Center]

I loved the EU as a kid, since I got into Star Wars before 5th grade and was left with a few years before the prequels were supposed to hit (oh, the disappointment). Since I was young and just happy to have more Star Wars, it rarely sank in with me when a particular book just wasn't very good.

Still, I've been meaning to re-read the Thrawn trilogy.

[erisi236]

The first four X-Wing books are all types of greatness.

I never thought I could fall in love with a character from a book, but I did.

[FinalGwen]

As a kid, I really enjoyed the Young Jedi Knights and Jedi Prince books, even if they weren't exactly the pinnacle of sci-fi prose. Enjoyable enough at that age.

[Kevin Hamilton]

It's completely fine as its own entity, and I understand some of the stuff is quite good; but the problem is that, especially with the prequels, you have things explained or characters and concepts introduced there. Major plot points even are expounded on in expanded universe stuff and that's just ridiculous.

No one should have to seek out ancillary material to enjoy the films on their own.

That said, on their own, it's a perfectly, and in fact interesting concept.

[Hurbster]

I enjoyed the Thrawn series, the X-Wing books and the Courtship of Princess Leia (at the time it was a bit naughty in places). I liked Darksaber and I, Jedi as well.

However I abandoned the entire thing after they killed Chewie. Just didn't wanna know any more and still have absolutely zero interest in the whole thing now. The book where he dies is the last SW book I ever bought.

[Sir Woodrow]

Oct 10, 2011 18:37:42 GMT -5 Hurbster said:

I abandoned the entire thing after they killed Chewie.

Me too

[Free Hat]

Somebody post that picture of Knee-Sabre Man. To me that sums up the EU better than words ever could.

[Mr. Socko's Brother]

I actually liked more of the New Jedi Order series than not. For anybody getting into the EU, though, I recommend that you not read any books set after NJO, PARTICULARLY not the Legacy Of The Force series! Not even Aaron Allston writing a third of those books can save them, because the premise and ending are just too infuriating.

Some of my favourite novels from the EU (several of which I consider better-written than what George Lucas wrote) are "Death Star", the Thrawn Trilogy, "Survivor's Quest", the Wraith Squadron series, "Rebel Dream", "Rebel Stand", "Hero's Trial", "Jedi Eclipse", "Conquest", "Rebirth", "Destiny's Way", "The Final Prophecy", "The Unifying Force", (I might have put "Traitor" here if not for how depressing it is, particularly in hindsight), "Shadows Of The Empire", both Han Solo trilogies (one by Brian Daley and another by A.C. Crispin), "The New Rebellion", and the Hand Of Thrawn duology.

The unfortunate thing is that George Lucas' descent into suckitude seems to have infected the EU. Lucas feels that while he shouldn't have to bother staying consistent with the EU, that the EU should change to be consistent with his work (i.e., the prequels and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars") or his wishes. Now, I'm not saying that Lucas is the only guy to blame for everything turning to shit from the end of NJO on, but consider that the first series after NJO took one of the best characters in the EU and had him start turning evil because he fell in love. That kind of thing never happened before Lucas threw his "Jedi can't fall in love because that turns them into Sith" bullshit into the mix.

[Mr. Socko's Brother]

Oct 10, 2011 18:37:42 GMT -5 Hurbster said:

However I abandoned the entire thing after they killed Chewie. Just didn't wanna know any more and still have absolutely zero interest in the whole thing now. The book where he dies is the last SW book I ever bought.

I wasn't happy about that, but I didn't stop reading because of it. When you have something like the EU that spans decades and where the editors try their best to maintain continuity between the books, you've gotta be prepared for people to die. I'm sure that Han Solo is going to die sooner or later, because he's either in his seventies by now or approaching that age. Admiral Ackbar has already died of old age in the EU. Whether they go down fighting or die of natural causes, nobody lives forever.

[mattperiolat]

For me, Ann Crispin's Han Solo trilogy is great and I'm a big fan of Mike Stackpole and Aaron Allston's X-Wing series. Add in the comics that Stackpole did for Dark Horse and it is some of the best EU stuff.

Just about anything by James Luceno is great too. Cloak of Deception actually makes Phantom Menace look a lot better, IMHO.

If you want beyond the books, check out Tales of the Jedi and Knights of the Old Republic. Top flight writing on those as well. Dark Empire is pretty epic as well.

[Cyno]

Ugh, Legacy of the Force. Starring Jacen "My Own Cape Has Turned Against Me!" Solo.

Also, avoid just about anything written by Karen "Fandalorian" Traviss. Unless you have as much a hard-on for Boba Fett as she does.

[mattperiolat]

Oct 10, 2011 19:58:51 GMT -5 Cyno said:

Ugh, Legacy of the Force. Starring Jacen "My Own Cape Has Turned Against Me!" Solo.

Also, avoid just about anything written by Karen "Fandalorian" Traviss. Unless you have as much a hard-on for Boba Fett as she does.

Now, now. The Republic Commando stuff by Traviss is very good stuff. The problems came up in LOTF when she decided to be myopic about Fett while Allston and Denning were doing the same thing with their characters. That's more bad editing than bad writing.

OH! Almost forgot - no one has talked about Drew Krapyshan's Darth Bane novels, which are very good stuff as well. Tie in nicely with the BioWare KOTOR games as well.