First of My Name Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 For those who read the Star Wars Expanded Universe: what is your best novel and why? I've read a lot of them and am curious to other's opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcf Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Matthew Woodring Stover *end thread*His combination of action and deep thought with actual writing and plotting skills makes him the best. I prefer Shatterpoint, though I know many give the nod to Traitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First of My Name Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Matthew Woodring Stover*end thread*His combination of action and deep thought with actual writing and plotting skills makes him the best. I prefer Shatterpoint, though I know many give the nod to Traitor. I also enjoy him a lot. I found his Episode III novelization fantastic but thta's not EU. I also Karen Traviss a lot, and Timothy Zahn of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjax451 Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I, Jedi by Mike Stackpole.No offense to Zahn or any of the others, but I believe this is the finest EU novel there is. Not only is it in first-person, giving the inside thoughts of someone undergoing Jedi training, but it avoids the major characters in anything but supporting roles. It fixes/retcons a number of problems that existed in the Jedi Academy series of books and has a tight plot, despite it's length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjax451 Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I also enjoy him a lot. I found his Episode III novelization fantastic but thta's not EU. I also Karen Traviss a lot, and Timothy Zahn of course.The Ep 3 novelization is really fantastic, but agree that it's not generally considered 'EU' and is instead considered "G-Cannon." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
End of Disc One Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 A.C. Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterOJ Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I'm not a huge EU reader anymore, but I was at one point. And it was all because of Timothy Zahn and the Thrawn trilogy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Bass Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I'm going with I, Jedi, which was easily the most enjoyable Star Wars novel I've read aside from the Revenge of the Sith novelization. That said, Traitor is a close second, in part because of the sheer epic-ness of a minor character's last stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 A.C. Crispin's Han Solo TrilogySee, I thought these were horribly written. Just bad. I wish there could be more debate, but the first Zahn books, I Jedi, and Stover wins. The biggest problem with Stover is his books are buried in the long story arcs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokisnow Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I never read past the birth of Luke's kid, but my favorites were the Thrawn Trilogy and I, Jedi and the original X Wing Quartet.when I read through the wiki synopsises of all the EU books that have come out in the last ten years it boggles my mind that the books as a teenager I thought of as throwaway trashy reads (Young Jedi Knights, Jr Jedi Knights) wound up being crucial to the post NJO EU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Ah the good old EU. Soon to be completely fucked over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narwhal Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Ah the good old EU. Soon to be completely fucked over.But likely replaced by better material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GallowKnight Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I, Jedi by Mike Stackpole.No offense to Zahn or any of the others, but I believe this is the finest EU novel there is. Not only is it in first-person, giving the inside thoughts of someone undergoing Jedi training, but it avoids the major characters in anything but supporting roles. It fixes/retcons a number of problems that existed in the Jedi Academy series of books and has a tight plot, despite it's length.I agree with this. My all time favourite SW novel.I would also like to add Crosscurrent by Paul S. Kemp. Post-Lecagy of the Force but without the bullshit that made LoTF so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Bass Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 But likely replaced by better material.It depends on whether or not they bring over the same stable of EU writers. I hope not - Aaron Allston has written some good books (the Wraith Squadron books), but I've never read anything from either Christie Golden or Troy Denning that was more than "okay". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noroldis Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 But likely replaced by better material.Not if Troy Denning is involved. For me, this has been one of the biggest drawbacks of the EU over the years – seeing authors I dislike or outright despise, like Denning, get handed more and more novels. And sadly, I don't expect that will change once new novels based on the Sequel Trilogy start being published.As for the OT, my favorite Star Wars novel is Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization. It did a much better job than the movie at explaining Anakin's fall to the dark side. If Lucas had allowed Stover to properly detail the Obi-Wan/Vader and Yoda/Sidious duels, I might consider this novel one of my all-time favorite works of fiction. Now, if the RotS novelization is not eligible due to being considered G-canon instead of C-canon, then I'll pick Shatterpoint, by the same author.Oh, if Stover could write all three novelizations of the ST… though I'd still be very happy with a Ep VII – Timothy Zahn, Ep VIII – James Luceno, Ep IX – Matthew Stover distribution of the novelizations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Kilimaro Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I'm going to go off the beaten path here. Apparently way off the beaten path since a few people have denigrated the author of the book I'm about to name. (Stover is up there in the top tier of my favorites, for sure. Traitor was a great book.)I decided to stop reading the EU books after the New Jedi Order arc, so I can't speak to anything beyond that, though from what I've heard, I'm glad I stopped. But one of my favorites was from the NJO:Star by Star by Troy DenningUndoubtedly it's better in my memory. What I remember about it mostly is that when it was released, it happened to be the first post-9/11 Star Wars book, though the manuscript was surely turned in long before 9/11, and it felt like it perfectly captured the mood of the world at that time. It was this descent into a dark, hopeless place where you couldn't really guess how low it would go. Nobody felt safe. It even had suicide Yuuzhan Vong fighters crashing into buildings. In the end, the Republic essentially collapsed, but there was hope enough that the heroes would keep fighting on, and maybe forge something better out of what had become kind of a moribund bureaucracy anyway. I was 17 when I read this book, convinced I was going to get drafted and sent to Afghanistan or something, and it left a mark on me more than any other Star Wars book ever did, though I haven't touched one for ten years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Bass Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 While I like the novelizations for the PT and OT, I'd love to see all six movies with new novelizations, all written by Stover. Return of the Jedi would probably be particularly great to read, right after reading Stover's Revenge of the Sith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Well, I meant that most if not all of the post Ep 6 EU will probably be um, whats the word, decannonized? Retconned to not exist? I mean I suppose its possible the new films will acknowledge them, but I highly doubt it.Edit: To answer the OP question, Thrawn or the Rouge Squadron books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sologdin Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 KOTOR II. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 KOTOR II.Better than your suggestion of 'Splinter' in the last thread =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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