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How do?

So as the title suggests, this is a thread for the breaking down and discussing of the new Star Wars EU canon. So not the movies, not the TV series. Just the novels and comic books. And in particular, please keep any and all discussion about The Last Jedi to that thread.

So far, I've read...

The Aftermath Trilogy (follows on from The Battle of Endor)

Bloodline (set when Leia is helping found the New Republic)

Tarkin (naturally set prior to Rogue One)

Thrawn (set immediately before Season 3 of Rebels)

Lords of the Sith (set a few years after The Empire comes into being.

Of all of those, I'd say the only one you don't need to bother with, on account it's rubbish, is Lords of the Sith. The whole thing does nothing to further explore Vader and The Emperor. I genuinely regret the time spent reading it.

Aftermath trilogy - the plot is solid, and of course sets up the new trilogy. However, the author's style of prose is a little unusual. Worth persevering though.

Bloodline - cracking little stand alone, fleshes Leia out nicely.

Tarkin and Thrawn. I enjoyed both. But, being 'historical', perhaps for established fans of the characters only. You won't miss much in terms of plot secrets and expansion if you decide to give them a miss.

Next up on my reading list? Heir to the Jedi. Which features Luke.

Official book timeline

Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones
Clone Wars TV Series
Dark Disciple novel

Episode 3 - Revenge of The Sith
Catalyst - a Rogue One novel
Lords of the Sith novel
Tarkin novel
Thrawn novel
A New Dawn novel (Rebels tie-in)
Star Wars Rebels TV series

Rogue One - A Star Wars story

Episode IV - A New Hope
Inferno Squad novel. Tie-in to Battlefront 2
Heir to the Jedi novel
Battlefront - Twilight Company Tie-in to Battlefront

Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Aftermath novel
Aftermath - Life Debt novel
Aftermath - Empire’s End novel
Bloodline novel

Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Episode VII - The Last Jedi

Why are you not counting the TV show(s) as "EU"?

As to the novels, I tried reading Tarkin but found it too boring to continue.

Personal taste. I feel if it’s on the big or smol screen, it’s somehow more canon.

I like the idea of a novel about what Vader being your dad would do to your political career. But really how do you hold the identity of someone's biological father against her? It's not like Vader raised her. Actually, he personally tortured her - twice!

 Manchu wrote:
But really how do you hold the identity of someone's biological father against her?

Because the masses are ignorant and don't care about details such as who actually raised Leia?
Leia is the daughter of one of the most notoriously evil people in the galaxy. That is all the matters to some groups

That's actually pretty realistic....sadly.

But I agree about the shows being more canon and less "extended universe". They seem less "extended" and more supplementary required viewing.

-

Tarkin and Thrawn I really enjoyed (surprisingly so). Tarkin was in an omnibus with some other stories that shared some characters and I didn't dislike any of it.

Aftermath was hard going. It might just be because I was invested in the old post-Endor EU but I just kept rolling my eyes at what I was reading. So (spoilers) there's this hidden Imperial admiral who came from Jakku for some reason, and he's got secret orders that if the Emperor dies then nobody gets to rule and he has to destroy everything, and he does that by summoning the entire Empire to Jakku and then making them all feral or something. Somehow. And it was all supposed to happen in a few months I think?

I assumed it would be a handy link to the new trilogy but I didn't get much from it really. Except Sinjir.

There’s more to the Aftermath story included in Battlefront 2 and the comics.

Whilst I’m enjoying this EU more than the other (Si’s-Ruuk....Yuhzan Vong....yuck), it is more spread out. Irritating to some no doubt as it’s hard to get the complete story. But, given most of it is pretty decently written (opinion, I know), I’m not too miffed. I mean, the Aftermath trilogy is ultimately self contained. The others are just little added extras.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Heir to the Jedi is pretty good so far.

It’s written in a first person perspective which feels a little jarring at first, but maybe that’s just me.

Seems to showing self-instructing in The Force, and is set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

You know, I’m gonna update the OP with the official book timeline. Seems sensible.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
There’s more to the Aftermath story included in Battlefront 2 and the comics.

That reminds me. I've read the BF novel (not yet played the game) and it's okay, though I wouldn't rush to re-read it.

I dunno. Maybe I just felt like the events of Aftermath were so far removed from what I "know" happened in those times that my brain just can't accept them? An alternate story for the Republic is fair enough but I can't wrap my head around the Empire's collapse (in many ways I found Sloane to be the most sympathetic character as her world fell apart around her!).

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Personal taste. I feel if it’s on the big or smol screen, it’s somehow more canon.

That might be your taste, but I think it's important to note it's in no way how the Story Group and Disney are treating things going forward.

There is no EU any more, no "grades" of canon - if it appears with the Star Wars brand on it from now on, it's part of the New Canon.