I just started reading Star Wars novels for the first time. Here are the books I've read so far (in the order that I read them) and my opinions of them:
Plagueis
I liked Plagueis a lot. The politics and bureaucracy stuff in Star Wars was always interesting to me. My only complaint is that the third half of the novel didn't really focus much on Plagueis himself, but I'll admit that learning about Sidious and the Sith's grand plan was cool.
Darth Bane Trilogy
I thought the first book was pretty solid, but everything happened too fast. I think the events should have probably been stretched out over multiple books instead. Bane turned into a Sith Lord really fast. I also think they could have expanded on Zannah a bit more.
The second book was pretty mediocre. The author even admits in the acknowledgements that it only took him 6 months to write it. Darth Zannah and some of the minor characters like Darovit and Johun were pretty interesting though.
The third book was better than the second, but not as good as the first one. Cognus and Serra were interesting.
Dark Rendezvous
I have mixed feelings about this book. The writing works well at some parts, but not at others.
Disappointingly, Yoda and Dooku aren't that interesting in this novel. Well, Dooku's past is interesting, but Dooku's character in the present is pretty boring. Scout saves this book as the most interesting and entertaining character. Whie is okay. I think he becomes more likable only when he overcomes the dark side at the end. I never really cared for Ventress in the cartoon, but she was well written in this.
The overall plot seems kind of dumb though.
I really liked the power scaling in this. The Jedi were struggling with the droids and didn't come off as super-heroes/DBZ characters.
Shatterpoint
This is my favorite Star Wars novel so far. I'm typically not into war stories, but this was well written. I liked just how despairing and hopeless the war and the jungle were and the mental/emotional effects that they had on everyone. None of the characters in this are all that interesting, other than Nick, but the overall story is pretty good.
So here's how I would rank these books (from most favorite to least):
1) Shatterpoint
2) Plagueis
3) Path Of Destruction
4) Dark Rendezvous
5) Dynasty of Evil
6) Rule of Two
Based on my tastes, what would you recommend I read next?
Note: I'm only looking for novel recommendations, no comics please.
I'm on the fence about reading Deceived. I have almost no interest in the Old Republic era post KotOR2, but I've heard that this book is really good.
I've heard that Labyrinth of Evil is pretty good, and that's probably going to be the next book I read, but I want to branch out away from the Clone Wars era.
Were any of the books with Mara Jade, Luke, and Caedus any good? Are there any Pre-Clone Wars books worth reading besides Deceived?
Knight Errant is a good one in a period of sith warlords, a handful of decades before Bane. Kerra Holt, stuck in sith space, has to travel through the territories of several Sith each with their own way of running things.
Cloak of Deception
The Unifying Force
Darth Plagueis
Traitor
Revenge of the Sith
Kenobi
Knight Errant
Dark Rendezvous
Shadow Hunter
Death Star
Shadows of the Empire
Personally I thought Deceived was okay but nothing outstanding. I'd suggest getting back to it at a later point.
Not one of my faves but it was okay.
Personally I really liked the "Legacy of the Force" and "Fate of the Jedi" series. They had problems certainly but they were still entertaining. I especially liked "Exile", "Fury", "Outcast", "Conviction" and "Apocalypse."
As other posters have said, "Knight Errant" and the "Medstar" Duology are awesome.
I'd recommend "The Truce at Bakura" as it starts right after "Return of the Jedi" and so is a great jumping on point. It was the first EU novel I ever read.
I'd highly recommend the X-wing books. They're solidly rebellion era, don't get too weird, and has a mix of new and old characters. I forget which the first one is, but Stackpole's X-wing books, yea.
The Thrawn trilogy, starting with Heir to the Empire, is a pretty common starting point.
I finished Knight Errant. I thought it was a good read. It had the most interesting characters out of all of the Star Wars books I've read so far and the plot was pretty good.
The only things I did not like were the family plot twist and the fact that there wasn't much of a resolution at the end of the book.
Overall, I'd probably put it in the top 2 or 3 of the list I presented in my first post.
Well, as Kerra said, the point was getting the kids safe.
It is tied to some comics as well- if you read through them, you won't get *everything* wrapped up, but you will get a resolution to Odion's story and Kerra's history with him.
Neat.
Which I myself haven't read, so I'll be curious as to your review.
I have. I won't spoil them for either of you but I will say a few things.
The Medstar books are basically the Star Wars version of M.A.S.H. (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital). They do an amazing job conveying the workload army doctors have to cope with and the horrific things they have to go through.
Barriss Offee is one of the main characters and (without giving away too much) after reading these I think you'll see why I really hated the Clone Wars TV series finale.
Jan 19th, 2014 04:01 AM
